His Majesty, then turning to me, addressed me in a loud voice to the following effect: “You come from the greatest and richest country in the world, and I am truly gratified at seeing you in my country. The only thing I regret is that so few Englishmen come to see me. I should at all times feel proud to do any thing in my power to accommodate an Englishman, and endeavour to make him comfortable in my country. I am aware,” he added, “that I have not in my power all the necessaries required by Englishmen, but if I were more frequently visited by them I would take care to procure everything necessary for their comfort. You have travelled much in Africa,[17] and from what you have seen you are now aware that I am as far superior in Africa, as England is to Spain or Portugal, not,” he said, “excepting the Ashantees, some of whom he observed were present, and could judge for themselves: although in former times,” he remarked, “the Ashantees surpassed him as far as he now surpassed them.”
I do not know how the Ashantee relished this observation, but I suppose not well, as he is a conceited fop, and upon the whole a sharp, shrewd young man. I put some questions to him respecting his country, but his answers were both evasive and untrue, thinking no doubt that I was quite ignorant on the subject. He informed me that Coomassie was four moons’ journey from Dahomey; and also in order to make his country look great, told me and the King that there were no less than one hundred English merchants in Coomassie buying gold when he came away. Upon which I flatly contradicted him, and told him that only one white man resided in Ashantee, Mr. Chapman, a missionary, who had lately been ill-treated by a set of ruffians. This mortified him very much; and he remarked to the King that white men only came to Ashantee for what they could get, and boasted of the great presents his father had made to Mr. Freeman; but I informed his Majesty that the King received ten times more from Mr. Freeman than he ever received or expected in return; that Englishmen never expected any return for a present. The Ashantee persisted in what he had stated, and declared that any present received by the King of Ashantee was made merely through fear. Upon this the King, in an angry tone, ordered him to be silent. He was aware that England feared no nation, and he would not suffer an Englishman to be insulted in his country.[18] This terminated my conversation with the Ashantee on that day.
It will, doubtless, seem singular, that the male soldiers are not mentioned as taking any part in the two days’ review, but they remained inactive the whole time, except when eating. At this part of the ceremony they played their part, being amply supplied with provisions. In fact, every one present, on both days, although so numerous, was supplied with plenty. No person, however, except myself, was furnished with a table, not even the Spaniards nor Portuguese, although many visitors of both nations, who were present at the custom, still remained here, knowing that I was expected. The Ashantee prince objected to drink out of a calabash, seeing that I was supplied with tumblers, but he was told by one of the King’s headmen that he was only a black man, and that if he did not choose to drink from the calabash he might go without. He preferred the former, and drank out of what he had used all his life—the calabash. The male soldiers were seated on the ground without any regularity, forming a crescent in the rear of his Majesty.
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.