1920-22 Draft of the Seven Pillars of Wisdom – Page 154

Chapter XXXVIII Despite the resistance and claims to rights of the chiefs of the villages, at the coming of the camp, nothing seemed to me amenable, rational, or justifiable. I have been governed, in the traversing of the interior, by the great principle of the laws of civilization, obstructing savage parties only as far as might be requisite for the preservation of my own followers and myself; and on no occasion, that with safety to myself I could avoid, have I sufferred aggressions to be inflicted upon aborigines. My path among their tribes has been marked, as every where, by the Olive Branch. Under its shade I have aften gone forth alone, and always found safety and protection. But there is a point to which endurance cannot be extended without culpability of an unpardonable character on the part of a Christian ruler. The natives were not only turbulent but menacing. Their attitudes were such they could be seen in no other light than as decided assailants. The people therefore, with their habitations, became by their own conduct and hostile demonstrations to all constituted authority in the commissioners and military force, the proper objects of hostilities. Warned however beforehand that the troops were approaching, the chiefs and people of Mooanui abandoned their positions, taking refuge in the fastnesses of a high range a little to the northward, and there took up an attitude of defiance. No sooner had we descended work one of the countless Stockade Ritterances a Parewi stockade from which, a small detach-...nt main of ...ties had a skirmish of a distant nature, at one post of hostile people, who had not anticipated the promptitude of our advance) without even a single life to lose, than, attacked from all surrounding cover, We repaired with the highest exertions to the posts stations, in the approach to the gathering of the orders, which were strong ... wattle. In this posytt, our fortunes of the day were resolved. Though to fill our loss at the out...ett of the day, was severely felt (two valuable lives being ...ttily ...) no concrete or unsupported opinion could satisfy your ...... that what took place on this occasion, did not involve a large ...ility of additional sacrifices. A last event that might render the action indecisive, was a fire, which broke out in what was vulgarly termed in the camp of our dwellings as "Pal...rston's stack yord." Should Sound the mass of bush through in front, open and inviting its character, and cover a dense forest to rear, to cover the Captor yore He was, the vanguard, all things prove in vittn, putten had paved went clear to resort to measures of energy. could not do otherwise. I trust that in the mind of your Excellency, this resolution will be the object of strong feeling one decision with... The rash orders the... and fore had before intimated how desirable it was I should not make the attempt. In an action war fo... ... Some words were nearly illegible, hence transcribed as '...'. No additional commentary provided about the image itself.