s of the Naval Brigade were
accompanied by parties of Rait's artillerymen with rockets, but the fire
of these and the Sniders was insufficient to clear the way. Even after
an hour's fighting, the Ashantis still held the bush, not 200 yards from
the village, and two companies of the Rifle Brigade were sent up the
left-hand road to keep the line open. The wood was so thick that the
Naval Brigade were unable to make much way, and were forced to lie down
and fire into the dense bush, from which the answering discharges came
incessantly, at a distance of 20 yards or so. The air above was
literally alive with slugs, and a perfect shower of leaves continued to
fall upon the path.

In the wood, all just views of direction were lost. The sailors
complained that the 23rd or the 42nd were firing at them, and the 42nd
and 23rd made the same complaint of the Naval Brigade. In fact, from
the denseness of the wood, and the general and continuous roar of
musketry, it was impossible to gain any just ideas of direction.

Colonel Macleod, who commanded the left column, presently found the
resistance in front of him cease; but he knew nothing of the position of
the 42nd, with whose left he should have been in touch.

The 42nd were having a hard time of it. They were well handled by Major
Macpherson, who was in command. For a time they succeeded in forcing
the enemy back, but coming to a swamp between two rises, their advance
was for a time completely arrested. Not an enemy was to be seen; but
from every bush on the opposite side the puffs of smoke came thick and
fast, and a perfect rain of slugs swept over the ground on which they
were lying. Captain Rait, assisted by Lieutenant Saunders, brought his
gun--for from the narrowness of the path he was able to bring only one
into action--well to the front of the 42nd, and poured round after round
of grape into the enemy, until their fire slackened a little, and the
42nd again advanced. At the top of the hill the Ashantis made again a
desperate stand. Here the gun again did good service, and at last the
regiment fought their way over it, the enemy contesting every foot.
Another rush was made, and the regiment then burst through the wood into
the open clearing in which the large village of Amoaful was situate.
Out of 450, they had 9 officers and 104 men wounded. For a short time
the Ashantis kept up a fire from the houses; but the 42nd soon drove
them from the village, and all furth