no longer mine. He
belongs to the King, and it will be a bad day's work for the one whose
carelessness results in his escape. Now, march on, and let us push the
pace."

Three days later the procession marched into the town of Kumasi, their
prisoner still in their midst, footsore and weary, but with courage
undaunted. They passed at once along the principal street, and Dick was
astonished to find that it was very wide, that neat huts stood in an
orderly line on either side, and that trees grew here and there,
offering a welcome shade. The thousands who came to stare and mock at
him seemed neat and tidy, though they boasted little clothing, while the
whole air of the town was one of prosperity and orderliness. But there
was one huge drawback, which attracted the prisoner's attention the
instant he set foot in Kumasi, indeed, even before he reached the town.
Where there should have been the pleasantest of breezes there was the
most ghastly and nauseating odour of dead men, and as the procession
advanced the cause of this became more and more apparent. For Kumasi
was like a charnel house. The bodies of the hundreds of poor wretches
who were slain were simply thrown into the nearest stagnant stream, or
were piled in a narrow grove, the fetish grove, adjacent to the house of
execution. In truth, the smell of blood was everywhere, and on every
hand dark stains told of its presence. No wonder that he shuddered,
while his courage began to evaporate.

"How awful!" he thought. "The place makes one feel deadly sick, and the
sights on either side are shocking. If that is to be the end, then the
sooner the better. But I am not done yet. I will have a try for
freedom, and it may be that I shall succeed. To think I have been made
a fool of, and that letter was a forgery. Poor old Meinheer is dead
after all."

Even in the depths of his misery he could think unselfishly of others,
of the unfortunate Dutchman whose name had been sufficient to bring his
young agent to this plight. A moment later his thoughts were
interrupted by James Langdon.

"The lions have had a good view of him," he laughed, as he nodded to the
crowd, who evidently held the half-caste in some awe. "In a little
while he shall afford them more sport, and they shall see what sort of a
captive I have brought them. Pack him into the hut here, next to mine,
and watch him while I go to the King. My servant will see to his food.
Cut his lashings and bu