TE NGUTU-O-TE-MANU.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12145, 7 September 1908, Page 5

TE NGUTU-O-TE-MANU.

— ' —♦ ■ ■ ■. YESTERDAY'S MEMORIAL SERVICE, i There was a large gathering, including the Hons. Mcl Sab and McUowan, at Te Ngutu-6-te-Manu Domain yesterday morning, when a memorial service was - held to the memory of the brave men who fell at that historic spot on Sep- . tember 7th, 1868; . STORY OF THE FIGHT. , The story of the disastrous engage- 1 ment at Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu was told '. by "W.A.Q." in the columns of the,- ■', " Hawera Star" some five years ago, • ! but in view of yesterday's ceremony it, \ is particularly interesting now. In a I preliminary article the writer explained f , the preparations at Waihi camp on a ] hill near Mr Alexander's late residence. A beaten party, who had unsuccessfully assaulted Titokowaru's pa, had dribbled ] back distressfully in twos and threes, and it was now decided to make a bold ■ attempt to silence the Hauhau chief, j "Y».A.Q." then writes a fine description of the fight. We have abridged his story as follows: — '{ "Company, attention! Right wheel! \ .March!" And the column swings into , stride and strikes for the bush. It com- \ prises Armed Constabulary, Forest Ran- { gers, a section of the Wellington Ries, and the Kupapas (Wanganui friendly natives) with their famous ] guide, Winiata. The local native guide, •* Takiora, has now also joined the force, £ her knowledge of the country between * this point and the."Bird's Beak" clear- * ing being intimate. Besides the regu- J lars, there are a few volunteer settlers * present, among whom may be easily dis- * tinguished the towering form of Mr s Livingston, of Waipapa. In those days ? the scrub encroached on the plain much J 1 further than it does now, so that when ' the troops have reached Te Maru they * are already in the outskirts of the bush, c now all cleared off by the action of fire ' and stock. Anon they enter the virgin 1 bush and pass in single file, and with ' extreme caution,'along a shaded track "* avenue, overarched : with vegetation * dripping with incessant rain, and damp * with clammy moss. The bush pigeons, \ then in countless myriads as compared ' with the few to-day, 'flap lazily across in front of the march, or stare, cooing, * at the passers-by, from the overhanging boughs. In occasional; glimpses of t siinshine the tuis make the forest ring I with their melody, or mock their dull j mates, the slow-witted'takas, or imi- i tato the shrill call of the nocturnal j weka, who is now retiring to rest for 1 the day. Aloft, the shrill screech of the s kaka, harbinger of storms, constantly i grates on the ears of the dripping men; 1 Always the friendly fantailedv fly-catcher « accQTnpanies them, fluttering around i with twittering loquacity, or hanging, < •'with the miromiro, head downwards - from a suspended supple-jack. -\ The march is necessarily slow, as it < behoves them to advance warily, as at any .moment a withering volley may < ring out from an- adjacent ambush. < This, and the fact of. numerous byways i crossing the main track and confusing < the leaders, delays the inarch consider- j ably. So protracted is the advance that < it is long past noon when the weary -1 and hungry men are apprised by their j officers that they are in the vicinity of c the clearings of the Te Rua Rum (the! i night-haw.ke's nest) and Te Ngutu-o-te- ! Manu (the bird's beak), which' are now, i it is understood, practically OEg), owing c to the destruction of the scrub which \ then divided them. Some delay is caused while scouts go \ forward to reconnoitre the enemy's < position. They, returning on all fours,,, i report the palisaded pa in front aliye < with a silentand: ; <^ppc^nt. taiia (war, '-\ ;j*ar%).;. ; Jl!eSi;it w^rrang^that Major' >] ;rtpn;s?£<emp'p:;^ -settle^' i ■meni; from/"the^lioftheni I''giae, 'while" '*] Colonel McDonnell, with the bulk of c the force, passes round by a wide detour ] to tho south. ',;.■:. : < . Before this movement,' which neocs- ] jSarily takes some iimo, is completely > t -eft'ected, the ardent spirit of yon Temp- i sky; anticipates . the arrangement, and i :he : decides,: to. attack -at onoe, and his command advance to the edge of the ')'i clearing^ The gallant Lieutenant Huii^ -1 ;/ter is: the first to show; himself to* the l 'rebel gaze, and immediately a report, '\\ loud .and ominous, rings from the taiapa i Ap^ide; which the, defenders are hidden,. :i and' the. accompanying ball whistles < through'the leaves 'above his head. ; ■'-'•G^htSj the .ball is opened! Select 1 ; :your I" calls...out the gay and handsome,-lieutenant,-, and, t suiting the < ! tf a<stip.n ,^.,the. #pi:d, marks out a native ''■ who has"leapt, upon W stump within the, < -'enclosure,' the smoking gun, in his hand, : ?to«• taunt isthe ; fee, and the Maori, : sstticken 'tO; : death> falls among' his fel-. : (IdWS. ; ;. f ,.,-i „.,„.",.;.-.,,.., ;;;.." ■'■"■ ''"'}\..\ : .\ l:"- - commences that sad tragedy.-• It } is iodn seen;' that' the body ol .natives , within.: the ipklisade' is-merely a veil to . ■ 'cover'athe real strength of the;enemy, c tv:ho>are f perched m all the trees"around^ ~ ...where, tthey .have, in, many: cases,, ;laerected covert lvi "J^.'-Ndw■Hunter walks out into the open ; ■spacel'The -impetuous" yon Tett.pgky, hindered by clinging, briers and^*areao , (supple-jack)... which impede him, and flashing fiercely at -these with- :his sword, is close behind.him, when a sheet of 'flame leaps "from the Hop<"pf xap^adjoining rata, and Hunter, (throwing^ his" arms high above his, head, forward on the. sward—-a corpse. That deadly rolley has also ripped! the life out of the gallant Palmer, and stricken i Privates Hyland, Dore, aiid Flynn to .earth; and Dr. WalkerAs-.^hands are speedily:.fullC l ,C>wing % the concealed, position ;Jpf';'th;e\ natixes/; i^: 'is^mpo&ibie 'to _ effectually return the volley, and the firing on the troops' side becomes merely desultory. .At length the Major has freed himself; from the detaining undergrowth,-' and calling loudly on his •: men to follow, dashes out against the rebel -stronghold. He has not gone ■ many paces when a crashing volley again breaks. from the echoing tree tops, and yon Tempsky, turning half round to the left, utters a long, wild shriek, and-: subsides on the bloody turf, an inert mass^-the once brilliant and dashing cavalier, the idol of the' soldier's soul, and the Bayard of .the Maori war-^-now a senseless heap of quivering olayt Captain Buck, seeing the fall of his leader, calls on someone' to 'help him to car.ry the body, and Private T. Shanaghanj^ then< only ft- youthj leaps' Vrdrward;- at Qnce -to^his behest. AlThe two dash across thefopen space/ and, amid a storm of whistling lead, stoop over the body of the fallen man. Shanaghan has just passed his left hrtn under the body, when his thumb "is shot away, and immediately substituting his right, the hand therof is immediately fcored by another ball, and a heavy Enfield bullet thumps against the barrel of his musket, almost knocking him ?' Rooking "P to show his' wounds to the Captain, he perceives that officer (staling straight in front of him, with a ghastly glare in his eyes, and realises m a moment that he is talking to a dead man, who presently tilts forward silently- at the feet of yon Tempsky, and Shanaghan, stricken with mortal terror, leaps the prostrate forms, and dashes for shelter. The rain of leaden death continues, and man after man goes down, and it is ««»Tt apparent to all that the column will be speedily decimated if it maintains its present position, and soon Captain W. McDonnell comes around tho cleaving with the order from the Oolonel to retire. Meanwhile, Mi- Livingston and Sergeant Davey, intent on revenge, climb a tawa tree at hand, and grimly and steadily 6 hoot at the

exultant natives around, marking witn ferocious joy tho occasional heavy crashing fall of a Hauhau body through the underlying scrub. So intent are the aforesaid gentlemen in their punitive occupation that ibey are very nearly being left behind by tb/?ir comrades, who have now begun to retreat. Simultaneous with this movement, tho Maoris, swarming down from their perches, rush on the trail oi the retiring force, yelling trimphantly, "Ka horo! Ka horo!" (they are beaten), and press the wounded-laden column fiercely. So strenuous is the pursuit, and so daring the aggressors, that pre^ sently Captain( since Colonel) Roberts and about 50 men, with whom are Lieutenant Hirtzel and Mr Livingston become detached from the main body and strike for safety,in another direct tibn. The ferocious Hauhaus follow them awhile, but, cowed by the desperate stand of their rearguard the bulk of them presently betake themselves to harass the main body. Swooping in on the/struggling stretcher-laden line, they again detach a number of their rearguard, and,' with appalling yells, rush* in to their destruction. But, fighting now with desperate energy, the belated force struggles through, and re-joins the main body, with the loss of one ni_an,who is instantly tomahawked. '■ - Soon they .: reach. a small clearing, where the commander, .standing on a high stump, watches the sad procession of broken and wounded men pass through, and disdains to fly till all are k ' gone ahead. "Then the victorious na-' tives rush in upon the track, and soon Captain Rowan, gallantly defending tho rear, falls with a broken jaw, and several ounces of lead embedded in his neck. Calling piteously to his retreating comrades " not to leave him to be tomahawked," he is presently aware of the intrepid. Father Rolland leaning over him, and whispering in his then broken English: " Hold up, eon! hold up! I will leave you nevaire! " And the good Father,, firmly grasping his walking-stick, glowers, with as much fierceness of expression as he can muster, upon the. foe. , But now the Colonel, hearing of Rowan's fall, rushes back, and he and the priest carry the wounded officer the rugged track to the sheltering force. The chaplain's hat is now ornamented with three 5 holes, drilled by rebel bullets, " for ze purpose of ze ventilazepng," he;;esplains. This is a,serious matter for him, as it is his only headgear. Months .afterwards a curiohunter, desirous: of possessing this same hair,-that comes to tho ears of the Pere, who immediately hastens -to burn it. This incident Trill explain, more than countless words, the character of the man. Well might one of his: comrades on that fatal - day —nqt of his faith—exclaim, long afterwards, "A Saint walked with us that day, and we knew it not!" On they struggle, the whole of that dismal afterriooriy now turning fiercely on the revengeful Hauhaus, now losing their way|in the many-pathed forest, until whten-' night is falling they reach:'ihe edg^-of Jbhe bush, and the exhausted carriers;, let down their heavy burdens o^-^C on the grass, and take .a ?sho]jib, rest. All save one group of Warig'anui lads, who carry their comrade^'.''■"big " Joe Hagan, the whole of the twelve miles, ' without a rest, in to Waihaijcamp, where they deposit their "sorely-wmmded burden about 9 o'eibekf, that night. • The respite,, is short indeed, for soon again tho relentless foes appear, arid, dancing a ferocious war dance, mock the despairing men. But a well-dir-ected and opinpactvolley from the now rested mien' speeds .-many a bold Hau-! hau i,"^6; ;;oi; ; Poy and the deci-i livaited vv^plumh:S Is }^ftai?a'ssed no ; "riiore^ They cross the Waihgongoro with much difficulty in the twilight, Colonel McDonnell and Sergeant Blake carrying over the wounded Shanahan, Father Holland and an^jbfncer bearing Flynn, and all \the others joining in to carry the otHe;^^,and thei rtroubles are temporarily ovifer. ;•' : What ha&;. become of the Kupapae the Hvhilet^ Almost at the first volley they-Kdve..mxll%d"away, " like the hare before .the::^>ekgue" ; and: long' before thisC^any have: passed the Waingongorq, ._and; ■'■'&& safely in camp, relating to "the .astonished Major Hunter and Captain--Gudgeon the news of the dis-' aster. (The former, meeting the returning force at the Waingongoro ford, is .apprised of his brother's death; ..Had,he then foreseen that in a, few ■_■ morit|is... it. was decreed that he should meet' iiiva. again in the spiritland, his grief might have been less keen.) :EarlyV : 4n the day it was noticed, that- thes,e auxiliaries were wearing white , leathers—significant symbols— in their-,;, hair, and this fact, coupled -, with ; ;t he rumour of" a secret compact between them and the local Hauhau; hapA; is regarded by some as. explanatory «f.many things. Turn we; ;.n<jwr; to 'Roberts' belated party. They, guideless and encumbered with wounded men, lose their in .the;-forest^ and become benighted. Juki after sunset, too, poor Sergeant Russell.is. stricken to the ground .with: a smashed" thigh. It is impossible +o remove him, and he begs,-as an alternative, . t_hat"^they shoot Better.: arid more "^fianly ; thoughtsi however-,, prevail y with the desperately wounded man, and lie begs^a revolver to defend himself j \%hich Mr Ilivingston gladly gives-him, arid bids him a sad iarewell.;: .>;■•;■ ..-, | Stretched^ 'on: the. bldody track in ,agQny, the lone Jiiutilated matt waits in stoical silenbeC'fofj^thei death h^ Hears' cannot' be long delayed. No coward thought bfc, self —^the foulest murder "of allT-^ains sway over that dauntless miri'd,' and, calmly resi^e^i he^waits.for the .end, arid he has- riot long -to wait. : Anon oomes the sound'of pattering naked ;feetj and '•the5' swish of viriate, on the foliage, and now 6eve.ra.l r Hauhaus appear in full view^. Ha! they:spy the fallen pakeha; and, flashing :.rvfcheirs tomahawks, they rush . fbnvard" Witli ferocious yell, to give hiiri-'^heftcbupHie-graoe. -But with true eye? glacihg along the gleaming barrel; the/fallen J- m^n; sends a ball right: througii^ ih:&- foremost savage ;• and again -the kuakas, waiting in : silent rows';a|6rig^ the' shore of Spirits' Bay, are startled' % the appearance of 'another > ghost loping the Spirits' ftighf-'^^^i»helteFif^.v<aianS''-b£'.'Turand/ iTa^whaki' : b^ovr. Cv-The :d£ the 4 vengeful bari^ •then Warily retire some: way off, and the sergeant dead froni a distant^flax-bush. Night on the scene, and with the, mantling folds comes relief to_ the harassed1 party, and the pursuit slax^ens^./j.J'he men choose their resting ;pkces for .the night in hollow [ pukateaa arid' in • clumps of scru^ and endeaTOur to- snatch a broken sleep. Here v Hirtzel and Livingston are stretched out" together on a pallet of wet fern. 'Hirtzel> in a nightmare sleep,: dreaming of ;the ".the past terrible, day,;, sereairis :ou.tUaioud in the night, "and: awakes to find the giant grasping hint by the throjat. "If you don't keep, quiet I'll strangle you!" says Livingstbn, and^ltwjpoom-l panion, seeing, thej justide' of" the threat, arid knowing the proximity.of shadowing natives, relapses into profound, slumber. .-..■•. At dawn of day they are afoot again, and, striking the open country, make all haste to shelter in the Waihi redoubt. .•;„.■ 1 ' / That same night a weird and orgreish_scene is enacted in the settlement of Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu. In the centre of an open a " niu " pole has

been erected, and on it are nailed in ghastly order the heads of the fallen men. Round about, in a leaping circle or thundering feet, wild with excitement, with much lolling of tongues and protruding of eyeballs, dance a band of Hauhaus, chanting a wild refrain: " Pai <Marire! Mairire hau!" And ever and anon, down upon the night wind, to the listeners in Roberts' party, is borne, like the yapping of depredant dogs among a flock of sheep the paean of a horrible litany: " Hau! hau! hau! Atua the Father, hau! Atua the Son, hau! hau! Atua the ,Holy ,Spirit, hau! hau! hau!" And l>y-and-bye the fierce natives collect, with much labour, brushwood and bramble and dry logs, and build a gigantic bonfire on the spot: dragging thither, and placing thereon, with extremo toil, the bodies of the slain. High on top of. the ghastly pyre they hoist the stiffening corpse of the gal-1 lant Major, and the tohunga, with much ceremony, hakaria, and incantation, applies the torch to the pileand anon a thick and pungent smoke ascends to Heaven. . To the dead—what reoks* it now? They are past alike mockery and insult—heedless of the musketry which pierces their corpses, and deaf to the sound of its boom—past the toil and: the flood—past the wind and the1 ram—they have done their duty well, and fallen in its execution—and it maters little to the senseless clay whether it is engulfed in circlincr smoke, or swathed in linen rare live days afterwards, the look-out man on the Waihi parapet observed in the distance a gaunt, half-naked man steering an erratic course towards camp He is evidently in the last stages of exhaustion, and_reels at every stride. A patrol is sent out to bring him in. It isPrivate ,i" e> he ho was wounded in the first volley at Te Ngutu, and he has a tale to tell such as would have enabled his magnificent namesake to paint one of his conceptions of Dante's Inferno Left wounded in the bush, he has by some means escaped tomahawking, and throughout ; the night following the tight heard, he says, the appalling groans of tortured men, and seen, as in a ghastly butcher's shop, the tree branches around the flame-lit clearing strung with the joint and other portions of the bodies of his comrades. But a man in a delirium may imagine much, and we prefer to think that he is mistaken. True, a few of the fana-I II 08 a few day& afterwards, "cross the Wamgongoro, and. exhume the body of poor Trooper Smith, shot on the Tongahoe Hill, near Mr Death's and, horrible to relate, made soup of the bones. Then, strong with thcstrength (rf the pakeha, they hurl themselves on the iManawapou fort, but are defeated with much slaughter. But tmsyvthe last instance of cannibalism in this locality, is only chargeable to a few fanatics, drunk with victory, and maddened by the lossof their ralatives, and does not affect, as a whole, the honour of the gallant race who fought for their native land so long and so well, and who npwwalkr almost as strangers over the lol?S lantts which once were their alone Where is the slave who would not die for, such a land?" .