ACTION NEAR KETEMAR.

Grey River Argus, Issue 122, 23 October 1866, Page 2

ACTION NEAR KETEMAR.

We have already given a shM' graphic account of the recent aclyW of Major M'Dohnell and Ms galM: band, "but the full particulars xtm able to give, furnished by the " "W Times," will be acceptable to oum Te Waekijktt, I „ I take an early opportunity of V you an account of one of the nio/'; and successful affairs that ltfjj " place on this coast. , (' The rebels of late, evidently k impression that our inactivity a the smallness of our nuihbeaj confidence, and were constantly near this post, and on the road I J lying in ambuscade for the anwf ;j" mishes were of frequent occna'j have in a former letter relaf | j though we were always success! |j yet they tended to harass oil ;j risked a loss of life without I ;> sating advantage. I :| Major M'Donnell de,t,ermii| ; longer for rcinforcemenfs', bul j the offensive at once.' Acf I' dusk on Monday the Ist ihsf // from liia post with' a small b« -.i fbrce of 12.5 of all ranfc« 6 J^~~~f' every instance- the rebfflS^ had been skirmishinjaß. north side of the WaiiH.: was in that direction t|H . • to look for them ; "bxitfUf the enemy in case tljH '-'- ■scouts on. the watch, V^B ,; tirely opposite! clirectip|j|f ■ v a.t its ino.\ith »yth^^^^na l^

posts held by the 18th Royal Irish, and then struck straight inland for the bush. In crossing, one of the Wanganui Rangers, Private HenshaAv, fell off the bridge and fractured his left arm 'above the elbow. Dr Spencer, 18th Royal Irish, kindly took him into hospital at Waingongoro Redoubt, To give our readers a slight idea ot the discomfort of a night march, I need only state that the night Avas inky dark, the Avind cold and bleak, and the ground wet and sloppy. At a little after midnight Aye entered the bush. I have so often described a bush iimi'di, that 1 will not '^7* tire yon by a repetition. .:A couple of hours before dawn Aye halted in a clearing and snatched such repose as avc could get under the circumstances. We had inarched about fourteen miles, Avlule in a straight, line to our right Te Whenuku was net more than six miles distant. Shortly before dawn Aye distinctly heard cocks ctoaving — a sure sign that om % gallant leader's risual luck and judgment had brought us to our quarry. We again moved, on through bush and clearings, and across a creek, and eventually cam e- into a br<ad dray track. A turn of this disclosed to us the village, of Rungarehu. There Avas just light enough to distinguish objects • faintly. We could see that it Avas situated in a clearing surrounded by bush, and that it contained several Avhares, nearly e\*ery one of Avhich was closelj' fenced in. A soft swampy creek separated us from the village. Over this there Avas a crossing made of logs s>i Avopd laid close together. Stepping over cautiously, Aye ascended the otliGi» side at the double, smd in less time than it takes to write it, Aye Avere 0A r er the fences, and had so surrounded the whares that escape was impossible.. We then called on the inhabitants to surrender, but they blazed at us out of the small, doors and" AvindoAVs of the 'whares, several of which were shot-proof, havjug their sides slabbed, and their roofs covered wiih earth, It took up a good half-hour to pull there places about their heads, as they resisted Avell. By that time not a Avhare Avaa left standing, and the Hau 'Han's, Ayith the exception of eight men and a boy, a?1io had surrendered, were cither shot down or burnt- in their whares. Twenty dead bodies Avere counted, and the prisoners Iwe since informed us that there were eighteen rebels in one Avhare alone, Avhose eartlucoA'ered roof fell in when the sictas had burnt, and from which only two men ran out, ' In the assault and destruction of the A'illage Aye had three wounded, amongst them Farrier-Major Duff, W. Y. C., His loss is deplored by the Avhole force, by Avhom he Avas justly looked upon as the bravest of the brave. Foremost in eA-ery fjght, he never seemed to know Avhat fear Avaa. No one expressed more regret for his untimely end than our gallant Major, who had a high opinion of him, and Avith ' whom he Avas a prime favorite, Hardly had all resistance in the village peased, when a heavy fire was opened upon \\% from the bush on the other side of the .clearing, proving that the inhabitants of < the other villages'* hod' been aroused by the living, and Avere hastening to the assistance of their popple' But they Avere too late. ' Haying done all tho mischief he could, and having three Avpunded to carry, and prisoners to escort, Major M'Donnell , ■fV'Sely : determined to return. The P'.iemy under the impression thatheAvould follow the track ays had come by, worked in that direction, but a shorter and better track led out to tho open, and the Major made his ari'angaments to return to Wajngongoro by this. And here his skill in bush warfare became apparent. Extending the best part of his foi'ce along |hft one side of the cleaving, and under cover <»!: the bush, he kept the enemy in check, Avhilst the wounded .-and prisoners were brought to the track Aye were about to follow. Poor Duff" was. lying at the upper ond of the. village. To bring him down to the lowey end was a service of great danger, and, strange to say, most accurate iire was kept up by tho enemy. In this peryice Cornet Hurtszel, W.Y.C.j and Volunteer Wright, -survey staff, Avere Avounded. As soon as the 'wounded, avlio how numbered seAen, Avere collected "upon the track, avo gradually ch - ew off. The enemy followed us for a short distance, but having secured our wounded and prisoners, we turned and, chased the rebels back, and they paid dearly for their temerity, for their leader avos shot dead "by Ensign Poma, Native Contingent, and. four others, Avhose guns Avere captured, bit the dust. This apparently, sickened them, for their firing suddenly ceased. The firing of the enemy on this occasion was the heaviest and most accurate we haA'e experienced, and their yelling was terrific and enough to appal any tyro in bush fighting. • They could not have numbered far of 100, and avc only had thirty men to oppose; them, as. more 'than half our number were employed escorting the prisoners .and carrying the wounded, each of Avhom required at least six men to carry him. Nothing could exceed the gallantry of the officers and men. Captain Nqwland Avas übiquitous, and encouraged the men by his example. His pluck, and the cool manner in 'which he stalks about in the heaviest fire is pmverbial. Our gallant' Major, had a narroAV escape, a button of his coat haying been shot off. One little incident I cannot help relating, for the information of the powers that be. Two volunteers Avho behaved in the most dashing manner Avere Sergeants Rushtonand White, of t]io Patea Rangers, avlio, .disgusted {it the unjust. '.treatment they had received from Go vernmei)t, claimed . their discharge with the remainder of that corps, and thus, of their oavii account, 1 threw up 4s 6d a day, sooner than receive pay from a Government avlio could treat them so .shamefully.^ They had nevertheless still contined to serve as volunteers Avithout pay, and have been out in every affair. On this occasion Sergeant Rushton had two bullets through his clothes and the stock of his carbine Avas smashed by another. Taking into consideration th.c accounts, of the prisoners, there could not have been less than from thirty to fifty Hau Haus killed ; twenty to thirty stand of arms Avere burned in the whares, besides several brought home as trophies. Two or three casks of:powder also bIeAV up when the Avhares Avere£(iral. To -return tothefo-rce ; Avhen it reached the open, stretchers were made for the Avoiuuled, and after a short rest, we ref^ 4 * %^^ le ua^» &GW I reached ■'■ -<r < r^lfe r -3ffßlLredoiibt,' where we Avere ■#' X836 h 7 Ca P tain Noblett, 4' i. ' ■L\ <*i^w--^Sfi|wfiicja»^flM mensta■J^A m Jj^^^^^^^^r~—^^'&^£&- the

>^

gongoro, the Wanganui Rangers that could be spared attending from Te Whenuku. We returned to this place the same afternoon with our prisoners and one Avonded of the NatiA'e Contingent. In this affair one is jft a loss wldch to admire most— the boldness which conceived the idea of penetrating into the midst of the enemy Avith such a small force, the skill displayed in carrying it out, the masterly way in Ayhich the force Avas extricated fj'om the bush in the presence of an enemy superior in number, and avlio possessed; the inestimable advantage of knowing ..< every inch of the ground, or the dashing manner in which that enemy was driven back at every point and complete^ routed. The force engaged in this aflair Avas composed of the folloAving detachments, A r iz. : — "WellingtonDefenceForce,dismounted, under Captain Leatham ... ... 12 Wanganui Yeomanry- Cavalry, dis- ' moxuited, mider Cornet Hurtszel 15 W; » ;anui Raiigers, under Captain ' and Lieutenant JNorthcroft „, „, ... ... ...-..,. 43 Native Contingent, Tinder Captain .Kempt and Lieutenant Wiriliana 51 Volunteers .... -v,., „, „. ■'■■„. ■ :.',>>;' o ■'"-,. ■:- : ' #".-■> :■ ■:' ■ -- : '■ f. ■'■; A- -■:•:-..-• /■• •■■•■•■ 126 The casualties Avere as follows : — - • Volunteer Wright, survey staff— Bight laiee, mortally, spice dead, Farrier-Set'geant Duff, W.Y.Q,— Chest, mortally, since dead. Private Green, W,R— Left breast, mortally, since dead,. Cornet Hurtsjzel, W.Y.C.— Back, severely. Trooper jfroonan, W.Y.C— Right hip, severely. , Volunteer Spencer, N.C. — Both legs, severely. Private ManiWra, N, C. —Right thigh, .severely. . ■