72 AMBATOMANGA 



There were signs of approaching the capital in the number of 

 villages which came in sight. The country also was much more 

 cultivated, chiefly, however, in the valleys, where the bright 

 green patches of the newly sown rice gave a refreshing contrast 

 to the bare and brown appearance of the hills and downs, now 

 parched and dry after five or six months without rain. In 

 many places great black patches showed where the dry grass 

 had been set on fire. This is done shortly before the rains come 

 on, and the rank hay-like grass is succeeded by a crop of fine 

 short herbage suitable for pasture. About noon we caught sight 

 of the large village of Ambatomanga, then two or three miles 

 distant. This place had an important and picturesque appear- 

 ance, being considerably larger than any town on the road. 

 Over a number of smaller dwellings one large house rose con- 

 spicuous, with its lofty high-pitched roof and double verandah. 

 Close to the village is a lofty mass of blue gneiss rock, about a 

 couple of hundred feet in height, and crowned by a stone tomb 

 and other buildings, giving it the air of a fortification. Passing 

 through a large weekly market, where hundreds of people were 

 buying and selling, we at length entered the last station on the 

 road to Antananarivo. 



Ambatomanga had quite the appearance of a fortified town, 

 having walls of clay surrounding it, and deep fosses outside them. 

 I stopped at the large house which I had noticed at first, and 

 found it a well-finished timber structure, with Venetian shutters 

 and framed doors, quite a contrast to the mere sheds in which 

 I had slept for ten nights past. It was divided into three rooms 

 on the ground floor, with walls, floor and ceiling all well 

 planed and finished. The owner, a fine-looking man and a native 

 noble, gave me a welcome in a little broken English ; but his 

 knowledge of European tongues was apparently confined to 

 half-a-dozen short phrases, for he repeatedly said, " Thank you, 

 sir," giving me a hearty shake of the hand at the same time, 

 as if he thought that was the proper formula to be observed. 

 A little before dusk I walked out with him to the fort-like tomb 

 on the top of the rock. In the light of the setting sun the red 

 clay hills gave back the warm rays with an intensity of colour 

 that was remarkable. The tomb at the top is a large stone 

 structure, well worked, with an open balustrade and bold mould- 

 ings. Walking round the house after dusk, I saw a lurid glare 



