With Wolseley to Kumasi: A Tale of the First Ashanti War

He was delighted to have him back, safe and sound, and stood there wringing his hand till it seemed that he could never stop. However, Dick was a practical fellow, and it was a long time since he had been in the stockade.

“Food and something to drink, Johnnie, like a good fellow,” he cried. “Run along and see what you’ve got, while I take a look outside. Now,” he said, when he had reached the walls and had discovered the position of the chief of the miners, “what is your report? Any sign of them?”

“They have gone back to their posts. We knew that they were watching, and we almost expected an attack. We were looking for you too, chief. You can leave us to guard the place till you are ready to come back to the walls. Go and eat, for you must be hungry.”

Dick undoubtedly was, and fell to eagerly upon the good things which were placed on the folding wooden table in the hut. For Johnnie was general caterer as well as stoker, and in addition, it seemed, commander of the post at a pinch. He placed a bottle of water near at hand, some yams, and a cut of tinned beef, and on these our hero fell.

“Yo’s make de most of dem water,” said Johnnie, as he watched his master drink, for it had been a hot day, and never a drop of fluid had Dick been able to touch. “Make de most of him, for dere little more. De jars nearly dry, and where we fill dem again? So drink him to the velly bottom.”

“What! No water in the place! Run out already!”

No wonder that he was again dismayed, for Dick had such a young head upon his shoulders that he could not be expected in a matter of a couple of months or more to correct all the faults committed by his predecessor. True, the site of the stockade was excellent in nearly every respect, for it commanded a wide, open space on every side, and could not be fired into from the crest above. It boasted a moderate amount of shade, for there was a small group of trees within the compound, and in addition, it enjoyed a delightful breeze, which kept it cool, and drove the fever away. It had its failings, however. It could not stand a siege, for the simple reason that it was perched well up above the stream in which the gold was washed, and there was no well. A store of water was carried up every day, and that store had disappeared with rapidity since the miners had taken post at the stockade.

“I ought to have thought of that before. We should have had a tank or something of the sort,” cried Dick, with vexation, quite forgetful of the fact that the nearest point at which such a thing could be obtained was Elmina.

“Yo’s dink him up and smack de lip,” said Johnnie. “No use make fuss now dat dere no water left. Hab to leave den, dat’s all. Get way into de forest.”

“And meet these two hundred Ashanti warriors. No, thank you, Johnnie. Come, tell me how all this has happened. I was away in the forest, and thought I heard the alarm sounded. Then there were shots, and when I came to the clearing and could see, there were bodies lying around, and you were holding the enemy in check. I heard then that two hundred more are expected, and waited till a double ring was thrown round us. Then I came on. And that reminds me. It was a plucky rush you made, and just saved me. Thanks, very much.”

“Noding, massa. We wait and we expect yo come. We guess you not seen by de rascal enemy, and we know yo not rush here when it light. De moon coming up. See um. Den we guess you come jest after it get dark. We get ready, and den rush. Simple as eatin’.”

“And about the alarm?”

“Not so simple,” was the candid answer. “Johnnie seem to tink dere trouble coming. Eber since he meet de Ashanti war men he say, ‘dere ruction ahead, dere goin’ ter be smash up of de mine.’ Johnnie look out from de hill when massa gone, every single day, and sit dere waitin’ wid de tom-tom. Lucky, too, massa, for we not hab velly much time. Me see black chap come out of de tree, and den dat half-white man who fight us before. Johnnie beat de tom-tom till all de miners hear. Den he run to the stockade and pick up de rifle. He see first one and den all de men racing in, and after dem de enemy. Dey rush right up to de gate. But Johnnie stop um.”

The comical little fellow turned his eyes up to the moon and squinted at Dick. He threw his chest out, stood to his fullest height, and put on an air of dignity.

“How?” asked Dick.

“Like dis. De men run in de gate, and de last man bang um to and bolt um. Den we stand at the peephole and wait. Two of de rascal come runnin’, and Johnnie take good aim. Bang! When me look ’gain both lying on de face, dead’s muttin’.”

“And you took command of the stockade?”

“Y’s guessed right, massa. Me hold de reins. Me shout de orders, and de men brave and behabe demselbes. We fire slow and careful, same as massa tell us, and we still plenty cartridge left.”

“And practically no water. That is the most serious news, and makes it impossible to remain for long where we are. How long will the moon be up, Johnnie?”

“Soon down,” was the answer. “In four hour, I tink.”

“Then we will consult with the chief. Fetch him along, Johnnie.”

Dick strolled out into the compound, and having made sure that all was quiet and that the men were alert, he took his seat close to the gate, with Johnnie and the two chief miners beside him. It was a strange place and a stranger hour to have a meeting, and as remarkable, too, was the fact that Dick could only just make himself understood and gather the meaning of the natives, while Johnnie was useless at the task. Still, Dick was able to act as interpreter, for he could speak a little Fanti, and there is only slight difference between that and the Ashanti dialect. Tersely the young leader of the party told his news, how he had overheard the half-caste, and how two hundred Ashanti warriors were expected.

“They will eat us up,” said the chief, with an involuntary shudder when he heard what Dick had to say. “They will pour like a river up to the gates of the stockade, and we shall not stop them. They will swarm over, and we shall be slain.”

“While if we are successful during the day they would certainly succeed at night, chief. Then there is the question of the water.”

The chief shook his head dolefully.

“We are as good as dead,” he said, “and glad I am that one can meet with death only once. As well sally out now and end the matter.”

“And be shot down like birds,” was Dick’s answer. “But I agree that the situation is serious. We should be better off were we out in the forest, for there we could divide and scatter. Again, we could make for the launch and steam down the river.”

“If it were possible,” cried the chief, with a look of hope in his face. “But how to get away? These foxes close round us. They know that we are secure, for who could leave the stockade now?”

“I got in safely, thanks to your rush. Why can we not get out again? Can you think of nothing? Come, man, we must make an effort.”

But it was useless. The chief of the miners could make no suggestion. He and his men were ready to follow their leader to the death, and he could rely upon their courage. But they could offer no plan of escape. They came of a race noted for its ferocity and courage, a race trained to arms, but they were more inclined to the ways of peace.

“Then I will tell you what I think,” said Dick, when many minutes had passed, and the four had stared silently at one another as they sat in the rays of the moon. “We agree that death waits for us here, whether by the knives of the enemy or by water famine. Then we must go. The question becomes when and how? I will tell you. We must distract the attention of these men, and this is how I propose that we shall do it. First of all, however, are there any here who can creep like a snake through the grass and so escape discovery?”

The chief threw his head up proudly. “That is one of the first lessons we learned as boys,” he said. “There is not a man here who cannot do that.”

“Then this is my plan. As we sit here, the launch lies straight over the crest of the hill where some of the enemy crouch. I believe that so far our boats are undiscovered, and that being so, the enemy will not expect us to take that direction, seeing that it is the roughest and the steepest. It would be natural for us to strike to right or left of the stockade, for the attack has been in the very centre.”

There was a grunt of acquiescence as Dick paused to look at the chiefs.

“Our chief speaks wisely for one so young,” said the leader. “But we know him now, and can expect good advice. Say on.”

“We decide, then, to flee by way of the crest. Then we must make a demonstration in the opposite direction. We will choose that to our right, being the farthest from the crest. We will send out four of our best and most active men just after the moon disappears, with orders to get as close as possible to the enemy and then fire on them. These men will retire within five minutes, when they will be joined by more who also will fire. We will move swiftly from right to left and back again, and the men can be so disposed that there will be no danger of hurting one another. That should alarm the enemy, and, in any case, it will attract the attention of those in that quarter.”

“They will take alarm and think that we are attempting to break through. They will call in all the men,” said the chief, with assurance. “I begin to follow your meaning.”

“While the firing is going on two of our number who are accounted brave” – Dick noticed that the chief again tossed his head into the air – “will creep to the top of the hill and over it. They will be given a quarter of an hour to see that it is clear. They will not be satisfied till they have killed the sentries or shown that they are absent. Then one will return with the news.”

“And the whole party will follow him,” burst in the chief, eagerly.

“Hardly that,” said Dick. “They are still out in the open, and they must retire. Even then the ruse might be discovered if the firing were not continued. The enemy would suspect a ruse and would send out to intercept us.”

“Then what is your plan, chief?” asked the native, his curiosity aroused to the fullest. “The men retire and keep up the firing, you have a man on the crest and the report that all is clear. Surely there will be no need for delay. Haste, rather, is what is called for.”

“Quite so,” agreed Dick, quietly. “The men retire, and as they pass into the stockade they each take up a bundle of gold dust, for it would never do to leave our profits to these robbers. Then, led by the man who has descended the ridge, the miners will creep over the crest and descend the hill. They will make for the track in the forest, and will gain the boats as soon as possible. Arrived there, they will get the fire going aboard the launch, hook on one of the boats, or two if they are necessary, and wait for their comrades. I said that one of the latter would be the scout who lay on the crest.”

“That man will be myself,” said the chief, calmly. “A leader should always take the post of danger and protect his men. We are not warriors, but we know how to act.”

“You have proved it already. You will be one of those two. I shall be the other. No. Do not let us argue. Your own words prove that I have taken the proper course. As leader, I remain till all are gone, and I shall keep up a fire with my rifle till all are clear. Then I will take steps to prevent these robbers from carrying off even a stick of firewood, and will rejoin you on the hill. Afterwards we will fight our way to the boats.”

He could see their eyes gleaming there in the moonlight as only the eyes of a dark-skinned man can gleam. The plan pleased them, that was clear, for when Dick had explained it to them to the best of his ability, all in turn gave expression to their approval with grunts, the meaning of which was undoubted. All seemed to think that they were in a very dangerous position, and that if this plan would not help them then nothing would.

“Better to die sword in hand than at the stroke of a vile executioner,” said the chief. “We could sally out and surrender. But would that help us? We should be well received and well fed. The march to Kumasi would be by easy stages, and then the trouble would commence. Better to die as brave men, than to be slain as cravens, with our arms bound to our backs.”

There was undoubted truth in the statement, and the knowledge of it heartened them all. They would behave as brave men, and would meet this danger with daring. If they prospered, well and good; if not, then they would not live long to mourn the misfortune.

“And at any rate, I shall have made sure that that robber, James Langdon, does not reap any advantage,” said Dick. “The men will take every ounce of gold, and if hard pressed will open the sacks and scatter the dust. As for the place itself, the half-caste shall not find a home ready built for him should he elect to take up the work of gold-mining. He shall find the land as it was, clear of all houses.”

There was a look of determination on his face. He rose, gripped each of the chiefs by the hand, and went forward to speak to the men, for time was pressing. In an hour the moon would wane, and in two it would be time to set out. Better make the attempt at the earliest moment, and so have ample time for escape.

Chapter Nine.

Deceiving the Enemy

“You have been the round of the men and have told them our plan?” asked Dick, some minutes later, as the chiefs came to his side again. “Is there one who does not understand?”

“Not one, white chief. Two are to go to the crest behind when you shall say that the time for that movement has come. Those two will be myself and my brother here. If there are men up there they shall die. Those who pass to the front of the stockade know their orders well. Each will attempt to find an enemy, and will fire. He will fire into the forest if he can see none, and will retire slowly, firing occasionally all the while. His duty also is to run from side to side, so that it may trouble the enemy to know where we are coming. But gradually the miners are to collect closer to the right, and we hope the enemy will gather there, too. If all is well with us by then, you will know, for one will return. Then you will pass on to the men in front. They will retire, and we shall make for the forest – that is, all but myself.”

Dick expressed his satisfaction, and was about to turn away when Johnnie came forward to speak to him.

“What Johnnie do?” he asked.

“You will lead the men to the road through the forest,” said Dick. “Once you reach the launch, get your fire going and steam up. Then lay off, with a boat attached, if you think the launch will not carry all of us. See that the gold is packed on board, and, above all, destroy the other boats. Beat them to pieces and sink them in the stream, where they will not block your path. Wait and be ready for those who follow. The chief and myself may have to run for it.”

“And why me not stay to help massa?” demanded the little black fellow, earnestly. “We know de path in de forest. Me quick, and can help. Why me not stay?”

“Because in this matter of our escape every man must carry out the task for which he is best fitted. We rely on you, Johnnie, to get steam up. If you fail, what will happen to us all?”

“Um! Me see well ’nough now,” was the answer. “Me go right ’nough. But me rather stay, massa. Me always want to help.”

Dick patted him on the back, for he had long ago seen that Johnnie was a faithful fellow, and had taken his master into his special favour. He did not trouble to seek the cause, but knew that it was a fact – the little man had been proving his devotion to him in a hundred ways since they two had been left alone at the goldmine. But had Johnnie been asked, he would have quickly supplied a reason.

“Me lob Massa Dick,” he would often murmur to himself. “He not like some of dese white men who comes to de coast. Dey velly young often – jest like him – and dey tink dat dey oh so much finer dan de poor black man. So dey am; but no need kick and swear at um. Massa not like dat. He say, ‘please, Johnnie,’ nice and friendly, when he want him food. And he never forget ‘tank you, Johnnie.’ Dat what me like. Me work for man like dat. And massa velly fine young fellow. He brave. He make friend eberywhere – same’s Massa Pepson and de fat Dutchman. Dey his broders, who lob him same’s Johnnie.”

It was a clear explanation, and no doubt was perfectly truthful. Indeed, there is little doubt that a little more thought on the part of the white man would often result in better relations between himself and the man of darker complexion. Youth and inexperience are no excuse for harsh dealing and bitter words, for sneers and open scoffing. The black man needs special treatment. He can be ruled easily and well. He can be made a faithful and contented servant, and there are none more fitted to be his masters than are Englishmen. But whatever the black may be, he is a fellow human being, and deserves common kindness and courtesy, till he has proved himself unworthy of either; and a little care in such matters – more care than is always given – would perhaps lead to better relations in our Indian dominions.

“Me go wid de first lot, den,” said Johnnie. “Time massa reach de launch she hab steam fit to bust.”

“Then off you go to the hut, and bring me along that drum of kerosene oil we use for the miners’ lamps. Wait, though. I’ll go with you.”

He trudged off to the hut, and there for a quarter of an hour he and the little black stoker were hard at work, feeling sure that the miners would meanwhile hold all secure. Indeed, there was little to fear, for the moon was still up, though it was now close to the summit of the tree-tops, and would soon fall below the forest and be hidden. Still, while it was light, movement on their part, or on that of the enemy, would be madness.

“Now, Johnnie, smartly does it, as the sailors say,” cried Dick, as they entered the hut. “We will have that small lantern alight, and then we will commence operations. I am going to lay a little supper for Master James Langdon, expert thief and murderer. I will leave him a little legacy which will hardly please him. Got the lantern? Then bring all the picks and spare mining tools. Bring everything, in fact, likely to be of use in the mines, and now held in our stores. Pile them in the centre of the floor here close to the drum.”

The native looked up in astonishment, but flew at once to carry out the order. It took very little time, indeed, for the stores held in the hut were not very large or diverse. There were just sufficient spare parts to replace a few breakages – enough, in fact, to keep the mine going in its then primitive condition, and till it had shown whether it was valuable or not. The various articles were dumped down in the centre of the hut, while Dick busied himself with throwing there all the odds and ends of clothing hanging to the walls, scraps of paper, and inflammable articles.

“Now for the gold,” he said. “We have it in bags already, and have merely to divide it. Let me see. There are twelve miners, and they, with our two selves, make fourteen. Subtract two, for the chief and myself, who remain behind, and that leaves twelve. Twelve bags, Johnnie, do you hear?”

The native grinned. He began to see a joke in all this hurry and bustle. He darted towards the store of gold, which was kept in small canvas bags, and helped Dick to divide it up. There was not a large quantity, though the mine had done remarkably well. Still, so rich is the ore in Ashanti that, thanks to the work of the miners and Dick’s care, the store was of great value.

“Me laugh, ha! ha! ha! You see de face ob dat half-white scum,” cried Johnnie. “He lob de gold. He say now to himself, ‘me soon wring de neck ob all dem fellers, and special of de white man whom me hate like pisin. Yes, me turn dem out, and den me set oder boys to work. Yes, fine game me play. Get shaft dug, ground open, all de labour done. Den walk in, find house, plenty gold, stockade, gun, eberyting.’ Golly! he make bit mistake dis time. He find nest clear, p’raps. All de eggs cooked, de old birds flown ’way, and all velly hot. No gold, no food, noding. Him cuss and swear. Him rabe. Him say, ‘hang dat Dick Stapleton. Me kill um by little inches when me hab de feller.’ How Johnnie like to stay and see him go crazy.”

“Thank you, I’d rather be far away,” said Dick, with a laugh. “Mister James Langdon is a gentleman who would kill me with less compunction than he would tread on a beetle. No, thanks. No staying for me.”

“No Johnnie, neider, tank you all same, massa. Me get to de steamer, and yo see. When yo come, she fairly jumpin’, so ready to go. Yes, me break up de oder boats and hab all ready. Make no trouble. Johnnie know what to do.”

“Then let’s place these bags in a row just inside the door of the stockade,” said Dick. “We’ll put the lamp there, too, so that the light cannot be seen outside, but so that the men can distinguish the bags. Then, as they retire, they will pick one up and go up the hill. That’s all clear. Come along.”

Ten minutes later they had laid the wealth of the gold-mine at the door of the stockade, and each man had been brought to the position and been given full instructions.

“You can trust the matter to them entirely, white chief,” said the leader of the miners. “You must have seen that they are honest, and besides, all have an interest, and if one happened to be a robber, the others would soon arrest him.”

“Then I will complete my arrangements. I see that the moon is almost down. Has there been any movement amongst the enemy?”

“They have crept a little closer,” was the answer. “We did not fire, as it did not seem necessary. They have drawn in their circle out here in front, and I believe that they have brought one or two men from the crest.”

It was comforting news, for if the enemy’s position were known, the task of the defenders would be easier.

“They know that our case is desperate,” thought Dick, “and they have come in closer to keep us in. They will not make a rush themselves after what I heard them say. Then at the very first our men should be able to locate them and drive them back. Good! Now for the last preparation.”

He went off to a corner of the stockade, and came staggering back with a small barrel over his shoulder, while Johnnie followed with a square case.

“Place it there carefully,” said Dick, as they arrived close to the gate. “Now break it open, and unpack the contents.”

The materials in the box were rapidly exposed to view, and one by one they handled rockets of enormous size, detonators, and fuses, for an assortment of explosives had been brought to the mines. Dick took the end of a pick and pried the lid off the cask. Then he tore off his hat.

“Hold,” he said to Johnnie. “That’s right, and keep well away from the lamp. It’s gunpowder, and would send us up to the sky. That’s the way, Johnnie; now put the barrel down and hold the hat.”

He had filled his hat with the shining black grains, and now he arranged the barrel a few feet within the stockade, covered it with an old cloth which he had saturated with kerosene, and then placed the rockets and other explosives on top. Meanwhile the lamp was kept at a respectful distance. By now the moon had fallen below the tree-tops, and already the light had faded to such an extent that it was difficult to see more than a few feet. It was time to begin moving, and again a call brought all the garrison to the gate.

“This is the bomb which I hope will help us,” said Dick, a grim smile on his lips. “Look at it there, gunpowder and bombs. Very well, then; I have showed it so that you will not stumble on to it. Let each one now lie down at the gate. When I give you the order you will all file out, and on your return you will find the gold bags where they are now, and the lantern beside them. Each will take a bag and retire to the back of the stockade. There one of your chiefs will be waiting for you, and he will give you the direction. You will make for the forest and the boats. A last warning. Do not get too close to the enemy. You know their position, and can creep sufficiently near to make your shots tell. Shout to one another, and make it appear as though a rush were about to be made. In a quarter of an hour you can begin to retire. Come back, firing slowly. When you meet me I will send the word to each. Then slink off at once. Now, Johnnie, the drum of kerosene.”