550 
HONE HEKE. 
whom were Lieutenant Phillpotts and Captain Grant ; these 
the Missionary buried in the church-yard at the Waimate ; 
the body of the latter was only recovered after the place fell, 
having been buried by the natives.* Afterwards, when the 
artillery was brought to bear on the pa, it was taken ; when 
the news reached Auckland, the inhabitants for a time were 
panic struck, and almost expected to see the enemy at their 
doors. 
Heke then built another strong pa, called Ruapekapeka, 
which was considered a masterpiece of Maori fortification, f 
after much skirmishing, in January 1846, it was taken pos- 
session of ; on the Sabbath the defenders retired outside, 
to the part the furthest removed from the besiegers, while 
they held their service, to be out of the way of the balls : this 
being discovered, the troops entered the place before Heke 5 s 
men could return, and the pa fell. He retired to the interior, 
where he continued to reside in his native fastnesses, secure 
from pursuit ; after having made an honorable peace, he lived 
in quiet until his death, which took place in 1850. 
However mistaken Heke^s views may have been, yet he 
can only be regarded in the light of a patriot ; his modera- 
tion in prosperity, and total absence of vindictiveness and 
cruelty in war towards those thrown into his power, will 
always tell in his favor ; it is to be regretted that he was 
made the dupe of designing men and worthless characters ; 
but making allowances for his only partially- enlightened 
mind, his faults will not be sufficient to eclipse the glory 
which he gained, in so successfully combating those who 
possessed all the skill and resources which military science 
could bestow. The Governor wisely made peace with the 
insurgents. 
Some time afterwards. Sir Everard Home, Commander 
of the North Star , paid Kawiti a visit. He said, "Well, 
Kawiti, is it peace now?” The old Chief replied, "Well, it 
* A report was circulated that Captain Grant’s body had been partly eaten, 
but it was totally untrue. 
f A model of it was made by Colonel Wynyard, and sent to the Great 
Exhibition. Ruapekapeka in English is Bat’s Nest. 
