CHAT. XIV. AFFECTING CASES OF SICKNESS. 391 



female friends, and carefully covered over ; when the bearers 

 came in, took np their burden, and, followed by the husband 

 and friends, carried her back to her home, which I was told 

 was at some distance. 



As soon as I was up the next morning I was asked to 

 go and see a number of sick persons from a distance, who 

 were in an adjacent house. I found a whole family — the 

 mother with an infant in her arms, and three other children 

 — all suffering from what seemed to be a severe attack of 

 influenza. \Mien I had spoken to the mother, the father 

 asked me if I could afford any relief to a young woman who 

 had come with her, who had been struck by lightning and 

 was deaf. He then pointed to another in the company who, 

 he said, was an orphan, and a martyr's child. While en- 

 gaged with this little company of sufferers, I was sent for to 

 my o^vn house, where I found an officer from the palace, who 

 asked for some medicine for himself and his children, and 

 who also told me that the queen was waiting for what the 

 diviners should declare to be a lucky day, in order to receive 

 the presents I had brought. I mentioned my want of a table 

 for photographic purposes, and in the course of the afternoon 

 one was sent from the prince's establishment ; and a right 

 royal table it was, — so large and heavy, as only with diffi- 

 culty to be got into the house. 



Amongst my visitors in the evening were a chief and one 

 of his companions, who had been during the past year to 

 Ibali. He stated that, in consequence of reports of a foreign 

 teacher being at Ibali, a place on the western coS,st of INIa^ 

 dagascar, a letter had been written stating that they had 

 heard of his arrival, but did not know whether he was 

 English, or French, or American, and that the bearer of the 

 letter had come to see him. My visitor, accompanied by five 

 others, had undertaken to convey this letter. Their equip- 

 ment consisted of two guns with ammunition, a spade to dig 



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