EARLY DAYS.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 679, 1 November 1921, Page 5

EARLY DAYS.

(Written Specially for the “Times.”) ‘i ; ' xii> END OF THE WAIKATO WAR. General Cameron’s march past Pater angi Was 1 practically the* turning point of the campaign. The rich cultivations at Te... Awamutu and its neighbourhood, on which the Maori fighting force depended for 'fell into his hands, and the natives generally felt that they were beaten. But Rewi Maniapoto still,had great influence over them, and induced them to hold out for a while longer. 11 The morning after the advancedguard reached Te Awamutu a party of |them ; movedi on to Rangiaowahia, where; a large. Maori village stood}. About fifity natives here made a gallant but futile defence, for they were soon routed, but not before they had martged jto kill Colonel Nix*, on, to the great regret of the whole force..

In the meantime the news of the occiiption of Te Awamutu reached the ears of the late garrison of Paterangi, and beside themselves wijth rage they made the desperate resolve to for once meet the soldiers in the open and Endeavour of take their levenge. On the morning of February 22nd, 1864, (they took up (their position half* way between Haerini and 1 Rangiaowahia, sheltered by the low bank of an ancient pa. It was determined to attack at once., The few mounted men were ordered to gallop past them and "take up a position on a hill from which they would watch events, and be ready either to charge or to pursue fugitives. Then the 50th end the Forest Rangers charged! the position, climbed the low bank and engaged in a hand j*td hand fight.: A minute or so of this was enough for the natives, and they bolted for the raupo swamp at the rear. Had the men been .sufficient to follow them few would have escaped, but the officers called them back (to reform, and the few nriinutes thus lost allowed the fugitives to es- 1 cape. As it was they lost about 60 men. ,

We now had ,thc Waikato Plain pretty well cleared of the enemy, but Rewi was still on its border, at Orakau, with a strong garrison. It was determined t<? attack it, and endeavour to finally destroy Rewi’s “mana,” put it was a difficult nut to crack because it was so effectually masked by peach trees and’ flax that no proper reconnaissance could be made. On the night of the 31st of March several detachments were sent to surround the place, and in the morning three assaults were made on it without success, the tangle of fern, flax and hid fieri trenches? surrounding the pa preventing our men from seeing what they were doing, While all the time they were subjected to a heavy fire which caused severe losses. It was then determined to drive a sap up to the embankment, a job that took up the greater part of the day., Wfyen the trench reached the palisades 'the Moris were summoned to surrender, and a chief, nqt Rewi, though he is generally given the credit of it, gave the valourous reply : “We will fight on for ever, and ever, and ever.”

How empty a vaunt it was soon to be seen. An excited private in the sap. hearing it,, threw his cap over the palisades, and instantly scrambled after it- He was followed by his comrades, and the natives did not pause a moment to contest their advance, but fled incontinent out of the back of ,the pa. Here were eight or ten men of the 40th, cutting ti-tree for gabions, and they conceived it their duty to ftry and hold up the flying hundreds, of course in vain, all being killed or badly wounded. In the meantime ( the soldiers in front were pouring over the palisades and firing after the fugitives, and the mounted men galloped round the flank, taking their toll. Rewi himself escaped through the swamp, but he managed to leave behind him half his men, either dead or too severely wounded to fly. And so ended the Waikato war.. Disturbances on the East Coast had still to be quelled, but, ;so far as this part of New Zealand was concerned the native menace was over for ever. The settlers were free at last from the cloud that had, been so long over-hanging them.