ernoon on the following day I
was at the Castle, where eight stout black men, with palanquins, were
ready to carry us. I found this mode of travelling very easy and
agreeable. The hammock in which I reclined was made of a long grass,
stained with several colours; two of the bearers carried it on their
shoulders by a pole, the other two sang songs, kept off the mosquitoes and
sunflies by whisking about a branch of a cocoanut tree over the hammock,
and occasionally relieved the others. On our journey we paid a short visit
and took Schnapps with the Governor of a Dutch settlement, who saluted us
with his four guns (all he had), and in so doing knocked down some of the
parapet of his fort, which dismounted half of them. My bearers were so
frightened by the report that they let me fall. As their fears soon
subsided, and I was not hurt, we continued our journey. About
three-quarters of an hour brought us within sight of Cronenburg Castle,
the Danish settlement, when we were met by a set of wild black men, who
called themselves men of war. They had a leathern case containing a musket
cartridge hanging from the cartilage of their noses. This gave them the
appearance of having large moustachios, and if they did not look very
warlike, they looked ridiculously savage. They kept constantly charging
and firing muskets, without any order, in honour of our visit.

We at length entered the great gate, and were ushered, by two black
lacqueys in livery, into a large hall, which, for Africa, was tolerably
furnished. The Danish Governor, who was dressed in a blue embroidered
coat, soon made his appearance. He was a portly person, with much good
humour in his countenance. At six we sat down to dinner, which was
abundant, and, for the first time, I eat some kous-kous, or palm nut soup.
I thought it excellent, and the pepper pot was magnificent--so a Frenchman
would have said had he been one of the party. My old acquaintance, goat's
flesh, did not make its appearance, but instead we had not badly-flavoured
mutton--which, to tell you a secret, was not very tender. We remained until
half-past nine o'clock, when we took our departure. The men of war with
their cartridge moustachios saluted us by firing their muskets, the
wadding of which struck me and my palanquin, for which I did not thank
them, as a bit of the wadding burnt my cheek.

On reaching the Castle at Cape Coast I was so wearied that I was almost
too lazy to undress. I slept soundly,