This we did, and although much hampered by dead and wounded comrades, for more than half of our men were by this time _hors de combat_, we lay down ten yards from the bush in extended order and opened a well-directed fire, aiming at the line of the enemy’s flashes. It was now the saddest event of the day happened. We had been firing for some minutes, and had already caused the enemy’s fire to slacken and grow wilder, when Major Hunter walked up and down our line, an action quite unnecessary, as our men were behaving, if not talking, like angels. “Lie down, sir, for God’s sake, lie down,” shouted some of the men, who all loved him dearly. “There is no need to expose yourself, sir; we’ll stand by you, sir, to the last grip.” But he refused to do so, saying: “No, no, boys; I must show the world to-day I am no coward.” Under such circumstances the end could not be long delayed, and he fell mortally wounded, having sacrificed his life, giving the lie to the scum of unjust accusers who had thrown mud at him after the fight at Turu Turu Mokai; he was carried out but died immediately. Well, there we of the storming party lay out in the open, and although more than half our men were dead or wounded, still we were determined to hold our grip on the position, even if we could not succeed in getting into the work. Heavy firing was going on round the pah, perhaps some other party might have better luck, anyhow we were not going to budge until we received further orders. We had hung on like this for more than half-an-hour when the enemy’s fire slackened off, and of course ours followed suit, and we were wondering what was to be the next move, when all at once a stark-naked Hau Hau, probably mad with fanaticism and wishing to give an exhibition of his invulnerability, jumped on to the top of their breastwork, exposing his whole person to us from his knees upwards, and of course standing up as he was he could also see us lying down within ten yards off from where he stood, and began to go through his incantations, holding his hand, palm turned towards us, at the full stretch of his arm and barking the words Hau Hau at us like a dog. Poor fool, he had either not learned the right incantation, or something else must have been amiss, or at all events he was wrong in his conjectures _re_ invulnerability, as our men, who had all been waiting for a chance, let drive a volley at him that simply lifted him off his feet, so that if he finished his formula at all he must have completed the peroration in a hotter climate. It was just after this interlude the fire breezed up again, and Tim, who was lying close to me, said, “Begorra, Mr Dick, here comes the boys to help us. Do you not think, sor, we may bate the beggars yet? Sure isn’t it a trate to have rale men beside ye? Look to the rear, sor, sure they’re splendid.”