10 MISSIONARY LIFE IN ASHANTEE. 
mockingly exclaiming, " Oh ! the whites ; good evening, 
sirs, where are your heads ? " and from one shelter to 
another they followed, assailing us with abusive taunts. 
At length they were tired, and began to prepare for the 
night, by lighting large fires around which they lay, 
leaving us only space enough to sit in a crouching 
posture. 
They had given us some wretched meat, which we could 
not touch, but tried to appease our hunger with a little 
parched corn and a few half-cooked beans, bestowed on us 
by a pitying woman. Half choked by dense smoke and 
heat, we dragged through the wearisome hours of darkness, 
and slept at length from sheer exhaustion, but were soon 
aroused by the attempted escape of another prisoner, who 
lost his head in the struggle that ensued, which episode 
caused much merriment among our guards. 
No words can describe the languor and disgust with 
which we rose as the day dawned, and watched our selfish 
keepers eagerly cooking and devouring their morning 
meal, without a thought or care for our wants. At our 
earnest entreaty they at length vouchsafed us a very 
scanty breakfast, while an exultant crowd again gathered 
round the " humbled whites," and amused themselves by 
ofiering us a portion of our own stores of food, which, 
when we took, they immediately snatched away. 
The moment had now arrived for our appearance before 
the king of Akwamu, whom we found seated in the 
middle of the village, among a crowd of councillors and 
ofiicials. He presented a sorry appearance, hanging his 
head in shame and embarrassment, which was easily 
accounted for, as no doubt he partly realised himself for 
what we knew him to be — an arch-traitor. 
The silence was broken at length by the question as to 
what we knew of Dompre, the enemy's general. We 
gave such information as we had, and then seized the 
