The British led force moved up the jungle path, scouts to the right and left off the trail. Taking no chances, the British Officer in charge of the operation held his men on the path until more certain of what lay ahead.

The scouts reached the river, all was quiet, however a seemingly abandoned palisade blocked the trail on the opposite bank where it emerged from the river.

Somewhat hesitantly, each scout turned and moved along the bank, poking the bottom to check fordability. Meanwhile the British officer prodded his West India Regiment platoon forward to line the bank in preparation for the crossing.

As the West Indians deployed off the path a startling volley crashed out from the palisade on the opposite bank, and wildly yelling Ashanti appeared lining the parapet. Fortunately this volley did little more than startle the West Indians, most of the fire passed harmlessly over their heads.

The Action at Crocodile Crossing was a game used to playtest the rules. This account may help to explain how the rules are supposed to work.

The game was fought on a 4 by 4-foot table with plenty of jungle terrain, in fact very little in the way of open clearings. The British line of advance is down a major trail, which winds across the centre of the table. Intersecting the trail is a river 3-4 inches wide. The only known ford is at the point where the trail crosses the river, other crossing points are possible but must be located by scouting.

A native village stands at the far end of the trail, opposite the British entry point. It has a surrounding fence, considered as hard cover, and several huts that should burn nicely. The British intend to advance, take and destroy this village as punishment for officially judged Ashanti wrongs. The Ashanti are determined to stop them and protect their village.

The Ashanti may secretly deploy their 2 units using a sketch map, and are allowed to place 1 stockade section before the game begins.

The British have a mixed force consisting of one platoon of British regulars, one platoon of the West India Regiment and two native scouts.

The scouts reached the river and searched for a possible crossing. The commander urged the West Indian platoon forward, suddenly Ashanti across the river fired. With creditable coolness they returned fire.

Under cover of the firefight, the British regulars moved up behind the West Indians and waited on the path. The action settled down to an exchange of fire, the Ashanti well protected by their palisade, but their own fire was still largely ineffective. The British Commander looked for options, he was not keen to order an assault across the river under fire.

To the left of the crossing, one of the scouts located a likely crossing point. The British Regulars moved left off the trail towards it. A classic flanking attack now looked to be a viable option to the British commander. He left the West Indians to keep the enemy pinned down and busy.

Without warning the situation changed rapidly on the British right flank. The other scout was still fruitlessly searching for a ford when he was picked off by musketry from the far bank. Hard on the heels of this fire a devastating volley erupted from thick jungle beside the enemy palisade, the enemy commander had launched another ambush. This fire hit hard on the flank of the West Indian firing line. Combined with the continuing fire from the palisade it began to cause serious losses.

The British situation changed in an instant. One moment the flanking attack was developing as British troops waded across the river, the next they found their supports being cut down and themselves in. an exposed position. Fortunately the section of riverbank they reached seemed unoccupied.

It was a decisive moment for the British player, should he press on or call off his attack? With typical pluck the commanding officer urged the attack onwards, he would not be likely to find another crossing so perfectly placed, or undefended. He figured he still had a good chance of flanking and taking the palisade.

Back at the trail, the much-reduced West Indian unit gave ground, several of them turning to flee back towards British lines. This left the Ashanti free to turn their fire on the British infantry, now formed up on their right flank. Another brisk firefight developed at right angles to the first action. The musketry quickly became intense and the disciplined volleys of the British cut down the Ashanti, whose cover did not extend around the whole flank.

The Ashanti were already wavering and several had fled when the feared British bayonet charge surged towards them. Though useful as cover the defences were easily kicked over by British Army boots. The defenders did not even attempt to contest their stockade but fled up the path towards the village. They were a tempting target but the British commander instead chose to halt and reform his men. He had stormed the palisade and now held both sides of the river crossing but the battle was far from over.

As the British assault developed on his flank, the Ashanti commander had not been idle. He moved his men from the second ambush in the thick scrub on the riverbank, back and around the rear of the palisade to another patch of scrub. The men were well positioned to counter attack the hastily reforming British.

These now began to regret their wanton demolition of the defences, as they now stood exposed to fresh close range fire. They returned fire but the effect was lessened on their half-hidden enemies. There was nothing for it but another bayonet charge. When in doubt, give'em cold steel. This time however their enemies were bold enough to join in melee, perhaps encouraged by the reduced numbers of the British, now almost down to half strength.

It was a stiff fight, the bayonet again proving to be a superb close quarters weapon, but numbers were with the Ashanti and as one fell another leapt into his place. The crisis came when the brave British Officer was struck down and the shocked survivors of his command fell back the short distance to the remains of the stockade.

The action at Crocodile Crossing was effectively over. The British had gained a toehold across the river and were now joined by stragglers from the West Indians. The Ashanti had also suffered heavily and judged themselves too weakened to resume the attack. They moved back behind the walls of their village, from which wild drum playing could soon be heard.

The British will need reinforcements to resume their advance, and the village at Crocodile Crossing remains unburned.

This was a spirited and enjoyable little action, with all the right ingredients for an interesting Colonial game, scouting, surprise, manoeuvre, plenty of firing and a jolly good bayonet fight at the end. It gave the players the opportunity for some creative tactical thinking and plenty of tense moments.