EARLY REMINISCENCES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13794, 28 October 1908, Page 3

EARLY REMINISCENCES.

I Related by the late Mr W. K. Hulko to Mr. W. H. Skinner.]

MR HULKE AND THE PI'KETAPU

FEUD

(Continued from yesterday.) Mr Hulke, who had recently married Miss Street, oi Bell Block, was living at tins time — 1854 — at the cottage on Devon Lino near to the Connott tiros." farms, and called "Hawetaone." He was on very good terms with Rawiri Waiaua, the leader of that part of the Pukotapu hapu who wore amicably disposed towards the Europeans and had recently sold a block ot land immediately inland of the Bell District to the Government. Very early on the morning of August 3. 1851, Rawiri visited the Hulkes and informed them that he was then on his way with his party up the Wills or Corbett Road to start cutting the boundaries of the block to be sold to the Government, but that he was not satisfied with the behaviour of

-- -. who had been seen loading his gun, and that he had come to say goodbye in case anything should happen by tho interference of Katatoro and 1m parly. An hour had scarcely elapsed wluii Ihe settlers in tho block were startled by tho sound of rapid muv-Ivf-trv fire. Mounting his pony, Mr Hulke galloped up the Corbett Road to just beyond his Jate residence, where a distressing sight mot his view. The df>ad bodies of four of the Hua Natives lay in the track, whilst scattered round were twelve others of the people wounded more or 10.-js severely. Amongst these, lay mortally wounded Rawiri, the staunch ally and genial friend of th«> ]>akeha. Dismounting hurriedly, Mr Hulke immediately wont to the'assistj a nee of tho wounded chief, who in- ! formed him that Ihe bullet had entered I bus side and that lie was afraid he I should not live; then, drawing Mr I Hulke's head down, he whispered in | his car that he had concealed tho , greenstone mere, a tribal one of great beauty and value in Ihe Maori eve between his legs, and told him to draw it sMAay from there and carry it away immediately and r-oncoal it in a place of absolute security, for Katatore's people would not rest or be content uiilil they had secured it. Whilst in j the act of drawing the mere from its j pi nee of concealment Mr Hulke was I suddenly spized from behind and rolled over in the dirt, and soundly beaten and kicked until the dying chief's re- • nwmstnineos satisfied 'the attacking party that Mr Hulk* WRS l,j s friend Tim party to attack Mr Hulke was a stalwart Maori woman, who, seeing him jumbling about the apparently *dead , body of her chief, thought he was robbing Ihe corpse; hence the onslaught Securing the mere and hiding it wifhin j Ins shirt, he mounted his horse and I galloped at top spee^rto his house. In a. rapid consultation with Mrs Hulko it was decided to hide the mere within tho feather mattress. This was done jiud the opening sewn up again. They had barely time to straighten things up w lion a party of Katatore's people appeared and accused Mr Hulke of having the precious heirloom of the tribe No excuses were taken, and these Maoris searched every corner of the house and turned the furniture upside aown and inside out in their search, it was a time of anxiety and suspense for Mr and Mrs Hulke. for had the mere been found in their possession their house, would have been assuredly burnt. However, their search was fruitless, and reluctantly they withdrew and the mere remained in its safe hiding-place for some considerable time after this. In the meantime, Rawiri Waiaua and others of the wounded Natives were passing away, Rawin dying on August 6. In proof of the murderous nature of Katatore's ambush, out of twenty-six persons comprising party sixteen were hit, six of whom died.

At a great meeting of the Puketapu hapu held at the Hna some four or rive years later, to meet Donald McLean, the Chief Protector of Natives. Mr Hulke came forward and handed over to Mr McLean, before all the Natives present, the precious mere. He told him- the manner in which it had come into his possession, and requested that it now might be handed over to «ts rightful owner, the young son of Rawiri, who was present. Mr McLean, addressing the meeting, told the story again to the Natives, and commended Mr Hulke for his courageous action, to which all the Natives assented. Then, calling forward the young chief, littlo more than a lad, he placed the mere in his hands and bade him be like unto his father, a wise and trusted rangajtira, one fit to lead his people in the councils of the tribes.

[Note. — This mere, I understand, later came into the possession of the late Major Parris in his official capacity of Native Commissioner.] The death of Rawiri Waiaua, in August, 1854. started into flame a long smouldering feud within the Pukotapu tribe, and a state of open warfare existed amongst these people and their respective allies from this year up to 1860, when the great bulk of them buried their mutual animosities and took up arms against the common foe on the outbreak of the Waitara war in March, 1860. The immediate result of Rawiri's death was to plunge the Natives into a civil war, and the eastern part of tho Bell Block was in a chronic state of turmoil, this and the adjoining lands. now occupied by Messrs Connett and Hoskin, being the battleground between the two factions, the land-sellers, or followers of the late Rawiri, and the anti-land-sellers, or the adherents of Katatore. The sympathies of the Europeans were entirely with Rawiri's followers, and they secretly gave assistance in many ways to these people. When Ibaia, who had assumed the leadership of the late Rawiri's party, was closely pressed and besieged in the Mamaku pa, on the west bank of the Waitara River, and later in his stronghold on tho high ground on the east bank of the same river, overlooking the karaka flat and ford, parties of Europeans used to ride out from Bell Block and New Plymouth, ostensibly to pay a friendly visit to Ihaia's people, but in reality to convey or smuggle to'them munitions of war in the shape of gunpowder and caps, stowed away in their knee-boots, or comforts for the wounded, such as bread for poultices and old linen for bandages, carried more openIv. Mr Hulke. often rode down to Ihaia's pa taking bread for poulticing one of tho besieged, an old friend, who had been desperately wounded by slug shoi . The inmates of the na were very short of ammunition, and their: position was becoming desperate. At this time it was generally known that a man called Smith was regularly smuggling nowder through to the besiegers of Ihaia's p?». This man had a vooden leg, which had been carefully hollowed out; this he filled with the powder, and, quite unsuspected, passed tbrnurtH the country with this contraband of war. Knowing how short of ammunition Ihaia and his people were nnd how serious their position Mr Hulke arranged a visit to the besieged, nml a pnrty of twelve, consisting

amongst others of Mr and Mrs Hulke and Miss Street, started off from Bell Block. It was in reality a big smuggling party, and great pains had been 1 taken to conceal about their persons gunpowder and other munitions of «ar, amounting in the aggregate to a considerable quantity. The bustles oi the women wore laden with powder, and Mr Hulke was wearing his wife's stays next his skin, heavily padded with the same material. Mr Hulke stated ihat on reaching Mahoetahi two armed Natives sprang out on to the road in front of the party, and after looking at them closely disappeared again into the fern. This occurred several times until they reached Big Jim's Hill (quarry), wher-o a considerable number ot armed Natives in a very excited state came suddenly out of the snub and stopped tho party. In reply to their questions as to what they were doing there, and where they were going, Mr Hulke replied that their intention was to pay a friendly visit to Ihaia and then to William King. Coming closer they said : "Aro you taking anything to Ihaia:"' (The questioners were enemies of Ihaia.) He replied: "No." The Maoris were not content with the answer, and. taking hold of the party, made a general search, feeling their long boots and generally overhauling Mr Jlulke in particular, and in a lesser degree the women of the party. Not finding anything, they reluctantly allowed the party to proceed. They crossed Hie river at tho old karaka ford." The morning had been wet, and heavy rain appeared to be still falling inland, but the river was forcible, although indications of an approaching fresh were not wanting, and things generally had an ugly look, the river tints and country around being apparently full of, armed Natives. As they rode up the eastern bank of the, river some Hua Natives came dow.n to meet them. They wore old friends and neighbours and trustworthy. Those people scolded the party for venturing over tho ford, and said they had done a most foolish thing coming to thorn that day, as the enemy were on the move and in a dangerous temper. They advised thorn to re-cross the river at once, before the flood came down and pro-vented a return. They accordingly got tho womenfolk and others to rncross at onco. Mr 'Hnlko then attempted to am on to TJiaia's pa. a short distance beyond, but the Hua Natives would not "erniit him to take such dangerous risks, so he reluctantly turned hi* horse towards the ford to rejoin tho main party on the western bank. Just before entering the river, which wos now rapidly risinc in flood, he wns stopped by armed Natives of Wi Kingi's tribe;' who again so{*reliM j him. The position was very critical. He put on n bold face, and, throwing open his coat, waistcoat, and shirt, told them to look for themselves. This ! boldness probably saved his life, for thoy wore in such an excited state that had they discovered what ho was wearing next his skin they would probably have shot him on tho snot. At this stage of the affair a volley was fired over their heads from Thaia's pa above, so the Natives scattered, and Mr Hulke took the opportunity of plunging into the Waitara and joining his anxious friends on the other side. They lost no time in fretting away from the embarrassing situation in which they found i themselves, returning with all their J contraband of war intact. They discovered later that the man Smith, who. as before stated, had been regularly supplying Wi Kingi's people with "gunpowder, had informed them that he (Hulke) was doing the same for Ihaia. and to expect the-party on that par- ' ticular day.. -0'