HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
223 
ebony stick, about two feet in length, which was recognized 
by Mr. Hastie as belonging to the king. On arriving at a 
village within view, the stick was given to another man, 
who seemed to have been waiting for it, and who immediately 
ran forward as the other had done. It proved afterwards 
that this was the plan adopted by Radama for having the 
intelligence of the travellers’ approach announced to him. 
About noon they arrived at the foot of the hill upon 
which the capital is situated, and were ordered to await the 
farther pleasure of the king. Here they were met by 
Ramenetra and Ramarosikina, two of the king’s minis¬ 
ters, mounted and habited as field-officers, and bearing the 
intelligence that his majesty would receive Mr. Hastie 
at four o’clock; that he was highly pleased at his arrival, 
and could not permit him to ascend the hill without 
shewing his satisfaction by receiving him publicly, for 
which purpose his people were summoned. About twenty 
minutes before that time, Mr. Robin, a Frenchman, acting 
as secretary to Radama, dressed as an aid-du-camp, waited 
upon Mr. Hastie with a private note from the king, whose 
watch he bore, in order to fix the precise moment of 
setting out. This gentleman proved himself an unskilful 
dissembler; and while loudly and vehemently expressing 
his joy, betrayed to the keen eyes of Mr. Hastie that he 
was struggling with chagrin at the duty devolving upon him. 
But Mr. Hastie’s own words will best describe the general 
appearance of things at the capital, and the behaviour of 
the king, who had so much reason to complain of the want 
of good faith on the part of the British. 
“ At four o’clock,” Mr. Hastie writes in his journal, 
44 Mr. Jones and I ascended the hill, several cannons having 
been fired since our arrival at noon. About half-way up 
the ascent, we entered between two lines of troops, well 
