_1847-1848. COAST OF GUINEA. BARBADOS. ENGLAND_
Sail for Guinea--Arrive--Cape Coast Castle--Fantees--Some
characteristics--Domestic “slaves”--Obsequies--First impressions--
Tornado season--Sickness and mortality--Personal--Husband of
L.E.L.--“Healthy” season--Amusements--Natural history pursuits--
Snakes--King Aggary--Chiefs--Accra--Apollonia--Burying the
peace-drum--Axim--River Encobra--The “royal” capital--Savage
displays--Prisoners released--Scarcity of fresh water--The king
surrendered--Brought in manacled--His atrocities--Retribution--
Return march--Cape Coast--Fantee women--Force disbanded--“Reliefs”--
Departure--Incident on board--Barbados--The island and its people--
Compared with tropical India--Homeward bound--Arrive in England--
Comments--Chartists--Leave of absence.
Cold, misty, and raw was the day in the first week of January, 1847,
when, at Gravesend, a small party, of which I was one, embarked on the
brig _Emily_, bound to Cape Coast Castle. Still more miserable the four
following days and nights, during which the little vessel remained at
anchor, a thick dark fog enveloping us; horns and gongs sounding at
intervals, to avert a collision, if possible. At last the pall lifted,
and we were on our way. My fellow-passengers, four in number, were
three junior officers of the 1st West India Regiment, and the wife
of one of them. The ship had a burthen of only 130 tons; no separate
cabins, no accommodation suitable for officers, and none whatever for a
lady. Around the cuddy, as the “saloon” was called, a series of bunks
were arranged; one of these was told off to each of us, ingress being
attained either feet or head foremost, according to individual fancy
and agility. Every possible consideration was shown by all on board to
the lady, whose sorry plight we all commiserated; hers was indeed a sad
example of the discomforts to which a subaltern’s wife was exposed. Our
prospects so far were by no means happy, for the circumstance became
increasingly plain that only “black sheep” were considered to be sent
to “the Coast”; many years had to elapse before Africa was to spring
into fashion.
Fifty-two days at sea--for steam communication with the West Coast
was a thing of the future--and then the headland of Grand Drewin came
in sight. That point sighted, our little ship glided along the coast,
carried southward by the oceanic current at the rate of three knots
an hour or thereabouts. Arrived in the roads of Elmina, at the time
a Dutch settlement, we disembarked by means of small canoes, made by
hollowing out a branch of the bombax or silk cotton tree, each canoe
“manned” by three black boys, the eldest of whom did not apparently
exceed twelve years of age. We made direct for the house of Mr.
Bartels, not that we had an introduction to that well-known gentleman,
but for the double reason that “everybody” did so, and that Elmina
boasted neither of hotel nor other public place to which new arrivals
could resort. The hospitable gentleman on whom we had thus thrown
ourselves showed us every kindness. Next day means of conveyance to
our destination were provided for us. Mine consisted of a long narrow
basket, carried on the heads of two strong Africans, one at either
end. In that way we travelled over some miles of roadless ground; in
others along the sea beach left dry by the receded tide, and so arrived
at Cape Coast Castle, the capital of our settlements on the Coast of
Guinea.[74]
The fortress had in its day been used for many purposes, from the time
when in 1610 it was erected by the Portuguese, and by them made use
of as a slave hold, down to the present (1847). Captured by the Dutch
from its original possessors in 1643, it was taken from the latter by
Admiral Holmes in 1661; recaptured by the Dutch fleet under De Ruyter
in 1665, but the same year ceded to England. In 1757 it was attacked
unsuccessfully by the French, since which it has remained free from the
din of war, although from time to time conflicts have occurred between
the native tribes occupying the neighbouring districts. In 1672 the
first African Company received a charter from Charles II. From that
date till 1844 the fort continued in the possession of that Company
and its successors; in the year named it came directly under the
administration of the Colonial Office, as a dependency of Sierra Leone.
At the time of our sojourn there, Cape Coast Castle was occupied by a
portion of a West India regiment by officers belonging thereto, and to
military departments; by the Governor, also by the “mixed court,” by
which law or justice, or both, were administered. A school for African
children, the apartment being used for Divine service on Sundays, was
in close proximity to the billiard-room. An annexe of the fort was
utilised as a prison for the worst class of malefactors, and the native
police in charge of them, the prisoners being engaged in chain gangs
by day, working on roads and public works within the settlement. Since
the days of slavery, what had been “barracoons” for captives have been
transformed into water tanks for the supply abundantly provided by the
rainy season.
The inhabitants of the territory around Cape Coast Castle and of the
Gold Coast generally are in the mass known as Fantees. Originally
dwellers in the regions beyond the river Prah, they were forced to
cross it, and driven to the coast line by the people now called
Ashantees, who took possession of and gave their name to the country
so conquered. Although under protection of the British Government, the
Fantee chiefs (in 1847) pay tribute to the Ashantee king, who still
assumes suzerainty over them. That suzerainty, since 1826, has been
maintained without right on their part, the Ashantees having in that
year been defeated at Doodwa, near Accra, by a Fantee force, led by
British officers. In the same year, however, though earlier in it, a
small force,[75] under Sir Charles Macarthy, was disastrously beaten by
the Ashantees. That officer, rather than fall alive into the hands of
his enemies, is said to have shot himself; they to have devoured his
heart, in the belief that by that act of cannibalism they might become
endowed with the high attributes which they admired in him.
A noticeable characteristic of the people was the total absence among
them of ceremony, rite, or other observance pertaining to religious
worship. That certain phases of superstitious impressions existed among
them was evident by their belief in “lucky” and “unlucky” days. Neither
a fisherman nor bushman would proceed on their avocations on a Friday,
as it was by them devoted to their “Fetish.”[76] Although caste as
understood in India is unknown among Fantees, the existence of septs or
families approaches in some respects the social and religious divisions
of the Hindoos. Each Fantee sept is distinguished by its special badge
or armorial bearing, taken usually from some wild animal of the forest,
as among Scottish Highlanders and other civilized nations, ancient and
modern.
Ten years had nearly elapsed since slavery on the Gold Coast, as in
all other British dominions, was abolished. In all but name conditions
remained unchanged; former domestic slaves, now called servants,
remained with their former owners, by whom they were housed, clothed,
and fed as heretofore. It was related that when, in 1838,[77]
emancipation was proclaimed, the negroes here appealed against being
“sent away,” on the plea that they and their children had ever been
cared for; that as freed men and women they were without country to
return to, or means of earning their living, save with their old
masters and mistresses. Their appeal was listened to, and now (1847),
when asked jokingly, rather than in earnest, to whom do they belong,
they answer proudly that they are “slave” of, say Mrs. Jackson, Mr.
Barnes, Mr. Hutton, and so on, all highly respected residents of Cape
Coast.
A “slave” girl of the class alluded to having died, ceremonies,
elaborate in kind, took place over her body. Placed in a sitting
posture, and so supported in a corner of a room, it was enveloped in
a shroud of costly damask; the feet rested upon a cushion similarly
covered; neck and arms decorated with heavy ornaments of solid gold;
the body embellished by more or less artistic designs composed of gold
dust applied to some adhesive material. In the mouth was a twig of
shrub; on an adjoining table a goodly supply of rum and tobacco. On
the floor of the room sat a crowd of female mourners, whose dirge was
loud if not melodious. These ceremonies over, the dead, still covered
with ornaments, was deposited in the grave prepared for it in the
floor of the dwelling-house of the survivors; but, as stated to us, at
the end of a year, the body would be “turned on its side to make it
comfortable,” and then the golden ornaments removed.
Two months had elapsed since our arrival, and impressions of the place
were noted after this manner:--At the end of February, temperature
in the shade between the moderate extremes of 84° F. and 86° F.; sky
clear and cloudless, sea breeze recurring each morning, and continuing
during the hours of daylight. Behind, and from close proximity to the
town, the “bush” or dense forest begins; two inconsiderable hills, each
surmounted by a “fort,” dominate us. Some few roads or pathways extend
in various directions inland and along the beach side to the Salt
Pond, their borders lined with cacti and with flowering shrubs,[78]
the occurrence of reptiles of various kinds, and creeping things
innumerable, adding to our walks of interest and excitement in giving
the former chase. Among the forest trees a species of bombax was a
striking object, its branches so thickly covered with nests of the
tailor-bird (_Ploceus_) that they touched each other, and looked not
unlike a series of gigantic honeycombs. The absence of the bamboo was
noted with surprise, considering the latitude of the locality. Nor was
any cultivated field to be seen, the explanation being that each year
small patches of the bush are cut down, the ground cleared, crops sown
or planted, and once gathered in the “field” is quickly restored to
its original wild state till again required for agricultural purposes.
Birds and butterflies, some of both highly coloured, dashed through or
fluttered among the herbage, but no voice of song properly so called as
yet came from the former.
With the advent of the tornado season, the face of nature underwent a
sudden change. From the south-east came rapidly a mass of dense black
cloud. As it seemed arrested overhead, it assumed the form of an arch;
from its concavity forked lightning flashed, then heavy thunder rolled.
The previous stillness gave place to a rush of wind at hurricane speed,
followed by such a downfall of rain as we had never previously seen,
even in India. A few repetitions of these, and the rainy season was
upon us. Then suddenly cultivation was begun in places previously
covered by bush; crops of Indian corn, yams (_Convolvulus Batatas_),
ground-nuts (_Arachis hypogea_), and the castor-oil plant sprang up
with a rapidity truly astonishing.
With the first regular downpour of rain came a serious change in health
of our small party within the fort, also of the few settlers whose
places of business were in the town immediately outside; and for a few
succeeding months we were destined to realize the true significance of
a sickly season on the Coast of Guinea. Fever in one or other of its
local forms made its appearance, affecting the older residents in that
of ague, while the newly arrived were attacked by the more violent
form, called at the time their “seasoning,” from which the chances
of recovery were considerably less than those of death. Of the three
officers and the wife of one who had been my fellow-passengers, one of
the former speedily succumbed. The other two, together with the lady,
suffered severely, and made imperfect recoveries, while outside the
fort conditions were no less serious. The blanks so made in our numbers
were sadly apparent, and yet the survivors from attacks, and those who
had not been struck down, found in each successive death this rather
ghastly consolation, that, as the ratio of mortality was “being made
up,” so did their chances of escape increase. All this while the few of
us who were capable of the exertion took our walk morning and evening
when the weather permitted, our one promenade that towards “the Salt
Pond.” As we did so, the melancholy sight presented itself, of a small
number of newly arrived missionaries[79] gloomily pursuing the same
route, “waiting,” as we were informed, “for their seasoning,” before
being sent inland to their respective stations. One after another was
missed; it was announced that “he was down with his seasoning”; and
then--the receipt of a black-edged envelope told the rest.
Meantime I retained my health to a degree that under the circumstances
was remarkable. As a result of this happy exemption from sickness,
various duties devolved upon me in addition to those within my proper
sphere, among those extra responsibilities being professional work
in the Colonial Hospital, and charge of the Commissariat Department
for the troops--the latter altogether alien to my training or tastes.
So conditions went on till July, a month which proved to be the most
unhealthy and deadly of any throughout the year. It was then that,
night after night, I was the solitary member of “our mess” who took
his place at table. I made the acquaintance of, and speedily became
on friendly terms with, some mice, whose place of residence was under
the floor, but which freely communicated with the messroom by numerous
apertures, and was in other respects dilapidated; nor did it take
long before some of the little animals acquired sufficient confidence
to scramble up my leg and so on to the table, partake of dinner with
myself, thus calling to my mind the story of the Prisoner of Chillon.
With the month of August came improved health conditions, and for the
four or five succeeding months all was cheerful in that particular and
important respect.
Among those who succumbed during the sickly months was Captain Maclean,
husband of the poetess, L. E. L.--Letitia Elizabeth Landon, who died
at Cape Coast Castle in 1838, under circumstances of great mystery. It
was hoped that among his papers would be found some containing his own
account of the sad occurrence, but that hope was not realized. From
careful inquiries, however, I was led to the belief that her death was
due to natural causes, and to them alone. Now the body of the deceased
husband was laid in the grave close to that of the wife,[80] and both
rest under the pavement of the castle quadrangle. The story of the
gifted lady interested some of our number, as incidents connected with
her short life on the Coast were related by Mr. Hutton and others who
had enjoyed her acquaintance.
The occurrence of the “healthy season” was hailed as such event could
only be in a locality where every man had to run the gauntlet for
life during four to five out of the twelve months which make up the
year. Amusements of different kinds were instituted, short excursions
taken in various directions along such roads or pathways as existed
for purposes of communication along the coast and to places inland. In
the absence of horses--for these most useful animals when brought to
the coast rapidly pine away and die--our means of transport consisted,
for the most part, of a chair so placed between two poles as to be
thus carried by two or four Africans, according to the weight of the
individual. There were a few small light carriages, in some respects
like a Bath chair, in others like a victoria, drawn by Africans, who,
to judge by their antics and shouts as they raced against each other,
must have enjoyed the work immensely. Picnics became “the order of the
day”; Saints’ days, birthdays, and holidays were most “religiously”
kept, and for the most part very enthusiastically celebrated. On one
of these occasions we visited what at one time had been a coffee
plantation in the near vicinity, but then deserted; the buildings
reduced to ruin, the coffee bushes choked by the ordinary bush, the
natural impression being that the owner had fallen a victim to his
“seasoning,” that he had no successors on his estate;[81] or, if he
had, that they had also succumbed.
Pursuits relating to natural history became so many sources of pleasant
and intellectual occupation. Ornithology was especially interesting,
combining as it did observation of birds in their natural haunts
and conditions. A large number of specimens were shot, one portion
being subsequently given to the Natural History Museum of Edinburgh,
another to Sir William Jardine, by whom notes taken at the time were
published.[82] A song bird (_Drymoica mentalis_) that fell to my gun
was for the first time, I believe, given as an illustration in that
brochure; another illustration being that of a large and handsome
swallow named after me, _Hirundo Gordoni_.
On one occasion, while combining ornithological study and “sport,” I
had an unpleasant experience with one of several kinds of poisonous
snakes that here abound, frequenting chiefly prickly herbage in
immediate proximity to such roads and pathways as then existed, as
also the sedgy tract of open ground near the Salt Pond, a little way
westward of the settlement. While traversing that tract I came suddenly
face to face with a large black cobra. One barrel of my fowling-piece
had been already discharged. The remaining shot--a mixture of Nos. 6
and 9--was fired, more as a result of instinctive action than steady
aim, by me, but with good effect. The charge traversed the body of
the reptile as if it were a bullet, so close was it to me; then its
writhings were such that I came within them, not a little to my own
horror. In the emergency my Fantee “boy” speedily dispatched it by
means of the heavy stick he carried for the purpose of beating the
bush. The skin--considerably over six feet long--ornamented the wall
of my barrack-room while I remained on the coast. Puff-adders are
numerous, and from their sluggish movements are easily killed. On one
occasion I killed six partially-grown individuals during a morning’s
walk on the Salt Pond road.
When, as already stated, administration of British settlements on
the Gold Coast was taken over by the Colonial Office, it was made
immediately subordinate to that of Sierra Leone. The inconvenience
of that arrangement was soon made manifest. The force with which the
oceanic current runs southward along the coast is sufficient during
some months of the year to prevent sailing brigs from beating up
against it; and as at the time alluded to a regular line of steamers
had not been introduced, the outcome of that state of things was the
inconvenient necessity of letters and dispatches for the headquarters
of the Government and Command being sent _viâ_ England, several months
becoming thus necessary before answers could be received. Cape Coast
Castle and its dependencies had a Governor and Colonial Secretary, both
of whom were resident. Justice was administered by a court presided
over by a British official designated Judicial Assessor, assisted by
selected native chiefs. Of them, “King Aggary,” then upwards of eighty
years of age, was the most prominent and distinguished. As a young man
he had served on board a British man-of-war, in accordance with the
custom of the time, and so, according to his own manner of expression,
he “had learned sense.”
For a long time past native rulers whose “kingdoms” adjoined British
settlements along the Gold Coast had voluntarily placed themselves
under protection of our flag, and thus in a manner become British
subjects. Their several laws and customs were retained, with the
exception of human sacrifice, a practice abandoned many years ago.
Succession to rank and property descended through the female line; that
is, the eldest son of the eldest daughter became heir-apparent. In the
kingdom of Akim the sovereign is a female, the succession being also in
the female line.
A visit to Accra occupied two days, and a similar time to return.
The path along which I travelled--for no road existed--led for the
most part through the bush close to the beach; at times it was by the
beach itself, so that only when the tide was low was it practicable
to proceed at all. At intervals the occurrence of rugged promontories
and heaps of boulders rendered it by no means an easy undertaking to
get over them. Arriving at the river Sekoom, its borders were lined by
mangrove trees (_Rhizophora_), the long tendril-like roots of which
interlaced above the soft mud alternately covered and left exposed as
the tide flows and ebbs. In some places the trunks of those trees were
covered within tide mark by a small species of oyster, and presented
the additional peculiarity of a few small fish--the climbing perch
(_Anabas scandens_) laboriously ascending to the height of a couple of
feet or so from the water level, there “holding on” for a little, then
dropping into the muddy river after basking in the sun. At Accra, three
forts, belonging respectively to England, Holland, and Denmark, were in
close proximity to each other: the first occupied by some twenty black
soldiers and half a dozen native militiamen, the guns old and useless,
the fortress itself dilapidated; the second nothing more than a trading
store of the Governor; the third, the strongest of the three, but noted
for its extreme unhealthiness. Subsequently we learned that it was
completely destroyed by an earthquake.
Several of the forts that had belonged to the former African Company
were abandoned some years previous to the present date (1848);
among others that of Amelycha, or Apollonia, about seventy miles to
windward of Cape Coast Castle. For a time matters in the district so
called progressed very well under the rule of a humane and otherwise
good native chief named Yansu Acko; but having died in 1830, he was
succeeded by Quako Acko, a man of cruel and tyrannical disposition,
who, although he continued to fly the British flag, gradually became
less and less loyal, and finally withdrew allegiance altogether.
Meanwhile he was in a continual state of warfare with the States
adjoining his own, extending his depredations to Asinee and Axim,
respectively belonging to France and Holland. In 1835 his conduct had
become so outrageous that a force from Cape Coast Castle was sent
against him, and for his misconduct he was subjected to a fine of 300
ounces of gold dust. So little effect had this upon him, however, that
in 1838 a second expedition was sent against him, and a further fine
of 800 ounces inflicted upon him. From that time to the present he has
persisted in annoying the adjoining States. Within his own “kingdom”
his word was absolute, his great ambition apparently to surround his
palace with festoons composed of skulls of enemies slain in battle or
of captives butchered. With increasing boldness as time went on, he
destroyed several villages within Dutch territory, and carried away
some of their inhabitants. He maltreated officers and men belonging
to French and British ships, who landed at his capital for purposes
of trade. Finally, when remonstrated with by the Governor of Cape
Coast,[83] he insulted and otherwise maltreated the members of the
embassy sent to him, certain of whom he retained as captives. The
Governor took action against the recalcitrant chief. Orders were issued
directing the formation of a contingent force, some thousands strong,
to consist of men pertaining to vassal tribes. A brig was chartered for
the occasion; ammunition and stores of various kinds, including casks
of fresh water, placed on board; for it was known that the scene of
coming operations was destitute of that necessary element. Ammunition
was issued to the “volunteer” contingent, to whom pay in advance was
distributed. At this point the officer[84] named to command fell ill
and speedily died of coast fever, and his place had to be taken by
a lieutenant[85] of the 1st West India Regiment; the Commissariat
officer[86] being non-effective from sickness, the duties pertaining to
his office fell upon me in addition to my own.
The resources of the colony in respect to white men limited the
number of those available for the present expedition to six only, the
“regular” troops to no more than about half a company of the 1st West
India Regiment. Four of us by ship;[87] two accompanied the levies
proceeding by land, their forces increasing as they advanced. Arrived
off Dixcove, we landed at that place, to witness the native ceremony,
and excitement attending thereon, of “burying the peace-drum.” The
unusual noise and tumult connected with the ordeal seem to have
attracted the notice of wild denizens of the adjoining forest, one
of which, a baboon of large size, “assisted” with his presence on
the occasion; he was declared to be “the great Fetish”; his advent
to be a happy augury for the undertaking before us. Our next point
was Axim, at that time Dutch, but now British. There we landed; there
the entire force at our disposal assembled, and arrangements were
completed to enter hostile territory. The small party of whites was
accommodated within the fort, the native forces bivouacking in and
around the town,--the town consisting chiefly of sheds or huts composed
of palm branches inartistically tied together. In the open space or
market place in its centre stood a pole to which were fixed portions
of human skeletons, remains of freebooters from Apollonia, who having
been caught were “disposed of” according to African fashion. In the
vicinity roads were non-existent; some rugged pathways were all the
thoroughfares with which the place was provided.
Between Axim and the river Encobra stretched a sea beach two miles
in extent, broken at intervals by irregular masses and boulders of
primitive rocks; beyond it to a similar distance a belt of impenetrable
forest, pathways through which, formerly existing, had for some years
past become obliterated. Through that tract of bush we had to make a
way, not only for ourselves, but also for our “forces.” Armed with an
axe and long knife such as bush men in this part of Africa use, we cut
a path for ourselves to the summit of a promontory from which it was
practicable to take bearings for further progress. Meanwhile, and all
through the following night, large numbers of men were busy clearing a
road by which the mass of our contingent could advance. At daybreak our
strange body of irregulars was mustered, and what a sight it presented!
War dresses, wild in character, grotesque in aspect; umbrellas of many
colours, carried over particular chiefs; uncouth gesticulations in the
performance of war dances; strange sounds from drums, horns, trumpets,
and other “musical” instruments, the chief ornaments on which were
jawbones and other fragments of human mortality, combined to impress
us with the aspect of savagery so presented. At the head of one of
the “companies,” and in command, was a lady, who thus asserted her
hereditary position as chief of her tribe.
In the early hours of a day in the first week of April (1848), our
“army” began its march towards the left bank of the Encobra. By
previous arrangement a number of canoes, sufficient to take the force
across that river, were already outside the bar at its mouth, and these
were quickly utilised for our purpose. A dense mass of natives crowded
the opposite side of the river, its dimensions quickly increasing
as others emerged from the bush. Our “artillery” consisted of two
twelve-pounder rocket tubes, and two others of smaller calibre. In
the absence of a “combatant” officer, I had been put in “command” of
these, and having previously indulged in the necessary practice, was
in a position to open fire upon the “enemy” as soon as the necessary
order was given by the Governor, who was in supreme command. A few
missiles were discharged; a few lanes ploughed among them, and then
pell-mell the mass vanished in the forest. Having got across the river,
we speedily reached an Apollonian village, deserted by its ordinary
occupants, who in their haste had left behind their flocks and herds,
both of which were quickly annexed by our “contingent.” Continuing what
proved to be an extremely fatiguing march along the sea beach,--often
having to wade more than knee-deep in the rippling tide,--we passed
on the border of the forest a succession of villages, from all of
which their occupants had fled. Towards evening we reached a town of
considerable size. Our day’s march had been extremely exhausting, so
that rest for the night was most welcome, especially to us white men.
In the course of the succeeding night, such snatches of sleep as we
obtained were several times interrupted by the beating of tom-toms,
braying of trumpets, the rushing hither and thither of considerable
portions of our army. Now it was an alarm of night attack by “the
enemy”; then the noisy return of a foraging party, bearing with them
as trophies the heads of two Apollonians, which they cast before the
Governor as tokens of their prowess. Resuming our march early the
following morning, we arrived at the river Abimoosoo, across which
we were floated by means of canoes that had so far followed by sea,
keeping just outside the line of breakers. Shortly thereafter we were
met by a messenger from “the king” against whom we were in progress;
his office to express the desire of his Majesty to know with what
object the Governor had brought an army into his country. The reply was
a ball cartridge (according to the custom of the coast), together with
a reply that if the king surrendered, then “a palaver” would be held,
but not till then. Meantime we pressed on, and in the early part of
the afternoon entered the capital of the king, to find it completely
abandoned. Never before had I felt so “done up” and exhausted as now. I
was, moreover, ill, and had every reason to believe that an attack of
the much-dreaded fever of the coast was upon me.
As if to celebrate the entry of our “army” into the royal city,
arrangements were speedily made by the native leaders to have a grand
procession. When it did take place, no more wild and “savage” display
could well be imagined than that presented by it. All around us were
ghastly relics of death and murder. The palace garnished with festoons
of human skulls, of which I counted one hundred and eighty after the
greater part of such ornaments had been torn from their places and
kicked about as playthings by our “soldiers.” The avenue leading to
the palace was formed by palm-trees growing at short distances from
each other along either side of the roadway. From time to time the king
had disposed of a certain number of his enemies by living sepulture
in a standing position; a cocoa nut placed on the head of each, the
earth thrown in, and as in the progress of time the plume of palm grew
higher and higher, each tree received the name of the particular enemy
represented by it. At different points around, the larger trees were
ornamented with various relics of humanity, skeleton hands and other
fragments being nailed or otherwise attached to stems and branches.
During the few following days different portions of our contingent
were variously employed. An expedition, led by two of our white
associates,[88] started inland, with a view, if possible, to capture
the fugitive king; another, consisting entirely of blacks, having
started independently into the bush, returned in triumph, with “music,”
war dances, and much discordant noise, bearing with them gory heads of
three Apollonians who had fallen into their power. A third party of our
people, having proceeded on an independent expedition, came upon two
men who had been made prisoners by order of that chief, each of them
laden with three sets of heavy irons, which they had worn continuously
during the two previous years. The manacles were removed after much
labour; but their unhappy bearers, when relieved of them, were unable
to stand erect. So long had they been kept in a sitting posture by
sheer weight of their fetters, that the joints had become accommodated
to it. Shortly afterwards eighty-eight other prisoners were discovered,
their fetters similarly removed, but they themselves fixed in the
sitting posture to which they had for longer or shorter periods been
borne down by iron manacles.
Everywhere around the town the bush was impenetrable, for all
communication with neighbouring tribes had been cut off for some years
past, the pathways thus become obliterated by the forest. Attempts
to cut new ones were but partially successful. Meanwhile serious
difficulties beset us in respect to water, for the lagoons and rivers
within available distance being brackish, they quickly ceased to be
resorted to. A few casks of fresh water from our chartered ship thrown
overboard were washed ashore, their contents carefully distributed
among ourselves; but the fact became very evident that this supply
being extremely limited, our “occupation” of the town must be short
indeed, whether the object of our expedition was obtained or not.
Most fortunate for us there was treason in the king’s camp. By reason
of his cruelty and tyranny, he had rendered himself hated by and
hateful to his subjects. Now their opportunity had arrived. Three
of their chiefs having tendered their submission, so far imitated
certain civilized nations as to negotiate for the surrender of their
king--their terms by no means exorbitant, namely one hundred ounces
of gold dust, and a flag to them respectively. And so the bargain was
closed.
A few more days passed, during which “palavers” of all sorts took
place, and parties dispatched in various directions, though seemingly
without result. Evening approaches; there is unusual tumult among
our contingent. Discordant noises, emitted from drums, horns, and
human mouths, announce the approach of large bodies of men; they are
the former subjects of the king,[89] whom they carry manacled and
give over to the British leader. We feel relieved by the prospect of
speedy ending of our privations and fatigues; for of our number, four
are prostrate by sickness. So long as our prisoner, savage as he is,
continued out of sight, we did our best to follow him up relentlessly.
Now that he is in our presence, bound hand and foot, an object of
abject misery, big tears rolling down his coarse black face, some of
us were unable to smother a shade of sympathy for the man, monster of
cruelty as he was.
Of atrocities committed by him the record of two will here suffice.
He caused his mother to be secured to a stake at low-water mark when
the tide was out, her eyelids to be cut off, her face turned towards
the sun,--so left until overwhelmed by the returning flood, and her
sufferings put an end to. His pregnant sister he caused to be cut open
while alive, that he might see the position in her womb of the unborn
infant, then directed that according to native custom her body should
be buried within the palace.
In the room under the floor of which the remains were interred, bearing
upon them her golden ornaments, the captive king was placed under
guard, and so remained during the following night. With the return of
daylight it was seen that the floor had been opened by the guard, the
remains exhumed, all ornaments wrenched therefrom; the body itself,
considerably advanced in decay, offensive to sight and smell, thrown
back into the still open grave. Thus the king had spent the night side
by side as it were with the remains of his murdered sister, witness to
the acts of savagery to which they were subjected.
Our object attained, the return march began at midnight; our prisoner,
several of his wives, together with other members of his family, being
under the charge of a strong guard. The four sick white men, unable to
take their proper places in the ranks, were carried, country fashion,
in the long baskets already described, our bearers being subjects of
the king whom we were carrying away prisoner. Again the beach, left
dry by the receded tide, was our highway, and along it our “brave” men
proceeded. How the sick fared is illustrated in my own experience. As
the fierce tropical sun ascended in the heavens, the fever from which
I suffered increased, headache was severe; fresh water there was none
wherewith to moisten the parched mouth. In this plight, having by signs
indicated my desire that my basket should be placed on the ground, I
endeavoured to make my way to the ripples left by the recurring waves;
but in so doing strength gave way, and I fell prostrate on the sand.
Immediately I found myself being gently lifted back to the basket by
my carriers. One of them climbing a cocoa-nut tree that grew in our
immediate vicinity, cut off a large specimen of its fruit, which was
speedily opened by a companion beside me, its “milk” emptied over my
face and given me to drink. At the time and often since I have thought
gratefully of that act by the wild African, and have contrasted it with
its counterpart met with among “civilized” peoples.
Arrived at Axim, and the necessary arrangements completed, we
re-embarked on the little brig that had already done good service in
connection with our expedition. The captive chief, or “king” as he was
called, was speedily on board, under the care of a guard, the anchor
raised. Wind and current favoured us, and so we quickly arrived off
Cape Coast. In the early hours of morning we landed. Our prisoner
was securely placed in a cell of that fortress. The populace of the
native town, on hearing the news, were in great commotion; our friends,
merchants and others, from whom we had parted a month before, were full
of congratulations. Then followed invitations to dinner, picnics, and
so forth, until the rainy season, already threatening, fairly broke
upon us and put a stop to all.
Among other characteristic incidents related to us was that, as soon
as our expedition had marched away, the women of Cape Coast, omitting
the slight costume usually worn by them, went about their ordinary
occupations in a state of nudity. One of the oldest of the foreign
residents, astonished at the circumstance, inquired as to the reason
for such an extraordinary proceeding; he received as answer from the
perambulating statue so addressed the Fantee equivalent of “What does
it matter? All the _men_ have started for the war,” much emphasis being
given to the word “men.”
The work of paying up and disbanding the contingent portion of the
force was quickly carried out. In the former, gold dust was the
currency employed, of which the equivalent value of three-halfpence
was the daily rate given, no allowance being required for food. Years
passed away, and then I learned that the wretched king, having lost
his reason in his confinement, pined away, and died a drivelling idiot
in his prison. One by one our party of white men engaged in this small
but extremely trying piece of service dropped away, and for many years
before the time when the present notes are transferred to these pages I
have been the sole survivor. The expedition was mentioned approvingly
in the _Times_ some months after it had become a thing of the past.
Medals and decorations for similar services in West Africa were then in
the future.
Fifteen months on the Gold Coast; then came the welcome news that a
ship with “reliefs” on board was sighted. Great was the excitement
as we watched her gradual approach; great the zest with which their
arrival was welcomed; hospitable the reception accorded to them; great
the marks of kindness in various ways shown to us by residents. It
was long since news had reached us from England, for regular mail
communication did not exist. Papers now received were eagerly read, for
they were filled with details illustrative of a threatening political
aspect in various kingdoms of Europe.
Taught by experience how treacherous and dangerous was the climate
of Cape Coast, I determined to proceed by the first ship to sail,
irrespective of immediate destination, the chief object being “to get
away.” The arrival of the transport _Baretto Junior_, with reliefs
of West Indian soldiers and African recruits for regiments in the
West Indies, afforded me the desired opportunity. On 24th of May we
embarked, the ship dropped with the current to Accra, and then sailed
for Barbados.
Glad and thankful to have successfully run the gauntlet as it were
against the climate of Guinea, the clear sea air, notwithstanding
its temperature of 83° F., had its usual beneficial effect on health
impaired on the Coast. The transport in which we sailed had on board
three hundred Africans, of whom about one-half were soldiers, the
remainder recruits, that is, captured slaves, selected from among those
in the Adjudication Yard[90] at Sierra Leone, and duly “enlisted” into
West India regiments. A good many of the soldiers were accompanied
by their wives and children. Among the “recruits” was a very strong
athletic African named Kakungee, one of a cargo of slaves, the vessel
conveying whom had recently been captured by a British man-of-war.
A fellow-slave, but now “recruit,” gave information of the violent
and uncontrollable temper of Kakungee while on board the slave ship;
that on two occasions he had suddenly attacked fellow-slaves, killing
his victims before a rescue could be effected. With a view to guard
against similar occurrences on board the _Baretto Junior_, he having
speedily shown the violence of his disposition, he was secured to the
deck by means of a cask--in one end of which was a hole sufficiently
large to let through his head, but not his shoulders--being put over
him and cleated down. In that manner he was kept during the early part
of our voyage, food and liquids given to him, but his hands prevented
from being made use of for either purpose. His imploring requests to
be relieved, and promises of good behaviour, led to his release, and
being allowed to mix with his fellow-countrymen. Suddenly and without
provocation he attacked a comrade. A Yorruba man of great physical
strength came to the rescue; dealt the assailant such a blow that he
reeled to leeward, and striking his head against a stanchion, lay
insensible in the scupper. For nine days he remained in that condition,
notwithstanding means used for his restoration; at the end of that time
he died--a victim to his own incorrigible violence.
Twenty-nine days from Accra, our ship lay at anchor in Carlisle Bay,
Barbados.[91] Proceeding on shore to make the usual official reports
to the military authorities, we gained particulars in regard to the
widespread revolutionary spirit through the nations of Europe; that
in London serious demonstrations were threatened. Unhappily we also
learned that an outbreak of yellow fever had occurred among the troops
occupying barracks on the Savannah; that among victims of the disease
were some medical officers. The upshot was that I was ordered on shore
for duty. That afternoon I “took over” the barrack-room assigned to me,
vacated very shortly before through death of its occupant. Disinfection
and other means of modern sanitation were little if at all thought of
in those days; nor, up to the present, close upon half a century since
the event, has the malady extended to me.
The general aspect of Barbados is at first sight very beautiful.
Approaching the island from the northward, it appears as a mass of
rich green vegetation, the border of sea grape trees,[92] like so many
bearded men,--whence its name was taken,--becoming more distinct as we
approach. Towards its interior a succession of hills rise to a height
of eight hundred or a thousand feet, their sides mostly covered with
turf, with here and there clumps of trees, the intervening valleys
divided by different estates and lots upon which are grown sugar-cane
and guinea-corn.[93] The houses have such a home-like look that the
name of “Little Scotland,” long since given to the island, seems
appropriate, more especially when the landscape is viewed from the
summit of one of those hills inland, to which in one of our excursions
we proceeded. Unhappily a check--temporarily, it is hoped--has been
brought upon the once flourishing sugar industry of the island. Since
the emancipation of slaves took place, properties have altogether
fallen in value, proprietors have been ruined, the universal complaint
being that the freed slaves cannot be got to work. Geologically the
chief component rocks of Barbados consist of coral limestone and coral.
In respect to its fauna, it has the peculiarity of possessing but a
small proportion of venomous snakes as compared with the other islands
of the West India group. The people who have been born on the island
are known as “Bims.” Their colour is a mixture of red and albinoid
white; their special characteristic said to be pride.
Comparing the climate of Barbados with that of tropical India, the
former has various advantages. To a certain extent it is bracing and
exhilarating; the prevailing breeze, as it comes across the Savannah,
pleasant to the sensations, so that officers and other persons ride
out at all hours of the day, their faces ruddy, themselves to all
appearance in robust health. At intervals of seven to eight years,
epidemics of yellow fever occur, such as that which recently attacked
the 66th and 72nd Regiments, and after a temporary decrease in its
severity, recurred with more than usual intensity and mortality. With
regard to physical conditions, geological and otherwise, there is to
all appearance nothing of a kind to supply explanation, whether of the
advent, increase, temporary cessation, sudden return with increased
intensity, and final cessation; neither can explanation be drawn from
those conditions for the lengthened duration of non-epidemic intervals,
or of the cyclical return of the disease in pestilential form.
Embarked on board the _Prince Royal_ transport, I sailed for England.
During the homeward voyage only one incident deserving notice occurred.
In a clear moonlit night we became aware that we were in collision with
a vessel of no great size. As we rushed on deck, we were shocked to
observe that the craft suddenly disappeared a short distance astern of
us. No less to his own surprise than ours, a sailor belonging to her
was found on our deck, cast upon us in a portion of her rigging that
lay across it. He was carefully seen to by us, taken to Portsmouth, and
there handed over to the Spanish Consul, for we had ascertained that
the ship run down had sailed from Corunna.
Gravesend reached, we disembarked; in due time reported our arrival
at Headquarters. The authorities granted the usual period of leave of
absence in accordance with Regulations at the time in force. From them
also I received a letter conveying the thanks of Earl Grey for services
performed in Africa. A few days thereafter I learned that of our
“reliefs,” three in number, two had died within a month after landing
at Cape Coast, one of them my own successor. Fortunate, therefore, was
my resolve not to delay departure.
Often is the statement made, but nearly always by persons who live
at home at ease, that deaths of British officers in Africa and other
tropical countries are due to their irregularities and vices, not to
combined conditions collectively constituting climate. The officers
with whom I was associated on the Gold Coast were in their habits and
general manner of life as nearly as possible like their contemporaries
in England; nor did the few who at times exceeded somewhat appear to
suffer in any respect more than did those of more temperate habits. It
is the climate of Guinea, and it alone, that kills the white man, and
in yet greater proportion the white woman.
An incident which occurred shortly after I had arrived in London was in
its way illustrative of the state of public feeling at the time. It was
while spending an evening in Portman Street Barracks,[94] then occupied
by the Scots Fusilier Guards, that orders from the Horse Guards
directed that the battalion should be kept within barracks and under
arms; information at the same time circulated that on the previous day
there had been a “rising” of the Chartists at Ashton, near Birmingham,
and that a similar outbreak in London was intended. Subsequently we
learned that the Duke of Wellington, then Commander-in-Chief, had made
ample arrangements for such a contingency, though with so much secrecy
and discretion that not a soldier was to be seen on the street. But the
anticipated outbreak did not take place.
A portion of leave granted was devoted by me to the combined objects of
restoring health and gaining knowledge. At the beginning of the winter
session I re-entered at Edinburgh University to benefit by the lectures
of Sir George Ballingall. Meanwhile, a friend[95] was interesting
himself in appropriate quarters in view to my being released from
further service on “the Coast.”