WITH THK KOKUST UANdMItS

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 6, 1 March 1900, Page 37

WITH THK KOKUST UANdMItS

Hill recalls with mingled feelings of pleasure and regret his halcyon days in Ihe Forest Rangers. This corps was a splendid body of men, many of whom, like Hill, had seen service previous to coming to New Zealand, and as scouts and biishmcn they did excellent work in the VVuikato and Tuianaki wars, till the gallant Von Tempsky met a soldier's death before the palisades of Te Ngutu-o-te-manu in the depths of the Turanaki bush. Hill, who joined No. 2 Company of the Korest Hangers (No. 1 Company was then under the late Majoi' William Jackson), was armed, like his comrades, with a brecoh-loading carbine, revolver, and a long .straight-backed heavy keen knife, in the use of which Von Tempsky was very proficient. He had picked up his fondue: k for the bowie-knife as a bush- weapon in America. The men carried these knives in sheaths at their sides like bayonets. Hill will tell us in his own words of his experiences with Von Tempsky'H smart company in the Waikato and on the West Coast : " No. 2 Company of the Korest Hangers was about a hundred strong, and there were a fine lot of fellows in it. The big fights in the Waikato War were over when I joined, so I was too late for Orakau. We marched up to Mangatawhiri Creek, on the Waikato River, and then went up in the Water Transport Corps' boats to the Waipa. We landed just before you get to Alexandra and marched up to Ohaupo. We did military duty there and at Alexandra, Te Awumutn, and Cambridge redoubts for a few months, and then we got our land grants at Harapepe. As the Waikato War was over, wo

were going to be disbanded when we volunteered for the West Coast with ' Yon.' We were taken down to the Waikato Heads in a steamer, and. from there we went to Wanganui in a sailing vessel, the brig ' Highlander.' This was at the beginning of '65. From Wanganui we marched up country to fight the Hauhau Maoris, and we had a big engagement at Kakaramoa, on the Patea River. That was where we lost our ensign (Whittield), and two men killed. A

little after this we took the Weraroa Pa, near Wanganni, the finest Maori pa I ever saw in New Zealand, with very strong earthworks and fine broad walls. Before we took it the Maoris all cleared out of it, why I don't know."