1849 - Power, W. T. Sketches in New Zealand - CHAPTER II. ROUGHING IT AT PORIRUA...

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CHAP. II.

WHEN first the soldiers came to Porirua after Mamaku and Rangihaeta had retreated from the Hutt Valley to Pauhatanui, there was no accommodation whatever for them. They were landed on the beach in the depth of winter, and for some time were exposed to unparalleled privation and misery. They built huts for themselves of fern, flax, and reeds, as soon as they could; and were for some weeks engaged from morning till night in felling timber, dragging it through the bush to the water's edge, and rafting it to the camp. Often, after toiling from dawn till dark, they would have to turn out and get under arms several times in the night, on an alarm from the sentries, or the appearance of prowling scouts from the enemy. The season, too, was unusually cold and wet, so that for several successive weeks there were few men who ever had

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dry clothing on by day or by night. The only land communication with Wellington was by a forest path, so bad and impracticable, that all supplies had to be sent round by sea; and even this, from the stormy weather, was very precarious. The bare necessaries of life were all that could be obtained, and luxuries were never thought of.

In the meantime Rangihaeta and his followers were in a strongly fortified Pa at Pahautanui, about three miles from Porirua, from which they might have harassed and annoyed us exceedingly, but they either wanted perseverance and energy, or, as is more probable, were sorely puzzled, baffled, and annoyed by the untiring ubiquity of the gun-boat, under the command of a midshipman of the "Calliope," who, on more than one occasion, taught them a severe lesson, and acquired for himself the title of "Kai-tangata," or man-slayer. On one occasion, in cruising at the head of the bay, not far from Pauhatanui, he got aground very near a wooded point where a number of the enemy were hidden. There was an immediate rush on their part through the shallow water to seize the boat, and they advanced rapidly upon him, yelling and brandishing their tomahawks. Our young commander, nothing daunted, waited till they were well within reach, then gave

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them a volley from the small arms and a round of grape and cannister, that sent them back howling, and a great deal faster than they came.

On another occasion this officer, with the Hon. Mr. Y------ of the artillery, Captain L------ of the 58th, in a whale boat manned by officers and seamen, who volunteered for the expedition, set off before daylight with muffled oars, to ascertain, if possible, the real position and strength of the enemy's Pa, of which much had been heard, but nothing positively known. The danger was considerably enhanced by their having to cross a bar into a small stream that led through shallows for a mile almost to the foot of the hill on which the Pa stood, and where, in case their approach was discovered, it would have been easy to have cut them off. A dark morning favoured the enterprise, and they got safely ashore without giving the alarm; and while a party remained by the boat, and others kept a look-out, the midshipman, followed by Mr. Y------, crawled through the brush-wood, and up to the Pa. Not satisfied with an inspection of the outside, they climbed the outer fence to get a view of the interior, when they were at last perceived by an old woman, who set up a most hideous yell, and alarmed the sleeping inhabitants with shrieks of "E pakeha!" "E oia!" (the strangers! the

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soldiers!) which in a few seconds roused every man, woman, and child. Our friends lost no time in taking the hint to be off, and, without much minding whether they descended head or feet first, they plunged down the hill to the shore, where the boat's crew, alarmed by the uproar, were all ready for a start. M'K----- and Y------ jumped into the stern sheets and pushed off just as the Maories were on their track, and they had to run the gauntlet for nearly a mile, owing to the windings of the small stream. Every man pulled his best, and they passed safely over the shallows, well piloted by Captain L------, where, if he had got aground, or made a mistake in the intricate channels, it would have been hard for any of them to have escaped. When they came to the bar, they jumped into the water, launched the boat over it, and, with an hurra in token of their triumphant escape, they rowed rapidly across the bay, leaving their baffled pursuers on the beach, to vent their fury in idle menaces and maniac expressions of disappointed vengeance and hate.

The prestige of these adventurous exploits had an excellent effect in keeping the enemy uneasy, even on their own ground, and made them unwilling to venture much into our neighbourhood, which was a good thing for us, for had they kept up a guerilla

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warfare, something in the style of the Red Indians, they might have cut us up tremendously in the first two months, or, in fact, at almost any period, as officers and men were constantly passing singly, or in small parties, between the different posts and from Porirua to Wellington. As soon as the stockade was completed at Porirua, a large proportion of the force was moved on to take possession of two or three commanding points in the neighbourhood of Pauhatanui, and from one of which it was intended to try the artillery on the Pa. Rangihaeta and Mamaku, already disheartened, and informed of everything that was going on in our camp, lost no time in moving off, abandoning a Pa which it would have cost us much time and trouble, and probably many lives, to have taken by assault. This Pa, though not nearly so strong as Rua-peka-peka, Ohaiowai, and some of the others taken in the north, was nevertheless very well fortified, and stockaded with a masked fence in front, and with flanking angles commanding all the faces.

A portion of the force was left at this post, while the main body pushed on and nearly surprised the enemy. When the advanced guard reached the ground, the fires were still burning, and there is very little doubt that we should have come up with Ran-

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gihaeta here, had not timely information been given him by some of our kind friends.

After passing through the Horokiwi Valley, without much time to rest, with little food, and exposed to all the rigour of an unusually bitter winter, Rangihaeta at last turned at bay on the hog-backed spur of one of the mountains that runs parallel with the coast as far nearly as the Manawatu. No position could have been better chosen or more unassailable. On two sides it was nearly perpendicular bush-covered mountain; and in front was the rising and narrow crest of the hill, densely covered with forest, except where some large trees had been felled to form a kind of breastwork, covering the front of the position. To reach this required considerable activity, even when unencumbered and unopposed; and, from the narrowness of the ridge, there were few places where more than two or three persons could advance abreast.

A fruitless attempt was made to storm the breastwork in spite of all obstacles, and cost the lives of Ensign Blackburne and three or four of the leading men, who were shot down without being able even to see the enemy. Every expedient that had a prospect of success was adopted to surmount this obstacle, but, as the position was impregnable

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in front, and, from the nature of the country, could not be turned on the flanks and rear, the troops, who by this time were suffering great privations, had to be withdrawn.

No real object was to be gained by forcing the position, which could only have been done with considerable loss, as the enemy had all the country open behind them, with numbers of similar positions to make a stand upon, where they could inflict severe loss on the attacking party, at scarcely any risk to themselves. Moreover, they were falling back on their friends and supplies, while we were getting almost out of reach of ours.

The soldiers were exposed for days to the pelting rain and bitter winds, lying at night on the wet ground, and, during the day, wading through mud and water, struggling through mountain torrents, among fallen timber, and the all but impenetrable forest, their clothes in rags, and their boots torn to pieces by the sharp stones and broken branches. From the want of roads and transport, they were harassed by fatigue parties; rations went astray, or became the prize of those who could seize them first; so that often, while the parties in the rear were wasting food, the advanced guard and piquets were almost starving.

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A party of friendly natives, under Lieutenant Servantes and Messrs. Scott and Swainson, were left to watch the movements of the enemy, and the troops returned to Porirua and Pauhatanui, half starved, more than half naked, and worn out with exposure and the harassing duties they had had to perform.

News came in this morning (August 13th) that Rangihaeta had decamped from his position in the Horokiwi, but in what direction deponent sayeth not. The native allies will move off in pursuit tomorrow, and I have volunteered to accompany them for the purpose of trying to procure provisions on the way, as there is great difficulty and uncertainty in the present mode, where every thing has to be sent from the camp, a distance of ten miles, and no means of transport but the Maories' shoulders. The difficulties too will increase with every additional mile of forest and mountain they put between us. Porirua itself is very inefficiently supplied, from there being no practicable road from Wellington: what there is, is a mere foot-track, and that so bad as to be scarcely passable. The consequence is, that we are obliged to depend on our supplies being sent round by sea; and very lately a store vessel was six weeks

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on the way, though, with a good road by land, the supplies might have been forwarded in six hours.

In a day or two after the enemy's move, I found myself travelling alone and on foot by the strange wild forest paths, having no other guide but a very vague description of the route, and which I had the satisfaction of knowing was at the same time that to the enemy's position; and whether my luck would lead me into the hands of friends or foes, appeared to be very much a matter of chance, and, in my happy ignorance of country and people, I should not have known one from the other if I had fallen in with them.

It would have puzzled any one to have recognised the booted and spurred lounger of the demesne at Sydney, in the tired and jaded ragamuffin, plodding through the woods and over the rocks, wading and plunging through rivers, bogs, and morasses, his face and hands blackened by exposure and torn by thorns and broken branches, his clothes in rags, his boots only kept on to the feet by bandages of wild flax, and his whole baggage, consisting of a blanket and a shirt, strapped across his shoulders--"quantum mutatus ab illo Hectore!"