GLORIOUS SUNSETS 123 



foot, which is darted out almost as high as their heads. Ribs 

 are sometimes broken by a violent kick. Perhaps the most 

 favourite amusement of Malagasy children is to sit in parties 

 out of doors on fine moonlight nights and sing away for hours 

 some of the monotonous native chants, accompanying them 

 with regular clapping of hands. 



In about a fourth of these villages, where there are churches, 

 a mission day school is still carried on, and here may be seen, if 

 we look in, a number of bright-looking children repeating their 

 a, b, d (not c), reading and writing, doing sums, learning a little 

 grammar and geography, and being taught their catechism, and 

 something about the chief facts and truths of the Bible. And 

 perhaps there is no more pleasant sight in Madagascar than 

 one of the larger chapels on the annual examination day, filled 

 with children from the neighbouring villages, all dressed in 

 their best, eager to show their knowledge, and pleased to get 

 the Bible or Testament or hymn-book or other prize given to 

 those who have done well. 



A few words may be said here about the aspect of the heavens 

 in Imerina, especially at evening and night. We are highly 

 favoured in having sunsets of wonderful beauty ; the western 

 sky burns with molten gold, orange and crimson ; and as the 

 sun nears the horizon, the ruddy landscape to the east is lighted 

 up more and more intensely every moment with glowing colour, 

 the natural hue of the soil being heightened by the horizontal 

 rays ; the distant lines of hill, range after range, are bathed in 

 every shade of purple light, and the long lines of red clay walls 

 glow like vermilion in the setting sunshine. How often have 

 we watched this glorious display of light and colour, and thanked 

 God for this beautiful world ! 



But the nights, especially near the time of full moon, are also 

 very enjoyable. The moon appears more brilliant and her light 

 more intense than in England ; it is a delight to be out of doors 

 and to walk in the fresh bracing air, and to have the rough paths 

 illuminated for us by the silvery radiance, which gives a pictur- 

 esque beauty to the most commonplace objects and scenes. 



Perhaps the starlit skies of the evenings of the summer 

 months are the most beautiful of all the year. At this season 

 some of the finest of the northern constellations are seen at the 

 same time as several of the southerly ones. The Great Bear 



