THE SAKALAVA 299 



In certain shales which occur among the Secondary strata of 

 the western plains, Belemnites are so numerous that the Saka- 

 lava used them as rifle balls ; while many species of ammonites 

 are formed, some being a foot in diameter. 



As we proceeded, the country became more hilly and with 

 more extensive woods ; but as for population, not a soul did we 

 see, except two women at one spot, and again we asked, where 

 are the people ? And here a few words may be said about the 

 inhabitants of this part of the country. Along about two- 

 thirds of the western side of Madagascar, the people are loosely 

 called Sakalava ; but every district has its people with its own 

 tribal name, for " Sakalava " was originally the name of one 

 particular tribe, which, through European or Arab admixture 

 and the possession of fire-arms, conquered the other tribes and 

 founded two kingdoms, Ib6ina to the north, and Menabe to the 

 south. These Sakalava kingdoms were the dominant ones in 

 the island until the beginning of the nineteenth century, when 

 the Hovas gradually obtained the leadership. Physically, 

 these people are taller and stronger than the Hovas, are darker 

 in colour, less civilised, and have an African strain in them, 

 from their proximity to the continent. Still, they are not of 

 African stock, but are no doubt, Melanesian in origin. Their 

 language presents a good deal of difference from the Hova form 

 of Malagasy, both in vocabulary and in pronunciation, yet the 

 groundwork and the grammar is essentially the same. They 

 are more nomadic in habit than the Hovas, breaking up their 

 villages at the death of any of its inhabitants, and not cultivating 

 rice like most Malagasy tribes, but subsisting largely on manioc 

 root, bananas, fish and vegetables. 



We stopped to lunch under a fine adabo-tree ; all along the 

 main branches of this tree, the small fig-like fruits were clustered 

 by hundreds, most of them being ripe and scarlet in colour. 

 During an afternoon's voyage the river became narrower, but 

 with a deep and strong current. We lost the fan-palms, but 

 passed for some miles along a beautifully wooded portion of 

 country, with fine large trees, like those in an English park, and 

 growing close to the water's edge. One of these beautiful trees, 

 however, has a very vile odour when cut up for timber, so that 

 although the wood is good for carpentry, when new it is in the 

 highest degree offensive. It is called Komdngo, and the people 



