THEIR HEIGHT 179 



they grow. In some parts, however, a much shorter grass, of 

 a pale buff colour, is the prevailing growth. In other places, 

 another very tall grass called Famda flourishes ; this is a light 

 graceful grass, with fine branchlets from its head, and the seeds 

 showing prominently ; and the whole is of a delicate pea-green 

 colour. Then there are other grasses, which are richly marked 

 with shades of dark red or purple, displaying masses of these 

 tints when seen from a little distance. The shorter grasses are 

 not less beautiful than the taller species just mentioned ; but 

 without coloured drawings it is impossible to give any adequate 

 idea of their charm and variety. 



There is one thing especially which strikes a European newly 

 come into the country with regard to the Madagascar grasses, 

 and that is, the height to which they grow, if left undisturbed. 

 In sheltered valleys and other places not reached by the fires 

 which sweep over the downs in the dry season, the grass grows 

 considerably above one's head, so that I have felt how soon one 

 might be lost in certain conditions. After the year of rebellion 

 against French rule in 1896, I found the vero and other grasses 

 grown as high as I was when sitting in my palanquin about 

 eight feet above the ground. For several months large tracts 

 of country had been desolate and left uncultivated, and were re- 

 turning to a state of nature. And in many places, at every few 

 yards, we disturbed coveys of partridges or quails or other wild 

 birds, which had greatly multiplied in the depopulated country. 



Soon after four o'clock we mounted the last low ridge, and 

 Ambatondrazaka lay before us, about a mile and a half distant. 

 The town, which consisted of about four hundred houses, is 

 situated on a low peninsula projecting from the hills on the 

 southern side of the plain. It had a pleasant, civilised appear- 

 ance after the wretched huts we had seen for the last two or 

 three days. A broad road running down from the hill seemed 

 to divide the town into two pretty nearly equal parts. West 

 of this road a large substantial chapel showed out conspicu- 

 ously, and on the opposite side was the square palisaded en- 

 closure called the rova, filled with the houses of the Hova officers 

 and soldiers who formed the garrison of the place. At the 

 north-east corner of the enclosure the Idpa, or government house, 

 a two-storeyed building surrounded by verandahs, stood out 

 prominent above the rows of smaller houses. We soon estab- 



