128 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. v. 



houses. Both the bathing and the lighting of fires are 

 necessary parts of the usages connected with this great annual 

 festival. These ceremonies are commenced by the sovereign 

 at the capital, and followed by the people throughout the 

 country. 



Early the next morning a messenger, followed by a slave, 

 entered my house and presented me with a large shoulder of 

 beef, as a present from the son-in-law of my host. Soon 

 after another messenger entered, followed by two slaves, one 

 of them bearing the hinder leg of a bullock, with the skin 

 and hair on, as a New Year's present. About a quarter of 

 an hour after this, an aide-de-camp of the captain of the 

 port arrived, followed by a slave bearing a choice piece of 

 beef as a present from his master ; and shortly afterwards 

 the same young man came again, followed by his servant with 

 an excellent piece from himself. The supply was far beyond 

 my wants, but it was intended by the donors as an expression 

 of respect, and to my servant who found a great number of 

 relations here, and the slaves living on the premises, with 

 others in the immediate neighbourhood, it was, I have no 

 doubt, very acceptable. 



My house was thronged with visitors during the whole of 

 the day, and as there was one amongst them v/ho could speak 

 a little English, having formerly been a pupil for a consider- 

 able time in one of the best of the schools at the capital, I 

 not only received much interesting intelligence, but was able 

 to communicate important information to the friends who 

 came, and remained, some of them, until a very late hour. 

 Many of these were exceedingly delighted and deeply affected 

 in looking over some of the illustrated English books which 

 I had with me, and often expressed their earnest wishes to 

 be able to read English. I encouraged them to try, but they 

 shook their heads, and seemed to think it hopeless, especially 

 as they had no books. 



