PENINSULA TALES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 632, 4 August 1882, Page 2

PENINSULA TALES.

To the Editor. Sir, —I have read with great interest Mr Simpson's account oil t!io messaoro at AUaroa, but I think there are several statement.therein that require correction. It ia stated by him that Te Pahi was mur-

dered at Kniupoi by a chief named Tangatihirti. This is altogether wrong , , as ho was murdered at Akaroa by a chief named Te Mairaiuii ; and that is wby liis brother Hauparaha took revenue on - the Maoriee here. The correct version of t!ie affair, as far as I can learn, is as follows. About the.year 1827 Te Paid, or, as lie was sometimes called, Rakiiknra, went on a voyage to Sydney, and from thence to England, where lie wa.s presented to King George, who took a great interest in the sable chief and made him some handsome presents when leaving for New Zealand. Te Pahi took great interest in all he saw when in England, and on his return, described the country in glowing colors to the Natives ; also, the immense bodies of troops he had seen, and how they were dressed, armed, and drilled. About a year after his return (this would be about the end of the year 1829), he made up his mind to make a friendly visit to the Natives of this island, and for that purpose sailed in a large canoe, accompanied by Kauparaha and about 50 followers, all armed witn guns, some of which lie had brought out, an 1 some he had purchased at Sydney. They, called at most of the pahs along the coast, and were everywhere kilidly received. They reached Akaroa about three weeks after their departure from the North. (It is Sfiid by come that they walked overland from Cloudy Bay to Canterbury, but, from the nature of the country and the number of rivers which had to be crossed, this I don't think at all probable) The principal chief here at that, time was named Te Mairanui, but whether he lived at Onnku or at Wainui, where there was a Urge pah, T am una'ole to say. However, it appears he had in his possession a large block of splendid greenstone, which Te Pahi happened to sue, and, after admiring it, asked the chief for permission to take it back with him to the North. This was indignantly refused by Te Mairanui, who said, '• It belongs to the tribe, and we are going to make mere meres (greenstone clubs) out of it." '• Well." said Te Pahi. " if you don't give it to mo. I will come and take it," and with ttiat he loft for the other pith, at which he was staying. On telling ilaupar-iha about thu greenstone being refused to him, he said,."Tell Te Mairanui that if he does not give it to you we will make ii prisoner of him instead, and take him back with us." This message was duly delivered the next day, and still, the greenstone was refused. Next morning, Te Pahi and six others went across to the pah, and, as usual, sat down. Each had a loaded musket in his hand. Te Mairanui and his men had had a talk, and agreed amongst themselves, if he came again to demand the greenstone, that they would kill him; so when they saw them come with the guns they formed a plan, and they were rushed from behind, and all of them.clubbed lo death, thir own guns being used to finis-h them. The Maoiies then commenced to fire them oft", the sound of which was plainly heard by Kauparaha an.l the others. S.iortly afterwards a canoe uame down, bringing word of the fate of Te Pahi and his men Ruiparaha heard the news of the death of his brother's parly, find was very " ponri," but did not attempt to be revenged at this time. He said to lil.-j men, '• Tonei ana kino uiahi tan ka hold kite kainija " (this is bad work ; we will return home) ; no, having got his men all together, he departed, vowing ven-gH.-ni./o at some future time. ;Oi his w.iy hack, he called at nii>«t of the p dis lie had been well treated coming down, and laid them waste, killing gre.it numbers of the Natives, who were not-prep ired for a mob of well armed inenlikethe.se. The pah which offered the greatest resistance was at the Kaikorai, where the Natives were well fortified on a small hill close to the sea. llauparahaand his men attempte I to take it, but were several tinus repulsed He agreed to wait and starve them out, and, after doing this for ;* few days, he hit upon a plan worthy o[ a better cause. He sail to two of his men, who were splendid swimmers, " I want yon to go in the and pretend to he kekenos (seals) ; swim along the beach untii you get opposite the pah, then come in and flounder in the surf, and they will rush out to kill you. We will watch thorn, and as soon as they leave the p.ih we ivill rush in." The plan succeeded only too well. The hungry Natives in ilia curly morning seeing, as they thought, two seals sporting in the surf, ran out in ;i body to take them, as their provisions had been exhausted for three days. iUuparaha had his men scattered round, po that possession was gained ahnoot at once. And now the guns begun to tell, and tiie.se poor Natives, wasted by hunger and continual w.itehing, had not the tiiri'mrth to resist, t=o, alter numbers of them wore shot, the rest threw down their arms an I surren-lored. Tho men who wore playing the sea 19 paid the penalty of ! death, as they wei-o caught before Itaupara'ia Ind time to. relieve them. From this place about 40 .prisoners and a lot,of greenstone were taken. They then left for the Straits, and on their arrival they found the brig Elizabeth, Captain Stewart, loading spars. A bargain was struck with him, that for 50 lons of dressed il-ix he was to land Kaupar.i'ia and 50 lighting men at Wangaloa, JJdiiks Peninsula, and bring them buck to the island of Te Mann, in the Straits. The captain agreed to this, but it is said, whilst he was down below with llanparuha, over 100 Nativos came on hoard, and concealed themselves below until after the''vessol was well outside. The Peninsula was nude in two days, and the brig beat up and anchored abreast of the pah. All . tlje Natives were out of sight under batches, ao that she was supposed to bo a whaler, and as a good trade was generally to be done with them, some of the Nativus put of! toiler. It happened that in the first canoe which boarded her were Te Mairanui, hia wife, and a daughter, 12 years of age. Kauparaha was watching from the cabin windows, and came up on deck and seized him. and, with the assistance o£ some otiiors, handcuffed him and put him. with his wife and child, below. A nt:;'( was then made foe the ship's boats,, and what canoes were alongside, and all madii for the shore, where a terrible scene of earnago ensued. All the Natives that could be sieen were butchered in cold blood. The account of the light on Massacre Island (Banks Peninsula) is, I believe, correct, as eaveral of the victims were cooked and oaten ashore. At dusk the Natives en mo back on board, most of them bringing kits of human flesh with them, which were afterwards cooked ou board ; but I do not think it is true that any of the prisoners wero killed on the brig and .cooked, as stated by. Mr Simpson. Stewart, it appears, Was in a terrible fright when ho saw the way things were turning out, as he said he had no idea 'that there was going to bo any blood shed over the affair; but thia .is rather doubtful, as

he must have known on what errand the Natives wore hound. On the passage up to the island of Mana, between tho straits and Kapita; the prisoner, Te M'ii raniii, was tied by a rope to the main mast so that he could walk about a little. His daughter was allowed to run about on deck, so he called her to him and aaid, '"They are going to kill me and make a ' taurereka' (slave) of you, but that will* never happen," and picking her up he knocked her brains out against tho hatch combings. After the arrival of the brig, Te Mairanui and the other prisoners were taken ashore. He was given two days to crj an! was then lo be killed. The story of red hot ramrods being run through the body is, I believe, incorrect. He met his death in the following horrible manner :— A straight tree about 50ft high was and to the head of this a block and haulyards were rigged up. One end was fastened to his herls, and, head downwards, he was run up and let go with a run,* striking the ground with great force. Three times this was repeated ; he was then hauled up clear of tho ground and the veins of the neck opened, and the first to drink his blood was the widow of the murdered chief, To Pahi. Hβ was afterwards taken down, cooked and eaten. Shortly after this Stewart interviewed Rauparaha about his cargo of iiix, which was promised to him, but he was very insolent and refused to give it to him. y He was afterwards given one ton, and that was all the payment he ever got for his share in the bloody transaction. He loaded up with spars" and sailed for Sydney. The news of this horrible massacre had preceded him, and there wae some talk t>f his leing tried for his complicity in the affair, tint owing to the lax,, state of theliiws in New South Wales in those days it was allowed to blow over. Not caring to go back to New Zealand, Stewart clearpd for a South American port, and was never afterwards heard of. " It is supposed that the brig and all hinds were lost. It is supposed by some that the discoverer of Stewart's Island and the captain of the brig Elizabeth were one, and tho same person, but this is not so. The Captain Stewart, after whom the islancLwas.named, was a man very much respected, who' gave up the sea and settled do.w.n. in Poverty Bay, where he died in the year 1844.—Yours, etc., *• G. J. B.