Chapter V: Section D: The So-nan-wen-kan ’gbe,8 or Fourth Day of the Kings Customs (2)

Presently the Vi-de-k’alo[48]—the Amazon Bi-na-zun, or storekeeper—a portable personage, dressed in a white body cloth and a pink skirt, with a broad-brimmed and gold-laced hat, apparently beaver, upon a head swathed in calico, appeared, shaded by a red parasol. She was followed by three long-poled flags, tricolour, and eagles, dating probably from the days of the elder Napoleon; a troop of girls with jugs, ewers, jars and “lustre” pottery, seven desks of old shape, basins and pitchers all empty, pipe cases six feet long, four large stools, two parasols, and a fat sheep with a necklace of cowries and a cloth over its hinder parts.

The next party was headed by twenty blunderbuss women in red caps, with silver sharks. Then eight fine umbrellas, denoting as many of the late King’s “leopard wives,” old and worn out women richly clad in red and yellow silk cloaks, with fillets, bracelets, and sword-hilts of silver; the most dignified propped themselves with beadle’s sticks. A silver half-head woman with four bracelets, emitting from a long brass trumpet lugubrious noises. Twenty-three fetish sticks in cloth bags; a red velvet cushion with silver lions on it; glass platters; heaps of cowries, like mould puddings; porcelain jars; a curious China vase, and the two scarlet shields of the harim. Next came the Yavedo, female To- no-nun or chief eunuchess, who is also the elder of Mr. Dawson’s two mothers, in a black crested casque and red plumes, followed by two fancy and crimson flags; six kettledrum girls, in scarlet caps and boddices, and blue skirts with figures of red cloth sewn on; drums and drumlets; a calabash with a pyramid of four skulls; two women with long tails, of which they caught hold after dancing and bounding before the King[49]; a group of fifty Nago or captive Egba women in dark indigo dresses, celebrated as dancers, and jingling peculiar rattles thickly covered with cowries; an old cut glass chandelier slung to a wonderful white bird of native build eating a blue snake; seven parasols, and stools carved and imaged.

Already, to our joy, those who had passed out of the palace gate before the King, and had thrice walked round the square in single file, began to return. Then appeared the living representatives of the mothers of the Dahoman dynasty. As will be seen the first three queens are not represented, showing that their names have been forgotten. The places of “Zoindi,” the present sovereign’s mother, who still survives, and Danhli-ke,[50] the parent of the “Bush king,” were under white umbrellas, followed by baskets, calabashes, chairs, footstools, and a band: the retinue might be composed of a hundred people. The representatives were stout old women, remarkable, like the five others, for breadth of beam and brim.

A torn flag, neptunes full of skulls, calabashes, stools, pots, and other articles of furniture, preceded Agotime, mother of Gezo, and Nutobe, the parent of the corresponding “Bush king.[51]”

Two umbrellas, buff-coloured and fancy, with a band, accompanied a dwarfish dignitary with silver crown, big-topped staff, and red train borne by followers. This was Senunme, mother of Agongoro (Wheenoohew), the grandfather of the present King.

A pair of umbrellas, buff and fancy, with seats, calabashes, and other necessaries, composed the _cortége_ of Hunajile, mother of Sinmenkpen (Adahoonzou II.).

An elderly woman in a red coat, with a white handkerchief under her broad brim, represented Chai, the mother of Tegbwesun (Bossa Ahadi).

A similar umbrella, succeeded by skulls and rattles, denoted Addono, the mother of Agaja the conqueror (Guaja Trudo Audati).

The rear was rapidly brought up. It consisted of various other “drums for Ganikbaja”; women in red nightcaps, with a silver shark on each side fastened by a string; a band of small girls, four wall pieces, fancy flags, four pikes with pink hangings and cross pieces like our old demi- lune, carried by women in fools’ caps slashed blue and rose; razor women; a huge scimitar; an English union-jack; all kinds of bands; five plain standards attended by a large troop; four small girls with red pennons; a company of singers, commanded by an old woman in a broad brim, and followed by two chairs, muskets and blunderbusses. After this party had formed up in line before the King, and had delivered themselves of a song, whose length appeared uncalled for, came eight skull-standards, carried by women in indigo; the Komasi drum; two brass shields, segments of circles; six headwomen with bracelets and armlets above the elbow, with white and spotted body-cloths, silver horns and caps like cook’s bonnets; then two broad blades worked like fish- slicers, rising from skulls; sundry black hide shields like tea-trays, ten women carrying Bo-kpo or forked crutches swathed with red calico. A crowd of thirty umbrellas now defiled through the yard, the headwoman sitting upon her tall stool to watch the retinue marching by. Finally the she Min-gan again passed before us, when we remarked that two of her retinue were habited in the striped nightcaps and shirts of the executed criminals, whose wardrobes here, as in England they say, become the perquisite of Jack Ketch. The number tallied with the three naked corpses suspended near the city gate, and this satisfied me that we had seen all the males slain on this occasion, and that the women victims, whose spoils had been taken by their _bourreaux_, did not exceed in number the men.

The ceremony was necessarily hurried, because it began late, and was exceedingly complicated; our jaded old host groaned with misery whenever I proposed another question. The more time was wasted, because every little party formed up opposite the royal tent entrance, made obeisance according to the several ranks, and secured cowries and rum before retiring. Women of rank merely touched the spirits, and poured the remainder down the throats of their followers; and, despite the urgency of messengers, none appeared willing to slur over or to hurry through his or her honours.

After a stunning salute of blunderbusses we were called up to meet the King, who came forward to shake hands and to snap fingers with us. As he admired my regimental sword, I placed it in his hands: he returned it, saying that we would speak about the matter at another time. He then requested me to take the measure of his big Tokpon tent. As something was said about our attending on the morrow, I put forward a request that we might be allowed to pass the Sunday at home. This he at once conceded with the best grace: visitors obtain everything (unimportant) which they ask from him, whilst the “difficulty makers,” his ministers and officials, grant nothing that they can possibly refuse.

Seven mortal hours of _séance_ had halted by before the elder Yevogan led us out of the palace. Though it was waxing dark we could see the railing still lining the streets. We hurried past the dead bodies, upon which the heat had already taken effect; and we were right glad to find ourselves once more _à table_.

The next day, Sunday, was emphatically one of rest to eyes and ears dazed and fatigued by the confusion of multitudinous objects rapidly passing, and by the terrible din of a Dahoman crowd. The only drawback to our comfort was that the Message had not been given, although we had been nearly a fortnight with the King. The Buko-no bore the major part of the blame: this Cagliostro was probably awaiting the permission of his Afa.

[Footnote 1: Bonu-gan (civilian captains, or ministers), nun (thing), kpon (look), ’gbe (to-day), dié (this).]

[Footnote 2: The calabashes full of skulls are called men-ta-doka-men.]

[Footnote 3: The Dahomans, like other Yorubans, and the people of the Gold Coast, bury in the house, choosing a room which is afterwards kept locked. So Alexander ab Alexandro informs us that, before the Laws of the Twelve Tables, the Romans interred corpses in their habitations, using as coffins large casks and other vessels—whence arose the _lares_, or ancestral ghosts. Gezo, I am told, is inhumed at the Komasi Palace in a small room under a temporary thatch and matting shed, which will be replaced with swish when there is blood enough to make it. According to some authorities, the Tansi-no are all women, and descendants of kings, who attend upon the royal graves, whilst these broad-brimmed personages are called Bassaji, great fetish women representing the ghosts of former monarchs.]

[Footnote 4: A head of cowries (= 2 shillings) keeps a poor man for about four days, or £9 2s. 6d. per annum. An officer expends about £75 per annum, which is the rate of living of a Moslem gentleman and his household in Syria.]

[Footnote 5: The “Gobbo” is here an institution. These deformities, which are very common, contrary to the case of Africa generally, are of both sexes and of all ages. We repeatedly saw troops of little she hunchbacks.]

[Footnote 6: Lizi is his proper name. Dògò (the “languti” of India, which we generally translate T-bandage), bo (and), je (falls into), Agbwe-to (a certain sea-fetish, here used for “the sea,”) men (in). The meaning is, “In his indispensables he falls into the sea,” that is to say, “He is brave and fears nothing.”]

[Footnote 7: The first was a blue dwarf, in a grey pagne, with a hat on head; the second, a blue woman, with protuberant breasts; the third, a red dwarf with white eyes, clad cap-à-pié in red and brown; the fourth was a small black mother and child in a blue loin-cloth, with a basket or calabash on the former’s head; the fifth, ditto, but lesser; the sixth, was a pigmy baboon-like thing, with red face under a white skull cap, a war club in the right hand and a gun in the left; and the seventh much resembled the latter, but was lamp black, with a white apron behind. They were carved much as the face cut on the top of a stick by the country bumpkin in England.]

[Footnote 8: So (horse), nan-wen (will break), kan (rope), ’gbe (to- day). As I have said, the horses had been returned, but this is probably the old name of the fête-day.]

[Footnote 9: If a man “get Afa” (Chapter xii.), before the births of his children, the first boy is called Amoso, and the girl Alugba; the next are named Mocho and Alugba-hwe, and so on.]

[Footnote 10: This is probably the Soh Soh of Commander Forbes (vol. ii. p. 120), who considers it to be a representative of the thunder god. I could not find in this buffoonery any mystic meaning: the attendants only begged from us.]

[Footnote 11: All is repeated “by heart,” and a tenacious memory is required. But the practice is hard: I rarely passed a palace, when the King was out, without hearing a loud singing lesson within.]

[Footnote 12: The bards are of both sexes, and the women dwell in the palace. These chroniclers and narrators of native tradition are here called “Wenukhodoto,” in Egba, “Owgbo.” The King keeps a whole troop of these laureates, very different from him of Bonny, who could afford only “Poet Close.” On the other hand, the latter could plead the well-known to Anglo-Indians “But, I’s English.”]

[Footnote 13: Men (man), huwu (killing). There is no euphuism, as in Yoruba, where such murder is called the “basket sacrifice.” Koklo-huwu is the sacrifice of poultry.]

[Footnote 14: Or killing a man. So Indra became a god, by the Aswa-medha or horse sacrifice.]

[Footnote 15: In the History (p. 204) we read that the moment the death of the King was heard of in the palace, the women began to kill themselves and one another: when Sinmenkpen departed life, 595 perished. Gezo ended this abomination by extorting a solemn fetish oath from all his chiefs, men and women. Yet it must be unpleasant to find oneself at Agbome when the King dies: I should imagine that a foreigner would not be safe there at such a time.]

[Footnote 16: Birthday wives are those married on the King’s birthday. The Joto ’si are half-heads, male and female, who correspond with the “’Kra,” or “’Kla,” of the Gold Coast, and rank in Dahome next to the eunuchs. Joto is the ancestor, whom Afa, or the Book of Fate, declares to have sent the child into the world, and the child calls him Joto- che—my Joto. The King’s Devils are those who have charge of his Legba or priapus (History, p. 204).]

[Footnote 17: Commodore Wilmot (Appendix III.) should have inserted “criminal” when asserting that the King of Dahome sacrificed his own countrymen.]

[Footnote 18: The missionaries were at pains to hoodwink my eyes upon this subject, which, however, like all things at Agbome, could not be kept secret. When setting up the King’s tent in the palace-yard, I saw poles being planted for a scaffold.]

[Footnote 19: Dr. Lankester calculates six deaths per mensem, as the loss caused by crinoline in London.]

[Footnote 20: This agrees with the History. Others say that, like the Khond victims, they are suffocated by the assistants, who hold their noses and mouths. Decapitation, it will be observed, is the favourite mode of execution at Dahome.]

[Footnote 21: Dr. M‘Leod (p. 65) declares it was known when “his majesty” condescends to become the executioner, and relates that on one occasion a poor fellow objecting to it, and declaring that he was unacquainted with the way, the King cried “I’ll show it you”; and with one blow, being very expert, made his head fly many yards from his body, highly indignant that there should have been the least expression of reluctance.]

[Footnote 22: Others say that the Meu executes only Addo-kpon the bush- king’s criminals.]

[Footnote 23: All the victims, however, are not killed. On January 31st, 1864, two, a youth and a maiden, were offered up (officially), and kept alive to sweep King Gezo’s grave. The sporadic sacrifice mentioned in the text was known to former travellers. “The immolation of victims is not confined to a particular period, for at any time, should it be necessary to send an account to his forefathers of any remarkable event, the King despatches a courier to the shades, by delivering his message to whoever may happen to be near him, and then ordering his head to be chopped off immediately; and it has not unfrequently happened during the present reign, that, as something new has occurred to the King’s mind, another messenger (as Mr. C—nn—g very justly observed, like the postscript of a letter) has instantly followed on the same errand, perhaps in itself of the most trivial kind.”—Dr. M‘Leod, p. 64.]

[Footnote 24: It must not be forgotten, that even in the days of the Religio Medici, all are denounced as infidels and atheists who deny the reality of witches.]

[Footnote 25: Joseph Madarikan, an Egban boy recaptured from the Dahomans in March, 1864, asserts that a man named Moses Oshoko, an Ishagga convert, was crucified by the Dahomans, and that William Doherty, an English subject, was not killed: that he has been put under one of the chief captains, who was charged to be ready to produce him, if demanded, even after twenty years.]

[Footnote 26: M. Brandaô, a Portuguese merchant, was so terrified by the executions, that he fled to Whydah, and fell sick there.]

[Footnote 27: Minai (we go to), afunfun (the small mat tent under which the King sits), ’khi (for akhi, a bazar or market), Uhun-jro men (in the Uhun-jro space, or on the Uhun-jro day), Dadda Gezo (for Grandfather Gezo).]

[Footnote 28: There is, or used to be, the same annual ceremony in the city of Great Benin, called the “Coral Feast.”]

[Footnote 29: M. Jules Gérard (Appendix III.) seems to imagine that the mutilation preceded the execution, which I believe is not the case. The same error has been noticed in Mr. Duncan (vol. i. p. 220). Mr. Norris, in 1772, exactly describes the gibbets, with the naked and mutilated victims hanging by the ankles, and he says that they had been clubbed on the head, as by the old Roman “Ammazzatore.” A few days afterwards I saw, in the market-place, a dog similarly suspended, as a Vo-sisa, or fetish to prevent disease.]

[Footnote 30: This Tokpon is accurately described by Mr. Norris, but the illustration in the History (opposite p. 135) has been drawn by the artist upon his imagination. The same may be said about all the plates in that book. Commander Forbes (vol. ii. p. 33) is but little more correct. Mr. Cruikshank measured, at the King’s request, his largest Tokpon, and found it to be 54 feet in diameter, by about the same height, supported by twenty-four posts, besides the central pole, and raised at the flap by eighty-five iron rods.]

[Footnote 31: As Gezo sat under the Adanzan shed, so Gelele performs the Ajalela fetish. The pot reminded me of that given to the old Janissaries.]

[Footnote 32: The Poh-veh-soo of Commander Forbes. The name means Kpo (leopard), fen (claw), ’su (grown); _viz._, “He can prey on all beasts,” and is a title originally given by Tegbwesun.]

[Footnote 33: Alo (hand), lokpo (one), nun (mouth), gan (captain).]

[Footnote 34: Any “half-head” is called a Lali.]

[Footnote 35: The Ta-bla is so called because tied to the head. Some fetisheers, especially women, wear, perched upon the tops of their polls, and lashed on, the cranium not being able to get into the _coiffure_, ridiculous little steeple hats of straw, with the broadest brims, and the thinnest possible steeples.]

[Footnote 36: These in Ffon are called “Kago,” amongst the Egbas “Panshukú.”]

[Footnote 37: These, I suppose, are the coronets of silver mentioned by Mr. Duncan (vol. i. p. 254).]

[Footnote 38: So Dr. M‘Leod says, “By thus constantly practising genuflexion upon the hard ground, their knees in time become almost as hard as their heels.”]

[Footnote 39: From máu (fetish of moon), and nò (a mother).]

[Footnote 40: From Lisa (fetish of sun), and ’si (a wife).]

[Footnote 41: In this part of Africa “carrying” always means on the head.]

[Footnote 42: Gbé (a bush, not to be confounded with Gbè, the world), and to (father, or he that does).]

[Footnote 43: Zan (night), ku-ku (dead dead), meaning that Gezo, like Queen Anne, has departed this life.]

[Footnote 44: This is the beer of Dahome. It is either of rice or of maize—the former being by far the more delicate—and is made in the usual African way. The grain is soaked, sun-dried upon a mat, and wetted with water, till germination develops the saccharine principle. It is again sun-dried, coarsely ground and boiled with water; after which it is cooled and drunk. The main objection to it, as to palm wine, is that it will not keep. The older travellers seem agreed to hold it an unwholesome beverage. I have ever found it the reverse.]

[Footnote 45: The King is said also to have similar “white _women_,” but I did not see any. Dr. M‘Leod (p. 106) notices these black whites, whom the King would authorize to assume the European dress, carry an English umbrella, and wear shoes.]

[Footnote 46: Agran means a jaw-bone (inferior and human).]

[Footnote 47: Men (man), ta (head), ’zinkpo, for azinkpo (a native chair). Azinkpo yevo is a white man’s chair.]

[Footnote 48: Vi (child), de (any), k’alo (stretching out the arms as when a child wishes to be carried).]

[Footnote 49: The reader will find this dance described in chapter xvi.]

[Footnote 50: Danh (the rainbow), li (stand), and ke (the world).]

[Footnote 51: Mr. Duncan (vol. i. p. 254) thinks of these old women as if they were really royal mothers and grandmothers, and he makes one to be a century old, “being surprised to see with what agility they moved, considering their years.”]