3-065-736 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Sketches of the Ashantee War by our special artist: Ashantee prisoners, 1874. Third Anglo-Ashanti War. The British in West Africa. '...our Artist writes: "The group of Ashantee prisoners brought into camp at Quarman (or Korraman, as in our map) had been captured in one of these village attacks. They looked a miserable set of men, women, and boys. One or two, indeed, of the women, though extremely plain, appeared to have lived well; but the men and boys were, in general, mere masses of bones held together by skin. The King's head scout was fortunately captured among them. He is the second man to the left, in the front rank, of those I have drawn. A guard of Bonny men was placed over these prisoners. No doubt, as the Bonny men are cannibals, they would have much liked to try the flavour of an Ashantee. Indeed, they looked at the poor meagre bodies in such a manner as led one really to believe that it was only the presence of the white man that prevented their eating the captives".' Note supplies of rice (left), and British army officers (right). From "Illustrated London News", 1874.