him on the head, the sword dropped from his hand, and he fell to rise no more. The death of their leader increased the panic of the men; the supports became mixed with the fugitives; all discipline was forgotten; all remonstrance on the part of the officers was unavailing; _sauve qui peut_ became the order of the day. The enemy, profiting by this panic, took deliberate aim, and poured a destructive fire into the retreating mob, whose only thought was of escape. The day was lost; the instrument had broken in the hands of him who knew how to use it so skilfully. It was too much for even the strongest nature to bear with equanimity; the general dashed his field-glass on the ground, turned his back on the fugitives, and retired to his tent to conceal his emotion. Various causes have been assigned for this disastrous retreat. It has been affirmed that the storming party, on entering the pa, met with no resistance, and saw no traces of the enemy, except a few wounded Maoris lying on the ground, apparently abandoned by their comrades. Believing that the redoubt was evacuated, they threw aside their arms, and began to help themselves to the plunder which was scattered about. It may be that the Maoris had recourse to this artifice in order to throw them off their guard, as they are already familiar with the looting propensities of the British soldier; it is certain that they had not all evacuated the pa. A considerable number had done so; but the majority had concealed themselves in chambers dug out in the ground, and covered with boughs of trees and earth. They had remained there during the cannonade, and it is a singular fact, worthy of the notice of military strategists, that the storm of shot and shell which descended upon the pa for upwards of eight hours could not reach them. The killed and wounded were those who exposed themselves on the walls; no shot or shell could reach their more prudent comrades, who with heroic patience awaited the result in their subterraneous retreat. When the defenders of the walls retreated before the impetuous onset of the storming party, and tried to escape by the rear, the others remained in their hiding-place, and bided their time. When they saw through the thin covering of boughs and earth that the storming party had abandoned their arms and given themselves up to plunder, they opened a destructive fire upon them. The effect was much the same as if a volcano had suddenly opened beneath their feet, and begun to pour forth volumes of smoke and flame; many of our men were killed and wounded at the first discharge; discipline might have done much, but all discipline was at an end; mere courage could avail nothing against this invisible foe. Our officers behaved with their usual coolness and bravery, but every effort to restore order was unavailing; the confused mass staggered and reeled like a drunken man, as volley after volley was poured into them from beneath. Meanwhile the insurgents