WITH M. BONNAT IN ABANKORO. 59 
he purchased a quantity of cotton in exchange for cloth 
and powder, and intended to send his goods to the coast. 
The Ashantees were however approaching the place, and 
the missionaries urged him to join in their flight, which 
he refused to do, though he retired to the mission-house 
with his servants, so as to avoid being involved in the 
affairs of the town. 
On the 25th of June the sound of drums ap- 
proached, and red umbrellas were seen glancing in and 
out among the coffee trees ; while the closed doors and 
shutters of the house were soon pierced by Ashantee 
balls. M. B. was now drao^o-ed out of the window, and 
his two men were beaten, tied together by the neck, and 
executed. The next morning he was found by the 
general Nantshi secured to a mango tree where he had 
passed the night, and rebuking the soldiers, Nantshi 
ordered food and clothino- to be given him. His own 
clothes having been stripped off the previous day, he was 
now clad in man's and woman's dress. Plenty of food was 
provided, and he was permitted to take what German 
books he liked from the library. He chose one called 
" The way of the Cross," the pictures in which were a com- 
fort to him, though he confessed to us that like the child 
in the story, he often wished to cut off a portion of the 
cross which he was himself called on to bear. Durino; the 
sally of the Ho people four of his captors stood over him 
with long knives, undecided whether or not to kill him, 
while the bullets whistled about the hut where he was 
guarded. It was however finally resolved that he should 
be sent under strict guard to Coomassie. He believed that 
he owed the indulgence of never wearing irons on the 
journey to the report of our blameless conduct. 
M. B. brought with him a scrap of butter, which im- 
parted a great relish to our roasted pisangs, and he knew 
also how to extract vinegar from the half rotten bananas 
