The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-03-05

Ing - this negro king who once num-
b@red his assets by millions OF francs
and his subjects by hundreds - thous-'
ands- HIS kingdom. a. il noW =
under the French. is bigger than the
state II Illinois and It's population -
estimated at more Than "A million. Its
seat of government and chief basine@
center. porto EoFn. has $4,000 inhahi-
taats and AboTney. where the king
formerly lived. he's $1,000.
since the conquest of Dahoney the
French hav. tufned things upside
down. They have established schools
IN all the villages. and At Porto Move
there + an experimental farm. ] un-
der~tand they expect IL put out cotton
| plantations. and that they are exploit
ing thc country. Between four and
FIVE hundred vessels nov cell there
annually and the commerce Is grow
ing. Two railroads have beer ope1-
ed up. one gf these starts at the
port IF K0tanu aud has been pushed
inland a. FIR ~ Toffo. z distance Of
<ixty-four miles. IT is t. be extent
"a three hundred mi'es father. \
telegraph line nou joins kotomu With
Behanzin's old capita, ana hat sea
| port is also connected With the River
Niger, Timbuktu and t1e senegal.
| There are i hundred and twenty miles
81 telephone in the colony and seven
teen hundred and twenty-five miles Of
telegraph lines.
These Dahomey people are Of the
same race as our negroes, Their
| country is on the Gulf Of Guinea. from
where the most Of the slaves We're
takel in early days. They are Of
pure negro stock. and belong 70 the
! Fan branch Of the Eve family. h
people go about half naked. aud they
believe in witches and have their
witch doctors. Along in about 1890.
when Benhazin vas III the height Of
If- ,#p..-rr 4RaTgnlA,S ,,-ha ~ Gca1
through Dahomcy gave vivid pictures
Of him and his army. They say that
he sprinkled his ancestors graves once
every year With human blood. He
was 50 great at that time that hen
his people approached him they had
III tho dust. The annual grave sorink-
ling took place in October and il
lasted several weeks. The Amazons
then acted as the executloners, and the
victims, who supplied the blood, were
usually captiycs taken i'll war. When
the time for the killing took place
these unfortunate wretches We're dress
ed in white shirts. tied hand and foot
and placed in baskets on the top Of a
platform. The king first made 4
speech. and then the Amazons hurled
the victims down into Il crowd, where
they met with a horrible death. |
have seen it stated that their skulls
were used to adOrn the palace walls
and that his king had a sleeping
chamber paved with the heads of his
enemies.
About the AmazOns.
The army Of the Amazons was one Of
the features Of King Behan-
zin's outfit. The most Of them were
young women of from eighteen to
had been trained to fight from their
childhood. Others were wives who
had been found unfaithful to their
husbands and others women who had
been divorced on account of their bad
temper or failure to lave children or
for some other reason which caused
their husbands to want to get rid of
them. They thereupon handed them
over to the king. and if they had the
requisite physical vigor they We're
drilled for the Amazon corps.
These Amazons were armed With
swords. battle-aXeS and guns. They
We're wonderfully Grave and were
trained to endure pain OF all kind. \
traveller who visited Dahon1ey men
Behanzin's power was at It's height
says they had one exercise OF
climbing walls of thorn bushes made
for the purpose, and nat they would
go over them without finching and
pretend to take the army on the oppo-
site side. These Amazons We're the
kings special guard. and they fought
/ better tnan the male WARRIORS Ill tIlc
wars with the French.
It is also said tina after j Wonan
joined the army she was shut off from
marriage. and that the virgins among
them We're bound to perpetual maiden
rood except thev We're desired by the
king. Tho Amazons were trained TO
| ferocity. and the French say that in
the war of 1889 their rccklessness was
increased by a liberal allowance of
gin. The girls had just enough liquor
to make them devilish without inter-
fering With their fighting.
Tlc Bells.
These famous black women warriors
had a uniform Of their own. They wore
tips of horns on their heads and had
sleeveless shirts Of blue and white
| cloth which fell to the knees. Under
these were short trousers. which made
it easy to distinguish them from the
h~alf-naked male warriors. III, times
of peace they also wore bells around
their necks as q warning to all men
not in the army to keep out of their
way. The other sex was afraid Of
them. too. and fled upon their APP
proach, as it was death to be caught
paying them special attentions. The
women took VoW Of chastity entering
the army. and they we're, in fact. look
ed upon somewhat as were the yeStal
virgins of old Rome. | have heard that
many of these MAJOR We're beautl-
full, but if SO they must have been far
different from the African queens /
] saw slring my audience with their
former commander and king.
How the King Fought in 1899.
1t is said that these female warriors
were at their best during the war
Behanzin Waged with the French IN
1889. During that struggle he caused
a number of them to be beheaded on
F charge of c~oWardice, and he tried
IN every way to make them perfectly
fearless and Indifferent to pain. Among
the most terrible trials Of their courage
was the climbing up walls of cactus
bushes sixteen feet high to a roof car
peted With cactus several undred feet
long. These barefOoted and bareleg-
! ged girls climbed the cactus walls and
passed over the roofs carpeted with
cactus thOrns. n as the story goes.
then ran back and showed themselves
to the king. their faces Wreathed with
smiles. although their feet and legs
were covered with blood.