Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-08-21
A Blood Thirsty King.

A Blood Thirsty King.
ICapt Stewart Stephens in Pail Mall Budgetl
Two or three days ago the papers an
nounced that his Majesty of Dahomey had
sent an army 10000 strong, including the
famous Amazon corps, into the French pro-
tectorate of Porto Novo-which adjoins our
Lagos dependencies and that they had
DESTROYED some dozen villages and trading
stations, killed all the elderly inhabitants
and carried away for sacriGcial purposes
1000 young men, women and cniidreG: Inc
French government have, we are told, de-
manded information on the subject from
the colonial authorities but of course reply
is not expected for some time, as there is no
telepraphic communication with the Gulf of
Guinea Few people know of the suterngs
endured by the population of the lower and
western part of the great Yoruba country
from year to year caused by the annual
raids made by the Dahomians. From the
boundary of their territory to the walled
town of fAbeokuta-the capitalize distance
is, as the crow flies, about eighty.iive miles
of land.
To the south lies the territory Of Porto
Novo, Ado, Ota and Badagry-the town
from which the Lander brothers started on
the expedition which ended in the discovery
of the outlet of the Niger-the whole extend
ing north and south about sixty miles. This
gives an area of nearly four thousand square
miles of land inhabited by an agricultural
people, the country which to great degree
supplies the trade of Lagos, the Ijebu dis
tricts in the east being as yet only open on
its coast line. The most deplorable results
ensue from the now annual inroads of the
Dahomians into this territory.
Only two years ago the Dahomian hordes
hunted Yoruba up and down-refugees from
Ota arrived by the score in Lagos-until
they finally pounced on two villages in the
Ketu country, which they completely sack
ed, and returned with the usual string OF
captives destined for human sacrifice. Of
course, as may be imagined, the loss arising
from these raids is not by any means con-
fined to the people, who are first to suffer,
but the trade of Lagos, the Liverpool OF
West Africa" whether as regards that done
in direction Of Porto Novo, Abeokuta, or
Badagry, suffers mostseriousy.
The system of "warIare" followed by the
Dahomians is the usual barbarious one of
surprise When the king declares war-a
formality which he carefully observes year
after year-he rarely tells even the chief
"caboceers" the name ofthe town he intends
to attack. The army marches out, and
when within days journey or so of its un-
happy objective pointsilencea atpain ofinstant
death is epjoiped and no fires are permitted
to be lighted All stragglers are taken pris-
oners, and the army is led through road
cut through the bush, and not along the re-
guar highways. The town is surrounded
| in dead of night, and just before daybreak a
rush is made, and every man, woman and
child not killed in the melee is captured, if
possible, and sent TO the Dahomian capital,
Ahomey, where some grace the succeeding
custom (annua sacrifcial ceremonies), and
others are sent as slaves to distant parts of
the kingdom. Cannibalism, or something
that approaches it very nearly, enters into
the rites of the ninth or concluding cere-
mony of the yearly custom. Four men,
known as the menduton, or cannibals, each
furnished with sharpened sticks by way OF
fork and knife, are stationed in front OF the
platform from which the victims are thrown
before decapitation. When the first captive
is beheaded they take the body and cut OFT
| pieces of flesh, which they rub with palm
| oil and roast over fire kindled in the
square before the platform. The human
| flesh is then skewered on the pointed sticks
and carried round before the crowd, after
which these fiends parade before the State
prisoners, and go through the action of eat
ing the sickening morsels. They chew the
human meat before the terrified captives,
but do not swallow it; and when they have
worked upon the fears of the poor wretches
for sufficient time they retire and, splitting
out the chewed flesh, take strong native
medicine, which acts as an emetic, and it is
to be sincerely hoped that the dose is by no
means stinted. Does it not seem difficult
to realize that in this year of grace, 1885, so
atrocious monarchy as favors such horrors
as these exists and has its being within a
few miles of territory living under our in
fiuence and constantly visited by our repre-
sentative from Lagos?