The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-06-28

ed, shave her clad in hempen gar
ments, and then whipped through the
streets of the city! -
This was done on the following day.
The beautiful Marchioness suffered
ed the torture with astounding forti-
tude.
Not a cry of pain escaped her tight.
~ compressed lips as t e executioner's
lash descended upon her naked back.
At last she opened her mouth a
stream of blood issued from it,
''Who will avenge me - she gasped.
She was avenged a few months later
when Francis, the First, was over
powered at Pavia, and 50 badly beaten
that he exclaimed : ':All is lost save
honor!''
England's New African knemy and His War
like Ladies.
From the London Globe
The kingdom Of Dahomey is in some
respects one of the most curious and
interesting OF ali the African principal
tiles. The military strength is not to
be estimated by deducting women and
children from the whole population.
The Amazons of this corner of the
world play a very important part in
it's military affairs, and if unfortunate.
ly we should be compelled to so and
fetch the powder and shot which this
audacious potentate has pledged him.
al,self to provide for us, King Gelele's
female regiments will form very in.
teresting subject fon study for the
strong-minded representatives of the
sex in England and elsewhere. The
precise period when ladies first took to
soldering in Dahomey appears to be
involved in some obscurity. The pres
ent monarch is the ninth since the
founding of the kingdom in 1925. It
appears to have been Agajah, the
fourth king, who raised from his pal.
ace the first female army of which we
have any knowledge.
Skertchley says that in 1873 this
monarch received defeat at the
hands of the Eyeos, the implacable en-
nemies OF his race, and he organized
an army of Am1azons, and by their as
sistance completely turned the tables
on his foes; though whether the Ia
dies were such vixens, or the gentle
men too gallant to offer serious re.
slstance, does not appear. Whether
Agajah really originated this popular
service we cannot say; but the merit
OF bringing it to it's highest degree of
perfection undoubtedly belong to &C.
Zu, the father of the monarch who
now seems inclined to defy British
power. Burton says that the Amazons
''Were a favorite arm with Gezu. who
often boosted that he had first organ.
lied it. 1t raised him high among
the surrounding kings and chiefs, who
declared an alliance with each other.
and determination to make distaff
of Genus head-a declaration eQuiva-
lent to a casus belli.''
The united chieftains so far succeed
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 terrible
revenge, and falling on Okeadon by
stratagem, slew all the sick and aged.
and seized and sold as slaves all the
remainder, some twenty thousand
people. In 1851, however, GeZu re-
ceived a blow from which he never re-
lowered. 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 it's
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
p0X broke out and he was compelled
to return.
In 1864, he made another attempt,
and "a comparison between Gezu' S and
Gelele'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. He 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 persisted.
For all that the royal braggart re-
turned to his capital in triumph, bring
ing with him a 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