WHALES 275 



modation than the woods would have afforded, although the 

 huts were mere rough sheds of traveller's tree leaves. It was 

 fortunate for us that we reached them, for heavy rain came 

 directly and continued all night. There was no rice to be 

 bought ; so our men had to go supperless to bed, and we had 

 very little to eat ourselves. Some dozen or more of the men 

 slept with us in our hut, as thick as they could lie, and the other 

 places were as full. 



The following day, Sunday, was a disappointing one, for we 

 quite thought in the morning that we were only two or three 

 hours' journey, at most, from Masindrano, where we hoped to 

 meet with a good congregation. But we had to travel for hour 

 after hour, delayed in crossing the lagoons in a vain search for 

 food, and in other ways, so that it was sunset before we crossed 

 the Mananjara river, and after dark before we at last reached 

 the town. However, here we met with the kindest welcome, 

 had good houses put at our disposal, and there was abundance 

 of food for us all. 



On the following day we left the seashore, along which, first 

 going southwards and afterwards northwards, we had travelled 

 for so many days. And here I may remark that dolphins are 

 often seen in the Madagascar seas, especially the small species 

 called Delphinus pas, which is frequently seen leaping, plunging 

 and swimming with astonishing swiftness and in large shoals. 

 These animals love to pursue the flying-fish, and in this chase 

 they display extraordinary dexterity. Two species of whale 

 also frequent the seas round Madagascar, but they are chiefly 

 seen on the western side of the island. The huge form of the 

 cachelot or sperm-whale, with its remarkably square head, 

 looking as if it had been cut off right across, especially when it 

 turns to dive, as I have seen it, seems to have impressed the 

 imagination of the Malagasy, because when an earthquake 

 occurs they say, Mivddika ny trdzona i.e. "The whales are 

 turning over." 



After leaving the east coast we sailed up the broad river 

 Mananjara, stopping a night at another Hova military post, a 

 large village called Itsiat6sika. Here again we had great kind- 

 ness shown to us by the most polite and gentlemanly set of Hova 

 officers we had ever met. For the first day and a half our route 

 lay chiefly up the valley of the river, over undulating country ; but 



