HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
255 
few birds which they shot, during the space of eight days. 
The people died on the road, unable to sustain the compli¬ 
cated evils arising out of the heat of the climate, the 
destructive fever, and the dearth of sustenance. So great 
were the losses sustained, that it became a general obser¬ 
vation—“ The Ambaniandro are exhausted; clean dried up. 
Of the people there are no more !” Every village, every 
family, had cause to share in the general lamentation; all had 
to mourn some deceased friend or relation; and, for months 
afterwards, not a day transpired without the firing of mus¬ 
ketry in some part of the capital, as an indication of the 
arrival of the corpse of one who had fallen in the war. In 
many instances the bones only were brought, the flesh hav¬ 
ing been all carefully scraped off on the spot where the 
body was found. 
At the capital of Ramitraha, a place called Mananarivo, 
fifteen miles from the Mozambique channel, Mr. Hastie 
found one of the idols belonging to that chieftain. The 
Hovas were delighted; for having got possession of the 
object worshipped, they were confident they should soon 
find the worshippers. u The Sakalavas,” said they, “ aban¬ 
don their gods: their gods will abandon them.” In this, 
however, they were mistaken; for the caverns and forests 
in which the enemy were concealed, proved a better protec¬ 
tion than their gods. Of slaves and cattle, however, the 
Hovas took vast numbers, as well as of free people, who 
were then sold into slavery, and with these they returned 
to Tananarive. In consequence of the sickness of the 
people, it was found impossible to convey two pieces of 
cannon, which had been taken, to the capital, they were, 
therefore, buried near the banks of the great river Mania, 
and afterwards brought up by a party under the command 
of Ramanetaka. 
