KETEMARAI (WANGANUI.)

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 363, 2 April 1866, Page 3

KETEMARAI (WANGANUI.)

The correspondent of the ‘ Wanganui Chronicle,’ under date Bth March, says ; This afternoon, a party of the 57th, with Capt. Sir R. Douglas, and Ensign Mathews, went out in the-direction of Ketexuarax to reconnoitre,-and destroy crops, when they reached the bush they .extended, ; and were immediately fired upon, by • the enemy,, who were,, according to the most authentic calculation, 150 or. upwards in number, and were “ waiting ”, fprthe.solidiers ; the struggle was sharp, though short, the unerring guns of the soldiers- soon told with .good effect on the enemy, four of them in one. place-were seen to .fall,, and -were carried off into, the,dense bush, several others were individually poped off,..and owing-to the short distance, I may safely say that their- loss is great, though circumstances would not permit of. our; ascertaining, it, our was t iree wounded, viz.i : , Private Michael McCarthy, gunshot, wound through right chest—feared to be mortal. Eriva! e Dcnis O'Connor, chest, severe contxxsion. - 3?riv«fte ,I)aniel Ford, left .shoulder, slight. -... soon as. the Rring.was, heard in. camp, 50 men of a reinforcemen.t doubled to-the scene of action, but all was oyer ere they reached half-way, tho enemy, though twice the nxunbor of the party opposed to them, havingfted. , It is worthy of remark that the Maoris instead of being in a state of half nudity as was usual on the, other occasions, were all or , nearly all comforjnbly, if not respectably dressed, several were seen to sport Crimean shirts ,of various colors, and others had shawls tied round their loins, reaching to the knees, in eyery respect resembling ourlate (?) Native Contingent. Byron said somewhere—'“ Let adulation wait on kings,” it is iu such quarters it usually, does wait but others mxist get their “ real ” merit without the aid of such stuff. ; On this occasion Ensign Matthews has won the goldou opinions of many old tried.soldiers: a straw best shows which way the ..wind blows, and it is on such trivial occasions as this, that rare qualities come to light; to-day this young gentleman, who is yet in his teens, laid the foundation of an opinion that never will be cancelled ; in the midst of his men and in the place of greatest danger danger he was as “cool as a cucumber,” as the saying is, and encouraging them by word and example—he bids , fair to bo the soldier’s idol.