CHAPTER III: THE HAU HAU OUTBREAK
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CHAPTER III
THE HAU HAU OUTBREAK
WHERE VON TEMPSKY FELL
THE lull after the storm of New Zealand's first war was one of great prosperity for the colony. The Maoris had certainly come out of it with honour. Whether their antagonists had an equal right to use Disraeli's historical motto with reference thereto is questionable. The natives appeared to have settled down in a very businesslike manner to trade and commerce. It was not an unusual occurrence to see small craft, partly or wholly owned by them, sailing around our coasts with cargoes of fruit and various kinds of native produce--apples, peaches, pumpkins, melons, potatoes, maize, and kumeras, the latter an indigenous kind of sweet potato. Or their ingeniously constructed canoes might be seen with their naturally joyous and light-hearted occupants, chanting the musical, though somewhat monotonous, waiata-- a song in a minor key and varying only about four notes--while gliding over the placid bosom of lake or river, conveying their goods from inland pah or
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kainga, to be sold or bartered to "my friends the whites," this being a favourite expression with them. Pity 'twas that the friendship was not always mutually sincere, and that some good genius had not arisen at this particular juncture to guide the destinies of the Maori, and avert the torrent of calamity that was about to burst upon this brave and chivalrous people.
After the period referred to, New Zealand enjoyed comparative peace for about ten years, during which time she advanced, so to speak, by leaps and bounds. As her magnificent climate and rich resources became better known, population from all parts flocked to her shores. For a time there reigned Peace and Prosperity--blessings the value of which cannot be fully appreciated, except by those who have endured the reverse.
It was a sad day for the inhabitants of both races when the Government was drawn into that deplorable tribal dispute re land at Waitara. The offending Hapu had the sympathy of the greater portion of their iwi (nation or people), the majority of whom were adherents of the "king movement," and resisted every overture or compromise.
Sedition became rampant, the distant Waikatos sent numerous reinforcements to aid their patriotic but misguided countrymen of the west in preventing the extinction of the native title to their land. The British troops could do very little against them in their natural fortresses of mountain and morass. When they were beaten, which was rarely the case
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in these localities, dense forests, impenetrable to the regulars, but easy of access to these intrepid sons of the soil, were within easy reach for purposes of retreat, and any attempt at pursuit was generally attended by disaster and defeat.
Thence the flame of rebellion spread northwards to the Waikato. The turbulent Maniopoto tribe seemed to have decided upon a line of action that meant "war to the knife," or, as Heke had said in 1845, to "Die for the country that God had given them."
As the Maori king movement had been initiated by them for the purpose of conserving the remnant of their lands, so now they unwisely determined to try and recover the portion that had been procured from them by what was known as the fishhook-jew's-harp-blanket mode of purchase
The operations of ten thousand Imperial troops, and a contingent of irregulars--owing partly to outside interference and conflicting interests--had effected little towards the definite suppression of the insurrection beyond wiping out large numbers of these half-armed, semi-nude opponents, who ever displayed that valorous spirit that was so heroically manifested at Orakau.
That state of affairs so subversive of all discipline and good order in war or peace, divided authority, now threatened to nullify all previous efforts at subjugation. There was procrastination, resulting from the strained relations existing between viceregal and military command. At length the fiat went forth: we must manage our own internal affairs,
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however little contractors, land speculators, et hoc genus omne, may relish the withdrawal of the necessarily large sums annually expended by the Imperial authorities. The troops were recalled, or disbanded, the latter feature being a fortunate one for New Zealand, as, thereby, we had our colonial army largely augmented. And a valuable accession these soldier-settlers proved, apparently preferring the comparatively free and untrammelled plan of campaign adopted by the new regime to the inscrutable, excessive discipline and red tape of the authorities under which they had previously served.
We were committed to this horrible war, and whether just or otherwise in its origin, in self-defence it had now to be fought out to the bitter end. There was nothing for it but submission or extermination. This was rendered necessary by the revolting aspect now attaching to the position through the natives adopting their new religion of Hau-Hauism. The founders of this weird religion stoutly maintained the divinity of its teachings and its derivation from the Bible. Their fanaticism was such that, at times, they would rush almost upon our very bayonets, or, when opportunity offered, slay, without mercy, men, women, and children of either Europeans or friendly tribes.
Previous to any contemplated attack upon our scattered forces, or any occasion of importance, offensive or defensive, the Hau Hau divinity was invoked by the rebels for guidance in something after the following manner. A large pole was erected
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in the middle of their pahs. Around this all assembled, dancing, singing, and praying until they had worked themselves into a state bordering upon frenzy. Ghastly relics of our occasional reverses, or "preserved Pakehas' heads," were exhibited, which, by some sort of illusion, were apparently made to utter words of prophetic import, invariably to the effect that the Pakeha would eventually be overcome. The gullible and superstitious savages, readily accepting the imposture as gospel truth, were prepared to commit any atrocity at the instance of their leaders.
During the night the guiding prophet generally held commune with the god of the Hau Hau, resulting in a revelation which was proclaimed to his followers, and, of however absurd or impracticable a nature, implicitly believed by them. A prophecy of individual or collective invulnerability was of frequent occurrence. At times they confidently looked forward to the defeat of their enemies by supernatural means, the prophet acting the part of another Isaiah, assuring Ezechias of the deliverance of the children of Israel from the Assyrian Sennacherib.
They were now, however, far more effectually equipped than they had been during the Waikato campaign, having Enfield rifles, carbines, and ammunition. They also had acquired an efficiency in the use of arms not pleasant to contemplate. This was accounted for by occasional defection on the part of our allies, the friendlies, and the action
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of the notorious Te Kooti, who, upon making his escape from the Chathams, cleared that island prison of all munitions of war. Many a brave fellow has New Zealand had to mourn who fell by the bullets cast for her own defence.
The Maoris, always noted for their aptitude and ingenuity in the construction of their defence works, had now, to a great extent, abandoned the mode of warfare that relied mainly on the strength of the pahs, and they began the practice of luring our forces into ambuscades, and of occasionally, guerrillalike, making raids where least expected.
One unfortunate instance of this occurred at "Te ngutu o te manu" (The beak of the bird), where the hero of a hundred fights--the gallant Von Tempsky--fell. This pah was so called from its being built on an eminence resembling the head of a bird. The approach to It was by a narrow ridge--the beak--covered with karaka, rata, rimu, and other giants of the forest, with the usual dense undergrowth peculiar to New Zealand.
Such was the fatal spot to which Von Tempsky led his brave followers, with the intention of entrapping, if possible, that diminutive but wily and fearless savage Tito Kowaru. They had arrived shortly after daybreak at the edge of the forest immediately surrounding the pah. Swiftly but cautiously advancing, and fully aware of their opponents' general tactics of ambush and surprise, from tree to tree they glided, like phantoms in the gloom, but with every sense at the utmost tension.
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So far there had been nothing to oppose their progress. All was quiet. They reached a partial clearing within a short distance of the stronghold, and in the exultation of the moment, arising from the prospect of a successful coup, they made a dash across the opening, when suddenly a volley was poured into them from the rear. Astounded at this unexpected attack they turned to face the foe, when another fusillade came from their former front, disclosing the awful fact that they were between two fires. Their numbers rapidly decreased with each discharge, and yet the surface of the earth presented not the slightest sign of an enemy until the descending smoke betrayed their presence in the lofty rimus' ponderous branches overhead, the thick foliage being a most effectual cover for the cunning savage.
Von Tempsky, mortally wounded, with not one thought but for the safety of his men, in his last moments fully recognised the extreme peril of the situation. To remain there trying to fight an invisible foe would be to turn the spot into a veritable slaughter-pen, so he called as loudly as his remaining strength would permit, "Retire! Look to yourselves, boys! I am done for!" To retire without him and their other unfortunate comrades was not a part of their creed, and every soul was brought from the terrible spot to a place out of the range of the Hau Hau rifles.
This disastrous expedition was made known to none of the men of whom it was composed until
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the morning assembly for marching orders, so secretly had preliminaries been conducted. And yet the enemy must have been well posted in the movements of the force to have arranged with such diabolical ingenuity this difficult plan of ambuscade. As during the early Native war the friendlies were credited with giving information regarding the plans of the Pakeha, so now it was thought that some of them were not quite what their name implied.
This was the closing episode in the career of one of the most prominent and successful of our colonial leaders, as genial in private life as he was brave in battle. It added other names to that melancholy roll of the honoured dead. After many years, New Zealand's permanent pacification was accomplished, but at what a sacrifice!
