IN COOMASSIE WITH PRINCE ANSA. Ill 
prince Ansa was permitted to speak with his majesty in 
the presence of liis torch-bearers only, who were quite 
boys. 
When this gossip was mentioned, the king laughed 
and said, "if Mrs. K.'s mother had been an Ashantee 
woman, she would have had curly hair and a diiferent 
nose." Ansa then took the opportunity to speak of the 
shameful way m which we had been entrapped and sub- 
sequently treated, but the only reply he received was, 
" Yes, Ageana is certainly a wicked man, and the soldiers 
will have nothing more to do with them." 
" But what about Adu Bofo ?" continued the king, 
" have they an accusation to bring against him when he 
returns ?" " Very likely," said Ansa, and then asked if 
Mrs. R. was not to accompany him to the Coast, at which 
the king laughed, but said nothing. 
The prince then asked if it was true that other w^hite 
men had been taken prisoners, and were coming to Coom- 
assie. The king replied that there was some foundation 
for the report, but that he had ordered the captives to 
be set free. We afterwards found that the missionaries, 
Merz and Miiller, of the North German Mission, although 
on British territory, and under the protection of the 
allies, had escaped with difficulty, not by command of 
the king, but by the prompt aid of the negroes of Keta. 
It was very difficult to reconcile the conflicting rumours, 
but we could at least rejoice that no more brethren were 
coming to share our misery. 
A strange interruption occurred on the following Sun- 
day (January 15th), by the entrance of Bosommuru as 
we were commencing our service. Being invited to stay 
and listen he sat down, but interrupted the prince at 
every sentence, loudly explaining all for the benefit of 
his followers. When others entered, he called out 
"prince, do you allow people to come here like this, 
