288 AN UNCOMFORTABLE NIGHT 



hands to smack them, I was hustled and jostled, bumped and 

 butted, pushed and driven about, until, after three-quarters 

 of an hour, I came out in company with the last calf, choked 

 with dust, streaming with perspiration, and inwardly vowing 

 that the very next time I heard the cry of ' Omby 6 1 ' I would 

 run for it, however undignified it might appear." 



As we were walking about just before sunset, they brought 

 us a chameleon, here called tarondro (Dicranosaura bifurca), 

 about nine inches long and as much more in length of tail ; it 

 was dark brownish-grey in colour, with a white line along the 

 sides, and the head and back serrated like a saw. The nose of 

 the male has two compressed long horns covered with large 

 scales. As we have already seen, Madagascar contains a con- 

 siderable number of these reptiles, especially of species with 

 remarkable processes on the head. 



After arranging for the night, we congratulated ourselves on 

 our comfortable lodgings, but there was a drawback in the 

 number of openings to the outer air, two doorways and three 

 windows, but all destitute of doors or shutters. Mats, rugs, 

 waterproof sheeting and pillows were, however, fixed up ; but 

 soon after the wind rose until it blew quite a gale ; it was like 

 being in a ship at sea, and it blew so violently as to tear away 

 the coverings from the nails. For an hour or two paterfamilias' 

 chief occupation was to go round the place and fix nail after nail, 

 until I think at least a hundred long tin tacks, as well as a 

 number of two-inch nails, had been driven in, besides propping 

 up palanquins against the openings. Often it came in such 

 tremendous gusts that I feared everything would be torn 

 away, and lay for some time apprehensive of what might 

 happen next. However, it moderated towards morning, and, 

 happily, there were no mosquitoes. 



We had not got far on our way the following day before 

 making acquaintance with the mbkajohy, an insect about half 

 the size of a housefly, but with wings less divergent. They 

 have a large proboscis and give a distinct prick, sometimes 

 drawing blood, and with after-irritating effects like mosquito 

 bites. They are more sluggish than mosquitoes and so can be 

 more easily killed, and with a small whisk of leaves it is not 

 very difficult to ward them off. The road was still along a 



