36 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
The first impression made upon his mind by the appear¬ 
ance and conduct of the natives, is described, in the following 
extracts, with all the feeling of a young and inexperienced 
adventurer, who had not counted the cost, or calculated the 
dangers to which his own wilfulness had exposed him. 
“The country began now to be alarmed, and we had 
already two or three hundred negroes flocking around us, 
picking up several pieces of silk and fine calicoes: the 
muslin they had little regard for. Our goods were driven 
ashore in whole bales; for, what with saltpetre and other 
things, we reckoned there might be three hundred tons 
left, after all that was thrown overboard at sundry times 
before. 
“ One of the negroes brought an ox to us, and intimated 
by sundry signs that we should kill him; but we made 
signs to them again to shoot him for us, we having no am¬ 
munition : when one of them perceived this, he lent us his 
gun, ready charged, and with it one of our men shot the 
bullock on the spot. 
u It was extremely shocking to see the negroes cut the 
beast, skin and flesh together, and sometimes the entrails 
also, then toss them into the fire or ashes, as it happened, 
and eat them half roasted. I shuddered for fear they 
should devour us in like manner; for they seemed to me 
to be a kind of cannibals, of whom I had heard very dread¬ 
ful stories. Every thing, in short, appeared horrible to 
nature, and excited in us the most dismal apprehensions.” 
The melancholy fate of that portion of the ship’s crew 
with which Drury was associated when he reached the 
shore, more than confirmed some of his worst fears. The 
chief who ruled over that part of the island where they 
were wrecked, having most probably some real or supposed 
injury to revenge upon the white people, had them all 
