CHAP. xii. NATIVE RECOLLECTIONS OF ENGLAND. 339 



conveying a warm and affectionate assurance of welcome, and 

 earnest desire that we might soon greet each other. The mes- 

 sengers themselves seemed to find much satisfaction in unitedly 

 welcoming the stranger sent by their friends in England to 

 visit them. Twenty years had passed away since the English 

 who had formerly resided among them left the country ; but 

 my arrival, they said, was evidence that the Malagasy were not 

 forgotten by their early and steady friends. I expressed my 

 deep sense of their kindness, and observed to one of my com- 

 panions that I would rather decline the present, as my people 

 had more than enough already ; but they said, " Don't re- 

 fuse this present : it will grieve them much if you do." I 

 therefore cheerfully accepted what they had brought, and, 

 when I had written a short letter of grateful acknow- 

 ledgment to the friends by whom they were sent, they re- 

 turned. 



The next day was Sunday, and I was glad to make it a day 

 of rest. In the morning a message arrived from an officer at 

 the capital, who had when a youth been educated in England. 

 He expressed his pleasure at my approach, and his hopes of 

 hearing of friends in England, " that happy land," as he 

 designated it ; and at the same time offering some friendly 

 suggestions. I sent a short reply by his messenger. In the 

 course of the day a messenger arrived from the prince, con- 

 veying a most cordial welcome, and the expression of his plea- 

 sure at hearing of my near approach. 



During the afternoon I walked out for a couple of miles or 

 more along the road to the westward of the village. The 

 wind was blowing fresh from the north-west, and though 

 I wore a thick great coat, and walked briskly, I felt the cold 

 far more keenly than I had expected. After my return other 

 friends arrived from the capital to bid me welcome, and with 

 them I had much interesting conversation and enjoyment of 

 this day's rest. In the evening the resident chief of the village 



z 2 



