first and foremost to be a doctors' war, and when all
available precautions were taken, it became next a war against forest
and jungle, and the foes who might be lurking there.

To reach Kumasi was no light undertaking, even if no opposition were to
be expected, and the decision to advance upon it by land made the
difficulty all the greater. It would be hard to say who was responsible
for this, though it would seem that those at home, wholly unacquainted
with the coast perhaps, were allowed to have a say in the matter. In
any case materials were sent out for erecting a light railway, and were
disembarked at great cost and labour. And with what result? It was
hard enough to cleave a path thirty inches wide through the jungle and
forest, let alone one of five feet; while the necessary transport was
not forthcoming. And so the railway material lay where it had been
landed, while labourers and carriers were employed from amongst the
natives, hundreds of whom had flocked to the town owing to the
incursions of the Ashantis. Sappers set them their tasks, and as the
weeks crept on a path was hewn through the forest in a direct line to
the Prahsu. Sometimes open ground relieved the labour, and here and
there stations were formed, and food and ammunition collected. At last
the bend of the river was reached, and unhindered by the enemy, who were
in the vicinity, the sappers bridged it and laid out a little town for
the accommodation of the troops and the small escort sent to defend this
advance station. Finally the promised troops came, and the advance
commenced. Of the force engaged the bulk may be said to have been
British, for our native allies, with few exceptions, proved useless
cowards. A few men of the Assim tribe made excellent scouts under Lord
Gifford, while other natives did like service. But for fighting the
majority were hopeless, and very rightly no dependence was placed upon
them. Elsewhere, operating from another quarter, was a larger force of
more reliable natives, from the Lagos district, close to Benim, under
command of Captain Glover, and though their actions were of little
service, a small portion of the force was to be heard of later. They
were operating on the Rio Volta, the river forming the boundary between
the Gold and Slave Coasts.

It must not be supposed that because the Ashantis, who had invaded the
protectorate, hesitated to interfere with the working parties hewing a
road to the Prah