at fetish tree of the town, under which
human sacrifices were offered. On the 6th, the day upon which Sir Garnet
sent his ultimatum to the king, a bird of ill omen was seen to perch
upon it, and half an hour afterwards a tornado sprang up and the fetish
tree was levelled to the ground. This caused an immense sensation in
Coomassie, which was heightened when Sir Garnet's letter arrived, and
proved to be dated upon the day upon which the fetish tree had fallen.

The Adansee Hills are very steep and covered with trees, but without
undergrowth. It had been supposed that the Ashantis would make their
first stand here. Lord Gifford led the way up with the scouts, Russell's
regiment following behind. Frank accompanied Major Russell. When Gifford
neared the crest a priest came forward with five or six supporters and
shouted to him to go back, for that five thousand men were waiting there
to destroy them. Gifford paused for a moment to allow Russell with his
regiment to come within supporting distance, and then made a rush with
his scouts for the crest. It was found deserted, the priest and his
followers having fled hastily, when they found that neither curses nor
the imaginary force availed to prevent the British from advancing.

The Adansee Hills are about six hundred feet high. Between them and the
Prah the country was once thick with towns and villages inhabited by
the Assins. These people, however, were so harassed by the Ashantis
that they were forced to abandon their country and settle in the British
protectorate south of the Prah.

Had the Adansee Hills been held by European troops the position would
have been extremely strong. A hill if clear of trees is of immense
advantage to men armed with rifles and supported by artillery, but to
men armed only with guns carrying slugs a distance of fifty yards,
the advantage is not marked, especially when, as is the case with the
Ashantis, they always fire high. The crest of the hill was very narrow,
indeed a mere saddle, with some eight or ten yards only of level ground
between the steep descents on either side. From this point the scouts
perceived the first town in the territory of the King of Adansee, one
of the five great kings of Ashanti. The scouts and Russell's regiment
halted on the top of the hill, and the next morning the scouts went out
skirmishing towards Queesa. The war drum could be heard beating in the
town, but no opposition was offered. It was not, however, consid