THE WESTERN COAST. 
303 
to him, so that he both misses a wife and loses 
his money. In 177^, the viceroy of Whidah 
was disgraced and punished with death, for the 
following speech, extorted by indignation at a 
procession of the king's women. " All ! see 
" what a number of charming women are devot- 
" ed to the embraces of one man ! while we who 
" bore the dangers of the siege of Whidah, and 
" defeated Abavou and his army, have been pre- 
" sented with such as are hardly good enough for 
" house-sweepers. It is ungenerous, but we are 
" Dahoman-men, and must submit." The king's 
female guard seems in some measure to explain 
the origin of the ancient opinion concerning the 
Amazons. Some hundreds of the king's women 
are regularly trained to the use of arms, under a 
female general, and subordinate officers appointed 
by his majesty. They are regularly exercised, 
.perform their military evolutions, with as great dex- 
terity as any of the Dahoman troops, and parade in 
public with their standards, drums, trumpets, flutes, 
and martial music. It is criminal for any Daho- 
man to assert, that the king is so similar to other 
mortals, as either to eat or sleep. At his accession, 
he proclaims that he knows nobody, and is not in- 
clined to make any new acquaintance ; that he will 
administer justice with a rigorous and impartial 
hand, but will listen to no representations, nor receive 
any presents, except from his officers, who approach 
