ASHANTI TRADERS. 
183 
The intervening land seems to be considerably de- 
pressed, and there is a large piece of salt water, 
similar to one near Cape Coast Castle, the resort of 
numbers of water fowl, It is an excellent sporting 
country ; as many as five hundred deer are sometimes 
seen together, increasing the park-like appearance of 
the scenery. 
We met several parties of Ashanti traders, starting 
of! for the interior, with various articles of European 
produce, but principally salt, which they exchange for 
gold-dust and ivory. Everything is borne on the 
heads of slaves, a portion of whom of course belong 
to the commissariat department, and carry provisions 
for two or three days. These Ashanti traders com- 
municate with all the nations of the interior adjoining 
their country, but they do not pass the frontier. 
Others meet them at appointed and regular markets, 
to interchange their commodities. It requires twelve 
days to reach a place called Sari, to meet those of 
Mallowa (query Melli), which some describe as a very 
large country, others say it is a general name for all 
the nations beyond Ashanti. 
Judging from the specimens we saw of the Ashanti 
race, we must certainly give them the preference over 
the Fanti, in point of physical characteristics. They 
were muscular, lathy, active-looking men, of average 
stature, with smaller hands and feet ; the eyes 
bright and intelligent ; in a few the hair was some- 
what long, soft and glossy. We were also enabled 
