Von Tempsky's Famous Sword.

That missing sword of Major Von Tempsky has been the object of vain searches and delusive clues. Anyone who came into possession of a sword, source unknown, appears to have imagined it might be that precious relic of the roving soldier who fell at Te Ngutu-o-te-manu in 1868. Much that is incorrect has been written about the weapon that “Manurau,” as the Maoris called him, took into action, leaving the scabbard in camp. The facts about Von Tempsky's last fight and his sword are given in the official history of the Maori campaigns, “The New Zealand Wars and the Pioneering Period,” published by the Government, and in “The Adventures of Kimble Bent.” From the narratives given there, obtained at first hand from those who fought against the troops at Te Ngutu-o-te-manu, it will be seen that the Taranaki Maoris have always retained possession of the sword, that it was treasured as a tapu thing, and that it was buried in the grave of its last owner in the village of Parihaka.

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