Voyage to Madagascar. 323 



fliay be readily fuppofed that he would 

 hot have purfued this route had he been 

 acqtiainted with the danger of it : but Beny- 

 owfki wa3 fo little afraid that any one 

 could march by fo difficult a road, that he 

 had negleded to cut down the bridge which 

 rendered it pafTable. This negligence is 

 inconceivable in a man who expeded an at- 

 tack : for it was afterwards known, that 

 he openly faidj " The people of Foulepointei 

 " will foon come to afk reftitution of the 

 " magazine I have feized : I am glad of it ; 

 " for they will fave me the trouble of go- 

 " ing to attack them at Foulepointe." 



When M. Larcher had pafled the bridge 

 with his artillery, he dillin£tly heard the 

 nolfe of people at work. A little while after 

 the advanced guard announced that he faw 

 a red flag, which is the ordinary fignal for 

 engaging in this ifland* M. Larcher im- 

 mediately ordered his men to infpedt their 

 Y 2 arms, 



