PAGES FROM THE PAST.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1919, Page 11

PAGES FROM THE PAST.

THE HAUHAUS' ATTACK, ON TURU TURU MOKAI. , HOW VON TEMPSKY FELL It is difficult to imagine that the closely settled, beautifi.) and peaceful country of which Hawcra is the centra! was but a few decades ago the Bce.-ie q|< hard fighting between the pakchaa and the Maories, or to realise that the rolling downs that now depasture more milch cows to the acre than probably any part of the world was covered with impenetrable and heavy hush in which a resourceful acd valiant foe lurked. Such, of course, was the case. It was the heroic work of the early settlers and Imperial troops that made possible the fortunate times we enjoy in Taranaki to-day. Let us brush up our memories with the stories of the past, deeds and experiences we would do well to ponder occasionally. One of ,the best accounts of the early fighting is that given by the late Lieutenant Gudgeon in his "Reminiscences of tho War in New Zealand." Let him tell his s,tory:— HAUHAU'S ATTACK ON THRU TURU MOKAI. On Colonel McDonnell'* arrival, he ordered a party of twenty-five men to garrison the deserted post of Turu Turu Mokai, and took every step for the safety of the district that his limited means allowed. But so inadequate were those means that after placing garrisons in a few extra posts, he had not a man to take the field with. He therefore proceeded to Wellington to represent the exact state of affairs to the Defence Minister, Colonel Haultaiti; and the result of the interview was that authority was given to raise 400 men, including 100 kupapas, for three months' service. These reinforcements did not arrive too soon, for the Hauhaua were laying ambuscades all round the camp. Four days after the first murders, Trooper Smith left camp, against orders, to bring in his horse, which had strayed to the edge of the bush, and was waylaid and cut to pieces in sight of the camp. The flashing of the tomahawks aB they cut him to pieces could be Been distinctly, both legs were left on the ground, but his body was taken to Te Ngu,tu o to manu and eaten.

A few days later, the escort >" charge of the ration-cart were attacked; but the sergeant and ,ten men hold their ground manfully against nearly sixty Hauhaus, until supported from Waihi. Tn this affair the enemy lost two killed, and we had two wounded, both of whom recovered. ARRIVAL OP REINFORCEMENTS. Reinforcements now began to arrive, the Wellington Rifles, eighty strong, under Captain Page, were the first; and shortly after, another corps, 100 strong, under Captain Buck, late of the 14th Regiment, arrived and marched for Waihi, but did not arrive there in time to prevent the first real disaster. I have already mentioned that a garrison of twenty-five men had been sent i.o .the old redoubt at Turn Turn Mokai. Tli is was a tumble-down place with earthen parapets and ditch, built by the 'lßth Regiment, in as bad a position as could well be managed, for, from the top of a small hill sixty yards distant, anyone could see into the redoubt, which was so small and inconvenient that nfttr tents for the men and stores had been erected, there was no room for the officer's tent; so Captain Ross took up his quarters temporarily in a small whare outside the gate, CALM BEFORE THE. STORM. A week or two passed over quietly, and Maoris of both sex'es, of the Ngatitupaea and Tangahoe tribes, came into camp with potatoes, and sat watching the men rebuilding the parapet; doubtless informing Titokownm of the result of their examination. This was the calm before the storm, for on the morning of the 15th of July the sentry, who '"as posted on a rise overlooking n gully that. led down from the hush, was kept alert by the restlessness of a flock of sheep camped near him. Shortly before daylight he fancied he saw some dark objects moving towards him. He challenged hastily and fired, and was answered by' a volley, which wounded him badly... The Hauhaus in two divisions, each forty strong, had been lying in wait for some hour'-;, waiting for the celebrated warrior Tautai to give the word; but that wily chieftain wished to have a little daylight, and had therefore put it off as long as his eager followers would allow. Tantai's plans were, that Hauwhcmm. at the head of one division, should make an attack on the opposite side to the gateway, while Tautai and his party charged into -the icdoubt through .the gate. It was on the latter party that the Ren try' fired, and finding that he could not reach the gateway as soon as iiis active enemies, hid in (he fern, and probably saved his life by so doing. Meanwhile Tautai and his men had missed -the gateway in the darkness, and given Captdin Rosa sufficient time to got inside and defend the entrance. He. was just in time, for the Hauhaus, rushing round the face of the redoubt, led by their chief, made n bold dash to cross the narrow, plank. Tautai missed his footing and fell headlong into the ditch, the next man fell by Captain Ross's revolver, and he also wounded another. This effectually stopped the charge, for the enemy got into the ditches, pnd oiic man crawling under the «lar> : shot Captain Ross; another fela long-handled tomahawk into rV I l"/iy, and dragged him into the ditch, '.viler/ he was afterwards found with his hlart, cut out. It is said that Captain Koss, as he fell, called out to bis men. "Take care of yourselves, boys, f am done for." and some of them seemed to have understood that they were to save .themselves; at any rate, four of the garrison, seized with a sudden panic, sprang on the parapet, and attempted to escape by jumping over the Maories' heads; strange to say, only one of them was killed, the other .three escaped. A DESPERATE SITUATION. Several attempts were made on the gateway by the enemy, but Sergeant McFadden and Corporal Blake defended it desperately until they were killed; in fact, most of the men fell here, and the place must eventually have . been taken, had not the Hauhaus changed their plan of attack. While their main body swept the inside of the redoubt by their fire, a small party worked hard to undermine the parapets- The few men unwounded in the redoubt took teller in the angles, mi delgjgd Ak»

Hauhaus by shouting, "Here- are the cavalry." This had a startling effect on the enemy, who cleared out of the ditch and prepared to decamp each time the ruse was employed. The attack had now been sustained for nearly an hour, and only six men were left capable of bearing arms, yet no assistance bad been received from Waihi, which was but two miles and a-half distant. The survivors were "just debating whether it would not be better to sally out and die fighting, when suddenly the Hauhaus, warned by their scouts, left the ditch and made for the bush, and shortly after Von Tempsky and his company urrived at the redoubt. A PERFECT SHAMBLE. The whole place was a perfect shamble; four Hauhaus lay dead outside, and Captain Boss was found in the ditch: but inside the gate Sergeant MoFaddcn, Corporal Blake, Privates Hoiden, Ross. Shields, Swords, Gaynor, and A. Reamish, were "lying dead: and Privates Flanagan, f.uflin, Lacey, Conners, Beamish, and Kcvshaw, badly wounded, and a storekeeper named Lennon v.-ns cut to pieces a short distance from the redoubt. Tlte names of the unwounded men were Johnson, Mihnoe, O'Brien, Stuart, M'Lean and Gill. A few minutes after Von Tempsky's arrival the parapet that itad been partially undermined by the Hauhaus, fell, and left one side of the redoubt open; had this happened ten minutes sooner, (here would not have been a. man alive to tell the tale; and twenty-four carbines, a like number of revolvers, and a large store of reseiwc ammunition, would have fallen a prize to the enemy. cause of "Belay. The circumstances -which led ;o such delay in rendering assistance to the garrison of Turu Turn Mok;'.i, have never been satisfactorily explained. Jt appears that the firing was not heard for some time after the attack commenced, but the attention of the Waihi sentries was drawn by the flashes of the rifles round th« parapet When they gave the alarm. Mnjor Von Tempsky, wlio commanded at Waihi, ordered his division, No. 5 of the Armed Constabulary, to stand to their arms, and Troop-Sergcnnt-Major Anderson at the same moment ordered his twenty troopers to boot and saddle, as he very naturally expected orders to gallop to his comrades' assistance. In the meantime Von Tempsky had left, without giving orders to the troopers, and took a circuitous route in the hope of cutting off the enemy. Major Hunter, the second in command, found the troopers waiting commands, and concluded that Von Tempsky did not want them, or he would have sent them on ahead. He therefore ordered them to dismount and feed their horses, remarking that if Von Tempsky had wanted them he would have told them to follow. The sergeantmajor could not brook this standing on military etiquette, when the lives of comrades were at stake, and he then and there used very bitter language at Major Hunter —language inexcusable, ns I shall show, despite the coju.t-mar.tiAl .wliich.

sat to inquire into the affair. Those hasty words of the sergeant-major found their way to the public papers, and formed tiie groundwork for the abuse showered upon him. He was accused of having, by his snpincness and cowardise, caused the death of half the men at Turu Turu Mokai. THE RETURN OP VON TEMPSKY. On the return of Von Teruusky, he 'orought with him the survivors, and they stated that hud the troopers been sent to their relief, they would have arrived twenty minutes sooner, and in that case not half the men would have been killed. This statement, perfectly true in itself, so irritated the force that many officers and men, who should have known better, joined in the condemnation of Major Hunter, instead of placing what blame there might be v.n the Bhouldevs of Major Von Tempsky. Those who knew Major Hunter intimately, kn-.'W him to be a good officer and strict disciplinarian, and that it would have been altogether contrary to his ideas for him to interfere with the dispositions of his superior officer. Major Hunter could not have' followed with the troops, without leaving Waihi to a certain extent unprotected, consequently, those who hastily blamed him must feel .that they had a large share in the sacrifice of his life, which he lost at Moturoa in giving the lie to an imputation under which lie was unable to live. A TREACHEROUS SCOUT. About midday Colonel McDonnell arrived from Patea with Katene, and the first object that met the latter's eyes was a near relation lying dead outside the redoubt where he had fallen in the assault. From that moment the colonel knew his scout was not to be trusted, and that sooner or later he would want ntn (revenge) ; he therefore determined to keep a sharp look-out on his movements.

For some time Katene had shown uneasiness, and like his compatriots at To Kgutu had been stealing; for one of thc»e offerees he was tried before the Resident. Magistrate and sentenced to three months in the Ealea gaol. McDonnell was absent at the time, but on his return he heard of the affair, and as he required some information sent fo* the gaoler to bring Katene to him; this was done, ( and far into the. night they sat talking over future operations. At last McDonnell said, "You bad better sleep here to-night, and to-morrow I will get your sentence, remitted, as a reward for flie information you have given mc." Katene replied that he would rather return to the gaol that night as: ibis blankets were there, so they both walked down to the place, and found it locked and the gaoler away; this did not discompose Katene, who simply walked round to the back, and climbed up to the gable window; just before ho disappeared inside, he turned and said: "It lis easy to get in, but much easier to [.get out" "Then why did you «»yr" said the colonel. "Oh," he "replied, "I jknew it would be right when you relturned: if I Jud net thought «> ?«tt

would 14ivc found me absent." The colonel's misgivings as to the future behaviour of his spy were well founded, for that very night Moko and Katene, with, all their people, about thirty in number, who had been living for some time close to the camp, went ou" W a body to TitoUowaru, and took with them the people of Mawhitiwhiti. A Wmiganui chief, Te Hira, who was living with them, was found next morninn- gagged and bound in a. most scientific manner; when released, he described the whole affair as for as ho knew to •McDonnell. He said (hat he was awakened from his sleep by the Hauhauß, as they tied him hand and foot; Katene wanted to kill him, but the others refused to allow it, and contented themselves by gagging him so that he could no,t give the alarm.,'' ' .'.', ;■"'''■

I.ong after I heard the history of their escape, after Katene "had been called into McDonnell's whnre, and had . remained talking over matters with the colonel until nearly 2 a.m. He went to «:a people and awakened them quietly, telling them to muster in his tent. ' When they were all assembled, he said, "You know where I have been " "Yes," said the tribe; "in McDonnell's whare." "Yes, and I have this news for you, that McDonnell intends to kill you all as spies and traitors, and had it. not been for me you would have been killed this nrgiit. I have • managed to put it off until tomorrow-, let us kill Te Hira and escape at once." The first proposition, as we have seen, was not agreed to, but the latter was carried out so quickly and silently, that no one knew or suspected they haa left, until the following morning. UNPROMISING LB.VIES. Comparatively few of the new levies had seen active''se'rvift*, and, as might have been foreseen from ,the hurried manner in which they were raised, were of very inferior qualify compared with the old hands. Had we been likely to engage the enemy in open grouna tnu would not have mattered; but the absolute" certajn.ty that we should' have to fight far in the bush, where even the best and most experienced men are liable to panics, was a source of great anxiety to the officers, and caused them to look forward to .the first engagement with anything but eagerness, They could not but feel that the chances were much in favor of disaster. l(t is difficult for those who Tiave not taken part in a bush Bgn,t, to understand the value, or indeed, the absolute necessity of experienced men. New hands, no matter how good, or how courageous, will crowd, and if they are not allowed to do that, they faney they ore. being deserted, simply because, from the, nature of the bush, they can only see one or two of their comrades. Therefore', the heavier the fire, and greater the necessity for keeping apart, the more new hands tend to crowd together. ATTACK ON TE NGUTU. By this time McDonnell had .received 1 most of the promised reinforcements, and on (he 21st of June orders iwere iasued

ready to start before daybreak to attlCik ;H Te Ngutu v te manu. The moraiMj '| broke with torrents of rain, but •bop a 10 a m. the rain ceased, and a thick mist jj| shrouded tho whole country;* this mi, j| even better for our purpose than daifc-ivjl ness, bo McDonnell ordered the force to'M start. The column consisted of detect „J and Wellington Kiflos, in all about hundred men, accompanied by Father 1g Koland. They crossed the Waingongaro!; J 'River at the upper crossin.., iiuoed tt)» i 4 bush at the Pungurelm track, and pushid ■ : rapidly forward until they reached that jj deserted village; greater caution was ['a then used, ns at any moracni. a vollay ' 'a might be poured into them from an am- ,4 buiih. ." r ■i AN INGENIOUS STRONGHOLD. ''.l Shortly before reaching Te Maru, p((Ji- | sadrs could be seen through the tree*, *j| but fortunately fop the altarking paijtv >1 this strong' work had no detention. I -2 say fortunately, for it was constructed w in a most ingenious manner; the pall- ', 4 aades were erected right across the ttnek,' 1 ! and for some chains oh either side, and "3 supported by rifle-pits in the rear- Yet ,>, jit was noly intended as a blind, to di«- ' 4 tract the attention of the attacking -j party from the more dangerous (be- ■'§, cause unseen) rifle-pits that flanked the . ,"j whole line of advance, and ended in • ,ij gnlly, by which the enemy could v"*B* id without being exposed to fire. jSr■ f enemy attempting to storm the mB-\ ]h sades would be enfiladed from then den pits. However, on this oecathil, '% the work was desalted, 'though H bj&'.Jl been lately occupied, as the fires Wtri'lfl still alight; but the enemy had gvne»™ away, never dreaming that the PaJcofc> : i wauld come out iu such bad weWbefc i»" The men who pushed forward to TV \ Ngutu were therefore feeling awnre, Kwhen within a few hundred yards thwr J were ordered to crawl cautiously tt#?M ward un.til they were witl in fifty'ya*K3l when the word wjis giveu and they v#s 4j in the pah; only one of our men T^ 3 ";!] killed, and but two of the whom there seemed to be very present. • $1

ESCAPE OP THE HAUHATJS -1J A few pns and tomawnata WV* 'a taken, and a good many flasJw of §f»>fi rifle-powder, and then the wham m«e jr-jjj burned to ensure .the deatruetlon of «wr J concealed powder. The Hauhaiw, taken )1 by surprise, had etcaped to to* fort, «*d. J it wa« useless to attempt to TOJjf 'M themj so McDonell recalled fail men returned to Waihi. For the firat Mf. *1 milo they were unmolested, but before they arrived at Te Mini, fljLfl Hauhaue, about one hundred overtook them, and opened a henry fiS §1 onshc reargjiardj awertJ mm vtjtmfjf ed and wounded, and the main body mO! to return to their assistance, <»,oniHISS thjem to eroM a deep and dnfepSJii ravine. Major Banter, who had o( the rear guard, parttooJaito AiKHil gnbjhed htatteif by Ms ooolttm^Jtßii j ..1,,,),, u ■======t=asßgaßttji|

ing off the killed and wounded. The enemy continued the pursuit until they reached the Pungareliu, a distance of three miles, they then drew off and allowed us to depart in peace; but our troubles were not quite over, for on reaching the Waingongoro, it was found tha.t there was a heavy freshet in the river. At first it seemed impossible to cross, but finally some one produced a rope, and one of our strongest men succeeded in crossing, and fastened it to a tree on the opposite bank. The men carrying the wounded were the first to cross, and they succeeded pretty well as the weight kept them steady; but the freshet was still Tising, and some of those in rear of the column were swept off their legs, and only saved at the personal risk of a few brave men. This skirmish was not very favorable to us, for we had lost four "killed, and had eight wounded, whereas as far as we could tell the enemy had only lost two men; but on ,the other hand, most of our men were new to bush fighting; and no one expected great things from them, so the old hands were agreeably sui'prised to see them retreat steadily and quietly in the face of an active, daring foe, and predicted great things in the future. It was afterwards ascertained through the friendly natives at the Kauae, that the Hauhaus, feeling themselves safe for that day, had gone to shoot'cattle, Heaving only twenty men to defend the pah; they were, however, sufficiently near to hear the firing, and arrived in time to make the retreat very warm. A GREAT PADRE. It was after this engagement that Major Von Tcmpsky wrote the following let.ter which, appeared in the newspapers:—

"On that grey and rainy morning, when the snoring waters of the Waingongoro were muttering of flood and fury to come, when our 300 mustered silently in column on the parade ground, one man made -his appearance who at once drew all eyes upon him with silent wonder. His garb was most peculiar, scanty lint long skirts shrouded his sheet hung loosely on his shoulders; weapons he had none, but there was a warlike cock in the position of his broadbrimmed old felt, and a self-confidence attitude in which he leaned on his walking stick that said, 'Here stands a man without fear.' Who is it? Look underneath the flap of that c'.rical flat, and the frank good-humored countenance of Father Ronald will meet you. There he was, lightly arrayed for a march of which no one could say what the ending would be. With a goodhumored smile he answered my question as to what on earth brought him there, j On holding evening service he had told his flock that he would accompany them on the morrow, and there he was- Truly there stood a good shepherd. "Through the rapid river, waist deep, along the weary forest track, across ominous-looking clearings, where at any moment a volley from an ambush would have swept our ranks, Father Honald marched cheerfully and manfully, ever, ready with a kind word or playful sen-' tence to any man who passed him. And when at last in the clearing of Te Ngutu o te manu the storm of bullets burst upon us, lie did not wait in the rear for men being brought to him, but ran with the rest of us forward against the enemy's position. So soon as any man dropped he was by his side. He did not ask, Arc you Catholic or Protestant? but kindly kneeling prayed for his last words. Thrice noble conduct in a century of utilitarian tendencies! What Catholic on that expedition could have felt fear? When he saw Father Eonald at his side smiling at death, a living personification—a fulfilment of many a text preached—what Catholic on that day could hive felt otherwise th|in proud to be a Catholic on Father Roland's account? "Waihi, August 24th." SECOND ATTACK ON TE NGUTU 0 TE MANU. Owing to the obstructive policy of Mete Kingi, a leading chief of the Wanganui tribe, no friendly natives had joined the field force; but, after some months' .talking and worry, his opposition was over-ruled and seventy Maoris arrived at Waihi; they were a good specimen of the Maori warrior, troublesome but useful, especially in scouting and bush work; they appeared to be ready and willing to strike a. blow, so McDonnell announced that be would make a raid on the night of the 6th of September. Our allies, nothing loth, made preparation for the coming engagement; but on the night named ,tne tohungas (learned men) discovered that the moon and its attendant star stood in a most unfortunate position on|e towards the other, betokening nothing less than death to the attacking party. They were consequently very pouri (dark), and begged the colonei not to go, but he declined to listen to theio. In vain middle-aged warriors, of wide experience and grave mien, implored the colonel to postpone ,the expedition if only for a day; he was inexorable, so the die was cast, and the Maoris, after holding a meeting, decided to go, saying that as they had remonstrated against such impiety they would not suffer, but that the pakeha would in all probability be annihilated, and serve ham right for going in the face of such predictions. My readers will probably smile at this as mere childishness, but I can assure thent that .there were many pakehas who at .the time believed the Maoris were right; and as for the noble savage, he never required the confirmation of the .following day, when, after bearing the 'brunt of the fight equally with the pakehas he escaped scot free. We took the fourth of the force engaged. THE EXPEDITION STARTS. 'About midnight the expedition started. It was bitterly cold, in fact freezing, and the Maoris, tfho were mostly without boots, were crippled for weeks after by the frost of that night. Doubtful information had been received, to the effect that Titokowaru and his tribe had retired to an inland village called Ruaruru; where this was no one seemed to know, so there was nothing left the colonel but to follow out the old system of striking deep into the bush until some well-beaten track was crossed, when it was followed up to the bitter eitc. These .tactics were duly observed on this occasion, and the column, 270 strong, was far Into the bush by daybreak, steering across the western slope of Mount Egmont until nearly 2 p.m.; when their perseverance was rewarded by crossing a well-beaten track. After holding- a„small council of war, it was [-.decided ,to follow the track towards die sea; this was done for nearly an hour, when another halt wag called, and the chief Kepa ordered one* of his men to.climb animmense lata-tree and report if he could see either smoke or an openiW:ia |b&]b>Uiti, 'J-.Tlie- man.guickly'^gsv

cended the tree, and immediately reported smoke about half a mile' further down the track, and stated that he could plainly the sounds off a Maori Haka (dance). KEPA'S ADVICE UNHEEDED. This last item was of importance, as it plainly showed that the Hauhaus bad no idea of our proximity. Kepa's advice was admirable, and had it been carried out would in all probability have finished Titokowaru'* career; he said, "We now know whei'i to find the enemy; my advice is that you take your men oil' the track about two hundred yards into the bush, where tliey must lie down in perfect silence; leave mo with my men in ambush on the track, and if one of the enemy passes. I will have him tomahawked without noise; but I do not expect any one to come, for it is late in the afternoon, and the track is evidently not much used. So soon as it is dark I will go down, and reconnoitre the enemy's position, so that we may know what to do to-morrow morning." This advice, if followed out, would undoubtedly have ensured success, even in the opinion of the Hauhaus themselves, who, when they were informed of Kepa's speech, said, "Had that been done we were lost." But McDonnell had also a certain amount of right in his view, for he feared that the Hauhau scouts aiight find he had crossed the river, in which case they would prepare for attack from any quarter, so he divided the Europeans into two divisions, one of which Von Tempsky commanded, and the other he took charge of himself, and gave the order to advance. The Maoris under Kepa led the way, and after marching about five hundred yards, came suddenly upon a Maori tent in the middle of the track, and, worse still, a woman standing outside. THE HAUHAUS WARNED. For a moment she stood petrified by oitv sudden appearance, then ran screaming down the track pursued by the Maoris; as our men passed the tent a man sprang out, and was immediately shot; as also ,tw> poor little children out of three who were found there; the third was carried all through the fight on a Maori's back, and brought safely into camp, where he gave a good deal of information. [The boy saved is supposed to have been Fox, afterwards a well known interpreter, who died recently. —Ed., News] The firing had, of course, roused the main body who were only 300 yards distant, consequently all chance of surprise or success was gone; the best possible disposition was made under the circumstances, and the men advanced cautiously in line, until close to the clearing where we expected to find the pah. Here Kepa's men were extended vu che left, and ordered to work round the pah on that side; while Von Tempsky and his division crossed a creek on their front, and closed round their side of the place. All seemed to have forgotten Katene's warning that for the future the Hauhaus would fight in the bush, and not in their pah; but it was brought to their memory quickly, for as the division under Von Tempsky, and part of McDonnell's, descended into the bed of the creek, they were literally shattered by volleys fired from Hie opposite bank within fifteen yards, and at the same time enfiladed from a small bush hill on their right. Just at. this moment, Kepa came to McDonnell and told him that it was Te Ngutu o te manu that they were attacking. On the former occasion the force had taken it from the open ground in front. At first McDonnell could'hardly believe the chief, but he soon found .that Kepa was right. Meanwhile the men were falling fast, and the ten stretchers brought were fully occupied. Dr. Best, 'and Lieutenant Rowan were amon" the first officers hit shattered; but it was lucky (that they were hit early in the action: a very few minutes later they would have been /eft behind. RAINED DEATH ON THE PAKEHAS. Although our men in the creek were close to the pah, the scrub was so thick that they could not see it, and the rata trees inside the palisades were occupied by ,the best of tlie enemy's marksmen, who, secure in their elevated position, rained death and destruction on the Europeans. Kepa on the extreme left had a much easier task, the Maoris occupying the bush in his front were quickly driven back to tlie pah, and the friendlies following held possession of the whole side of the clearing; in fact, there was nothing wanted to ensure victory, even at this stage of affairs, but men sufficiently used to ,the work, who would not take alarm at the loss of a few men even in the dreaded bush. But as it was, victory was simply impossible, for McDonnell's divisions had suffered as heavily as Von Tempsky's. The genial and gallant Lieutenant Hunter was one of the first officers killed; only a few moments before he had requested his men to look out for pan-rrs, as the ball was about to commence. ' Very few of the men saw him fall, and his body was left on the field. Captain Palmer and Lieutenant Hastings were mortally wounded, and left to their fate, for there were no stretchers' available. By this time McDonnell saw that he would have some difficulty in saving .the remainder of the force; so he uccided to retire at once, carrying all the wounded that he could find- With this view the colonel sent his brother, Captain McDonnell to Major Von Tempsky, requesting him to follow McDonnell's "divisions as they retired. Kepa was also sent for, and lip advised the colonel to retreat round the edge of tntt clearing with his wounded, while Kepa held the enemy in check as rear guard. VON TEMPjSKY SHOT DEAD. Captain McDonnell carried his message to Von Tempsky, who, unaware of .the extent of our losses, did not like the idea of retreat, and suggested trying to storm the pah; but when lie was informed of the strength of the place, and .the number of our wounded, he hesitated, and, walking a few steps; to gee a better view of the position, was immediately shot dead. Captain McDonnell informed Captain Buck, ,the next in command, of the colonel's orders, and implored him to carry them out at once, as his brother was moving oil". He then returned to the colonel, and reported Von Tempsky's death, and .that Captain Buck would carry out the orders. The colonel instructed his brother to take'a dozen of Kepa's men, and make all haste to reach the dangerous defile leading to Te Maru, beforo the Hauhaus could take possession of it, and cut off the retreat of the forces, for he had a lively recollection of the loss he had sustained in crossing this gorge on the former occasion. Captain McDonnell and his men arrived at Te Maru breathless; fortunately they had a dog with them which ran on in front, and had just reached the bush, where a voice asked in Maori, "AVho are you?" They could see the' dog was a Maori. Our Maoris answer-r ed, "it is us, come on;" Out stepped two athletic young Maoris from undet .•sfce ,jkot;

down; they wove the Ilauhau advanced guard who had nearly been too quick lor us. One' retreating column was under lire the whole way from Te Ngutu o te maim to To Maru, men falling continually; but once across the gorge we were comparatively safe, arid the woundi'd were sent on in front, while the force turned on their pursuers-

Then for tlie first time it was found that Captain Roberts, with Von Tempsky's division, had not joined the main body; McDonnell wished to return and find thom, but Kepa suggested that they had retreated through the bush on the other side of the pah, and in all probability were bettor off than McDonnell's division, as the main body of Hauhaus were evidently on their front. The retreat; was therefore continued, and as it was nearly dark the Hauhaus drew oil' their men, and did not molest them further. This division reached Waihi about !1 p.m., the men thoroughly exhausted by their long march, and carrying fourteen wounded, some of whom were borne on crossed rifles for want of stretchers.

These men had nothing to be ashamed of, they had behaved well before the enemy, and brought off their wounded; but very different was the case with a party of wretched fugitives, about forty in number, belonging chiefly to the Wellington Rifles, who arrived at Waihi nearly three hours before McDonnell, and reported Von Tempsky, Buck, both .the McDonnell's and all the f< ; as destroyed, and themselves as the only survivors. They must have bolted almost at the first shot, and left their comrades to fight and die alone. CAPTAIN ROBERTS' TASK. McDonnell's first enquiry on reaching camp was whether Captain Roberts had arrived, and he was much disquieted when he found he was absent, for he knew that he alone would be blamed if anything happened to that officer and his men, whose doings we must now relate. Hardly had Captain MeDonneilr left Von Tempsky's division, when Captain Buck determined to recover the body of the latter officer before retiring; he called on a few jnen to assist him, and advanced to where Von Tempsky lay, and while in the act of lifting the' oody, was shot dead. The men fell back and informed Captain [Roberts, who then took command; but unfortunately he knew nothing of the order to retire, and continued to hold his position in front of the pah, until some of his men reported that McDonnell had retreated, and left them alone to fight it out. Under ordinary circumsances Captain Roberts and his division, about seventy strong, would have been more than a match for the enemy opposed to them; but the bad behaviour of the recruits had now extended to the rest of the force, and they were all in such a state of panic and so disheartened, that he could not persuade them to keep apart and take cover; they only crowded more closely together, and so presented an easy mark to the Hauhaus.

Luckily some of the Maoris had got mixed with this column; among others the chief Pehira Turpi, and Captain Roberts, after consulting with him, decided to retire through the bush towards tlie sea, trusting to the approach of night to shake off his foes. Pehira led the column in the right direction, while Captain Roberts, assisted by volunteers Livingstone, Pope, and Blake,' Sergeant Rusell, armed constabulary, and one or two men brought up the rear, and behaved so gallantly that with sixty men of the same stamp .the Hauhaus could have been beaten easily. A BRAVE SERGEANT. About sunset Sergeant Russell had his thigh smashed by a rifle-ball; «nu as there was no means of carrying him off, his fate was sealed; in fact he recognised this himself, and asked his comrades to shoot him; ,they refused to do so, but Livingstone put his revolver in his hand, smashed his carbine against a tree, that it might not fall into ,thc hands of the Hauhaus, and there left him to his fate.

The circumstances attending the death of this' gallant soldier were elicited from a prisoner months after. It appeared that the enemy, following up Roberts, came upon Russell lying in the track; one of them thinking he had an easy prey, rushed forward to tomahawk him. In a moment Russell drew his revolver from under his coat and shot his enemy dead. After this reception, the flauaaus stood off and shot him; so he died a soldier's death, and was not even tomahawked. It was now too dark to follow, and the Hauhaus drew off, and left our men to continue the retreat in peace. THE RETREAT. For nearly an hour Captain Roberts pushed forward, so as to get well away from Te Ngutu o te manu; he then called a halt until the moon rose, as Pehira assured him that he would easily lead them out of ,the bush if he had the moon to guide him. Cold, hungry, tired, and in many cases wounded, the men sat down in a heap, and through the long hours of pitchy darkness before the moon rose, they could hear the triumphant y ells of the enemy rejoicing over their victory. When at' last the moon made her appearance, it was discovered that two of the wounded had died of exhaustion during the halt, but the remainder followed their guide, and just at dawn of day, found themselves safe outside the bush, and when about two miles from Waihi they met a party of sixty Maoris who were going to look for them, even to Te Ngutu o te Manu, and were greeted with a cheer that might have been heard five miles off. Kepa and 1; &- ma ><d behaved especially well in ol'.eV"" *** 'o in search of Captain Robert:- ,<•>. ** L , were all in a state of grief overdo death of their old chief, Hori Te Amiua; under these circumstances, Maoris do not as a rule care to light. Tile deceased was a chief of the highest rank, and dignified mien, one of a past generation who had always shown the greatest friendship to the Europeans and whose last words were, "Take care of the Taonga" (Europeans). All through the night, the lamentations over his death had been carried on, and at 8 a.m. the Maoris had started and mot the division as already related. The reception given them may be imagined; but their appearance was not calcinated To raise the spirits of the force; every third man was wounded, some of them severely, and all were covered with the blood of their wounded comrades.

Tim enemy's law in this engagement, was, according to the highest estimate, only twelve killed; and according to the Hiitihaus only two; but as their allies the Ngarauru admitted at the time some six or seven, we can only suppose that the people of Te Ngutn wished to conceal tluir losses. Our casualties were very heavy, amounting to twenty-four killed and twenty-six wounded, being one-fifth ofsthe force engaged. THE WATHI KEDOUBT '(By Colonel Goring) As far as 1 can remember, for it's long ago, the position of Waihi was i.takntv.'Op in 1887 sTOsgg<iubts'

at the inoutli of tlie Waingongoro river were evacuated by the Imperial troops. Waihi was garrisoned by some local military settlers. Before'the outbreak of the natives under Titokowaru it was taken over under Majors von Tempsky and Hunter, and a redoubt was built At the outbreak of hostilities the command was taken by Colonel McDonnell, and was the headquarters of the district. After the second atack on Te Ngutu o te-mami, where we were badly defeated, it was evacuated and its gurrison retreated to Patea.

In ISGii it was again occupied for a Rliort time under the -command of Colonel Lyon, and again its garrison retired to Patea.

In IS7O or IS7I, orders were received for its re-occupation, and Captain Goring, with a strong detachment marched out of Patea to carry out the order. On reaching Waihi they tried to repair the old redoubt, but found it would be better to pull it. down and build a blockhouse. Captain R. Blake, N.Z. Militia, undertook to draw plans and superintend the building of it. A large party of workers were detailed to fall trees, saw the timber and split slabs, while another party wan told off as a picquet .to protect them. The next officer to take over the post was Captain Forster. Then Captain Capel, who was in turn replaced by o'a.ptain Marshall. All this time it was an A.L. garrison. When the Te Whiti trouble broke out, the post was strongly re-inforced, and Colonel Roberts took over the command of the district, making Waihi his headquarters. As road-making was gone on with other posts were formed towards the north, and Waihi, as a military poßt became a thing of the past.