The colonel was standing, surrounded by his officers.
"I welcome you back, Mr. Bullen," he said, as he shook the lad's
hand heartily, "in the name of the officers of the regiment, and my
own. We are proud of you, sir. How you escaped death, we know not;
it is enough for us that you are back, and are safe and sound.
"Your deed, in saving Colonel Houghton's life at what seemed the
sacrifice of your own, had been a sore trial and a grief to all of
us. No doubt existed in our minds that you had been cut to pieces,
and you seem to have almost come back from the dead."
The other officers then crowded round him, shaking his hand and
congratulating him on his escape.
"Now, come in and tell us how this miracle has come about. We can
understand that you have been held as a hostage, but how is it that
you are here?
"Now, do you get up on a chair, and give us a true and faithful
account of all that happened to you, and how it is that you
effected your escape."
"I did not effect my escape at all," Lisle said, as he mounted the
chair; "I was released without any terms being made and, for the
past three months, have been treated as an honoured guest by the
Afridi chief into whose hands I fell."
"Well, tell the story from the beginning," the colonel said; "what
you have said only adds to our wonder."
Lisle modestly told the story, amid frequent cross questioning.
"Well, there is no doubt that you were lucky, Lisle," the colonel
said, when he had brought his story to a conclusion. "The pluck of
your action, in getting Colonel Houghton off and staying yourself,
appealed strongly to the Afridis; and caused their chief to decide
to retain you as a hostage, instead of killing you at once. I do
not suppose that he really thought that he would gain much, by
saving you; for he must have known that we are in a hurry to get
down through the passes, and must consider it very doubtful whether
we should ever return. Still, no doubt he would have detained you
and, in the spring, sent down to say that you were in his hands;
and in that way would have endeavoured to make terms for your
release. But your assistance when he was attacked, and your
readiness to take part with his people, entirely changed his
attitude towards you.
"However, I don't suppose he will lose by it. The general is sure
to send back a handsome present to him, for his conduct towards
you.
"Have you seen Houghton yet?"
"Yes, sir; I have been with him for the past hour. He has been more
than kind to me and, as he has no near relations, has been good
enough to say that he will adopt me as his heir. So I have indeed
been amply rewarded for the service I did him."
"I congratulate you most heartily," the colonel said; "you have
well earned it, and I am sure that there is not a man in the army
who will envy your good fortune. There is only one thing wanting to
complete it, and that is the V.C.; which I have not the least doubt
in the world will be awarded to you, and all my fellow officers
will agree with me that never was it more nobly earned. You courted
what seemed certain death.
"The greater portion of the crosses have been earned by men for
carrying in wounded comrades, under a heavy fire; but that is
nothing to your case. Those actions were done on the spur of the
moment, and there was every probability that the men would get back
unhurt. Yours was the facing of a certain death. I can assure you
that it will be the occasion of rejoicings, on the part of the
whole regiment, when you appear for the first time with a cross on
your breast."
He rang the bell and, when one of the mess waiters appeared, told
him to bring half a dozen bottles of champagne. Lisle's health was
then drunk, with three hearty cheers. Lunch was on the table, and
Lisle was heartily glad when the subject of his own deeds was
dropped, and they started to discuss the meal.
"Now, Mr. Bullen," the colonel said, when the meal was finished, "I
must carry you off to the ladies. They have all rejoined, and will
be as anxious as we were to hear of your return."
"Must I go, Colonel?" Lisle asked shyly.
"Of course you must, Bullen. When a man performs brave deeds, he
must be expected to be patted on the back--metaphorically, at any
rate--by the ladies. So you have got to go through it all and, as I
have sent word round that I shall bring you to my bungalow, you
will be able to get it all over at once."
"Well, sir, I suppose I must do it, though I would much rather not.
Still, as you say, it were best to get it all over at once."
Six ladies were gathered at the bungalow, as Lisle entered with the
colonel. All rose as they entered, and pressed round him, shaking
his hand.
"I have come to tell you how pleased we all were," the colonel's
wife said, "to hear that you had returned, and how eager we have
all been to learn how it has come about. We think it very unkind of
you to stay so long in the mess room, when you must have known that
we are all on thorns to hear about it. I can assure you that we
have missed you terribly, since the regiment returned, and we are
awfully glad to have you back again.
"Now, please tell us all about it. We know, of course, how you got
Colonel Houghton off, and remained to die; and how proud all the
regiment has been of your exploit; so you can start and tell us how
it was that you escaped from being cut to mince-meat."
Lisle again went through the story.
"Why did you not return at once, when the chief who captured you
said that you were his guest? Was there not some fair young Afridi,
who held you in her chains?"
Lisle laughed.
"I can assure you that it was no feminine attractions that kept me.
There were some fifteen or twenty girls and, like everyone else,
they were very kind to me but, so far as I was able to judge, not
one of them was prettier, or I should rather say less ugly, than
the rest; although several of them had very good features, and were
doubtless considered lovely by the men. Certainly there was none
whom an Englishman would look at twice.
"Poor things, most of the work of the village is left to them. They
went out to cut grass, fed the cattle, gathered firewood, and
ground the corn; and I have no doubt that they are now all occupied
with the work of tilling the little patches of fertile ground
beyond the village.
"Besides, ladies, you must remember that I have a vivid
recollection of you all; which would, alone, have guarded me
against falling in love with any dusky maiden."
"I rather doubt your word, Mr. Bullen," the colonel's wife said;
"you were always very ready to make yourself pleasant, and do our
errands, and to make yourself generally useful and agreeable; but I
do not remember that you ever ventured upon making a compliment
before. You must have learnt the art somehow."
The lady laughed.
"I could hardly help comparing you with the women round me, but I
really had a vivid remembrance of your kindness to me."
"In future, Mr. Bullen, we shall consider you as discharged from
all duty. We have heard of other gallant deeds that you have done;
and henceforth shall regard you, with a real respect, as an officer
who has brought great credit upon the regiment. I am sure that,
henceforth, you will lose your old nickname of 'the boy,' and be
regarded as a hero."
"I hope not," Lisle said; "it has been very pleasant to be regarded
as a boy, and therefore to act as a sort of general fag to you. I
hope you will continue to regard me as so. I have always considered
it a privilege to be able to make myself useful to you, and I
should be very sorry to lose it.
"I can assure you that I still feel as a boy. I know nothing of the
world; have passed my whole time, as far back as I can remember, in
camp; and have thoroughly enjoyed my life. I suppose some day I
shall lose the feeling that I am still a boy, but I shall certainly
hold to it as long as I can."
"I suppose you had some difficulty in speaking with the natives?"
the doctor's wife said.
"At first I had but, from continually talking with them, I got to
know their language--I won't say as well as Punjabi, but certainly
very well--and I shall pass in it at the next examination."
"I wish all subalterns were like you," the colonel's wife said.
"Most of those who come out from England are puffed up with a sense
of their own importance, and I often wish that I could take them by
the shoulders, and shake them well. And what are you going to do
now?"
"I am going off to find the four men who came down with me, see if
they are comfortable, and tell them that the general will give them
the message to their chief, tomorrow."
"What will be the next thing, Mr. Bullen?"
"The next thing will be to go to the bazaar, and choose some
presents for the chief and his family."
"What do you mean to get?"
"I think a brace of revolvers, and a good store of ammunition for
the chief. As to the women I must, I suppose, get something in the
way of dress. For the other men I shall get commoner things.
Everyone has been most kind to me, and I should certainly like them
to have some remembrance of my stay.
"I suppose that there is five months' pay waiting for me in the
paymaster's chest."
"I should doubt it extremely," the colonel said. "You will get it
in time, but you will have to wait. You have been struck off the
regimental pay list, ever since you were put down as dead; and I
expect the paymaster will have to get a special authorization,
before you can draw your back pay."
"I was only joking, Colonel. My agent at Calcutta has my money in
his hands, and I have only to draw on him."
"So much the better, Bullen. It is always a nuisance getting into
debt, even when you are certain that funds will be forthcoming
which will enable you to repay what you owe. But have you enough to
carry you on till you hear from your agent?"
"Plenty, sir; I left all the money I did not care to carry about
with me in the regimental till."
"Then I expect you will find it there still. I know that nothing
has been done with it. A short time since, the paymaster was
speaking to me about it, and asking me if I knew the address of any
of your relations, or who was your agent at Calcutta. He said to
me:
"'I shall wait a bit longer. Mr. Bullen turned up quite
unexpectedly, once before and, though I fear there is not a shadow
of chance that he will do so again, I will hold the money for a
time. It is just possible that he is held as a hostage, in which
case we shall probably hear of him, when the passes are open.'"
Lisle went to the paymaster's at once and, finding that he had not
parted with the money, drew fifty pounds. He had no difficulty in
buying the revolvers and cartridges; but was so completely at a
loss as to the female garments, and the price he ought to pay, that
he went back to the cantonment and asked two of the ladies to
accompany him shopping. This they at once consented to do and, with
their aid, he laid in a stock of female garments: silk for the
chief's wife; and simpler, but good and useful materials--for the
most part of bright colour--for the other women. These were all
parcelled up in various bundles, and a looking glass inserted in
each parcel. For the men he bought bright waistbands and long
knives; and gave, in addition, a present in money to the men who
had come down with him.
It was evening before the work was finished, and he then returned
to mess with the regiment.
"I suppose you don't know yet whether you are coming back to us,
Bullen?" the major said.
"No, sir, the general did not say; but for myself, I would very
much rather join the regiment. Staff appointment sounds tempting,
but I must say that I should greatly prefer regimental work;
especially as I should be very much junior to the other officers of
the staff, and should feel myself out of place among them."
"I have no doubt that you are right, in that respect; but staff
appointments lead to promotion."
"I have no ambition for promotion, for the present, Major. I am
already five or six up among the senior lieutenants, which is quite
high enough for one of my age."
"Well, perhaps you are right. It is not a good thing for a young
officer to be pushed on too fast, and another two or three years of
regimental work will certainly do you no harm."
"I have not yet asked, Major, whether we are going up into the
Tirah again, this spring?"
"I fancy not. Already several deputations have come in from the
tribesmen, some of them bringing in the fines imposed upon them;
and all seem to say that there is a general desire among the
Afridis for peace, and that deputations from other tribes will
shortly follow them."
"I am glad to hear it, sir," Lisle said. "I think I have had quite
enough of hill fighting."
"I think we are all of the same opinion, Bullen. It is no joke
fighting an enemy hidden behind rocks, armed with Lee-Metford
rifles, and trained to shoot as well as a British marksman.
"The marching was even worse than the fighting. Passing a night on
the snow, any number of thousand feet above the sea, is worse than
either of them. No, I would rather go through a campaign against
the Russians, than have anything more to do with the Tirah; though
I must admit that, if we were to begin at once, we should not have
snow to contend with.
"I have been through several campaigns, but the last was infinitely
the hardest, and I have not the least desire to repeat it. Whether
all the tribes choose to send in and accept our terms, or not,
makes no very great difference; they have had such a sharp lesson
that it will certainly be some time before they rise again in
revolt. There may be an occasional cattle-lifting raid across the
frontier, but one can put up with that; and it would be infinitely
cheaper for Government to compensate the victims, than for us to
get an army in motion again, to punish the thieves.
"Moreover, having once taught them that we are stronger than they,
it would be a pity to weaken them still further for, if a Russian
army were to try and force its way into India, these fellows would
make it very hot for them. They are full of fight and, although
they are independent of Afghanistan, and have no particular
patriotic feeling, the thirst for plunder would bring them like
bees round an invading army.
"No, the thing has been well done, but the expense has been
enormous and the losses serious; and I trust that, at any rate as
long as we are stationed in Northern India, things will be quiet."
Next morning Lisle went, early, to headquarters. He had to wait a
little time before he could see the general. When he went in,
General Lockhart said:
"Now about yourself, Mr. Bullen. Your place has, of course, been filled
up; but I shall be glad to appoint you as extra aide-de-camp, if you
wish. Would you rather be on staff duty, or rejoin your regiment?"
"If you give me the choice, sir, I would rather rejoin the
regiment. Staff duty in war time is extremely interesting; but in
peace time, I would rather be at work with the regiment.
"You see, sir, I am very young, and much younger than any of the
staff; and I am sure that I should feel very much out of place."
"I agree with you," the general said, with a smile. "I think that
you are wise to prefer regimental duty. I have written home, giving
my account of your gallant action; telling how you were not, as
reported, killed; and recommending you, in the strongest possible
terms, for the V.C."
"I am greatly indebted to you, sir. I do not feel that I have done
anything at all out of the way, and acted only on the impulse of
the moment."
"You could not have done better, had you thought of it for an
hour," the general said; "but as I also reported your defence of
that hut, I have little doubt that you will get the well-earned
V.C."
There was great satisfaction among the officers and the regiment,
when Lisle told them of his interview with the general.
It was soon evident, from the sale of the transport animals, that
the war was over; and the regiment shortly afterwards returned to
their old quarters, at Rawal Pindi, and fell into the old routine
of drill.
In the middle of the following summer Lisle, while fielding at
cricket in a match with another regiment, suddenly staggered and
fell. The surgeon, running up from the pavilion, pronounced it as a
case of sunstroke. It was some time before he was conscious again.
"What has happened?" he asked.
"You have had a bad sunstroke," the surgeon said, "and I am going
to send you home, as soon as you are able to travel. I shall apply
for at least a year's leave for you, and I hope that, by the end of
that time, you will be perfectly fit for work again; but certainly
a period of rest, and the return to a temperate climate, is
absolutely necessary for you."
Long before this, a despatch had been received from England
bestowing the Victoria Cross upon Lisle. General Lockhart himself
came down from Peshawar and fixed it to his breast, in presence of
the whole regiment, drawn up in parade order. The outburst of
cheering from the men told unmistakably how popular he was with
them, and how they approved of the honour bestowed upon him.
The general dined at mess, and was pleased to see how popular the
young officer was with his men. He himself proposed Lisle's health,
and the latter was obliged to return thanks.
When he sat down, the general said:
"It is clear, Mr. Bullen, that you have more presence of mind, when
engaged with the enemy, than you have when surrounded with friends.
It can hardly be said that eloquence is your forte."
"No, sir," Lisle said, wiping the perspiration from his face, "I
would rather go through eleven battles, than have to make another
speech."
The application for sick leave was granted at once and, a fortnight
later, Lisle took his place in the train for Calcutta. All the
officers and their wives assembled to see him off.
"I hope," said the colonel, "you will come back in the course of a
year, thoroughly restored to health. It is all in your favour that
you have not been a drinking man; and the surgeon told me that he
is convinced that the brain has suffered no serious injury, and
that you will be on your feet again, and fit for any work, after
the twelve months' leave. But, moderate as you always are, I should
advise you to eschew altogether alcoholic liquids. Men who have
never had a touch of sunstroke can drink them with impunity but, to
a man who has had sunstroke, they are worse than poison."
"All right, Colonel! Nothing stronger than lemonade shall pass my
lips."
And so, with the good wishes of his friends, Lisle started for
Calcutta. Here he drew from his agents a sum which, he calculated,
would last him for a year at home. To his great pleasure, on
entering the train he met his friend Colonel Houghton.
"I have been thinking for some time, lad," he said, "of applying
for a year's leave; which I have earned by twelve years' service
out here. I was with the general when your application for leave
arrived, and made up my mind to go home with you. I therefore
telegraphed to Simla, and got leave at once; so I shall be able to
look after you, on the voyage."
"It is very kind of you," Lisle said. "It will be a comfort,
indeed, having a friend on board. My brain seems to be all right
now, but my memory is very shaky. However, I hope that will be all
right, too, by the time we arrive in England."
The presence of the colonel was indeed a great comfort to Lisle.
The latter looked after him as a father might have done, placed his
chair in the coolest spot to be found and, by relating to the other
passengers the service by which Lisle had won the V.C., ensured
their sympathy and kindness.
By the time the voyage was over, Lisle felt himself again. His
brain had gradually cleared, and he could again remember the events
of his life. He stayed three or four days at the hotel in London
where the colonel put up; and then went down into the country, in
response to an invitation from his aunt, which had been sent off as
soon as she received a letter from him, announcing his arrival in
England. His uncle's place was a quiet parsonage in Somersetshire,
and the rest and quiet did him an immense deal of good.
At the end of three months' stay there, he left to see something of
London and England, and travelled about for some months.
When the year was nearly up, and he was making his preparations to
return to India, he received a summons to attend at the War Office.
Wondering greatly what its purport could be, he called upon the
adjutant general.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Bullen?" the latter asked.
"Perfectly well, sir, as well as I ever felt in my life."
"We are sending a few officers to aid Colonel Willcocks in
effecting the relief of the party now besieged in Coomassie. Your
record is an excellent one and, if you are willing and able to go,
we shall be glad to include you in the number."
"I should like it very much. There is no chance, whatever, of
active service in India; and I should be glad, indeed, to be at the
front again, in different circumstances."
"Very well, Mr. Bullen, then you will sail on Tuesday next, in the
steamer that leaves Liverpool on that day. You will have the local
rank of captain, and will be in command of a company of Hausas."
Lisle had but a few preparations to make. He ordered, at once, a
khaki uniform and pith helmet, and a supply of light shirts and
underclothing. Then he ran down to Somersetshire to say goodbye to
his uncle and aunt, and arrived in Liverpool on the Monday evening.
Sleeping at the hotel at the station, he went on board the next
morning.
Here he found half a dozen other officers, also bound for the west
coast of Africa, and soon got on friendly terms with them. He was,
of course, obliged to tell how he had won the Victoria Cross; a
recital which greatly raised him in their estimation.
They had fine weather throughout the voyage; and were glad, indeed,
when the steamer anchored off Cape Coast. Although looking forward
to their arrival at Cape Coast, the officers were not in their
highest spirits. All of them had applied for service in South
Africa, where the war was now raging but, to their disappointment,
had been sent on this minor expedition. At any other time, they
would have been delighted at the opportunity of taking part in it;
but now, with a great war going on, it seemed to them a very petty
affair, indeed.
They cheered themselves, however, by the assumption that there was
sure to be hard fighting; and opportunities for distinguishing
themselves at least as great as they would meet with at the Cape,
where so vast a number of men were engaged that it would be
difficult for one officer to distinguish himself beyond others.
Until he started, Lisle had scarcely more than heard the name of
Ashanti; though he knew, of course, that two expeditions, those
under Sir Garnet Wolseley and Sir Francis Scott, had reached the
capital, the latter dethroning the king and carrying him away into
captivity. Now, however, he gathered full details of the situation,
from two officers belonging to the native troops, who had been
hurriedly ordered to cut short their leave, and go back to take
their places with the corps to which they were attached.
There was no doubt that the Ashantis were one of the most
formidable tribes in Africa. Their territory extended from the
river Prah to sixty miles north of Cape Coast. They were feared by
all their neighbours, with whom they were frequently at war--not so
much for the sake of extending their territory, as for the purpose
of obtaining great numbers of men and women for their hideous
sacrifices, at Coomassie. They were in close alliance with the
tribes at Elmina, which place we had taken over from the
Portuguese, some years before Sir Garnet Wolseley's expedition.
This occupation was bitterly opposed by the Ashantis, who felt that
it cut them off from free trade with the coast. In return, they
intercepted all trade with the coast from the tribes behind them;
and finally seized some white missionaries at their capital, and
sent a defiant message down to Cape Coast.
The result was that Sir Garnet Wolseley was sent out to take
command of an expedition and, with three white regiments, a small
Naval Brigade, and the West African Regiment, completely defeated
the Ashantis in two pitched battles, reached the capital, and burnt
it. Unfortunately, owing to the want of carriers, and the small
amount of supplies that were sent up, he was obliged to fall back
again to the coast, after occupying the capital for only three
days.
Had it been possible to leave a sufficient force there, the spirit
of the Ashantis would have been broken. This, however, could not be
done; and they gradually regained their arrogant spirit, carried
out none of their obligations and, twenty-two years later, having
quite forgotten their reverses, they resumed their raids across the
Prah.
Sir Francis Scott's expedition was therefore organized, and marched
to the capital. This time the former mistake was not committed. A
small garrison was left to overawe its inhabitants, and the king
was carried away a prisoner. The expedition had encountered no
opposition. The reason for this was never satisfactorily
ascertained, but it is probable that the Ashantis were taken by
surprise, and thought it better to wait until they had obtained
better arms. In this they were successful, for there are always
rascally traders, ready to supply the enemies of their country with
arms, on terms of immense profit.
The Ashantis were evidently kept well informed, by some of their
tribesmen settled in the coast towns, of the state of affairs in
Europe and, in the belief that England was fully occupied at the
Cape, and that no white soldiers would be sent, they again rose in
rebellion. They were ready to admit that the white soldiers were
superior to themselves, but they entertained a profound contempt
for our black troops, whom they were convinced they could defeat
without difficulty.
Certainly, the force available at Cape Coast was altogether
insufficient for the purpose; for it consisted only of a battalion
of Hausa Constabulary, and two seven-pounder guns. Sierra Leone had
a permanent garrison of one battalion of the West Indian Regiment,
and a West African Regiment recruited on the spot; but few of these
could be spared, for Sierra Leone had its own native troubles. The
garrison of Lagos was similar to that of Cape Coast; but here,
also, troubles were dreaded with their neighbours at Abeokuta.
Southern Nigeria had their own regiment; while Northern Nigeria had
the constabulary of the Royal Niger Company, and they had, at the
time, just raised two battalions and three batteries. Fortunately,
the recent dispute between the people and ourselves as to their
respective boundaries had been temporarily arranged, and a portion
of these troops could be utilized.
The two regiments were both numerically strong, each company
amounting to a hundred and fifty men. They were armed with
Martini-Metford carbines, and each company had a Vickers-Maxim gun.
The batteries were provided with powerful guns, capable of throwing
twelve-pound shells. The men were all Hausas and Yorubas, with the
exception of one company of Neupas. This contingent were supplied
with khaki, before starting; and the rest were in blue uniform,
similar to that worn by the West Indian Regiments. There was, in
addition, a small battalion of the Central African Regiment; with a
detachment of Sikhs, who also supplied non-commissioned officers.
That the men would fight well, all believed; but the forces had
been but recently organized, and it was questionable how they would
behave without a backbone of white troops. The experiment was quite
a novel one, as never before had a war been carried on, by us, with
purely native troops.
The collection of the troops was a difficult matter, and cost no
small time; especially from Northern Nigeria, which was to supply a
much larger contingent than the others. These troops were scattered
in small bodies over a large extent of country, for the most part
hundreds of miles from the coast. There was a great paucity of
officers, too; and of these, many were about to take their year's
leave home, worn out and weakened by the unhealthy climate. By
prodigious exertions, however, all were at last collected, and in
readiness to proceed to the scene of operations.
Picking up troops at several points, the steamer at last arrived
off Cape Coast; but not yet were they to land. A strong wind was
blowing, and the surf beat with such violence, on the shore, that
it was impossible even for the surf boat to come out. The officers
had nothing to do but to watch the shore. Even this was only done
under difficult circumstances, for the steamer was rolling rail
under.
The prospect, however, was not unpleasing. From a projecting point
stood the old Dutch castle, a massive-looking building. On its left
was the town, on rising ground, with whitewashed buildings; and
behind all, and in the town itself, rose palm trees, which made a
dark fringe along the coast on either hand.
"It doesn't look such a bad sort of place," one of the officers
said, "and certainly it ought to be healthy, if it were properly
drained down to the sea. Yet it is a home of fever; one night
ashore, in the bad season, is almost certain death for a white man.
I believe that not half a dozen of the white inhabitants are
hardened by repeated attacks of fever, to which at least three out
of four newcomers succumb before they have been here many months.
If this is the case, here, what must it be in the forest and swamps
behind?"
All were greatly relieved when the wind abated, on the third day,
and the surf boats were seen making their way out. The landing was
exciting work. The surf was still very heavy, and it seemed
well-nigh impossible that any boat could live through it. The
native paddlers, however, were thoroughly used to the work. They
ceased paddling when they reached the edge of the breakers, until a
wave larger than usual came up behind them. Then, with a yell, they
struck their paddles into the water, and worked for dear life.
Higher and higher rose the wave behind them, till it seemed that
they must be submerged by it. For a moment the boat stood almost
upright. Then, when it rose to the crest of the wave, the boatmen
paddled harder than ever, and they were swept forward with the
swiftness of an arrow. Another wave overtook them and, carrying
them on, dashed them high up on the beach.
The paddlers at once sprang out, and prevented the boat from being
carried out by the receding wave. Then the officers, mounting the
men's backs, were carried out; for the most part high and dry,
although in some cases they were wet to the skin.
A few yards away was the entrance to the castle. Here everything
was bustle. Troops were filing out, laden with casks and cases.
Others were squatting in the paved court, ready to receive their
burdens. All were laughing and chatting merrily. There were even
troops of young girls, of from ten to fifteen years old, who were
to carry parcels of less weight than their brothers.
Two officers were moving about, seeing that all went on regularly;
and a number of men were bringing the burdens out from the
storehouse, and ranging them in lines, ready for the women to take
up.
The district commissioner, who was in charge of the old castle,
received Lisle and his companions cordially; and invited them, when
the day's work was over, to dine with him. Rooms were placed at
their disposal.
As soon as this was done they went down to the beach, and
superintended the landing of the men and stores, which was carried
on until nightfall. Then, when the last boat load was landed, they
came up to dinner.
After a hearty meal, one of them said:
"We shall be glad, sir, if you will tell us what has been happening
here. All we know is that the fort of Coomassie is surrounded, and
that we have come up to relieve it."
"It is difficult to give you anything like an accurate account,"
the officer said, "for so many lying rumours have come down, that
one hardly knows what to believe. One day we hear that the place
has been carried by storm, and that the garrison have been
massacred. Then we are told that Sir Frederick Hodgson, with the
survivors of the garrison, has burst his way through.
"It is certain that most of our forces are unable to push their way
up, and that their posts are practically surrounded. Further, on
the 18th of April the first news that the fort was being besieged
reached Cambarga, three hundred and forty miles from Coomassie.
Three days later three British officers, and a hundred and seventy
men, with a Maxim and seven-pounder, marched under the command of
Major Morris to the station of Kintanpo. After thirteen days'
marching the force was increased to seven British officers, three
hundred and thirty soldiers, and eighty-three native levies.
"Near N'Quanta they met with opposition and, two hours later, had a
successful engagement, with only three casualties. On the 14th they
fell into an ambush, and incurred twelve casualties. For two days
after this they had more or less continuous fighting and, in
charging a stockade, Major Morris was severely wounded. Captain
Maguire then headed the charge, and succeeded in capturing the
stockade.
"No further resistance was met with, though two more stockades were
passed. This want of enterprise, on the part of the enemy, was due
to a short armistice that had been arranged with the beleaguered
garrison.
"Major Morris's force was the third reinforcement which had reached
the garrison. The first to come up was a party of Gold Coasters
from the south. This was the only contingent permitted by the
Ashantis to enter Coomassie unopposed. The next was a detachment
from Lagos, composed of two hundred and fifty men of that colony's
Hausa force, with four British officers and a doctor, under the
command of Captain Alpin. The Adansis, who occupy the country
between the Prah and the recognized Ashanti boundary, had revolted;
so that for part of the way they were unopposed but, as soon as
they reached the first village in the Ashanti country, they were
heavily attacked. After a couple of hours' fighting, however, the
advance guard took the village, at the point of the bayonet.
"Next day they reached the Ordah River. Here the enemy made a
determined stand, entrenched behind a stockade. The fight lasted
for four hours, and then the situation became critical. The Maxim
had jammed, the ammunition of the seven-pounder was exhausted, and
a great proportion of the small-arm ammunition had been expended.
Captain Cox and thirty men went into the bush, to turn the enemy's
position. When they reached a point where they took the enemy in
rear, they charged the stockade. The enemy fled, and were kept at a
run until Coomassie was reached, before dark.
"The list of casualties showed how hard had been the fighting. All
the white officers had been wounded, and there were a hundred and
thirty casualties among the two hundred and fifty British soldiers.
The garrison now consisted of seven hundred rank and file, and
about a dozen British officers; two hundred and fifty native
levies, and nearly four thousand Fanti and Hausa refugees.
"The next force to move forward was the first contingent from
Northern Nigeria, consisting of two companies under the command of
Captain Hall, with one gun. In traversing the Adansi country
Captain Hall drew up a treaty, and got the Adansi king to sign it.
Then he marched on to Bekwai, the chief town of a friendly tribe;
and took up his quarters at Esumeja, a day's march from Coomassie.
The border of Bekwai lay a short distance on one side, that of
Kokofu was half a mile to the east.
"These were an Ashanti tribe, very fierce and warlike; and the
occupation of Esumeja both kept them in check, and inspired the
loyal Bekwais with confidence. Here Captain Hall was joined by a
second contingent from Lagos, a hundred strong; and fifty men of
the Sierra Leone frontier police. The force has got no farther, but
its position on the main line of march is of vital service; as it
overawes the Kokofu, and facilitates the advance of further relief.
"That, gentlemen, is the situation, at present. So far as I know,
the garrison of Coomassie is amply sufficient to defend the fort;
but we know that they are short of ammunition, and also of supplies
to maintain the large number of people shut up there.
"I am expecting the vessel with the main Nigerian contingent
tomorrow, or next day; and I hope that this reinforcement will
enable an advance to be made."
"Thank you, sir! It is evident that we are in for some tough
fighting, and shall have all our work cut out for us."
"There can be no doubt of that," the commissioner said, gravely.
"The difficulties have been greatly increased by the erection of
these stockades, a new feature in these Ashanti wars. When the
Bekwais put themselves under our protection, instructions were
given them in stockading, so that they might resist any force that
the Ashantis might send against them and, doubtless, the latter
inspected these defences and adopted the idea. The worst of it is
that they are generally so covered, by the bush, that they are not
seen by our troops till they arrive in front of them."