BATTLE OF ORAKAU.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18426, 6 July 1925, Page 15

BATTLE OF ORAKAU.

. STOBY of. the siege. TTaikato Campaign was prao- ' ? over when the Imperial troops Te Awamutu early in the Mr Andrew Kay of Ka- & in telling the story of tha fam■Rattle of Orakau. "The conquerea " including Orakau, was being 2'in to 50-acr© sections for occumilitiamen. It was the who discovered and 'reported •snrreyors. w ia course of construcThey saw in the distance what to be the waving of flags. An ?2Srtion by glass repealed the hea vfrom the bottom of theiß2 v.. to the parapet. TV hat led rffimaniapoto coming back and the offensive was that the Natives twitted the Manias'"rtsinS, fo«e ht , for and lost but as soon as the conqueror oT j' _ territory (Kihikiln) you off to the mountains.' They SLStreceived two kegs of good sureHpowder, and with this they ex■'•SS Vwipe out the taunt of cowPJfoL The site chosen for the pa in the extreme. It was on wit level land, with no natural ad'i erMei W 3#<> und c,o6e y : on whlc wSera placed an Armstrong gun TM Jvatives complained that we did ' 7 j., the came, inasmuch as we at'S the redoubt before they had it • &ed or provisioned. On the northof the pa there was then a white pine bush and swamp with Ime open land .between strongly he id irrease the Natives might make a dart L cover. On -tho southern side there was a hollow close to the pa., but clear of gunfire. Hero was stationed an outlving picket of tho 40th Be*inient. The main body of the /mTwaa in a flat, about 20 chains from the pa, cutting tea-tree, wlncli o-as tied in bundles and carried round » detour of at least 60 chains. These bundles of tea-tree were used _to protect the men who were digging nnd guarding the sap. On the third day of the aege things were looking bad for the Natives. They had no food or water, and their ammunition was running low. Rewi spoke to his people, saying; 'lf we stay hero much longer we will be all killed; if we make a dash for liberty some of us may get away.' - A white flag wad planted on the northern angle just opposite the end of our sap-the bugle sounded cease fire. The garrison sprang out from the opposite ode with the old men and women in the centre. They easily brushed the small outlying 40th picket aside. The other members of the 40th who were . engaged cutting and carrying the teatree were taken completely by 6urpnse, and the Natives had passed through before they knew what _ was mp. The Native garrison was said to be 300 • siring/and at least 150 cot clear away: The only.prisoners taken were a few wounded or disabled men."