five o'clock
On wall and roof of the village the slugs pattered thickly ; but the defenders were all in shelter , and in reply , from breastwork and loophole , from the windows and roof of the church , the answering Snider bullets flew out straight and deadly . Several times Ammon Quatia tried to get his men to make a rush . The war drums beat , the great horns sounded , and the men shouted , but each time the English bullets flew so thick and deadly into the wood wherever the sound rose loudest that the Ashantis ' heart failed them , and they could not be got to make the rush across the hundred yards of cleared ground . At five o'clock the fire slackened , but shortly after dark the attack recommenced . The moon was up and full . Frank feared that the Ashantis would try and crawl a part of the distance across the clearing and then make a sudden rush ; but they appeared to have no idea of a silent attack . Several times , indeed , they gathered and rushed forward in large bodies , but each time their shouting and drums gave warning to the besieged , and so tremendous a fire was opened upon them when they emerged from the shadow of the trees into the moonlight , that each time they fell back leaving the ground strewn with dead .