The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-11-22 00:00:00

A BUSH FIGHT IN AFRICA.

The following extracts are from • very interesting
sketch by the Special Correspondent of The Times,
writing trees Cape Coat Castle, Oct. 15:—
Capt.!. Glover, on arriving at Ao:ra, set to work with his
uatial energy levying satire troops and opening negotiation.
with the Chiefs of the interior The most powerful I these
is the King of Akin., who can put 20,00. men Into the held.
He C.llll down to Accra with a gun flint in his mouth, a
token of war, and said he did not want thy money or per for
Ids men, but cinb muskets and poweer end flints and le..d
bars—for cutting Ur into slugs A fortnight ago the King
of Athenian) sees to Akira, his hereditary foe, a message of
love, prop, sing an exchange of prisoners, and declaring he
had no palaver with also, bet only with the people of the
ion filucl Is the policy of the Ashantee they make peace
with one people when they wish to mace war noon another;
but they mate war upon all in turn. There le not •
precept In The Prince of Disohlavelit venial they have not
pat into practice; ffsenvor. they are now b-ginniug to be
understood. Fifty years of fair promises, followed by
furious Invirsions, knee teeth% the neighbouring trl Ass to
place ini faith le the friendship of th's crafty and ambitions
people. Maim replied that If the King of Aehrotee had no
palaver with him he had a palaver with the King
of
Ashoitee. Of the four messenger., be tilled two, sent the
tided back to Coomanle, and the fourth on to Glover at
Area. This envoy is now at Cape Co•at, and amens Viet
the Keg is marching in person upon in, and intends to take
this town or perish in Abe attempt, his princifed object
being to mover the bones of bra Uncle, the Lk King of
Aahanke.
It Ls • custom of that Country that If a King dies Without
haring befog on the afar-path and the battletleld hens, not
be buries in the family vault. The late Kieget Arbantwe came
to this miserable end, and his pious deaceudent, C death,
etermined to remove the stein upon his memo: y. QuahO3
was deal. but jet be siould go to the wars b nee
t hold! i.e beet a. rss the l". .h In a eertaln battle eariy
ln the present year the Ashanieer. Ca usual gained the vic-
tory ; nut the Kos:I rental swore capture's in the tight, aud
are treasured as a trophy at Cape C asc—at least, so the
Ashant lee supporn. Ace ading to their reli,lous bent, the
soul of this unfortunate Mtn Is now a prisoner. Far
down below the earth Is a thiscinwy lend where the Kings of
; Ad:tanker, richly apparelled, covered with gold, seer on ed
I by thelr nobles, attend° I ny their slaves, reign as they
reigned on earth, in a kingdom that shall have no end. But
one ehrovo IA vacant. Kellett from It. brethren, a Royal
spirit, solitary and forlorn, hover. over its captive corpse in
the Cagle of the white man on the bordern of the sea
Captain Glover him now gone-on to Addati, at the mouth of
the Volta, and the tribe. on the other aide of the river, the
proper len hank, are ante. of Asbestos. Through theses'
ports Jell. C See and With these people, the A woonas, oh-
, lain monitions of war, and send them on through • tribe
called the Aquanwros to the Ashautee frontier. The arrival
of Glover thresithe this trade' so both tribes have collected
in force, and slew day. sg, there went forth a rumour that
Glover we. hemmed in Next day all Cape Coast was In a
stir. The West India data .tment whin g•ITISODS this town
had been ordered on board the Borracouta I went over to
I Government House sad obtained permission to jdo the ex-
pedition, whatever It might be, and was informed that Glover
required reinforcements. and that the General himself we.
, going with them to Addah. At 9 pm. Ste 0 runt Wo',eley
, came down to the beach, and earl boats sect us off to the
' sloop. I thought the hone rather late if we were going to
Addah, which is more than a handred Mira to the mud, and
an soon as we were on board the truth throe out. Our des-
, Unction was Elmlna. . . . .
- -

--....- _ . .
This, our pewee% colony, is also the oldest one we poetess
outside the Straits of Gibraltar. Its castle, St George, was
built before America was discovered, and wa• visited by
CbAstopher Columbus when a senor In the Portuguese
service. La dausina Cass-aids de (kW. Is an Interesting
account of IS. MA eettiemeos. It was here the Portuguese
flit met with in Id In Negroland, and hence it. name,
Eludes, or The Mm."
Sir Garnet has placed %balms under charge of Colonel
Evelyn Wood, V C , a most ...regale °Meer, who soon found
out what wth going on. Ile Aso ascertained that an Ashentee
Cstit*in with his company, was residing Emmen. On
these facts being reported at bead. curter+, the General sent
a messenpr to the head men of Amputee end Kansman and
other villages, ordering them at 000 e to appear at Emma
end Ave an explanation of their candect. If they refused,
he would punish them several. The head mett sent to
the Ashantee camp for Inetroltions, and wero or seed
not to obey the summons Ampenee might be destroyed,
but Romanian was Intl.. hush, and they need not oe afraid,
lor white men could not fight in the bush. Accordingly the
heed men returned an insulting message, .d Sir Garnet
made hi. preperattone Be determined to surprise gir, *map,
sad therefore kept his plan of operations • secret. Ia Cape
Coast Coatis It was known only,to three men besides himself,
In Ikons only to Colonel Wood. these prwautious were not
superguotie, for Cape Coast Cesar, and E mina are full of
solee. C the Coast was, therefore, thrown on • f.lee by
th- story ol Add.h, and daring the night policemen guarded
every exit from Rimini.
Our regular scoops were employed, and the force wee con-
siderable. As I mentioned to • Previous letter, Commodore
C0m.... II had lon inetructtons that the Marines on board
the Sinsoons wece not to be employed, except In defence of
the set temente ; but the last mall brought to Captain
Freemardle, the senior naval officer, poem to act ou his
own reeponsibility, and he at ones placed not only
his marines, but also his seamen, at Sir Garnet's
&natal A certain number of bluejackets were disem-
barked to sarrbon Cape Coast, under the command of
Lleueenant-Colonel resting, R. AA. The detachment of the
god Wes, Jodie R,stment were embarked on board the gun.
boat Decoy and la died before our arrival at Blades. The
marines and Inuejarketa of the Berracoute being stowed in
three large trait heath were towed in • steam &new to the
margin of the surf, and were got on chore after some
difficulty and delay fhb wee the only Pert of the bustneu
which did not woe k well; however, no harm was done. As
soon se the men were landed the columns were formed, and
at five am. the march bewail.. .
It was • Chow. calm morning, with warmly a cloud In the
sty, silt as the sun rose meow the horizon birds snug sweetly
from toe mt.., which covered the Wally We marched In
Single ale along • footpath, which was sometimes of red
clay, a =sitcom, of golden coloured sand; at one moment
we dived Into a thleget deep end dark, and the next paawd
out lot' green meadow& with tall tufted grass, and large
width floe ere bathing In sunlit dew. But then came a goat.
Mire of mud, bmck as reitistration ink, and givieg forth an
odour cnmpared with which the theme. rat low-tide Is rosin
water; and never have I seen inch abominable hamlets as
the two through which we pawed on our way, T e country
was at ant tolersoly open, and we weld see tar ahead the
Booties running along thickets and COosell, to sod fro. on the
right and on the left, Ike • pack of hounds, their afters, In
Elwood helmet., aud shining white puggsrees, plainly to he
seen, and always well ahead of their men. 0.,e or two shots
were heard, but still It wee by no means certain hit we should
Sod the ei,emy. We had marched about three mil., and I
was beginning to few that the tray would be blank, when of •
sodden we heath • tremendous fusillade, and • strange glee
fal yelling cry, prolonged and incewant—the Rowels giving
tongue. its ee pulled ou we found that the Poole w• before
us, stretching away on both Adel aa far al thesis, soul! reach
In the minst was shill. 'leo clovered with jungle, except alma
Cu Its manna% Was a eleeling Of plantation, Some men were
ems cnyesne Oslo patch, and Lieutenant Eyre "dropped "
toe at 300 yards which probably satonithed the native.. A
little to the eight of this clestirg, and also on the top , f the
hill, was the village. The General and Ma Staff, who were
well In front, pushed on with the gun and rocket
tube, while Colossi Wood took up • strong position In
the rear. The Athenterie and their allies, as usual,
employed flanking tectice, and for some time front
and rear were (featly hard at work; but in half
an hour they were driven clean away In spite of the
Miceli...4 of the bash. The 7-pounder was brought to beer
on the village, and Llentenant Allen set some bonus on Sr.
with rockets, =thing admirable practice. Brackenbury and
Charterls were the first to enter the Allege, with sor a Royal
Warier, Artillery, While Crease cleared W. bash on it. sight
Afterwards, pesetas through the village, he saved a child
from a Darning house' and, throughout the severe march
with* followed, the llutithe dleputhd as to who should
"carry the kid." The native them. did their work with great
pluck, and Captain MAW, who was surveying the road upon
the marrh had • slag lodged ia hie leather compel., cue.
The 11,•t shot was firth et LlootensinS Graven. and lodged in
hie gaiter. The wounds... Bed by thews sluer were as • rule
stied, but Colossi McNeill bad a bad wound In the writ,
Angler 60 those which are calmed by frogmen's of shell.
Two Rouges were shot in vital pacts, and have shwa died.
Caplets Ifewelatle was hit I y a clog, linloll Weed clean
through We right arm, but he went through the whole day'.
work; end Otheeln Forbes, ti the find West India Regiment,
wee wounded In the band Much praise was bestowed on
Burgeon Adams, Z 1., for his skill and i romptitude. and It is
prophesied that ibis 'meth ODD will rise teigb in his prole,-
don. At 7.13 the heavy firing began; at 7.60 the Allege
was taken. and the enemy driven from the bush; as 8.30
the Austad) Wee sounded; and Id 0.46 the match Was
resumed.
It is Miceli to deeinthe the human tornado which raged
foe half an hour over half • mile Of African bath The
enemy wee on all Ades, and the firing InOmeant. The air
err all gares, sad smoke, and filled with maths, sounds—the
booming of the gams, the whthaleg A Inelleld the oracklng
of Snidest, aboute groans, laaghter, the wlleg oe slugs,
the Boumes chanting vines from the Kona, Lsgllsh cheer-
ing, and than. as the ',Wade began to bark the rearing of
emplailoss ot poster, and b ad reins. The
enemy beget thirtieths, they _offered ata but
were entrieed sad thethiNlithe Mid bad net a pull.= In
them.nth lost Aimee be NMI
WO MO bus bus isms AssossiVirlsill sLiamailikaslosell
vas NM ol How" gift* as Aarialts• alms