n 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 stil