A NEW HISTORY OF TDHE MAORI WAR.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 5280, 9 February 1884, Page 2

A NEW HISTORY OF TDHE MAORI WAR.

BY KOWHAI NGUTTJ KAKA. [ALL EIGHTS RESERVED.] (Continued.) WAR IN THE NORTH. After the fight at Koheroa we entrenched ourselves strongly at Rangiriri andMeretnere, having had to retreat from Whangamarino. The main body of the enemy were at Queen's redoubt, and now we harrassed their convoys as they used to pass between Queen's redoubt and other ports, and cut off stragglers, whom we tomahawked. One day we caught two soldiers going up from Queen's redoubt to Pokeno. We caught them, and chopped them up. After this the enemy were more careful how they strolled about looking at our country. To keep the enemy from getting to the rear of our people at the Thames, and at the rear of Meremere • and Rangiriri, we commenced to build a strong pa at Paparata.aud to dig a line of rifle pits near a bush. This position was about twelve miles from Queen's redoubt, and about five from Pickard's redoubt;, when they had an armstrong gun that overlooked Meremere on the Waikato. This gun was a great nuisance to us. General Cameron sent two officers to spy us out at Paparata. These men came in the night and hid themselves, and returned the next ni^ht. Had it not been a very wet clay we would certainly have found them. As it was we discovered where they had beeen the morning after they left and found a compass and box of preserved fish and some empty tius. This made us feel uneasy as we did not know what information they might carry to the general, or the Governor, and it was partly in consequence of this that we decided to abandon this place. One of these officers was Von Tempskey, the other was McDonnell. You will hear more about these two men anon. Rangiriri and Mere Mere were now attacked. This was a dreadful battle, and the los 3on both sides was very severe. The flower of Waikato fell here. Our rifle pits were carried by a serious of charges, but were not taken until the red blood flowed like water. Then the soldiers tried to storm our redoubt, but were repeatedly repulsed and each time with great loss. Many of us escaped by swimming the Waikato river, and going by the lake in rear ; but those inside the redoubt could not get away so easily ; so they at last, after having done all that brave men could do, hung out a flag of truce and surrendered. "Shall we be all killed in payment for the loss sustained by the enemy," we asked one another; but we were well treated, and our wounded were well looked after by their doctors. And then some of us thought that perhaps that if this class of men had been the first to arrive in this country, we might all have lived together .in peace. But alas ! that could never have been, for our doom was pronounced on the distant day when Captain Cook first came to Nev Zealand. From that day our fate was sealed, and we know now that in a few short years we will have to follow the moa, and our ancestors to oblivion. To oblivion? No; to a better and happier world, where there are no missionaries and land purchase commissioners to trouble and perplex us, and when the natural ignorance of the Maori and the unnatural ignorance of the pakeha will be enlightened. After Rangariri fell, overtures were sent to us for peace. But while these negotiations were being talked over, and before anything was settled, a large body of troops was slipped past us and took possession of Ngaruawahia, at the junction of the Waikato and Waipa rivers. This movement was carried out so suddenly that we only saw the advantage that had been taken of us after it was too late to try and prevent it. It was a smart trick. This we attributed to the Governor. Others said it was the General's dome; ; bub whoever was to blame for this? There were the troops in possession, and when we sent to tell them that it was not fair, and that they were to return, they refused to budge. So we determined to fight it out — as we all along had made up our minds to do — but we wanted to gain more time after our defeat, and engage the enemy in talk. Large parties of soldiers were sent up the Waipa river to different parts, and up the Waikato, and the troops spread over the country like a stream that had overflowed its banks in a flood. Many skirmishes took place, in most of which we were beaten, but we made up our loss for this by laying ambushes, and by firing on the steamers from the banks of the rivers as they passed up and down. This kind of warfare suited us. Soldiers always walked right into our traps, they are so stupid. We ehot and tomahawked scores of meu in this way during the war, but we could not, as a rule, contend successfully against them in the open ground, and they were always better armed and provided than we were. We now erected two strong pas at Pa te Rangi and Pikopiko to bar the advance of the Queen's troops on Te Awamotu, Rangi Aowhia, and Kihi Kihi, and the heart and lungs of Waikato. General Cameron now began to concsntrate his men at Te Rore, and big guns were brought up and huge mortars, and we saw that a tremendous battle would soon take place, for we had more than one thousand men in these pas, all of them warriors, and eager for a fight — the greatest number ever concentrated together at one time against the enemy in the- Waikato or at any other place in our country. Our pas were double palisaded and rifle pitted. The pits were deep and roofed over with logs 18 inches through. These again were covered with bundles of tightly-bound fern, aud a thick layer of earth was shovelled over the whole and tramped smooth. Only small holes were left for the men to fire through. Eich of our pas Avas flauked, and the strength of one part was made equal to the other. Our rear was protected by a swamp, and the only approach was up a gentle slope from the position taken up by the enemy. A good dray road extended from the rear of one of the pas to our farms at Rangiwahia, Te Awamutu, and Kihi Kihi, from where we were kept supplied with provisions. Having made our fortifications complete, our young men amused themselves by firing at the steamers, and this at last became so serious to our foes that they had to get iron sheets to protect their men with. But still we made our bullets whistle about their heads. We kept a good watch for au attack to be made, for we felt certain of beating them off with ease. About this period the Governor arrived at Te Rore and told the General to attack us, but the General would not obey the Governo. How it would have been I cannot tell, but we felt certaiu of defeating him if an attack had been made. However, nothing of this kind was attempted. One or two men used to take pot shots at us with their rifles, but nothing more. Traitors, however, were at work. A halfcaste (just what a halfcaste would do — they are a bad lot), for a few shillings, betrayed u», and offered to show the General a way r mud our pas, so that he could get to the back country and cut off our supplies, rendering our positions useless. We knew nothing of this until one day a mounted man. r< de into our camp covered with dust and foam and astounded us all with the information that Te Awamutu, Rangiaowhia, and Kihi Kihi were in the hands of the enemy, and that severe loss had 'been inflicted upon us at the village of Rangiaowhia, and that a a number of people had been burnt in a house there ; also that a number ef prisoners had been captured. On receipt of this news we put on our belts and at once evacuated our pas and fell back inland of Te Awamutu, whee we found the troops had. encamped. We wept bitterly over our dead in the burnt and once beautiful village of Rangiaowhia, and prepared to dislodge the enemy from the position they had taken up at the Awamutu mission station. It was on a Sunday morning the troops attacked Rangiaowhia, and on the following day we advanced from there to give them battle. We attacked them in three columns and drove in their pickets. Then the troops poured out of their camps and came at us. A short conflict took place ; they drove us at the point of the bayonet to some distance, to a swamp. Here we rallied and had another fight; but two bodies of cavalry, one on each side of the troops on foot, charged us, and one party of cavalry came upon us in a corn field. Then we had a bad time of it and our men were cut down with the swords right and left. Our other wing aud centre had been defeated. We were utterly routed, with heavy

loss. Our killed numbered twenty-five men. and »ye lost many in wounded and prisoners. Soon after this Tamihana Tarapipipi sent in messengers to the general. A correspondence ensued, but nothing came of it. On the same evening of this battle, as a party of our scouts were ambushed in a bush on one side of the corn field where our dead warriors lay about, we noticed two mounted men, one without arm 3 and the other apparently a cavalry officer, ride up, quietly dismount and fasten up their horses, and proceed to investigate the bodies of our dead. We could not understand their conduct for they were far away from the troops — they then separated and went looking all over the field, meeting again. At last the one not in uniform called out in a loud ringing voice, " E hoa ma ko an tenei ko Pihopa haere noa mai, ko au tenei Ko Pihopa Herewini " which, being interpreted means : — Friends, this is I, the Bishop. Come to me in safety. This is I, the Bishop Selwyn. "Ha," we said, "it is Bishop Selwyn, with a soldier officer come to gaze on our dead. Let us call them to us, and then tomahawk them." Some of us were afraid to kill the Bishop, others were for letting a volley fly at him. He ard his companion were not more than two hundred yards distant, but while we were making up our minds as to what we should do ; they proceeded to untie their horses. The Bishop called out once more, aud then the two got into their saddles. And now We sent a volley of fifty guns at them, but they rode rapidly away apparently uuinjured.^ We now made other pas, and the fighting went on. KihiKihi was occupied, and troops were located in redoubts all over the country. The last big fight we had in the Waikato, was at Orakau. Here again we lost heavily, but if the officers commanding ha-i not ma le a series of blunders, the most wonderful to see, not one man of us had escaped, and this fight woul t have ahibilated \i3. As it was we put our women aud children and wounded in tho centre, and surrounded them with our band of warriors. Watching our timc,all of a sudden wemarchtd. out of the pah in a dense column right over the heada of the Regiment (I think it was the 40bh), guarding this outlet. This movement, as we had calculated, took everyone by surprise, and we j.ot clean away trom the whole of the troops in array against us. Still, our loss was heavy, but we had taken our "mana " (prestige) safe with us. The General had offered terms if we would surrender, but Rewi replied " Never ! We Avill fight foxever and for ever." This was because of our lands. We thought after Orakau, and seeing our fine country and pastures in the occupation of our foes, that indeed our affairs seemed hopeless. We could not afford to lose men. There were none to fill up the gaps made in our ranks. This was not the case with the pakeha. If he blundered, as he nearly always did, and lost one thousand men, ten replaced the one he had lost. Nevertheless we fought on, lest we should become worse than slaves. Far better, we thought, to die in battle than lose the heritage that had descended to us from our ancestors. v This account is quite true. Bishop Selwyn rode out in the evening, accompanied and guided only by Sub-Inspector McDonnell, of the Mounted Defence Force, to afford relief to a wounded Maori avlio had been cut down that day.— Translator. (To be continued.)