ERECTION OF FORTIFICATIONS. 259 



foundation of the barracks. The walls of the latter 

 not only look green from damp, but are also very 

 much cracked, and I'un the risk of some day tumbling 

 to pieces during an earthquake. From this it will be 

 seen that the soldiers here do not lead altogether a 

 paradisaical life. Those of my readers who have been 

 to Jamaica may remember Fort Augusta, also built 

 on a swamp, where the British Government lost 

 regiment after regiment, nay, whole battalions, and 

 would probably have continued its occupation, like 

 the Dutch at Ambarrawa, had not the home authori- 

 ties taken it into their wise heads to send out a 

 squadron of hussars to supplement the garrison, 

 although there was barely tethering ground for theii- 

 horses, which died as fast as the men did ; and it was 

 only the costliness of the quadrupeds that induced 

 the Government at last to abandon the station and 

 to send the troops to the hills, where they are more 

 likely to die of ennui than of fever, at least, so the 

 story goes. However, to return to Ambarrawa, the 

 expense of erecting its fortifications, and the loss of 

 life during that period, is said to have been enormous. 

 As soon as a j^ile was driven into the ground it dis- 

 appeared in the bog, and a man I met on the spot 

 gravely suggested, in a tone as if he meant it, that 

 the difficulties had eventually only been overcome 



s 2 



