Before breaking up, the King assembled all his principal officers, and introduced them to me, describing their rank and office. Amongst them were some of his cousins--Hadabadja, Agerbee, and Gadypapo, three captains of the male troops, remarkably fine men, with good craniums and heads much of the Moorish cast, although darker--not so dark, however, as the genuine negro character. Egboza is commander-in-chief of all the King’s army, and son of Kakagee, the principal of the King’s house, being both treasurer and chamberlain. After many more introductions to inferior officers the principal officers were desired to drink the Queen of England’s health. This was to be drunk out of a human skull, apparently not long before it had been useful to the original possessor. However, as this was considered the highest compliment that can be paid to any person, I drank my sovereign’s health from the bony goblet. The King also joined. I then proposed his Majesty’s health, which was drunk from the same vessel. This concluded the second day’s performance. I may be permitted to make a few remarks on the army of women. It is certainly a surprising sight in an uncivilized country. I had, it is true, often heard of the King’s female soldiers, but now I have seen them, all well armed, and generally fine strong healthy women, and doubtless capable of enduring great fatigue. They seem to use the long Danish musket with as much ease as one of our grenadiers does his firelock, but not, of course, with the same quickness, as they are not trained to any particular exercise, but, on receiving the word, make an attack like a pack of hounds, with great swiftness. Of course they would be useless against disciplined troops, if at all approaching to the same numbers. Still their appearance is more martial than the generality of the men; and if undertaking a campaign, I should prefer the females to the male soldiers of this country. From all I have seen of Africa, I believe the King of Dahomey possesses an army superior to any sovereign west of the Great Desert. FOOTNOTES: [15] The higher officers of the household are allowed to adopt their official title as their family name, Mayho being in the Dahoman language Prime Minister. [16] It must not be supposed that these female warriors kill according to the number of scalps presented; the scalps are the accumulation of many years. If six or seven men are killed during one year’s war, it is deemed a great thing: one party always run away in these slave-hunts; but when armies meet the slaughter is great. [17] It is a surprising fact, that my last visit to Africa, in the Niger expedition, was well known to him, though by what means I cannot tell, unless through the Ashantees, as we brought the Ashantee princes to Africa. [18] The King told the Ashantee to take back his father’s present, a gold-hilted sword, and tell him that all the gold in Ashantee would not induce him to intercept an Englishman. CHAPTER XII.