178 MISSIONARY LIFE IN ASH AN TEE. 
be paid for our ransom. The conversation at length took 
a confidential tone, when the king remarked that he 
would beg the governor to send more missionaries, " who 
would pray to God, and repair the mission-house." He 
might have thought that besides the ornament to the town 
of a stately building, a certain blessing would be connected 
with it, proceeding from the Christian's God. His super- 
stitious mind probably fancied some earthly good would 
come to him in a mysterious way, if he so far protected 
and assisted missionaries. 
Amidst so much that was painful, we had great 
satisfaction and comfort in our little school — from 
ten to thirteen boys came regularly one hour a day, and 
though they had difficulty in learning the letters, they 
enjoyed singing, and were able to manage the two songs 
we taught them, " Great Emmanuel," and " Oh how joy- 
ful," pretty well. They were wild little fellows, and ac- 
customed to idle about in the market-place, and often 
quarrelled, when one or another would stay away ; their 
singing too was in the onset dreadful howling — calling for 
much forbearance and patience, but we felt it such a 
mercy to be able to set to work even in this simple way, 
that we were not easily discouraged. When Joseph, on 
his return from the Coast, brought amongst other things 
some slates and pencils, our scholars were very much 
delighted. * 
* In a letter of the same date Mr. K. wrote, "I must add some 
words to brother R.'s note, for he speaks too humbly of our work in 
Coomassie. We have an irregular congregation, which has seldom num- 
bered less than three hundred individuals, mostly men and youths. 
Our school contains from fourteen to fifteen boys, sons of respectable 
Ashantees, who, although they must often be summoned when they idle 
about the streets, yet always come. I can hear them from my room 
just now, singing really well to the tune of 'God save the Queen.' 
We have also contrived a little chapel from the ruins of a house, where 
we hold our school and services ; and better than all, the Ashantees 
know us and begin to trust us, so that we have already a footing here." 
