288 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. xi. 



I saw weaving, mth the same sort of material, a strong 

 species of cloth, for which this neighbourhood is celebrated. 

 This village had formerly been a place of some importance ; 

 and, before the time of Eadama, was a sort of independent or 

 feudal town, governed by its own chief, who had the power 

 of life and death, and rendered only a modified homage or 

 military service to the most powerful chief of the province. 



In the evening, Izaro distributed the rice to the bearers. 

 The men belong to two divisions of the people, and these 

 divisions are subdivided into parties of ten men each ; each 

 division received a couple of sacks containing about one hun- 

 dred pounds each. Each division then seized their sacks, and, 

 spreading a mat on the ground, emptied the whole out in a 

 heap, and measured out the shares to every party, with much 

 noise, and, I suppose, great satisfaction, for they all thanked 

 me for the supply. At every halting place, the head of the 

 party serves out the supply for each individual ; and, as the 

 inhabitants of the place are always willing to lend cooking 

 vessels, and fuel is abundant, this meal of the bearers is soon 

 ready. 



Early the next morning, a number of canoes, most of 

 which had been sheltered among high reeds on the opposite 

 side of the river, were brought to the edge of the water, and 

 loaded with the packages. The canoes are made out of a 

 single tree, generally the inophyllum, and are some of them 

 very large, with bottoms as round as a barrel, and no out- 

 rigger ; yet the natives seem to have no fear of their up- 

 setting. On this occasion, I witnessed from my door the 

 only thing like a fracas which occurred within my observa- 

 tion during my stay in the country. Several of the men 

 appeared to be quarrelling about the adjustment of the load 

 in one of the canoes, and blows with the fist were soon inter- 

 changed quite as freely as words. Indeed, there was so little 

 noise, that the former seemed to be involuntarily substituted 



