THE DEFENCE OF PIPIRIKI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 299, 10 May 1913, Page 9

THE DEFENCE OF PIPIRIKI.

By Captain W. Newland, late Patea Rangers, and Sub-Inspector. New Zealand Ann&l Constabulary INTRODUCTION AND NOTES ■By Captain Eyre-Kenny, Retired List, late Taranaki Regiment, New Zealand Militia.

(From the N.Z. Military Journal).

INTRODUCTION. A couple of months ago Captain Newiand placed in my hands some 150 pages. of closely written manuscript, being his recollections of the memorable defence of Pjpinki, the expedition to Opotikj, the "war on tjie west coast in 1868-69, and other operations during our later wars With the Maoris, in all of which Captain .Npwland took part, and requested me to prepare them for publication in this Journal, by adding explanatory notes, ■etc.

Captain Xewland, whose parents" were .Devonshire people, was born in Taranaki, and enteredjithe Colonial Forces at the very commencement of hostilities in 1860. He wag in more than fifty engagements, big and little, and, being a brave, determined, capable officer, he rendered excellent service to the colony, and was frequently mentioned in despatches. I will refer to two instances only.

In the Xew Zealand Government Gazette of the 11th October, 1866, page 379, will be found a despatch from Major McDonnell (afterwards Colonel McDonnell, N.Z.C., N.Z.M.), commanding Colonial Forces, Patea. published by the Defence Minister, the Hon. Colonel Haultain. Major McDonnell in describing an attack made by him. with 127 men of all ranks, on a rebel village called Pungarehu, situated in the heart of the dense tush. Captain Newland led the little column with his Patea Rangers. Major McDonnell says, "The Xative dogs began to bark, and I immediately ordered the leading sections under Captain Newland .to extend from the centre and rush the village. As we leaped the fences I called upon the inmates to surrender The Nativw replied by heavy VBllevs from the doors and the windows. We returned the fire and rushing the fortified whares, scraped the earth off,the roofs and pulled down th« slabs tq fire at the inmates. In several instances they ran out of the doors . and, firing their pieces into us, tried to i escape into the bush, but were shot Oown. Tn half an hour we were masters of the position, and the firing ceased. , Then Major McDonnell describes a S eror» fight which presently ensued outside the village. The European casualties were serious—one farrier-sergeant and two privates killed, and one officer and two privates wounded. Major McDonnell writes: "Of Captain Newland, Patea Rangers. I cannot speak too hiffh£n - W * n A or . emost in wery part of the field, in the Surprise 0 f the villaae the removal of the wounded, and the repulse of the enemy" fin the second engagement fair thirty of the enemy were killed nine taken pnsoners, twenty or thirty stands of arms taken-or burnt in hTwham and some casks of powder were seen to Wow i, p> in his despatch after thTdes perate engagement at Moturoa. Colonel (afteroards Maior-General). Sir George Whitmorp. K.C.M.G., savs. «T bee toex~ tES m 7 l ob,i S ations to Sub-Inspector Newland, Armed who belayed splendidly* All who ever served Tinder Sir George Whitmore will recollect what a tireless energetic office he was. and how difficult to please. In a semiofficial letter to Captain Newland. bearing.date the 10th October, VM. Caotain Holt, Under - Secretary for Defence writes, "T must heartily congratulate you on your dashing and successful doings on the 2nd. I am onlv sorrv the colony should have so few prizes for the men who do so much for her. Major McDonnell's despatch—in which T nmvi scarcely say you nlay a most distinguished part—will be published in tomorrow's Gazette, of which T shall hnv» much pleasure in sendinsr you a cony." "T.M.5.." an abbreviation which several times appears in these pages, stands for "Taranaki Military Settlers." a battalion raised bv the Xew Zealand Government towards the end of 1863. It was Tecruited in Australia and Xew Zealand, and the officers and pien wer° to serve for three years, ; n airthe colony. At the end of the term they were to receive grants of land, of varying area according to rank, situated in the Province of Taranaki. The men w»re during the three years under the Mutiny Act and Articles of War, and were soldiers to all intent and purposes. The corps was commanded bv Major Maxwell Sapper, a Captain and Brevet-Major in the 14th Regiment—an excellent officer, who had served with distinction in the 86th ("Royal County Down"), under Sir H«gh Rose, during the arduous campaign in Central India against Gwalior and the Rani of Jhansi. The Patea Ran?ers were enlisted on the same terms as the T.M.S.

Major Brassey,who commanded the garTison of Pipiriki during the siege, served for some years in the British Xavy up to 1830, when he entered the Bombay Army. He was present during the second phase of the first Afghan War. and during Sir j Charles Napier's operations in Scinde. He was for five years Adjutant of his Regiment, and retired on account of ill-health - with the rank of Captain.' Pipiriki was a post of strategic importance, situated on the right bank of the Wanganui River, about fifty-seven miles from the town of Wanganui. A force holding it could, by its fire, bar the passage of canoes proceeding down the river to attack the town. The position taken up was surrounded by high hills, at no point distant more than 600 yards from the river, and rising in some cases to a height of 2000 feet. Just below the position the hills close in on either side upon the river, which runs at this spot between precipitous cliffs, impossible to pass if held by an enemy. The redoubts could be commanded by musketry fire from various points.

CAPTATN NEWLAND'S NARRATIVE. On the 24th March, 1805, two companies of Taranaki Military Settlers and :i company of the Patea RangeTs em'"irked on board the s.s. Alniriri, Captain S'i"ttleworth. The force comprised No. S Company, T.M.S.. Captain T. Wilson, with Lieutenants Kirkbv. Fookes. and Gloag; No. 0, T.M.S.. Captain Pennefather. and Lieutenants Bear and Dalrymple; and the Patea Rangers, Captain T. Hirst, with Lieutenants W. Newland and Chapman. Major Willoughby Brassev. X.Z.M.. was in command, and Dr. J. B. F. Suther was the Medical Officer. The Patea Rangers were raised by the late Major Sir Harry Atkinson, then Defence Minister, for service in the Patea district. We sailed from New Plymouth, and were to have landed at Patea, but the weather was too rough. We signalled to General Cameron, but he had left the Patea camp and moved further up the coast. We were unable to set any orders so we proceeded on to Wanganui. A few davs after our arrival we were ordered to move up the Wanganui River to Pipiriki. This was shortly after, the. little at Motoa (an island on the river) between the friendly Natives and tl.e n,"h„ fanatics, then on their way to Sack the town of War.pimii.Tl.pHwi- - lies lost tlien neiu l , pnm . o 6 ; t, IP steamer fidSae which took us ten miles up tbe

river to Kaiwaike, where we camped for I the night. The officers were kindly enj tertained at dinner by an old settler, Mr. P. Buekthought. Early next morning the I force marched over the. hills to Parikino, a native settlement on ;he river. Tlie camp equipage, reserve ammunition, provisions, eic, were taken up in canoes, the only means of transport in those days. This took some time to organise; all the canoe-men being Maoris, .there was often more talk than work. When the necessary number of canoes had been got together a final start up the river was made. Here we were joined by sixty of the Native contingent, and •some kupapas (friendly' Natives}. The Europeans were 200 strong. All these men and their impedimenta were embarked in the canoes, of which there was a vast number—how many it is impossible to say, but there was quite a fleet of them. The flotilla was a curious and intereet-

ing sight. It was very hard going up against the river. You have to hug the shore, and propel your canoe with long poles by pushing against the bank. There are holes in the papa rock at every few feet, caused by the constant poling. Some ; of the holes are as much as 30 feet above the river, showing the fall of the river where it had been used during floods. The Native women are expert with the poles—better, indeed, than many of the men—and their tongues are going from dawn till dark. It took us several days to reach our destination. We generally camped at night in one of the villages, many of which had scriptural names, given by the Rev. R, Taylor j (a noted missionary in his day), such as Corinth (Koriniti), Athens (Atini), Jerusalem (Hiruharama), and others. Jerusalem is the last camping place before reaching Pipiriki. Major Atkinson' (the Defence Minister) personally led the expedition to Pipiriki, and his presence gave great confidence to officers and men; unfortunately, he was compelled to return to Wanganui almost immediately. After taking possession of Pipiriki we found very few Natives there, although it is a very large settlement. Major Brassey posted pickets to keep a lookout, as well as a strong inlying picket, and the rest of the force set to work to unload the canoes as they arrived, one after another. It was a long time before we got everything on shore—the camp equipage, ammunition, rations, entrenching tools, and numerous other articles—so that it was long after dark before we had finished. On the following day the camp was laid out, and all hands not on other duty were engaged in | throwing up redoubts. By far the best site for occupation was a hill on which were some Maori graves, with canoes' headplanks, whilst one had a canoe sawn in half, beautifully carved, placed as a headstone. Major Brassey communicated with Pehi Turoa, the chief of the Tebels, through Mr. Booth (the interpreter) in regard to this spot, which was in a commanding position, and Pehi replied that it was a wahi tapu (sacred place) which could not be used for fighting by either side; "he" (Pehi) "would be its redoubt." Three redoubts were j built bv us. The main one was held by I the T.M.S., No. 2 bv the Native Contin-' gent under Major Kemp. The three redoubts were not far apart—in fact, the main redoubt, and No. 2. .garrisoned by the Patea Rangers, were within speaking distance of each other. The camp routine went on the usual wav until July, when it was rumoured that we were .about to be attacked. Mr. Booth, the ' interpreter, had lived in Pipiriki for some years in connection with the church school under the Rev. Richard Taylor. -He often went up the river, and down the river as far as Wanganui, to get information, but he could ascertain nothing definite. Just at this time the Native Contingent was removed to co-operate in the attack of the Weraroa Redoubt, a strong nosition on the banks of the Waitotara River, many miles off. which weakened our force very much. Shortly after their departure the Natives in the settlement begJin to leave, and in a few days there were very few left. As Mr. Booth was nnnhle to return owing to a flood in the river, the interpreter's work was now entrusted to me. Two Natives in the settlement warned Maior Brassev that the enemy were preparing to make an immediate assault. All the other Natives had now cleared out, which looked very suspicions .and the two Natives who gave the information were detained, and every military precaution taken for the safety of the post that was possible: guards were strengthened, and officers and men lay down at night fully accoutred, and prepared to turn out at a moment's notice. Unfortunately, we were an officer short. Captain Hirst, of tlip Pa test Rangers, having been appointed act'nn-piiymaster of the force, had gone to Wanganui on that business, and was miable to return in time for the fighting. The two Natives who had warned Major Brassey came to my redoubt afterwards and informed me that; a party of Hauhaus would come down on the river end of our position, and the main body would come from Ohinemutu, a large settlement up the river, it being on a rise overlooking the river and down on to Major Brassey's headquarters redoubt.

It had been the practice to maintain a small picket of six men over the staretent at the landing place, some distance from the nearest redoubt. This picket was occasionally visited during the night bv the officer on duty. Tn consequence of fresh information received on the morning of the 18th Jnly. Major Brassey called in the picket before sunset that day. It was fortunate he did so, for, though the night passed over quietly, it was subsequently ascertained that the enemy had laid two ambushes after dark, one to intercept the visitinrr officer, and one to overwhelm the' picket.

On the following morning Ensign Chapman took •' walk down tln> river bank, aiid when he got near the C'emetcrv Hill he was fired on from an ambn<li and chased bv a party of rebels. .Though within 3fl yards of the ambush, fortunately none of the shots took effect. ('lnnman returned in fairly good time. This opened the ball. The Hauhans imi"n<liately seized the' Cemetery Hill (which they had promised not to occupy) and opened a sharp fire into No. 3 Redoubt, formerly held by the Native Contingent, but now garrisoned by a detachment of 'T.M.S., from a distance of little more than a chain. Every tent was riddled. Major Brassey at once ordered Lieutenant Clevey 'with twenty men to storm the hill, which he dickverv .smartly, in the face of very superior numbers and a very heavv fire at close range. Clerey had part of an ear carried awav.and was somewhat dazed and shaken by the shock. Two of his men were also wounded, but no one was killed. The enemy (who did not wait for the bayonets) lost several men killed and wounded by tlte musketrv fire during their' hasty retreat down the hill into the scrub, but managed to carry off all their casualties except one man:' for Clerey did not pursue but set himself to work to complete some rifle-pits which the rebels had be- ' .run, and to dig others, intimately a verv fair redoubt was built, which was held to the end of the siege \t this time the main bodv of rebel* be«rtn to show themselves in the distance We thought thev would never end as they came out of the scrub ami „„11i ( .« We had a magnificent \ eu ot tl en, as tliev advanced. Tt was the finest sHit T ever saw. They had fuzzed out their hair in an way: „„„,. of ns had ever seen Maoris do tin* Upfore. They had wooden /"impeK 4 fort or S feet long, on which t »e pU> ed some of our bugle-«< ls-~Uu- AUv,m.0 -> the "Fire." the -'Retire the ■.Reveille" in the early morning, and other e Z Thev could not be seen from the I headquarters redoubt at this l.me *o T .•alled out their movements to tbe or

i fleer Commanding. My men were very [ anxious to lire, but I ordered them, not i to lire a shot till the enemy came clos--1 «r. Presently the Hauhaus halted, and i seemed to be planning. Thinking they I were close enough, I passed the word to / Major Brassey that I was about to fire. We opened at .">OO yards on a great number congregated in a gully. All the tents were now struck to give us clear decks. Our fire was effective, and many rebels fell, as they were bunched up close together. This sudden burst of well-aimed lire put a different aspect on affairs. The rebels dispersed in all directions, getting under cover, and many taking up positions on the high spurs leading to the range of hills. There was also another strong rebel force on the opposite side of the river, which occupied positions commanding all our redoubts, particularly one held by the T.M'.S. Not a man could move without exposure, and it was impossible to do any cooking. We returned a slow and carefully aimed fire, as we had only a small amount of reserve ammunition.

The Hauhaus were quiet at night—i.e., there was little ov no firing, but plenty of yelling and imitations of our buglecalls. After dark the cookhouse was protected, and the tents too. This was done by knocking, down a large building formerly used as a place of music and Native school by the late Air. James Booth. At daylight the Hauhaus reopened fire from twelve different positions, rendered secure when necessary by well-constructed rifle-pits and entrenchments constructed during the night. They blazed at us incessantly from daylight till dark. We were careful not to waste ammunition, as the enemy's cover was very good, and we had little to fire at except the smoke of their guns. , Our redoubts gave good cover; they had loop-holes, and traverses' (? parados) had been constructed to shield us from the the plunging fire. Though bullets rained into the redoubt like hail, our casualties were quite insignificant. We got the exact range of their different positions, and managed to knock over several of them—among them a woman prophetess, supposed to be bul-let-proof. She sprang up on the parapet howling and cheering the men, but after the siege we learnt who it was. On the third morning after the fighting had began we noticed some fresh riflepits had been dug during the night, and I was ordered out with twenty men. We advanced by rushes, firing, and when some 25 yards off fixed bayonets and charged, but found nobody at home. We were under heavy fire from other positions and from these rifle-pits, but did not lose a single man. We filled up the rifle-pits. Although our loss was so trifling, it was an anxious position. Foofl was short, and in spite of every precaution our ammunition was dwindling. Moreover, we expected the rebels to storm us' from hour to hour. They were about 1000 strong, and we less than 200. A resolute assault could not have failed, and we should all have been wiped out. But our men would have sold their lives dearly with the bayonet at the end. and this the Hauhaus quite understood, anVI they preferred to starve us out, if possible; but there were • enough of them to have eaten us all. Major Brassey considered it wild for us to attack them, and all the officers and all the men, except two or three, agreed with him. As we had now been several days under fire with no communication from the outside world, and the time was approaching when our food and ammunition must come to ah end, an idea struck Major Brassey. He determined to set up what may be termed a "bottle post." He wrote messages, some in Latin, some in French, some in Greek characters, and placed them in about a dozen bottles, carefully corked and sealing waxed. These were taken down after dark and thrown into the river so as to float down with the current to Wanganui. A feather was stuck in each cork so as to attract attention. Unfortunately they were not noticed in Wanga- | nui; our mail must have passed the town during the night (note B). Meanwhile the bombardment of Pipiriki was kept up night and day with great vigour. Our ammunition supply was running out, and our provisions were rapidly getting done: some things we were quite out of. Matters were looking rather serious, and there was no chance of getting anything but by the river. Major Brassey now resolved to send men • in a .canoe down the river to Wanganui. Two men of the Patea Rangers volunteered to undertake the perilous trip. The names of these brave fellows de- ' serve to be recorded. They were Sergeant, Constable and Private A. Edgecombe—the former an old man-o'-war's man. the latter a colonial who understood a little of the Native language. They had to start at night, for as the Hauhaus held positions on the riverbanks, it would have been impossible to get through by daylight. The despatches were placed in a small water-tight box, and weighted, so that they could be thrown overboard if the worst came. This was indeed a plucky enterprise, for, besides the risks from the enemy, the two men knew nothing of the river except what they had seen on the way up, and there were long and dangerous rapids to be negotiated, besides numerous boulders, some of them just below the surface, and snags in numbers, which it was impossible to see at night. However, they ran down the worst part of the river successfully, and on arriving at Jerusalem they heard Kuvopeim voices. <and, approaching the landing, they found it was a force coming up to our relief, commanded by Major Eookes (note C), and the despatch-box was handed to him. To return to Pipiriki. We had now been under continuous fire for twelve solid days, when, to our astonishment, the rebels hoisted a white flag, to which we duly responded. The fact was (though they did not tell us so) that they were aware of the approach of the relief expedition. In a short time some of the rebels on the other side of the river came out into the open, and Major Brassey, I (as acting-interpreter), and the two Natives we had detained during the siege walked down to the riverbank. The rebels seemed frightened at comin" verv close, so it was not easy to understand' what thev said. We talked for about an hour. Thev expressed a wish to meet Major Brasser and to come to terms. Tt was arranged that the head men should come down on the opposite side of the river at 10 a.m. the next dav and discuss terms of surrender. We were there all ready at the appointed time but the chiefs did not turn up. \fter waiting an hour or two we decided to ask the two Natives we had with us if thev would go up to Oluneimitn. the enemy's headquarters, and find out what the rebels' intentions were. The two Native, got into their canoe an, started up theV.vor. They did not eem to, like going. They were a long lime awav, and we hesan to feai we nl, not see them again, tlunkmg they m have been killed, or not allowed to et. n. But at length a canoe hove * ,$ eomins down the river w.tl. in it. T wenl: down tr> ™ them and took thorn to Major ml . iv ters The third man (the leiei r^e.erlsaidhelmdcometosavthe TS wH ed to have the talk at Ohine-

that as all the Natives were strangers ; to me, I was a little diffident about undertaking sucli an important mission, ine Major at last said, "Well, Newland, you can go if you like to do so, but I , will not order it." The fellow who had come down was 'detained as n host)on am! away 1 went with the two Xatius we had sent up before. We poled up Me stream to the landing place at Ohinernutu. When on shore, I was greeted by the women and youngsters callin* ? „ ',» 1 5 e,1a - e pakeha! punhia, pu° 11a. (A wlnte man, a white man! shoot him, shoot him!) imitating the report of a gun with their mouths. As I walked through the village I was introduced to the chiefs and told to stand by the door rn, \r .- e runan g a (meeting-house), flie Natives came and sat on the ground all round glaring at me. They did not greet me nor utter a word. I never felt so small in. my life, and I am over Oft. high I could stand it no longer, and asked who was to speak first. (I was still standing by the door). The reply was, We are waiting for you." I said, 1 have nothing to say. I have come from the Officer Commanding .the Queen's troops at Pipiriki to get a definite answer as to your intentions. You have on vour own account hoisted a flag of truce Yesterday you promised to come down to the flat opposite our camp between J and 10 in the morning to meet Major Brassey and myself, and you have failed ! to do so, which was a great breach of I honor. But if you still wish to come ! to terms, let me know, as I am instructed to meet you in any reasonable way; or, if you prefer it, we can fix time and place for further negotiations, when the terms fixed could be settled bv the Commanding Officer and acted on at once. That is all I have to say." In reply, the head chief of Upper Wanganui (Turoa) said, "Yes, it is quite true. We hoisted the ake ma (white flag) yesterday afternoon, and promised to meet the rangatira of the soldiers and discuss terms of surrender; but we changed our minds when we were all together and talked things over last night, and we decided to ask him and his interpreter to come up here and settle the matter. Therefore we did not go down, nor have we any intention of doing so. That is all we have to say." I waited for a short time, and as no one spoke I said, "Well, as there is no more talk, I will wish you good-day." They were muttering among themselves in Btifled undertones, and I could not catch any of it. I stepped towards them and held out mv hand to wish them good-bye. One of them said, with a scowl, "Don't you be in such a hurrv." I then felt there was something behind this remark, and did not feel at all comfortable. They still kept muttering between themselves. At last I was told I could go. and the chief reluctantly shook hands with me. The two Natives and I got on board.the canoe, and we were not long in running down stream to our camp. Major Brassey and all the officers seemed very glad to see me backsafe and sound,

The sight of Ohinemutu will never be forgotten by me. There were between 1000 and"l2oo armed men present, besides women and children. Every whare was full. Breakwinds had been erected with manuka and fern. There was everything they could get in the way of covering—old blankets, pieces of calico, and the hides of animals. The taua (army) comprised Natives from all parts of the North Island—Ngatimaniapoto (from Waikato), Urewera, Taupo, East Coast, West Coast, and Upper Wangan'ui. They must have undergone great hardships, as it was the depth of winter, cold and wet, and their food supplies must have taxed them very much with such a number to feed, and very little cultivation in the neighbourhood.

I was away about three hours, and my return was eagerly looked for by my comrades; in fact, some Scarcely thought I would ever return. When I handed my report to Major Brassey he expressed his satisfaction at the manner in which I had carried out my important mission. We know now that, the Hauliaus never intended to surrender. Great precautions were taken for the safety of the redoubts that night, as it was thought that the Hauhaus, in a fit of desperation, might make an assault. The Native hostage had been well looked after by the cook—indeed, too much so; lie showed it in hjs face. He had not heen in such spirits for a long time. He was given a bottle of "regulation" (rum) to hand round, so that they might drink our healths. The Commanding Officer said it was good policy to feed the hostage handsomely, so that he might get no inkling that our kai (food) was running short.

The next morning canoes were seen coming up the river. Tt was a reliev - ing force under Major Rookes, made up of Major Nelson George's company of Rangers, Captain Jones's company Wanganui Rangers, the Native Contingent

under the celebrated Native chief Major Keepa, N.Z.C., 300 in all, followed by the kupapas (Native allies). Altogether the expedition was over 800 strong, accompanied by ample supplies of ammunition and provisions, and the camp was alive in a moment, and we were soon shaking hands with Major Rookes and the officers. Then we had a substantial breakfast, the first peaceful one from the 10th July to the Ist August. Immediately afterwards, Major Rookes with a strong detachment advanced to attack the rebel headquarters at Ohinemutu. I accomanied them. Some went up-stream in canoes, and others up through the scrub on the river-bank. We were not long in doing the distance, and were much disappointed to find the Hauhaus had cleared out, no doubt thinking discretion the better part of valour, in the face of our strong force. Major Rookes crossed over with a large detachment to the other side of the river, and we marched on the high land to a village called Te Poaka, where wc halted, and where Major Rookes. after a consultation with the friendly chiefs with him, through the medium of Mr. J. Booth (who had come up with the relief force), decided that it was no use proceeding further, as nothing could, be seen of the enemy, and we had a ration for one meal only with us. We retired over the hills and through bush, along a rough track till we came up to some cultivated land almost opposite our redoubt at Pipiriki. Here there was a small stream, on which had been erected a flour-mill bv Mr. Booth anil his brother. The Ttauhaus kept this ground during the siege, using the excavations for rifle-pits, and very annoying they were. Wc left behind a portion of the force, who burnt all the whares at Ohinemutu and pulled down the fences, and then returned to Pipiriki. Wc then crossed over and joined them. Wc were sadly disappointed at not haying had "a go in" at the enemy. When at Ohinemutii T could not help contrasting the look of Ohinemutu then with what it was the previous afternoon, when T stood there alone before hundreds of naked savages, armed to the teeth, and looking disgusted with themselves for not, rushing our positions. • The expedition under Major Rookes remained n few days and then went down-stream for AVanganui. Major Nelson George's company remained as a reinforcement to us, and large supplies of rations and ammunition were also left behind. We saw nothing more of the TTauhaus. but we heard that they were very disgusted when they found that Ohinemutu had been burnt, and all the supplies there—potatoes and the like—destroyed or taken to our camp. This caused them to break up and return to their homes in various parts of the Tslnnd. a much sadder and. it is to be hoped, wiser set of rebels. They had suffered some casualties too. We

found and buried six bodies, including Taupo chief, Mikaera; and the Hauhaus admitted afterwards that they (had thirteen men killed and many wounded. It is probable that, from first to last, they lost from forty to fifty men at least, killed and wounded. .i..u nun a quiet, and jolly time for a few weeks, much better weather, and longer days. There had been, a great deal of rain during the siege. I was sent with my company to the top of a high range called Karewarewa to reconnoitre. It was a difficult place to get up; however, we managed to get to the highest point, where we saw a few bark-covered huts which apparently had not been occupied for a long time, and the track was much overgrown. We scrambled on for some distance, but could see nothing but wooded hills and no signs of the enemy. We halted for lunch, and then retraced our steps to Pipiriki. We had a magnificent view on the way down—the tents in the redoubts and the men moving about, and the beautiful river winding its way to the coast. We amused ourselves by visiting the positions held by the Hauhaus during the twelve days' siege. Most of them were - rifle-pitted, and in some places earthworks had been thrown up. One day Mr. Booth took us to a remarkable place on the opposite side of the river It was on one of the leading spurs of the range, about half-way up, and was a very ancient burying place. It was perpendicular on one side, with a deep stream running at the bottom. A portion of, the cliff had subsided many many chains long, leaving a chasm from o feet to G feet wide. On the l»th August, 1800, we received orders to march to Wanganui, en route for Opotiki, to take vengeance on the Rev. Mr. Volkner's murderers. This was welcome news as we had been stuck up at Pipiriki all the winter, and, though fairly comfortable, we were not sorry to see civilisation again. Captain Wilson, with his .company, No. 8 T.M.S., was left behind over the post of Imperial troops. He «IS. T s eli . eved b 7 Brevet-Major Short, 57th Regiment, with two companies of that corps. The Imperial troops also established a line of posts on the river and kept two steamers constantly running up and down with supplies. Major Brassey received great kudos tor the skill and judgment with which he conducted the defence of Pipiriki under trying circumstances, and he was informed that his name was noted for employment on the contemplated expedition to Opotiki. Several Lieutenants who had distinguished themselves duiW the siege were promoted to the rank of Captain, and the whole of the "arrison officers and men, received the thanks of the Defence Minister, and were informed that they would be credited with six months' service, which meant that they would be entitled to their grants of land at the expiration of two and a i half years' service instead of three years'.

! NOTES BY CAPTAIN KENNY. Note A.—Major Atkinson, about 1877. told me a curious circumstance connected with this expedition. There was an influential chief named Mete Kingi. He was supposed to be friendly, and he had certainly rendered important services on some occasions, but he was often rude and unreliable. Major Atkinson, as Defence Minister, had arranged with Mete Kingi for the supply of a sufficient number of canoes, and of men to navigate them; canoes and men to be at a certain spot on the river on a certain dav. Mete Kingi undertook to perform this seri vice, but presently he began to shillyshally and to make all sorts of difficulI ties; but Atkinson, a dangerous man to trifle with, told Mete Kingi that if the canoes were not forthcoming at the appointed time and place he would be arrested, and that in the meantime he would be detained in Wellington. "You know, Mete Kingi," Atkinson said, "there's more than one thing up against you, so be careful, very careful." Mete Kingi ran at once to complain to the Governor, Sir George Grey. Sir George sent for Atkinson, and the following dialogue ensued:—

Grey: "What have you been doing. to poor old Mete Kingi, Atkinson?" Atkinson narrated'exactly all that had occurred, including the old chief's various twisting* and turnings. Grey: "But really. Atkinson, vou shouldn't bully the old man so. He has been a good friend to us, you know. Humor him a little; give him a little more time, can't you?" Atkinson: "Your Excellency is aware that it is of the utmost importance that Pipiriki should be seized and garrisoned ■without delay. Tt is unnecessary to remind you that war is not made with rose-water. Your Excellency's methods when carrying on war were'not always particularly roseate—there was Te Ruaparaha, for instance."

Grey (evidently irritated and interrupting): -'What would your Cabinet do if I was to forbid this expedition altogether?" Atkinson: "We should have to consider our position." Grey: "You mean, I suppose, that the Ministry would probably resign?" Atkinson: "Exactly; sir." Grey: "Well, well"! Do it your own way, only be as kind as you can to the poor old man." Needless to say, Mete Kingi found the canoes and the men. Those who knew the two men can picture their aspect during this colloquy—the icy calm of Sir George, masking the raging fire beneath: Atkinson in his fightinsr mood, with his huge, aquiline, solidly-built nose, his blazing eyes, and aggressive, strident tones.

Note B. —Major Brasscy's Message: One of the bottles sent by the river was picked up by Mr. G. F. Allen, the author of the capital "Guide-book to the Wanganui River." Mr. Allen found it below the town, and, after opening it, took it at once to the Officer Commanding, Major Rookes. at the Militia Office. The message was in these words: "Omnes sunt recti. Mitte res belle statim" (All are well. Rend ammunition immediately). Another message from Major Brassey was carried overland to Major Rookes, via Waitotara. It ran: "Suimis sine rebus belli satis"( We. are short of ammunition). Captain Wilson tells me that Dr. Suthcr, the surgeon to the troops at Pipiriki, was the author of the somewhat "canine" Latin of these messages. It was their receipt that led to the despatch of the relief expedition under Major Rookes. Note C—Major Rookes. who was, at the time of the siege of Pipiriki. commanding the Colonial Forces in the Wanganui District, was a notable figure in New Zealand for some years. He was an experienced soldier in savage warfare, and endowed with uncommon ability, lie had a somewhat remarkable career. He began life as a midshipman in the Royal Navy, and served on the China and West Indian stations. From 1830 to IS4I he was. bv special permission of the French Government, attached as a cadet to the fith Cuirasseurs at the Remount Military School at St. Omer. He eventually joined the 2nd West Indian Regiment, and whilst in that corps he successfully conducted several expeditions and operations in the field, on the Gold Coast, and in the Moriah country. On one of these occasions, in 1554. he was placed in command of a combined naval and military English and French Force, when he captured the town of Malegcah. nml sewelv defeated the Native,, at Labadce. Fo this he received the Legion of Honoi from Nanoleon the Third, and the thanks of Lord Hardingc. Commanderin Chief, Lord Panmure, the Minister of War. and the thanks of the French and Dutch Governments. Major Rookes sold

©*t as a Captain, and came to New Zealand not long before the war of 18*10-01. He was appointed Under-Secretary for Defence during-the war, and did'sov.ui good work in organising the Department, though I recollect Ministers complained of a tendency to extravagance on his part. He was subsequently appointed to command the Colonial Forces in the Wanganui District, and remained there for several years. For the relief of Pipinki and other services he received his Lieut.-Colonelcy. Ultimately, however, for certain reasons which need not be specified, he got into bad odour with the Government, was compelled to send in his resignation, and was never employed again.

Whilst at Wanganui, Colonel Rookes, had a remarkably narrow escape. A large picnic was held at Alexander's farm, some distance from the town of Wanganui, and not a very safe place for such a function during war-time. Colonel Rookes persuaded Major Von Tempsky and Major Nixon (an old settler in Wanganui) to ride with him towards Waitotara. The little party dismounted at a small stream inland to water their horses. Whilst doing so an armed and mounted Native appeared on the opposite kink, and, seeing them, quickly made off. Colonel Rookes determined to make for the beach and go back that way. When returning, the party had to dismount and lead their horses over some papa rock. Colonel Rookes sprained his ankle just as a volley was fired from a high cliff overlook-1 ing the beach, and Von Tempsky and j Nixon quickly mounted and rode off. | Finding Rookes was not following, and was unable to remount owing to the I sprain .they returned to his assistance, I and, firing revolvers, they got him with some difficulty on his horse, and rode away under a heavy fire. It was a narrow shave for all concerned.

Colonel'Rookes was a tall, fine-looking soldier-like man, with something of a French look about him, and rather distinguished in manner. He had a remarkably handsome wife, who possessed a fine and thoroughly cultivated soprano voice. Those who can recollect Mrs. Gore Browne's delightful "at homes" at Government House, Auckland, will not forget the pleasure which Mrs. Rookes gave by her rendering of arias from grand opera. Poor lady! "she passed away long ago, followed many years after by her husband, whose .je'unesse orageuse was succeeded by a middle age hardly less stormv.