232 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
of negroes who, in Antigua, are under the immediate com- 
mand of Captain Downing, an officer who has seen much ser- 
vice and was at one time a member of the mounted police in 
Africa. The men are well set up and well drilled, and impress one 
with their soldierly bearing. There is also the ‘‘ Defense Force,”’ 
made up mainly of white men, both cavalry and infantry, and 
they also seemed to be under the direct command of Captain 
Downing. Both of these, however, are under the ultimate 
jurisdiction of Colonel Bell, who is at the head of the military 
organization of the Leeward Islands as a whole. He is one of . 
the finest loking officers that I have seen and would be a 
striking figure in any group of military men,—handsome, clear- 
eyed, affable in manner in ordinary intercourse, but stern 
enough on occasion. The qualities of the Police and Defense 
Force were well brought out shortly before we called at An- 
tigua on the way to Barbados, in the ‘‘Riot’’ of 1918. 
It seems that there was much discontent among the negroes 
on. the sugar estates. Some wage question, I believe, aecentu- 
ated by shortage of food due to the war. The cane was burned 
on some of the estates, and serious threats made against the 
owners, who were usually white men. Where there is so great 
a preponderance of blacks there is always the fear, latent or 
expressed, of the dreaded race riot. Some of the leaders in the 
cane burning were arrested and this led to threats of reprisal 
on the part of the blacks. The situation grew rapidly worse; 
the Police and Defense Force were summoned and stood under 
arms. Some property was fired in the city of St. John’s and the 
negroes gathered in an excited mob threatening the militia. 
The riot act was read and pleas were made by various officials, 
which were answered by taunts and threats. Then the mob 
commenced to stone the men standing under arms. Colonel Bell 
took command and showed the greatest coolness and self-re- 
straint, hoping thus to avoid bloodshed. 
This passivity of the forces was mistaken for timidity and the 
negroes yelled ‘‘ You’re afraid to fire!’’ It seemed that someone 
had told them that the militia could not fire without direct per- 
mission from the King! The blacks were now openly threaten- 
ing to sack the town, and the families of the officials were in ser- 
ious danger from one of the West Indian race riots that have 
