HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
313 
against tribe. To all which the king listened attentively ? 
and replied with his wonted shrewdness and good sense. 
On the 11th, the king dined on board the frigate, some 
of the English officers being left on shore as hostages. 
He had some trouble to satisfy his people about his safety, 
the French having spread a report that the English, who 
were in the practice of inviting the chiefs on board their 
ships, and carrying them off, wanted to entrap him. His 
own determination, however, silenced all remonstrances; 
but still the vessel was watched with jealousy by the people 
on shore, who shouted, whenever they perceived the least 
motion, “ There now, he is off. The king is gone.” 
He was accompanied on board by Ramanetaka, by another 
prince of his own family, and by Mr. Hastie, with three 
tsirondahy or body-guard, two servants, and a serjeant’s 
guard of grenadiers. He was evidently rather unnerved, 
and the rolling of the ship made him giddy; but he paid 
great attention to what was shewn him, unlike the gene¬ 
rality of the curious and uninformed, being inquisitive 
without annoying. In the course of conversation, many 
things fell under his notice, which led to subjects he had 
never heard of; and it is remarkable that his mind, instead 
of being oppressed by too much of what was new and sur¬ 
prising, seemed only to expand under the pressure. 
After dining on board the Ariadne, Radama drank the 
health of King George, and spoke to this effect,—that 
many attempts had been made to create animosity between 
him and the English, and to induce him to distrust them; 
that he felt for the king of England an attachment almost 
filial and he gave the greatest proof of his confidence in 
* The king expressed this by a familiar term, equivalent to saying, “ I 
hail him, old boy !”—and this to a monarch, who was distinguished as the 
most perfect gentleman in Europe ! 
