THE MUTINY. 21 



militia opposed them by liolding their muskets in a horizontal 

 position, on which one of the mutineers fired, and the militia 

 returned the fire. A melee commenced, in which fourteen 

 mutineers were killed and wounded. The fire of the Africans 

 produced little effect : they soon took to flight amid the 

 woods which flanked the road. Twenty-eight of them w^ere 

 taken, amongst whom w^as the Yarraba chief, Ogston. Six 

 had been killed, and six committed suicide by strangling 

 and hanging themselves in the woods. Only one man was 

 wounded amongst the militia, and he but slightly, from a 

 small stone fired from a musket of one of the \arrabas. 



" The quantity of ammunition expended by the rnutineers, 

 and the comparatively little mischief done by them, was truly 

 astonishing. It shows how little they understood the use of 

 fire-arms. Dixon was killed, and several of the old African 

 soldiers w^ere wounded, but not one of the officers w^as in the 

 sliu'htest deoTee hurt. 



" I have never been able to get a correct account of the 

 number of lives this wild mutiny cost, but believe it w^as not 

 less than forty, including those slain by the militia at Arima ; 

 those shot at San Josef; those who died of their wounds 

 (and most of the wounded men died) ; the six who committed 

 suicide ; the three that were shot by sentence of tiie court- 

 martial, and one who was sliot while endeavouring to escape 

 (Satchell). 



