TIMES OF SICKNESS, d^^^- 
121 
Every ceremony connected with this building was accom- 
panied by the shedding of human blood, to appease the 
Vratli of the deceased kings. On this occasion the cheeks 
of three poor boys were perforated with knives on the 
usual plan, and their hands were bound behind them. 
This fearful cruelty was lightly spoken of as a very com- 
mon thing. 
Such victims are mostly criminals, but how trifling 
often was the offence. Every one who used the king's 
oath, or spoke rudely of the royal house, was laid in irons. 
If a poor Odonko negro, in a fit of home sickness, tried to 
escape from his cruel master, he was caught and chained. 
Thus there were always a number of these doomed crea- 
tures ready, for once chained they were seldom pardoned, 
though it was in the power of the king to set any of 
them free. 
Notwithstanding this severity crime was universal, and 
the ignorant degraded people sported like children with 
the king of terrors. If his majesty, who alone had power 
to inflict capital punishment, remitted the sentence, a 
heavy fine was exacted, and the nose, ears, or lips of the 
culprit were cut off". It was by no means uncommon for 
an executioner to be bribed by a young warrior that he 
might be allowed to try his hand on the next culprit. 
On Easter Sunday, to my great disappointment, no one 
from the town appeared at our service. The people 
excused themselves by saying the king had forbidden 
them to come — he had only forbidden them to steal from 
us. I regietted this misapprehension (if such it was) 
and invited them again to visit us, especially on Sundays. 
We were summoned to the palace on Monday morning, 
and found the king in the court of justice. Seeing us, 
Opoku called out, " Susse, come and sit here." I went 
and had Major Brownell's letter given me to trans- 
late. He alluded to the return of the seventy-six Ashan- 
