A Maori Hero.

Colonel Roberts, describing more than fifty years afterwards that chase of the defeated survivors of Orakau, said that he and some of his comrades crossed the Puniu River and went on for a considerable distance south of it until coming darkness stopped the pursuit. One incident always remained a poignant memory. “There was one Maori, after we crossed the river, who kept us off for a long time by turning and kneeling down every now and again and presenting his gun at us. We fired, but did not hit him at first. He did not return our fire. He was gaining time to enable some of his older people to get away. At last I and another man shot him, and I shall never forget how sorry we were when we went up and found that his gun was empty. He had been presenting an unloaded gun at us all the time. We were terribly grieved to think we had killed so brave a man. Of course we would have spared him had we known he hadn't a shot left.”