Henry Ancrum. A tale of the last War in New Zealand. By J. H. K

Chapter I. Hen

the Maories from the whari in which Henry Ancrum had found his bed, reached the council chamber, Avhich was itself built like a Avhari, only of much larger dimensions, one of their principal chiefs was just beginning to speak, with all that action and flourish which the Maories ahvays adopt. First he would say a Avord or two, then he Avould rush for- Avard five or six paces, then suddenly stop VOL. II. and step back a pace or tAvo, speaking all the time ; anon he would dart off to the right a few paces, then again step back a pace or two, then run to the left, all the time waving his arms (in one of which he held a tomahaAvk) frantically about; in fact his appearance Avas exactly like that of a person avIio had made up his mind to inflict a deadly blow with his tomahawk on one of the assemblv, towards whom he rushed, but who suddenly changed his mind, and therefore retreated back again.

Thus he began : " Friends, this is my word to you. We made our rifle-pits on the Koheroa Range. We dug them deep. We made them strong; but te hohia (the soldiers) were too numerous for us. They Avere like" (making a motion as if brushing sandflies off his arm) "the sandflies in number. TheA' rushed on us. Our men Avere brave, but they Avere overpowered; they had to retire here. But here at Mere-Mere we are safe. Te hohia cannot come here. Looking toAvards them, avc have the riA'er on the left, and within a feAV feet of it the deep swamp. Te hohia could not come along the narroAv path a feAV feet wide in face of our lines of rifle-pits one above another. They could not do it. They would be all shot. Here we are safe. It has been said that steamers will come up here, that they will pass by here, and land troops behind us.

Do not believe it. It is a lie of the governor's. He tells lies. He deceives us. Governor BroAvn was a haAvk ; we saAv him in the air. Governor Grey is a rat ; we do not know where he may come up. No, it is not true about the steamers; they cannot come here. I have been in Auck land. I have seen steamers that go on the big sea. They go down deep in the water — very deep. They could not come here; they could not come into the shallow river. 1-2 It is a lie. Do not believe it. But we Avant men ; we are not numerous enough. We must be as the sand on the sea-shore in number, and then Ave shall beat the pakehas. We shall drive them back. We shall drive them to Auckland. We shall drive them into their ships, as Heke did at Kororareka, long ago. The chiefs therefore have written a letter Avhich I will read to you.

Oh, my friends, these are its Avords : — "ToWiremu Tamihana (William Tompson), To Riwi, To Hori Tupeia, To Hakaria (Zachariah). " ' Salutations to you — salutations to you all. The pakeha attacked us at Koheroa. Our men behaved bravely. They waited till te hohia came close to them before they fired. They killed a great many ; but as some Avere killed others came on, for te hohia were numerous. There were a great many of them, and our men had to give AA'ay. They had to retire here — to Mere- Mere. And now, oh friends, our enemies are upon us; they are close behind us. We are carrying them on our backs. Come and succour us. Defend us, oh friends. Oh, friends, defend us properly. With you there are many men. This position is strong. If you join us it never can be taken. The general will wait some time.

Then he will find that he can do nothing. He will get tired. He Avill go away. " ' Oh, friends, come to us, the pakeha is the enemy of us all. Let us unite together against him. Let there be peace amongst the tribes. Let us all join to fight the pakeha. This is our word to you. We have spoken — enough.' " Here followed the names of all the chiefs Avho had signed the letter. After this several chiefs and other Maories spoke. Finally the letter Avas agreed to, and at once despatched by messengers to its destina tion, and then the ranunga or assembly broke up late at night. Henry Ancrum had been so thoroughly Avorn-out both in mind and body that he did not Avake until rather late on the folloAving morning; Avhen he did so he found the Avhole scene in front of the door of the Avhari enveloped in a thick white mist, Avhich shrouded every object, and through which figures even near at hand could only be dimly seen.

These mists are very frequent on the Waikato river, in fact they occur almost every mornin o during the summer months, and probably arise from the immense extent of SAvamp on either side of the river. Gradually the mist lightened, and Henry Ancrum Avas able to perceive figures gliding about, apparently occupied in some business of a very interesting nature, from the way in Avhich they talked to one another. In the first place they had traced some thing on the ground Avhich looked very like the figure of a problem in Euclid, and Henry laughed to himself as the idea struck him of a party of Maories going in for Euclid. But now a new step was taken in the business. Ihaka (for Henry by this time ascertained that it was he and his friends Avhom he was observing) took a strong pole from a heap lying near him, and forced it firmly into the ground.

He then took a sort of rope, made of pieces of flax knotted together, and began to measure along a line already marked on the ground. This New Zealand flax is a very peculiar plant ; its leaves are very long, and the fibre is so strong that narrow strips of it will support large Aveights, as for instance barrels of liquor or water are frequently carried attached to poles by narroAv pieces of the New Zealand flax; and indeed according to its breadth it can be used as a rope, cord, or twine, and it is consequently most useful to the Maories in building their wharis. When Ihaka had measured the required length on the line we have mentioned, a second pole was placed in the ground; he then returned to the first pole and measured a distance, evidently intended to be at right angles with the line of the two first poles, and then a third pole was put down ; after this he Avent to the second pole and measured an equal distance, also intended to be at right angles AA'ith the above men tioned line, and a fourth pole was placed.

The distance betAveen the third and fourth pole was then measured, and as it «was found to correspond Avith that between the first and second poles, the architects of the neAV whari expressed themselves highly pleased with their work ; but unfortunately for themselves they were not satisfied with this test but tried another — namely, a diagonal measurement betAveen the poles. Now if the lines from the first and second poles to the third and fourth ones had been laid off at right angles the diagonals must haA'e been the same length as one another, but it so happened that both these lines had diverged in about an equal degree to the right, and consequently one diagonal line was longer than the other. The Maories could not understand this, all the other measurements had been correct, why were not these last measurements correct also ?

A cloud settled on all their brows; Ihaka sat doAvn, and looked gloomily at the ground, — his followers sat down and looked gloomily at Ihaka, as if Avatching Avhat he Avould do next. " Karkino" (it is bad), said Ihaka. "Karki no, karkino," said all his followers in chorus. The scene was too much for Henry An crum ; he burst into a roar of laughter. Ihaka looked up astonished, but presently his face cleared, he had evidently been thinking Avhether all the work should be done over again. " No good ?" he said, interrogatively, pointing to the poles, "no good?" "Oh, yes!" said Henry, "very good. Carpoi (very good) — Carpoi te whari — Avhy, it Avill do capitally. There is only a few inches difference, and even that will not be seen when the Avhari is built." "That is true," said Ihaka, greatly re lieved; and he directed his men, to their great delight, to go on Avith their work Avithout making any change in what Avas already done.

The construction of the Avhari occupied several days. Whilst it Avas going on Henry Ancrum rapidly improved in health. Thanks to his youth and good constitution, his AA'ound soon healed, and he was able before long to Avalk about a little Avith the aid of a stick. His first thought was — Was there any chance of his escaping from his confinement? To explain his exact situation, we must go back a little. On the day of the battle of Koheroa, the main body of the Maories had retired directly on Mere-Mere. In doing so, they came upon a line of rifle-pits, Avhich they had constructed at Whanga marino. A feAV of their bolder spirits threAv themselves into these rifle-pits, whilst their main body descended the steep, almost precipitous sides of the hill at this place to the Whangamarino creek, which they passed in canoes.

Luckily for the Maories Avho held the rifle-pits, the pursuit had rather slackened at this time, and so they also were able to cross the creek in com parative safety, only a feAV shots being fired at them, which did not do much harm. Shortly after the battle of Koheroa, the whole of the British forces, with head quarters, Avere concentrated on the heights of Whangamarino. A fort was constructed there, and two heavy Armstrong guns were placed in position, which occasionally bom barded the enemy's rifle-pits at Mere-Mere, but probably Avith small effect beyond knocking a little earth about. The right of the army rested on the Waikato river, here rather a deep stream, perfectly navi gable for steamers of small draught of water. In its front extended the Whan°-a marino creek, also a deep stream, and joining the Waikato at this point.

On the left the range of hills the General occupied trended rather backAvards, and at their feet Avas a deep and inaccessible swamp. The position was therefore very strong had it been required for defence ; but the position of the enemy was even stronger. We have mentioned that, from the top of the Whangamarino range down to the creek of the same name, the descent was almost precipitous. On the other side of the creek there Avas a narroAv belt of land rising a few feet above the level of the AA'ater. Beyond this was the deep swamp. Turning to the right along this narroAv belt of land, a few minutes' walk brought the traveller to the point where the Avaters of the Whangamarino creek floAved into the Waikato river. Proceeding from this point up the Waikato, a similar narroAv belt of land extended betAveen the river on the right hand, and the deep impracticable swamp on the left hand.

It varied in breadth ; some times it might be several yards, at others it Avas only a few feet. Along this narroAv belt of land the old Maori path extended from the banks of the creek till it reached the first fine of rifle-pits of the enemy— a distance of about a mile and a half. This first line of rifle-pits was very little above the level of the natural ground, and swept the narroAv road as far as their pieces would carry. It also curved round to its own left, so as to face the river, and be able to fire into any enemy who might attempt to cross in boats. Above this line, and higher up on the hill, was a second line of rifle-pits; and there were also detached rifle-pits on the slopes off to the right facing the deep SAvamp. Behind all and about a quarter of a mile from the first line of rifle-pits, rose a conical hill, Avhich was strongly fortified after the native fashion.

From the above description it Avill be seen that there was no possible Avay of attacking the _\Jaori position by land, ex cept by advancing for a mile and a half along the narrow road betAveen the river on the right hand, and the deep swamp on the left ; a mode of proceeding which even if successful (and the chances of success were A'ery small), must as a certainty have involved a frightful loss of life. The General therefore was compelled to remain in his present position, and await the arrival of a steamer which had been ordered up to his assistance. We have said that Henry Ancrum's first thought, when he was able to move about a little, was as to his chance of escaping from his present confinement. His was a very tantalizing situation. There, on the top of that steep ascent, only a mile and a half distant, were the long lines of tents of the British army.

Occasionally bodies of troops might be discerned moving about, and frequently the bugle calls of his own regiment came Avafted on the breeze. And he was a prisoner. Of Avhat aA'ail was the short distance? it might as Avell have been hundreds of miles. Ihaka had seen his restlessness, and had cautioned him on the subject. "My friend," he had said, " with me you are safe, I Avill protect you; but if you attempt to escape, you Avill certainly be killed. Our scouts watch in every direction, you could not pass them. They would tomahaAvk you at once, before I could even hear where you were." " But," said Henry Ancrum, " why keep me here? Surely, my detention can do no good." " My friend," said Ihaka, " my brother chiefs are very angry Avith me for having saved your life at all. They say you are as it were a spy in our camp, and that you must on no account be let go, as you Avould tell the General all about our fortifica tions."

There was sad truth in what Ihaka said, and Henry Ancrum felt that it was so. On the one hand, if he attempted to escape, he was nearly certain to be killed; and on the other, there was no chance of the Maori chiefs consenting to his release, for fear he might give information to the British authorities. He therefore felt that the only plan he could adopt, was to wait patiently and watch the course of events, in the hope that some opportunity might at length offer of deliverance from his present captivity. 2 VOL.

Chapter II. Portion

of Ihaka's tribe were stationed in the Maori pah, which we have mentioned was situated on top of the conical hill, about a quarter of a mile in rear of the ad\'anced portion of the position under the leadership of Ihaka's brother, and Henry Ancrum often accompanied Ihaka to see his brother, Avho lived in a large whari, divided into com partments, in one of which a niece of Ihaka's resided. She was a niece of Ihaka's, but she was a half-caste, her mother, a sister of Ihaka, having married an English trader. These marriages Avere in former days exceedingly common, and they are even now by no means rare. A trader Avould go to reside amongst a tribe, for the purpose of carrying on his business ; long residence would assimilate his ideas to those of the natives amongst whom he lived, and the end was generally that he chose a wife from amongst them; and thus it is that any traveller to New Zealand at the present day will observe a great number of half castes amongst the population ; and he will also observe that, unlike those in other countries, as for instance, in India, the half-castes in New Zealand are a peculiarly fine and handsome race.

Ihaka's niece had been early left an orphan, her father and mother having been carried off by an epidemic which, in the absence of medical assistance, had nearly decimated the tribe with whom the former was then trading. 2—2 A missionary in the neighbourhood, pityin othe forlorn condition of the handsome little girl thus left without natural protectors, had taken her into his family, which was a large one, and comprised several daughters, and with whom the youthful Celia (pronounced by the Maories Helia) lived very comfortably ; the only return she was required to make for the hospitality she received being that she should assist the female members of the family in cooking, housemaiding, and other duties, which in civilized countries fall to the lot of ser vants, but which in the wilder Maori districts there are no servants to per form.

The missionary, like many of his class was an intelligent, well-educated man, who took great trouble in the instruction of his family, and of this instruction Celia was allowed to avail herself, so that at the age of nineteen she could speak English fluently, and possessed as much information as the daughters of the house of about her OAvn age ; in fact, she might have been taken for one of them were it not for a slight broAvnness of the skin, which hoAvever was not darker than that of many Italian and Spanish women. Her figure was rather above the ordinary height, and was beautifully moulded, as indeed the figures of Maori women generally are. She possessed also the rich black hair and large lustrous dark eyes so often seen in the Maori, whilst at the same time her thin straight nose, and full, though not too full, lips bore evident traces of her part European origin.

Altogether you could not look at her without being struck by the rich ripe beauty of her appearance. The war came — the war which made so many changes; it brought Ihaka into the neighbourhood of the good missionary, whose station Avas near Te Awamutu. The missionary felt that he could not stay long in the country, that he must soon fly, as indeed he had eventually to do, and so he sent for Ihaka, and delivered his niece over to his charge. There is a custom amongst Maories, it is a strange custom, but then it is one of the objects of this veracious history to reveal to its readers all the strange customs of this singular race — it is the custom then for the principal chiefs, however old, to take unto themselves young wives. As may be supposed, those a little below the chiefs try as much as lies in their power to imitate their betters ; and the consequence is, that on inquiring into the domestic arrangements of a native kainga or villaoe, it Avill be found that some of the youngest and poorest Maories are married to some of the most elderly ladies of the community, on the principle, it may be supposed, that an old Avife is better than no wife at all.

Following out the above principle, no sooner had the luckless Celia returned to her maternal relations than a venerable old hawk of a Maori swooped doAvn on Ihaka's whari, and requested that the fluttering dove Avho had just returned to it might be given up to him in marriage. Ihaka, Avho had himself imbibed a good many European ideas, did not at all like this proposal, but then he well knew that it Avas the custom of the country, and that re sistance to custom was a very difficult thing; and so, to make a long story short, the aged chief was united to the lovely Celia, and on this occasion the knot was correctly and firmly tied by the good missionary previous to his departure. For we may here remark, that what we have been speaking of above as marriages were often solemnized very much after the Scotch fashion, that is to say, when Jock says Jeanie is his wife and Jeanie asserts that Jock is her husband.

And so Celia was a married Avoman; but it Avas fated that she should not remain long in the married state, for it came to pass that when the hosts of the Maori went up to Koheroa to battle, that the old chief could not forbear and Avent Avith them ; and it also came to pass that AA'hen the said hosts returned from Koheroa they returned at rather a quicker pace than they went, and so the old chief, not being so active as he once Avas, was left behind by his more nimble brethren, and fell a victim to the bullet of the Pakeha, and thus Celia was again free. As may be supposed, when the matter was first proposed to her she had not at all liked the idea of being married to the old chief, but then she knew it was the custom of the country that such marriages should take place ; and besides, she calmly reflected that if she AA'as to be married to an old man it was an advantage to be married to a very old one, as in the latter case she must in the course of nature be before very long a free Avoman, and able to accept a lover more congenial to her tastes and feelings, should such an one offer ; as it was, she had tried matrimony with a cross old gentle man, and she had not liked it, and she was determined (and Celia could be very deter mined when she liked) that no power on earth should again force her into that holy state with any individual half so aged.

As has been said, Henry Ancrum frequently came with Ihaka when the latter visited his brother, but the truth must be told, Mr. Henry chiefly came for the pleasure of talking to the fair Celia. She on her part, with that freedom from all restraint Avith whjch Maories, both men and women, walk in or out of one another's houses, used always on Henry's arrival to leave her own end of the whari and walk into that of her uncle, and seat herself by Henry's side as a mere matter of course. It was no wonder that Henry Ancrum, in his sad captivity, with little or nothing to occupy his time, should feel compara tively happy in these visits, which diverted his mind from its own melancholy reflec tions. Besides, no person of intelligence could have met Celia at this period Avithout taking an interest in her; in fact, her character was a study.

Here Avas a lovely and clever girl of English and Maori ex traction, who had passed her life in the land of the Maori, but in the house of the missionary, having learnt all the manners, customs, habits, and superstitions of the former, Avhilst at the same time she had acquired the language and all the information Avhich could be imparted to her by the latter. Besides, two of the missionary's daughters had been older than herself, and these young ladies had taken every oppor tunity of getting up amusing books from Auckland, without much reference to what papa might have approved of; and so Celia's reading had not been confined to the serious tomes of the good old mis sionary, but had been of a rather desultory character than otherAvise. Then her ideas were so fresh, her ques tions so amusing; the old missionary had taught her that every person ought to act according to right and justice ; and she used to puzzle Henry Ancrum by asking him, " Was it just in the Governor to do this?

Was it right in the General to act in that manner?" &c. Then again, Why was it that the Pakeha, whom the missionary had told her in former days were good people, she now heard acted so directly contrary to his principles ; if it was Avrong in the Maori to get drunk, why was it Pakehas so freely indulged in that vice? If the Maories were forbidden to gamble and bet, Avhy was it that most Pakehas looked upon these things merely as amuse ments ? Then she told how, shortly before the worthy missionary had left the upper country, he had had occasion to speak to one of his flock on a religious subject. The Maori differed in opinion from his master, and an argument ensued in the midst of Avhich the Maori roared out — " I'll bet, I'll bet The good man was horrified ; he pointed out that this was not a subject to bet upon.

"Pooh," said the Maori, /'the Pakeha bet about everything." Henry used to laugh, and try to turn the conversation into some other channel; he felt it difficult to answer her questions, but sometimes she would pin him to the wall, and demand an answer; then he used generally to say — " Oh, there were good Pakehas and bad Pakehas; perhaps there were some who did not do what was right." " Ah," the laughing girl would reply, " then I hope you are a good Pakeha, for I am afraid there are not many of them."

Chapter III. Month

passed away, the General was waiting for the steamer which Avas so long in coming. The Maories thought that no steamer could come up their river at all. They imagined the General Avould get tired and go away, as a Maori force would probably have done under the same circumstances; but still, every morning there were the long rows of white tents to be seen at daylight; and still, every evening, the bugle sounds of the retreat and tattoo came wafted on the breeze. One evening Henry Ancrum and Ihaka t UENRY ANCRUM. 31 had gone to bathe, as Avas often their custom, in the Waikato river; there was a point at Mere-Mere, close to the end of the first line of rifle-pits, where the river made a turn to its right, creating a back water below the point, and also a deep pool, and it was delightful in the hot summer evenings to take a header into the de liciously cool water, then SAvim slowly up stream, aided by the backwater ; and Avhen you reached its extremity, turn into the rapid river, and allow yourself to be hurried tumult uously down stream for a short distance, and then with a few rapid strokes cross over into the backwater again.

After bathing they ascended the bank for a little distance, and then turned to the left and ascended the first hill, which is a sort of spur from the conical hill on which the pah was situated. . HENRY ANCRUM. Henry paused here to look at the view, Avhich was indeed lovely ; the sun was just setting behind the high western hills, which closed the prospect on that side, but his rays still illumined the forest of splendid trees which clothed the opposite bank of the river, and threw their gigantic shadows quite across its stream ; while lower down, where the banks Avere open, they fell on the rapid river itself, giving its waters the appearance of molten silver. Immediately in front Avas the swamp so often mentioned, the vivid green of the rank vegetation covering some of its deceitful pools con trasting Avith the darker tints of the large forest trees growing on little islands in its midst, and also Avith the gnarled and weird appearance of decayed old trees, so frequent a feature in NeAV Zealand woods.

Beyond, on the cliff of Whangamarino, appeared the snow-white tents of the British camp, shimmeringin the sun's last rays, and behind all, forming a magnificent background, rose, pile on pile, the high mountain range of Razor back, clothed Avith dense forests to its very summit. Henry gazed on the scene till the lights changed, flickered, faded away, and at last the sun set, and shadow melted into general shade; and that chill cold feeling set in so peculiar to New Zealand, where as long as the sun is above the horizon you may feel comfortable and warm; but the moment he is gone, doAvn comes a cold chill sensation, probably caused by emanations from the numerous swamps, and warns you to seek shelter indoors. Henry Ancrum and Ihaka proceeded slowly on their Avay, and it Avas nearly dark Avhen they approached the pah.

At this moment, to their surprise, they saw a bright light spring up in a whari near the VOL. II. main entrance, and almost immediately it was wrapped in flames. This is the great dan°er in the New Zealand AA'haries. The raupo and rushes are by nature inflammable; but when baked for months, or perhaps years, by the hot sun, they become so much so that a single spark may destroy a whari in a few moments. Ihaka immediately on perceiving the flames rushed towards the main entrance Avhere the burning Avhari was; but Henry Ancrum, seeing that the wind was bloAving exactly in the direction of Celia's Avhari, and remembering that there was a small entrance into the pah close to her dwelling, ran at his highest speed in that direction. He Avas not a moment too soon. Directly he reached the door in the palisading of the pah, he rushed through it to the entrance to Celia's whari.