A MELANCHOLY PARTING 267 



Veldma ; but no, the vigorous old gentleman was going to 

 escort me out of town, and his wives were to accompany us. 

 But some time elapsed in seeking bearers for them, during 

 which I had to go to the lieutenant-governor's and drink coffee. 

 On returning to the courtyard I found the governor putting a 

 couple of bottles of claret and another of rum into his palanquin, 

 as well as glasses and cups. Sufficient bearers could not be 

 procured for the ladies, so we wished them good-bye, and set 

 off in the following order : Soldiers, musicians, with drums, 

 clarionet, and violin ; " ny havantsika ny Vazaha " (our foreign 

 friend); the lieutenant-governor ; the governor; aides-de-camp, 

 soldiers. And so escorted, with the drums, etc., in full play, we 

 marched out of the town. I had supposed that as soon as we 

 were fairly at the foot of the hill the governor would take his 

 leave, but he went on and on for an hour until we came to a 

 rapid stream, the Manantsimba. Here we halted ; the claret 

 was poured out for more health-drinking, with musical honours ; 

 and then the whole of the governor's men were ordered to take 

 me safely across the river, which they did. From the opposite 

 bank I bowed and shouted my last adieux, and so parted 

 from one of the jolliest old gentlemen I have ever met with 

 in my travels. It struck me as irresistibly comic that, as 

 soon as we had fairly started on our way from the river 

 bank, the musicians struck up a most melancholy strain. 

 As my men said, the governor appeared to be low-spirited 

 at parting with us. 



I must add a word or two more about this " fine old Malagasy 

 gentleman, all of the olden time." It appeared that he had 

 been governor at Ankarana for more than twenty years, and 

 before then was lieutenant-governor at Mananjara. We were 

 somewhat shocked to find that each of the three buxom ladies 

 who accompanied him about was his wife, and further, that he 

 had another as well, whom we did not see. The pastor told 

 us that he had been admonished as to the impropriety of his 

 conduct in this respect, but he had been unable as yet to make 

 up his mind which of them to put away, and which to keep, 

 out of the four. He seemed quite a little king in the district 

 he commanded, and our servants told us that he was a most 

 courageous old fellow, delighted to hear of there being any 

 enemies to be met with anywhere, and going off to fight them 



