The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-07
THE AMAZ0NS ADVANCING.
DAHOMEr'S WOMEN WARRIORS AGAIN.
CONFRONT THE FRENCH.
The king Doubies Their Nuwber and Sends
Them TO the Coast-lle Renews the War
BecaOse France 1nterferen with Slavery.

The king Doubics Their Nunber and SENDS
Them to the Coast-lIe Renews the War
Becanse Franco Interfere. with Slavery.
PARIS. April avThe latest advlces from
West Africa say that. before advancing upon
Porto Novo. the Dnhomeyan King Bchanzin.
recruited the Amazons to nearly double the
usual number. and that all Dahomey is filed
with lamentations OF parents and husbands
whose daughters and wives have been torn
away from them by the King. Before leaving
Abomey to advance against the French. Be-
hanzin perpetrated an extraordinary number
OF human sacrifices. and. 1t is reported. prom.
ised his subjects that there would be some
white victims on the next occasion. Bchnnzin
is utterly carried away with an idea Of
his power and the prowcss Of his Anna
IONS. and undoubtedly believes that he can
drive the French into the sea. There Is
a good deal OF anxiety felt as to the first onset
OF tho Dahomeyans. owing to the desperate
temper OF Behanzin and tho comparatively
small force Of French at Porto Novo. After
the repulse OF the Dahomeyans at Kotonu in
1880 King Behanzin caused u number OF the
Amazons to be behended on the charge OF
cowardice. and 1t Is apprehendcd that this les
son may mako the Amazons fight more des-
perately on this occasion. A recent visitor to
Abomey says that many OF them are good.
to slaughter women is not reished by tho
troops Of France. There is nothing feminine.
however. in the ferocity with which the Anu
IONS attack their enemies. as tho French
found in $780,
The Soleil says that the King OF Dahomey Is
really making war on tho French in order to
support the slave trade. with which the French
are interfering and from which no derives
most Of his revenue. The Dahomeyans have
always boon noted for their handwriting ex.
petitions. nnd this is the season Of the year in
which these expeditions start from Abomey
and other places In Dnhomey. The object OF
the expeditions is to procure victims for sac
rihce to the fetish gods. and also to procure
slaves.
If the King OF Dahomey has doubled his
force OF AmaZons, he has now about 5000 OF
these soldiers. The female warriors are an old
feature OF Dahomey's army; -o The first CORPS
OF women who had been armed and supplied
with banners. merely as a stratagem to make
the the ,attasking force appear larxor. behaved
with such unexpected gallantry AS to lead to
men. They are kept under the m st rigid dis
fearless The statement above. that some OF
them F were shot for "oTardcs after the war
Mr. Borghero. ono Of the lew white visitors
to the capital. ,Abomey. tells Of a sham fight
which proves that mancpuvres Of this sort In
Dahomey are not the playful affairs that they
are in civilized countries
In u space used as q drill ground there had
been raised q bank formed of bundles OF
thorny cactus bushes about 300 feet long. 20
and parallel with. this heap, rose the frame
work of u house Of the same length. but about
~ feet broad and high. The two slopes Of the
T TIS ssysSsa wn Ss town n The
The bsre-footed women warriors wero to
surmount three times tho hemp Of thorns. de-
scend into the clear space. escalnde the house.
which represented a citadel hristling with de-
fences. and take tho town. They Tero to be
assault they were to be victorious and drag
tho prisoners to the Kings feet in token OF
success. The first to surmount all the obsta-
cles WAS TO receive from tho Kings hand the
reward OF bravery.
Tho King placed himself at the head Of the
COLUMN and hnrangued his women soldiers.
Then ut the signal they threw themselves with
the utmost fury unon the bank Of thorns.
crossed ,to leaned upon the thcrny house re-
three times to the charge-all this with such
rapidity that the eye could scarcely follow
them. They clambered over the thorny OBJ
structions as lightly rs u dancer vaults upon q
pierced with the sharp cactus needles.
. At the first assault. when the most intrepid
had already gained the summit Of the house.
woman soldier. who WAS Mt one Of the ends
feet. She was wringing. her hands and re-
manned seated. though her comrades We're
trying to reauimate her courage. when the
King himself came up and uttered a cry OF in
dignation.
Tho woman sprang up as IL electrified. con-
tinued tho manGuvres. and carried off the
first prize. Three thousand women took part
in this astounding exhibition.