Show A CUST CUSTOM OF OB DAHOMEY SIGHTS S FOR TUB THE of MAN A avana va vans informed Inform edme me that in a few days one of 61 the customs cosa tOBis 11 as te dah hogians c cill call ill then them was to come off in the of the palace and that I 1 could witness it if I 1 chose I 1 did choose but I 1 wished afterward that I 1 bad not these theae customs chic i hav 0 existed as loag as dahomey da homey fia lias they claim a thousand dud epars aie are of bf various kinds and with different nal names cues th the oue one I 1 was to witness wt called the I regents watering the kings Gi graves tives the feast of the Troah adour 1 11 1 f fhe da day of the ailing kin the milking 1 k illo of khz the pam palm etc the day came off 0 evans with a shudder declined to attend ile he had seen it the year before in I 1 the center of the courtyard a was erected batig silks velvets velvety alad aad flags flag including Inc ludins that of dahomey a white brouna with a figure algur in black holding alft a decapitated head lu la one hand and aad a 1 cime in the other on this platform stood the king surrounded by his nobles among wham I 1 had a kroml nent seat while below a wass of or more people kept th ifa some order by tae women auard the affair alan beagan by the king personally throwing into a sliding tencia various packages of goods consisting of cottoms cott cotto Bs clothes and abid cloth clo thai i v knives kalves musk mut ket ettz pipes and tobacco all of df which were fought fi n far by the crowd below then came the grand point tae slaughter the victims were brought forth fart h lashed into boat shaped baskets to in a sitting 41 PO position with knees drawn up to the chin and lifted into the slide ft aiom om which they went down to UK thi crow crowd d below then toofe reame came a scramble thousands wiell ng fiand and briant threw ahem hem wres ives onh victim and in a moment ie ic was hacked backed to pieces as well ai a were some of his hackers backers the victor x aug the ohe one who came off with th heat head this was kept adept up tor for th chrt t hours the killed amounting to io about until ohp crowd below was reeking and smeared leared with I 1 bloode blood 1 A more horrible sight right was nevern witnessed n e ased and it did not lessen the forroi with me to be told that this IS 19 tot a anere usel dsa slaughter is as d suppose but a air da of 4 I 1 t on the decapitated being 1 trall traitors ors aad W of war jhb H hb save b been een political p part hytt 1 sans 11 it is the highest holiday in ih il car ar land and the only one abee raab slaught fr is done and aad there is so ao dicht according to mr evars thal tha he king himself wi hes to abolish abai bartot part ot it b ajit ut he dares not that perhaps i as a to my nerve the king kingade kin gave us a tAt iv v h hi own private to baud band I 1 jwj T wa awakened about taid nIgh by a I 1 anat I 1 can cai i compare amp are to nothing ba but t 0 hunder bunders toini yn in scales I 1 they aar from high to low and got ot mixed in the inifi middle dle it t was not 00 really unpleasant but like the trechim behim ng of bells should be beard at a dis tance taice trie toe greater the distance the netter letter I 1 sprang to 0 o the biti dow tr t find that this band c im arted ot 22 men each with a log pir or piece of wood th largest ao teavy heavy thatis that it took foai uen aien to carry it I 1 hese were set ate rid nd on oi the ground the other supported arted by a wood trestle and beten beaten on the fogt ta end with wood hammers cfall of all sizes from 1 tie e band hammer to 10 a a lage 3 each stick or log emitting 19 aund on wit no air re r R iiii J J IV watson in ia norak ame rican preview jRe view |