THE RANSOM MONEY. 
161 
a continued barricading of the borders would bring the 
Ashantees to their senses. We also called the governor's 
attention to the fact that this time the court had not con- 
descended to give any return presents to the ambassador 
of the colonial government, whereas to the former deputies 
they had been lavishly dealt out. Neither had anything 
been o-iven for his maintenance, four and a half dollars on 
each Adae being all he had received from the king, so that 
he found himself in no small pecuniary embarrassment. 
While thus standing as it were on a volcano, the king 
continued to delay Ansa's departure, professing that he 
must first pay for the goods he had brought him from the 
Coast, and also settle another account. Ashantee had taken 
goods from Asen to the value of seventeen peredwane, 
during the last two or three years, a debt which Kari- 
Kari acknowledged. The governor had therefore 
advanced it to the prince of Asen, to prevent further 
quarrels. Ansa was ashamed to return without this 
money, but this annoyance was not spared him, for on 
March the I7th the chamberlains announced that it had 
been decided to delay payment until the ransom could be 
obtained — a most revolting proceeding. 
The prince preached in the streets the same evening 
on the words, " The wages of sin is death." How 
humbled I felt, and how I longed to be able to speak 
as clearly and fluently as he did. 
An important decision arose out of Ansa's delayed de- 
parture, on a subject I had been pondering unknown to my 
wife, till she one day said she would almost rather stay 
where we were, than agree to an exorbitant sum being paid 
for our ransom. We duly weighed the matter, and then pro- 
posed that should our committee approve, we were ready to 
remain, believing that if we were once away, others would 
scarcely have the courage to start a mission in Ashantee. 
Of course many things had to be considered, such as 
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