fate that waited them on the morrow.  Old men and old women, young men and young women, the rollicking children whose light hearts knew no touch of sorrow, as well as the innocent babes clinging to the agitated bosoms of their mothers,—­unable to distinguish between friend or foe,—­felt the cruel stroke of war.  All were driven to an inhospitable grave in the place where the fateful hand of war made them its victims, or perished in the sullen waters of the Volta.  For nearly a hundred miles “the smoke of their torment” mounted the skies.  Nothing was left in the rear of the Ashantee army, not even cattle or buildings.  Pursued by a fleet-footed and impartial disaster, the fainting Fantis and their terrified allies turned their faces toward the seacoast.  And why?  Perhaps this fleeing army had a sort of superstitious belief that the sea might help them.  Then, again, they knew that there were many English on the Gold Coast; that they had forts and troops.  They trusted, also, that the young king of the Ashantees would not follow his enemy under the British flag and guns.  They were mistaken.  The two revolting chiefs took refuge in the fort at Anamabo.  On came the intrepid king, thundering at the very gates of the English fort.  The village was swept with the hot breath of battle.  Thousands perished before this invincible army.  The English soldiers poured hot shot and musketry into the columns of the advancing army; but on they marched to victory with an impurturbable air, worthy of “the old guard” under Ney at Waterloo.  Preparations were completed for blowing up the walls of the fort; and it would have been but a few hours until the king of Ashantee would have taken the governor’s chair, had not the English capitulated.  During the negotiations one of the offending chiefs made good his escape to a little village called Cape Coast; but the other was delivered up, and, having been taken back to Kumasi, was tortured to death.  Twelve thousand persons fell in the engagement at Anamabo, and thousands of lives were lost in other engagements.  This took place in 1807.

In 1811 the king of Ashantee sent an array to Elmina to protect his subjects against predatory bands of Fantis.  Three or four battles were fought, and were invariably won by the Ashantee troops.

Barbarians have about as long memories as civilized races.  They are a kind-hearted people, but very dangerous and ugly when they are led to feel that they have been injured. “The great oath” means a great deal; and the king was not happy in the thought that one of the insolent chiefs had found refuge in the town of Cape Coast, which was in the Fanti country.  So in 1817 he invaded this country, and called at Cape Coast, and reduced the place to the condition of a siege.  The English authorities saw the Fantis dying under their eyes, and paid the fine imposed by the King of Ashantee, rather than bury the dead inhabitants of the beleaguered town.  The Ashantees retired.