AMID THE FLUCTUATIONS OF WAR. 213 
were but seven), was a christian and his wife. He was 
ordered to join the troops, while she was to remain. After 
begging permission to take her, and failing to obtain it, 
this man declared he would stay in Coomassie. She was 
his wife, with whom he had come there, and he would not 
leave her. Half angry, half astonished, the king acqui- 
esced. 
Akjampong then set out to collect forces in Safwi, and 
Kwantiabo to free Elmina from the British yoke, though 
it was next to impossible to be assured of this, for almost 
everything proposed had a hidden meaning. For instance, 
when Mr. Dawson had an interview with the two Bosom- 
murus and Mensa, and told them how wrong it was to 
hear one side of a subject, they only laughed and 
said, " you must think nothing of these things, the king 
and we know that Akjampong has reason to thank the 
governor for bringing him back to his country, but we 
were obliged to act thus." 
Mr D. then ventured to plead for the Fantee and Akra 
prisoners, who were still in the stocks. " When the king 
has time, he will release them," said they. The fears of 
these poor men were not without reason, for it was already 
rumoured that Akem had been sacrificed for the Fetish. 
As the nine bearers the governor had sent for us were 
still languishing in irons, we urged Mr. D. to beg for their 
release. He represented the case to the king, who gave 
an assurance to their safety. Want of provisions and 
heavy rain still prevented the forces from marching, and 
the king was now threatening, now scorning the entreaties 
from his chiefs to send for more men. 
We turned our thoughts to more happy and peaceful 
occupations, and set to work to extend our plantation, 
and improve M. Bonnat's cottage. Mose and the other 
christians dug and planted some land likewise, though 
the uncertainty of everything around prevented the 
