264 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
a number of these bloodthirsty parasites, all waiting to attach 
themselves to any warm-blooded animal that happened to pass by. 
In view of the fact that cattle rarely wander into this forest, and 
that the natives themselves make occasional visits only for wood, it 
seems that millions of these leeches must pass their lives away 
without ever having the opportunity of tasting blood. 
Here, as elsewhere in Madagascar, I came up against a number 
of curious customs, beliefs, and superstitions. 
While staying in one village about a mile from the forest I hung 
up some wet clothes on the railings of a cattle kraal, this being the 
only place available. In a few moments there was a great commo- 
tion among the villagers and I was told that it was fady (taboo) 
to hang clothing on the kraal as it would bring all kinds of mis- 
fortune. There was also some taboo in connection with the gath- 
ering of firewood. In a district where the rainfall is very heavy 
one would expect the people to keep a reserve of wood under 
cover, but the custom was to make a daily excursion to the forest, 
no matter what the weather, to collect only sufficient wet sticks 
for their immediate requirements. Thus these people spend their 
lives blowing and blowing in an effort to kindle the smoldering 
wood under their cooking pots, in huts full of dense smoke which 
cannot seep away except through the door or holes in the thatch. 
Tears stream from their eyes, but no amount of this misery will 
ever induce them to keep a reserve of dry wood. It is difficult to 
get to the bottom of such rigid customs, as the natives are very 
reticent to strangers on subjects pertaining to everyday life, espe- 
cially as these are invariably linked with superstition. 
The more I saw of the different Malagasy tribes the more it 
became evident that, where they remain intact as a native com- 
munity and have not come directly under European influence, 
all their customs are against any form of progress. Superstitious 
beliefs take the place of religion; there is no ambition or greed; 
no one has any possessions other than simple necessities such as 
cooking pots. This is life in its simplest form—a naturally evolved 
communism, with no directing force other than superstition, and 
therefore no written laws, and no one delegated to keep law and 
order. 
It is difficult for the European to understand the outlook of 
