300 
THE WESTERN COAST. 
#J vereign : I prefer death at any time." Soon 
afterwards, this officer found himself left almost 
alone in his post, after detaching the flower of his 
troops to the assistance of his companions. Per- 
ceiving that it was impossible to retrieve affairs, at 
the approach of the enemy, he called for his large 
stool, or chair, dismissed his attendants, sat down, 
and singly awaited the attack. When the enemy 
advanced, he stood up and fired his musket till he 
was surrounded, when he drew his sabre, and rush- 
ed into the thickest ranks, where, after killing 
numbers, he was overpowered and taken prisoner. 
The king of Dahomy, who highly approved of his 
conduct, paid his ransom, but he refused to return, 
and observing to the messenger, that, " though he 
" might perhaps be the most ugly of his majesty's 
" subjects, yet there were none more loyal," — 
stabbed himself with his sword. Another Daho- 
man general, being about to engage the Popoes, 
with a very inferior force, drank success to the 
arms of his king, and, dashing the glass to pieces, 
wished, " that if he was unsuccessful, he might 
" not survive the disgrace, but perish like the glass 
" which he broke." The metaphors and idioma- 
tical expressions of this nation have generally a re- 
ference to their bodily strength and the sharpness 
of their swords. The significant titles which the 
king assumes, are termed his strong names. When 
the king prohibits the minstrels from entering up- 
