A hill if clear of trees is of
immense advantage to men armed with rifles and supported by artillery,
but to men armed only with guns carrying slugs a distance of fifty
yards, the advantage is not marked, especially when, as is the case
with the Ashantis, they always fire high. The crest of the hill
was very narrow, indeed a mere saddle, with some eight or ten yards
only of level ground between the steep descents on either side. From
this point the scouts perceived the first town in the territory of
the King of Adansee, one of the five great kings of Ashanti. The
scouts and Russell's regiment halted on the top of the hill, and
the next morning the scouts went out skirmishing towards Queesa.
The war drum could be heard beating in the town, but no opposition
was offered. It was not, however, considered prudent to push
beyond the foot of the hill until more troops came up. The scouts
therefore contented themselves with keeping guard, while for the
next four days Russell's men and the engineers labored incessantly,
as they had done all the way from the Prah, in making the road over
the hill practicable.
During this time the scouts often pushed up close to Queesa, and
reported that the soldiers and population were fast deserting the
town.
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