A.—No. 8b

PAPERS RELATIVE TO MILITARY OPERATIONS

46

pa. While we were advancing in the morning, after nearly all the firing had ceased, a man got up on the top of a whare and called out to us, "Ko Wanganui tenei." He then fired three times at us. I and Eru Bangiwaha ran up and fired two shots at close range at him, but little thought at that time it was To Kooti himself. Every man now is greatly exasperated to think how narrowly the rebel escaped us. Te Kooti had only sixty-seven men with him in the pa at the time of attack. We found very largo quantities of food planted here, some five acres of "taro," and many acres of maize, &c. It is the largest Native plantation 1 ever remember to have seen. It appears that. Te Kooti left men here last year, after his escape from Ngatapa, 1o plant food, and to build him a church, as after ho had visited the King and Taupo he would return here, his atua appointing this his place of rest, saying the Kawanatanga would never reach here. We found a splendid new church built for him. It was eighty-four feet in length, and thirty feet wide, beautifully finished. It was covered from end to end with two large kiakia mats, plaited crosswise. Along the centre of each there were scriptural names worked in red wool, in letters six inches in depth. Te Kooti had only the opening service in his church some few days before we attacked the pa. He then had again assured his people that the Kawanatanga would never reach there. A pretty little carved house was also destroyed by us, which had been built for Te Kooti's own private abode. Altogether we destroyed forty-two whares, many of" them large ones. 26th March. —At daylight, 120 men'started out to endeavour to follow the trail of To Kooti. .In the afternoon Kemp and Topia, with our men out since yesterday, returned, bringing in 303 prisoners, who were escaping from here and fell into their hands. Nineteen of the enemy were killed since the attack upon the pa, many of them falling unawares into the hands of the Wanganuis, when followed by our men in. the rear. Hakaraia is amongst the killed ; Kereopa, Karanama, and Kaiwhatu, narrowly escaped in the confusion of taking so many prisoners. It was horrible to see the manner in which some of the dead were hacked about. One man was partly in aud partly out of the river, his head wassmashed to atoms, aud the brains floating about upon the water. 27th March, Sunday. —The 120 men out yesterday returned, bringing three prisoners, and report having killed one man. They followed the track of some thirty men as far as Te Punga. At Waimana learned it was the Urewera of Te Kooti returning to Buatahuna, and hearing from one of the prisoners that Te Kooti had not gone in that direction, they returned. At dark a man came in to give himself up, and reports himself as one of a picquet of ten men sent by To Kooti to reconnoitre our camp. He says that To Kooti has taken refuge in a potato clearing some distance in rear of this place; that he has with him twenty men and a few women. It is too dark to-night to go out, but at daylight 300 men will start to endeavour to catch him. 28th March. —We started this morning in two parties of 150 men each, the one of Wanganui and the other of Ngatiporou. Wo travelled over some very bad places, being afraid to keep tho direct track lost we should meet any of Te Kooti's scouts, and they should give him the alarm. We fell in with one fellow this morning, but were afraid of shooting him ;ho consequently escaped. Some of the men called to him to come, but he did not seem to see the force of it. Some of the men since say it was Te Kooti himself, because he had riding boots on. 29//* March. —We did not get to the clearing where we expected to find Te Kooti till this morning, and when we did so we found it deserted, and no main trail to follow on. They must have, dispersed singly for some appointed rendezvous. We searched the bush for some hours, but without finding any one. When, returning, in tho bed of the creek where the dead Hauhaus were, we found a number of" them buried, and others half-eaten by dogs; also two dogs hanging upon a tree close by, evidently done by the Hauhaus. 30th March. —I, with fifty men, started in advance this morning at 5 o'clock, to come on to Opotiki, leaving the main body to come on with prisoners. We made the journey very quickly to-day, doing that in eleven hours which took us two days and a half to do before. Many of the men were knocked up completely, and were compelled to remain behind. Seven men only, out of the fifty -who started with me, reached Opotiki the same night. 31.4-/ March. —Bopata, Komp, and. the main body came in about 5 o'clock this evening. I had rations all ready for them. I have selected the worst of the male prisoners to await their trial. All anxiously expecting the Defence Minister's arrival. The Hon. the Defence Minister arrived on the Bth April, and has since been occupied in closing the campaign for the present season. The Whanganui have departed for their homes ; all satisfied with tho treatment of the Government. Ngatiporou have gone to their homes, there to await another call upon their loyalty, if required. This ends the most successful expedition ever undertaken by the Government, and could only have been accomplished by Natives, who are acquainted with the different kinds of food to be found in their country. It is by Natives alone that such expeditions can meet with any success. During the seven years of active service I have seen, lam well able to judge of what can bo done by Europeans and by Natives. Where the former would starve, the latter would find plenty. There is also a spirit of emulation among Natives which leads them to endeavour to gain the name of Toa on their return to their homes. It is the reverse with Europeans, who are only brought together by the discipline of soldiers. When difficulties beset them, each man thinks only of self —of course there are exceptions, but the few are lost among the many. Also, the class of men now in the Colonial service is not what it was in former days. It is only with Natives that unity of action can be obtained. They should not be trammelled with European officers, only in eases where agreeable to themselves, as it too often happens that in cases where a European officer is attached to Natives, he overrates the authority confided to him, and wishes to assert his superiority over them, in consequence of which he becomes disliked and obnoxious to them. He must also act firmly with younger men, and with chiefs he must condescend to ask opinions of them, and not persist in thrusting his own upon them. By adopting an intermediate course, it often leads to the desired end. It is by employing friendly Natives alone that the kind of warfare now raging in the Island will be brought to an end. It is no longer pa fighting, but bush, where the European soldier is of little use. I may be wrong in my opinion here, but I have had long experience, both in command of Europeans and Natives.