hat variety of African
fever known as "bilious remittent," which can only be distinguished from
yellow fever by the fact of its not being contagious, broke out.
Sub-Lieutenant L. Burke succumbed to this scourge on March 1st,
Lieutenant T. Williams on April 9th, Lieutenant W.S. Elderton on May
10th, and Sub-Lieutenant E.W. Huntingford on June 12th, while
Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell, Lieutenant Clough and Lieutenant Roper,
being invalided, died on passage to England, and Captain Butler after
arriving in England. In addition to these deaths, eight other officers
were invalided, and out of twenty-six officers who were serving with the
regiment on the 28th of February, only ten were left in West Africa on
the 30th of June.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 63: Colonel Colley had arrived at the northern side of the
village, from Ahkankuassie, soon after the command had devolved upon
Captain Duncan.]

CHAPTER XXX.

AFFAIRS IN HONDURAS, 1874--THE SHERBRO EXPEDITION 1875--THE ASHANTI
EXPEDITION, 1881.

While the regiment had thus been engaged on the Gold Coast, the
detachment left at Orange Walk had, in January 1874, had a narrow escape
of a brush with the Santa Cruz Indians. On the 2nd of that month, in
accordance with a requisition from the magistrate at Orange Walk,
Captain F.B.P. White and Lieutenant J.R.H. Wilton, with forty men of the
1st West India Regiment, left that station about noon for Albion Island,
in the River Hondo, distant about twelve miles, to demand the
restitution of a woman who had been abducted by an armed party of Santa
Cruz Indians from a place called Douglas, in British territory. The
Hondo was reached about 4.30 p.m., and Captain White, finding a number
of Santa Cruz Indians cutting bush, as if for an encampment, on the
British side of the river, directed them to accompany him; and crossing
to the island in their boats, sent them to tell the chief that he had a
message to deliver to him.

On landing on Albion Island it was found that the public ball-room of
San Antonio, a large, open, shed-like building peculiar to these
Spanish-Indian towns, which was situated on a small hill, was occupied
by an armed force of the Indians, about seventy strong. Opposite to
them, on the nearest rising ground, the detachment was at once formed
up, partly covered by a chapel.

After some time the chief of the Santa Cruz came over to Captain White's
party, and inquired what was wanted of him; when he was told that n