The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-03
vhe Royal Family Of the King OF the
Amazons and Of Dahomey. The klny
smokes a pipe. Taken In
BIldah, Algeria.

his Kingdom, less than thirteen years
ago. ana like the old King, he desires
disniaed and has what might be called
an imperial air. He told me that Be- |
Eanain had been i'll ever since he came
to Algeria, that the weather did not I
that they all wanted to go either back
to Martinique or on to DahOmey. He /
said he feared his father would die IL |
a change was not made, and prophesied |
his early death, which has since taken /,
place.
After q few moments word came that
the King would receive us, and we vert
with Prince Oualino around the veranda |
to the other side OF the house and We're
admitted to the imperial presence. The
room in which the eX-KinE of Dahomey
was lying opened on the porch. and we
came right upon him as we entered the
door. He rested on n sort of cot, with
a white pillow under his head His
naked blackl body was covered with only
a gray-blue cape. which fell back as
he half rose and showed his skin almost
to the waist. He.had on a curious black
velvet cap, covered with gold embroid-
cry. This cap fitted his head closely.
coming low down over the forehead and
covering the ears, falling almost to the
shoulders. AS he talked with me he now
and then pulled his gown up, but 1t
kept falling back exposing four or five
square feet Of oily black skin. Upon
my presentation he reached out naked
black arm and shook my hand, while he
said in French, Bon jonr
AS we chatted 1 could see two of his
wives who were 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 crouched
| down fiat on the floor on the other side
OF the cot from where stood. Both We're
| jet-black and of the most pronounced me-
gro type The woolly hair chung close
| to their scalps In small, kinky curls;l
they had flat noses, white teeth, and
each wore great plugs in her ears
i Their black necks, arms and shoulders
| were perfectly bare, their white skirts
1 fitting up close to the armpits. where
/ they were tied by twisted white bands
\ which were knotted over the breast. The
1 King at his death had only four wives, a
paltry allowance In comparison with the
Il days OF his prime. when he had three
u fourths of the young women of his Whole
nation to choose FROM All Of the
\ Amazons were at his command, and
= thousands of them We're young girls OF
4 eighteen or more years of age. Tho king
: was si3ty-three years old at his death
i and the women saw With him Were y
q Judge each forty or fifty years old. 40
{. one knows how many children he had.
81 He has left several little ones here and
Il some in Martinique, and he had In his
! family also several good-sized girls and
q the crown prince, whom have described.
. In have a photograph which Is said to
include the whole outfit, but this con-
tains only twelve.
One OF my first questions to the tAlnS
was as to his health. He replied that he
. was i'll and that he desired to go back to
'lEDahomey, his own native country. lie
said Algeria was too cold for him and
that he could not keep warm. He as
4 serted that he was not dangerous to the
French; that his army was long since
disbanded; that he would make 70 fur
. ther wars, and that there was nosreason
!. why he should not go home
, asked the King to tell me what Kind
Of country Dahomey was He replied
,, that it was beautiful land, rich in It's
resources, and one where the tropical sun
shone all day long. His eyes lighted up
as he smoke of it. and 1t seemed to me
saw his thick lips culver.
J asked him how the people were get
| ting on in his absence. He said that he
: did not know; that he had been away
! thirteen years, and that his captors gave
him no means OF communications.
then referred to tho stories which
: have been published OF his Amazons, and
asked him whether those soldiers
. were as brave as they had been painted.
. At this the Kings lips frightened, and
:. methought could see the lust Of battle
! come into his bleary old eyes. He replied
: that the Amazons We're brave and faltn-
. full. but that the French had outnulnoefeu
o and overpowered them, and that now re
y was only a captive in the hands OF his
!, enemies.
told him that was a journalist, AM
Z that would tell the American people
= that l had spoken with him and that
y could carry greeting from him to them
= If he wished. He replied: "Ani to'is
$ amis'-"I0rends,w we are all friends. &c
Ii then reached out from under the cape
9 his naked black arm, again exposing his
: skin to the waist, and shook hands with
. me as ! said good-bS
d How King Behanzin Was
J Guarded.
i AS i went down the steps upon leaving
Q saw the French white guard Watching
! me. and i was told that His Majesty wa!
Q never alone for a moment. II he drovi
+ ont with his wives, Il soldier or n police
II man went with them, to prevent any pos
o sible attempt at escape. His captiHit.
It was, In fact, always before him, and h
= was warned again and again that HI
% would surely be recaptured II he attempted
. to run away and that although ther,
y were IN Algeria many s,ldanese ,negroe
i, as black us himself, there was noNs lils
n Behunzin, He was warned that theNneW
J. of his loss would put the army, theN2o
70 lice and the spies on the search, and q
y the same time his guards kept him Away
Z, In sight,
IL Outside this surveillance the Nin
~ was fairly we'll treated by his l1rcncl
y captors. He had all his expenses pal
~ by tho government. His villa was free
10 his French cooks cost him notlinG, an
N his provisions and his scanty cloth
N ing were supplied without charge, II
Is had in addition to all this an allow
ance of money Of eighteen THOUSAND
> francs year, which means about thir
: ty-sx hundred dollars OF our money
q or Just about ten dollars a day. Thl
\, certainly ought to have suniced to kee
lr him In tobacco and to have fnrnishe
10 now and then II new ear plug for eae
10 of his wives
- Everything goes BY contrast, how
u ever. and this allowance was as moth
Id ing to this negro King, who once nun