Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-12-06
Story Of 81 Black Chief.
Daring Exploits of 0uobah. an Ashantee Harrior.
By JOHN r. RS.

Few references to the lives of indi-
viduals who were carried from Africa
TO the Americas in the days of the
slavers can lie found in the annals of
the slave trade. but one may obtain
giimpses Of two or three of them,
here and there, and of the incomplete
stories that may be written from these
glimpses there is one that seems worth
prescTvation-the story of Quobah. an
Ashantee war chief.
In the year 1906 the SLAYER brig Co
raline, owned in Boston. and command
ed by a man known as Capt. Willing
this real name was Maurice Halter)
entered the Rio Volta, on the west
coast of Africa. with cargo of rum.
guns. ammunition. cotton cloth, and
trinkets. Here a small schooner was
chartered for a voyage up the river.
and in this the captain and a part of
the crew proceeded as far as the Ash
antee town II Malice, place of per-
: haps 5000 inhabitants. There We're
i.ot CROUCH slaves for sale in Malice
to make a cargo for the schooner. and
after a consultation with the king OF
the region. raid into the interior
was planned. For this raid the king
supplied the men and food. while Capt.
Willing supplied the arms. rum and to-
baccc. but Willing and several other
whites went with the expedition, and
to ono Of these, a boy known as
Phillip Drake. we are indebted for an
account OF the incidents of the jour-
aey.
The party that marched away into
the forest included many soldiers
armed with muskets, women to care
for the camps and cook the food. AMI
cows that supplied milk and served as
pack animals. There were also a
number of slaves whose duty it was TO
carry extra arms and the supplies Of
= ammunition. The whole party num-
bered $50 people.
AT the head of these raiders was
Quooah. the war chief uf Malice. and a
noble negro. His size and strength
were consp icuous His skin was jet
and was kept glossy with palm oil.
His head was high and of conical
shape. AID he wore his woolly hair
braided into stiff hanks. His teeth had
been fled sharp; his checks showed
the marks of wounds, and these marks
were made conspicuous by borders of
rel paint. He dressed in loose sack
like shirt of yellow cotton cloth
striped with blue. and he wore red
cap with a long tassel on his head.
His arms included huge spear. which
he constantly carried. and musket.
broadswoard. and war club that were
carried by slaves. who were careful to
keep close to him at all times while
on the march.
To the black and white men alike it
was a very pleasant excursion. for two
or three days. The boy saw with de-
light the red monkeys that leaped
chattering from limb to limb in the
trees overhead; the birds of finest
plumage that were captured with the
hands alone. the flowers of gorgeous
colcrs that were seen as they marched
along beaten trail.
In fact. the party was so merry that
raiders from Dahomey surrounded
them one evening Some of the mer-
ry-makers escaped. but when the fight
ing was over the survivors who had
not escaped found themselves secure
ly bound as slaves 10 the attacking
party.
Among these slaves were Quobah
and the white boy. II had taken doZ-
en- warriors to down the giant Asian
tee, and then they succeeded only af
ter he was repeatedly struck from be-
hind as he leaped to and from among
his sssailants. And so unconquerable
was his spirit that when marched to-
ward the Dahomey village of Yallaba
his captors found it necessary to fast
en- his arms 10 his side by means of
stone wooden hoop that was frightened
by a wedge driven down between HIS
back and the hoop-this in addition to
the rawhide thongs used on ordinary
prisoners.
At Yallaba ruled king named Nam
mee-"an old black man, dressed in
red muslin" Mammee's most sacrel
fetish was a scarf woven from the hair
If many human beings and beasts, and
ornamented with the feathers and
claws of birds and the teeth of ferc-
cious animals and deadly reptiles.
This he supposed added to his prowess
in war and protected him from enc
mics. but his priests told him that its
powers could be greatly increased if.
At a coming festival. the splendid
fighter, Quobah, were sacrificed. to the
spirit of the scarf. Quobah was con-
demned to die by torture. but when
told of the fate awaiting him he curled
his lips in scorn, and said he knew
how to die like an Ashantee warrior
Before the day of sacrifice arrived,
however. two lions came to devastate
the homes of Mammee's subjects, who
lived in huts beyond the palisaded
walls of the village. The planters fed
to the village for safety. and for time
the people were as closely besieged
as IL an army of Ashantees lay in the
brest. In the face of this danger TIE
.giests quickly decided that safety