2i6 WEAPONS. 



and defence with many of the tribes of the eastern and 

 southern provinces. (See chapter on " New Light on Old 

 Texts.") The use of the bow and arrow is not nearly so 

 common in Madagascar as in many semi-civilised countries, 

 the introduction of fire-arms among the Hova and S^kal^va 

 having probably rendered the earlier weapons almost useless. 

 But there are words for them in the Hova dialect, tsipika and 

 zdna-tsipiha ("bow," and " child of the bow "), showing that the 

 things were once used, and they are still found in use among 

 some of the northern tribes. In some parts of the island, 

 the boys use a long hollow bamboo as a blowgun. These are 

 fitted with a light arrow, and are used for killing birds and 

 small animals, much in the same way as it is employed by 

 the Indian tribes of the Orinoco. 



As far as our present information goes, there seems no trace 

 of a stone or flint age in Madagascar, nor have any of the 

 primitive weapons made of such materials yet been discovered. 

 But tradition speaks of a time when the Vazimba, the 

 aboriginal inhabitants of Imerina, had no iron weapons, but 

 made spear-heads of hardened and burnt clay, in shafts of 

 bamboo. But a Hova chief named Andriamanelo, having 

 made spears of iron, overcame the Vazimba with these 

 superior weapons. These latter then said, " Come, let us flee, 

 for Andriamandlo makes ' flying iron.' " Iron has doubtless 

 been worked from a very remote period, for it is found in 

 great abundance and purity in Madagascar ; and it is affirmed 

 that the progress of the Hovas from the coast to the interior 

 may be traced by the remains of the smelting-furnaces they 

 constructed at different stages of their route. Iron is smelted 

 by means of a bellows, consisting of two cylinders formed 

 from the hollowed-out trunks of trees and fitted with pistons 

 of cloth or feathers, similar to those used by the Malayan 

 peoples. Old men say that in ancient times the strong 

 tough fibre of the anivona palm was also used for spears, and 

 this would doubtless make a rather formidable weapon. The 

 sling is used in some parts of Madagascar, and boys are skUful 

 in its use. 



