Frank’s canoe, wounding two— Hatib and Muftah.
The missiles fired into us were jagged pieces
of iron and copper ore precisely similar to those
which the Ashantees employed. After this murderous
outrage there was no effort made to
secure peace. The shields were lifted, and proved
capital defences against the hail of slugs. Boat,
shields, and canoes were pitted, but only a few
shields were perforated.
The conflict began in earnest, and lasted so
long that ammunition had to be redistributed.
We perceived that, as the conflict continued,
every village sent out its quota. About two
o’clock a canoe advanced with a swaggering air,
its crew evidently intoxicated, and fired at us
when within thirty yards. The boat instantly
swept down to it and captured it, but the crew
sprang into the river, and, being capital swimmers,
were saved by a timely arrival of their friends.
At three o’clock I counted sixty-three opposed
to us. Some of the Bangala— which they disclosed
themselves by their peculiar cries, “Yaha-
ha-ha, Ya Bangala!” “ Ya Bangala! Yaha-ha-ha!”
— distinguished themselves by an audacity and
courage that, for our own sakes, I was glad to
see was not general. Especially one young
chief, distinguished by his head-dress of white
goat-skin, and a short mantle of the same material,
and wreaths of thick brass wire on neck, arms,
and legs, sufficient, indeed, to have protected
those parts from slugs, and proving him to be
a man of consequence. His canoe-mates were
ten in number; and his steersman, by his adroitness
and dexterity, managed the canoe so well
: that after he and his mates had fired their guns,
; he instantly presented its prow and only a thin
line of upright figures to our aim. Each time
he dashed up to deliver his fire all the canoes
of his countrymen seemed stimulated by his
example to emulate him. And, allowing five
guns on an average to each of the sixty-three
canoes, there were 315 muskets opposed to our
forty-four. Their mistake was in supposing their
slugs to have the same penetrative effect and
long range as our missiles had. Only a few of
the boldest approached, after they had experienced
our fire, within a hundred yards. The
young chief already mentioned frequently charged
I to within fifty yards, and delivered a smashing
charge of missiles, almost all of which were
either too low or too high. Finally Manwa Sera
wounded him with a Snider bullet in the thigh.
The brave fellow coolly, and in presence of us
all, took a piece of cloth and deliberately bandaged
it, and then calmly retreated towards
1 shore. The action was so noble and graceful
that orders were given to let him withdraw unmolested.
After his departure the firing became
desultory, and at 5.30 P.M. our antagonists retired,
leaving us to attend to our wounded, and