The Capture of Ruapekapeka.

Arriving at the Bay of Islands, the troops went up the Kawakawa River in boats and canoes. They spent the last fortnight of the year in making roads to the pah. Then they proceeded to bombard it, with ship guns, long brass guns, mortars, and rockets. Forgetting the disastrous gallantry of Col. Despard at Ohaeawai, Sir Everard Home (if Mailing's Maori chief may be trusted) was eager to storm the pah, but the chief, Moses, persuaded him against such an act of reckless folly, and the Maoris henceforth despised the English general as a "foolish and inexperienced" person. The bombardment continued, making two breaches by January 10th, and in time it must have broken down the wooden palisades that constituted the outworks of the pah. Then Heke arrived, with only seventy men, having succeeded in eluding Macquarie, who had been stationed to arrest him. The orthodox account has it that Heke was dealt with by the British troops and his force scattered. On the contrary, he himself entered the pah and tried to induce the Maoris to retreat into the forest by the door of escape they always left at the back of their pahs; the historians do not mention the fact, but Maning positively states, that the whole of the garrison save Kawiti and eleven men deserted the pah and joined Heke's force in the rear.^† This seems to be inconsistent with the statement, also made by Maning, that the bulk of the garrison was page 34temporarily out of the pah on the following day, attending prayers.

Next day was Sunday. A happy accident favoured the British, but the nature of the chance is differently told by different historians. Prof. Henderson says that, expecting a temporary cessation of hostilities, the Maoris "ventured outside to cook their food." The orthodox telling of the incident begins quite differently, and it is confirmed by Maning. The garrison, consisting of Native Christians, left the fort to attend Divine service, never dreaming that they would be attacked by a Christian Governor on such a day. It was a historic circumstance. Many times before had the superstition or the piety of a people been thus used to their disadvantage. It had been employed by King Ptolemy, King Antiochus, and the Romans against the Jews, by the Jews themselves against the Parthians, and by the Catholics against the Visigoths.

The ensuing action is also variously told. The accepted narrative has it that Wi Waka (William Walker Turau, Waka Nene's brother), observing the silence in the pah and hearing the psalmody, inferred that they had left the pah in order to hold Divine service in a valley to the rear of the fort. Wi Waka then waved his hand to Waka Nene, when both he and Tao Nui, with their people, silently advanced with a rush. On the back of the Maoris came the soldiers and sailors, who had also been at prayers, and they entered the pah with a shout. The shout waked up Kawiti, the commander of the garrison, who, with his remnant of eleven men, vainly strove to make head against the invading flood. They fired two volleys and then retired, fighting desperately. The English had gained possession of the pah.

It was a decisive action. The Governor at once declared the war at an end, and he offered the hostile Maoris a free pardon. Two months after he had arrived in New Zealand the face of things was completely changed. The back of the rebellion in the North was broken. The colonists felt a nightmare taken off their chests; the Colonial Office congratulated itself on its choice of a page 35Governor; the English press was enthusiastic; and yet the Maoris were submissive. Kawiti submitted, acknowledged his fault, and became a Christian. Heke refused to go and see the Governor, but (we owe the particular to Maning) the Governor went to see him. Two years later he died, bequeathing his lands to Grey, who of course did not accept the generous gift. As a parallel act, Sir Everard Home, dying long afterwards in Sydney, bequeathed his books to Grey. Heaven and earth showered their bounties on the fortunate Governor. Yet, as we have seen, he had little to do with the taking of Ruapekapeka. Doubtless his energy in getting together the small and mixed contingent and in pushing it onwards to its objective contributed to the result. But the victory was an accident of warfare, and, had there been no accident, it would have been the necessary consequence of the Governor's superiority in military strength. None the less, he reaped all the credit of the action. He was henceforth known as a man who could strike a decisive blow.