REESE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. .-**" NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST BY THE REV. DENNIS KEMP M LATE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT WESLEYAN MISSIONS GOLD COAST DISTRICT HotUion MACMILLAN AND CO. LIMITED NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1898 All rights reserved 3S33H RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BUNGAY. TO MY WIFE PREFACE THE considerations which induced me to yield to the wishes of personal friends to attempt a description of mission work at the Gold Coast were : First, a desire to furnish the supporters of our Missionary Society with such information as might not merely be of interest, but which would, to a certain extent, give the res^llts of missionary en- terprise in a small but important part of the foreign field. Hitherto our friends have been under the necessity of deriving their information from travellers whose literary talents have been out of all proportion to their opportunities for studying the subject of missions. Secondly, I have entertained the hope that it might be possible to give such information as would be useful to young men in training for work abroad. I have endeavoured to show that each of the colleagues with whom I have had the pleasure and privilege of being associated has contributed towards the growth of the Gold Coast Mission. It is hoped that future missionaries will thus learn that there viii PREFACE is ample scope for the exercise of a great variety of gifts on the foreign field. And then, as experience has taught me that there is a growing interest in this old British possession, I have ventured to touch upon topics other than those of a purely missionary character. In the presence of the literary critic I exceedingly fear and quake, and tremblingly plead " guilty," and urge " extenuating circumstances" to every conceivable and inconceivable charge that may be brought against me from a purely literary point of view. I am well aware that much more might have been written, even by so incompetent a pen as my own, but to have attempted a larger work would have required more time from my present ministerial duties than I feel warranted in taking. The reader will doubtless observe that I have had little occasion to make use of materials furnished by previous writers on West Africa ; in mentioning the early connection of the Portuguese with the Gold Coast I have, however, placed myself under an obligation to Mr. C. P. Lucas' " Historical Geography of West Africa " (Clarendon Press), and in referring to the trade relations of the Colony I have made use of Mr. Hesketh Bell's address to the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. I sincerely regret the fact that it was only after finally leaving Africa that I mustered sufficient courage to record my experience. Fortunately my Gold Coast letters to my mother have been preserved ; these, naturally, have been PREFACE ix indispensable to me. Articles and photographs by myself which have appeared in our missionary magazine, Work and Workers, have been placed at my disposal by the Editor. My old colleagues, the Reverends S. C. Hall and J. S. Ellenberger, have also furnished me with information, for which I am most grateful. I hesitate to associate the name of the Reverend W. T. A. Barber, M.A., B.D., with the reading of the proof sheets. If I take the liberty I must explain that my friend's considerate regard for the susceptibilities of an inexperienced author has considerably restrained him, or he might have " cor- rected " my work beyond all hope of recognition. ELIAMA, ST. URSULA GROVE, SOUTHSEA, March $rd, 1898. CONTENTS CHAPTER I Offer of services for the Gold Coast Mission Particulars as to out- fit, &c. Notes of introduction to friends in Africa . . Pages I 7 CHAPTER II Furnishes brief information respecting the various tribes of the Gold Coast Our early relations with them, and the value of their country commercially Concluding with remarks respecting the Fetish religion Pages 8 26 CHAPTER III Contains a revelation to the Author, the study of which proves that the Missionary's preconceived ideas respecting his vocation did not harmonise with his actual experience Suggestions are also respectfully offered to the aspiring West African resident in refer- ence to the preservation of health, and the reader is introduced to an invaluable colleague Pages 27 47 CHAPTER IV Deals with the difficulties in introducing Christian ideas respecting marriage. Reflections concerning the character of the native, and references to our school at Cape Coast ...... Pages 48 67 CHAPTER V Gives an account of a journey into the "Bush," with glimpses of forest scenery, and an introduction to the rural members of the Church Pages 6885 xii CONTENTS CHAPTER VI Relates circumstances which will summon an immense concourse of people a funeral, a fire, or a festival And has a reference to Elmina Castle and its connection with the Ashanti War of 1873 And concludes with remarks respecting personal associates Pages 8698 CHAPTER VII The arrival of the Roman Catholic Missionaries at Cape Coast Theological differences do not affect personal friendships The Reverend T. J. Price and his difficulties with the vernacular His Excellency Sir W. Brandford Griffith, K.C.M.G. Happy relations with Anglican Clergy Pages 99 1 1 1 CHAPTER VIII Records a memorable journey through Aburah and Assin And furnishes illustrations of the Fetish priestcraft . . Pages 112 133 CHAPTER IX The first serious break in the European Staff A journey to the gold mines Extracts from Reports Peacemaking between converts Advantages of African workers among Africans The arrival of the Reverend A. W. Hall Industrial training Commercial in- terests in West Africa not essentially selfish . . . Pages 134151 CHAPTER X The Missionary is joined by his wife The urgent need of lady workers in Africa Suggestions respecting the sanitation of the Colony A journey to the Aburi sanatorium, and an account of the Croboe heathen customs Pages 152 168 CHAPTER XI The Drink Traffic Our attitude as a Church towards the question Suggestions to the Government Reckless travelling His Ex- cellency the Governor and the Colonial Secretary testify to the value of Mission work Proposal to establish Girls' Boarding School at Aburi Practical support of the Home Government Pages 169 191 CONTENTS xiii CHAPTER XII The steamship " Calabar " Advance in shipping accommodation Difficulties in negotiating land questions with the unsophisti- cated African A plague of locusts " Liberty, Fraternity Equality "The Gold Coast Board of Education Difficulties in building The transport question Kru boys to the rescue Pages 192 209 CHAPTER XIII Improved locomotion in our journeying The arrival of Miss A. I. Jackman, and her lamented death Miss Mary H. Kingsley Missionary methods and Missionary converts and their critics The devotion of Basle Missionaries An illustration of the power of the Gospel Pages 210 229 CHAPTER XIV The British occupation of Ashanti A respectful tribute to the British Army and Navy as agents that make for justice and mercy An account of a journey to Kumasi Pages 230 264 CHAPTER XV The last voyage to the Coast, in company with kindred spirits A brief summary of Mission work, and references to three " Missionary-made men " Pages 265276 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS To face page Map of the Gold Coast Colony Frontispiece View of Cape Coast 6 Market Place, Cape Coast 16 A Native Goldsmith 16 Types of Native Beauty 16 Emerging from the Forest (photo, by Rev. D. Hinchcliff ) ... 20 Cape Coast Castle and West Indian Soldiers 28 The Tender Care of Fanti Boatmen 28 Interior of Wesley Church, Cape Coast (photo, by Rev. D. Hinchcliff) 32 A Neat Head-dress 50 Preparing a Meal 50 Native Goldsmiths' Work 56 Ga Chiefs Gold Breast Ornaments 56 Gold Coast Matrons and Children 61 Types of Native Dress 80 The late Sir W. Brandford Griffith, K.C.M.G 108 Fetishes 124 Fetishes 128 Essaman Gold Mines (photo, by Rev. J. T. F. Halligey) ... 136 Tree Bridge, River Whin (photo, by Rev. J. T. F. Halligey . . 136 Elmina Castle 1 50 Young Carpenters' Work (Industrial Education) 150 Beach at Axim, with Mahogany Logs 160 Palaver at Akropong, Houssa Soldiers "At Ease" 164 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xv To face page A Faithful Friend in the Hour of Sickness (photo, by Rev. J. T. F. Halligey) 186 Miss Ellenberger. Aburi Girls' School (photo, by Rev. D. Hinchcliff) 204 Specimens of School Girls' Dress 204 Grand Bassa Labourers 210 A Halt in the Forest 210 Natives of Akwapim (photo, by Rev. D. Hinchcliff) 222 Hotel Accommodation (photo, by Rev. D. Hinchcliff) .... 226 Akim Executioner, and Stool Carrier 232 Preparing to Start 236 A Fanti Bush Village 236 Hillside Scenery (photo, by Rev. D. Hinchcliff) 242 An Emancipated Slave (photo, by Rev. D. Hinchcliff) .... 242 Ashanti Gold Weights 248 A Gold Coast Chief and Visitors 248 King Prempeh and Suite at Elmina Castle 257 Curiosities from the Gold Coast 272 ." ' OF THE UNiVLl 31TY NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAPTER I OFFER OF SERVICES FOR THE GOLD COAST MISSION PARTICULARS AS TO OUTFIT, ETC. NOTES OF INTRODUCTION TO FRIENDS IN AFRICA IT was in the early part of 1887 that my attention was seriously drawn to the Gold Coast. I use the word serious advisedly : for, with the prospect of missionary life before me, I was naturally interested in all missionary work ; and when it was reported that three men, i.e., half of our force at the Gambia and the Gold Coast, had died within six months, I naturally became very serious, and promptly decided that West Africa was the part of the world all prudent men should avoid. A few months later, however, when volunteers from Hands worth College were invited to fill one of the vacancies, a resistless fascination seized me, which I have never been able to shake off; and, with the consent of my friends, my services were offered and accepted, subject to a, B 2 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP satisfactory report as to physical fitness from the medical officer, Dr., now Sir, C. Gage Brown. There always was, and I suppose always will be, a certain amount of sentiment about the volunteers for missionary work in West Africa. There was sentiment in my offer though that sentiment has long since faded away, and it is now regarded as a very real sacrifice not to be able to continue in that interesting part of the world. And yet, in common with other missionaries, I never for one moment entertained the idea of leaving my bones in Africa : I went simply hoping and expecting to be of use. And now I have to record my devout thankfulness to Almighty God for the health and strength that have enabled me to take part in that work. May I repeat a sentence or two from my early notes ? "The essential qualifications of the volunteer for mission work in West Africa are (i) a deep abiding conviction that one has chosen the path of duty ; (2) a good physical constitution ; (3) the exercise of the greatest possible prudence, the absence of fear, and implicit confidence in God." My first care after securing the necessary medical certificate was to prepare my outfit. As this may be of interest to the reader, I may as well give a general idea of the same, omitting any reference to the needless and expensive items with which I burdened myself, mentioning only that which is likely to be of service to any one contemplating a term of eighteen months' residence at the Gold I THE MISSIONARY OUTFIT 3 Coast. In making up the outfit list the ordinary light summer clothing may well form the basis of calculation. Thicker clothing will only be of ser- vice during the cold voyage to Grand Canary, and through the Trade winds so treacherous on the return voyage. Eighteen months of a West African humid atmosphere, together with well-known, though scarcely approved, methods of the native laundry- man, will be quite equal to three years of wear and tear in England. Flannel or merino should always be worn next the skin. A good helmet and white cotton umbrella are, of course, indispensable lighter hats may be worn late in the afternoon. Inclination has often led one to wear the loosest and lightest clothing. But it must be borne in mind that the " tailor makes the man " in the coast towns of Africa, as well as in England. In preparing for the rainy season it may be worth while to say that as much rain falls in a day at the Gold Coast as falls in Manchester in a rather wet month. And what more need one say ? except that care must be taken that the waterproof cloak is stitched, or it may, as mine has done, fall to pieces. Due care must be given to the requisites of bed-covering. Blankets are necessary, particularly in the wet season, and in case of fever. Pyjamas are invariably worn ; and the flannel belt, which I have found of great service in warding off dysentery. Sponges, bath-towels, etc., will suggest themselves. Ironware for the kitchen, hardware, plate and cutlery for personal use must B 2 4 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. be furnished. In ordering these bear in mind that visitors drop in occasionally. In our free and easy life we have sometimes borrowed from the traveller : but it may chance that although your servant has been unusually skilful in breaking your ware, your visitor will not have the necessary articles on his person, so that it is well to be provided with at least a change. Do not forget the table linen : a neatly arranged table helps to tempt the appetite, which is often fastidious. In travelling take enamelled ironware : not that it is pleasanter to use, but your cook sometimes " forgets " to see that the table requisites are safely packed ; and your carrier, after resting on the travelling- case, is greatly surprised to find a general smash, and you feel well, you may fill in the rest as your fancy dictates. Whatever else is overlooked take care to provide yourself with a good filter. "Maignens" are the most serviceable I have had in use. It is well to be supplied with provisions from England. The number of houses engaged in this particular trade is legion. Crosse and Blackwell are always most obliging in executing orders. The local stores do not keep the greatest variety, and for other reasons it has been found an advantage to import direct. Chlorodyne, anti-febrin, and quinine should be kept in every home. Antibilious com- pounds are worth, in my judgment, two " guineas a box." Books are needed in Africa as much as in Eng- I TO PRINCE'S LANDING STAGE 5 land. But they suffer from the damp air covers come to grief in a very short time. Cockroaches and white ants " inwardly digest," even though they do not "read, mark, and learn," the contents. A few inexpensive knick-knacks help to make a great contrast to the bare walls of some quarters one has visited. And now, having sent the heavy luggage to the agents, Messrs. Elder, Dempster & Co. at Liver- pool, three days previously, labelled " wanted" or " not wanted on the voyage," as the case may be, it is possible to take the light luggage as late as the midnight train on any Friday from Euston, and, after breakfast in the neighbourhood of Lime Street, to find our way to the Prince's landing-stage in comfortable time for the tender which is to leave at 10 o'clock to take us to one of the " African " or the " British and African " companies' vessels. We must not raise our expectations too high. Our vessel is neither an Atlantic liner, a P. and O., nor a Cape boat. But the line is being made increas- ingly comfortable ; and, with the very genial captains, it is possible to have an exceedingly pleasant voyage, as far as the companies are concerned. I must emphasise the last sentence, for my first voyage was not pleasant. We had weather ! " And what could have been expected with three parsons aboard ? " exclaimed the men " forrud." No ; I think I must defer a description of a voyage until a more favour- able opportunity presents itself. For several days 6 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. I sympathised with our Irish surgeon, who assured me that he was " sorrah that he had a stomach at ahl." And then our companions were not of the most select. One, a lady of the theatrical profession, who left us at Grand Canary, has lately been com- pelled to release her husband from his matrimonial vow. Another, a gentleman, has since died, leaving two wives and families in England to mourn his loss. And a third, a few years ago, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for embezzlement. I find on referring to notes of that time that my worthy chief, the Reverend J. T. F. Halligey, was on the voyage most thoughtful and kind. And my friend, Bryan Roe, who was returning to Lagos, was just the cheerful companion that many in this country would expect him to be. One incident must be mentioned: on the i6th of December a concert was given by artistes, who, according to the programme, " had come a long distance." The entertainment was greatly appreciated by a company of about thirty, who contributed very handsomely to seamen's institutions. I was not able to leave a message, as desired, with friends at Gibraltar, for the very reason that I was not able to take notes of introduction to the Cape. A voyage from Cape Coast to the Cape of Good Hope is a thousand miles further than is the voyage from England to the Cape ! I found that the worthy missionary secretary, who imagined that a missionary who preached at Bathurst in the morning might I WEST AFRICAN GEOGRAPHY 7 preach at Free Town, Sierra Leone, in the evening, was not aware that the two places were five hundred miles apart. We have had occasion to inform a most successful English schoolmaster that Bathurst was not merely one, but nearly one thousand five hundred miles from Cape Coast. My experience of West Africa has made me exceedingly cautious in asking questions concerning the geography of any part of the world. I may add that my new home, I found, was i 10' west longitude, and 5 6' latitude north of the Equator. CHAPTER II FURNISHES BRIEF INFORMATION RESPECTING THE VARIOUS TRIBES OF THE GOLD COAST; OUR EARLY RELATIONS WITH THEM, AND THE VALUE OF THEIR COUNTRY COMMERCIALLY CON- CLUDING WITH REMARKS RESPECTING THE FETISH RELIGION As we have agreed to defer for a time the de- scription of a voyage, it may be convenient to intro- duce a few paragraphs respecting the various tribes of the Gold Coast and Hinterland, referring the reader for detailed particulars to the list of authors who have dealt with the subject at great length. I must honestly confess that when I first embarked for Africa I knew as little of the history of the Fantis as of the mythical personage who is said to reside in the lunar regions. Constant and prominent references to Ashantis and Fantis naturally lead to the conclusion that these two tribes alone repre- sent this part of West Africa. A reference to our map will at once indicate the erroneousness of this supposition. I am indebted to notes by my native colleague, the Reverend J. B. Anaman, F.R.G.S., for the par- ticulars here furnished respecting his fellow-country- men. Most of the tribes inhabiting the Gold Coast CHAP. II ORIGINAL HOME OF THE FANTIS 9 originally lived in Central Africa, from which dis- tricts they were driven towards the coast by Moslem propagandists who invaded their territory in order to win them to that faith. Some of the emigrants, notably the Ashantis, 1 and their near kinsmen, the Fantis, settled in the regions of the Kong moun- tains, in the district then called by the Arabs Wangara. The city built by the Fantis was Takyi- man, from which in time, being hard pressed by the Ashantis, they withdrew southward, till gradually they overspread the whole region now known as Fanti-land. The great language of the emigrants was Akan, which is spoken by the peoples inhabiting the Gold Coast and Ashanti, thus marking the common origin of the tribes. The most important dialect of the Akan language is Fanti, which is generally under- stood throughout the Gold Coast, but is chiefly spoken by the Fantis, Elminas, and Chamas. The Accras and Adanme-speaking tribes are believed to have been closely related, as well as the Ahantas, Apollonians, Sehwis, and Aowins. These tribes were comprehended in seven great families, in which the members still class themselves and recognise each other, without regard to national distinctions, viz. i. Nsonna, Dwimina, etc. 1 It is suggested that the prevalence of a severe famine led to the adoption of the names Asuan-tsi-fu, gatherers of asuan (a poisonous weed), and Fan-tsi-fu, gatherers of fan (a cabbage). io NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. 2. Annona, Yoko, Aguna, Eguana, etc. 3. Twidan, Eburotuw, etc. 4. Kwonna, Ebiradzi, Odumna, Dinyina, etc. 5. Aburadzi, Eduana, Ofurna, Egyirina, etc. 6. Intwa, Abadzi, etc. 7. Adwinadzi, Aowin, etc. There are several branches of each family, known by different names in different localities. Confusion has arisen through the erroneous division by some writers of these branches into twelve families. This division is inexplicable to the natives, who have a tradition that mankind comprises seven great families or nations. The effects of contact with the civilised world upon the natives have certainly been varied. It is believed that before they were driven from their old home they traded in articles of European manu- facture through the Greeks of Alexandria. The linen of Egypt and the scarlet cloths of Carthage, together with the famous aggrey l beads, reached them through the Berbers. The linen is supposed to have been used by them, as at this day, for the purpose of indicating sanctity or festivity. Large umbrellas made of scarlet cloth were considered by them great embellishments of a state. Aggrey beads were worn as ornaments ; and the wealth of an in- dividual was estimated by the abundance of these, 1 The aggrey beads are now exceedingly rare. They are supposed to have been made by the Phoenicians. Their commercial value is reckoned at double their weight in gold. II EARLY VISITS OF FRENCH TRAVELLERS u or the gold which he possessed. In very ancient times, gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks were the products of Central Africa. Some of these articles most probably formed part of the merchan- dise conveyed into the regions beyond the great Desert during these years. In studying the early history of the peoples with whom we are dealing there is not the aid that is furnished in the history of other nations, by ancient inscriptions, architectural monuments, or sepulchral remains. Until quite recently no attempt was made to reduce their language to writing ; and materials used in the erection of build- ings were of such a nature that they have long since amalgamated with the earth, as, indeed, is the case with towns which were quite famous twenty-five years ago. No real help is afforded by the early enterprise of navigating nations, for the difficulties and currents of the West African coast proved a greater barrier to progress than does the treacherous climate of to-day. Very reluctantly, therefore, we must confess that we have no definite information of any extensive trade with the coast until towards the close of the fifteenth century. French writers, indeed, have claimed for their fellow-countrymen the honour of discovering, or rather of re-discovering, the Gold Coast in 1364, and it is supposed that a fort was built by the travellers at Elmina in 1382. But the trade relations if any must have been unsatisfactory, 12 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. for they withdrew altogether a few years before the Portuguese, encouraged and stimulated by the ex- ample of their brave and noble-minded Prince Henry the Navigator, first landed at Elmina in 1465. On " August 1 2th, 1553, there sailed from Portsmouth two goodly ships, the Primrose, and the Lyon, with a pinnace called the Moon, and seven score lusty men, under two expert pilots and politick Captains ; to one whereof the King of Portugal had committed the custody of Guinney against the French ; happy was that man that could go with them. . . . " They brought from thence at this Voyage, four hundred pound weight and odd of Gold, of two and twenty carrats, and one grain in fineness ; also six and thirty Buts of grains, and about two-hundred and fifty Elephant's Teeth of all quantities. . . . Some of them were as big as a man's thigh above the knee, and weighed about fourscore and ten pound weight a peece. . . . These great Teeth, or tusks, grow in the upper jaw downward, and not in the nether jaw upward, wherein the Painters and Arras-workers are deceived." The voyage truly was remarkable. " Part of such Flesh as they carried with them out of England, which putrified there, became sweet again at their return to the clime of temperate Regions." And stranger still : " Here is a Tree called the Oyster- Tree, that bears oysters three times in the year ; but I beleeve it hath been since Noah's flood II VICES OF EARLY EUROPEAN VISITORS 13 when the fish forgot their way into the sea again." x At various times the French, Portuguese, Dutch, Danes and Germans have settled for long or short periods at the Gold Coast. Indeed, until half a century since, the Dutch and the Danes as well as the English had forts at Accra, the present seat of Government. The last to retire from the Gold Coast and leave the English in sole possession were the Dutch, who transferred Elmina Castle to our Government in 1873. I have said that difficulties of navigation have proved a barrier to progress in West Africa. A moment's reflection will suggest the possibility of a retrograde movement for the natives, during the three centuries that their land was open to the Christian nations of Europe. It must be borne in mind that, partly as a result of the slave traffic, in which this country took a prominent part, the natives of the Gold Coast were brought into constant communication with the very outcasts of European society. Buccaneers, pirates, outlaws and despe- radoes of every description found their way to the Coast as they did to the West Indies and the Spanish main. Very naturally they took with them the most horrible vices that a human mind could conceive. And even in the early part of the present century English soldiers who had committed grave offences were offered the chance of existing in 1 The Golden Coast^ or a Description of Guinney. London, 1665. 14 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. West Africa, as the alternative to the gallows. What an awful influence must such as these have exerted upon the natives, who were already deeply degraded ! And what of the Gold Coast Government during the period mentioned ? If we may accept the testimony of one who was an officer of the Govern- ment from 1834 to 1852, and who had access to the archives of the Castle, the members of those early councils were absolutely without feeling. To all outward appearance the native existed only in order to satisfy the greed of England's representatives. Until the abolition of slavery in 1807 not one single lasting benefit was conferred upon the people, and but few isolated advantages on individuals ; while the magnitude of the curse inflicted upon the un- happy natives is simply beyond all words. We have seen that the early visitors to the Coast were attracted by the wealth of the country ; it may be worth while to devote a little space to the study of the present commercial value of the Colony to Great Britain. The Colony possesses a seaboard of nearly 400 miles. There are nineteen ports of entry ; the most important are Accra, the seat of Government, and Cape Coast. Dealing first with imports we find that the principal articles of trade are cotton, woollen and silk goods, spirits, hardware, coopers' stores, rice, flour, provisions, tobacco, building materials, and wearing apparel. The total value in II PRESENT DAY COMMERCIAL RELATIONS 15 1895 amounted to ,931,537. The United Kingdom contributed 6j^ per cent., British Colonies 10, and foreign countries 22^- per cent. America and the Continent are responsible, as far as the native consumption is concerned, for the whole of the spirit traffic. Concerning the latter may I repeat, and emphasise, what I wrote four years ago ? " The town of Cape Coast has a population of 15,000. I have no hesitation in saying that, on an average, not two instances arising out of drunken- ness are tried by the District Commissioner in twelve months." I shall have occasion later on to refer to this liquor traffic. The quality of the goods imported is generally of the commonest description. British manu- facturers tell us that the very worst rubbish possible for machinery to "throw together" is very often made expressly for the West African market. The leading merchants keep superior goods, and en- courage their sale ; but, unfortunately, the demand is usually for the lowest priced article. In Cape Coast it is possible to obtain " an apology," at any rate, for almost everything that is made. Native tailors, good, bad, and indifferent, abound. There is also a very creditable attempt at boot-making. Natives have as much regard for English pro- visions as for English dress. When we bear in mind the fact that to the original cost of provisions is added twenty-five per cent, for shipping expenses and custom-house charges, to say nothing of the 16 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. necessarily heavy expenses incurred in retailing, it is amazing that so much is consumed. Aerated waters which are retailed in England at a shilling or eighteenpence a dozen, realise sixpence each at Cape Coast ! At weddings they are disposed of by the score ! An enormous quantity of gunpowder is annually imported into the Colony, but, like the spirits, it spreads over a wide area. It is said that kings and chiefs can muster 100,000 warriors who possess Birmingham " gas-pipe flint-locks," which are much more dangerous to the owner than to the foe. Very little ammunition is used in actual warfare ; but great quantities are consumed at funerals, wed- dings, palavers, and fetish ceremonies. On any day in the week Mohammedans in their white gowns, with their wares, may be seen in the market-place seated on their mats or engaged with visitors from the Bush. From nine to eleven o'clock on every morning in the week a great crowd, composed chiefly of women and girls, con- tributes to a perfect Babel of noise. This business resort is provided by the Government principally for the convenience of the vendors of meat, fruit, and vegetables. In other parts of the town there are well-drained streets with extremely well-built business and residential houses on either side. In these respects Cape Coast and Accra are far in advance of other towns in the Colony. And now a word or two with reference to exports. MARKET PLACE, CAPE COAST. CAPE COAST GOLDSMITH. [To face page 16. TYPES OF NATIVE BEAUTY. II INEXHAUSTIBLE GOLD MINES 17 The principal are palm oil, palm kernels, rubber, gold dust, mahogany, kola nuts, and monkey skins. It is gratifying to note that the new industries, coffee and cocoa cultivation, are being pushed forward. The total value of all exports for 1895 amounted to ,877,803, of which 67 per cent, was shipped to England, 4 per cent, to British Colonies, and the remainder to foreign countries. The mineral from which the Colony takes its name is not shipped in great quantities. But prior to the discovery of the Californian and Australian gold-fields, the principal supply of the precious metal was drawn from the West Coast of Africa, and especially from the Gold Coast. The Portuguese, the French, the Danes, the Dutch, and the English have drawn during the last four centuries not less than six hundred millions sterling! The Colony is still very rich in the mineral. I have met a miner, with considerable experience in South Africa, who gave it as his opinion that there were " twenty Johannesbergs at the Gold Coast." The statement was made in all seriousness. It is, of course, quite possible that my informant was mistaken, but we have nevertheless good reason to believe that the supply of gold is inexhaustible. The unhealthiness of the climate seriously interferes with the manage- ment of operations at the mines. It must be borne in mind that in the last century white traders and coloured chiefs could command the services of thousands of slaves. The small amount now shipped 18 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. is obtained principally from the five or six mining companies in the Wassaw district. Some good samples of ivory are also shipped. I have seen a tusk which weighed ninety-six pounds a sufficient load for two men to carry any con- siderable distance. The awful stories of Stanley and Cameron, of the destruction of human life and property in procuring this article, have no reference to Gold Coast exports. Elephants are found quite near the protectorate. It is needless to say that " slaves," in the ordinary acceptation of the term, are unknown in the Colony. The Gold Coast ranks third among the rubber- producing countries of the world. In 1883 only twenty-five tons were shipped ; in 1895 *he amount was almost eighteen hundred tons, valued, in the Colony, at ,322,070. The rubber is obtained prin- cipally from various species of Landolphia and the Urostigura Vogelii, which grow in abundance in Ashanti, Akim, and Krepi. The native method of collecting it reminds one of the fable of the old lady with the goose that laid the golden eggs. Palm oil, which is extensively used in South Wales in the manufacture of tin plate, and in the fabrication of soap and candles (and margarine ?), is shipped in considerable quantities. Upwards of four million gallons were exported in 1895 > at tne same time, the kernels from the same tree, used in the manufacture of oil, amounted to fifteen thousand tons. II IMPROVEMENTS UNDER BRITISH GOVERNMENT 19 Valuable shipments of mahogany are sent to Europe every week. The quantity during the year varies according as the season is dry or wet. A dry season, of course, means low rivers, consequently inadequate facilities for floating the logs. It may be mentioned that between 1881 and 1895 tne imports and exports of the Colony have been trebled ; and, with the settled state of affairs in Ashanti, there is every probability of the trade increasing considerably. When this fact is con- sidered, it is worth while to give attention to the natives as consumers of our manufactures, and as contributors to our necessities. No one supposes that the Government occupies the Gold Coast for purely philanthropic purposes. Were that indeed the case, we should be able to report very much greater progress than facts admit. Nevertheless, it is worthy of note that in recent years vast improvements have been made in the sanitation of the important towns, and that in these towns there are now hospitals and qualified surgeons. The Government encourages education, which is making enormous strides throughout the Colony. Law is administered as in England. Order is main- tained by a strong police force, called the Gold Coast Constabulary. This force includes both a military and a civil police, the former branch being recruited from the Houssas, the latter from the natives of the Colony, under the direction of English officers. Communication between the principal c 2 20 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. towns of the coast, and also with Kumasi, is effected by telegraph, and the coast towns have the advan- tage of a land, as well as ocean, post. Civilisation in the towns thus benefited is further suggested by the presence of street lamps. Considerable attention is being given to road-making. The Legislative Council is composed of the Governor, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney-General, the Treasurer, the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief Justice, and of two nominated unofficial members. It is said that there are never more than two dissentients to any measure introduced to the Council. The natives are, of course, generally speaking, pagans. Their repugnance to Mohammedanism is not as great to-day as it was when they fled before the propagandists' sword ; but one is surprised to note how little advance that religion makes with the natives of the Gold Coast. There is, it is true, an influx of Mohammedans ; but this is due to the formation of an armed force of Houssas, natives of one of the Central Sudan States, situated about five hundred miles to the north-east of the Gold Coast. Above and beyond the polytheism which every- where prevails among the pagans, there is the acknowledgment of a Supreme Being who controls the affairs of the universe. The name given to this Being is Nyankupon (the Great Friend), otherwise Otcheranpon (the Never- Failing One) ; the literal idea being that of leaning against some stupendous \To face page 20. EMERGING FROM THE GLOOMY FOREST. ii PAGAN IDEA OF THE DEITY 21 object which never yields as the rock never yields from under the limpet. 1 But at the same time they acknowledge subordinate deities, who are supposed to reside in the angry sea; the swift running stream; the placid lake ; the woody grove, awe-inspiring and majestic ; 2 the bleak rock, capable, in a sense, of telling the story of the ages ; also in objects the work of men's hands : to these they give their reverence. Again, they worship the spirits of the departed, together with the images which their priests consecrate for their homage, and in which the spirits of the dead are supposed to reside. There are deities for particular houses ; others for a whole town, and others, again, for the nation at large. From the great " Nyankupon " all good gifts descend; "in Him they live and move and have their being." And yet, curiously," no appeal is ever made to the Great Friend, for it is supposed that He allows the affairs of the universe to be ordered exclusively by the inimical agents whom it becomes necessary to constantly propitiate. Before the strong arm of the Government intervened the 1 Vide address by the Reverend Mark C. Hayford, native missionary. 2 " A dark impenetrable mystery seems to hang beneath the shade of the gloomy forest, and in some degree, at least, accounts for the idolatry and superstition of the indwellers. Instinctively the question presents itself, ' Where could rapine and man-stealing and murder be more securely performed ? Where the cry of affliction and despair so easily stifled ? Where could the human mind find a scene more calcu- lated to impress it with a superstitious awe, or to prepare it for the bloody rites of the pagan worship, as this dark awe-giving forest ? ' " Eighteen Years on the Gold Coast. 22 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. victims selected for sacrifice were invariably human, and were usually decapitated or spiked. " For thousands of years the natives have been reared in the belief that human sacrifices are indispensable for the propitiation of their gods ; and it will take more than a few years to root out the belief that the absence of such offerings will necessarily be attended by drought, famine, and other terrible calamities." l From what has been said it will be inferred that the pagans believe in a future state ; hence they invoke the spirits of their deceased relatives to pro- tect them. This notion accounts for the great reverence they pay to dead bodies, 2 which are dressed in the best attire procurable, and adorned with gold or aggrey beads, the belief being that the dead use in the other world those things which are put on and interred with them. 3 I have witnessed the interment of a pagan when a libation of trade gin was poured upon the ground, and an earnest prayer was offered to the spirit of the deceased not to come and torment the sorrowing friends. On the death of a rich man a number of slaves were killed, in the belief that they would be his attendants in the world of spirits. 1 Mr. Hesketh J. Bell, address to Liverpool Chamber of Commerce May i, 1893. 2 I have seen the fingers of a corpse almost covered with handsome gold rings. 3 Interments were usual in dwelling-houses, presumably for the greater safety of the jewellery, which was a great temptation to mid- night gravediggers. The custom has very wisely been prohibited by the Government. ii NATIVE REPRESENTATION OF THE DEVIL 23 It will be of interest to know that the natives are decidedly of opinion that his highness of the lower regions has a white complexion. In A Description of Guinney are the following stanzas : " The land of Negroes is not far from thence, Nearer extended to th' Atlantick main, Wherein the Black Prince keeps his Residence Attended with his Jeaty-coloured Train, Who in their native beauty most delight, And in contempt do paint the Devil white." The Fetish priest is naturally an important per- sonage among his people. Endowed with a mar- vellously retentive memory (as indeed is the case with all natives) he makes himself acquainted with the history and movements of his fellows, and is in a position to surprise them with his extraordinary knowledge of their affairs ; this knowledge he is always careful to attribute to his communications with the Fetish deity to whose service he is attached. Scarcely a year passes without conversions to Christianity among the Fetish priests, on which occasions a clean breast is made of their deception. It may after all well be doubted whether Fetishism has a very real hold on the natives of the Colony. It is true that even on the seaboard, where Chris- tianity is represented in almost every town and village, we observe offerings devoted to the Fetish. These offerings, by the way, are usually of such a paltry character that no one would dream of taking the trouble to collect them as curiosities ; and the 24 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. devotees themselves smile at their own observance of the customs of their fathers. I do not for one moment suggest that distrust of Fetishism is neces- sarily followed by the adoption of the Christian faith. It is greatly to be regretted that the disproportion between Fetish renegades and Christian converts is very great, and the number appears to be increasing. Half a century ago it was feared that atheism would mark the transition stage. Experience, however,, teaches that indifference is the principal character- istic. We have the growing conviction that with Christian agencies at work proportionate with those of England, the results would be a thousand per cent, greater. And now a word respecting the introduction of past and present Christian agencies in the Colony. According to Dr. Blyden, the prince of African scholars, " the King of Portugal sent, in 1481, ten ships with five hundred soldiers, one hundred labourers, and a proper complement of priests as missionaries to Elmina," from which spot Christian knowledge and civilisation spread to other parts of the coast. The Portuguese missions, however, were entirely abandoned in time ; for, from the year 1723 nothing was heard of them ; they were given up, and " disappeared from West Africa." In 1751, a clergyman, the Reverend Thomas Thompson, with a heart moved with pity at the wretched condition of the natives, sacrificed the prospects of a comfortable living in England in II CHURCH OF ENGLAND MISSIONS 25 order that he might proclaim among the heathen the unsearchable riches of Christ. As far as we are able to gather from the records of those times, Mr. Thompson's health failed at the end of four years, and he returned to England with three negro youths, intending to have them educated and trained as missionaries to their fellows. Two of them died, after a short residence in England ; the third, Philip Quacoe, spent nine years in London and Oxford, and was duly ordained and returned to Cape Coast in 1 765. His work does not appear to have been successful, for after fifty years of service there were no visible results ; indeed it is said that Quacoe himself died trusting as much in his Fetish as in Christ. After a few years' further trial, the Society for the Propaga- tion of the Gospel, under whose direction Quacoe was appointed, decided to abandon the mission. The Anglican Church is now represented only by the colonial chaplain at Accra and an assistant colonial chaplain at Cape Coast. In 1841 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel suggested the advisability of sending an Anglican missionary to Ashanti : but, on the advice of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland and the Church Missionary Society, it was decided to leave to our own Society the field we were already holding, as we, on our part, left the Niger sphere of operations to the Church Missionary Society. Sir Thomas was afraid that "the appear- ance of two kinds of missionaries would prove a stumbling-block to the Ashantis." 26 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. 11 The Basle, Lutheran, Mission work was begun in 1828, in Accra, and is, generally speaking, limited to the eastern part of the Colony, but has recently opened in the Ashanti country. The North German Mission was begun in 1847, an d includes the eastern part of our own Colony and the western part of the neighbouring German Colony of Togoland. Our own Mission was begun in 1834, at the sug- gestion of Captain Potter, of Bristol, who very generously gave a passage on one of his trading voyages, to our first missionary, the Reverend Joseph Dunwell. The mortality among the early mission- aries was truly appalling. To-day we have churches in every town on the coast, from the western boundary to Adda, at the mouth of the Volta, and also in the interior districts of Wassaw, Assin, Adansi, Ashanti, Akim and Pekyi. The Lyons Roman Catholic Mission was estab- lished at Elmina in 1881, and has important centres at Cape Coast, Anamabu, Salt Pond and Accra. CHAPTER III CONTAINS A REVELATION TO THE AUTHOR, THE STUDY OF WHICH PROVES THAT THE MISSIONARY'S PRECONCEIVED IDEAS RE- SPECTING HIS VOCATION DID NOT HARMONISE WITH HIS ACTUAL EXPERIENCE SUGGESTIONS ARE ALSO RESPECTFULLY OFFERED TO THE ASPIRING WEST AFRICAN RESIDENT IN REFERENCE TO THE PRESERVATION OF HEALTH, AND THE READER IS INTRODUCED TO AN INVALUABLE COLLEAGUE IT is difficult at this period to remember what was the exact idea of missionary methods one expected to adopt in Africa. I certainly remember that the picture presented to my mind was that of a mis- sionary clad in white apparel, with wide-brimmed hat and umbrella, in close proximity to a cocoa-nut tree, and a concourse of dusky hearers about him. Broadly speaking, life was to be to me as different from what I had imagined as it was possible to be. My good superintendent gave me excellent advice, which I will pass on to those who have hopes of residing in Western Africa as missionaries : " Form no plans ; imitate nobody, but just do the work that comes most natural to you. The Committee has no cast-iron policy so long as the Gospel is preached : the freest scope is given to all missionaries." Let me also commend to the notice of my readers the 28 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. experience of that veteran West African missionary when he says that, ''apparently, there are three necessary stages through which the worker passes : the first is one of great enthusiasm and hope ; the second is one of disappointment bordering on to disgust, at the unsatisfactory results of one's work ; the third is reached only after the exercise of patience and kindly consideration for the surround- ings of those among whom we work it is a stage of utmost confidence in the ultimate success of the Gospel." But, as we have now arrived at Cape Coast, we must disembark. Descending by means of a per- pendicular rope ladder by the side of the ship, which is anchored half-a-mile from the landing-place, the new arrival is enjoined to watch a favourable opportunity for alighting in the surf-boat, so as to avoid getting his foot crushed. Our Fanti boatmen, whose clothing consists of a couple of yards of Manchester print tied round their waists, are well accustomed to their work, and will take us safely through the dangerous surf. If they are in a par- ticularly happy mood, or have expectations con- cerning your "dash "(the Coast equivalent for the elegant word "tip"), they will sing your praises with the greatest enthusiasm, and will convey you most tenderly from the boat to the beach. The Castle attracts our attention. It was built by the Portuguese in 1624, and was enlarged by the English in 1662, having in the meantime passed CAPE COAST CASTLE. COMPANIES OF WEST INDIAN SOLDIERS. \To face page <2 "Our Fanti boatmen will convey you most tenderly from the boat to the beach." in THE AFRICO-GOTHIC STRUCTURE 29 through the hands of the Dutch. This historic building is perfectly useless for purposes of defence ; the formidable looking cannon on the battlements have long since been condemned ; but there is ample accommodation for colonial officers, and men of the Houssa force. On our way to the Mission House we observe the " severely Africo-Gothic structure," Wesley Chapel, a building of which we, in common with our native friends, are justly proud. Our house is described as a "palatial residence." The central block was purchased from a merchant half a century ago for an incredibly small sum of money ; and was enlarged at a period when the annual financial grant to the district was three hundred per cent, greater than it is now. Here the annual District Synod is held, when the European missionaries from the various parts of the district are in residence. Our dining-room has accommoda- tion for thirty-five ministers and laymen in council. On the ground floor of the right wing we have an invaluable auxiliary to mission work in the form of a book depot. The idea originated with the Rev. W. M. Cannell in 1882. In 1887 the sales amounted to ^422, and at the following Synod, a grant of .50 was made to various funds. If we may anticipate subsequent developments it will be gratifying to note that in 1893 tne sales amounted to over ^1,150. From the profits ^100 was paid to district funds, and a balance of ^90 30 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. was brought forward to 1894. The following year a printing-press and set of type, of the value of ^120 were purchased, and have been successfully worked. We were enabled to print quantities of forms for the Army Pay Office during the Ashanti expedition of 1895-6. In addition to the substantial financial grants to the District Extension Fund and the Native Supernumerary Ministers' and Widows' Fund, the Book Room confers incalculable benefits on the district by its choice assortment of books, stationery and school materials. European visitors passing Cape Coast have been agreeably surprised to find their wants supplied in our bookseller's shop. The management of the depot was, in 1896, transferred from the senior European minister to the superintendent of the Cape Coast circuit, who is assisted by a local committee. We were greatly disappointed on learning that Mr. Cannell was under medical orders to leave by the earliest possible steamer. Mr. Cannell has taken a most important part in the history of the Gold Coast Mission. As a graduate of London University, and with special philological gifts, he was in every way qualified for the transliteration work to which he was drawn, and to which he devoted himself for four or five years. In those days the Sunday Schools were languishing for want of vernacular books, and in the day schools the younger scholars were learning to read English without having the remotest idea of the meaning in VERNACULAR PUBLICATIONS 31 of the words. This suggested the production of " Exercises " in Fanti-English. The value of these little works is attested by the fact that they have been sold in enormous numbers, and a reprint is on order at the time of writing. Mr. Cannell next proceeded to prepare a dic- tionary. The purpose he kept in view was to give one spelling to each word, so that future translators might be guided in their work. It is needless to say that there were difficulties in furnishing equiva- lents to all English words necessary in the trans- lation of the Scriptures. But it may be mentioned, in passing, that the difficulties were not nearly as great as in other languages that might be named. Although it has been found necessary, after the interval of twelve years, to revise, and, naturally, to enlarge the vocabulary, the Fantis are very grateful to Mr. Cannell for his invaluable work. When this was completed, an abridged translation of the Pil- grims Progress was taken in hand, and was put through the press by the very generous assistance of the Religious Tract Society. This was done in order to furnish specimens of Fanti writing, and to provide food for the Sunday Schools. Attention was next given to the Bible. A translation com- mittee was formed, whose duty it was to revise the translations of the various books by ministers and laymen of the district. The publication of Genesis and the four Gospels by the British and Foreign Bible Society, whose generous aid is beyond all 32 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. words, was also accomplished. In his work Mr. Cannell was aided by the suggestions and hearty co-operation of the Reverends Andrew W. Parker and Jacob B. Anaman, native ministers, whose experience was simply indispensable. It may here be mentioned that in recent years the work of re- vising the translations of the whole Bible has been entrusted to Mr. Parker. The whole of the New Testament has been published, and the Old Testa- ment is rapidly approaching completion. One feels bound to explain that the reason that so little attention had previously been paid to this all-important branch of mission work arose from the mistaken idea of earlier missionaries that the English language would supersede the vernacular. It is quite true that our language is making enor- mous headway, that it is, indeed, the " Court" lan- guage of the whole Coast, and the anxiety of the young people to acquire a knowledge of it can be abundantly attested j 1 but millions in the interior of the Colony will pass away without ever having uttered a word of it. We cannot speak too highly of the forethought of the devoted, self-sacrificing German missionaries in being far ahead of us in vernacular publications. But, unfortunately, their principal work has been carried on in a neighbourhood where a composite 1 It is possible that the missionaries felt that by encouraging the study of the English language they would be introducing the converts to our literature. INTERIOR OF WESLEY CHURCH, CAPE COAST. \Toface page 32. in INTRODUCTION TO MISSION WORK 33 language is spoken, so that their Twi translations are about as serviceable for general circulation among the Akan speaking tribes as would a com- posite translation of three distinct dialects of this country be for general circulation in England. My first duty was to assist the general superin- tendent in auditing the accounts and preparing the schedules of the various stations for the Synod which was about to be held. Writing at a time when we have superintendents sending us accounts which are models of neatness, we marvel at the progress that has been made in this branch of missionary work. The first fortnight was a season of bewildering, hopeless confusion. Mr. Halligey was the greater sufferer ; having due regard to my inexperience of the climate, he insisted on my retir- ing to rest before midnight ; but he himself sat up till the small hours of the morning, striving to get order out of chaos. The second duty was to act as financial secretary : this office, by the way, is sup- posed not to exist in our foreign missions ; but the work does, with a vengeance. Unless the unfortu- nate individual who does the work is a born accountant, or a paragon in his methods of book- keeping, he stands a reasonable chance of being a loser. The Home Committee naturally recognises no losses, and the Stations are, very properly, care- ful to have credit for all amounts paid in, and justly claim the last farthing of their grants ; and so the results of omissions must necessarily be borne by D 34 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. the chancellor of the exchequer. This part of my missionary work has temporarily made me " poor indeed." As the fault, or misfortune, is entirely one's own, one naturally submits ; but I take the opportunity to suggest to all intending missionaries the probability of having to be responsible for the payment of sums of money, varying from threepence to a hundred pounds. The third duty consisted in managing a very feeble high school, which was on the verge of ex- tinction, and also an elementary school, which certainly was much more promising ; but as I had not had a day's experience of teaching or of school management, I undertook the duties with fear and trembling. The fourth charge was the management of the aforesaid book depot, to account for the daily sales, superintend the orders, and make the necessary remittances to the London Book Room. The fifth, the charge of our soldiers of the West India regi- ment at the Castle and the Hospital. Last, but not least, the services at Wesley where the congrega- tion could appreciate a good sermon, though I feel bound to confess that the friends must have been sorely disappointed. By way of recreation there was the management of the household. One naturally looked wondrous wise in giving directions to the cook ; and it gave a little variety to life to keep an eye on the steward, who was not over particular in his use of the broom and duster, while his attempts at washing the lino- ill VISION OF IDEAL MISSIONARY DISPELLED 35 leum gave the appearance of working with a grainer's comb and muddy water ; and, in spite of our remonstrances, we found, every few days, that our clothing, boots, and books had become mildewy through neglect. In addition there were endless repairs and painting needed about the house and premises. It will easily be understood that at the end of each day it was found that " something had been attempted, something done, to earn a night's repose." In the meantime the ideal missionary with a flannel suit, cotton umbrella, etc. vanished com- pletely from my vision. I have hesitated in introducing the subject of personal health in this chapter. On the one hand I am tempted to hasten on to furnish an account of missionary work ; on the other hand I feel that the subject of personal existence at the Gold Coast is, if possible, of greater importance. Let me therefore give an account of the mode of life, and also respectfully offer a suggestion as to the preserva- tion of health. Again I must anticipate ; and again I must remind the general reader that I am assuming that some who read these lines will one day visit the Gold Coast. As Cape Coast is only four degrees north of the Equator there is very little difference between the length of day or night at any part of the year. Hence it was our practice to rise at six o'clock. Our earliest exercises were at the bath : it must be mentioned, however, that the majority of D 2 36 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. our fellow countrymen prefer their " tub " later in the day after business hours. It is usual to take a cup of cocoa, some very light food, and fruit, at seven o'clock ; and a substantial meal at eleven. Medical men who have not seen our poultry and farm-yards abroad warn us against eating carneous food in the tropics. But those who have partaken of our joints have no fears respecting harmful results ; their only concern is whether the tough, leathery substance can possibly contain any nourishment at all. Dinner is at half-past seven. Fruit is not, as a rule, taken late in the day. Although the variety of fruit is not as great as in England, there is usually a fair supply of pineapples, bananas, oranges, mangoes, limes, alvacador pears, guavas and papaws. And now a word or two as to the preservation of health. Here I may, at least, express the hope that the Government, the English merchants and our missionary society will, ere long, follow the excellent example of the Basle and the French Roman Catholic Societies, and allow no European worker to occupy a solitary station. In numberless ways companionship is unspeakably beneficial, but especially in time of sickness. The late Professor Drummond has said " that there is a stage in African fever and every one must have fever when the watchful hand of a friend may make all the difference between life and death." My remarks are simply those of a layman, but HI PESTILENCE WALKS IN DARKNESS 37 of one who has enjoyed on the whole very fair health, and who has had the privilege of ministering to the fever-stricken patients on scores of occasions, both with and without medical aid. The first suggestion is, avoid needless exposure to sun and rain. The heat, perhaps, is not as great at the Gold Coast as in some other tropical countries, but the effect upon a system which is more or less saturated with malaria may be far more deadly. Our native friends tell us that they incur quite as much risk in coming to England as we do in visiting their country. I can well understand that our cold is quite as trying to their constitutions as is their heat to us ; but they altogether leave out of account their malaria, which is as " pestilence walking in darkness, and destruction wasting at noonday." After exposure which has resulted in wet clothing, change the latter with the least possible delay, taking care to rub yourself with a rough towel. On these occasions take five or ten grains of quinine the exact quantity will depend upon your general use of it. There are those who are able to boast that they can dispense with the drug for five or six months at a time. Others take small quantities frequently in the wet season, daily. A medical friend, of considerable experience and success, tells me that fifty grains, taken during three consecutive days once a month, gives a sudden and salutary check to all malarial tendencies. It is of the utmost importance to avoid remaining 38 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. in the vicinity of newly turned-up soil. It is impor- tant too not to over-estimate one's strength, or under-estimate the treachery of the climate. Many an inexperienced man has boasted that he "never felt better in his life," and has hinted that he was quite prepared to stay at his post for four or five years ; but has very speedily found, to his sorrow, that he was reckoning without his host, he has either been invalided home or his remains have been taken to the cemetery. If one has been accustomed to live without stimu- lants, it is advisable not to take them unless specially prescribed by the medical attendant. Some men, indeed, have paid the penalty of over-indulgence by an early death ; but the number of these is not proportionately great. On the other hand, even the most carefully regulated lives succumb to the terrible fever. The most scrupulous total abstainers are of opinion that alcohol, in one form or another, though perhaps not necessary in this land, cannot always be dispensed with yonder. But the man who has not grace to control his appetite should certainly avoid the Gold Coast ; for in that thirsty land the tempta- tions naturally are very great : and without the restraining influences of wife, mother, or sister, a man's life may become such as to cause those of his old home to blush. In addition to the precautionary suggestions may I advise generous living, plenty of work- not to the extent of exhaustion and regular exercise as in A SEASONING FEVER 39 the means to be employed for the preservation of health ? But your magnificent constitution, your indomitable pluck, the exercise of your most prudent judgment will not ensure absolute immunity from the malaria. Suppose I give an account of my own " seasoning " ! The experience then gained may be of service to others. The attack, which was the most persistent and painful that I had, came upon me during my fifth month of residence. It was on a Sunday morning, the violent pains in my head and back made me heartily wish that I had not to preach. But it was not until some hours later, when my worthy colleague suggested the advisability of taking my temperature, that it was discovered that the clinical thermometer registered 102. How much higher the temperature might have risen, or how much more difficult it would have been to have grappled with the attack, but for Mr. Hall's timely suggestion and help, it is, of course, impossible to say. There is no doubt that it would have been a much more serious matter. Of course the doctor was summoned. " Doctor not at home ! " It was quite a new experience for us. But we proved that " a little knowledge " is not necessarily " a dangerous thing ! " The first business was to secure the action of the liver, which had become torpid, and at the same time to open the pores of the skin nature's safety-valves. But they were very obstinate as they always are in such cases ; and although the temperature of the bedroom was at 75 it was in 40 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. the wet season and consequently cool I was miser- ably cold. In addition to the flannel sleeping-suit, there were three blankets and a rug placed over me, and two hot-water bottles at my feet, and then to sup- plement the tumblers of exceedingly hot lime-juice, my friend insisted on my taking the most vile drug that man ever invented Warburg's Fever Tincture. All this was done to arrest the temperature, which rose to 104 before the doctor arrived. Mr. Hall had the satisfaction of knowing that his methods were perfectly in accordance with medical knowledge ; and for this h'e thanks the Didsbury College authorities, who arranged the medical course for the missionary students. Those days were days of heroic doses of quinine. I took three hundred grains in five days before the temperature was reduced to its normal condition. Native friends were very kind ; some of them insisted on taking nights on duty. I shall ever be grateful for the kindness shown on that occasion. Our worthy factotum was as gentle as a woman in his movements. During the stages of convalescence friends sent presents of fruits, and on the first Sunday after recovery no fewer than sixteen visitors called including six soldiers, who came to wish me " very much good evening ! " One remarkable feature about a malarial fever is the suddenness of a change for the better, or worse. One day one hears that so-and-so has an attack of fever ; the next day he is dead, the next morning in AN INVALUABLE COLLEAGUE 41 buried. Or the man who was down with a dose yesterday is attending to his papers in his bedroom to-day, and expects to be in his office to-morrow. Or again, an invalid is put on board a vessel in an apparently dying state ; it is feared that he will not live to see Sierra Leone or Grand Canary : but, to the surprise of every one but the invalid and he has not bothered his head about such a trifling matter he does linger and live, and by the time he gets to Liverpool he is quite himself again ; and then comes the unkindest cut of all : "What in the world have you come home for ? " I have already mentioned, though in an un- pardonably unceremonious manner, the name of a colleague to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for kindness shown in time of sickness. My friend, the Reverend S. C. Hall and I have ever agreed that never were two more dissimilar colleagues brought together. We differed in appearance ; the illiterate natives, who did not take the pains to pronounce our by-no-means-unpronounceable names, referred to Mr. Hall as the military, and to me as the medical, looking missionary. By the way, in those days I was known as the " little white man ! " See- ing that I stand a shade over six feet in my stock- ings, I ought to add that the diminutive term had reference purely to my relative importance. Our I was going to say literary tastes, but it would be more accurate to say our libraries differed. It was always a very great pleasure to hear my friend dis- 42 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. cussing, with a kindred spirit, the works and worth of countless authors from the times of Chaucer. My own scant literary tastes were confined, almost ex- clusively, to theology and sermons. My wife declares that, in later times, my first request, on recovering from an attack of fever, was for a volume of Pope's Theology. My friend had an easy, graceful flow of speech ; mine was laboured and slow. Our methods of work differed ; but then I soon found that I was to learn much from one whom I regard as a model organiser. The duties assigned to Mr. Hall were the tem- porary charge of the Cape Coast Church, which had a thousand members, while the native superintend- ent took a much-needed rest for six months. This work involved, among other duties, the weekly attendance at the Leaders' Meeting, where the names on the Church roll were carefully examined, and a wholesome sifting ensued. In addition, there was the oversight of the Sunday Schools, with pre- paration classes for teachers, the charge of the Bible Translation Committee, and the formation of a Theological Class for our local preachers. The Sunday School sorely needed attention. I have clear recollections of the deplorable condition of things which my friend discovered. There seemed to have been a tacit understanding, on the part of scholars and teachers alike, that it was quite the correct thing to take a month's holiday at the be- ginning of the year, as will be gathered from Mr. in CONDITION OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS 43 Hall's diary. " January 29, '88. Visited school for first time. The greatest confusion prevails ; only one teacher and twenty children present at the opening service ; total numbers present later, seventy- seven ; total names on registers, one hundred and thirty-two." Mr. Hall speedily set to work and secured additional teachers, and framed rules for the guidance of the school. In response to his exertions, the regular attendance at the end of May numbered four hundred, and the names of one hundred young people were enrolled as candidates for "junior" Church membership. What a contrast to the feeble spectacle at the beginning of the year! From that time forward the school advanced by leaps and bounds, and proved a stimulus to all our schools in the district. Mr. Hall's personal friends furnished the necessary means for the for- mation of a lending library in connection with the school. But I am sorry to have to say that the enthusiasm of the readers was not maintained for a great length of time. Early in April it was found necessary to dispense with the services of the superintendent of the Anamabu Churches. Mr. Hall was appointed to the charge. And so, in addition to taking over his responsible duties, I was deprived of his com- panionship. But as his new centre was only ten miles from Cape Coast, we frequently saw one another. His solitude, however, was intensified by the fact that there were no Europeans residing 44 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. at Anamabu. And the discomforts in his new home ! On referring to the diary, which has been placed at my disposal, I find " The experience of April nth will live with me as long as memory itself. The first serious journey, with all the novelty of the travelling chair borne on men's heads ; the bush and the forest ; the village, with the stench from the fish ovens ; the sleeping crocodile on the banks of the lagoon ; the dilapida- tion of the town ; the old school with its tree inside high above where the roof should have been ; the house with its rotten verandahs ; women smoking short clay pipes, their oily skin flooded with perspiration. " The house has been deserted for some time ; the white ants have attacked the floor, and dry rot has set in. When I put my foot upon the floor it went below, as also did three of the legs of the chair in which I attempted to sit. The roof served little purpose but for the study of astronomy. The house swarmed with mosquitos ; and the ' kotokrodu/ in legions, had taken up their abode in the missionary's bed chamber. There were myriads of black ants conveying mud from my wells to make themselves a home in my rooms. On sweeping the floor, by means of a plank placed cross-wise, I removed bucketfuls of refuse, and in so doing disturbed swarms of beetles, many of them as big as miniature clock-weights. There were rats galore, and one snake. There was a vampire, which I succeeded in A RIGHT ROYAL AFRICAN WELCOME 45 in securing ; it measures twelve inches by two ! I had been sent to a mission house, but I found something approaching a menagerie. " Night came on, but it was made hideous by the unearthly yells of a pair of jackals. Dropping upon an old bed which had seen no linen for a long time, I gathered the mosquito curtain around me, and essayed to sleep. But I had made my calculations without reckoning with the buzz of the mosquitos, and the visits of the rats. I had thought that the bed was for my use ; but a mother of the rodent tribe and her family were there to dispute the point with me. As, however, might and right prevailed, my visitors took their revenge on my underclothing, and left by the morning little but buttons and, as the Irishman says, 'a bundle of holes stitched together." " But with the opening day came officials and members of the Church, with their presents of yams, eggs, oranges, bananas, fowls, fish, etc. and in so doing they gave to their missionary a right royal African welcome ; and by their loyalty to the great Head of the Church through many trying circum- stances, they greatly endeared themselves to me." There were special matters affecting the Church which rendered Mr. Hall's visits to Cape Coast particularly welcome to me. We shall treat of one such in our next chapter. On the occasion of these visits we surprised our native friends by the novelty of our recreation, which at times took the form of 46 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. tree-felling and general horticultural pursuits. Our worthy factotum protested that "the natives would not like to see " us do that kind of work. I do not think that manual labour was considered by them to be an undignified employment for us ; but I thought then, as I do now, that the educated natives might with advantage teach the young people by example that manual labour is not necessarily degrading. Occasionally we took exercise in a walk along the Ashanti, or Elmina road, or in a paddle along the lagoon. Once we set out to ex- plore the ruins of Fort Nassau, built by the Dutch in 1624, at Mouree, six miles to the east of Cape Coast. The loose sand by the sea-shore proved rather more fatiguing than we had imagined, and accordingly we shortened our journey. We were grimly compensated for our eight-mile walk by finding two adult skeletons, said to be those of Fetish priests, who were usually buried by the shore. At times our inclination led us through the town, which is an odd intermixture of native huts and houses more or less of European style. In the part where the poorer classes live the houses are terribly huddled together ; and as the roofs are flat, and the mud walls have no lime plaster, their general appearance suggests a recent bombardment. The two principal streets of Cape Coast are wide, with a range of wild fig or umbrella trees planted on each side. These afford shade, and at the same time greatly improve the appearance of the thoroughfares. ill NATURE'S SLACK ROPE HAULED IN 47 On the ist of June the Akassa came into port. We were greatly surprised to receive a note from Bryan Roe, who was on his way to Grand Canary. We went aboard, and found that our friend had been unconscious the previous ten days. It is difficult to realise that five months' residence on the Coast could have made such a wreck of a man. He must have had an " awful turn," as we sometimes say on the Coast; for Mr. Halligey had written a letter for the servant to give me, with instructions as follows : " I am sending poor Roe by the Akassa. If he is better, and is able to go on, cable ' Gone.' If he is able to stay with you, say ' Better.' If you are obliged to go to Sierra Leone with him, say 1 Left.' If he is dead, which God forbid, say ' Dead.' Our friend was able to go on without me. One sentence he uttered made an indelible impression on our minds. It was, " Nature sometimes allows a good deal of slack rope in Africa, but it is hauled in sooner or later ! " CHAPTER IV DEALS WITH THE DIFFICULTIES IN INTRODUCING CHRISTIAN IDEAS RESPECTING MARRIAGE REFLECTIONS CONCERNING THE CHAR- ACTER OF THE NATIVE, AND REFERENCES TO OUR SCHOOL AT CAPE COAST IN the early part of our residence at Cape Coast we were brought face to face with one of the gravest difficulties with which the missionary has to deal. I refer to our relation as a Church to the native marriage laws. Discussion at our annual Synods on this question has occupied much time and thought. But, as we have now arrived at a decision which is likely to help us out of the difficulty, it may be of interest to make more than a passing reference to the subject. It will easily be understood that, in a land where polygamy * has been observed from time immemorial, Christian marriage laws sometimes prove most irk- 1 I ought to remark that I by no means share the views of those who regard polygamy as an insuperable barrier to the progress of Christianity. It is quite possible that our accessions to the Church would be greatly increased if we admitted polygamists. But, on the other hand, it must be stated that we are constantly receiving kings and chiefs who have to do violence to the wishes of their people in complying with the laws of the Church. CHAP, iv ECCLESIASTICAL LEGISLATION 49 some to candidates for Church membership. At the same time it will also be understood that pagan ideas respecting the sanctity of marriage are hardly in harmony with scriptural teaching on the subject. Recommendations and legislation of the Synod have been progressive. In 1875 ft was decided to " discountenance the payment of ' dowries ' after pagan customs ; extravagant expenditure in marriage feasting and bridal attire ; or any practice or custom inconsistent with the circumstances of the parties and out of harmony with a true Christian spirit and deportment." It may, perhaps, sound strange that there should be an objection to the ''dowry"; but the word is misleading to English readers. The custom is, I believe, supposed to have been handed down from patriarchal times from the times when it was necessary to work a number of years to win a bride, or to take costly presents to the lady and her friends. And so it has come to pass that the bride- groom has to pay an ounce or two of gold to the family of the bride the price varies according to the social position of the respective parties in addition to presents of wearing apparel. The result really is that the bride is purchased] 1 the word does 1 On one occasion we were seated in the house of a catechist when a poor girl came to our host in tears, imploring him to intercede with her friends on her behalf. It seems that she was hoping to be wed to a Christian young man who was prepared to pay the ordinary dowry, but another had come with a more tempting offer, and her friends had intimated that she must go to the higher bidder. E So NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. not sound pleasant, but we can use no other. Indeed, one objection to the Christian rite of marriage is that the property of the bridegroom, who may be the head of an old and influential family, thus passes from the family to one who came into the domestic circle " with hardly a rag or stitch." How perfectly natural that native laws in harmony with this custom should sanction the dismissal of the wife, on the ground, say, that she was diseased and disfigured or incapable of perform- ing her duties ! * Again, how necessary it was to discountenance extravagance in bridal attire may be judged by the fact that on occasions young men in receipt of a stipend of ^50 a year have actually fooled there really is no other word away as much as ^"60 in purchasing a bridal trousseau in England, 2 to say nothing of the settlement with the family. No explanation, perhaps, is necessary re- specting the Synod's disapproval " of any practice out of harmony with a true Christian spirit and deportment." In 1885 the Synod decided that "no member of the Church should be allowed to marry a heathen man or woman ; and no woman, being a member of 1 A professing Christian man once endeavoured to point out to me the advantage of taking a wife according to the laws of the country. It was suggested that an opportunity was thus afforded for ascertain- ing if the parties suited one another. Fancy taking a wife, like a sewing machine, on a month's free trial ! 2 It will be a revelation to our readers to know that our native friends imagine that this is an English custom ! A NEAT HEAD-DRESS. [ To face page 50. TREPARING A MEAL. iv LEGISLATION RESPECTING POLYGAMY 51 the Church, should be allowed to marry a man who already had a wife; both these being scriptural principles." Further, ".no man having more than one wife should be admitted as a member of our Church, and that it should be left with the super- intendent minister to decide whether, on an investi- gation of the case, the wives of polygamists should be received into Church fellowship." It will be understood that, as the bride was not always con- sulted in making the matrimonial arrangement, special consideration was shown to such on their application for Church membership. I remember an instance where the marriage of a girl with a poly- gamous king was arranged by her friends. On embracing Christianity the wife, now grown to womanhood, voluntarily resolved to leave the king, who demanded from her the sum of money which had been paid to her friends. She had not where- with to pay ; accordingly, the handful of really poor Christians living in the village raised the money from among themselves and paid the debt. The Synod of 1890 made the following recom- mendations : First, " that the perfect mutual agree- ments of the parties proposing to marry should be imperatively insisted on ; " second, " that the consent of the parents of both parties is highly desirable, and should, if possible, be obtained ; " third, " that there should be no extravagant expenditure. A breach of this regulation should render the offending parties amenable to discipline." E 2 52 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. The Synod of 1893 decided, after much earnest thought, to insist on the Christian rite of marriage. During the years that the whole question has been under discussion we have, at the request of our people, been in correspondence with the Govern- ment, and have succeeded in lessening the difficulties that have stood in the way of observing the Christian rite. Hence the number of registrars has been increased it is no longer necessary for the ardent lover to trudge a distance of two hundred miles to get his certificate ; a great number of our chapels have been licensed for the solemnization of marriage ; the respective families have not now to spend a week in journeying to and from the scene of the sacred rite ; the registration fees have been re- duced. Altogether the Governors, past and present, have earned our gratitude for the patience with which they have considered our applications. Although our Church has insisted on the obser- vance of the Christian rite of marriage as a condition of membership, consideration is shown to those who are not at present prepared to take so great a step. "In order to ease the situation members married according to the native law are permitted to be received on trial for membership, on the distinct understanding that they cannot pass beyond the trial stage until they conform to the Christian rite." An old gentleman came to our house some six or seven years ago to ask if we would arrange for the iv LOOKING OUT A GIRL FOR THE SON 53 solemnisation of the marriage service of his son, who was a clerk at a Government office some twenty miles from Cape Coast. It was explained that the young man could leave his work only on one particular day. We very gladly promised to make the necessary arrangements. Just as he was leaving us the old gentleman volunteered the infor- mation that he had " looked out " a girl for his son. The idea occurred to us that the expression could not be taken too literally, inasmuch as the applicant was stone blind f The wonder to us has ever been how he was able to judge of the qualities of the bride-elect. Thursday is, I believe, considered the " lucky day" for the celebration of marriages. I know of only one departure from the rule ; and, sadly enough, both the bride and bridegroom, who were held in the highest esteem by a large circle of European and native friends, died within a year of the wedding day. Some of our happiest evenings in Africa have been spent at the wedding feasts given by the parents of the bride. Our hosts on these occasions have been gentlemen of wealth, else we might have wondered at the bountiful provision set before us. Opinions respecting the character of the natives vary according to the experience or temperament of those who are brought into contact with them. On the one hand there are those who indis- criminately brand the negroes as the craftiest 54 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. and the basest of beings on the face of the earth ; it is always safe to allow very generous discounts on statements furnished by such travellers. On the other hand there are those who place the greatest confidence in the natives. " I never bother about my keys. I don't even know what money I have about me. Leave all such matters with the ' boy ' " ! Such are the remarks one sometimes hears from the Government officer or trader. I am bound to say that such a manifestation of confidence is neither wise nor kind. Strange as it may appear, the missionary can relate most varied, and, apparently, contradictory experiences. It would be quite pos- sible, for example, by a narration of actual fact, to lead one's auditors to suppose that one's work was accompanied by unparalleled success but only one who is lacking either in intelligence or in principle would give such a partial version of experience. On the other hand, one might with equal truth unfold such a tale of woe as would most certainly lead to the inquiry, " Does missionary work among a people so depraved warrant the enormous outlay of men and money ? " but such a revelation would be given only by the shortsighted, or the snob. The safest course lies between these extremes. We should be guilty of the gravest injustice, not merely to the supporters of missions, but to the natives themselves, if we entirely ignored the weaknesses and vices which are so manifest in the heathen world. But at the end of the recital of our gloomiest IV THE RAW MATERIAL 55 experiences we must, if we are honest, utter words full of hope and encouragement. What is the raw material like ? It surely was an altogether fanciful picture that described how " The naked negro panting at the line, Boasts of his golden sands and palmy wine, Basks in the glare, or stems the tepid wave, And thanks the gods for all the good they gave." Here violent exertion and gratitude are suggested ; but we look in vain for them in the average native. " Clean in their persons, but dirty in their habits," is the opinion generally expressed concerning the Gold Coast natives. They revel in their bath, but their homes or huts are often very filthy. The profusion of ill odours meeting one on entering their huts, and the questionable messes served as food and devoured with nasty fingers, are revolting to our ideas of cleanliness. I am afraid, too, that we must regard the race as indolent, 1 the exceptions are among those who have ambition to rise above their surroundings. I have made use of a word which I feel almost tempted to recall ; for, after all, one does not wonder at the disinclination to manual labour. The softness of the climate is enervating ; the few wants of man are met in the fertile soil, it would therefore be gratuitous to work. Their preference 1 On one occasion I carried a rather heavy gun-carriage wheel from the front to the back of the house, in doing so I had to pass up two flights of steps, altogether a distance of forty yards ; I then re- quested a young man to carry it to the tool house, a distance of twelve yards. He promptly called three youths to help him. 56 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. for ease has become as much a part of themselves as their physical features, and they are in con- sequence as little blameworthy as is a tortoise for its slowness. I think it is Dr. Parker who says that when God cursed the ground for man's sake, and thus made him seek his food by the sweat of his brow, He really sent a blessing in disguise. I heartily endorsed that sentiment before I went to Africa, but now I am inclined to think that the happiness of the average negro could not be in- creased by protracted toil. Gold may be obtained, and yet they seldom exert themselves in search of h. Forests, rich in possibilities, hem them in on all sides ; here timber, oil, fibre, and rubber grow un- cultivated. But this soil, which might vie with the whole world in its yield of dried fruits, is allowed to breed only miasma and death. The power to initiate or originate is not largely developed, and yet they possess much native cun- ning. Their skill in adulteration is well known ; it is possible that their forefathers acquired the art from Europeans, but certainly the pupil has learnt to excel the master. In all business transactions with Europeans the negro is generally competent to take care of himself. The power to imitate is most marvellous. A goldsmith will make an exact copy of an elaborately designed piece of European jewellery. Work in leather, wood, stone, iron, copper and silver is astonishing to those who expect to find in the native only uncouth savagery. But NATIVE GOLDSMITH'S WORK. GOLD BROOCHES AND RINGS. NUGGET. LADY'S ALBERT WITH AGGREY BEADS. SILVER STOOL KNIFE REST. GA CHIEF'S GOLD BREAST ORNAMENTS. \TO face page *f>. (ORIGINALS SEVEN INCHES IN DIAMETER. INTRINSIC VALUE, 50.) IV UNTRUTHFULNESS TRANSMITTED AT BIRTH 57 this gift is a great snare ; its cultivation might make good workmen, but as a matter of fact it is allowed to develop into forgery or trickery which ends in the gaol. To many the white man is the example, but too often only the weaknesses are imitated. It has been observed that their love for their offspring and their profound respect and reverence for the aged are marked traits in their character. This is certainly the case, but we look in vain for " that generous integrity of nature and honesty of dispo- sition which always augurs true greatness, and is usually accompanied with undaunted courage and resolution " manliness. Cowardice is one of their most serious defects. In warfare they have become a byword among those who have commanded them ; they are ever ready to obtain an advantage over the weak. Their savagery becomes manifest in their outrages on their dead foes. Untruthfulness is transmitted at birth; "they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies." Their supreme con- cern is in grovelling sycophancy. But does not this carry back the mind to the dark passages in their history, by no means remote, when these poor people were in the hands of fell tyrants, whose amusement was murder, whose toys were knives or clubs ? Does not all this remind us of the blood- stained page of their history when their forefathers abjectly crawled at the feet of some black Nero, on whose will or whim they were dependent for very life, and, in mortal fear, sought to utter true or 58 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. false, it mattered not which words that would please him ? Does it not recall the ravages of a horrible system of slavery, which in all its ferocity was carried on by civilised (?) white men as well as black for hundreds of years? Is it to be wondered that untruthfulness has become a national character- istic ? Assuredly no ! Shame on us, ten thousand times, if we regard these poor souls with anything but the tenderest pity ! We who have been enlightened and have the influence of centuries of civilisation behind us, dare not be severe upon our less favoured fellows. The marvel is, not that the natives of the Gold Coast have sunk so low, but that there is still remaining to them that which can lay hold of the pure religion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Among our Gold Coast people there are dis- tinctions greater than those which wealth can create. We have the unsophisticated bush man, and the coast man ; the illiterate, and the scholar. The difference between the bushman and the coaster is almost as great as is the difference between our own Hodge and the town dandy. The bushman still retains "the primeval simplicity of his manners." He regards the white man as a living wonder, rivalled only by the horse, each being equally rare. He is most courtly in his welcome. His garb is simply a native cloth, like the Roman toga, thrown over the left shoulder, and hanging in folds down to his knees, or rolled round his waist. iv AFRICAN ROYALTY 59 During a heavy downpour of rain the cloth is care- fully folded up and the owner indulges in a delicious shower bath. On such occasions, our friend, not being over conventional, cares little whether the fig leaf is worn round his waist or is growing on a tree miles away. He is convinced that Nature's garb is sufficient for Nature's gentlemen. His town brother is poles removed from him. In many instances he has, through the enterprise of the merchant, and the encouragement of the Govern- ment, adopted European dress : this touches what to some is a sore spot. For my own part I am supremely indifferent in the matter of native dress, provided that due regard is paid to decency. It is true that there is an air of stateliness in the toga of the native ; but it certainly was not de- signed with a view to ease and comfort when performing manual labour. It is equally true that educated natives, who avoid excesses in the matter of style, find European clothing as suitable as do Europeans themselves. But there is great tendency to carry the fashion to absurd lengths : the tall silk hat, high collar, patent leather shoes, must be as uncomfortable to the aristocrat, as the gorgeous Christy-minstrel attire of the humbler classes is grotesque. The coast gentleman usually requires the services of a boy to carry even the smallest parcel ; a great number of retainers denotes im- portance. Reference must be made to African royalty. 60 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP, Our ideas of English royalty account for much mis- conception respecting African potentates. It will prove a great shock to those who have spoken with bated breath of West African princes to be told that some of us have engaged gentlemen bearing royal titles as bricklayers' labourers at wages of ninepence a day. 1 Much misconception concerning English royalty is also observed among our Gold Coast natives. It was once reported at Cape Coast in perfectly good faith that the Prince , when in England, was in the habit of calling every week to have a chat with Queen Victoria. But, unfor- tunately, the Governor of the Colony happened to tell the Queen that Prince was "no good!" So the next time that gentleman called at the Queen's house, her Majesty " shut the door in his face ! " Other distinctions are the " illiterate" and the " scholar." The former needs no explanation; but with regard to the latter it must be pointed out that our friend does not necessarily come within the category of divines and scientists of our own country. The " scholar " of the Gold Coast may have spent only sufficient time at school to enable him to write a misspelt letter, but still he is known by the title. 1 Once upon a time his Majesty of , followed by a small retinue, called upon the missionary at Cape Coast. At the conclusion of the interview his Majesty begged for the sum of sixpence, to enable him to drink the missionary's health in gin ; but as the latter had no faith in "trade spirits," he regaled his visitors with a bottle of dried currants. \_Toface page 61. GOLD COAST MATRONS AND CHILDREN. "There is a peniiveness on the face when not excited, often passing to a languor and listlessness, which might suggest oppression had we not the conviction that they are resigned to their inferior position." iv THE GENTLER SEX ARE INDUSTRIOUS 61 And yet another distinction must be named the "lady " and the "woman." " My wife is a lady ! " " Oh, indeed ! What is the difference between a 4 woman ' and a ' lady ' ? " " The ' lady ' wears a European dress, the ' woman ' only wears cloth ! " 41 Ladies," at least when in their advanced dress, do not perform all the menial duties that their less favoured sisters do. But generally speaking the gentler sex are industrious. Long before daybreak they may be heard grinding corn or beating fufu, or sweeping the hut or yard in order to be ready to go to the farm to prepare produce, or to the market to barter it. Very frequently they may be seen with fifty or sixty pounds weight of oil or rubber on their heads, and a babe on their backs, trudging uncom- plainingly to town. I have seen a woman removing sacks of palm kernels weighing one hundred and forty pounds from warehouse to sea-shore. It is needless to say the poor soul required the assistance of another woman and man to enable her to lift the load to her head. As a rule the women are cheerful and neigh- bourly; although often painfully shy in the company of white men, they are usually thoughtful and kind. There is a pensiveness on the face when not excited, often passing to a languor and listlessness, which might suggest oppression had we not the conviction that they are resigned to their inferior position. They are possessed of excitable dispositions, and are most demonstrative in affection and sorrow, and 62 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. turbulent in dispute. Although hasty in speech and gesture, they are patient in suffering, and heroically struggle against disease. Work in the day schools, which I had almost dreaded, became intensely fascinating. I must say that I possessed at least one essential qualification for this all-important work, and that was a very real love for the young people ; and the love has been reciprocated. I have to confess that there were periods when it was impossible to avoid wounding the susceptibilities of some of the adult members of the community ; but my young friends, with whom I was constantly brought into contact, never questioned my attachment to them. What a motley company we had in the school ! the greatest variety in dress as well as in the stature of the scholars. Very often the dress consisted merely of a strip of Manchester cotton tied round the waist ; and, by the way, this suit of clothes did duty on Sundays as well as during the week, by night as well as by day. In some instances jacket and trousers of blue winsey or bed-ticking made up a suit ; others, again, had complete suits, all but shoes and socks. A sharp little fellow standing four feet high would be found by the side of a young man who bore signs of a moustache. " You an infant!" exclaimed an inspector to the latter. " Why, you ought to be married / " There was one very noticeable defect in our school, and that was the lamentable disproportion in the attendance of IV THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF HONESTY 63 the girls. Very early it was noticed that there was sore need of an agitation for Women's Rights, of which more hereafter. I made it a point of my duty to conduct a weekly examination in the senior classes. I found, as my predecessor had found, that there was a great ten- dency to learn to pronounce English words in some instances with absurdly amusing results without any thought of comprehending the meaning. There were also the daily lessons in Scripture. It was also found necessary to instil lessons on the value of time, and habits of punctuality : this is a heart-aching subject. With some of my young friends it was necessary to attend to the first principles of truthful- ness and honesty. There are some dear good people in the world who charge the missionary with the responsibility of developing rogues and swindlers in West Africa. Why, in the name of Consistency, these dear good people do not charge the Sheffield cutlers with the responsibility of the human sacrifices at Kumasi because a Sheffield blade was found there altogether passes my comprehension. I am quite prepared to admit that the educated liar can carry out his schemes much more successfully than can the bushman. 1 Your cockney sharper is a much 1 Even in England " a limited education has a tendency to increase crimes involving cupidity and corruption ; for an imperfectly educated man, dishonestly inclined, is by his training afforded assistance in pre- paring and carrying out his fraudulent schemes, whether alone or in conspiracy with others, and in concealing his guilt and avoiding de- tection. My observation leads me to the belief that comparatively few 64 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. smarter man than is the rural thief. He has had his wits sharpened. But do not say that residence in London necessarily makes a man a thief. Your unsophisticated bushman does not make the attempts on your property that his town brother does, simply because he is afraid that something very dreadful will be the consequence, for in awe he regards you as a great white Fetish. But upon this subject I will now only add that every pupil in our school very quickly learnt that I was far more concerned that he should learn to speak the truth, " and keep his hands from picking and stealing," than that he should excel as a scholar. In my educational work I had the invaluable assistance of a most devoted band of teachers, who were most painstaking with their work. One of them was in the habit of using grandiloquent lan- guage this is a temptation to which so many of our educated young men at the Coast yield ; but when I suggested that the sentence " has applied himself most assiduously to his scholastic duties," might be rendered in simpler English, the hint was taken, and I had no further occasion to draw attention to high-flown style. persons are convicted of crimes of this description, but that many who have committed such crimes have managed to avoid detection by reason of the assistance their abused education has rendered to their cunning devices. Of course I cannot vouch for the correctness of my views ; of necessity they are almost entirely speculative." Mr. Justice Hawkins' reply to the New York World? s question, "Does not education increase crime?" iv DIS BOY, HE GET STRONG EARS 65 Among the earliest memorials laid before me was a request to support a petition by the teachers to the local committee for an increase of salaries, which were, indeed, wretchedly small. I had found that it was a general rule on the advent of Europeans for personal servants to request an increase on account of "the hardness of the times." But the request of the staff was certainly most reason- able. The pay-sheet of that time is one of the greatest curiosities in my collection. We honour the Mission Staff generally for the sacrifice they make in serving the cause they have at heart. But, really, that paysheet ! I think I will not introduce it. One of the little fellows attending our school found a particularly warm place in my heart. It was said that he had neither father nor mother, hence he was at once attached to our household. I had thought of one day bringing him to England; but subsequent experience confirmed the report of our faithful cook to the effect that " Dis boy, he get ' strong ears' dis time. He no speak fo' boys at school. He no wash plate ! " On reflection I concluded that a trip to England might prove mistaken kindness. Here I must record the greatest misfortune I have experienced in Africa, namely, my scant knowledge of the vernacular. At Cape Coast, where English is so much spoken, one does not realise the need of a knowledge of Fanti. Our catechists have a fair 66 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. knowledge of English ; l our teachers are still more advanced ; while our ministers, with one or two ex- ceptions, have a perfect knowledge at least, for all practical purposes. And so I imagined that there would be no need for me to apply myself to the study. And, besides, I knew so well that the average length of service of my predecessors had been so short that I feared that the time necessary for such study could ill be spared. But I would certainly re- commend the study to others ; not, perhaps, so much for the purpose of preaching although if that state of proficiency could be attained it would be an un- speakable advantage but in order to assist in com- prehending the native mind and mode of reasoning. For, as the late Professor Drummond has said : " I often wished I could get inside an African for an afternoon, and just see how he looked at things ; for I am sure our worlds are as different as the colour of our skins." We had a Bible class on Sunday afternoons at the Mission House. During the study of the Epistle to the Ephesians we had an interesting dis- cussion respecting social customs. Attention was drawn to the exhortation to husbands respecting the treatment of their wives, and it was unmistakably evident that some of the members felt that St. Paul 1 We were once expressing to a German missionary our regret that our numberless duties prevented our giving attention to the study of the vernacular when our friend exclaimed, " And what need have you English to learn a foreign language, when you make every nation under the sun learn yours ? " iv A CRECKTILL COMMONPLAY 67 was lavish in his gallantry. " But, sir," said one, " a Mandingo woman will not believe that her husband loves her unless he flogs her occasionally ! " It was pointed out that it was not ours to discuss either Mandingo, or Fanti, or English customs ; ours was to see that we observed Apostolic teach- ing, of regarding the wife as our own flesh. A propos of this it is said that a missionary (not a West African) once remonstrated with a member of his flock for having chastised his wife. The instant retort was, " Do not I read that ' whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth,' and do not I love my wife ?" A reference to my diary and letters reminds me that the initiation into the arts and mysteries of housekeeping at this period afforded considerable variety. New dusters and lamp-cloths were on one occasion needed, and were accordingly supplied. Shortly afterwards sounds of an altercation came from the kitchen, when it was discovered that the cook had allowed a pudding-cloth to get too near the fire, whereupon the steward's soiled lamp- cloth was demanded as a substitute, from which it will be inferred that the missionary must not be too inquisitive concerning the cuisine. There was a little difficulty in understanding the English as it was spoken at our house. My colleague's re- tainer was sent to me on one occasion for the loan of a "crecktill commonplay on Samuel." After a little thought I handed him the desired Critical Commentary. F 2 CHAPTER V GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF A JOURNEY INTO THE "BUSH," WITH GLIMPSES OF FOREST SCENERY, AND AN INTRODUCTION TO THE RURAL MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH AT the end of October my colleague arrived from a tour of his huge circuit. As he had been unwell for some days he suggested that I should try the novelty of " bush-travel," and at the same time supply his lack of service. I hesitated for a time, but have since been very thankful for that oppor- tunity of seeing our interior work ; it was most beneficial to me. As each day's journey was to be a very short one, not more than ten miles, four men were sufficient for the hammock, 1 and three carriers for boxes containing provisions, cooking utensils, and clothing. It may be mentioned that the wages of these men are at the rate of one shilling a day, with threepence each for " subsistence." On the 2nd of November at 6 a.m. we set off. Our destination for that day was Anamabu. We 1 It will be understood that as we have no railways, and no horses, bullocks nor mules, we have to submit ourselves to the humiliating process of being borne about the country in a hammock on the heads or shoulders of four men. CHAP, v TRAVELLING AT A FEARFUL RATE 69 did not travel at express speed, for the ten miles occupied exactly four hours, but then there were one or two short halts by the way. The recumbent position in the hammock naturally induces sleep the jolting jog-trot of the carriers notwithstanding. In your imagination you may be anywhere, travel- ling at a fearful speed. But you have a rude awakening a sudden full-stop, and you hear the voice of the "head man," " Dis hill be no good, sah ! " which, being interpreted, means, " Get out and walk ! " At other times the ground is level, the road wide, a little way ahead is a densely- packed "bush market." There are a thousand of the gentler sex engaged in the exchange of plan- tain, peppers, palm wine, kassava, and other pro- ducts too numerous to mention. The noise and chatter are beyond description ! But it is a supreme moment in the history of the hammock men. With a sound that may be described as a mighty war- whoop, they "make up for a run." Goats, sheep, pigs, fowls, mammies scatter in all directions. The latter display lovely sets of teeth, and laugh heartily over the temporary panic. The Fort at Anamabu is famous as having wit- nessed the first visit of the Ashanti army to a coast town. This was in 1807, when the king in person led twenty thousand warriors to battle. The Fort was bravely defended by a handful of English and native officers and men from the attacks of Sai Tootoo Quamina. His Majesty declared that he 70 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. had only come to the Coast to look for a runaway chief, who had added injury to insult by killing some of his, the king's, messengers. It was felt, however, that if the experiment with the walls of Anamabu had succeeded from a military standpoint, Sai Tootoo Quamina might have gone to look for some one else at the Capital Cape Coast Castle. The Governor at the latter place had so much re- spect for Ashanti that he set to work and secured the person of the runaway chief, who had fled to the town for protection, and handed him over to Sai Tootoo Quamina to be hacked in pieces. As the Ashantis were unpopular with the Fantis gene- rally, the natives of Anamabu had espoused the cause of the fugitive chief ; but when overpowered by the superior forces, skill, and courage of Ashanti they fled, some to their fishing canoes and others, about 1,500, to the Fort. As the siege continued and as numbers of the natives were dying, the Cape Coast Governor yielded to the demands of Sai Tootoo, and handed half of the refugees over to his Majesty, who immediately sold them into slavery. 1 The other half were claimed by the Governor and his colleagues, and also sold ! Happily 1 In the palmy days of the slave trade it was not an unusual sight to see between twenty and thirty ships of sail, of different nations, waiting at Anamabu for consignments of slaves ; though permitted by law to carry only five hundred on a voyage, sometimes as many as seven hundred would be closely packed into a ship ; they were branded in order to ensure identity. Gold coast slaves realised better prices than did those from other parts of the coast ; many committed suicide by drowning, others by deliberate starvation. v THE OLDEST FANTI KINGDOM 71 there was at least one humane Englishman in the Colony at the time. Mr. John Swanzy, the Governor of Accra, hearing of the truculent conduct of his fellow-countrymen at Cape Coast, rose from his sick bed and took boat for the Capital and poured out vials of wrath upon the council, with the result that the unhappy slaves who had not actually left the roadstead for the West Indies were permitted to return to their town. The effort cost the brave man his life. He returned to Accra, and died shortly afterwards. But to return to our journey. My work really began at Mankessim, which I reached in the after- noon of the second day. As we regard it our duty to teach our people to " honour the king," I called upon his Majesty of Mankessim. From him I gathered traditionary information respecting the history of his people. I think I may venture to repeat it, for it was given in the presence of the principal officers of state, and was confirmed by sundry grunts of approval on all sides. " Mankessim is the oldest Fanti kingdom. When the Fantis came from Takyiman they halted in that neighbour- hood preparatory to branching out in various directions and forming minor kingdoms. The great yearly council, however, was held at Mankessim, whose king naturally presided. At these gather- ings matters affecting the whole Fanti community were considered. Criminals under sentence of death were taken to the old capital, and were 72 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP, executed by spear, or knife, or gun. Occasionally victims for sacrifice were buried alive. When the Fantis paid their visit to the place they acknowledged as their chief idol one which was known as Nanaam." It was interesting to note what the stately old king Kweku Mbill said concerning the superstition of his ancestors, and his thankfulness that the Gospel light was penetrating the dark places of his kingdom. The king's silver-headed sceptre bore the following inscription "DOOR DENDIRECTEUR GENERAAL JOAN VAN SEVENTWYSEM IS DESEM VEREERT AAN APREDIMGUE PRAFFO VAN FANTUM AD 1 70 1." Sunday was a busy day ; Divine Service at 8 o'clock, Sunday School at 11.30. The latter part of the school hour was devoted to theological questions and answers ; but the usual order of things was reversed. One and another of the adult scholars put interesting questions to the missionary, which led to profitable conversation. At the afternoon service the Sacrament of Baptism was administered to a young man who expressed an intelligent belief in the Articles of the Christian faith, and also to two infants. The king attended service in our chapel, and accompanied us to a meeting held in the open air. I observed that my faithful cook took a seat amongst the aristocracy of the place. At the evening service the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered. v VICTORY OF CHRISTIANITY OVER PAGANISM 73 Before we left Mankessim our people brought presents of oranges, yams and fowls. His Majesty sent a kingly present in the shape of a magnificent ram ; and I was also made the happy possessor of a famous bush hat. As I have already stated my belief that Fetishism is disappearing, I feel that I must here make mention of the marvellous victory of Christianity over the pagan religion in Mankessim. Just as the kingdom is the oldest in the Fanti country, so the Fetish priests regarded Mankessim as the headquarters of their power. Fifty years ago five priests ministered at the altars of the great Fetish. It would be wearisome to follow these tricksters through all their chicanery and jugglery with which they duped their people. Not only were converts to Chris- tianity led to understand the nature of the im- postures, but heathen chiefs expressed their disgust at the deception. While lust was reigning supreme at the orgies, human victims were offered in sacrifice. And when, at length, the strong arm of the Govern- ment intervened to put a stop to bloodshed, the priests arranged for crowds of their followers to surround the groves, and by their unearthly yells to drown the screams of the victims of superstition. Truly a work of grace was needed to enable the first Christian disciples to convert those bloody groves into a farm, and to build a church near the old Fetish house now in ruins. To God be all the praise ! 74 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. Next morning, November 5th, we were early astir, and left for Abassa. In crossing over a river I was greatly pleased to learn that practical con- sideration is shown to Christian missionaries by the heathen who derive a part of their income from the toll levied at the ferry. A sum of threepence is collected from each passenger conveyed in the canoe. It is generally understood that the sums thus collected are periodically divided between the king, the inhabitants of the neighbouring town, and the ferryman. I have seen Mr. Bushman endea- vour, but without success, to elude the vigilant eye of the collector, and I have also seen those who did not choose to pay swim the river ; but I have never seen the ferryman who demanded toll of the mis- sionary. This is a consideration, particularly when the missionary has such a number of carriers, who are also allowed a free passage. This generous recognition obtains in all parts of the Colony. Of course there is the inevitable " dash " : but then the average native would almost rather die than forgo the pleasure of receiving that. Love for " dash " seems to be bred in the bone. At Abassa I had the pleasure of meeting a catechist with a face as black as coal, but with a heart as free from guile as that of any man black or white that I have met in Africa. My good friend was " passing rich on 20 a year." I sup- pose he was the only " scholar " in that town, but he wielded a mighty influence upon all with whom v THE FRIEND AND COUNSELLOR OF CHIEFS 75 he came into contact. He was the friend and counsellor of kings and chiefs, and was held in the highest esteem among all men in the villages for many miles round. To such as he, representatives of all ranks of society come to have their domestic, social, and political grievances adjusted. How beautiful in its simplicity is the following extract from his " minute " book, which, I may parentheti- cally remark, was certainly not written for my information, but was, at my suggestion, very readily placed at my disposal. " Business of local preach- ers' meeting." (i) "I put before the meeting if any of us know something against his neighbour on behalf of his preaching, his moral character, or anything against Christianity, you must put out the said man : if nothing, lift up your hands. We all lift up our hands, as we know nothing against any of us." (2) " Theological exercises." I have hinted that the catechist was the only scholar in the place : so that it becomes part of his duty to instruct the less favoured local preachers in order that they may preach to others. I have elsewhere stated that all natives are blessed with marvellously retentive memories : l hence the theological exer- cises. How attentively the illiterate brethren listen to their loved teacher as, with the aid of a six- 1 I have been amazed at the ease with which a native reproduces sermons and addresses ; and yet such feats should surprise no one, for, in the absence of writing materials, the diary, the account book, the family will have been recorded in the memory, which has thus had endless exercise. 76 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. penny-halfpenny lamp, he reads and translates a passage of Scripture or unfolds what is to them some new and important truth. Attention is also given to Methodist doctrine. We have seen above what care is taken to guard against heterodox teach- ing. (3) " I suggest to the meeting how we shall manage for the reviving of our three stations. proposes that we visit the sick and weak mem- bers once a Sunday from house to house. I also propose to make three band meetings and vangelize. The meeting agree to the proposal." Subsequent paragraphs inform us that on a given Sunday a series of meetings were held. They began in the dewy morn at 4 o'clock, and were continued till chilly eve at 1 1 o'clock. The results of these special meetings called forth the gratitude of our humble friends. " The whole congregation dismissed on the next day after morning prayer with comfortable address of departure, St. Mark v. 19, by myself." But business relating to the material building was attended to. "I suggest to the meeting to set a time to cut the thatches for the roofing of the chapel .... we also consider the moneys collected for the chapel, and we found j ^s. : it is with and some is with , which she promised to produce the papers to see the accounts on to-morrow, to see so much is with her." At this place we had a large congregation. Our company included Mohammedans as well as pagans. My faithful cook informed me that had in- v LOW MORAL STANDARD OF CONVERTS 77 terpreted " berry nicely." " Oh, indeed ! what did he say?" " De same as you did, sah!" " Well, what did I say ? " Then the cook's mouth opened, as some would say, from ear to ear, as he grinned and confessed that he had quite for- gotten. Evidently he thought I was too par- ticular. How the heart ached at the thought of the low moral standard of those who were emerging from heathenism ! But then the greatest missionary that the world has ever seen, when dealing with a people infinitely superior intellectually to the African, had far more trying experiences. We read that he found it necessary to exhort the "fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God " to " put away lying and stealing." There were mem- bers of other Churches whose shameful conduct greatly distressed St. Paul. The Apostle's ex- perience teaches us to exercise more patience towards those who, deeply sunk in sin, have but an imperfect knowledge of " the first principles of the doctrine of Christ." Here I had to deal with the offence of a man who had taken to himself a second wife on the ground that his first wife had become disfigured by disease, and, moreover, was useless in attending to her household duties. The plea of the offender was, that as he had paid a sum of money and gifts to the parents and friends of the wife, he was perfectly justified in doing what he liked with his own. 78 NINE YEARS AT THE COLD COAST CHAP. Instances somewhat similar to this might be given to show that our methods must be on the principle of "line upon line .... precept upon precept." A somewhat amusing case came under notice. A male member of the Church was engaged with his brethren in re-roofing the chapel. His wife, with other ladies, had " gone to bush," to cut grass to serve as thatch. It seems that the good lady tarried longer than was absolutely necessary, for her husband went in search of her, and found her gossiping with a sister who had brought trouble into the otherwise peaceful domestic circle through her love for tattle. The lord and master was en- raged, and rated the gossip all the way back to the chapel, much to the amusement, it was said, of the heathen. The aggrieved sister charged the offender at the ecclesiastical court, and he was asked to apologise. This he refused to do. The members of the court then called in councillors from adjoin- ing villages, when the extraordinary decision was arrived at, that the brother should not only apolo- gise but pay a shilling to the offended sister ! As he continued refractory, I was asked to uphold the decision of the court. Of course I explained that that was not in my power; but I succeeded in inducing the brother to express regret for having brought ridicule upon the woman and upon his religion. At the suggestion of the thoughftul catechist it was decided that as a public scandal had been created, the expression of regret should v AN AFRICAN FOREST 79 be proclaimed in the chapel on the following Sunday morning. On the morning of my departure from the town I called on the chief to thank him for practical help in re-thatching the chapel. Work of this kind is frequently undertaken by heathens as well as Chris- tians. I also desired the old man to exercise greater influence in keeping his unruly heathen subjects from molesting the Christians and interrupt- ing their services. The chief complained that the influence and authority of chiefs had been considerably weakened by the Government. I admitted that that was so, but pointed out that the Government was at all times pre- pared to support chiefs in their attempt to keep order, and I further hinted that incapable chiefs were sometimes removed from their exalted posi- tions. The journey to Gyirankuma was performed on foot, for the path was decidedly too narrow to admit of the passage of the hammock. Screened from the sun by the dense bush and giant trees, how indescribably grand was that walk. In the forest at daybreak one becomes conscious of the almost simultaneous awakening of nature ; in a few moments everything seems instinct with life and vigour. One feels that before any adequate con- ception of the grandeur of African scenery can be conveyed, new words and similes must be added to the language, and new colours to the palette. 8o NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. It is not so much a difference in degree as in kind. The feeling is that " no words can work up the fancy," and that " typographical attempts to move the imagination will be of no use." It is not so much that the scene is sublime or charming, as grand and majestic. The feelings produced are not rapturous or ecstatic, but rather those of awe and dread. Towering above trees whose form would grace an English forest, were the stately trees of commerce, and higher still those of more rapid growth and conse- quently softer nature. " Higher still is the waving surface of an ocean of foliage .... a vast sea of tree-tops, whose waves ripple in a region seemingly set between earth and heaven." Below is a tangled mass of vegetable life struggling for existence and supremacy, yet rising superior to a dense under- growth. Here mangrove and cactus, reed and sedge, thorn and briar, huddled together in the wildest [profusion, and flourished above mud and water ; while 1 " matted and tangled creepers hung in heavy festoons from the lofty branches, and clung to the dense undergrowth beneath." The sun was beating with all his fury somewhere above, but not into the heart of that forest ; no fierce ray penetrated that region. Vast numbers of gaudy butterflies sprang from the trees. Birds of every conceivable plumage disported themselves in quest of their early meal. The forest seemed full of life ; so numerous and -varied were the sounds, colours, and motions 1 Major W. F. Butler's Akim Foo. v OBJECT OF MISSIONARY TOUR 81 of the indescribable insects, birds, and beasts that inhabited this region. I do not know that I need repeat the programme of the several days' experience. The object of my visit was to strengthen the hands of the Catechists, to endeavour to utter words of counsel, of encourage- ment or reproof, as circumstances required, to our congregations ; to administer the Sacraments, and to investigate cases of discipline. Occasionally it was necessary to appear exceedingly stern in re- proving cant, hypocrisy, and notorious sin. But one was always prepared to make allowances for sur- roundings, and one never really felt quite all that one's manner might have indicated. The missionary certainly has his times of depres- sion, both when travelling in the interior as well as when on the seaboard. But there are corresponding compensations. My friend Hall relates the follow- ing, as having occurred in the neighbourhood of Gyirankuma. "A woman, old and diseased, told us, with tears, how through the abandonment by her husband, who had taken younger women as wives, she was on the point of committing suicide, for the purpose of bringing punishment upon him, when she was attracted by the singing band and was influenced to join the Christian people. Shortly afterwards she was converted ; she then asked her new friends to help her with her prayers for the conversion of her husband. United prayers resulted in reunited lives ; husband and wife were again G 82 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. happy in the love of one another. The old woman wished to acknowledge God's goodness." From what has been seen at Abassa, it will be easily understood that education makes little head- way in the interior schools. Indeed, the "Bush" natives have entertained decided objections to day- schools, on the ground that their youths, when educated, leave for the Coast towns, and take situ- ations in the Government and Mercantile Services. Special attention has therefore been given by the native ministers to industrial training, such as plan- tation work, with encouraging results. One youth, while passing through a truly rural school, attempted to improve some lines which are familiar to most of us, and produced the following : " I am chief of any I can see, My write there is no one to correct, From the middle all round to the ocean I am chief of the cock and the goat ; Oh solitude (death) where are thy health Yon sages have seen in your face ? Better dwell in the centre of colds Than reign in this restless land." In the course of my journey I had the pleasure of meeting the Reverend J. O. Hammond, Mr. Hall's native colleague. This minister's love for work is proverbial, and he is famous in the district for neatness in keeping his circuit accounts. I venture to repeat the particulars of an incident brought to our notice by the native minister about this time. A man, who had been a prominent member of v LEAVING THE CRESCENT FOR THE CROSS 83 our church in the neighbourhood of Salt Pond, relapsed into Mohammedanism. He then became a vigorous opponent of our work, even to the length of holding open-air meetings, in order to attack our Mission, and to induce our people to embrace Islam. While lying on his death-bed he soon became filled with remorse, on account of his backsliding. " My wife, children and I have resolved to become Christians, I beg you to give us back our names," in other words, that their names might be re-entered on our Church Roll. " Why," replied the minister, " there is but one God, who is the God of Mohammedans and Christians alike. Why leave the crescent for the cross?" "Ah," said the man, " I have known what it is to be a Christian. I once felt the hopes and joys of the Christian faith. Since my backsliding I have had no peace of conscience. Once I could be happy without a penny, but I have gained nothing by desertion to Islam, but doubt of heaven and fear of hell. Give us back our names ! I have put away my strange wife, and have only the one to whom I was first married, who is also sick, and anxious to serve Christ. Give us back our names." He afterwards died in hope, but the influence of his death so affected one of his comrades as to cause him, too, to forsake the crescent for the cross. I have been reminded by this story of a conversation I once had with a European surgeon at Cape Coast, who G 2 84 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP suggested that it was necessary to charge our discourses with brimstone to make them effective. I said then what I say now, emphatically, never. And, if I know anything of the methods of my European and Native colleagues, I say the same of their sermons and addresses. Not that our eschatology was in the least degree open to question from the orthodox point of view, or that we deliberately ignored unpopular subjects, but we felt that we had a more excellent way of leading men to acknowledge God as their Father, Christ as their Saviour, the Holy Ghost as their Comforter. If our audiences were more enlightened, and we had a suspicion that there was open defiance of the Divine Commands, we should possibly be more severe. But I have digressed! My tour occupied ten days. On the return journey I walked a great part of the distance, and once was far ahead of my carriers. The cook was under the impression that there was an unwillingness on the part of the men to carry me, accordingly he " read the articles of war." " I go make palaver wid dem hammock-men fo' make my master walk. My master get sick ! " Honest, faithful old Dondoh ! How deeply we regretted his illness and death a few years later. The " pastoral visitation " was, as I have said, an education to myself; and, I trust, was of v THE TRAVELLER'S DIET 85 service to the various workers and congregations. The friends everywhere were very kind. It may perhaps be of interest to the reader to know the variety in food at the two principal meals of the day. At the town of Salt Pond I was made welcome at the table of Europeans, where a feast of fat things was provided. But when left to our own resources in the Bush it was otherwise. The first meal consisted of yam, rice, and chicken, the next, by way of a change, of chicken, rice, and yam ; the third of rice, yam, and chicken, and so on until we returned to Cape Coast and Civilisation. CHAPTER VI RELATES CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH WILL SUMMON AN IMMENSE CON- COURSE OF PEOPLE A FUNERAL, A FIRE, OR A FESTIVAL ; AND HAS A REFERENCE TO ELMINA CASTLE AND ITS CONNECTION WITH THE ASHANTI WAR OF 1873, AND CONCLUDES WITH REMARKS RESPECTING PERSONAL ASSOCIATES AT the end of my first wet season one of the leading members of Cape Coast Society died, and I was asked to conduct the funeral service. I was greatly surprised to find that the corpse was enclosed in a most elaborate brass-covered coffin, which was con- veyed to the cemetery in a plumed hearse and followed by an enormous concourse of people. Although interments usually take place between twelve and eighteen hours after death, 1 there is not the slightest difficulty in securing an attendance of some thousand or fifteen hundred followers, for the news spreads like wildfire. Good Templars, Odd- fellows, Freemasons, Volunteers, as occasion requires, all turn out in full regalia to swell the ranks. When such an event occurs there is no lack of mourning. In addition to the sorrow of the bereaved friends, there is the dismal lamentation of those who can 1 I have been requested, when on a journey, to conduct a funeral service over the body of a child two hours after death. CHAP, vi FUNERAL CUSTOMS 87 command tears at a moment's notice. 1 In interior towns and villages, even more than at Cape Coast, is observed the ancient custom of the " mourners going about the streets." In Christian homes it is usual to invite friends to the house to join in singing hymns during the night. Although coffee and bis- cuits are provided on these occasions, our scholars have, nevertheless, worn a very jaded appearance as they have presented themselves at school the morning following a wake sleepy and hoarse with the exertions of the night. This solace might prove too great a strain for the nerves of European friends, but it certainly is greatly in advance of the pagan custom of spending the night in drinking spirits and beating tom-toms. 2 1 At the interment of a West Indian soldier, a comrade burst into tears, for no other reason than that a little water was seen at the bottom of the grave. 2 The funeral customs of the pagans of Abassa are as follows : During the first three days rum is imbibed very freely ; three weeks later the drinking is repeated ; after the lapse of six weeks, and before the expiration of twelve months, guns are fired, and there is a general beating of tom-toms, followed by a great feast. At all these feasts a chair, covered with a white sheet, occupies a prominent position ; upon this chair is placed a plate, and upon the plate is poured a libation ; money and food are also placed thereon, in order that the spirit may eat and drink with the guests, and keep them in health, and heal them of their diseases. Less than thirty years ago it was the custom that when two men quarrelled, and one as a result committed suicide, the other was made to follow his example. Instances of supposed witchcraft were occa- sionally tried. The corpse of one said to have been bewitched was borne by men who, at a spot previously arranged, would begin to stagger. Usually this was done near a house, in which case the bearers would run round the house several times, and finally shoot the corpse through a window, and bring out the owner to certain death. 88 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. Making mention of the concourse of people brings to remembrance the vision of a multitude which no man could number, that assembled in our compound between the hours of one and three one eventful morning. Our kitchen, which was built of wood, had caught fire. The flames attracted the atten- tion of a nurse at the military hospital, who very quickly aroused me from my slumber ; and soon a small crowd gathered. It was so evident that nothing could save the unfortunate kitchen that, with the assistance of my military friend, I cut oft the connection between the flames and the house, thankful for the thought that no more serious mis- chief could be done. But the small crowd mentioned above seemed to think that I did not sufficiently realise the gravity of the situation, and then and there it was decided to act seriously. The first business was to collect a bigger crowd. Accordingly one of the number went for the school bell, and rang it with all his might. Another bolted off to " Wesley" and rang the church bell, another fled for the auctioneer's bell, and another thought of that execrable pagan horn and blew a blast too awful for words ; and still another thought of the tom-tom, and in about twenty minutes we had a most perfect pandemonium. Out of the thousands thus drawn together no fewer than twenty-seven persons actually worked, twenty women, six men and a boy. The women fetched the water ; five men and the boy poured the water on the flames ; the sixth man vi CHRISTMAS THE GREAT FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR 89 took a pickaxe and industriously pulled down some brick pedestals which he evidently thought were in danger of igniting. There are memories of other crowds. Christmas appears to be the greatest festival of the year. It is usual, wherever practicable, to have the " spring cleaning " over in anticipation of the season. The new whitewash and paint show to great advantage in the blazing sun, for it is the driest, and therefore the hottest, part of the year. Not only are buildings renovated but wardrobes are replenished ; new suits of clothes are donned ; little people, for the first time in their experience, hobble about the town in tight-fitting boots and shoes, and there is general rejoicing for a week or ten days. The proprietor of the merry-go-round reaps a rich harvest ; for, in addition to the entrance fee of sixpence to witness the wonderful sight, a further sum is collected from those who are equal to a circular ride. At this festal season heathen as well as Christians rejoice. Nights are made hideous by the horn-blowing and tom-tomming of the patriots, and one is reminded of a remark that was once made anent a performance of a Siamese band : " If I were their king, I'd hang the men and burn their instruments ! " But being of a milder temperament you vehemently express the wish merely that the instruments were at the bottom of the sea. The noise of the more civilised brass instruments is scarcely less tormenting ; you can only long for the morning. Such a commotion was there during the season of 1888 that it was 90 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. necessary to turn out the garrison to restore order and to patrol the town. We have now reached the end of our first year at Cape Coast. It is much too early to speak of progress, but I cannot resist the temptation to say that at this time our day school passed a very creditable examination by H. M. Inspector, at 97 per cent. On one of my visits to the school I found that the senior lads had written an article on kanky the staple food of the natives. We were told from what it was made, how it was made, and all the rest of it, in a very intelligent manner. One boy added : " But I do not like kanky ; and were it not that children are taught to obey their parents in all things, I should refuse to eat it ! " The Sunday Schools continued to flourish, and, according to the testimony of native friends, to exert an influence for good in the homes of the people. The following will be interesting as a specimen of a Fanti hymn : it is an exhortation to praise God. 1 " Mu sunsum nsueri yi Nyami ayew ; Mu sunsum nsueri yin 3 ayew ; Nyhira onka Nyankupon nyi ni Ba ; Ndasi onka Nyankupon nyi ni Ba ; Ayeyi onka Nyankupon nyi ni Ba ; Na, mu sunsum, nsueri yin' ayew." 1 " Arise, my soul, and praise the Lord ; Arise, my soul, and praise Him ; Let blessings be upon God and His Son ; Let thanks be given to God and His Son ; Let praise be ascribed to God and His Son ; Arise, my soul and praise Him." vi PECULIARITIES OF THE HARMATTAN 91 The Harmattan paid its annual visit to us at the opening of the new year. This wind, which blows from Central Africa towardsTthe Atlantic, is cool in the early morning, but warm in the middle of the day. It is said that fine particles of dust are brought by it from the Sahara. We certainly found it most difficult to keep the house free from dust at this season. A great feature of the Harmattan is that it is a health- bringing wind ; but when you suddenly trip against your floor-cloth, which has taken to curling, and you find the covers of your books in all sorts of shapes, while the Madeira furniture is incessantly creaking well, you involuntarily confess that you would sacrifice a degree or two of health, if only you could get things straight. But the visitor soon takes its departure, and comparative order is restored. Tornadoes may be expected in March, and heavy rains at any time between that month and July. Lighter rains follow, and the natives tell us that the white man may renew the lease of his life on the 25th of September (!) (While writing I have been reminded of the sight of a colleague in his rain coat, preparing to collect fresh water, in various receptacles, as it fell through the ceiling of his dining-room. I think also of another who, on returning from a journey, had the pleasure of beholding the corrugated iron roof of his house deposited in his compound by a tornado. I have myself been grateful for the friendly shelter of an umbrella when retiring to rest for the night.) 92 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. It need scarcely be said that travelling is under- taken, as far as practicable, in the dry season. Hence it was that I went on a tour to Axim in February. The journey was much longer than the one already described. I need not give any par- ticulars, for the work was practically the same as that in the Anamabu District, except that less attention was given to pastoral work, and more time was devoted to the schools, which sorely needed re-organisation ; everything was being done in a most slipshod fashion. A great part of the road was by the sea-shore, which, when the tide was out, gave us a solid path, but which at other times was most wearying. Great kindness was shown to us by the repre- sentatives of the trading houses of Messrs. F. & A. Swanzy of Cannon Street, who have factories at the principal towns along the Coast. Elmina Castle lay in our way. As no particular reference has been made to this historic building, it may be worth while to mention that it is the oldest and most substantial fort in the Colony, or indeed in any part of West Africa. It was built in 1481 by direction of King John the Second of Portugal. At that time the Englishmen prepared to fit out a fleet for the coast of Guinea. 1 " Hearing of their preparations King John at once sent an embassy to England to remonstrate, and, so great was the 1 Historical Geography of British Colonies, West Africa. Lucas, Clarendon Press. vi ENGLISH IN POSSESSION OF THE GOLD COAST 93 name of Portugal at the time, so strong the respect for the Papal Bull of 1442, by which the Portuguese discoveries were safeguarded, that the English King, Edward the Fourth, agreed to the demand that the fleet should be dissolved, and the expedition given up." But the Portuguese monopoly of the African trade soon proved irritating not only to the English, but to the Dutch and the French, and representatives of these nations decided to claim a share of the spoils. But although they looked with envious eyes upon the rich possessions they hesitated for a time to enter into conflict with the powerful owners. The Dutch, however, eventually decided to make an attempt, and in 1624 they built Fort Nassau, to the east of Cape Coast, to which reference has already been made, and thirteen years later, with the assistance of a formidable fleet they took possession of the castle of St. George. In 1867 the Dutch, after incurring enormous cost in the maintenance of their forts, agreed to cede to the English all forts to the east of Elmina in exchange for the forts of the English to the west of Cape Coast. This partition proved an immense advantage to the English, who were by far the most popular rulers of the coast tribes, and a correspond- ingly great disadvantage to the Dutch, who ex- perienced endless trouble with the natives, in holding their new possessions. Hence it came to pass that the Dutch were thankful to hand over to the English the whole of their forts for the nominal 94 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. value of the stores which they happened to have on hand. A convention to this effect was signed at the Hague on February 25th, 1871. Six weeks later the British Governor of the West African settlements made his formal entry into Elmina. Thus it came to pass that, of the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Danes, the Brandenburghers, and the English, who had come to the Gold Coast seeking gold and slaves, the English alone were left. But in taking over their new possessions the English experienced unforeseen (?) difficulties. The Ashanti kingdom, in exercising a powerful sway over the interior tribes, had been in the habit of receiving an annual sum from the Elmina Governor which the Dutch had given to the ruler of Denkera as a guarantee for their rent. The English had no inclination to continue the payment, and the Ashantis soon became aware of this. Added to the disappointment, the Ashantis learnt that, while the English were the avowed protectors of the coast and interior tribes, there was very little sympathy with their own nation. These facts led to the Ashanti war of 1873, the results of which are well known. Fort St. George is now used partly as a residence for Government officers, and partly for the safe keep- ing of political prisoners. It was here that Prempeh of Kumasi and his chiefs were recently detained previous to their transference to Sierra Leone. To turn from the historical to the personal. VI ULTRA-AFRICAN LIAR MATCHED IN ENGLAND 95 In my first year I knew only two friends among my fellow-countrymen, apart from my colleague. This was partly due to the fact that I had little time for making or returning calls, and partly because I imagined that the majority of Europeans and I had little in common. Not that the two visitors just mentioned agreed with me upon all subjects, but both were decidedly entertaining. The one with High principles discoursed on the defects of my ecclesiasticism ; and the other, an avowed agnostic, regarded it his duty to make general and sweeping charges against native Christians. I use the word general, because when I invited my friend to specify a charge, so that I might deal with it, he subsided. By the way, my friend had a servant not a Christian whom he nicknamed after one of our leading statesmen. I inquired the reason ; for although the names of " Bottle-of-beer," " Glasgow," " Prince of Wales," " Blackman Trouble," and the like are common enough among Kru boys, I had never, in this connection, heard the name of this particular statesman. " Oh," said my friend, " the explanation is simple enough : the boy is such a fearful liar ! " So that, according to the critic, the ultra-African-liar can be matched in England, even though it is necessary to appeal to Parliament. Seriously, my friend's estimate of the African character had as little weight with me as had his judgment respecting the character of the politician. I am afraid that in those days I was somewhat of 96 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. a recluse. I observed that the majority of my fellow- countrymen were remarkable for their absence from church ; I therefore concluded that there was no particular need to widen the circle of my ac- quaintances. In this I was greatly mistaken : for, while it must be admitted that there are those of our own colour whose companionship is not at all times particularly desirable, yet there are many whose friendship we have highly valued, whom we shall be happy to meet at any time. I may perhaps be permitted to say that friends in England have been more than interested in knowing that their sons, separated from them by thousands of miles of water, and exposed to great physical and moral danger, have made a friend of the missionary. And now the time was hastening on when, in order to avoid a second wet season, I was to take my first furlough. This began in the middle of May. Just before leaving Cape Coast, a West Indian soldier called on me for a little spiritual advice and the loan of a few shillings. He had the former, but I am afraid it did not benefit him very much, for he did not get the latter. On reflection, though, I'm inclined to think he did get it : for I have a dim recollection that the man was ever after conspicuous by his absence, which is a bad sign. Yes, I'm afraid that I must regard it as a bad debt the only one I ever contracted in Africa, by the way. My advice to the reader, whether VI UNREQUITED MEDIATION 97 residing in Africa or in England, is, if asked for a loan, and the application is prefaced by a few pious phrases, take warning from my inexperience. A propos of money-lending, my Irish neighbour sent me his clerk, who had got into financial difficulties, and thence into the clutches of the money-lender, who demanded interest at the rate of 10 per cent. The account had been running for some time, and, although the principal had been repaid, the compound interest had run up to a similar amount. The law was set in motion, and the apparently unhappy clerk was in danger of being sold up. I was requested to intercede, but my zeal got the upper hand of my judgment. When I found that Shylock would not abate a farthing of the claim, I " delivered my soul." The result was such a letter ! This document has a place in my cabinet of curiosities. No word of acknowledg- ment did I receive from the client, who went about his business as unconcernedly as possible. Moral : Do not interfere between the native money-lender and his client. The latter is certain to take very good care of himself. And now for the return to England. One of the noblest characters I ever met in Africa was the gentleman whose cabin I shared on that voyage the late Reverend J. Alfred Robinson, of the Niger Mission, Church Missionary Society. We held united services in the saloon, and spent hours together in Biblical study and in conversation re- H 98 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP, vi specting methods of work in Africa and the character of Christian converts. From those con- versations one gathered that there was much that was depressing in the Mission work on the Niger. I was thankful to feel more hopeful concerning the Gold Coast. Mr. Robinson seemed to think that work in his district might be more successful if the workers adopted a simpler style of dress or rather the national dress. This certainly might have been the case on the Niger, particularly among the Mohammedans of the upper parts of the river ; but I feel quite convinced that such methods at the Gold Coast would avail nothing. Among valued letters in my possession, I prize highly that from our departed friend. Surely his devotion to the work he loved so dearly justified the adoption of his motto for West Africa : TO QV Xpurros TO anoOavelv KepBos. CHAPTER VII THE ARRIVAL OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES AT CAPE COAST THEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES DO NOT AFFECT PER- SONAL FRIENDSHIPS THE REVEREND T. J. PRICE AND HIS DIFFICULTIES WITH THE VERNACULAR HIS EXCELLENCY SIR W. BRANDFORD GRIFFITH, K.C.M.G. HAPPY RELATIONS WITH ANGLICAN CLERGY ON returning to Cape Coast five months later we were welcomed by our school assistants with the information that the Roman Catholic Missionaries of Elmina had proposed extending their work by opening, or, indeed, had actually opened, a school near our headquarters. Horror was writ large upon the faces of our informants. I think I said something to the effect that I did not care two straws about the " invasion." Certainly I felt that if the new Missionaries were bent only on benefiting the natives, so much the better for the latter ; but if, as it was hinted, they were concerned only about upsetting our work they would find that we were not so easily moved. I will not anticipate our relations, always the happiest, with the nuns, until I write of Mrs. Kemp's arrival on the scene ; except to say that our presents of oranges, of which we had a H 2 ioo NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. great quantity, were most graciously accepted by our late friend the saintly Sister Ignatius (?), one of the many whose lives have been sacrificed for the salvation of Africa. With the sterner sex we were personally on the most friendly terms. What different nationalities were represented by the Roman Catholic Mission ! True, there were no Englishmen among the number, but I remember Irish, Irish- American, French, Swiss, Alsatian, German, Canadian, and Dutch. Our native converts could not understand that I, a stout Protestant, could receive visits from the priests, and return their social calls. They have yet to learn that ecclesiastical differences need not necessarily affect personal friendship. I once ventured to ask one of the fraternity how it came to pass that their Missions generally were only established in those centres which we had held for half a century, while the purely heathen centres were allowed to remain untouched. I ventured to suggest that the introduction of a totally distinct Christian religion might prove bewildering to those who were just emerging from heathenism. The reply was, " The Roman Catholic Church recognises no other Church/' " But you told me the other day that you thought I was a good man'' " Yes, but then you are quite an exception to those of your faith." Now, what could you possibly do with one who was so lavish with his compliments ? On another occasion Father remarked, " I understand vii FAITHFULNESS OF CONVERTS TESTED 101 that your colleague, Mr. will not allow his people to send their children to our school. I felt I must report the matter to you." My reply was : " Mr. has no alternative. Our Synod has decided that thus it must be, and I heartily concur. Protestant though I am, I am prepared to admit that I would infinitely rather that pagans should embrace your faith than remain as they are. But if our people decide that Protestant teaching is preferable for themselves, they certainly must decide the same for their young children." The legislation referred to was a severe but wholesome test of the faithfulness of our people. For in all our central schools we insist on the payment of school-fees ; indeed all our important schools are self-supporting. Our rivals, on the other hand, give free education. The reader who is familiar with the accounts of Paton's work in the New Hebrides, and of Mackay's work in Uganda, will understand the kind of difficulty that is experienced when Romanist Missionaries cross the path of the Protestant. We were greatly cheered at the end of the year by receiving a communication from the medical attendant of the Gie Appantoo Gold Mining Com- pany at Prestea a hundred miles from Cape Coast to the effect that he had established a school in the village. The Company, with Mr. Samuel Causton as chairman, had taken a great interest in the spiritual welfare of their employes, and also of the population of the immediate neighbourhood. 102 NINE YEARS AT THE COLD COAST CHAP. But Dr. Martin's undertaking was purely his own private venture. On leaving for England shortly afterwards he generously sent 40 to the Society as a proof of his wish to see the work continued. The floating nature of the population and lack of suitable workers account for the comparative fail- ure of our work. But we are not without hope of permanent benefit arising from this undertaking although at present it is one of the least satisfactory stations in the district. Our forces were at this time strengthened by the presence of an old college friend, the Reverend T. J. Price, who was appointed to Accra the seat of Government. The first few months, however, were spent at Cape Coast and Anamabu, gaining experience, and rendering valuable help in our schools. Occasionally Mr. Price was prostrated by fever. With one exception these attacks were of the mildest type, and I was able to deal with them without calling in medical aid. But in the last and most troublesome attack we happened to have a medical friend visiting us who had had but little experience of malarial fevers. The obstinacy of the attack and the method of treatment suggested the advisability of sending for our old friend, the surgeon attached to the garrison, and Mr. Price was soon himself. Malarial fevers are exceedingly difficult to diagnose. It is generally considered that laymen of experience in these fevers have a decided advantage over skilled surgeons, who lack vii DIFFICULTIES WITH THE LANGUAGE 193 practical experience. But the most skilled and the most painstaking surgeons, notwithstanding their long and varied experience, are at times completely baffled. I have referred to Mr. Hall as a model organiser. Mr. Price excelled as a pastor. He was held in the highest esteem by his people, to whom he was devotedly attached. There were times when the plainness of his speech gave offence to offenders. But then there was no alternative, glaring sin needed reproof even at the risk of wounding the suscepti- bilities of those who sinned. I have to state this, for I wish to add that during his residence in our Colony, no Missionary was so generally be- loved as was the Superintendent of our Accra Mission. During the early months of his residence with me at Cape Coast, Mr. Price devoted some time to the study of the Fanti language, and as he had an apti- tude for the study, he made considerable progress. But even he had difficulties at times, as the following extract from a letter will show : " On my arrival (at Legu) I was invited to about the only two-storied house in the village, where, on looking out of the upper story, I became a source of unspeakable interest and attraction to the villagers, who proceeded to discuss my personal appearance, the probable cost of my clothes, &c. While thus submitting myself, I sent for the catechist and told him I intended to hold a lantern-service, and that 104 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. he would have to interpret. He begged to be excused, saying, he did not perfectly understand English. I urged him to make the attempt : it was useless. I thought I might, in this moment of sore need, turn to my faithful cook and general factotum, but again was disappointed. There was no alterna- tive but to be independent and speak to my audience in Fanti. I must say that I was not entirely with- out confidence in my linguistic ability. We managed the opening ceremonies all right. I showed my pictures and began to speak in my best classical Fanti. Alas, some people have no taste for classic speech. Soon I heard ominous mutterings and shufflings. I paused and inquired if the audience could not hear. * Oh yes ! ' was the reply, * we can hear splendidly, but unfortunately we cannot under- stand a word you say. Will you kindly ask some one to interpret your address for you ! ' My unwilling cook was therefore pressed into the service.' This experience reminds me of the fact that on one of my voyages to Africa, two military officers who were on their way to Grand Canary for the benefit of their health, went ashore at Teneriffe and asked in Spanish, as they imagined, for some cigars. The Spaniard appeared somewhat bewild- ered, and after a moment's pause replied in excellent English : " If you please, gentlemen, we do not speak German here ! " At the Synod of February, 1890, it was unani- vii A NATIVE TEACHER'S OUTFIT 105 mously decided to appoint me to the oversight of the Aburah and Assin circuit, which stretches from within a few miles of Cape Coast to Prahsu, about midway between the former place and Kumasi. I very readily consented, for I was most anxious to be brought more directly into contact with the work which this new appointment involved. Moreover, I anticipated with no ordinary pleasure the pros- pect of meeting with our Christians of the interior. At the same Synod it was also decided to allot different sections of the district to the European missionaries for the purpose of superintending the day schools. Our own school at Cape Coast increased in numbers, notwithstanding the fact that there were the important free schools of the Govern- ment and the Roman Catholic Mission near us. My first work in the Aburah circuit was to take a lad to Dunkwa to strengthen the teaching staff of the school. Dunkwa, by the way, is referred to by Hutton in his Voyage to Africa, 1820, under the name of Paintrey, and is recommended by him as a desirable place for the establishment of a school, in accordance with the wishes of the Earl X Bathurst, Secretary of State for the Colonies. My young friend set out in life amply stocked with clothing, a dozen books, two loaves of bread, three pennyworth of loaf sugar, and a small sum of money presented by various friends. But although his outfit was most modest, he rendered good service in the school and io6 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. was highly esteemed by young and old alike at Dunkwa. I had once again the pleasure of meeting the Rev. J. Alfred Robinson, who was returning to his work at the Niger in company with Mr. Wilmot Brooke and a strong party of Church Missionary Society Missionaries. Bishop Crowther was among them. The two young and zealous workers shortly afterwards entered into rest, soon to be joined by the saintly veteran. The policy adopted by the leaders of this party in carrying out much-needed reforms at the Niger Mission has been questioned. It certainly is just possible that had they but allowed themselves a rather longer period in which to accomplish all that they desired, their work might have been more effective. I have hesitated to say so much, for I feel that no more devoted or self- denying Missionaries ever visited Africa than Messrs. Robinson and Wilmot Brooke. Dr. Battersby, who was on his way to the same district, gave me the pleasure of his company at Cape Coast for a week. We were very thankful for his services on the Sunday and also with the lads of our school during the week, and I had reason to believe that he was pleased with the results of our Missionary work at our headquarters. I take this opportunity of saying that our relations with the Anglican chaplains of the Colony were of the most friendly nature. In England, where one is oftentimes tempted to imagine that the vii A HEARTY RECEPTION FOR THE GOVERNOR 107 Anglican regards the Free Churchman with suspicion, and the Free Churchman regards the Anglican with jealousy, it is most refreshing to think of the times when Anglican and Wesleyan were positively cordial. In the early part of May His Excellency the Governor, Sir W. B. Griffith, K.C.M.G., paid a visit to Cape Coast. There was a general desire to give him a hearty African reception. Accordingly some four or five thousand dusky subjects, with about a dozen Europeans, assembled on the most convenient open space in the town to give a lusty cheer. School children sang the National Anthem, pagans and Mohammedans beat their tom-toms with all the strength they possessed, and the noise was simply deafening. It was expected that His Excellency would make promises of improvements, which certainly were greatly needed in the town. But with the tact of a born diplomatist Sir Brandford refused to commit himself. He explained that, much as he loved Cape Coast, his hearers must bear in mind that he was a very-much-married Governor. He was wedded to all the towns, and that if he bestowed an undue share of affection upon the one with which he was then living, it would cause a good deal of unpleasantness among the other wives. At the conclusion of the ceremony His Excellency had a few kindly words to those about him. To the Missionary he expressed the wish to have all possible help in raising the morals of the rising io8 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. generation, making an allusion to a glaring case of smuggling which had occurred a few months previously at Appam. As I have observed from the newspaper the report of Sir Brandford Griffith's death I feel I must take this opportunity of offering a tribute of respect to his memory. While we never overlooked the fact that he was the Governor of the Colony, the repre- sentative of her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, he always insisted that we should regard ourselves as the subjects of paternal government, and was always most sympathetic and kind in cases of sick- ness and suffering, down to the very humblest officer in the service. Sir Brandford was a most pronounced Churchman, but he nevertheless was at all times prepared to render our Mission assistance from his private purse, and he repeatedly presided at our public meetings. It is needless to say that my relations with him were almost invariably of a purely official character, yet, nevertheless, I feel his death as that of a very true friend. The wet season of 1890 was, residents said, the worst that had been known for seven years, though not as serious as that which followed five years later. But then our white population was comparatively small. Out of thirty, four died in two months, six were invalided away from the station, and the remainder, with one exception, were at various times laid aside ; that exception was the surgeon, and he \_Toface page 108. THE LATE SIR W. BRANDFORD GRIFFITH, K.C.M.G., Lieutenant-Governor of the Gold Coast 1880 to 1887, Governor and Commander-in-Chief 1887 to 1895. vii A SHORT SEA-VOYAGE 109 resembled a walking skeleton. This was the only occasion during the whole of my residence at the Gold Coast when I wondered philosophically who would be the next to "join the majority." Two of those taken from us were most advanced Ritualists ; but ecclesiastical differences did not affect our friend- ship, and the friends in England were grateful for the attention shown by the Methodist missionary in the hour of need. My second attack of fever was urged as a reason for taking a voyage to Accra seventy miles to the east of Cape Coast. The vessel, fortunately, had several stoppages to make at the smaller ports, so that the three days on the good ship Roquelle restored me to my normal condition. It is a well- known fact that a change from one station to another, even though it is only a dozen miles away, is of the greatest benefit, except when the con- valescent visits a place only to find that his fellow-countrymen are busily engaged burying their dead. With returning health and strength it was found necessary to devote attention to the new school building. It was proposed to erect pre- mises to accommodate three hundred scholars, at a cost of ^440, including apparatus. The Government contributed one-eighth of this amount, friends in England added ^45, but the remain- ing ^"340 was cheerfully subscribed by friends in the town. I must not forget to mention the I io NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. readiness with which my fellow-countrymen in the Colonial service, as well as the Merchant, responded to the appeal, notwithstanding the fact that at a tennis party an officer of the West Indian regiment complained that he could afford himself no refresh- ments, as he had that afternoon been visited by the missionary. The mode of erecting a mud building may be of interest. The soil or " swish " as it is locally known at Cape Coast is decidedly granitic, and consequently exceedingly hard. The only prepara- tion required is to mix the swish with water to the consistency of freshly-moulded bricks, make up into balls of half-a-dozen pounds weight, and lay courses of twelve or eighteen inches at intervals of three days. Our walls at the foundation were two feet three inches in thickness, above the floor twenty inches, and from the bottom of the window frames sixteen inches. The corners and centres of the walls were of fire-burnt bricks, and the whole was neatly plastered and whitewashed. The floor was composed of brick covered with a layer of cement. The massive pitch-pine doors, together with the roof, were made in England. We had to manipulate a solid pitch-pine girder measuring 20 feet, by 18 inches square for the support of folding doors, and to get that log " as true as a hair " eight feet above the floor, with only the assistance of my coloured workers, taxed my ingenuity, while at the same time I was in mortal fear that through some bungling vil CAPACIOUS SCHOOL BUILDING OVER-CROWDED in they would let the whole thing collapse and make mince-meat of the careless labourers. But no accident occurred during the whole twelve months that " Wesley Centenary" was in course of erection. It has long since become far too small to meet the needs of our educational work. CHAPTER VIII RECORDS A MEMORABLE JOURNEY THROUGH ABURAH AND ASSIN, AND FURNISHES ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE FETISH PRIESTCRAFT THE journey to Aburah and Assin in September was of great interest. Our first halting-place was at Ekroful ; our hotel the Mission chapel. At the conclusion of the midday meal a deputation, con- sisting of the leaders of the Church, waited upon me to inform me that two years previously the whole village had been destroyed by fire, and that they were then engaged in re-building the house of the Catechist, but they needed funds. With consider- able hesitancy they ventured to name the sum j. They had built the walls and fixed the roof. All that was now required was the services of a carpenter to make doors, windows, frames, and two tables ; a bricklayer to plaster the walls, a quantity of lime, and the iron furniture for the joiner's use. The whole outlay would not exceed the sum mentioned. Small as it was I could only advance one half of the amount. On approaching Dunkwa we passed a spring of water which, it was said, was greatly in requisition CH.VIII SIR ARCHIBALD ALISON'S INTERPRETER 113 at the time of the Ashanti war of 1873. opposite side of the road a young damsel was most religiously going through her ablutionary exercises. Our cook remonstrated : the girl removed a few yards further away so that the essence of the soap should not find its way into the spring. I afterwards observed that the water poured into my filter was of the same soapy hue that I had observed at the spring, and was once more forced to the conclusion that, though the Fantis might claim to be clean in their persons, they were certainly most filthy in their habits. But Sunday at Dunkwa proved a compensation for all the dirty water. The native Missionary in charge of this station informed me, with justifiable pride, that he had acted as an interpreter to Sir Archibald Alison during the Ashanti war. He ventured to suggest that his fellow-countrymen were most brave when led by English soldiers. But then the old patriot's ideas of bravery were very vague, for I happened to know that it was a notorious fact that the Fanti volunteers were on that occasion most cowardly. The Reverend J. A. Graham had arranged for a lengthy day's services ; he had invited the Christians from villages in the immediate neighbourhood to take part in these services, and, in order to screen them from the rays of the vertical sun, he had for some days previously been busily engaged with his school children and members of his congregatioa ii4 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. in extemporising a bamboo temple, the roof of which was formed of palm branches. The effect of the bright dresses of the congregation of some four or five hundred devout worshippers certainly was most picturesque. There were services at 4 a.m., 7 a.m., 9.30 a.m., 10.30 a.m., 12.30 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. At the latter meeting the Christians were given the opportunity of testifying to their heathen neighbours the value of the Christian experience. I was greatly impressed with the experience of an aged chief, who informed us that he had been endeavouring to serve God for the last forty years. He also told us that many years previously a king of Elmina once desired his uncle to swear loyalty to him in view of a war that was then pending. The chief refused, but said, " Wait till the fight begins, and then you will see who are loyal ! " The incident was related to give force to an exhortation to live a consistent Christian life. Another chief a very fine-looking old man told us that when he became a Christian his friends forsook him, and warned him that he would never be able to do without his numerous wives. But he was able to thank God for the gift of kind friends. He was often tempted to abstain from private devotions, but God had given him strength to overcome the tempter. Open-air services were conducted in different parts of the village by two companies of friends, and at seven o'clock the united service was held in the chapel. vni ARBITRATION 115 Our first halting-place on Monday was at Barman, where I was requested to settle a dispute between two Ashantis and a native. It appeared that one of the strangers had the misfortune to be the son of a woman who had contracted a debt with the native. The latter watched his opportunity and seized the unsuspecting traveller and baggage, as well as the baggage of a fellow-traveller. After hearing somewhat lengthy and tedious details of the transaction, I decided that it would be an act of gross injustice to retain the goods of the friend, and that as the package of Manchester goods belonging to the unfortunate son might be retailed at a price which would almost cover the amount of the debt, the creditor should take ten shillings from me and cry " quits." (As I write I marvel at my generosity, and am persuaded that I could not repeat such an act of folly !) The creditor demurred probably he thought I might be induced to increase the amount. I got into my hammock, creditor repented, but had to wait till my return journey before receiving the cash. We journeyed to Mansu, and stayed for the night at Government House, the key of which was kept by the king, who expressed his regret that the place was so comfortless. He himself would gladly enter- tain me. I decided otherwise, thanking him for his kind thought. After having taken some refresh- ment and making myself snug for the night, I was waited upon by his majesty and principal officers of I 2 ii6 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. state to hear a " palaver." His majesty, on behalf of a subject, versus a slave. I promptly gave the king to understand that my work was to try to teach subjects to respect their kings and chiefs, and to teach kings to rule well ; I did not desire to under- take the work of a judge. His majesty quite under- stood, but as he expressed a very earnest desire that I would hear the case and merely pass an opinion, I consented. The case was as follows : Some years previously one of his chiefs, who " was going to dead," desired to bequeath his money and trinkets to his nephew. 1 Well knowing that his life was rapidly drawing to a close, he sent for the king and said : " I wish my nephew to receive my property. But until he gets ' good sense ' my head slave must hold the money and always be his friend." The chief died. Eight years passed away, but when the young man arrived at years of discretion, or had got " good sense," the money was not forthcoming to the full amount. The old slave declared that he had handed in all that he had received. I heard witnesses for the prosecution and then asked the slave what he had to say. He repeated his former statement, which his son would confirm. The son was called the old man desired a few words privately beforehand. Judge decided otherwise. When questioned the son knew " nothing about this 1 In this mysterious country the blood relationship between father and son is not always beyond dispute, hence property is handed to the son of a sister. vni VISIT TO A FETISH HOUSE 117 matter." The old man had one more witness who was many miles away. Judgment was pronounced against the old scamp, and the case referred to the District Commissioner, who subsequently issued a writ against him. His majesty thanked me for my words, and suggested that the slave was worthy of banishment. I had only to utter the word and the miserable wretch would have had to go. But, as he had committed no political offence and as I was not a judge, I could do nothing of the kind. The following afternoon we reached Fesu. The population is composed of two distinct tribes the Assins, natives of the district, and Adansi refugees, who had fled for protection from the Ashantis. The difference in the mode of house-building marked the two tribes ; but both were agreed in their object of worship, both were deeply degraded and super- stitious. In a spare hour I walked through the village and visited a fetish house ; the priest was excessively nervous, and implored me not to enter. I did not stay to inquire into the reason of his fear. He may have thought that harm would come to his fetishes, or he may have thought that I would suffer. At any rate, I respected his wish and turned aside. My visit to the town was quite unexpected. The junior minister of the circuit, the Rev. J. A. Markin, expressed his regret that he had not been informed of my purpose, for he had had the Christians from other villages the previous Sunday, and he would Ii8 NINE YEARS AT THE GOLD COAST CHAP. have been glad to have arranged for them to stay and hear the white man speak. I suggested that they might be summoned to return. Two boys were found who were willing to take a message to a village, twelve miles distant, for the sum of eighteen- pence. Mr. Martin was grieved to hear of the ex- tortionate demand ; but I concluded that ninepence apiece for walking twenty-four miles was not ex- travagant payment, and so sanctioned the expendi- ture. The message sent was a verbal one, for none of the recipients would have been able to read a written communication. It was necessary to send a token that the messengers were bona fide messengers from the Osofu. 1 The insignia in this instance was an ebony ruler. By seven o'clock the next morning the lads had returned accompanied by the Christians. It was to be a field-day for them. The two thousand pagans with their dissolute king allowed the four native Christians to enjoy the greatest freedom, for the white man was with them. The little bamboo chapel was a perfect marvel of neatness ; an exact model of it is before me as I write. I do not re- member the exact size, but it was about fifteen feet by ten. The walls, doors, shutters, seats, and rafters were of bamboo, the roofing of palm branches. " What did it cost to erect this place ? " I inquired of my economical assistant. After a slight pause, and with a half-inquiring, half-apologetic look on his 1 Royal messengers are usually given an elephant's tail as a token of their royal mission. vm CHRISTIANITY VERSUS PAGANISM 119 face he replied, " Fourteen shillings and sixpence." And then, as if to account for this reckless expendi- ture, he explained that the reason he could not get it done for nothing was because his pagan labourers refused to work without payment. I was anxious to ascertain what amount of influence Christianity exerted among the pagans. I felt then, as I feel now, that I could safely trust Mr. Markin to furnish me with an illustration. This is one. The chief of the place whom it was my business to see, a besotted specimen of humanity, had grievously offended a neighbouring chief, who naturally sought the earliest opportunity of " making palaver." The two met, accompanied by their leaders and followers, and spent much time in trying to settle the grievance, but their efforts were in vain. Finally they sent for the Osofu. He spent some hours in counsel with them ; for if there is one thing an African likes more than another it is a good palaver. Eventually they agreed to accept the decision of Mr. Markin, and the "jury," viz., the headmen, required the offender to pay compensation amounting to ^100. " Now," I asked,