WHERE VON TEMPSKY FELL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 5024, 23 July 1903, Page 2

WHERE VON TEMPSKY FELL.

(By J. P. VS»ard, late Forest liaxxg’ex's and. A.O, Xield X’orco.) In the* "New Zealand Times” of tlio 17th July 1 notice a few lines from an old comrade, Mr J. H. Walker, of Waitara, anent what I had to say about the battlefields of Me Ngutu o To Manu. To ix.ua iCua and Pung&reiiu, to a representative of the “Waxmate Witness” newspaper some couple of weeks ago. I don't* know what tho ‘‘Witness” actually said; but I wish to correct an that is mane (I am thoroughly sure quite inadvertently) by the “New Zealand Times” in stating ‘‘that 1 slept at To Ngutu o Tc Mann the night before tho battle.” Vt ell may my old comrade ask, “What was I doing thereon such an occasion?” What I told tho “Wahnatc Witness” in substance was this:—That about the middle of May, 18G8, I, with other members of my'troop, “The I* ate a Yeomanry Cavalry,” together with, other corps wero marched into “The JieaK** of the Bird” to execute warrants against the chiefs, Toi Huuwhenua and others, for cattle stealing, or recover the stolen animals. Colonel Tom McDonnell was in charge, and Mr Booth, the Civil Magistrate, also accompanied us. AVc got fairly well round the village (it was not a pah in the Maori sense then) about three hours before daylight, and were halted. I was only a file or two away from the Colonel and Major Cummings, and the former* hardly knew what to do, as it was supposed—and afterwards found to be correct—that the Maoris wero waiting for us to advance and let us have it. McDonnell said to Major Cummings Cummings, I don't like appearances (things were so quiet and still). Pll go in alone. If you heiar a shot or any shooting bring your men up at the double.” Needless to say, the Major tried to dissuade his chief from this foolhardy trip, but to no purpose. In he went. All us fellows wero' ready, with rifles capped aud cooked, waiting breathlessly. There was no shot, but au invitation in Maori, also in tbo Colonel's well-known voice, to “Come in; it's all right.” We did so. and old Tokiri made us all very comfortable in the big '‘Wnaro llunanga” for the remainder of the morning, rather. Next day we returned to IVaihi camp with two or three old crocks of horses; hut before leaving, X, as being able to talk a word or two of Maori, had a good talk with some of tho villagers, and also a good look around this afterwards most infamous village. In August following my poor old comrade. Cahill, and his mates were murdered, and tho war began afresh. I was at the Thames (some thirty of ns loft in early June) when the battles .of To Ngutu o Te Manu and To Eua Eua were fought—the first about the 20th of August, 1 think, and the latter early in September. It was in the ,latter battle— Te Rua Eua, not Te Ngutu o Te Manu—that my gallant old leader- Von Tempaky fell, and with him poor Buck, Hastings! Hunter, Palmer, Bussell, and the rest. On the sad news reaching the Thames! a lot of us old Force fellows threw down the pick and shovel and rejoined Nob. 6 and 7 Divisions, A.C. I joined the firstnamed, and ray commanding officer was James Mclntosh Koberts, as gallant aud withal ill-requited au officer as ever wore a sabre. Ho was Ton’s second in conn maud in No. 5, A.C.. and from him I had the pleasure of obtaining, afterwards a lot of information anent tbo two battles, also from Wiriata Te Porokoro of the Native Contingent, and Kepa. Te Jiangihiwinui; and from the enemy’s side I have had dozens of chats with Tohu, Te Whiti’s then strong henchman, whilst I had charge of them both in 1882. about; these fights, and that of Pungarehu and others. I have now in my possession a pencil sketch, by Tohu, of the three battlefields (Pungarehu, of course, was fought by McDonnell in ISG7), and.this sketch, together with the consensus of opinions I have been able to gather from European and native actors in these two fights, place most conclusively to iny mind Te Eua .Eua (only a bush clearing, roughly pallisaded on its margins, and ny ball-proof shelter cage® up largo forest trees) quite 350 to 400 yards distant from Te Ngutu o To Manu, and therefore that tho spot or spots shown in the Te Ngutu domain as being where Von Tempsky fell is wrong. True, he may have been, and was, carried into the village marae after the battle, and so were all the bodies of tho killed and wounded that thee wretched Ngarunhine could find —what for I don't choose to state in the columns of a newspaper; but to my mind after viewing the site cf the old" village (as I did the other week, tho first time for over thirty-five, years), and where cer. tain landmarks (swampy creeks, etc.) wero so graphically detailed to me by both Europeans aud natives present in these battles there was a good quarter of a mile separating both, whereas the visitor is shown a larch tree, sctunlly on tho site of the old marae, as where Vo a Temp«ky fell. I also take exception, and I think it is scandalous, that from 100 to 150 acres of the forest as it stood in ISGS, with Te

Ngutu o le Mann iu its centre, was not it-served lor all time, with every swamp, cueii, rain irec, ami undcisorulb fill intact, to show the future iubabitauts oi Maorilaml what my bravo comrades had to march over and 1 hrough—in tho dead ot night, too—to light as bravo and as capable a To© os ever raced a platoon of British musketry. It may. b- said. Oi what interest is it new reviving these old memories? 1 tiiln 1- a poet* deaf ol interest attaches, or should 1 utiacn, tu oveiy battle-ground throughout Maori laud, both native and Jiuropcan. As respects tho iutler, 1 inaivu been present in a few oi' them. Vou Tcmpsky wn s my old leader in the Forest Hangers during General Chute’s campaign; and bolero 1 go ovor “tho gr«u divide’’ to join those ‘‘who have gone bolero,' X would certainly like to clear tip the vexed question as to where Vou Tcmpsky actually fell, and now 1 think X can.