1 62 The Course, the Camp, the Chase 



on it, and depending from it were a quantity of elephants' 

 tails. It nearly covered the chief's breast. While we 

 were halted at a previous station, Foomanah, the same 

 chief, came there as an envoy and spent some hours, 

 and on leaving the whole army were formed in two 

 lines on each side of the road through which he 

 passed, the regiments presenting arms to him. His 

 gold ornament was the envy of all, and the subject 

 of much conversation. 



"Finding they could not meet us in the bush, they 

 took to ambuscades, by which we quickly lost five scouts. 

 Drove the enemy back to the river Dah, there about 3 ft. 

 deep and 40 yards wide. Until dark the Ashantis kept 

 creeping up and firing a shot or two at the sentries, etc. 

 Learning from some prisoners that nearly 10,000 Ashantis 

 were all round us, a chain of sentries, about twenty 

 yards apart, supported by picquets, were put out about a 

 hundred yards from and all round the camp. A thunder- 

 storm came on just at dark, and lasted without inter- 

 mission till 2 A.M. Our baggage had all been left behind 

 at Aggamamu." 



That was indeed an awful night, which can only be 

 imagined by those who know what a tropical storm is like. 

 We had only arrived at the river's bank a short time 

 before dark, and a staff-officer came and gave me orders 

 to throw out the chain of sentries from the river's bank, 

 through the bush, and to join on to the West Indian 

 Eegiment, about a quarter of a mile off. All that he 

 could tell me was that their left sentry would be found by 

 a very tall tree that we could just see towering above its 

 fellows ; a few minutes afterwards daylight had gone, and 

 it became pitch dark. If it had not been for the vivid 



