• Prom Rebut to Kumassi Twenty-four Years of Soldiering and
Sport. By .Brigadier-General Sir James Willeocks, K.C.M.G.,' D.S.O. London: John Murray. 121s. net.]
arduous forms of it as eagerly as the average man seeks his own comfort. Starting with no special advantages, he won note as a capable soldier by seizing every chance which the little wars of the Indian frontier offered, until the great opportunity came to him, as it comes to all who seek it; and his Ashanti Campaign raised him to a high rank among British generals. The keen spirit of the author cominuni- cates itself to his writing, and the book, though written in an ordinary conversational style without attempt at elaborate literary graces, yet enthrals the reader by its spirit, its sweep of narrative, and the vigour of its descriptions. The relief of Kumassi in 1900 has already been well described ; but we have been waiting for the complete story of that intricate forest war. This Sir James Willcocks has given us, and much besides; for there are many excellent accounts of sport, and, since his experience of savage warfare is almost un- rivalled, what he has to say of the organisation of native levies and the tactics to be employed against a barbarous foe is a valuable contribution to military science.
He began his career as a Second Lieutenant in the 100th Regiment of Foot, and had his first taste of active service as a transport officer in the Afghan War of 1879. There he made the acquaintance of the future Sir Frederick Lugard, a friend- ship which had much influence on his subsequent career. Soon after he was attached to the transport in the Waziri Expedition, where he had to face an unpleasant little mutiny among his men. The work taught him lessons of native management which he afterwards turned to good account, "It is one of the dangers which underlie dependence on all dark races, that at any sacrifice you must be prepared to keep your word, once given, even though it may lead to serious consequences." A short interval in the Soudan was followed by transport work in the Burmese Frontier Expedition of 1886, after which he returned to his regiment as Adjutant, until he was sent as Intelligence Officer with the Chin-Lushai Expedition of 1889. The expedition encountered men who had never heard of firearms, and there is one story of a warrior who, with his bow and arrows, calmly faced a com- pany, warning them that if they advanced he would be com- pelled to shoot. Thereafter, he was given a Staff appointment, till the Munipoor disaster took him to the field again as Chief Transport Officer on Sir Henry Collett's Staff. Then followed a trip home, and some exciting sporting adventures walking up tigers in Central India, till be was appointed Assistant- Adjutant General of the Tochi Punitive Expedition. The Waziris made little resistance, but it was a trying campaign, for the white troops were decimated by dysentery and enteric without any fighting to keep their spirits up. It was while serving there that he received through General Lugard the offer of the post of second in command of the new force which was being raised on the Niger. The offer was gladly accepted, and Major Willcocks entered upon the practical application of the knowledge which be had already learned under others.
The story of the West African Frontier Force, and its work in the Niger Hinterlands, is one of the romances of recent politics. The French Government desired to gain a footing on the Lower Niger in order to provide for direct inland communication between their West African colonies and their Congo possessions. Now the Royal Niger Company had in 1890 concluded a Treaty with the Borgu King which gave them the prior right of overlordship :—
" When, therefore, Sir George Goldie learned that an expedition was starting for Borgu, he at once arranged, with that shrewd quickness for which he is so remarkable, to play a trump card. Of all the cards in the pack, the one he altogether desired to avoid was the knave, and, hence, to carry out his scheme his choice fell on Captain Frederick Lugard, who was already known to fame for his Empire work in East Africa. Quickly and firmly Lugard carried out his mission. Hurrying to West Africa, he was in Borgu before his French rival knew of his presence. Crossing routes hitherto unknown to Europeans, overcoming every kind of obstacle, brushing aside the enemies who swarmed in his path and attempted to stop his progress, he arrived at Nikki, the capital of the country, and interviewed the King. I can imagine that interview. The African chief and the lean, wiry Englishman, looking at each other, must have been worth seeing. The Nikki Hiner had not known white men, and this particular white man had a great advantage over him ; for he had interviewed many African chiefs in many lands and was at home in the role of treaty-maker. Five days before Deco3ur arrived with the 'rri-
The French continued to dispute our title to the country, and a game commenced in which each side tried to outvie the
other in occupying posts. A Chartered Company could not continue to hold its own against a great European Power, so
in 1895 the Colonial Office took up the matter, and raised the West African Frontier Force, with Sir F. Lugard in command. By a wise forethought, it was equipped with the best guns procurable, which afterwards proved to be the salvation of the Kumassi Relief Expedition. The rank-and-file of the force were chiefly Hausa& and Yorabas,—the latter, Sir James Willcocks thinks, quite as good fighting material as the former. And now began a game of bluff and counter-bluff. It was extremely important to occupy as much of the country as possible, and it was also highly desirable to avoid an open rupture with the French. So, in a fairly amicable spirit, Union Jacks were set up side by side with Tricolours, till the Niger Convention was concluded with the French Government, and the French troops evacuated Borgu. It is a curious and rather pleasant picture which the book gives us of the French frontier soldiers, who di eased so strangely, and never thought of a day's shooting, and withal had such excellent manners, and were so jealous for the honour of their flag. Sir James Willcocks thus sums up the moral of West African fighting :—
"Take any class of men, either on the Niger or in any other part of the Empire; give them the best officers, equal chances of service with others living in the same countries, do not let them believe for a moment you distrust them as fighting men, and you will assuredly weld them into material which may be depended on in hours of stress. On the other hand, given even the best material, officer it with ne'er-do-weels or inferior men, and it will soon degenerate and become useless."
In May, 1900, he was appointed to the command of the forces for the relief of Kumassi. On July 15th the re- lieving columns entered the fort, and at the end of the year General Willcocks sailed for England, having thoroughly stamped out the embers of rebellion in the whole Hinterland. The world is familiar enough with the general lines of the relief, but this book gives the history from the point of view of the originator, the man in charge, and it gives also a wealth of detail which enables us to realise the hardships and difficulties of the enterprise. An unknown country, dense forests, a continuous tropical downpour, flooded swamps and rivers, a vigilant enemy all around, constant transport and commis- sariat difficulties, besides epidemics of small-pox, dysentery, and fever, made the work anything but simple. It is impos- sible to praise sufficiently the courage, patience, and resource of the General, or the unshaken constancy of the men, as they appear in Sir James Willcocks's modest narrative. Happily the author was a born leader of native troops, tied down to no narrow rules, but full of common-sense and experience. "You can often," he writes, "get more out of a corps by reminding it of its tribal origin than by any amount of drills and book discipline." In spite of many dismal warnings, it was found possible to stamp out the rebellion with black troops only, led by the best type of British officer, a most hopeful augury for the future of our tropical possessions. The truth which we have proved in India has been ascer- tained to apply almost equally well to dark races on a far lower plane of civilisation. General Willcocks argues strongly for the scheme of utilising the military prowess of the Ashanti, which is not inconsiderable, on behalf of the British Crown. "I do not believe," he says, "that they would be surpassed as soldiers by any West African natives." We may note, in conclusion, that the expedition, as its leader constantly insists, reflects the greatest credit on the Colonial Office, which showed a good sense and freedom from red-tape in managing a very difficult affair which might well be an example to other Government Departments.
The book is fully supplied with maps, and contains some excellent illustrations. The drawings by Lady Helen Graham are particularly to be commended.
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