INCIDENTS OF THE MAORI WARS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 72, 21 April 1909, Page 4

INCIDENTS OF THE MAORI WARS.

TIIE SIEGE OF NGATAPA, (B.v G-D-) In November, 18(18. 1 was one 01 three .hundred men who left Wanganui under Colonel Whitniorc to proceed to Povelt) Hay (now called Cisboruc) for the purpose of punishing Ti" Kooli for his treacherous minders of the settlers at the llav some shot time before we arrived. We were some few days too late to catch Te Kooti in the open, as til.' Ngatiporos and the Napier cavalry, a line body of men, had driven him upcountry'after having had several skirmishes'with him and indicting some loss. We camped for a few days on Major Bigg's farm. We left there and started road-making, the division I belonged to (No. 7. under Captain Brown) being alwav« some miles in advance. This went on*f«r sonic two or three weeks, I think, and then we came back to the May to return to Wanganui. At about the middle of the night the "fall-in" sounded, and we were off again with live days' rations. A spy had come in and reported to the colonel Te Kooli'* whereabouts. We marched about ten miles and had a skirmish with some of Te Kooti's men. whom we found ill » valley, but they cleared. We lost a man. a sergeant of No. 1 Division. No. 7 Division camped ahead again. When I say "camped," we hud no tenls. The only lime we were in tents during eight Hecks was when we were camped on Major Biggs' farm. After some two weeks' road-making the main body joined us and we advanced. I was in the advance guard, and before ascending a hill (the end of the cart road where we were going to form a depot), 1 noticed native tracks, which I reported, and the guard was strengthened. We advanced up the hill and halted there to build a redoubt. While there we were joined by No. H Division of Arawus under Captain (iuudry. The Colonel sent them on to skirmish in advance. After a time they came back with two native* unarmed. The Colonel had them brought before him, and sent for the interpreter. I think his name was Laws. They would not speak. Colonel St. John (second in command) said: "Well, Colonel, what are you going to do with them?" Colonel Whitniorc said: "Take them away." St. John dill so, and shot them with his revolver. They were spies. We formed our depot, from which the packing was done, some thirty miles to Xgaiapa. The next day we advanced up-eoinilry. driving a Hock of sheep with us. The packing .wafi carried out by No. :i Mounted, the men using their' own horses. No. ;j was commanded by Captain Newland, of Tavanaki. We formed another small depot about a mile and a half from Ngatapa. The Ngatiporo, three hundred strong, joined us here under .Major Ropatn. No'. 7 Division and the Arawas advanced towards the front Of the pah and skirmished up to within one hundred yards of the position. The bush in ft had been cleared by natives some time or other. No. ODivi--1 sinii, under Captain Roberts (afterwards • Colonel Roberts), went into a dense bush gully on the left, and No. 1. under Caplain Eraser, took up a position in the rear, a rough place on some rocks.

I have seen several native positions, hut tlits one beat all. Jt was simply one strong redoubt inside of another one On the right was a dense liusii gully. Heing so strong, the Colonel decided to sap up to it; and sap we did, day and night. While sapping, Captain Hrowu was shot at the head of the sap at daylight one morning. The Colonel got tired of sapping, and ordered Xo. 7 to scale the heights from the bush gully on the right. Ten of us went up first. It was nearly perpendicular, anil the bush was cut. so we got. hold of the twig.- to climb up. We had to sling our nlles ami carry a spade. However, we got up under a murderous fire. Xo one was hit. When we reached the top we threw ourselves on our bellies twentvlive yards from the position, and dug''n that position quick and lively, I can tc'l y«u. The rest came up. aiid we miou bad a ditch and stuck there, intondiii" to rush (he place at dawn; but the mv dves cleared by Xo. 1 before dawn, .-citing down a supplejack ladder.. ' " Part of the force followed up the retreat, and shot several. Some were tried at "drum-head" and shot, our orders being to show no quarter, after the horrible murders at the Hay. These orders we carried out to the letter. One hundred and twenty-six were killed altogether. Fifty „f these we found buried in the redoubt. We dug thciu up. They were killed during the siege. The only prisoner I „,,»• was Martha. Te KoolPs wite. We found one of Te lvooti's women in the pah. wounded l.v a cohorn (we had two with us). The doctor said she could not live, mortilication liavin« set in. The natives had a short meet" nig..an.l a native woman (wife of one of he Arawas) took her husband's rifle <md shot her. as they said they did not sec the good- of carrying a dying-woman thirty miles.

After the light, those natives who were left cleared off right nerrws the .shun, and the Hay has not been troubled with rebels since.

Six „f ~ur mo „ ( ~n . r i(l(l ( , )tah row,, ,l lOl ly to t i l( , ( u.|i.,l. ~,,,1 from thence. ,t was cavtwl to the ««v and conveyed by stl ,„ m ,,. t0 Auckland. Ho hadm, v been mn rrioil tlm-p days before u> eft Auckland. \y f . *„„,, pot lmck to «,„,,,,,-,,,, t „ ~„.,1 t t)le Wl „ lsanui . il( ,_ "1,1 Jito, but 1 tlimk one fl«lit at a time '- enough to writ,, ulioiil. Wo cortainlv roughed it. l.pinsr under anus ovenmorning at 2 o'clock, dinner at 10. and •m more all day but two l.iscuits and a pannik,,, o tea. I ea„ assure ,-ou we "do lory glad to gel back to Wangamii. m-Knt ,„ state lhllt „,„, ]()SS( , fi jn nt. imorty Hay engagement were Capkilled " a X " ali l >orou ""tive