, Burke, Edwardes, Tinkler, and Ellis.

The regiment on landing was encamped on Prospect and Connor's Hills, two
heights overlooking the town of Cape Coast, and Colonel Maxwell assumed
command of the garrison in the Castle.

Sir Garnet Wolseley having already driven the Ashantis out of the
Protectorate after the actions at Dunquah and Abracampa in November, and
having garrisoned the various stations between Cape Coast and the Prah,
had, a few days before the regiment landed, gone on to Prahsu with his
head-quarter staff. The _Himalaya_ and _Tamar_, with the 23rd Royal
Welsh Fusiliers and the 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade, which had been
cruising about outside for sanitary reasons, now came into the
roadstead, where the _Sarmatian_, with the 42nd Highlanders, was already
lying, and everything was ready for the advance on Coomassie.

Accordingly, before daybreak on the 1st of January, the right
half-battalion of the Rifle Brigade landed and commenced its march to
the front, followed the next morning by the other half-battalion. On the
mornings of the 3rd and 4th the two half-battalions of the 42nd landed,
and passed to the front in a similar manner.

The Fantis had shown so much disinclination to act as carriers, and so
few had been obtained, that the advance of these two battalions had
exhausted all the available carriers, and there were none for the 23rd
Fusiliers. It was necessary to adopt stronger measures, unless the
expedition was to fall through, and on the 4th of January the 1st West
India Regiment was posted in a cordon of sentries around the town of
Cape Coast, while the armed police seized all the able-bodied men in the
town, except those employed as canoe-men. This step was entirely
successful, and on the morning of the 5th the right half-battalion of
the 23rd landed and marched to the front, being followed next morning by
C Company of the 1st West India Regiment.

The difficulty with the carriers had in the meantime increased instead
of diminishing. Numbers had deserted, abandoning their loads, and the
transport was almost in a moribund condition, the 23rd Regiment being
even re-embarked for want of carriers. Sir Garnet Wolseley in this
emergency called upon the West India regiments for assistance, saying
that the fate of the expedition was hanging in the balance; and in
response to his appeal, they both volunteered to carry supplies, in
addition to their arms, accoutrements, and ammunition.

Accordingly,