B HOT HER KUHNE SET AT LIBERTY. 
267 
then two boys wha had been presented to him by the 
king followed, carrying his few possessions. Thus they 
left us, and entered the dark primeval forest ; K. cheering 
himself by repeating in his heart the cxxiv. psalm. * 
The whole of January the 10th I spent at the building 
without Owusu Kokoo, who had gone to the south in 
anxiety, after having made fetish. We were in good 
spirits as we asked ourselves whether we should be able 
to place the roof and thus crown our work. It would be 
impossible to do this in less than ten days, and we hoped 
we should not have so long to wait for our freedom. 
But in the evening we heard that everything was being 
prepared for war ; the men were making bullets of lead 
and iron, drying corn and cassada, and packing up various 
provisions. The king would not yet humble himself to 
sue for pardon. Ashantee must show itself valiant ! On 
Tuesday, January the 6th, the holy tree in the market- 
place had fallen down ; this was a bad sign ; a wake had to 
be held, and among other of the devoted victims, a Fantee 
prisoner whom the king had assured us should not be 
killed, was beheaded. 
In the course of Sunday, January the 11th, it could no 
longer be doubted that the Ashantees, either the chiefs or 
the king, were determined to measure their strength with 
the white intruders. It was universally believed that 
Owusu Kokoo and Kiihne had been sent to prepare for an 
invasion, and that the army was to leave Kyidwo the 
following day, though its departure might not take place 
for another week. A short respite this for troops so com- 
pletely demoralised, and great numbers of whom had 
deserted and fled the country. Surely a month would 
* Stanley relates : — "January 14tli. Yesterday the appearance of a 
pale prisoner, the wasted shadow of a man, put the whole camp in a 
state of excitement. It was the missionary Kiihue who came to us in 
AsiaiDan," 
