The garrison had held out desperately, in the hope that Colonel Willcocks would be able to fulfil the promise he had sent in, that he would arrive to relieve them on the 15th of July; and he had nobly kept his word to an hour, at the cost of an amount of hard work, privation, hardship, and suffering such as has fallen to the lot of but few expeditions of the kind.
The Ashanti rising was the result of long premeditation and preparation.

On the 13th of March, the governor of the Gold Coast, accompanied by Lady Hodgson, left Accra to make a tour of inspection.

On his way up country he was received with great friendliness at all the villages and, when he arrived at Coomassie on the 25th, he found a large number of Ashanti kings, who turned out in state to meet him.

A triumphal arch had been erected, and a gorgeous procession of kings and chiefs marched past.

There was no sign of a cloud in the horizon.
Several days passed quietly, and Sir Frederick Hodgson had several meetings with the chiefs about state matters.