The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-18

invasio on and
destruction of interior Dahomeyan
towns by French naval brigadcs had
an interested reader in Capt. Frank c.
Bonneau, of Charleston, the famous
confederate bloclsadc-runner of the last
war, who in 1858, on the Dahomcyan
coast. escaped capture by the mcrcst
accident.
In 1858 Bonneau, having compile ted Il
cruise in the United States navy as Sec
rotary to Commodore Ingraham, and
being DESTROYS of some active work, OBJ
tanned the command of handsome
brig, the Jehosse of Charleston, S. c..
and under instructions from the briggs
owners made II run for the African
coast. Trade was brisk on the African
coast in those days-so brisk, in fact,
that all the principal powers kept war
ships on the station looking out for
just such craft as Bonncau commando
ed. Bonncau's account of his expert
ence on the Dahomcyan coast is best
given as told by him to the Times cor
respondent.
ut was in 1862" said Bonneau,
while lying with the Jchossc at Cape
Coast Castle, that formed the idea of
running down for look ut the south
west coast, Us that part of Africa
known as Dahomcy is styled. / was
worried about approaching Porto Novo,
the place the French have just bonn
barded, because of the warlillc tribes
that infested the whole country in and
around that port. / was told that re-
peated efforts had been made to cstab-
lish palm oil station at Porto Novo
but that Iuaco Qua, the cad tribesman
OF the country, had prohibited all ma
tions from even making u landing. This
Iuaco Qua, was informed, was the
most bloodthirsty savage on the coast. ,
1t had long been his practice annually
to celebrate his Yam Feast" by an
Inauguration of the most horrible and
bloody tragedies in honor of the occa-
sion. Ills throne was built upon the
| skulls of hundreds of prisoners, all muir
dcrcd in his presence and dispatched in
n cruel and ficndish manner known so
we'll to the brute.
despite the stories heard of the
Dahomcyans determined to run down
their coast, and SO one hot morning
about ten o'clock / was standing in on
the starboard tack with Porto Novo
| close aboard. The coast in the vicinity
was rough and high, broken here and
| there by deep rnvines and marked
| along its entire stretch by high crags.
| in the interior high mountain ranges
| could be seen stretching far away to,
| the southwark and eastward. The
wind at the time l was standing in was
extremely light L made grave mis-
take in approaching n suspicious coast
under such conditions. 1t would have
been wiser had waited for n strong
sea breeze which regularly sprang up
later in the day, coming always from
| the sout Invest.
GAS | continued to head in on the.
| starboard tack / shortly made out
| ahead three canoes putting out from
| the land, each canoe containing twelve
or rthirteen men. Fearing nothing
| from these few craft ! allowed them
to approach the briggs side and began
| to question them about the country Il
had an interpreter aboard whom l Sc
cured before making the present cruise.
"While engaged in questioning the,
canoes alongside my attention was
called by my people to several larger
canoes seen to be approaching from
the shore, each one containing no less
than twenty-five men, and in one boat
in particular appeared to be some Off,
Ger of rank
"Thc first boats that had approached;
made no signs of desire to board the
brig, the fellows in the canoes appar-,
emily contented to keep close up to mel
for Il look only. But now on the ap-'
proach of the larger canoes just OBJ,
served the boats near by pulloa right
alongside, and without any further ado
every man that could climb over myi
rail jumped on deck. The manner in,
which these fellows landed themselves
looked suspicious did not fancy it at.
| all. No sooner had they planted their,
| feet upon deck than they began asking
us to what we had to sell and what we
wished to buy, and then soon followed
up their inquiries by demands for rum,
and this they did without any attempt
at asking for it.
THE sudden, suspicious actions of
these black fellows caused me quietly
to pass word among my crew, and at
| the same time | saw to it that each
man had his pistol and cutlass ready at
hand | at once ordered the briggs
wheel put down, and passed the word
to take stations for lacking ship. To
my great relief the former light breeze
! vas now ircshcning No sooner,
though, had / given the order to tack
than there was peculiar movement
aiscornible on the part of those who
had boarded me, and at the same time
every canoe about the brig commenced
pulling in alongside. their inmates
catching hold of every available rope
hanging over the side and swinging
themselves up and on board.
1.-The brig at this time was under top
| rallant sails [ gave the order to lOose