THE FATO-DRA. 225 



should violate his oath, and benedictions in favour of those 

 ■who should continue faithful to their engagement." 



From a native account of the fato-drd as observed among 

 the Hovas, and contained in a small book edited by the Rev. 

 W. E. Cousins, I translate the following: — "And these are 

 the observances customary in the blood covenant: They procure 

 seven roots of grass, and a grasshopper with its neck twisted, 

 and dung from a calf whose mother is dead (or lost), and 

 water from a spring drying up, an old bone, and a single 

 gun, and these are placed in a rice winnower, together with a 

 spear without a foot, and set in one side." 



After an invocation to God and the four corners of the 

 earth, and some supernatural being named Andriampatitra, 

 these are addressed as witnesses of the covenant about to be 

 entered into by such-an-one and such-an-one, who, although 

 not of the same parents, are united in friendship and affec- 

 tion by these things. An explanation is then given of each 

 of the articles brought, as follows : — " The seven roots of 

 grass are brought to show that if they do not observe [the 

 covenant], the sevenfold death will overtake them. The 

 grasshopper with twisted neck is brought also as a warning 

 that, if the covenant is not observed, their necks will be 

 twisted so they cannot see what is before them. The dung 

 of the calf bereft of its mother is brought as a warning that, 

 if they do not preserve this friendship, may they have no 

 descendants, no posterity to inherit. The water from the 

 drying-up spring is brought to warn them that, if they do not 

 keep friendship, their lives will dry up in a similar way. The 

 old bone is brought to show that, if they do not be friends, 

 may their bones be scattered with none to bury them. The 

 single gun is brought as a sign that if they do not be friendly 

 then may they be killed by a gun in the war, while as to 

 their corpses, devour them, hawks and all birds, that they 

 may not come to the home of their fathers ; and the spear 

 without its foot is brought to show that if they do not pre- 

 serve this friendship and relationship^ then may they be killed 

 by this (spear) in the hand ; and if they do not die by the 

 hands of others, may they die by their own hand, whether 

 going north or south, or east or west ; therefore are ye invoked, 



