208 MISSIONARY LIFE IN ASHANTEE. 
Afirifa, who had said in Fomana that the king was God, 
was accused by Akjampong of surrendering Elmina to the 
English, and of being the cause of his (Akjampong's) im- 
prisonment in the fort, and now his God allowed him to 
be beaten, his hands and feet to be put in the stocks, and 
his wives and property to be taken from him. Truly his 
falsehood and wickedness deserved punishment, though of 
these special crimes he was not guilty. If he had sworn 
the king's oath that Akjampong had gone to Elmina 
against the king's order, he had been commanded to doit. 
He was doubtless treated with enmity because he had 
returned home a wealthy man, and though afraid to offer 
his goods for sale in Coomassie, he made his head- 
quarters for business in a little village. Nothing coald 
be kept a secret in Ashantee, where the most faithful 
follower of the king was not secure from the machinations 
of jealousy, envy, and ambition. 
For some time we had been obliged to content our- 
selves on Sundays with few but attentive listeners, but 
on January 25th I had again the happiness of proclaiming 
to large numbers the Word of Life. It was difficult, how- 
ever, to regain the feelings of former days when faith and 
hope were bright. The state of our dear child also 
depressed me. I prayed for help to testify, under all 
circumstances, of God's unchanging grace and love both 
in season and out of season, and He gave us ere long 
cause to bless Him for the restoration of the little one's 
health. 
Great excitement prevailed around us from the varied 
reports. The Akems were said to have attacked the 
camp by night, and carried off prisoners with powder 
and provisions. A huge gathering assembled in the 
market place, and the king summoned his Fetishes to 
prophesy for six hours as to the result of the war. Some 
fifty priests foretold that the army would conquer the 
