150 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
to add, that the existence of the slave-trade was the reign 
of terror in Madagascar. 
One instance related by Mr. Hastie, in his journey 
through the country, will give some idea of the hopeless 
misery of those who suffer from this worst of evils that can 
afflict and desolate a country. 
“At Ambatomanga,” says Mr. Hastie, “ I witnessed a 
scene of uncontrollable grief in a poor woman. She had 
quarrelled with and parted from her sister, about a week 
before; and while the man who acted as her protector was 
absent with some iron-work for sale, the sister had stolen 
her daughter, a girl of fourteen, and sold her to the nephew 
of Jean Rene, who had been to the capital, most probably 
for the purpose of purchasing slaves. On learning that 
her child was sold, the woman immediately followed in the 
track of the purchaser, taking with her two slave-boys, in 
the hope of exchanging them for the girl. She failed, how¬ 
ever, in prevailing on the dealer to allow the exchange, and 
returned about the dusk of the evening in the most distressing 
situation, and without the least expectation of redress.” 
Thus, by means of wars, kidnapping, debts, and robberies, 
the traders were constantly furnished, and large supplies 
were usually kept on hand at the capital, to which place 
the traders came up from the coast at different seasons of 
the year, carrying with them an extensive assortment of 
goods to exchange for slaves, and of money to effect pur¬ 
chases. Natives were often employed to attend the regular 
markets where slaves were publicly sold, and to obtain 
them there at the market price; and as such agents received 
a premium on the purchase for themselves, their cupidity 
increased their diligence, and the immense profits they 
reaped attached them to the traffic. Hence it is obvious 
that many different parties felt an interest in the continu- 
