HOW HILL WON THE NEW ZKALAND CROSS.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 6, 1 March 1900, Page 39

HOW HILL WON THE NEW ZKALAND CROSS.

it was in April, 1869, that the subject of our sketch performed the valiant decd.s which secured for him the New Zealand Crms. He was at Te Wairoa on April 10, when

news reached there by a Maori messenger that Te Kooti and his savage band from the Urewera mountains had suddenly descended upon a settlement at the mouth of the Mohaka River, Hawke's Bay, and had massacred the European settlers there, and as many of the friendly natives as they could get hold off, and that the rest of the Mohaka natives, chiefly women and children, were besieged in two pas there, close to the river. Trooper Hill was at once vsenfc out

by Captain Spillev to reconnoitre, and ascertain the facts. Hill rode nineteen miles, much of it alone, to the ridge above Mohaka, when he saw the flags flying in one of the pas, and puffs of smoke from the Hauhaus' position. Sending back the news to the Wairoa by one of the three men who had been sent after him, Hill, after a series of minor adventures, went back to the ridge to watch the progress of events. Next morning, Te Kooti and his force gained entrance to the smaller friendly pa, Te Huke, which was built close to the edge of a steep

cliff, by treacherously promising the garrison their lives. He and his ruthless band killed most of the occupants of the pa, but ;i few of the women and children escaped. Te Kooti then turned his attention to the friendly natives of the other pa, Hiruharamn (Jerusalem). This place, defended by a high palisade and a deep trench, was garrisoned by a very weak force, as many of the Mohaka fighting men were away at the time. The defendei's numbered only about ten able-bodied fighting men, some old fellows, and a number of boys, besides many women and children. Nevertheless they fought gallantly, with the desperation of doomed ones, for well they knew the fate that would await them under the tomahawks of the Hauhaus. Just in the nick of time Trooper Hill and his European companions, four in number, helplessly watching the scene from the ridge above, were joined by a party of friendly natives under the brave old chief Ihaka Whanga. Of this party twenty-five were Mohaka men, who had been absent on an expedition against one of Te Kooti's villages. Their hearts burned within them as they saw the plight of their wives and children, and accompanied by Hill, who took off most of his clothes for speed, the Maoris gallantly charged down the hill, with a wild yell, ran the deadly gauntlet of Te Kooti's line of rifle-pits, and succeeded in reinforcing the overjoyed little garrison within the palisades of the beleagured pa. Hill shot a Hauhau when he was charging into the pa with the Mohaka men. Once inside, he took charge of one of the angles of the pa, towards which Te Kooti had started a sap, and the Maoris brought him a double-barrelled gun and a long spear, besides which he had his Enfield rifle. Te Kooti had three hundred men assailing the pa with a constant and very heavy fire. As there was a danger of the enemy pulling down the weaker portions of the palisades by means of a rope and cross-bar, at Hill's suggestion the Maoris passed bullock-chains round the front angles, making them fast to the strong corner-posts, and so in some measure strengthened the stockade. All

that afternoon and night the tight went on, and bullets flew in leaden showers, hundreds lit' them embedding themselves in the wooden palisades. In the morning the enemy's tire grew tiercel 1 , and the little party in the old fortress prepared for the much-dreaded charge. "If they had rushed us," said Hill, " they'd have taken the pa and tomahawked us all. We'd have shot a lot, though. 1 could have done for three myself with my gun and rifle ; but there wouldn't have been time to load again." But thanks to thu heroic tight of the friendlies, and the cou rage and energy infused into the defence by George Hill, the final rush never came. During the morning Te Kooti gave up the attack, and with his savage column retreated inland, towards Putere, beaten off by a garrison of less than forty men. Great was Ihe exultation of the Ngatipahauwera friendlies, and loud were the songs of triumph and defiance they shouted as they danced the ngeri at the foot of the war-riven palisades. And " Hori " Hill was hailed as a hero by the rejoicing Mohaka men and women, for had he not shown himself a tou of the toas ! As soon as Te Kooti had retreated, Hill .started off to carry the news to the nearest European forces. Leaving the pa he swam the Mohaka River, and proceeded along the beach to Wailcare, where he arrived quite exhausted. Here he met Captain Towgood and thirty men, and to them he gave the news of Te Kooti 's retreat. For his distinguished bravery at Mohaka, Hill was awarded the New Zealand Cross, on the recommendation of Colonel Whitmore.