V 



222 TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



balls, in a kind of grey worsted cap. He must have 

 provided himself before the mutiny. How he became 

 possessed of them, especially the bullets, I never 

 could learn, probably he was supplied with them by 

 his unmilitary countrymen, as pistol balls are never 

 given to infantry. Previous to this Daaga and three 

 others made a rush at the regimental store room in 

 which was deposited a quantity of powder and cart- 

 ridges. An old African soldier named Charles Dixon 

 interfered to stop them, on which Maurice Ogston, 

 the Yarraba chief, who had armed himself with a ser- 

 geant 's sword, cut down the faithful African. When 

 down Daaga said in English, " Ah you old soldier, 

 you knock down," and then shot the fallen soldier. 

 The war-yells of the Paupas and Yarrabas now be- 

 came awfully thrilling, as they helped themselves to 

 cartridges : most of them fortunately blank, or with- 

 out ball." 



" At this period had a rush been made at the 

 officers' quarters by one-half, and the other half sur- 

 rounded the building, not one could have escaped. 

 Instead of this they continued to shout their war- 

 songs ; they loaded their pieces indiscriminately 

 with either blank or ball cartridges and sometimes 

 small stones, and commenced firing at the long range 

 of white buildings in which Colonel Bush and his 

 officers slept. They wasted so much ammunition on 

 this useless display of fury, that the building was 

 completely riddled. A few of the old soldiers oppos- 

 ed them, and were wounded but none of the officers 

 were hurt in the barracks. 7 ' 



