58 Transactions. 
than the enemy, he fell upon them suddenly, his forces attacking in a 
compact body. After encountering an obstinate resistance, he succeeded in 
completely routing them with a loss of nearly 150 men, including the 
principal chiefs Hiakai and Mama, whilst many other chiefs, and a large 
number of inferior people, were taken prisoners. The latter were hung, 
and their bodies, as well as those of the men who had fallen in the battle, 
were duly devoured, with all the ceremonies attendant upon such a feast after 
' a great and successful battle. Te Wherowhero and Waharoa were the 
only great chiefs of note who escaped on this occasion, the slaughter of 
leaders having been peculiarly heavy, and even they owed their lives to the 
connivance of Rauparaha, who, apparently for reasons of his own of which I 
am not informed, but possibly to avoid driving them to desperation, did not 
care to attack them on the following day. It is said, whether truly or not I 
cannot decide, that Te Waharoa did not exhibit his usual bravery on this 
occasion, but had fled early in the day. It appears, too, that had Kaiaia’s 
portion of the Ngatitama arrived in time to take part in the battle, the whole 
of the Waikato force would have been destroyed. Be this as it may, during 
the night after the battle Te Wherowhero approached the camp of the 
Ngatitoa, and cried out to Te Rauparaha, “Oh, Raha, how am I and my 
people to be saved?” Te Rauparaha replied, “ You must run away this 
night. Do not remain. Go, make haste.” Te Wherowhero and his men 
fled during the night, leaving their fires burning ; and when Kaiaia’s forces 
came up on the next morning they found the Waikato camp deserted, whilst 
the bodies of many of those who had been wounded in the previous day’s 
engagement, and had died during the night, were left behind. These bodies 
were at once cut up and devoured by Ngatitama, Te uaa and his 
people joining in the feast. 
After all danger of further attack on the part of Waikato had ceased, 
Te Rauparaha determined, before resuming the movement southward, again 
to visit his friends at Maungatautari, in order to induce the latter, if 
possible, to join him in the expedition. For this purpose he travelled to 
Taupo taking the road from Taranaki by the Upper Wanganui and Tuhua. | 
At Tuhua he had a long conference with Te Heuheu, who promised to afford 
him any assistance he could in effecting his settlement at Kapiti and on the 
main land, but would not consent to take any other part in the undertaking. 
He then proceeded to Opepe, on Lake Taupo, where a large number of the 
Ngatiraukawa had assembled, under Whatanui, in order to discuss Te Raupa- 
raha’s proposals. Here a great tangi was held, at which Whatanui made a 
speech to Rauparaha, and gave him many presents, as they had not met 
for a length of time. After the ordinary ceremonies were concluded, Te 
Rauparaha again opened his proposals to the assembled chiefs, representing 
