The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-07-06

nothing but their wretched trade guns. bows
and arrows and swords.
1t was on March 4, in front OF the little
forts OF piles and earth defending the land
| side OF Kotonou, that the French got their
| first vivid impression OF the valur of the
women soldiers. Their sleeveless TUNES Of
blue or white native cloth, their skirts falling
to the knee, and their short trousers made it
easy to distinguish them from the nearly
naked warriors. "Theso harpics fought with
incredible fury" says one report OF the bat
tie. The perfect recklessness OF the ANA
IONS was doubtless increased by liberal po-
tations of gin. The French say that in both
the big battles. the women had just enough
gin to make them deviiish without Interior
Ing with their powers OF locomoton.
The tactics OF the Dahoman army are to
surprise the enemy, attack him in mass
early In the morning, and turround him II
possible. This was the scheme at about 30
o'clock on the morning OF March 4, when the
enemy in compact masses, emerged on the
dead run from the palm groves and hurled
themselves upon the French works. The
Amazons formed the left flank Of the assault
ing column, and they poured with almost
resistlesS impetus across the level plain
upon the little fort occupied bya force under
Lieut.. CoMPERAT At n distance OF 600 feet
the musketry began to hail shot among
them. 1t thinned their ranks, but did not
stay their progress. Up to the very wall
they surged, bowling like demons, shower
ing their bullets as they ran, and began to
scale the fertilization. Lieut.. CoMPERAr
and one Of his white sergeants were wounded
at their first fire. At short range the French
troops bayoneted them and kept their
repeating rifles busy. Some Of the women
who reached the top OF the wall fell dead
among the troops.
Meanwhile, a few voleys from the cannon
further south, together with rafting fire
OF musketry, had scattered tho swarms OF
warriors in front of the other Notifications,
and they made for the woods.
1t seemed to the troops that Lieut.. CON-
PERATs force was being eaten up, and re-
endorsements were hurried to him. The
Amazons saw them coming, and turned and
fed. They rallied before they reached the
timber and made another furious charge,
but, under a deadly fire, they wavcred and
fell back before they reached the fort. Then
the troops poured over the wall and pur-
sued them into the timber Dying women
caught some OF them by the legs and tried |
to throw them down and stab them with their |
swords. Tho bodies OF nearly 200 women !
were scattered over that little plain. Sixty |
eight Of them lay within a guns length Of |
the Notifications. The French had proven to |
their satisfaction that the AmaZons of Da-
honey are no mean adversaries. They fired |
wildly, however, and with poor weapons,
and did comparatively little damage to the
enemy. The French loss was eight
killed and twenty-six wounded.
The battle OF Atchoupa on April 20 was n
more bloody affair. and the French suf-
fered more severely because they fought
In the open. Their killed and wounded num-
bered sixty-one soldiers They formed a
square and stood their ground while the
enemy repeatedly charged and endeavored
to surround them. Each time they were de-
feated in this purpose by the rapid fire OF
the infantry and the repeated volleys from
three cannon. After four hours OF hard
lighting the natives disappeared in the TIM
Der, leaving over three hundred killed and
not since seen them in large force. King
BEDAZ1N had had enough Of it and withdrew
with most OF his army toward his capital
His Amazons were defeated, but tribute to
their valor has been embalmed in the French
official records Of the war. 1.-The royal
guard OF BEDAzIN." says the report on the
battle OF Atchoupa, fought with the same
'eckless fury that they showed In the com
,at on March at Kotonou, when they died
IN . o ~