136 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
who had firelocks did the same; and in the course of the 
dance fired them off, always on the ground. 
While the dance was going on, a general firing took place 
from the town and all parts of the mountains, and the 
travellers were soon surrounded with seven or eight thousand 
men, armed with muskets, which they fired in token of 
pleasure at the arrival of the strangers. Between twenty 
and thirty thousand persons appeared on the borders of the 
town and the surrounding hills, and the immediate mul¬ 
titude were not less than seventy thousand more. 
The party belonging to Le Sage then proceeded up the 
mountain a little way, the increasing pressure of the crowd 
putting an end to all order; and there being but a narrow 
pathway, the whole body marched over and trod down the 
fields of vegetables on the brow of the mountain. Le Sage 
was then requested to halt again; which he was extremely 
unwilling to do, on account of the sick, by whom he was 
accompanied, suffering so greatly from the heat of the sun, 
and the crowd pressing them almost to suffocation. He 
was obliged, however, to consent; and, in a few minutes, 
twenty women came down the hill, each laden with a kind 
of woven box, in which were all kinds of meat, rice, plan¬ 
tains, and milk, which they presented for the refreshment 
of the travellers. After this, one of Radama’s ministers 
commanded silence, which was obtained almost immediately, 
though surrounded by so many thousands. He then ad¬ 
dressed the people, saying, that Radama had given their 
country to his visitor; and on asking them if they con¬ 
sented, they answered, Yes. The minister then, with the 
same politeness, addressed Le Sage, telling him he was 
their king, and commanded their country and all that was 
in it; adding, that Radama commanded only at Mauritius. 
The way into the town being of very laborious ascent, 
