Note 98 — Chapter V

Akho ’si properly means king’s wife; it is applied to the eunuchs, who, as customary throughout Yoruba, form part of the royal establishment. Mr. Duncan (vol. i. p. 275) signally mistakes the meaning of “king’s wife.” The operation is performed in the palace, at the age of eighteen to twenty, by evulsion, others say by scission and extraction, and the victims remain anorchides. Of course many die; sometimes, it is said, five out of six. There is great difficulty in Dahome about gaining information touching these matters; the boldest speak in whispers when a stranger begins to question concerning what takes place “within.” The names of our eunuch envoys were as follow: De (here), adan (brave); De (here) means “He is valiant in Dahome.” Ya-mo-ji ’a is supposed to signify, “Cannot-get-such-a-son-to-be-born.”