Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-06-29

ed as to gain decided victory at.AdO,
a frontier town, where an Amazon
corps was defeated and lost it's officers
and umbrella. Gezu swore q terrible
revenge, and falling on OkeadOn by
slew all the sick and aged,
and seized and sold as slaves all the
some twenty thousand
people. In 1851, however, Gezu re-
ceived a blow from which he never re.
covered. He attacked AbeOkuta with
ten or fifteen Thousand troops, male
and female, and was beaten back with
a loss of some twelve hundred of his
best warriors. This King died in 1858,
and was succeeded by Gelele, his son,
who still maintains the~<force which
won for his father such brilliant vic.
tories for many years. In his hands,
however, the force has lost most of its
power and prestige, Soon after his
accession Gelele led an army to AbeO.
kuta to avenge the defeat of his faith
er. On this occasion, however, small
pox broke out and he. was compelled
to return. .,,.,. p, .,,ol AZ; f,fraae
In 1864, he made another attempt.
and ssa comparison between GeZu's and
Gelcle's attacks - says Burton, .'gives
the measure of Dahomian decadence.
In 1851, the king assaulted both sides
of the Ogun, and the distance between
the two points of attack was at least a
mile. He fought from morning till
night, and was driven back but ONE mile
to Ado. lie fought again at Ishagga,
preventing further pursuit, and lost a
total of l 200 soldiers. In 1864, Gelele
attacks only one side of the river, and
he takes to flight in two hours, after
losing $50 men, and he hardly kills
one of the enemy In the end the
Dahomians were utterly routed, and
the finest portion of the. Amazonian
army perished.
For all that the royal braggart re-
turned to his capital in triumph, bring
ing with him i number of slaves.
whom he had purchased for the pur-
pose of gracing his entry into the cap
ital. The number of the AmaZOns is
dubious. Duncan speaks of review
at Abbine, in which 5000 of these
female warriors passed before him in
procession. Skertchley, writing later,
says their number may possibly be
1900. 'They are divided into three
brigades," says this same writer,
''known rs the Kings company, the
Right and Left wings. Each of these
has 4 peculiar head.dress by which it
may he known.
The Kings brigade wear the hair
shaved a Ia turban, and bound with
narrow tillets, with alligators Of col
ored cloth sewn on them. The Right
wing have their heads shaven, leaving
only a solitary tuft or two, while the
Left wear the hair AL naturelle.
Whether these fair warriors have any
choice of regiments we are unable to
say. In some parts of the world there
would perhaps be some little heart
burning among ladies who were divid.
ed into corps, one of which was per-
mittcd to wear its hair AL naturelle,
while another was required to shave
the head. Amaz0ns, however, whose
conquests are supposed to be entirely
of the military order, are perhaps
above the trivialities of personal adOrn-
ment. Celibacy is enjOined upon all
but few who are found to be essen
tial to the happiness of the king or
are given in marriage to 4 f>w of the
most deserving soldiers.
Whether Gelele keeps up the same
mode of enlistment rs his predecessor
we are unable to say. Gezu used to
require every one of his subjects who
had daughters above a certain age to
! present them at court upon 4 certain
day, and he personally selected the
most promising of the aristocracy for
Amazon Otficers--Or Otficeresses, as
some travellers prefer 1.-THE girls OF
the lower orders being drafted into the
rank and file. The dress of the female
warriors appears to be somewhat after
the ssMary Walker type, with few
trifling notifications. s:They wear
says Duncan. s'a blue and white strip
cd cotton surtOut of stout native man.
ufacture without sleeves, leaving free
dom for the arms. The skirt or tunic
reaches as low as the kilt of the Hi gh
]anders. A pair of short trousers is
worn underneath, reaching two inches
below the knee
By way of illustrating the accom-
plishments of these active damsels
Lieut.. Duncan may again be quoted.
81 was cOnducted,' he says, ''tO q
space of broken ground, where four
teen days had been occupied in erect
ing three immense prickly piles of
green bush. These three clumps, or
piles, of a sort of strong briar or thorn,
armed with the most dangerous prick
les, were placed in line, occupying
about four hundred yards, leaving on.
ly narrow passage between them suf-
ficient merely to distinguish each
clump appointed to each regiment
These piles were about seventy feet
wide and eight high. Upon examin.
ing them could not persuade myself
that any human being without boots
or shoes would under any circumstan
ces attempt to pass over so dangerou
Il collection of the most efficiently
armed plants had ever seen.
Behind these piles already mention
ed were large pens ut the distance OF
300 Yards, fenced with piles seven feet
high, thickly matted together will
strong reeds. Inclosed within were
several hundred slaves belonging t.
the king. The Amazons appear on tn,
scene, halt with shouldered arms 2O|
yards from the prickly fortress, ant
then the word is given. "a rush wa
made toward the pile with a speed be
yond conception, and in less than on
minute the whole body had passes
over this immense pile and taken tn
supposed town. 1t places the gal
lantry of the traveller in very favor
able light to be able to add that whe1
the proud potentate asked whethe
he thought the same number of Eng
lish women could do the same, he re
piled that the ladies of England wer
not soldiers, but that many of thel
had individually and voluntarily don
things quite as great.
Minnesota Gossip.
HENNEPIN.
The fourth animal commencement