BEHANZIN AND GENERAL DODDS. 767 tangled tropical forest, with masses of huge anthills on the lowgroundnear its banks. Where the track crossed it by a small bridge the Dahomeyans had thrown up entrenchments and placed rifled cannon in position. They were determined on resistance at this point, for on the slope above the bridge stood the circle of large huts that formed the " palace" of Kotopa,afavourite residence of King Behanzin, and here Genedge. Several attempts to find the track leading to the promised ford failed, and at last the guides confessed they could not find their way any further. The day was fearfully hot, the men's water bottles were empty,and the only supply of wateranywhere near at handwas in the river, of which the woodedbanks were held by the enemy. The column had lostheavily,and when Dodds at last rejoined the party he had left to guard the camp eral Dodds sufhe found he was fered his first and only defeat. encumbered with 140 woundedand 60 fever patients on a waterless plateau. He decided to retire at once toAkpa. Happily a downfall of rain alleviated tlaesufferings of thetroops on the march, and there was a downpourin the following night. This,and a supply brought up by a water convoy from the wellsof Umbuenaedi, saved the expedition from a position of great peril.

The General, after reconnoitring the enemy's position, thought it too strongfor a frontal attack. The native guides said that there was a passage through the bush and a ford on theriver about two miles higher up, and Dodds resolved to turn the enemy's positiononthisside. Accordingly, on the morning of the14th he left two guns and 500 men to Encouraged guard his camp, watch the bridge,and keep the enemy's attention fixed on it by firingon their batteries onthe other side. With the restof the forcehe marchedaway to the right. Thingssoon begantogobadly.Theenemy'sartillery,although provided with very inferior ammunition (the shell hardly everbursting), was so well used that it forced the French guns to change position. she French flank movement was detected, and Behanzin metit by sending two guns and 2,000 troops (includinga detachment of the Amazons) to move along the heights of the west bank and dispute the crossing wherever it was attempted.

sheguns openedfire from thehigh ground,and parties of the enemy,many of them hunters of big game, armed with good rifles, came down into the bush, worked their way through it, and firedcontinually on the French from its eastern by their successes at Kotopa, the Dahomeyans attacked tlae camp at Akpa on the 15th, but were repulsed with heavy loss, and Dodds remained at Akpa for a week, sending off his sick and wounded to the coast, bringing up supplies, andreconnoitring the country in front. During this time his losses were made good by the arrival of a reinforcement of 400 men from Porto Novo. At the endof the week Behanzin sent in a flag of truce and asked to negotiate. Dodds replied that as a first step he must evacuate Kotopa ;this the king refused, and on October 26th Dodds set his columninmotion again. He was actually on the march to work round the enemy's right when another flag of truce arrived from Behanzin. This time he said he wanted to negotiate peace, and to give a pledge of good faith he would at once retire