36 
MINUTES OE PROCEEDINGS OF 
The parapets were built with layers of fern, similarly to those generally built 
by the Royal Engineers in this country; with no berm, and in some places 
revetted with sods, where a sandy soil predominated. 
The first storming party got over the parapet near where the line GH cuts 
the left flank of the position, and the Armstrong guns then stopped firing at 
the works. 
Having driven the natives out of the ditch, and from the inner line of 
defence, crossed by the sectional cutting line AB , the flying Maories were 
pursued in two directions. 
Eirst towards the rear, where they took to the swamp and canoes, and many 
lost their lives while trying to get across the lake, both from the rifles of the 
infantry, and from the shells from the Armstrong guns. 
The other direction taken by the Maories in their retreat was into the 
small earthwork before mentioned, in the centre of the line of parapets. 
The entrance to this was partially concealed and very narrow. Several 
ineffectual attempts were made to follow them into their entrenchment, and 
the loss of life was here very great. 
Meanwhile a party of infantry had got in the ditch at V, and ran along it 
until they arrived at a sort of low traverse at the point W, which blocked 
up the ditch, so as to allow only one man to pass at a time, and who would 
be exposed to the line of fire from the traversed pits on the right. Several 
casualties occurred here in attempts to force a passage. 
Captain Mercer's storming party endeavoured to force an entrance over the 
parapet at Z, and afterwards to find another entrance towards the entrench¬ 
ment crossed by the line EF. 
It was crossing the partially concealed entrance at V that Captain Mercer 
and nearly all the leading files of the storming party were killed or 
wounded. 
The Navy afterwards tried an attack from the front of the position, but were 
repulsed. Some common shells, thrown by hand from the rear, set fire to 
the native huts soon after dark, and the engineers made a breach during the 
night at the point J, but the surrender of the Maories on the following 
morning put an end to the contest. 
It was evident, from the unfinished state of the different parts of the 
position, that the Maories did not expect an attack so soon. 
A. E. PICKARD, Lieut. R.A. 
