THE ATTACK ON THE GREAT SOOTH ROAD.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 144, 16 October 1863, Page 3

THE ATTACK ON THE GREAT SOOTH ROAD.

(Southern Cross, October 8.)

The following has been supplied to ua as the Maori version of the attack on the working party on the Great South Road, on the 25th August last:—“ About 140 of the Thames natives with the exception of a few Waikatos, took their way through the bush to the troops felling bush on the South Road. We sent two men to see if the soldiers were there, and they returned with an answer in the affirmative. We then stripped otf the most of our clothes, and had prayers, after which we started to the edge of the bush, and read prayers again. We then started in several parties, down a slope, with a short fern upon it, and in full view of the three sentinels who were guarding the rifles. We took our way, covered our faces with fern, and so got down unobserved. While we were getting down to this part, others of our party were getting down in several .parts of the road, and some to where the soldiers were felling timber, about 200 yards from the rifles, and surprised and shot them. When the three sentinels heard the first two guns they looked round and

round, but when they heard us all fire, they called out “ Maoris,” and ran for the stockade, but were shot. Some of the soldiers when they first saw the Maoris, said “hallo, Maori and Jack,” and others crept under the roots of trees, and when wounded cried out “ Maoris.” After we had shot one man, his wife threw herself on the body, and orders were given not to shoot her ortho children. We followed the soldiers close up to the stockade. By this time all the troops had turned out, and as the balls were flying fast and thick we thought it best to get back to the bush, which we succeeded in doing with the loss of only one man, who would stay to take a cartouche box and coat oil' a dead soldier. The soldiers soon shot him. This was the only man we lost; but of the soldiers wo must have shot more than thirty, for they were lying quite thick on the ground. Besides that, we took .twenty-one rifles with baj'onets, &c. When we got to Waikato, we heard from the friendly natives we had shot 61 soldiers, and one officer. Truly these soldiers are like cabbage. We fired at Pokeno to try and bring the soldiers out, but they would not move out. William Thompson not being well pleased with our work on the South Road, sent us back to the Thames. On our way back, some of us went out pig-hunting at the back of Hunua, and came upon ten soldiers or more. These were Gapt. Jackson’s corps of bush rangers. We, (seventy 7 natives) hunted, but it coming on dark we left them. Next morning we found five soldier deserters at Mokomoko. These men Wm. Thompson is going to get to work his big guns. William Thompson’s law is that no women or children are to be shot and the wounded spared. William Thompson has two big guns on the banks of the Waikato, to shoot the steamer when she goes up. William Thompson says settlers remaining amongst the Maoris must not be molested by the Maoris in any way, We are going back to Waikato or Wairoa shortly, that is as soon as we have planted our potatoes.”