gage was lost. A very determined attack was made on Fommanah, a village which was too large for defence by the small garrison left there. The indefatigable Colonel Colley, the head of the transport department, had gone back there to look after some convoys, and found the place very hotly attacked. Capt. North, 47th Regiment, was very badly wounded here; but the enemy was eventually repulsed. Four days' supplies were now collected at Agemmamu, and Colonel Colley having undertaken that in five days a fresh convoy should arrive at that place, the General decided upon making his further advance upon Coomassie as a flying column. The English soldiers were asked whether they would undertake to make their rations for four days last, if necessary, for six, and they all responded cheerfully and willingly to the request.

It was evident that the defeat at Amoaful had dispirited the Ashantis, and there were signs all along the road that the retreat of of the King's army had been something very like a flight. Their faith in fetich seemed to cling to them to the last. "Each village had its human sacrifice lying in the middle of the path. The sacrifice was of either sex, sometimes a young man, sometimes a woman. The head, severed from the body, was turned to meet the advancing enemy, the body was evenly laid out with the feet toward Coomassie. This laying out in this manner meant, no doubt-Regard this face, ye white man, ye whose feet are hurrying on to our capital, and learn the fate awaiting you.' But still the Ashantis did not trust only to such obstacles to stop the advance of the English. Between Adwabin and the Ordah river, on the 3rd February, a severe fire was opened on the head of the column; but the river bank was won, and, a footing on the stream secured, Russell's regiment, which behaved remarkably well, was pushed

* Stanley.

across, the water being waist deep, and under cover of the work which they threw up on the other side, the Engineers, under Major Home, immediately commenced the construction of a bridge. That night the force bivouacked on the bank of the river, and a most uncomfortable night it must have been, as the rain fell steadily, and, all the baggage having been left behind, no one had a change of clothing. During the march on this day another appeal for delay was received from the King, but, being no more satisfactory than before, the answer merely announced Sir Garnet's intention to march to Coomassie.

At 7 a.m. on Feb. 4th, the column passed the scarcely-finished bridge, and then began one of the most interesting and dashing of modern fights. Five hundred yards in advance of the village of Ordahsu the enemy was posted in force. Russell's men were first engaged, but as they threw themselves down to fire and did not gain ground as rapidly as pleased Colonel McLeod, he passed some of the Rifle Brigade to the front, and speedily carried the village. It was here that Lieut. Eyre was killed. The enemy, broken in front, wheeled round and made a most determined onslaught upon our right flank, but still the advance continued. The baggage and supplies were all ordered up to the captured village, and as they passed, the detachments that had been holding the road as far as the river were drawn in, "and the enemy allowed to close, with shouts and war songs, round our rear, Russell's regiment being formed across the road in rear of the village. One loud sustained war-shout from the enemy told us of their rejoicing at seizing our communications and cutting us off, as they believed, from our bridge and our camp, which by this time a body of them had entered, destroying the shelter huts constructed on the previous night."+

+ Brackenbury.

However, the self-contained little army cared no more for its communications. It meant to be in Coomassie that night, and in Coomassie it was. The 42nd was now sent to the front, the Rifles being fatigued, and the final advance began. To disregard flank attacks, and to march on at all hazards, was the order. The new tactics of "marching past ambuscades with salutes of bullets on either flank," were evidently beyond the experience of the Ashantis. We cannot do better than quote the Brigadier's (Sir Archibald Alison's) report of Colonel McLeod's advance: "Placing himself at their head, he gave the word to advance. I accompanied him with my staff. On first debouching from the village, a tremendous fire was opened on the head of the column from a well-planned and strong ambuscade, six men being knocked over in an instant. But the flank companies worked steadily through the bush; the leading company in the path sprung forward with a cheer; the pipes struck up, and the ambuscade was at once carried. Then followed one of the finest spectacles I have ever seen in war. Without stay or stop, the 42nd rushed on cheering, their pipes playing, their officers to the front; ambuscade after ambuscade was successfully carried, village after village won in succession, till the whole Ashantis broke and fled in the wildest disorder down the pathway, on their front to Coomassie. The ground was covered with traces of their flight. Umbrellas and warchains of their chiefs, drums, muskets, killed and wounded, covered the whole way, and the bush was trampled on each side as if a torrent had rushed through it. No pause took place until a village was reached about four miles from Coomassie, when the absolute exhaustion of the men rendered a short halt necessary. So swift and unbroken was the advance of the 42nd, that neither Raitts' guns nor the Rifle Brigade in support were ever brought into action."

As at Amoaful, so at Ordahsu, the Ashantis had chosen their ground and laid their

plans well, and against a less determined advance they might have been successful. Throughout all the fighting, the enemy was only once seen at all in force in the open; Lieut. Hart witnessed some 150 men entering a clearing. "Their arms were all sloped; every man was closed up to what we call fronting distance; their pace was quite regular, though much slower than our quick march, and except for that, and the fact that they were all talking, they moved as do our best-drilled soldiers." Their attacks on our flank and rear were prepared beforehand, as a large clearing was found, concealed by a belt of bush, in which they massed a large body of men for this purpose.

General Wolseley continued to hold the village of Ordahsu, which was incessantly attacked by the enemy on all sides, until he received positive information of the success of Colonel McLeod's advance. This news on being received was communicated to the troops and translated to the natives, and "they raised such a ringing cheer, that almost as by magic, the enemy's fire ceased and not another shot was fired by him. He knew that cheer could have but one meaning, lost heart, and gave up the game."

Then the whole force advanced. The last report from the Brigadier told Sir Garnet he had taken all the villages but the last; and very soon that fell too. Two piteous letters from Mr. Dawson, a captive, were received, begging for delay, but the General's sole reply was "push on." Little resistance was offered at the last; the foe was dispirited, crushed and vanquished. The King had directed the defence from Ahkanwassi, two miles in rear of Ordahsu, where on a golden stool under the shade of plantain leaves, he awaited the issue, until the steady advance of the Highlanders, and the nearsinging of the Snider bullets, told his Majesty that neither fetich, diplomatic arts, nor Brummagem arms had availed him aught, and that

* Brackenbury.

his power was broken and gone. Then he took himself off, retreating with the semblance of his army, no one knew where. At 5.30 the head of the column entered Coomassie, and when, three quarters of an hour later, Sir Garnet Wolseley arrived, he found the 42nd drawn up quietly on parade in the great market-place, which rang with three hearty cheers for Her Majesty the Queen.

And so the goal was reached. Of subsequent events we must refrain from saying much, as this article has already far exceeded the intended limits. The General's first care was, after billeting the troops, to take means to send a letter to the King, and that pithy epistle was despatched, which commenced thus:- "King! you have deceived me; but I have kept my promise to you. I am in Coomassie ;" and in which again an offer was made of concluding a treaty. No definite reply was received to this letter, though several messages purporting to come from the King were delivered during the next day. However, His Majesty did not put in an appearance; no one knew, or would tell, where he was, and no hostages were sent in. We were in Coomassie, but even that success did not compel the King to come to terms. What was to be done? General Wolseley decided that unless the King came in on the 5th of February, the next morning the retreat should commence, and the town should be burnt. For thus deciding he has been severely criticized. Events subsequently proved that the rain which fell so plentifully on the night of the 4th was not really the beginning of the wet season; and also that the Ashanti army was thoroughly broken up, and that the King was really anxious to make peace. Still there can be no doubt that Sir Garnet was justified n thinking he had ample reason for deciding as he did. Major Russell reported, on the 5th, that the bridge over the Ordah was 18 inches under water, and the stream still rising. The rations with the force were only sufficient for two or three days more, and it was then

uncertain whether more convoys could push through. "It was out of the question,” says Captain Brackenbury, "to undertake any operation that might involve another battle, because any increment to our list of sick and wounded would have placed it beyond our power to move them back to Agemmamu, as there would neither have been hammocks nor bearers sufficient for the purpose." Prize agents were therefore appointed, and a limited amount of loot was allowed to be sent down to the coast. Then the engineers were set to work to mine the Palace. All that night they worked unceasingly, and when the troops began their march at six next morning, the work was not finished. A party was told off to fire the town. A full hour had elapsed since the main body marched off. "Anxiety was exhibited by those remaining with the rear guard at the great delay in the firing of the mines at the palace, and the distance which in consequence existed between the main body and the 42nd, which was to follow: but no such anxiety was shown by Col. McLeod. The same quiet demeanour was shown here as under the enemy's hottest fire, and he remained behind the rear company till the party of Sappers and the last Engineer labourer had passed to the front. At nine o'clock he rose and waved his hand : it was the signal for the front company to march, and Coomassie was left a heap of smoking ruins."*

Into the wisdom or the necessity of this deed we cannot now enquire. Sir Garnet halted for some days at Fommanah, where the envoys from the King overtook him, and paid an instalment of 1,000 oz. of gold dust, and the draft of a treaty was agreed upon. The camp at this place was suddenly startled one day by the sudden appearance of Capt. Sartorius. This gallant officer had led the advance of Glover's force from the Volta across the Prah, to within a few miles of Coomassie, where his chief had sent him on,

* Brackenbury.

in ignorance of General Wolseley's achieve ments and whereabouts, to open communication with the main column. As he rode on he learnt that Sir Garnet had begun his retreat; but with only 20 men he pushed on, passed unmolested though the smoking ruins of the capital, and overtook, on the 12th, Headquarters at Fommanah. On that day Captain Glover himself reached Coomassie, after one of the most wonderful marches on record. Hurrying on, in obedience to his superior's orders, he crossed the Prah on the day on which he was instructed to do so, though he had only 750 men with him, many of them being almost worthless, while his stores of ammunition and supplies were almost nothing. It was well established afterwards that this diversion had exercised a material influence on the

success of the campaign, as a large body of. Ashantis were detailed to watch Glover's advance. The apparently abortive expeditions of Captain Butler and Captain Dalrymple had also produced the same effect; a large force having been detached from the main army to watch the lines along which these officers were supposed to be advancing. Captain Glover falling in to the main road, brought up, as it were, the rear of the army of invasion. As he passed along, the stores were cleared out at each station, the fortified posts dismantled, and all that could not be moved destroyed. On the 21st of February the last troops reached the bridgehead at Prahsu. On the 23rd they were withdrawn across the river, and the bridge over the Prah was then destroyed.

So ended the Invasion of Ashanti.