108 
MISSION TO ASHANTEE. 
promise, and if that was not enough, our negociations were at an 
end. No ! that was not enough, I must stay and see the palaver 
settled. 
We immediately rose, and I declared as impressively as I could,' 
that as the officer of the King of England, your orders only could 
be obeyed by me, that I dared not remain or allow myself to be 
stopped, even if I should be killed on the padi, for my life was not 
my palaver, but the King of England^s. As I bowed to retire, the 
linguist exclaimed, that the King promised to see me again in an 
hour. 
I used the interval for reflection, and resolved to act upon the 
conclusion, that nothing but an undaunted resolution could check 
these encroachments, which were to be attributed to the Govern- 
ment rather than to the King. 
The hour having fully expired, I sent a cane to Adoopee, the 
chief linguist, to desire the audience ; he sent me word that the 
King w^as asleep, and no one dared to awake him. I then went to 
Odumata (who resides within the palace) and repeated to him, that 
I was determined to go, if the King did not keep his word and see 
me ; he said I could not ; I rejoined, I would, and left him. I then 
went to Adoocee's house, declared the same, and received the 
same reply. I left a cane in waiting at the palace, with orders to 
quit and return to me at 4 o'clock, (which allowed altogether four 
hours instead of one) if he was not dispatched with a message in 
the interval. No notice was taken ; there was no alternative to 
my making good what I had said. The views of the Mission were 
at risk, but they would have been too dearly purchased by such 
concessions, and I was sanguine, rather than apprehensive of the 
success of the measure I adopted ; without spirit and fortitude 
nothing was to be done. 
I ordered all the baggage out, planted the flag, and giving the 
