Grotesque stone lions of life size mark the doubtless tend to spread plague and cholgraves of those who were warriors; while era. But coffins often form ordinary loads little square niches a yard high contain in a general caravan; they are not obhighly colored pictures of unwedded jected to, and are noted in the way-bill youths, or of those slain in war. As a with other loads.

From The Pall Mall Gazette.

rule, however, small flat stones record the names of the dead, a few texts from the Korân marking the piety of their relations; but often the little mounds have merely a row of flints that loving hands have placed there, or a rough bit of rock A VISIT TO THE AMAZONS OF DAHOMEY. or a tile at head and foot. The nearest THE Germans, to whom Africa as a relatives lay the body in the shallow grave, field of colonization is a mine of inexhausta priest says a prayer, the shroud is loos-ible novelty, have just rediscovered the ened that the dead man may be enabled amazons of Dahomey. These famous to arise at the resurrection without warriors, of whom so little has been heard trouble, and the coffin-lid is replaced. for so many years, have been inspected Then another prayer is read. The "Fa- by Dr. Zöller, who is acting as special tihat," or first chapter of the Korân, is correspondent of the Kölnische Zeitung, recited by all — it is merely a short prayer and gives an account of his reception at the grave is closed, a little water is the court of the Portuguese half-breed sprinkled on it, and all is over. If the Juliano de Sonza, who in his semi-royal family of the deceased can afford it, a tiny state at Whydah rejoices in the possestent is pitched, and a priest remains to sion of a fully equipped battalion of women pray and to read the Korân over the grave who fight. Alas! however, for our prefor many days. conceived notions, the amazons of De Sonza have more resemblance to a corps de ballet than to a corps d'armée, and the deepest impression which they left on the mind of their visitors was that they would make the fortune of any enterprising impresario who would introduce them to European audiences. Of Juliano de Sonza himself, who has had his son educated in an English boarding school, and married by a French priest, Dr. Zöller speaks in high terms. He says: "The tall, broadchested man, with a dark yellow, almost brown, complexion, received us with the amiable politeness of a pompous aristocrat. He wore a long, shirt-like cotton garment reaching down to his feet, high European boots, an embroidered smoking. cap, and although he is a fetish-worshipper — a big black metal cross on his chest." After apologizing for the remarkable costume which he had been obliged to don because of indisposition, Juliano gave the sign for the beginning of the festivities. The stage for these was the open space in front of Juliano's house, a rather rickety building of two stories in the middle of the village, which was filled with the upper ten of Whydah, a multitude of black spectators, all of whom pretend to be of European descent. But woe to him who without being a "white man" dares to wear European boots, or allow himself to be carried in a hammock, the European means of conveyance. Not even his Majesty the king would ever dream of committing so unpardonable a breach of

The whole of the attendants of the funeral are entertained at dinner at the house of the deceased. The mourning is continued for a short period - a few days or a month, according to the wealth of the family. Then another lavish exercise of hospitality, and a dole to the poor, takes place; and this is the sign that the days of mourning are over. Sombre garments are cast aside; the family go to the public bath; ce more they dye their hair with hinna, also the soles of their feet and the palms of their hands, their nails and fingertips. The women signalize the end of their mourning by a visit to the cemetery, taking with them sweetmeats and a peculjar kind of bread; they eat at the grave side a small quantity of these, and what remains is given to the poor. A widow will often vow a monthly or yearly dole at her husband's grave; and the vow is always piously carried out.

Often among the rich or religious the body is merely placed in some mosque or shrine, as amanat - that is to say, on deposit. After some months, or weeks, or years, it is wrapped in thin felt and despatched with hundreds of others, by mule caravan, to holy Meshed, to be buried near Imam Riza; or to sacred Kerbela, to lie beside the blessed Houssein. In travelling in Persia one frequently meets these caravans. Two or even four coffins are strapped on each mule. It is needless to add that they are most objectionable upon the road and in the caravanserais, and

brimless yokey cap, ornamented with black pictures of animals, such as lizards, birds, and others. The feet are bare; short knickerbockers of green, red, or yellow material come down nearly to the knees, and a bright-colored tunic of striped silk or velvet, which leaves only the neck and the arms free, covers the upper part of the body, which is supported by corsets of native manufacture. A broad belt of many colors heightens the slim appearance of the female warrior. At the left side of the belt a short sword is fastened, and a small cartridge pocket in front. A scarf of white or light green silk is worn like a Scotch plaid. The armament consists of swords, battle-axes, and guns, which latter are put aside during the dance. Quite apart from the effect of combined dancing and singing, the performances, which went on for several hours uninterruptedly before our eyes, were quite in the style of our corps de ballet, with the only difference that perhaps no other corps de ballet would dance with equal exactitude. First came a tall and somewhat elderly woman. She was the captain, and as she entered the son of the chacha whispered to me, 'Just look how well my mother dances.' Then followed, with battle-axes uplifted, the younger officers, and in their rear the still younger troops, now dashing towards us in their sham fight, now wheeling round, dispers

African etiquette. When it was dusk the army of amazons made their entrance into the yard fantastically attired, and looking more fantastical still by the glare of the torches which were borne before them. This is how Dr. Zöller describes the scene: "Shortly before their dance commenced the chacha distributed German beer and Bahia rum among the audience, which consisted of some five hundred spectators, many of whom were accompanied by their tame sheep, which follow their masters like dogs. Rum is the ordinary beverage offered to visitors in Dahomey. The amazons of Abome, of whom there are at the most some six thousand, are nominally the wives of the king, and as such form a body-guard which is said to be superior to the male soldiers in courage, discipline, and loyalty. But although these amazons accompany the king on all his wars, I think they are more for show than for service. Among all the savage and semisavage tribes, singing and dancing are considered as essential as drilling and drumming among ourselves. It is natural that the amazons, having from their earliest childhood been educated as warriors, dancers, and singers, should be as superior to male soldiers in these accomplishments as our Guards are to the Reserves. The amazons of the chacha, all of whom have served in the army of Abome, are women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, and as the chaing, and again uniting. And all this with cha does not go to war, they are naturally only kept for show. They have no separate barracks, but live, like the thirty male soldiers, in different quarters of the town, whence they are called together whenever they are wanted. At their first entrance, when, marching up in a long procession, they saluted their lord and master, I was astonished at the military exactitude of their movements. Imagine sixty young women, strong and slender, who, without losing anything of their womanliness, present a decidedly warlike appearance. Among Europeans this combination of the woman and the warrior could not be imagined; here it is explained by the peculiar formation of the negro skeleton. The skeletons of negro women (in striking contrast to that of the mulattoes) are strikingly like the skeletons of male negroes. The assertion is untrue that the female warriors of Dahomey have their breasts cut off, like the mythological amazons of the ancient Greeks. Their picturesque uniform might furnish our masters of the ballet with fresh ideas. The fresh young faces look roguishly from under the white,

rhythmical movements, half warlike, half coquettish, but never clumsy, the elegant play of the bare, round arms recalling to the mind the limbs of ancient classical statues. All dances which I have seen performed among savage and demi-savage peoples have been grotesque, and to a certain degree voluptuous. Here for the first time a performance was given which would have held its own before a serious critique and æsthete." Contemplating this remarkable feat, and listening to the strange rhythm of the songs of the amazons, who, even after a performance of several hours, showed no sign of fatigue, the delighted Germans spent the evening, and next morning were invited to a similar dance performed by twelve young la dies of the age of sixteen and seventeen, all, all, all of whom the chacha introduced as his wives. Their performance, however, was inferior to that witnessed the night before. The three days' festivities, all more or less of the same kind, were concluded by the chacha presenting a bull to Dr. Zöller.

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