By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER XVI: CAPTIVES IN COOMASSIE

  Upon the morning following the successful sortie not an enemy could beseen from the walls. Swift runners were sent out, and these returned intwo hours with news that the enemy were in full retreat towards theircapital. The people of Abeokuta were half wild with exultation and joy,and their gratitude to their white allies was unbounded. Mr. Goodenoughbegged them not to lose an hour in burying their slain enemies, andthe entire population were engaged for the two following days upon thisnecessary but revolting duty. The dead were counted as they were placedin the great pits dug for their reception, and it was found that nofewer than three thousand of the enemy had fallen.

  Mr. Goodenough also advised the Abeokutans to erect flanking towers atshort intervals round their walls, to dig a moat twenty feet wide andeight deep at a few yards from their foot, and to turn into it the waterfrom the river in order that any future attack might be more easilyrepelled.

  The inhabitants were poor, but they would willingly have presented alltheir treasures to their white allies. Mr. Goodenough, however, wouldaccept nothing save a few specimens of native cloth exquisitely wovenfrom the inner barks of the trees, and some other specimens of choicenative workmanship. He also begged them to send down to the coast by thefirst opportunity the cases of specimens which had been collected sincethe departure of the Fans.

  A violent attack of fever, brought on by their exertions in the sun,prostrated both the white travelers a few days after the termination ofthe siege, and it was some weeks before they were able to renew theirjourney. Their intention was to ascend the river for some distance,to move westward into upper Ashanti, and then to make their way toCoomassie, whence they would journey down to Cape Coast and there takeship for England. As soon as they were able to travel they took leaveof their friends at Abeokuta, who furnished them with carriers for theircases and hammock bearers for their journey as far as the Volta. Thislasted for a fortnight through an open and fertile country. Thenthey crossed the river and entered Ashanti, the great rival empire ofDahomey. As Ashanti was at peace with England they had now no fear ofmolestation on their journey.

  Ashanti consisted of five or six kingdoms, all of which had beenconquered, and were tributary to it. The empire of Ashanti was separatedby the river Prah from the country of the Fantis, who lived underBritish protection. The people drew their supplies from various pointson the coast, principally, however, through Elmina, a Dutch settlement,five miles to the west of Cape Coast. The Ashantis could not be calledpeaceable neighbors. They, like the Dahomans, delighted in humansacrifices upon a grand scale, and to carry these out captives must betaken. Consequently every four or five years, on some pretext or other,they cross the Prah, destroyed the villages, dragged away the people toslavery or death, and carried fire and sword up to the very walls of theEnglish fort at Cape Coast. Sometimes the English confined themselvesto remonstrance, sometimes fought, not always successfully, as upon oneoccasion Sir Charles Macarthy, the governor, with a West Indian regimentwas utterly defeated, the governor himself and all his white officers,except three, being killed.

  In 1828 we aided the Fantis to defeat the Ashantis in a decisive battle,the consequence of which was the signature of a treaty, by which theKing of Ashanti recognized the independence of all the Fanti tribes. In1844, and again in 1852, a regular protectorate was arranged betweenthe British and the Fantis, the former undertaking to protect them fromenemies beyond the borders, and in turn exercising an authority overthe Fantis, forbidding them to make war with each other, and imposing anominal tribute upon them.

  In 1853 the Ashantis again crossed the Prah, but, being met withfirmness, retired again. After ten years' quiet, in 1863 they againinvaded the country, burnt thirty villages, and slaughtered theirinhabitants. Governor Price then urged upon the home authorities thenecessity for the sending out from England of two thousand troops to aidthe native army in striking a heavy blow at the Ashantis, and so puttinga stop to this constant aggression. The English government, however,refused to entertain the proposal. In order to encourage the nativessome companies of West Indian troops were marched up to the Prah. Thewet season set in, and, after suffering terribly from sickness, thesurvivors returned five months later to Cape Coast.

  Up to this period the Dutch trading ports and forts upon the coast wereinterspersed with ours, and as the tribes in their neighborhood wereunder Dutch protection constant troubles were arising between the Dutchtribes and our own, and in 1867 an exchange was effected, the Dutchceding all their forts and territory east of the Sweet river, a smallstream which falls into the sea midway between Cape Coast and Elmina,while we gave up all our forts to the west of this stream. Similarlythe protectorate of the tribes inland up to the boundary of the Ashantikingdom changed hands. The natives were not consulted as to this treaty,and some of those formerly under British protection, especially thenatives of Commendah, refused to accept the transfer, and beat offwith loss the Dutch troops who attempted to land. The Dutch men of warbombarded and destroyed Commendah.

  This step was the commencement of fresh troubles between the Ashantisand the English. The Commendah people were Fantis, and as such theimplacable enemies of the Elmina people, who had under Dutch protectionbeen always allies of the Ashantis, and had been mainly instrumentalin supplying them with arms and ammunition. The Fantis, regardingthe Elmina natives and the Dutch as one power, retaliated for thedestruction of Commendah by invading the territory of the Elmina tribe,destroying their villages and blockading the Dutch in their port.Another reason for this attack upon the Elminas was that an Ashantigeneral, named Atjempon, had marched with several hundred men throughthe Fanti country, burning, destroying, and slaying as usual, and hadtaken refuge with his men in Elmina. From this time the desultory warbetween the Elminas and their Ashanti allies, and the Fantis of theneighborhood had never ceased. Our influence over our allies wasbut small, for we in vain endeavored to persuade them to give up theinvasion of Elmina. We even cut off the supplies of powder and arms tothe Fantis, whose loyalty to our rule was thereby much shaken.

  All these troubles induced the Dutch to come to the decision towithdraw altogether, and they accordingly offered to transfer all theirpossessions to us. The English government determined not to accept thetransfer if it should lead to troubles with the natives, and as a firststep required that the Ashanti force should leave Elmina. In 1870 theKing of Ashanti wrote to us claiming Elmina as his, and protestingagainst its being handed over to us. According to native ideas the kingof Ashanti's claim was a just one. The land upon which all the forts,English, Dutch, Danish, and French, were built had been originallyacquired from the native chiefs at a fixed annual tribute, or as weregarded it as rent, or as an annual present in return for friendlyrelations. By the native customs he who conquers a chief entitled tosuch a payment becomes the heir of that payment, and one time the Kingof Ashanti upon the strength of his conquest of the Fantis set up aclaim of proprietorship over Cape Coast and the other British forts.

  Of a similar nature was the claim of the Ashantis upon Elmina. The Dutchhad paid eighty pounds a year, as they asserted, as a present, and theyproved conclusively that they had never regarded the King of Ashanti ashaving sovereignty over their forts, and that he had never advanced sucha claim. They now arrested Atjempon, and refused to pay a further sumto the King of Ashanti until he withdrew his claim. In order to settlematters amicably they sent an envoy to Coomassie with presents for theking, and obtained from him a repudiation of his former letter, and asolemn acknowledgment that the money was not paid as a tribute. Theking sent down two ambassadors to Elmina, who solemnly ratified thisdeclaration.

  The transfer was then effected. We purchased from the Dutch their fortsand stores, but the people of Elmina were told that we should not takepossession of the place except with their consent; but it was pointedout to them that if they refused to accept our protection they would beexposed as before to the hostility of the Fantis. They agreed to acceptour offer, and on the 4th of April
, 1872, a grand council was hold, theking and chiefs of Elmina announced the agreement of their people to thetransfer, and we took possession of Elmina, Atjempon and the Ashantisreturning to their own country.

  Upon the transfer taking place, Mr. Pope Hennessey, the governor ofthe colony, sent to the King of Ashanti saying that the English desiredpeace and friendship with the natives, and would give an annual present,double that which he had received from the Dutch. At the same timenegotiations were going on with the king for the free passage of Ashantitraders to the coast, and for the release of four Germans who had beencarried off ten years before by Aboo Boffoo, one of the king's generals,from their mission station on British territory near the Volta. The kingwrote saying that Aboo Boffoo would not give them up without a ransomof eighteen hundred ounces of gold, and protracted negotiations went onconcerning the payments of these sums.

  At the time when Mr. Goodenough and Frank had landed on the Gaboon,early in 1872, nothing was known of any anticipated troubles withAshanti. The negotiations between the English and the Dutch were inprogress, but they had heard that the English would not take over Elminawithout the consent of the inhabitants, and that they would be willingto increase the payment made by the Dutch to the king of Ashanti. It wasknown too that efforts would be made to settle all points of differencewith the king; and as at Abeokuta they received news that thenegotiations were going on satisfactorily, and that there was noprospect whatever of trouble, they did not hesitate to carry out theplans they had formed.

  Before crossing the Volta, they sent across to inquire of the chief ofthe town there whether two English travelers would be allowed to passthrough Ashanti, and were delayed for a fortnight until a messenger wassent to Coomassie and returned with a letter, saying that the kingwould be glad to see white men at his capital. With this assurance theycrossed the stream. They were received in state by the chief, who atonce provided them with the necessary carriers, and with them a guard,which he said would prevent any trouble on their way. On the followingday they started, and after arriving, at the end of a day's journey, ata village, prepared to stop as usual for a day or two to add to theircollection. The officer of the guard, however, explained to them throughBacon, who spoke the Ashanti language, that his instructions were, thatthey were to go straight through to Coomassie. In vain Mr. Goodenoughprotested that this would entirely defeat the object of his journey. Theofficer was firm. His orders were that they were to travel straightto Coomassie, and if he failed in carrying these out, his head wouldassuredly be forfeited.

  "This is serious, Frank," Mr. Goodenough said. "If this fellow has notblundered about his orders, it is clear that we are prisoners. However,it may be that the king merely gave a direction that we should beescorted to the capital, having no idea that we should want to loiterupon the way."

  They now proceeded steadily forward, making long day's marches. Theofficer in command of the guard was most civil, obtaining for them anabundance of provisions at the villages at which they stopped, andas Frank and his companion were both weakened by fever he enlistedsufficient hammock bearers for them, taking fresh relays from eachvillage. He would not hear of their paying either for provisions orbearers, saying that they were the king's guests, and it would be aninsult to him were they to pay for anything.

  Ten days after starting from the Volta they entered Coomassie. Thistown lay on rising ground, surrounded by a deep marsh of from forty toa hundred yards wide. A messenger had been sent on in front to announcetheir coming, and after crossing the marsh they passed under a greatfetish, or spell, consisting of a dead sheep wrapped up in red silk andsuspended from two poles.

  Mr. Goodenough and Frank took their places at the head of the littleprocession. On entering the town they were met by a crowd of at leastfive thousand people, for the most part warriors, who fired their guns,shouted, and yelled. Horns, drums, rattles, and gongs added to theappalling noise. Men with flags performed wild dances, in which thewarriors joined. The dress of the captains consisted of war caps withgilded rams' horns projecting in front, and immense plumes of eagles'feathers on each side. Their vest was of red cloth, covered withfetishes and charms in cases of gold, silver, and embroidery. These wereinterspersed with the horns and tails of animals, small brass bells, andshells. They wore loose cotton trousers, with great boots of dull redleather coming halfway up to the thigh, and fastened by small chains totheir waist belts, also ornamented with bells, horse tails, strings ofamulets, and strips of colored leather. Long leopards' tails hung downtheir backs.

  Through this crowd the party moved forward slowly, the throng thickeningat every step. They were escorted to a house which they were told wasset aside for their use, and that they would be allowed to see the kingon the following day. The houses differed entirely from anything whichthey had before seen in Africa. They were built of red clay, plasteredperfectly smooth. There were no windows or openings on the exterior, butthe door led into an open courtyard of some twelve feet in diameter. Oneach side of this was a sort of alcove, built up of clay, about threefeet from the ground. This formed a couch or seat, some eight feet longby three feet high, with a thatched roof projecting so as to prevent therain beating into the alcove. Beyond were one or more similar courtsin proportion to the size of the house. A sheep and a quantity ofvegetables and fruits were sent in in the course of the day, but theywere told not to show themselves in the streets until they had seen theking.

  "We shall be expected to make his majesty a handsome present," Mr.Goodenough said, "and, unfortunately, our stores were not intended forso great a potentate. I will give him my double barreled rifle and yourWinchester, Frank. I do not suppose he has seen such an arm. We hadbetter get them cleaned up and polished so as to look as handsome aspossible."

  In the morning one of the captains came and said that the king was inreadiness to receive them, and they made their way through a vast crowdto the marketplace, an open area, nearly half a mile in extent. The sunwas shining brightly, and the scene was a brilliant one. The king, hisCaboceers or great tributaries, his captains, and officers were seatedunder a vast number of huge umbrellas, some of them fifteen feet across.These were of scarlet, yellow, and other showy colors in silks andcloths, with fantastically scalloped and fringed valences. They weresurmounted with crescents, birds, elephants, barrels, and swords ofgold, and on some were couched stuffed animals. Innumerable smallerumbrellas of striped stuff were borne by the crowd, and all thesewere waved up and down, while a vast number of flutes, horns and othermusical instruments sounded in the air. All the principal people worerobes woven of foreign silk, which had been unraveled for working intonative patterns. All had golden necklaces and bracelets, in many casesso heavy that the arms of the bearers were supported on boys' heads.The whole crowd, many thousands in number, shone with gold, silver, andbright colors.

  The king received them with dignity, and expressed his satisfaction atseeing them, his speech being interpreted by one of his attendants, whospoke English. Mr. Goodenough replied that they had very great pleasurein visiting the court of his majesty, that they had already beentraveling for many months in Africa, having started from the Gaboon andtraveled through many tribes, but had they had any idea of visiting sogreat a king they would have provided themselves with presents fit forhis acceptance. But they were simple travelers, catching the birds,beasts, and insects of the country, to take home with them to show tothe people in England. The only things which they could offer him werea double barreled breech loading rifle of the best English construction,and a little gun, which would fire sixteen times without loading.

  The king examined the pieces with great attention, and, at his request,Mr. Goodenough fired off the whole contents of the magazine of therepeating rifle, whose action caused the greatest astonishment tothe assembled chiefs. The king then intimated his acceptance of thepresents, and said that he would speak farther with them on a futureoccasion. He informed them that they were free to move about in the townwhere they wished, and that the greatest respect would be
shown to themby the people. There was a fresh outburst of wild music, and they werethen conducted back to their house.

  After the assembly had dispersed the two Englishmen walked about throughthe town. It was not of great extent, but the streets were broad andwell kept. Many of the houses were much larger than that allotted tothem, but all were built on the same plan. It was evident that the greatmass of the population they saw about must live in villages scatteredaround, the town being wholly insufficient to contain them.

  Three days afterwards they were told that the king wished to see them inhis palace. This was a large building situated at the extremity of thetown. It was constructed of stone, and was evidently built from Europeandesigns. It was square, with a flat roof and embattled parapet. Theywere conducted through the gateway into a large courtyard, and then intoa hall where the king sat upon a raised throne. Attendants stood roundfanning him.

  "Why," he asked abruptly as they took their places before him, "do theEnglish take my town of Elmina?"

  Mr. Goodenough explained that he had been nine months absent from thecoast, and that having come straight out from England he was altogetherunaware of what had happened at Elmina.

  "Elmina is mine," the king said. "The Dutch, who were my tributaries,had no right to hand it over to the English."

  "But I understood, your majesty, that the English were ready to pay anannual sum, even larger than that which the Dutch have contributed."

  "I do not want money," the king said. "I have gold in plenty. Thereare places in my dominions where ten men in a day can wash a thousandounces. I want Elmina, I want to trade with the coast."

  "But the English will give your majesty every facility for trade."

  "But suppose we quarrel," the king said, "they can stop powder and gunsfrom coming up. If Elmina were mine I could bring up guns and powder atall times."

  "Your majesty would be no better off," Mr. Goodenough said; "for theEnglish in case of war could stop supplies from entering."

  "My people will drive them into the sea," the king said. "We have beentroubled with them too long. They can make guns, but they cannot fight.My people will eat them up. We fought them before; and see," he saidpointing to a great drum, from the edge of which hung a dozen humanskulls, "the heads of the White men serve to make a fetish for me."

  He then waved his hand to signify that the audience was terminated.

  "Things look bad, Frank," Mr. Goodenough said as they walked towardstheir home. "I fear that the king is determined upon war, and if so ourlives are not worth a month's purchase."

  "It can't be helped," Frank said as cheerfully as he could. "Wemust make the best of it. Perhaps something may occur to improve ourposition."

  The next day the four German missionaries, who had so long been keptcaptive, called upon them, and they obtained a full insight into theposition. This seemed more hopeful than the king's words had given themto expect. The missionaries said that negotiations were going on fortheir release, and that they expected very shortly to be sent down toCape Coast. So far as they knew everything was being done by the Englishto satisfy the king, and they looked upon the establishment of peace ascertain. They described the horrible rites and sacrifices which they hadbeen compelled to witness, and said that at least three thousand personswere slaughtered annually in Coomassie.

  "You noticed," one of them said, "the great tree in the marketplaceunder which the king sat. That is the great fetish tree. A greatmany victims are sacrificed in the palace itself, but the wholesaleslaughters take place there. The high brushwood comes up to withintwenty yards of it, and if you turn in there you will see thousands ofdead bodies or their remains putrefying together."

  "I thought I felt a horribly offensive smell as I was talking to theking," Frank said shuddering. "What monsters these people must be! Whowould have thought that all that show of gold and silver and silks andbright colors covered such horrible barbarism!"

  After chatting for some time longer, and offering to do anything intheir power to assist the captives, the Germans took their leave.