AMBONDROMBE. 313 



found that lar^tsa [another name given to it] consists not of 

 one hill, as it appears at a distance, but of a large group of 

 hills, some six or seven in number, with very deep gullies 

 between them. These gorges have a general north and south 

 direction. The northern end of the gorges or valleys is open, 

 but at the south three hills, or one large hill with three tops 

 — I could not tell which — blocks up the southern end except 

 at the south-west corner, which is open to the west. This 

 peculiar arrangement of an isolated block of hills is, I think, 

 the first cause of the strange sounds which are the origin of 

 the superstitious fears connected with this place. The eastern 

 hill is one of the highest, if not the highest, in Betsileo, and 

 the wind, generally easterly, meeting this obstruction, rushes 

 with furious force round the north end, and over the top 

 into the three longitudinal valleys, out of which there is no 

 outlet except the narrow mouth at the south-west end. In 

 this way a species of natural trumpet is formed. And cer- 

 tainly while there I noticed that when there was scarcely a 

 breath of wind in my camping-ground, there was often the 

 roar as of a furious tempest going on above us. The hills 

 are more thickly covered with forest than any other part I 

 have seen in Madagascar, but I could discover nothing else, 

 such as caves, &c., that by an echo could have given rise to 

 the weird tales so fully believed in by the Betsileo. I quite 

 think from what I heard that the wind is the great ghost 

 raiser at Ambondrombe." * 



The Fandrbana or New Years Festival. — The observances 

 connected with this principal feast of the Hovas have been 

 described by more than one writer, but as any account of the 

 religious usages of the Malagasy would be incomplete with- 

 out some mention of this national festival, a short summary 

 may be here given. It is to be noticed that the Fandroana 

 seems to be a Hova observance, and is not kept by many of 

 the tribes away from the central provinces of Madagascar. 



Pirst as to the name of the festival. This is derived from 

 one of the principal ceremonies observed, that of bathing, 

 fandrbana meaning a " bath." Native tradition relates that 



* Antananarivo Annual, No. ii. p. 57. 



