By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti WarHenty, G. A. (George Alfred)
General
By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
Ashanti war, 1873-1874 -- Juvenile fiction
The Ashantis were too busy with their own operations to watch the path,
and the relieving force entered the place without firing a shot. The
firing round the town continued, but Ammon Quatia, when he saw the
reinforcements enter, at once began to fall back with the main body
of his troops, and although the firing was kept up all night, when the
besieged in the morning advanced to attack the Ashanti camp they found
it altogether deserted.
“It is of no use,” the Ashanti general said to Frank. “My men cannot
fight in the open against the English guns. Besides, they do not know
what they are fighting for here; but if your general should ever cross
the Prah you will find it different. There are forests all the way to
Coomassie, as you know, and the men will be fighting in defense of their
own country, you will see what we shall do then. And now I will keep
my promise to you. Tonight your guards will go to sleep. I shall have
medicine given them which will make them sleep hard. One of the Fanti
prisoners will come to your hut and will guide you through the woods to
Assaiboo. Goodbye, my friend. Ammon Quatia has learnt that some of the
white men are good and honest, and he will never forget that he owes his
life to you. Take this in remembrance of Ammon Quatia.”
And he presented Frank with a necklace composed of nuggets of gold as
big as walnuts and weighing nearly twenty pounds.
Frank in return gave the general the only article of value which he now
possessed, his revolver and tin box of cartridges, telling him that he
hoped he would never use it against the English, but that it might be of
value to him should he ever again have trouble with his own men. Frank
made a parcel of the necklace and of the gold he had received from the
king for his goods, and warned Ostik to hold himself in readiness for
flight. The camp was silent although the roar of musketry a few hundred
yards off round Abra Crampa continued unbroken. For some time Frank
heard his guards pacing outside, and occasionally speaking to each
other. Then these sounds ceased and all was quiet. Presently the front
of the tent was opened and a voice said, “Come, all is ready.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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