The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1890-04-03
/" NOR MCE NOR MEN.' .
DahOmsys Female Warriors SaYed His
kingdom.
Trained % Arms FPOm ChiIdhOOd
s.An WOmanly Tastes Are
Crushed Out.

1 "oSes AVS yNAAo oRO kuS AANk VI N9-
honey, defeated in battle by q powerful
enemy, fed 70 his capital before his pur'
suers. In sheer desperation he armed
1000 Of his palace women and sent them
out to turn the fortunes Of war or perish
In the downfall Of Their master. Victory
sided with the female legion; they routed
the invaders, and their deeds Of valor per.
pstuated Dahomey to this day. II iS not
known whether women ever bore arms
for their king in Dahomey before, but Il
is certain that ever since old King Agaja'a
brilliant expedient Of l72S the most re-
maTkable feature Of the country has been
its regiments Of Amazons, and some Of
these celebrated female soldiers were
found dead the other day among the 200
warriors Of the king, the victims Of French
bullets, who were left on the battlefield
In Provo Novo.
There is no doubt that these women
died fighting desperately. They are sol.
dierS by profession, says the New York
Sun. Other warriors may expect % the
need Of victory presents Of wives and the
pleasures Of domesticity. But there 10 no
such agreeable variety in the life Of the
Amazons.
No man may marry them lunless the
king himself chooses now and then to
take Q consort from his female army.
Bound to a perpetual maidenhood, they
know that q cruel death will be their
punishment II they are found to violate
the laws Of chastity. Trained In q school
where every womanly sentiment ID sup
pressed. where they are taught that they
are not weak, but strong, and that to
know no fear is the crowning excellence
they should strive for, no wonder they are
unsexed and become unnaturally fero-
cious. II Is q trite saying that women
can fall lower than men. It is certain
they can do and dare as much in battle
as men, especially in DahOmey. But II
Is not the policy Of the king needlessly to
expose his Amazon regiments when he
has plenty Of men to fight and be killed.
In battle they surround and guard the
monarch and are usually called into
action only when the contest Is very hot
and close.
1t has been the good fortune Of two
Englishmen, skeTtchly and Burton, to
study this unique feature Of military life
In Dahomey. Burton says that % sol.
diers the Amazons are very formidable
enemies.
They are armed with flintlocks and
load and FIRE rapidly. Time and again
they have shown the most desperate
courage and reckless daring. Now and
then, however, great reverse has over
taken the Amazons, as in 1851 aud again
in 1854, when they were terribly cut up
by the Abbeokutans, and are said to have
been killed by hundreds a. the relentless
foe chased them toward the capital.
skertchly, who lived nearly year at the
kings great town, reports that the ANA
IONS delighted In nothing more than in
polishing their gun barrels, which cleaned
like silver In the sun. He formed, how
ever, n yery poor opinion Of their marks.
manship, and was actually 90 ungallant
a. to say that II they hit q haystack It
would probably be purely accidental.
The flower Of the fair ser Of Dahomey
is likely to get into the army as well as
all the stFong.minded women, the vira-
Ros. the unfaitbful wives and the unior.
tunate females who, Judged by The stand.
ards Of the country. are wholly mat.
tractiyo and undesirable n a paFt Of the
houaehold furniture. Belore 4 man can
wed he must send the lady Of his choice
To the king. who. II IL pleaaes him. drafts
her into the armv without anv raeaTd for
the feelinu for the despoiled brideeroom.
The army i Convenient receutacle ior
women WHOSE husbands. for one reason
or anothe,. deaire 10 oet ia of tbam. n
IL a curious fact that vhIle an Amazon
can never we'd married women Who enter
ona of The rauimanta ara aIIoved n main.
tain yalatIons with theiy hn,hands. Int
all their female children ara Amasons
from birth. and The onlv futuEa hafore
them Il the celibste life Of the soldier.
Wbenever The Amasona are ON payade
a sbov corpa Z seep composed oi Iittls
eirls tan or fftesn yeara Of sVe vho march
with TOW weapons. dance and sinp. and
live Win The warrIors. but do mot 20 on