96 MISSIONARY LIFE IN ASHANTEE. 
though often plundered, occasionally afforded us the 
luxury of an egg. 
And here I must not forget to add, that during our last 
fortnight, our dear prince Ansa rejoiced us with a most 
welcome present, consisting of a fine sheep, some yams, 
and two hens. We were soon after enabled to buy 
another fowl and two chickens, at a trifling price, and the 
care of this poultry was a wonderful pleasure to us. 
In the meanwhile, the prince had prepared for our use 
two rooms in the mission-house ; these were cleaned and 
whitened, and permission was obtained for our taking 
possession the next week. Thursday, which we suggested, 
being considered by the king an unlucky day, our removal 
was fixed for Monday, it being stipulated that we should 
go by moonlight, to avoid creating sensation in the town. 
We could scarcely believe in the truth of this pleasant 
change, which was the first of our desires that had been 
acceded to during our captivity, and we could hardly 
reahse the happy fact. The prince, moreover, stirred our 
hearts by hints of various great changes now taking 
place on the Gold Coast. It appeared likely that England 
would shortly purchase Elmina from the Dutch, the latter 
retiring altogether from Guinea; the entire Coast thus 
coming under British rule, it would probably ensue, that 
a strict system of government would supersede the 
irregular order of things which had hitherto prevailed ; 
in any case, we rested in the thought that our God would 
order all things for the best. 
