ance into the wood.

At eight in the morning Sir Garnet Wolseley had marched from Cape
Coast with three hundred marines and blue jackets to the relief of the
position, but so tremendous was the heat that nearly half the men fell
exhausted by the way, and were ordered when they recovered to march back
to Cape Coast. The remainder, when they arrived at Assaibo, five
miles from Abra Crampa, were so utterly exhausted that a long halt was
necessary, although a faint but continuous fire could be heard from the
besieged place.

Chocolate and cold preserved meat were served out to the men, and in the
course of another three hours a large number of the stragglers came in.
At three o'clock, a hundred of the most exhausted men being left to hold
the village, the rest of the force with the fifty West Indians stationed
there marched forward to Buteana, where they were jointed by fifty more
men from Accroful. Just as they started from this place they met the
King of Abra, who had come out with a small body of warriors; from him
Sir Garnet learned that this road, which wound round and came in at the
back of Abra Crampa, was still open.

The Ashantis were too busy with their own operations to watch the path,
and the relieving force entered the place without firing a shot. The
firing round the town continued, but Ammon Quatia, when he saw the
reinforcements enter, at once began to fall back with the main body
of his troops, and although the firing was kept up all night, when the
besieged in the morning advanced to attack the Ashanti camp they found
it altogether deserted.

"It is of no use," the Ashanti general said to Frank. "My men cannot
fight in the open against the English guns. Besides, they do not know
what they are fighting for here; but if your general should ever cross
the Prah you will find it different. There are forests all the way to
Coomassie, as you know, and the men will be fighting in defense of their
own country, you will see what we shall do then. And now I will keep
my promise to you. Tonight your guards will go to sleep. I shall have
medicine given them which will make them sleep hard. One of the Fanti
prisoners will come to your hut and will guide you through the woods to
Assaiboo. Goodbye, my friend. Ammon Quatia has learnt that some of the
white men are good and honest, and he will never forget that he owes his
life to you. Take this in remembrance of Ammon Quatia."

And he presented Frank with a necklace c