Four Years in Ashantee. ... Edited by Mrs. Weitbreebt with introduction by Rev. Dr. Gundert, and preface by Professor Christlieb

Introduction

BY EEV. DR. GLTNDERT, AND

Preface

BY PROFESSOR OHRISTLEIB, D.D. LONDON JAMES NISBET & CO., 21 BERNERS STREET. MDCCCLXXV. S. COWAN AST) CO., STRATHMORE PRINTING WORKS, PERTH. CONTENTS. PAGE. Preface, v. Introductory Chapter, xi. CHAP. I. — Waiting Time in Anum, 1 II. — The General Flight, 4 III. — In the Power of the Ashantees, .... 7 rv. — Before Adu Bofo, 14 V. — With the Ashantee Army, - 18 VI. — The March to the Volta, - 26 VII — From the Volta to Okwano, 31 VIII. — Journey to Aguago, and the Halt there, 38 IX. — The Little One goes Home in Toto rase, 44 X. — To Dwaben and Abankoro, - - - 51 XL — With M. Bonnat in Abankoro, - - - -57 XII. — In Asotsche, - - - '- - - - - 64 XIII. —Before the King, 67 XIV. — Ebenezer, 76 XV. — In Coomassie with Prince Ansa, 97 XVI. — Times of Sickness and Forson's Embassy, - - - 117 XVII. — The Embassy of Messrs. Crawford and Plange, - 127 XVIII. —Adu Bofo's Entry, 135 XIX. — Yams and Christmas Festivals, CONTENTS.

IV CHAP. PAGE. XX. — Prince Ansa's Transactions about the Ransom Money, 153 XXI.— Prolonged Waiting during a Revolution in the Colonial Politics, 163 XXII.— Mr. Plange's Second Embassy, 172 XXIII. —A Critical Time, 183 XXIV. — Seeming Liberty, 189 XXV.— The Reason of the War, 201 XXVI. — In Coomassie amid the Fluctuations of War, - 207 XXVII.— We Build for the King, 224 XX VIII. — Judgment Approaches, 243 XXIX. — Brother Kuhne set at Liberty, .... 263 XXX. — The Release of the Rest, 275 XXXI.— The Judgment, - 290

Appendix

. I. — The Adae, 301 II. — The Weights of Gold in Ashantee, 303 III. — The Government of Ashantee, 305 IV. — A Letter of Prince Ansa, 312 V. — A Word on the Politics of the Colonial Government in f the Year 1872, ,

PREFACE.

. From the earliest ages onward, the Christian Church at large has ever bestowed the warmest sympathy and the most grateful attention on the history of her martyrs. And well she may do so, for have they not acted as the pioneers of Christ's advancing kingdom, presenting in their example a standing embodiment of the victory of Christian faith and patience over the world ? Nor has the Protestant Church, for her part, been without the witness of numerous martyrs from the era of her first struggles for existence, down to the history of her missions in modern times. And though we do not idolize these martyrs, lest we should detract from the glory of the only Mediator and incomparable Martyr of Golgotha ; yet we honour their memory, and we look upon their sufferings and conquests as pledges for that universal triumph of the gospel, which shall even tually be brought about.

True, a Church whose founda tion was laid by the Crucified, must ever remain a cross-bearing Church : amidst much of strife and tribula tion, under the pressure of constant trial, her members must grow and increase, till the day arrive when the first holy cross-bearer, Jesus Christ her Lord and Head, shall ap pear in glory and deliver His suffering Bride from all evil.

PREFACE.

. VI The following pages tell a wondrous story of Christian martyrdom, although the story does not end with the death of the sufferers. Those martyrs who were per mitted to seal their testimony for Christ's truth with their blood, have by no means always suffered more severely than the Christian witnesses whose experiences are re corded here. We see them enduring a tedious captivity, full of most cruel privations, in one of the darkest territories of heathen superstition, under a sanguinary despotism, the like of which, even in Africa, exists only in places few and far between. With the abominations and fiendish barbarities of such a government daily before their eyes, their own lives in constant peril, .and at the mercjr of a despot who played with the persons of his prisoners as though they were puppets — in the midst of constant fluctuations between fear and hope, the prospect of re lease again and again held out, only to be dashed to the ground — till at length their peril reaches its climax, to gether with the political jeopardy of their tormentors.

At length the judgment which breaks in upon the tyrant is the means of restoring them — though weak and ex hausted — to safety, in answer to the unceasing prayers of their friends at home. Assuredly this is no easier martyr dom than the quicker process of laying down one's fife on the block or at the stake. The fact, moreover, that these sufferers are still in our midst, only deepens the sympathy which we feel in the story of their captivity. But the interest attaching to this simple journal of the German missionaries is manifold. It excites not only personal sympathy, such as every Christian owes to the sufferings of a brother. It awakens not merely the

PREFACE.

. VII attention of the ethnologist, who will gain from it a far deeper insight into the political, social, and religious life of the Ashantee nation than any traveller has hitherto been able to give — but it must command the interest of all who desire the extension of Christ's kingdom, more especially of English Christians. The most recent events in the history of Ashantee are a tangible confirmation of the repeated experience, that a kingdom which resists the spread of gospel light, and refuses to recognise the day of its visitation, is ripening for internal decay, convulsion, and dissolution. The latest news (see " The Evangelischer Heidenbote " (Calw), Dec. 1874), make it a matter of certainty that the king dom of Ashantee is doomed. Kofi Kari-Kari, a weak, vain, deceitful monarch, is apparently unable to recover the effect of his defeat.

His role appears to be well nigh finished, his chiefs and allies are leaving him, and he has already been compelled to admit the independence of his most powerful vassal, the king of Dwaben. May we not believe that God has permitted one of the most powerful kingdoms of Western Africa to be thus ter ribly humiliated, in order that a free entrance may be opened into that land for the Gospel of Peace ? The un broken power of Ashantee has hitherto — with few and rare exceptions — withstood the influence of the gospel, and would have continued to render the establishment of new missions fruitless, if not impossible. The yoke of des potism is now broken, and the agglomeration of tribes once held together by superstition and fear, is beginning to be dissolved into its constituent elements. The nationalities hitherto enslaved by Ashantee are seeking a closer alliance with England, and wish to be ad-

PREFACE.

. mitted into the protectorate. The south-western boundary of the Ashantee kingdom is opened, and not only this but the tribes there situate (Okwau and Dwaben) have ex pressed a wish for missionaries to come to them. Does not all this reveal the hand of God opening the gates to the messengers of His kingdom ? Can we imagine a political situation more favourable to its extension ? These questions demand an answer from Christians on both sides of the channel. What better one can be given by those of England, than the practical conclusion : Now that the weapons of our country have pierced the heart of Ashantee, and laid Coornassie in ruins, should not the Christian compassion and the vigorous faith of English men seek to raise this unhappy nation from the dust ; not to new death, but to true life in the light and liberty of the gospel ?

Wherefore not ? Germany and Switzerland, through the instrumentality of their Basel Missionary Society, are ready to help in a second campaign against Coornassie. For more than forty years this Society has been working on the west coast of Africa ; gradually pushing forward its stations to the boundaries of Ashantee. How considerable have been the results already attained, how whole some the influence already exercised upon the population, may be seen from the official recognition of these facts by Sir John Glover, during the late war. Hence we cannot doubt that side by side with the English Wesleyans, the Basel Society is primarily called of God to carry on this work. In concert with the liberated captives, the Basel com mittee has already drawn up a plan for the advance ment of the mission foreposts in a westerly direction, so

PREFACE.

. IX as to take possession of the new territory. One of the captives, Mr. Ramseyer, whose health permits him to re turn, has offered to found the new mission in Ashantee ; and three Basel missionaries have already preceded, and are awaiting his arrival at Kyebi (not far from the frontier), and are meanwhile preparing themselves for their work. One of the principal keys of the land, viz., the language spoken throughout Ashantee (Tschi) is already in the possession of the missionaries, who have finished and printed (or are now printing), not only a translation of the Scriptures, but also the most necessary books for schools and churches. Thus has this new and peaceful campaign against Ashantee been already inaugurated. Germany is ready to send into the field the needful, well-qualified soldiers, in the shape of thoroughly educated, persevering, hard working, frugal missionaries — some of whom have, as we have said, been already dispatched.

The indispens able fund for carrying on this holy war amounts to £7,000 for starting, and £700 annually for supporting the new stations. Is it asking too much if we look for assistance in raising these sums to English liberality ? Assuredly it must be of the greatest importance for the English protectorate in West Africa — even from a merely political point of view — to change the kingdom of Ashantee from a wily and cruel enemy, into a peaceful and civilised neighbour. The Committee of the Basel Missionary Society has already issued an appeal to the Christians of England, which has been supported with large-hearted generosity and true Christian charity by the Church Missionary Society — a body which has always shown the utmost re-

PREFACE.

. X gard for the moral rights of other societies, and in this case too has abstained from the least appearance of an attempt to take possession of territory which has been already occupied by the English Wesleyan and Basel Societies. May this noble example be followed by Christians throughout England, and may they show by the warm sup port accorded to this new mission (which many of them feel to be a national duty), that they attach far more importance to the extension of Christ's kingdom than to the spread of any one denomination. May the following pages sound, in their artless but touching tale, the voice of the Lord, knocking at the heart's door of Christian England, and asking help for benighted Ashantee. If there be any one who can read a journal such as this, without becoming a friend and supporter of missions to the heathen, let him earnestly ask himself the question whether one who has no compassion for the sufferings of a Christless humanity, can have any true love to the Lord whom these sufferings brought down to take our flesh.

" Behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it " (Rev. iii. 8). Let us not be blind to the truth in the present case. Inwards, beyond Ashantee, and indeed partly in Ashantee itself, the false prophet is at work, and more of the tribes of inner Africa are constantly being subdued to his creed. This open door may soon be closed, if we neglect to hear God's message, and do not hasten to set up in those regions the standard of the True Prophet. THEODORE CHRISTLEIB, D.D, Ph. D. Professor of Theology and University Preacher. Bonn, Prussia, December 20th, 1874. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER by the EEV. DR GUNDEET, CALW, WUETEMBEEG. We are indebted to peculiar circumstances for the follow ing pages. Two missionaries suddenly found themselves in a position to observe closely the still unbroken national and political life of a pure African race ; to live and to suffer with them in a very important and critical period of their history — probably indeed the turning point.

But in this case the usual state of things was reversed. Europeans, whether travellers, merchants, residents, or missionaries, when they cross the path of, Or come in contact with the negro, commonly do so from a position of superiority. They look from above, but these men saw all from below ; the white man was the slave, the negro the master. Those who wish to know the state of things which really existed in the now fallen Ashantee kingdom, its forms of government, and the individual, social, and political life of this interesting negro people, will find in this journal important and dependable disclosures. Of course, they are scattered through the narrative ; for a connected summary, or a polished description of the country has not been attempted here. To the attentive reader it will be clear that the real journal, viz, that which was written simultaneously wdth the events, only commenced when the writers had ink and paper sent them.

They both made use of the long INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. period of detention in Coornassie to write down the events of each day, at the same time recording their remembrances of the first year of their captivity. That the names of places scarcely occur at all is to be accounted for by the position of the unwilling travellers. The following state ment may help to throw light on the circumstances which led to their being taken prisoners. The Gold Coast extends from the Asini river to the mouth of the Volta, and includes from three to four degrees of longitude. It is traversed through the middle by the Prah, and inhabited by negro tribes who mostly speak a dialect of the Tschi language. On the western side of the Prah are the Asini, Wasa, and Denkjera ; on the other side are the Fantee, Abora, Akem, Asen, and Akwapem ; and towards the Volta are the Akra, Adangme, Krobo, and Akwamu.

Twenty-five forts were built from time to time, in which European merchants formerly carried on the slave trade. The chief of these forts, Elmina and Cape Coast, two miles apart, have belonged (since 1G37-1661) to the Dutch and English. These exercised little, and certainly no good influence on the surrounding negroes. At length the Asantees, or as they are called in the Coast dialect, Ashantees, appeared on the scene as a conquering power, and in endeavouring to force their way to the sea, came into collision with the British. The latter fought a hasty battle with the king, Tuta Kwamina, January 21st, 1824, and suffered a disgrace ful defeat. Two years later, September 19th, 1826, this was avenged by a complete victory at Dudowa, after which the experienced governor, George Maclcan, arranged the terms of peace, which guaranteed the independence of all the tribes (with the exception of the Asinis in the west and the Akwamus in the east), and placed them under British protection. Two Ashantee princes, Kwanta Bisa and Ansa Owusu, were sent as hostages to England, INTRODUCTORY

CHAPTER. XIII

whence they returned in 1841 as baptized Christians, and accompanied a Wesleyan mission to Coornassie. In 1580 the English territory was made more compact by the purchase of the Danish settlements, and by an ex change with the Dutch in 1867, when a tax of a shilling a head was imposed on the inhabitants of the protectorate ; but very little was done for the improvement of the people. The Wesleyans established a mission in the west, the Basel Society did the same in the east, and these were the chief efforts made for the elevation of the negro popula tion. In 1863 a fresh war broke out between the English colonial government and the king of Ashantee, which led to a disastrous campaign, the British troops falling victims to the climate rather than to the enemy. Captain Pine pleaded for means to make a vigorous attack upon Coornassie ; but he obtained only a few West Indian troops who were encamped in the bush during the rainy season, where numbers of them died.

King Kwakoo Dooah said truly, " The white men bring many cannon to the bush, but the bush is stronger than the cannon." In May 1864, an order was sent to discontinue the war ; in consequence of which unfortunate proceeding the Ashantees lost all respect for the British power; and Parliament found it necessary to appoint a commission to investigate thoroughly the condition of the British territory on the Gold Coast. Many strongly recommended the abandonment of such an unhealthy, profitless colony, while others as strongly advocated a more energetic management of it ; between these two extremes of opinion the commission thought it desirable to adopt a middle course. It recommended that the government should be left more and more in the hands of the natives, and that the British should carefully avoid enlarging their territory or making any fresh treaties with the tribes on the Coast, in order that the protecting power might, as soon as it was INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. possible, without breach of honour, withdraw entirely.

It happened, as might have been foreseen. " The weakness and incapacity of the local government made every progress impossible," as Lord Grey truly stated. No attempt was made to train the natives to self-government, or to make them capable of defending themselves ; the weak policy which only aimed at avoiding all dealings with Ashantee, and which, even when roused, persevered in inactivity, inevitably led to war with this proud people. The Basel Society had, in the winter of 1839-40, sent out their first missionary, Ries ; he had gone to Coornassie and attempted to carry forward his work in Ashantee. But later on circumstances arose which led the Basel Society to enlarge their field of operations on the Volta, and this was done without an idea that it was possible to come into connection or collision with the eastern boundary of Ashantee.

Thus in 1846, the missionary Klauss crossed the Volta and began to found a settlement at about eight miles distance from the river, on high ground near Anum. A steep healthy hill, covered with grass, rose about 200 feet above the plain on the north of the town. Here, after much difficulty, a house was at last finished and a school commenced, while regular mission work was carried on amongst the people ; an agent in connection with the mission also bought up cotton, which was sent down the Volta to the coast town Ada. But from the beginning there were many political hin drances to the prosperity of the new station. To the south of Anum, on the Volta, live the Akwems, who have lono been on very bad terms with their neighbours. In the year 1867, their enmity took so active a form that Anum became almost cut off from the rest of the missionary territory, and could only be reached by a long and circuitous route. In 1869, the Akwems and the Anglos, a tribe who Live INTRODUCTORY

CHAPTER. XV

further to the east, formed a secret alliance with Ashantee, and the latter power sent an army across the Volta to seize upon territory just outside the British protectorate. It was believed in Coornassie that the English would not raise any earnest objection to this, and the plan was, after winning great victories, to push on with increased strength to the Gold Coast. This expedition led, in June 1869, to the destruction of the two mission stations Anum and Wegbe (or Ho). Whilst the residents at the latter place were able to escape in good time, retreat was impossible for the Basel missionaries. The Swiss, Frederick Augustus Ramseyer (with his wife and their infant son), had been in Anum since December 29th, 1868. He had worked on the Gold Coast since 1864, so that he had much African experience.

The Silesian Johannes Kiihne had been in Africa since 1866, but he had only joined Ramseyer as a merchant two months before they were made prisoners. We will now proceed to their own narrative.

Chapter I. Waiting Time In Anum

After the arrival of Mr. Kiihne on our station, Anum, his predecessors, Mr. and Mrs. Schonhuth had, by order of our Committee, to leave this place for their new field of labour at Christiansborg ; but in war time it was no easy task to find men for the transport of Mrs. Schonhuth and the baggage, because an order from the camp, which was pitched near our town, made it imperative on all the men to join their ranks, as a glimpse had been caught of their enemies, the Ashantees. There was, however, no time for delay, and by vigorous effort we induced four men to assist us, so that Mrs. Schonhuth was safely conveyed to Ho, May 20th, 1869. Alarming rumours were rife on all sides, while negroes, painted and armed to the teeth, were constantly seen leaving the camp and ascending our hill. The appearance of these fellows was really terrific, with their caps of dried skin surmounted by blood-stained goats' horns.

They vaunted their heroic deeds on such of their Ashan tee enemies as had come within their reach, and a band of twenty of them demanded a reward for having kept watch for us on the Wolta river. But the Almighty God B had been our sole protector, and we firmly refused their unreasonable request. We scarcely believed anything we heard, and concluded that as there was still a mixed population of young and old left in the town, the danger could not be imminent. We also hoped that the apparent attachment of the Anums to us and our surroundings, and the kindness we had shown them on various occasions, would prove some security, and we suspected that the enemy desired us to forsake our station only that they might plunder it to their hearts' content. We therefore firmly resolved to stay and abide the consequences.

No idea of imprison ment or captivity in Coornassie ever occurred to us, believing we had really less to fear from the Ashantees than from the people around us. The king, howeverj sug gested our depositing our property in Ho, though he assured us there was no real danger; this we were willing to do, but how to accomplish it was the question, for most of our servants, and even our nurse, had already fled. Our brethren in Ho, who were equally anxious with ourselves to remain at their post, begged me to send my wife with the little one to them for protection, and I would gladly have accepted their kindness but for her determination to remain with me. The thing which caused our chief uneasiness was a cloud of smoke which we observed rising behind the chain of mountains near us, and which advanced continually in an easterly direction.

Sometimes it was so dense that we thought it must arise from the burning of a villao-e ; then it became so faint as scarcely to indicate camp fires ; and anon it faded into a thin blue mist. Our negroes could not explain it, yet it was obvious that our kino -was removing his camp into close proximity to us, so that it was now within an hour's walk of Anum, and there was no sign of breaking it up. By this time all business was WAITING TIME IN ANUM. 3 suspended, except that a good deal of cotton was still being brought to us in exchange for cowries, and nearly a hundred bales lay ready for dispatch ; but the king would not supply the men to take them down the river. The clerk and the catechist remained faithful, although very uneasy from the general excitement ; still, none of us supposed we had more to fear from the enemy than the extortion of a war tax, or the partial plunder of our goods.

Our neutrality had been recognised by the king of Akwamu, an ally of Ashantee, who had twice per mitted Mr. Schonhuth to pass through his territory, and it was well known to every one that we, as missionaries, not only had nothing to do with war, but that Mr. Schon huth had once obtained the release of an Ashantee prisoner at his own cost, and sent him back to his friends. I regarded my wife's decision to remain beside me in the hour of danger as an indication from God that we were not to separate, and subsequent events strengthened this impression. Most wonderfully was she upheld, both in body and mind, during the weary years of our captivity, and again and again did she revive my drooping faith, throughout our lengthened wanderings. Thus, amid alternating hopes and fears, the first week of June passed away, yet the cloud of smoke was still seen travelling eastward, and the question sometimes flashed upon us, " Could the Ashantees be advancing on Ho ?"

Meanwhile we could obtain no reliable news, but if an engagement should occur, it would certainly necessi tate flight; for where would a combined resistance be more easy than from the summit of our hill, surrounded as it was by a high wall, and only ten minutes' walk from the town.

Chapter II. The General Flight

We were awakened at day break, on the morning of 9th June, by a loud knocking, and on opening the door, several soldiers announced to me, in the king's name, that a battle was at hand, that the town would soon be de serted, and we could expect no mercy from the blood thirsty Ashantees. " Would we like to escape?" After some deliberation we decided in the negative. Scarcely had they left us when our boys asked leave to join their mothers, who were preparing to flee. We could not refuse them, for our other servants had already gone, except two whom we had rescued from slavery, with our catechist and our clerk. By the afternoon a few stragglers alone remained in the town, and the king was trying to establish his camp in its deserted area, for a battle was expected in our immediate neighbourhood.

A merchant who attended our services, visited us, and advised us to retire to Ho. "The Ashantees will not injure your persons," said he, "but they might easily carry you to Coornassie. I will, however, meet you again in the hour of danger, seeing you decide to remain." Still later we had a visit from a relative of the kino assuring us that he had not ordered a flight, and reoret ting that our servants had left us, though we hoped we should see them again the following day. Thus warned we deemed it prudent, after dark, to bury two hundred THE GENERAL FLIGHT. 5 dollars in the garden, and hide our rings in the same place. But the news which reached us on the morning of June 10th, cut off all hopes of a speedy peace. None of our servants returned, and the Christians, who had been faithful hitherto, now begged to be dismissed.

" The Ashantees," they said, " were known as executioners, and they might be as likely to practise on black men as on white ? " We gave them some money, and a testimonial of faithful service, advising them on no account to mix themselves up in the war. They then collected their few belongings and departed, leaving us in a solitude most solemn and strange, no voices but our own to be heard. We at once proceeded to chop the wood, milk the goats, attend to cooking, and seek for water, which was daily be coming more scarce. A message from the king now informed us of his intention to meet the enemy in Anum, and enquired if we were prepared to face the danger. We prayed for guidance, and replied that we would re move to Ho, if he could spare us men to convey my wife ; thus leaving our station and property to the Lord's care.

We then besought our Heavenly Father to hinder our going if it were not His will, and rose from our knees peaceful at heart, and strong in His strength. The king's answer soon came, to the effect that Pekyi, with its surroundings (a former mission station four miles from Anum), had joined the Ashantees. We waited for a confirmation of this report, and employed the interval in making a hammock and two small boxes for our projected flight. In the midst of these preparations, we were startled by soldiers running towards us crying loudly, " run, run, the Ashantees are in the town." The day passed on as we waited in anxious suspense for the sound of a shot, or the appearance of the enemy. As night approached, we ventured to the town in search of water; a death-like silence reigned in its deserted streets, which were strewn with broken fragments, while every house was so still that the bleating of a kid was a welcome sound, and cheered me as I, retraced my steps homewards.

We kept lights burning and shutters open, trying in vain to obtain a little sleep ; the wind, always high on our hill, was especially boisterous that night, and most anxiously did we long for day. It came at length, and weary and worn as we were with painful watching, we began to prepare our early meal. Milking the goats was, after several attempts, found to be an impossibility, our store of condensed milk we dared not use, for it was our sole dependence for our baby, so we hid the precious tins. Mid-day passed, still the same dreadful silence prevailed ; for miles around there was no sign of life ; we were alone on our hill top. Restlessly wandering backwards and forwards we looked and listened ; the cry even of a bird startling us. Thus the day wore on, our only employment throughout its long hours being to boil a piece of meat in as little water as possible, for the springs were a mile off, and our precious store was nearly exhausted.