OF REBEL NATIVES, ETC.

29

F.-No. 1,

19th January. —Rejoined expedition this morning at Waikohu ; the whole of the men welcomed me, expressing their pleasure at my arrival, as they said it would have been a taua kino (bad sign) had I been unable to march, and they would not have gone without me. 20th January. —We marched this morning along the bed of the Waikohu, diverging from thence we struck the stream called Waihuka, up which our march will continue for some days; an old pa called Pa Wera Wera was passed by us at noon. We are now nearly in rear of Ngatapa, with some very high ranges intervening. In conversation with our guide, Tamihana (a man who surrendered after Te Kooti's raid on Tologa Bay), I find that he is of opinion that we shall fall in with Te Kooti at Te Wera. 21st January. —We expected to have reached Makihoi to-day, but the men were fatigued and foot sore from the constant passage through the water, encumbered with heavy burdens. It is surprising that so few accidents should occur, the men marching barefooted over rocks of a very slippery nature. If the same number of Europeans had been with us, at least ten per cent, would have knocked up, if only from the effects of the water alone, which causes the feet to become tender. Altogether our march was of ten hours duration, against stream the whole time. 22nd January. —We did not march to-day until noon owing to many of the men being too footsore from the effects of yesterday's march. We are still following up the bed of the stream, which appears to be of endless extent; many of the men slipped among the rocks and wet their food, a very serious matter in a long march of this kind without a prospect of further supply from the rear. 23rd January. —We have at last reached Makihoi, the site of an old fighting pa of Te Aitanga, a Mahaki in days gone by. Te Kooti also made this his camp before his descent upon Tologa Bay. A part of our force got separated from us, getting astray for some hours. To-morrow our track will be through dense bush ranges. 24<th January. —We are now camped in dense forest, part of that through which Te Kooti passed in going to Tologa Bay and in which he was for some time lost, we are likely to be in the same fix; as our guide has been constantly missing the track. An old trail was struck by us to-day, being that of Te Kooti, when a fugitive after the fall of Ngatapa, on his way to Waioeka. The two Europeans accompanying the expedition are complaining very much of stiffness of leg joints. I have been very much annoyed during to-day's march from constantly having to stoop in order to avoid the supplejacks, which were constantly hooking on to my pack. %sth January. —The travelling to-day has been much better, owing to the timber being of larger growth and consequently much clearer. We have had to strike our track at random, after getting on to the top of a leading range, descending from which we struck the stream Motu, which takes its rise from Maungatapere, running north to the Bay of Plenty ; on the south side also of this mountain the Wairoa takes its source. Te Rakiroa and other late Hauhaus, say that if Te Keoti is not at Te Wera, he will likely be in the vicinity of a place called the Haupapa or Waimaha, on the south side of the range towards Hangaroa. They also think that Te Kooti is desirous of finding the most out of the way place wherein to hide and to remain quiet, with a view to making terms with the Government. Owing to the density of the forest that we are now in, we were compelled to send men to the tops of some of the highest trees to take bearings of the surrounding country from prominent points, by which we were alone guided; once only to our left front, in a southerly direction, the range leading to Maungapowhatu could be seen. 26th January. —We are now in the vicinity of Te AVera, the chosen hiding place of Te Kooti and the few who escaped with him after the dispersion of his force at Waioeka, in March last. The appearance of the country is frightfully rough. Maungatapere, the highest point in the dividing range leading in"an easterly direction from Maungapowhatu to the East Cape, lies within about nine miles of our present camp. The whole of the ranges in the vicinity are covered with heavy forest timber of a kind called Tawari, only found in the back country and quite unknown near the coast. The whole of the country bears a very rugged appearance, and strikes one as being a most suitable hiding-place for a man like Te Kooti, remote from the haunts of man. Little or nothing is known of this country by any, with the exception of a few members of the Urewera tribes. Ropata and I went to top of a high range overlooking the place where Te Kooti is supposed to be, but could see no signs of Hauhaus. To-morrow will be devoted to searching for tracks. Since our leaving Turanga we have no fires alight until after dark, and out again before daylight; all our meals being made during the hours of darkness, leaving us sixteen hours each day without warm food of any kind, a little biscuit and cold water being our food by day. Henare Potae has knocked up to-day, his leg being very much swollen ; we may be delayed in consequence of this. 27th January. —As anticipated, Henare Potae was unable to march this morning, and a Kokiri of 100 men, under Major Ropata, started to search the bush for indications of Te Kooti, I remaining behind with sixty men, in charge of the camp and swags. Towards noon, accompanied by three men, I ascended the range, and had not been there long before furious barking of dogs was heard from a gully below. We were rather startled at first; but, after consideration, supposed it to be a Hauhau out pig hunting, and we descended to endeavour to capture him. On reaching the bed of the gully, we found only the foot prints of three bush dogs, who had evidently scented the presence of man, and given tongue. Some of the men who left with Ropata this morning have just returned, reporting having lost themselves for some nine hours in the bush, and having been unable to rejoin him ; two others have also just arrived, in the same predicament. 28th January. —Twenty-five men have arrived from Ropata with a message for us to move on to the junction of the tracks leading to Ruatahuna and Waioeka, and, also to send a supply of food on. The party under Ropata surrounded Te Kooti's pa, Te Wera, last night; it had not been occupied since that rebel's return from Tologa Bay, in July last; signs of three men having visited the place a few days previously were seen, their tracks coming up the Waioeka. It is supposed by us that these men are sent out by Te Kooti to prepare the clearings for planting, one of these being found lately burnt. Ropata expects some one may return, he will therefore lie in wait. On receipt of the message from Ropata, I at once marched, and we are now encamped near the head of the Waioeka, which, at 8