The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-08-22
SAVAGE LEE IN AFRICA.
Human Sacrifices and the Amazon.
in DahOmey

Human Sacrifices and the Amazon,
in DahOmcy.
An Engishman, Mr. J. A. Sketchly. ha
just returned from Dahomey, on the ives,
coast OF Africa, and is now furnishing
some interesting illustrations from hi.
sketch book to the Illustrated L0ndo,
Ne,cs. For six months Mr.. Skctchly was
the guest of the King, by whom he was
very Hospitality treated He is the only
white man that has been admitted into the
private apartments of the king. There is
no town of Dahomey.. The capital is
merely one of the royal palaces, with Off.
cial residences for the high officers and the
servants; while the AmaZons reside within
the palace in long, barn-like buildings i'm
indefinitely outside and surrounding the
| Kings private apartments. At each of
his nine palaces there are four thousand of
these Amazons
Before Mr.. Skctchly was admitted to
the palace he went through ceremonials
lasting. three days. during which he was
created prince of the royal blood, a duke,
and general of the army but not of the
Amazons. lie was then permitted to see
the various customs He was an
eyewitness TO the grand annual
ceremonial when the PRINCIPAL human sac
rifices take place.
For the sacrifice called the Men-hoo-who.
the king reclines on a wicker-worl lounge
in his palace. He wears only a blue cotton
robe, as he considers his dignity so great
that he cannot afford to dress in ordinary
clothing. Neither the king nor the mem
bers OF the royal family ever dress i'm gaudy
attire
Above the kings cad an umbrella is ey-
tended, and this is gorgeous with scarlet,
blue, and yellow figures, cut out with a
knife from velvet, silk, and damask. The
Amazons sew the pieces together so as to
form emblematic devices: The bird is in
dicative of royalty. None but tie princes
of Dahomey are allowed to adopt it. The
top OF the umbrella is surmounted by a
wooden ornament, representing man
with bird in his hand
The AmaZons are seated round the
King. Between them and the people
number of bamboo roads are placed i'm n
line upon the ground. ANY man who
crosses one of these roads suffers imme
date death. Soldiers bring in the victim
slaves taken in war, and generally old men.
They are gagged by means of stick with
grass rope wrapped round it, which fills up
the whole mouth, and is tied at the back of
the head. Their hands are fastened to-
gether, and they are firmly bound to bas-
kets which are carried on the soldiers
heads. Their bodies are entirely naked,
save single cloth are the loins. Conicai
haas are kept on their heads until lust be-
fore decaptation. The Prime Minister lies
PROSTATE, and receives in that position
message from the King to the victims.
This message is to be carried to the father
of the present King, who died about nine
years ago. For their subsistence on the
way he gives them each bottle of rum and
a head of cowries. The men are then ia
ken to platform twenty feet high in an
adjacent courtyard there they are cast
headlong, still bound to the baskets. The
executioners then cut off their heads and ex-
hibit them to the people; after which
they are placed on wooden affairs
to ornament the palace gate. Three
days afterward the heads are taken
within the palace where they are cleaned
by the Amazons, and are then used for
state drinking cups, ornaments for drums,
fiagstaffs and other purposes The bodies
Of thelr Victims are dragged by the crowd
through the market place, and are finally |
thrown into ditch outside Abomey, where
the hyenas soon make short work of them.
thousands of skeletons are in this ditch but |
not single skull. The men appear 10 |
have no fear of death. Mr.. Sketchly states
hat he has frequently looked into a mans
lace Just at the moment when he was about
% have his head cut off, and not muscle
'eemed to Indicate either emotion of fear
The present King Is more merciful than