REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR IN NEW ZEALAND.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2192, 6 November 1875, Page 3

REMINISCENCES OF THE WAR IN NEW ZEALAND.

i: , ..- —» . . :•;.-.. 'KATENE TUBNS TBAITOB, About mid'dßy,>Mol)onnell r arrived'from , Patea with ;Kateno r and the firs.t.,object which met the lalter's- eyes was; his own ; brother lying dead'just outside".the redoubt, where he had fallen in tho assault. •Frorni-'^hiß^'!mom , ent' : ibo' : 'Oolonel-';'kriew.: E'atene was not to be trusted, that ;sooner priater he would takeutu- (revenge), ■ and gave orders to keep a .good look; out' on bis movements. As the oircumstanoes which led to such extraordinary delay in giving' assistance to the garrison of Turu ■Tur'u Mokai, and to 1 such fatal after consequences _to Major Hunter has never been satisfactorily .explained*: I will 1 narrate my kndwledge of the facts and tho impressions I: formed at. tho time. Waihi station was 2| miles from Turn Turu Mokai, and within sight of each other. 'It appeared that the firing was ; not heard for some tiino after.tho attack,' but the sentry's ■' attention was drawn to the flashes of the rifles around the parapet] of the redoubt, and when he gave the alarm Major Tori Tempsky immediately ordered his division; No, 5 of the A.0,,. to : stand to their arms, while Troop. SergeantMajor Anderson 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, marched- : his men off, , takings circuitous route in hopes of cutting off'the ;Hauhau's ; in- their retreat,.and' Troop Sergeant-Major Anderson received orders from Major .Hunter to dismount and feed his horses, that Major Tori Tempsky was in command, and if he had wanted them he would have given .orders to that, .'effect. ; ■. The Sergeant • Major could not brook this standing on military etiquette, when the lives of so many of his frien'ds'were at Btako/aud used Bonie very bitter language to, Major: Hunter, language inexcusable, as i shall shew, idespite.the Court Martial which sat upon the conduct on this occasion. This was the statement which appeared in the public papers, and which led to the abuse 1 showered, upon him, accusing the Major of having, by s'upiiieriess' or cowardice, caused the death of half the men at Turu Turu Mokai, for-on Ton Tempsky's return to Waihi he brought with him the survivors of the attack,, and their statement to the effect.that had' the troopers come up. twenty minutes.sooner.(which they could have done) one half of the men would have been saved, so irritated; the. force that'several officers, and. many of • the ; men,; openly:, abused , the Major, - not even sorupling ta call him a coward. .But those who knew Major Hunter best knew him to be a' strict disciplinarian,: and the fact of Ton :Tempsky being in'command- he would not interfere with -his orders, for it was undoubtedly -Ton; Tempsky's duty to relieve the b'eleagered redoubt, and lie could have taken either the.troopers,or' his own company, and 'those who, knew: Ton.Tempsky's character knew that in taking, hia own company ho did so to secure all the credit, to himself and thom; nor could Major Hunter have : followed with his troop without leaving.the' Waihi. station/unprotected, consequently ;;those. ; who "hastily blamed him. must inow feel they had a large'share ■.in ;the sacrifice .of , his life* which he'offered .up atiOkotuku,; simply lie "to his cowardice,;: His ;honourcould : not .exist; under tbe imputation;^/Besides,' Captain Boss's : father was a barrister; and: one.who'would' i inever ;have/ rested'' had;, he] not freely;' forgivdn the/ Major,- being" perfectly satia- r • fled with bis/explariation:„ On the: niglife'' afterthis,.engagement,- : Katenearid'Mokp, , with all their,people,'.about thirty in number, who] had been' living for some time close to ..the, camp.went oyer in a body (despite:'.the watch placed on his movements);to]Titokawaru, taking with' them the .people/of. Mauwhitiwhiti, A Wanganui chief (Te Hira) was also jiving, with him, whpithey gagged and bound in a most scientific manner, where he ; was found in the niprning by, the force, and. who desoribed/the whole : affair, as far as. he knew, to Colonel McDonnell.. He said Katerie wanted the others to kill him, but they would not, and contented them.selves with the tying and gagging. Long after I heard the history of their escape, ■ Katene had been called ' into MoDori- : noil's whare, and] had remained talking oyer .matters with' the Colonel until ] nearly 2 a.m. He.thon went to the village., and awakened: the people quietly,"telling them all to muster ' in his tent. When ; they had all assembled he'].said'to thom, '"You know where I ' have been." ,'jYes,"said the.tribe, "in. "MoDonnell'sj-whare." /."Yes," said . Katene,""ahd Ibave this news lor.you- / that McDonnell intends to - kill you all as spies and 1 traitors; and had it not been for [ me you would have been! killed this night, but I have p.ut it off until' to-morrow. [ let us kill Te Hira,'and move off 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 had left until late the. following morning.'— ' t.w;g. "■■-,

.{To be continued)' * The copyright of tlieso letters reserved,