I do not know how the Ashantee relished this observation, but I suppose not well, as he is a conceited fop, and upon the whole a sharp, shrewd young man. I put some questions to him respecting his country, but his answers were both evasive and untrue, thinking no doubt that I was quite ignorant on the subject. He informed me that Coomassie was four moons’ journey from Dahomey; and also in order to make his country look great, told me and the King that there were no less than one hundred English merchants in Coomassie buying gold when he came away. Upon which I flatly contradicted him, and told him that only one white man resided in Ashantee, Mr. Chapman, a missionary, who had lately been ill-treated by a set of ruffians. This mortified him very much; and he remarked to the King that white men only came to Ashantee for what they could get, and boasted of the great presents his father had made to Mr. Freeman; but I informed his Majesty that the King received ten times more from Mr. Freeman than he ever received or expected in return; that Englishmen never expected any return for a present. The Ashantee persisted in what he had stated, and declared that any present received by the King of Ashantee was made merely through fear. Upon this the King, in an angry tone, ordered him to be silent. He was aware that England feared no nation, and he would not suffer an Englishman to be insulted in his country.[18] This terminated my conversation with the Ashantee on that day. It will, doubtless, seem singular, that the male soldiers are not mentioned as taking any part in the two days’ review, but they remained inactive the whole time, except when eating. At this part of the ceremony they played their part, being amply supplied with provisions. In fact, every one present, on both days, although so numerous, was supplied with plenty. No person, however, except myself, was furnished with a table, not even the Spaniards nor Portuguese, although many visitors of both nations, who were present at the custom, still remained here, knowing that I was expected. The Ashantee prince objected to drink out of a calabash, seeing that I was supplied with tumblers, but he was told by one of the King’s headmen that he was only a black man, and that if he did not choose to drink from the calabash he might go without. He preferred the former, and drank out of what he had used all his life--the calabash. The male soldiers were seated on the ground without any regularity, forming a crescent in the rear of his Majesty.