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Henry Ancrum: A Tale of the Last War in New Zealand, Volume 2

Chapter VII

page 90

Chapter VII.

Two or three days after Ihaka's return to his pah (for on the east coast of New Zealand, at the period of which we are writing, every village was surrounded by its rifle-pits and palisading, and therefore, in native parlance a pah), a horseman came galloping in to say that a party of Ngatirangi, one of the sections of the Arawa community, had made a descent on a small village belonging to the tribe higher up the Te Awa-o-te-atua, and carried off some cattle and horses from thence towards the pah on the banks of the Rotaoiti lake.

Of course the hopper sounded, and the page 91inevitable korero took place,—nothing can be done by the Maories without a korero. Long and stormy was the discussion, and many were the plans proposed; some were for calling together all the Uriwera Urewera tribes, for sending messengers to the tribes near the East Cape, for collecting an immense force and crushing the hated Arawas.

It was bad enough to have to fight Te hohea, but that their own people should turn against them was shameful. Then others proposed that all their available fighting men should start in pursuit of the marauders who had stolen the cattle and horses, but then it was pointed out that if this was done the Arawas from Maketu might come by way of Waihi, and fall upon them by the coast line. And so it was finally determined that Ihaka and half the fighting men should proceed in the direction of the lakes, and try to recover the page 92stolen property and punish the robbers, and that the remainder should remain as a garrison for the village. As matters turned out, the latter arrangement was the most prudent that could have been adopted, as the very next day after Ihaka had departed, a large body of Arawas made their appearance from the side of Maketu. Their first proceeding was to scour the country in every direction, with a view of picking up any stray animals that might be about, but all the cattle and horses had been driven into the various pahs, so they took nothing by this proceeding. After this they began to construct rifle-pits opposite Ihaka's pah, for the Maori does not at all like fighting in the open, and may be said to combat as much with his spade as with his gun.

Whilst this was going on, a letter signed by all the Arawa chiefs was sent to the page 93pah, in which, amongst other matters, it was stated that the Arawas had heard that there was an Englishman confined in the pah, and that they demanded that he should be given up to them.

This letter was of course laid before the Ranunga Runanga (assembly), and great indignation was excited at the idea that these "dogs of Arawas" should imagine that they would give up their prisoner.

Eventually an answer was despatched composed in equally grand language to the letter received, and signed by an equally large number of chiefs, in which, as far as Henry Ancrum was concerned, it was stated that if the Arawas wanted the Englishman, they must come and take him. This was all that occurred with reference to the letter in public; its effects, however, on the fate of Henry Ancrum, were much more important in private.

page 94

Henare-te-Pukuatua was one of the chiefs who had remained behind when Ihaka had proceeded in pursuit of that portion of the Arawa tribe who had stolen the cattle and horses, in the direction of tha lakes.

It has been said that when Henare proposed to marry Celia and was rejected, he had attributed that rejection to her preference for Henry Ancrum. It was natural that he should look for some reason for his refusal; he was one of the principal chiefs of the tribe, he was a tall handsome young man, only some six or seven years older than Celia herself, and having been a good deal with Europeans, was better informed and more intelligent than most of his race; still lie was a thorough savage, proud, haughty and vindictive.

After his refusal by Celia, he watched page 95her with lynx-like vigilance, and saw, to his rage and mortification, that she loved Henry Ancrum with such devotion that nothing but death could part her from him. On Henry's death he resolved, and now he thought he had found his opportunity. He assembled some of his most devoted friends and adherents, and pointed out to them that Henry Ancrum was a source of constant trouble and danger to the tribe. If he were allowed to live amongst them the Arawas, in order to curry favour with the British Government, would be constantly making incursions into their territory, to try and obtain possession of his person. If, on the contrary, they were to let him go, he now possessed such a thorough knowledge of the country, that the information he could give might be most dangerous to them; in fact, that there was no safety but in his death. After all, what was the life page 96of a Pakeha; why should they spare a dog of an Englishman when he stood in their way?

These arguments were convincing; in fact, it required little argument to convince Henare's auditors. The Maories of the part of the country of which we are speaking, accustomed to war and bloodshed from their youth up, think little of human life, and still less of that of any stranger who may be thrown in their way.

Henry Ancrum's fate was therefore soon decided; the only question was how to carry their murderous design into execution. Henare-te-Pukeatua pointed out to his friends that Henry Ancrum slept in a whari in which there were also Celia's two half-brothers and several other Maories, relatives of hers, and that she (Celia) slept by herself in a small whari close by; that in consequence of his lameness, Henry page 97Ancrum did not at present leave his wharie, and that it would be difficult to attack him there, as Celia and her relations would certainly defend him. Under these circumstances, what he proposed was this, that one of their party should leave the pah, and return during the night with some intelligence of an important character, that the hopper should be sounded, and care taken that Celia's half-brothers and other relations attended at the korero; that whilst they were away, Henare and a few others should enter Henry Anerum's whari, gag him before he could utter any alarm, carry him away outside the pah, and despatch him, concealing the body, so that it might be thought he had made his escape.