Opposite the fort is the normal school-room, occasionally served by Mr.
Graham, of Atábo; Béin has a tide-waiter, but no pedagogue. Beyond it
rises the large and uneven swish-house of the 'King,' who has lately been
summonsed, as a defaulting debtor, to Cape Coast Castle: the single black
policeman who served the writ evidently looked upon us as his colleagues.
The people eyed us with no friendly glances; they were 'making custom' for
the ruler's return. The vague phrase denoted, in this case, a frantic
battering of drums, big and little; a squeaking of scrannel pipes; a
feminine 'break-down' of the most _effrénée_ description, and a general
libation to the Bacchus of Blackland. A debauched and drunken Ashanti, who
executed for our benefit a decapitation-dance, evidently wishing that we
had been its objects, thanked us ironically for a sixpence. We met some
difficulty in seeing the swords, which were _not_ to be sold. They were
the usual rusty and decayed fish-slicers; Cameron, however, was kind
enough to sketch them for me, and they will appear in my coming book.

Most of the adult males had travelled inland to the Tákwá or French mines,
where the Apollonians bear the highest reputation. Whole gangs flock to
the diggings, bringing their own provisions and implements. Thus they have
begun working on tribute and contracting for piece-work. [Footnote: This
information was given to me by M. Plisson, traffic-manager to the
Company.] This is a favourable phase of the labour-question. At the same
time it is clear that the labourer can easily keep the richest specimens
for himself and palm off the worst stuff upon the stranger.

Here we are next door to the Ivory Coast, and elephants, they say, are
still to be found within two days north of Béin. The hunters cross a broad
stream (the Tando?) and a dry swamp; they then enter an uninhabited
forest; and, after a couple of marches, they reach the animals' haunts.