Year: 1874

uTlNt the tHtulJ SCOuto Oub VI aga
massie; they were then to move straight
on, extending the right and left and, if
possible, advancing in skirmishiDg
line through the bush. Rats artillery,
two guns, was to be their center, moving
upon the road itself. The right column,
consisting of half the Naval brigade and
Wood regiment, were to cut path out
to the right, and then to turn parallel
with the main road, so that the head Of
the column should touch the right of the
skirmishing line of the Forty.seeond.
The left column, consisting Of the other
half Of the Naval brigade, with Russell's
regiment, were to proceed in similar
fashion on the left. The company of
the Twenty. was to come behind the
headquarters. staff, while the Rifle bri-
gade were to remain in the rear. Tins
the whole would have formed hollow
square, the right and left column pro-
tecting the Forty-second from any OF
those hanking movements of which the
Ashantees are always so fond.


l went on with the staff in the rear of
Russell's regiment, and we had not been
ten minutes on the road before we heard
sudden outburst of musketry, and
knew that the Forty-second was issuing
from the narrow path, and was clearing
the village. After the first Outburst,
lasting only two or three minutes, there
was a slight lull and then the cracking
fire began again in steady, unbroken
roll.


The first shot was fred few minutes
before eight o'cloek, and it was nearly
half an hour later when we issued out
into the open space at the village. We
had not, however, been kept in suspense
all this time, for several notes had come
in from Sir Archibald Allison saying
| that the Forty.second was making way
and that the side column was also push
ing forward.


The fire was tremendously heavy, so
heavy that all sound of individual re-
ports was lost, and the noise was one
| hoarse, Kissing roar. From the front,
from the left, from the right it came,
and little to the right of the front it
was so near that one was startled at
| finding that, after forty minutes of their
tremendous fire our line was not every
where advanced more than one hundred
wards away. This village was at once
| adopted by Sir Garnet as the central
spot, and here he took up his post. Here,
by the three converging roads, he re-
ceived news from Colonel Mcleod on
the left, Sir Archibald Allison command
| ing the center, and Colonel Wood the
right, and issued his orders accordingly
We now learned the state of the fray
from its commencement up to the time
of our arrival The Forty second, after
driving the enemys outpost from the
village, had pushed on without encoun-
tering any serious opposition for 200 or
| 300 yards, when they were received by
q tremendous fire from an unseen foe in
front. They were making way, but with
great difficulty. The left column had
been attacked before they had gone 100
yards, and poor Buckle, commaading
| the engineers, entering the path before
them, was here killed The right wing
was progressing very steadily indeed.
| The bush was dense in the extreme, and
the Ashantees were holding with the
greatest tenacity very thick jungle in
the angle between them and the main
road in which they had difficulty in
firing lest they should hit the Forty
second. They we're also attacked in
| front and on the right. For an hour
this state of things continued. The
firing was throughout tremendous, SO
muchso that we never once distinguished
the crack of Rats guns in the general
uproar, although the occasional rush OF
a rocket, of which two troughs with par
ties of Rats men accompanied each
wing, was distinctly audible. The
Twenty.third were ordered on to work on
the main road and help to clear the
bush, where the Ashantees still fought
stubbornly, not two hundred yards from
the village, while two companies OF the
Rife brigade were sent up the lett-hand
road to keep the line intact up to the
rear of McLeod's column. Anxious to
see the nature of the difficulties with
which the troops were eontending, |
went out to the right column. and found
the Naval brigade lying down and firing
into dense bush, from which, in spite
of their heavy fire, answering discharges
came constantly at distance OF some
twenty yards or so. The air above was
literally alive with slugs, and perfect
shower of leaves continued to fall upon
the path.


1t was now 10 o'clock; wounded men
we're coming in fast-Forty-seeond,
Rifle, Naval brigade, and natives. From
our left the firing had nearly ceased and
a dispatch was received, Colonel Nc
Leod saying that all was comparatively
quiet on his side, but that he had alto
gether lost touch of the Forty-se0ond.
Orders were accordingly sent to him to
cut a road northeast until he came in
contact with them. In so doing he came
upon partial clearing, where sharp
opposition was experienced. The
Houssas carried the clearing at a rush,
but the enemy, as usual, opened heavy
FIRE from the edge of the bush. The
Houssas we're recalled, and a FIRE was
opened with the rockets, which soon
drove the Ashantees back, and the cut
ting Of the path was proceeded with. In
the meantime the Forty-second had
been having a hard time of it. They
were. as far as possible, out in skirmish-
ing order, but the bush was in most
plsces very thick. They we're admira-
/ bly handled by Major Mcpherson, who
was in command, and behaved with
splendid steadiness and courage. At
swamp, however, beyond which there