292 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. xi. 



other useful article, to the owner of the house iu which I had 

 slejjt ; and if the mistress of the house had a child in her 

 arms, which Avas frequently the case, and it was not too much 

 frightened at my white face and strange dress, to allow me to 

 place a, showy handkerchief or piece of cloth over its shoul- 

 ders, this manner of expressing my sense of their hospitality 

 seemed to be equally gratifying to parents and child. 



As this w^as one of the places at which Eainebehevitra, 

 meaning " Father of great thoughts,^'' the second officer at 

 Tamatave, had ordered a bullock to be given to me, the 

 people in charge of his property here drove a fine ox near 

 my house, in the afternoon, and presented it to me in the 

 name of their chief. The animal was caught, killed, and 

 distributed by sunset, and the bustle and noise, around a 

 number of fires in the neighbourhood, dviring the early part 

 of the evening, indicated the zest which attended the pre- 

 paration of the evening meal. My own bearers, and others 

 close by, became afterwards exceedingly noisy, and, much to 

 my annoyance, kept up their shouting and screaming till long 

 after midnight. 



The next morning was rainy and dark, and the chiefs pro- 

 posed to rest here for the day to re-arrange the packages, and 

 to supply the places of eleven of the men who had departed 

 during the night before last, after having received their 

 supply of rice for two or three days in advance. I was some- 

 what surprised to find that the men who had left had the 

 lightest loads. Two of them had only had a small box of 

 tea, about ten pounds weight, and a black leather bag to 

 carry between them ; and other two had had only my hat- 

 box, and a small bundle of bedding for their load. Some of 

 the men said they had relations in the neighbourhood, and 

 took the opportunity of being near to pay them a visit, but 

 I apprehended that their going might arise from its being 

 government service in which they were employed, and for 



