New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-05-12

CONSIDERED 20 nrtn tnat AhcbarUee brought WIN MIN
nearly one thousand traders. He attended the Gus
toms as before, but the third day be was seized and
decapitated with the other victims; all his traders
were enslaved and many of them sold. His skull 10
now confined in copper casing, and is Of the chief
ornaments of the court
Dekkon was invited to return; be was Immediately
beheaded, but the next annual save-hunt destroyed
jena and her people are wanderers many Of them
| joining the republicans of Abbeokoota.
After the masculine bards had sung, the females
stepped forward and chanted:
awe sing in praise Of him who gave birth
We were womeni GeEo has borne again
We his wives, biz daughers his soldiers his sandals
War ia our pastme-it clothes 1t feeds il all to u.s."
After repeatedly describing particular exploit,
they would call upon the multitude laugh for Joy at
the glorious deeds Of Geo. Then st the female court
exercised their rsbes; on signal they ceased, and
the laugh taken up by II male court and finally
all joined in laughing chorus, when the din became in
describable, some fifty bands Ginning in. Twenty
eight pairs Of these roubadou sang and each received
% heads of cowries % pieces Of cloth, pieces Of
handkerchiefs, and gallons Of rum.
Before he took leave for The day. the mayo requested
that should walk out that night, as the King
! was going 10 sacrifice. When the drum or gong
passes through the streets TO the commence
ment of the sacrifices, ali who are found out Of their
houses are Immediately SEIZED and added to the num-
Der of victims. In ,he night snch fate might have
befaen white man. That night Geo decapitated but
six.
Next day was the Display of the Kings Wealth
On arriving in the palace square, the threshold Of the
entrance gate was found covered with pool Of tho
blood Of the six victims and their still bleeding heads
were placed on each eide. The assemblage wss more
gaudly dressed than BEFORE and the ssullornaments
were in greater profuson. The ceremonies consisted
of public display of the Kings wealth, carried on tho
heads of slaves through the to the market and back
again.
few carriages were drawn in the proc, ssion, and
at intervals ladies Of honor trooEed by, attended BY
guards Of AmazoDs with drums ornamented with
dozen or two Of skulls nterlaced with jaw bones One
umbrella which shaded sable Princess, was deco
rated with liS human jaw bones and many Of the la
dies carried at their gdes polished skull drinking
cup. There were 5000 or 1000 people in the process
sion.
Twelve men, ashed hand and foot, dressed in clean
white dresses, with high red cap, and tied in small
and baskets carried on the heads OF fei-
low-men These were Attapahns, and had been
seized in raid they to be sacrificed on The NOR
row. They bore the gaze of their enemies without
/ the mayo gave each head OF ooWres WIN which 70
! buy their last meal.
On next day, the last day of May, platform 100
feet square and II feet HIGH erected in the market
place, and ornamented with gaudy cloths, umbrellas,
and banners dense naked mob occupied the market.
place. kept back from the platform by soIdiery. His
Majesty was dressed in old black waistcoat white
nigbt-cap, and had a cloth around his lons lie was
sitting beneath crimson. velvet and gold umbrella.
/ On one side of the platform tents for the royal
ladies' and in large heaps cowres pieces Of cloth,
! kegs of rum and rolls of tobacco. The King opened
the ball by throwing these articles among the mob and
fghtful scramble ensued Soon the naked multitude
began to emit etuvia only be compared 10 the al
moephere of a slaye-ship, and the mass osciated,
there arose a vapOr like the miasma of swamp. The
King labored for some time and then retired for few
moments. During his absence, dead silence reigned,
EXCEPT for the tollng Of bells by the eunuehs. The
fourteen victims who had been spectators Of this scene
met The gaze Of their prosecutors with wonderful hrm
| ness Not q sigh was breathed. One of the heDds
put his finger to the eye of IA victim who hung down
bis head but finding moisture, drew upOn himself
the rdicule of bis coad1ors Ten Of the human offer
ings to the boodthirsty mob, alligator, and eat,
were guarded by male soldiers the other four by
Amazons. Capt Forbes offered 800 a piece for
! their liberty, and three were unloosed, but they
were forced to witness the butchery of their coun.
trymen. The King insisted that the Captain
should see the sight. Within a hedge of acacia
bushes stood fell ruihans, some armed with clubs,
Others with scimstars, Tnning horribly. AS the King
approached the mob yelled fearfully: Feed Us; we
are hungry Capt Forbes remen bered that IL was
~ such time that Ahchardee, also guest OF the
King was thrown down aud murdered on the spot,
and he retired. As he reached his seat fearful yell
rent the air. The vciims held high above the
heads Of their bearers and the naked ruians thus
knowlodged the municence of their Prince. Then
there was silence and the King made a speech saying
hat Of his prisoners he gave portion 10 his so!iers,
az hs father and grandfather had done before. lie
called name the Invested Of his clothes, the
foot of the basket placed upon the parape and the King
pushed il over The fall stunned the victim, and be-
fore sense could return the head cut of and the
body thrown 10 the mob, who armed with clubs, mutt
lated and dagged to distant pit where it was left
food for the beasts and birds of prey After pushing
of the third victim the King retired, and the chiefs and
| slave dealers completed the remaining eight.
as they descended the ladder, they saw, each in
the basket in which the victim had been sitting few
moments BEFORE the grizzly, bleeding beads, five on
! one side and six on the other
On the next day he found the platform removed but
the ground was still stained with blood. The
Of that day consisted of wardances the firing Of gunf
and military review. Two days afterward he
found six freshy-eut heads in the palace square Tie
customs continued for several days.
The greatness OF Dahomey dates from the early part
of the Eighteenth Century, when Obadiah Trudo