Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-03-02

, lain" crawlcd In through one vi l"N vs.
tOws ard aassed out several cane-scat-
cd chairs TO us, asking us 10 Ivst u ~ ~
thom mill his majesty was ready rms
we did.
A WORD WITH THE CROWN
PRINCE.
AS we tarrled, the crown prince, Qua
limo came around the corner ana we
chltted with him. He rs young iellow
OF about rs, as black as your DQo(s ana
with fuil negro features He is intel
ligont. has been educated In the schools
rr Martinique and has also gone 10
school here He speaks French Wen
and understands few words OF Eng
ish. He WAS only six years old Wheh
his father WIS carried away fror nus
kingdom less than 10 years agoy Ahq-
Ike the old king, he desires TO go back
to Dahorney. lie Is quite digniied ana
ms what might be called an mpeSlai
air. He told me that Bchanztn had been
IN ever since he came to Algeriay that
the weather did not agree with MN.
nor his four wives, and that they all
wanted to 20 either back to Martinique
or on TO Dahumey He said he feared
his father would die If change WAS not
made, and prophesied his early death,
which has since taken place.
THE KING IN EMILE
After few moments word came that
the king would receive us, and We went
with Prince ouaino around the veran
da to the other side OF the house and
wore admitted To the imperial pres
ence. The room In which the ex-king
of Dahomey was lying opened on the
porch aud we came righi upon him as
We entered the door. He rested on a
sort OF cot, with n white pillow under
his head, His naked black body was
covered with only gray-blue cape,
which fell back as he half rose and
showed his skin almost 10 the waist
He had on a curious black velvet cap,
covered with gold embroidery This cap
fitted his head closely. coming low
down over The forehead and covering
the ears. failing almost 20 the shoulders.
As he talked Win me he now and then
pulled his gown up. but it Kept falins
hack, exposing four or five square feet
of oily black skin. Upon my presents
tion, he reached out naked black arm
and shook my hand while he said In
French Bon jour!"
AZ We chatted l could see two OF his
wives who We're waiting upon him.
one OF these seemed TO be undergoing
some kind of punishment. She was ON
her knees, leaning over a chair in the
back of the room while the other was
cr0uched down fiat on the floor OF the
other side OF the cot from where / stood.
pronounced negro type Their wDolly
hair chung close to their scalps in small
kinkly Curls, they had fiat noses white
teeth and each wore great plugs In her
ears. Their black necks. arms and
shoulders were perfectly pare. their
white skirts fitting up close TO the arm
pits, where they We're tied by twisted
white bands which were knotted over
the breast. The king at his death had
only four wives. a paltry allowance In
comparison with the days Of his prime
when he had three-fourths of his young
women Of his whole nation 10 choose
from. All of the Amazons were at his
command. and thousands of them were
young girls of IL or more years of age
The king was So years old at his death.
and the women j saw with him were. |
should judge, each 40 or 90 years old.
No one knows how many children he
had. He has left several little ones
here and some in Martinique, and he
had In his family also several good
sized girls and the crown prince. whom
I have described | have a photograph
which is said to Include tho whole outfit.
but this contains only u.
HE WOULD RETURN no DAHOMEY
one of my first questions to the king
WAS as TO his health. He replied that
he was III aud that he desired to- so
back 10 Dahpmey, his own native colln-
try. He said Algeria was too cold for
him and that he could not keep warm.
He asserted that he was moi, dangerous
to the French; that his army was long
since disbanded, that he would make
no further wars, and that there was no
reason why he should not so home.
asked the king TO tell me what kind
of country Dahomey was He replied
that it was Il beautiful land, rich in its
resources, and one where the tropical
sun shone all day long. His eyes light
ed as he spoke OF ~. and 1t seemed 10
me saw his thick lips CULVER
| asked him how the people We're get
ting along In his absence, He said he
did not know. that he had been away
10 years and that his captors gave him
no means of communication.
/ then referred to the stories which
have been published of his Amazons,
and asked him whether those girl-sol-
diers were as brave as they had been
painted. At this the kings lips tight
ened and methought | could see the
lust of battle come into his bleary old
eyes He replied that the Arnazons
were brave and faithful but that the