[Illustration: FIG. 185.—ASHANTI SWORD-KNIFE.] [Illustration: FIG. 186.—SWORDS OF KING GELELE OF DAHOME.] [Illustration: FIG. 187.—BEHEADING SWORD. Cutch; also used in Africa.] [Illustration: FIG. 188.—WASA (WASSAW) SWORD. Gold plates on wood, sewn with wire, and then beaten until the stitches can scarcely be seen.] [Illustration: FIG. 189.—KING BLAY’S SWORD. Gold leaf stamped and beaten. Sworn by before going to war, ‘If I come back, cut my head off.’] Gezo,[527] the warrior king of Dahome or Ffon-land, who loved variety in, as well as number of, weapons, manufactured Swords with two blades like scissors. He also had _in terrorem_ a company of ‘Amazons,’ called Razor-women, from the ‘Nyek-ple-nen-toh’ blade. This was simply a European razor on a large scale, with a steel of thirty inches rising from a plain handle of black wood, and kept open by a spring. It was used to decapitate prisoner-kings, and the very look of it made the lieges tremble. [Illustration: FIG. 190.—CAPTAIN CAMERON’S MANYUEMA SWORDLET, SHEATH, AND BELT. 1. Copper; 2. Wood; 3. Steel; 4. Wood; 5. Skin.] My friend Captain Cameron[528] gives interesting details concerning the Sword in parts of Africa which he first visited, and he has kindly sent me a specimen of the Manyuema (Maniwema) Swordlet drawn to scale. He describes the Wahumla tribe as using double-edged blades of iron shaped like those of the Roman legionary. The chiefs adorn their steel blades with neat open-work in various patterns, and some carry a fringe of bells all along the lower side of the sheath. The belt of twisted hide loops into a rolled fur (often otter-skin), and ends in two bells: it is slung over the left shoulder. The Rehombo chiefs use similar blades with broad and crescent-shaped edges; the commoners are armed with heavy spears, and short knives, also used when feeding. The people of the central Copper-lands[529] have only long knives shaped like spear-heads. Stanley (ii. 81) calls them ‘short Swords scabbarded with wood, to which are hung small brass and iron bells.’ The Swords used by the chiefs under ‘King Kasongo’ are left undescribed:[530] these weapons appear to be like those seen by me on the Congo. These negroes have a kind of sham attack in honour, a custom well known amongst the Bedawin. ‘When sufficiently bedaubed’ (with pipeclay or cinnabar) ‘the chief returned the bag to his boy, and, drawing his Sword, rushed at Kasongo, seemingly intent upon cutting him down; but just before reaching him, he suddenly fell on his knees, driving the Sword into the ground and rubbing his forehead in the dust.’