576 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



another present of a similar kind was on its way from Horo- 

 whenua. This was a mere subterfuge to keep Te Eauparaha 

 at Te Wi till the arrival of the attacking force. That night 

 they came on in their full strength from Papaitonga, and 

 located themselves near Te Wi. You have seen that clump 

 of pukatea-trees on the side of the road leading to the coast : 

 that was where the Muaupoko collected. Te Wi, the place 

 occupied by Te Eauparaha, was just beyond. Then disputes 

 arose again among the chiefs : some were for attacking the 

 party under cover of darkness ; others advocated leaving it till 

 daylight, so that none might escape. Ultimately it was 

 agreed to make the attack at midnight. It was Ngarangi, a 

 chief from Wanganui, who urged the night attack. So the 

 attack was made ; and when the people in the house heard 

 the tramping of the feet of eight hundred men they rushed 

 out in alarm. Some of the enemy had now come right up to 

 the porch of the house. Then a voice was heard calling into 

 the house, ' E Eaha, e ! ko te whakaariki, ka huaki ' (0 

 Eaha, the war-party is upon you !) ; and there was a general 

 commotion, the inmates of the house rushing out and taking 

 part in the fray. Te Eauparaha's party had left their guns 

 behind at Waikawa, and the attacking force had nothing but 

 Maori weapons ; so it w'as a hand-to-hand conflict. Then 

 some would go back into the house, and others would come out 

 to relieve them ; and so the fighting went on in the dark. 

 Just before the dawn one of the Muaupoko was killed, and they 

 succeeded in wounding one of the attacked, named Te Poa, 

 with a spear. When the great war-party saw how stubborn 

 was the resistance of Te Eauparaha and his twenty followers 

 they decided to set fire to the whare. A fire-stick was 

 applied, and very soon the place was in flames, and 

 the land covered with smoke. Then Te Eauparaha tore 

 open a corner of the house, and rushed by himself, under 

 cover of the smoke, into the Waikawa Stream. Here he found 

 his brother-in-law, Te Eakaherea, concealing himself, with a 

 spear stuck in his back. Te Eauparaha pulled out the spear, 

 and before the morning broke they had made good their 

 escape. But it was now getting light, and these were the 

 only two who left the place alive and reached Waikawa. 

 Among the killed were two of Te Eauparaha's own children — a 

 daughter named Te Uira and a son named Poaka. Te Eau- 

 paraha was greatly incensed at this act of treachery towards 

 him and his people, and very soon afterwards he sent an 

 avenging war-party, who killed some Muaupoko stragglers on 

 the beach at Waiwiri and at Horowhenua, and then returned 

 to Kapiti. Then he sent messengers to the North,'to Maunga- 

 tautari, inviting the Ngatikauwhata, the Ngatiwehiwehi, and 

 the Ngatihuia to come down in a body to seek revenge for the 



