I turned on my side and looked, and there I saw the Colonel--I hated the diminutive beast, but, by gad! he could handle men--leading No. 6 Division (most of whom had been 57th men and Irish at that) out of the bush. They were advancing in extended order as if on parade, and at once drew the enemy’s fire from us, at the same time our call and the retire were sounded. These calls, loth as we were to quit, we obeyed, carrying with us, however, all our wounded and, with the exception of the four men who had been shot in the undergrowth, all our dead. These four bodies it was certain death to approach, nor had we sufficient men left to have carried them had any of us succeeded in getting hold of them; as it was most of us had to carry each his man as far as the bush. Strange enough to say the wounded man I individually carried out was an old schoolfellow of mine who had been in the same house as myself. Retiring in perfect order, though as fast as we could, we passed through the files of No. 6 Division, and in a short space of time reached the dray track, where we deposited our loads and lined the bush to cover the retreat of No. 6. No sooner were we safe than our gallant rescuers fell back as if on parade, and the Hau Haus, poor misguided miscreants, fancying they had got us on toast, leaving the pah, rushed after us, thinking they were going to enjoy a high old time cutting up a beaten taua; but here they made a blooming error, for no sooner had No. 6 reached the bush than they also halted and joined us. Howling with exultation and mad with fanaticism the Hau Haus rushed across the clearing to tomahawk the men whom their prophet had promised them that the angel Gabriel would deliver into their hands, and possibly, had we been a mob of half-baked new chums, he might have done so, but as we were not we waited quietly for the Colonel’s order, who, good little man, though he was a beast, allowed them to come within twenty yards of our ambuscade. Then out rang his word of command: “Give them hades, boys,” the last word being lost in a volley that knocked the immortal stuffing out of them and sent them howling back to their pah. Now it is my firm belief that had Colonel McDonnell been in command he would have followed up this success with another charge, as our men were full of fight and well in hand, but Colonel Whitmore thought otherwise, and give the wee devil his due he never lacked for pluck or enterprise, so maybe he was right. Anyhow, picking up our dead and wounded we slowly retreated to Nukumaru, and next day took up a new line of defence on the Kaiiwi, as it was the best position to defend the town of Wanganui.