A PERILOUS RIDE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10305, 14 January 1927, Page 3

A PERILOUS RIDE

POVERTY BAY IN THE SIXTIES. STORY OF THE LATE MAJOR GASCOYNE. PITTED AGAINST TE KOOTI. The story of a thrilling incident of the early history of .Poverty Bay is called to mind by the death recently of Major Fred. J. W. Gascoyne. Major Gascoyne, states a writer in the Auckland “Star,” came to New Zealand in the ’fifties, and tackled mSst of the jobs of the young, pioneer settlers. He was just the sort for frontier work, and when the war call came he received a commission in the Colonial Defence Force Cavalry, and began in 1863 a military career that lasted till the abolition of the A.O. Force in 1885.

Gascoyne in his day was a splendid horseman; he and his friend,, Capt. St. George (who was killed in the attack on Porere Pa, Tongariro, in 1869), were considered the best riders in the East Coast troops of cavalry. He was described by one of his old comrades as “practically tireless.” A particularly plucky adventure of Gascoyne’s in the campaign against Te Kooti was his long ride with dispatches from near Poberty Bay to Wairoa (Hawke’s Bay) and hack, in 1868, just after the escape of Te Kooti and his fellow exiles from Chatham Island in the schooner Rifleman aiid their landing at Whareongaonga. Major Biggs (killed a little later in the Poverty Bay massacre) was encamped inland with a party of volunteers and some friendly Natives, intending, if possible, to cut off Te Kooti’s retreat to the Urewera Country.

TO CARRP DISPATCHES. Gascoyne, then a young lieutenant, had just ridden into camp with some pack-horses laden with provisions. Biggs offered £2O to anyone who would carry a dispatch for him to Wairoa, to the officer in command there, requesting reinforcements. No one seemed willing to risk it, so ascoyne, going forward, offered to go, saying, “Of course, I don’t want a money reward.” Mounted on a fresh horse, the cavalryman set off; there was no direct track, but he depended on his knowledge of the country—a terribly rough country it was, too, all hills and gullies and creeks. His horse fell sick; lie turned about, rode back to an out-station of Major Westrup’s, at Te Arai, got a pony of his own, and iode on to Maltaraka, found a good horse there, and then got away at a fast pace for Wairoa. By this time it was midnight. At sunrise Gascoyne was 20 miles on his solitary rde, when he heard through the foggy morning the sound of heavy and rapid firing in the direction of Biggs’ camp. To Kooti had attacked the small Government force. As it turned out, he defeated it. Gascoyne turned his horse to ride to the scene of the battle, then recollected that his orders were imperative to get to Wairoa with all speed. By dark that day he had reached the hush at Te Reinga, near the waterfall on the Upper Wairoa river. It was impossible to get a horse through the bush in the dark, so he tied it uj in some manner, and went on until he came to the river opposite the largena tive village, Wheniiakura. He could see the glare of a fire, hut that was all. An old chief named Rakiroa, who was friendly towards Te Kooti—'and who had, in fact, been supplying the Chatham escapees with food, was the head man of the village. Gascoyne was very uncertain how he would fare in Whenuakura, nevertheless he must risk it.

AT THE REVOLVER’S POINT. He called out from the river bank that he wanted a canoe. The hail was answered, and the dispatch carrier drew his revolver and crept down in the dark to the water’s edge to "’ait for the canoe. A man with a firestick came down the bank and paddled across. It was old Rakiroa himself. He came up the hank with his torch, and Gascoyne with a little persuasion—the sight of the revolver clinched it—jiduced him to guide Inn through the bush to a track. On he went, mounted again •through the bitterly cold, wet night, and at nearly daylight, after fording a river, he found himself in the camp of a party of volunteers from Wairoa —the late Captain Preeee, N.Z.G., was one of them—under Captain Richardson. He got a hurried breakfast, rode on to Wairoa, and delivered his dispatch there, after more than 40 hours’ riding and walking.

THE JOURNEY BACK. A few hours’ rest, "and then Gascoyne started hack for Poverty Bay at midnight,/ and overtook Captain Richardson’s camp on the Waihau Range. The weather was intensely cold, with driving rain and sleet. At the camp, Dr. Scott, of the Wairoa, who was with the force as a volunteer surgeon, joined Gascoyne for the perilous ride to Tauranganui. The dispatches from Wairoa were in duplicate. Gascoyne retained one'’ copy and gave the other te Scott. From the top of the range the young lieutenant pointed out the misty gorge through which Te Kooti probably would come on his way to the Urewera, no matter what the outcome of his fight with Westrup and Biggs. “Our object will be not to fall in with him,” he said, “hut there are two other tracks, and it is impossible to judge which is the safest way. We’ll keep within easy distance of each other, but not too close, so that we won’t both he hit by the same volley if we’re fired on. The dispatches must, get through.” Down the slippery track the riders went into the wild gorge-like valley of the Hangaroa river. .It was in flood, a swift, dangerous torrent. But, they plunged in, for a moment disappeared, all but their own and their horses heads, crossed safely, and scaled the opposite hank and rode on rapidly m the direction of Te Arai.

• THE MAORI WAR. PARTY. In the distance they saw a horseman approaching. When they met him they found he was Palm Brown, j a half-caste, who was carrying dispat- 1 dies from Colonel Whitmore—who had just landed at Poverty Bay—to Captain Richardson. After a few minutes’ talk he pushed on. He told, them that Te Kooti had badly beaten Westrup’s and Riggs’ force, and was then on the march to the Urewera Country, probably crossing the track Gascoyne and Scott had just come. Half an hour sifter the half-caste dispatch rider left* the two pakehas, lie encountered Te Kooti’s war party on the very track they had just come. He was shot, tomahawked and his body was hung up to a tree ; his dog, too,' was shot. His fate was discovered by a force which passed along the trail a few days later. About the time poor Paltu met his fate, Gascoyne and Scott, ignorant of what they had just escaped—heard a loud “coo-ee” from ’a clump of kahikatea hush close to the track. Tliev could see no one, Gascoyne thought it might be a Maori trick, though it was the Australian call. He dismounted and scouted through the scrub up to the hush, with his revolver i’l his hand, while Scott, also dismounting, covered him with his carbine over the horses’ backs. Presently two loud “coo-ocs” came, and Gascoyne and another pakeha

emerged front the bush, laughing. The stranger was Captain James Wilson, a gallant officer of Fraser’s command’; he was out- scouting and had a snug bivouac, well hidden in the bush. A little while later Wilson with most of his household fell in the Poverty "Bay massacre. ’ ’ # - ’ v, A tot of brandy and a biscuit, and the dispatch carriers pushed on again and a few miles’ ride now toolc them down to the settled lands of Te Arai, on the Bay flats. The dispatches were handed over to Colonel Whitmore by Scott, while Gascoyne rode to his home for a greatly needed rest. He had done his voluntary task well; the return ride was a dangerous exploit ,for at any hour he and Scott might have ridden into To Kooti’s murderous band.

But. as Gascoyne narrated long afterwards. although lie had been offered and had declined a reward of £2O for the dispatch-carrying work, lie had some trouble in getting the officer commanding at Poverty Bay to refund him £4 for his expenses incurred on the expedition. The O.C. considered the charges “exorbitant.” Which is a little habit of O.C.’s the military world over.