obes,
guns, ammunition, drums, and horns, and also sheep and poultry.

A company was at once despatched to the Sacred Lake, to join Major
Cramer's levies, which had been told off to act as locusts and eat
up the country. Colonel Wilson was ordered to go to Accra, to
reorganize and recruit the remnant of the Gold Coast Force; so
that, when the campaign was over, they could again take over the
military control of the colony. It was also decided that Bekwai
could no longer be occupied, and that all the stores there should
be removed to Esumeja, as the whole main road up to Coomassie would
shortly be open.

At last all was in readiness for the general and final advance. All
the Adansi country to the south, and Kokofu to the east had been
conquered, and the roads cleared. The next step was to clear
Northern Ashanti; neglecting altogether, for the present, the
parties of the enemy between the southern boundaries of Ashanti
territory and their capital.

It was therefore decided to move the whole of the headquarters
staff and the advance base to Coomassie, Esumeja being selected as
the point, between it and Kwisa, to be held in force. The general
plan was to send up all the stores, carriers, and troops via Pekki,
as had been done on both previous occasions. This would reduce the
chance of attack and loss to a minimum while, simultaneously, a
fighting column with the smallest possible transport would follow
the road through Kokofu and take Ejesu, which was the residence of
the queen mother, and the headquarters of the remnant of the
Ashanti army.

The general opinion was that it would be the last fight of the
year. Colonel Brake, who was the last arrival, having had no chance
of a fight hitherto, was selected for the command. The whole force
was to advance, and five thousand carriers were required to effect
the movement.

There was general joy when it was known that Bekwai was to be
evacuated. It was a dull, dirty place, surrounded by dense, dark
forests, and was in a terribly insanitary state. Europeans were
rapidly losing their strength, and an epidemic of smallpox was
raging among the natives, of whom a dozen or more died daily.

On the 28th of August Colonel Burroughs left Bekwai, with seven
hundred and fifty men, and three thousand carriers taking
ammunition and baggage. The column was fully two miles long. They
had an extremely heavy march, and did not arrive at their
destination till night. The carriers returned