MADAGASCAR (III)—CONTD. 283 
motion shook the very foundations of the hotel. It was evident 
that a female’s wrath had been roused, for a most formidable 
fracas was under way in the adjoining room, and needless to say 
the guests and staff were curious to know what it was all about. 
It was really all the woman’s fault. She, a French lady, had told 
her husband that she was visiting friends to have tea, but she 
foolishly forgot her sun-glasses. When about five minutes away 
from the hotel she remembered them, and went back. The hus- 
band had lost no time, for when his wife returned he was in bed 
with the black femme de chambre.'To make matters worse, he 
was extremely deaf and in his excitement had omitted to lock 
the door. The first he knew of his spouse’s return was a crack on 
the back of the head with her sunshade; then the poor man and 
the servant were beaten up to the accompaniment of the wild out- 
bursts of a female mad with rage. 
It was all a storm in a teacup. The following day the couple 
turned up for meals as usual, she looking intensely pleased with 
herself and he with a badly bruised face. 
Another more serious affair concerned the jealousies of youth. 
It happened after a dance in the night-club that was under the 
hotel in which I was staying. It seems that a French youth visited 
the place with a beautiful French girl to whom he was deeply 
attached. As so often happens, an unattached male asked her to 
dance and she accepted. The outcome was that when the couple 
left and ascended the stairway to the street, the offended French 
lad drew a revolver and shot his lady love dead, and then shot 
himself. This occurred just under my window. 
Having shipped enough timber to carry out all the projects in 
Diego Suarez, I was sent to Nairobi to a conference with the East 
African Timber Control, and flew over in a military plane. It was 
arranged that two officials should visit Madagascar to weigh the 
possibilities of exporting timber for military use. This was re- 
quired for various purposes in the Middle East, and sleepers of 
the hardest wood were required for India. 
All this time I had chosen to remain a civilian, as in that status I 
could mingle with generals and troopers alike, which suited me 
admirably. 
Some weeks after my return, my friends in the Timber Control 
