303 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
five thousand stand of arms, which they had taken from 
the people of the country. Radama, however, sent home 
free those who had been free before, retaining none but 
slaves in slavery. But although complete success attended 
the efforts of the king’s troops in this campaign, the cruel¬ 
ties perpetrated on the vanquished, and the insult offered 
to the bodies of those who had fallen in defence of their 
hereditary and rightful sovereign and their property, have 
left a stain on the record of these transactions, too dark 
and horrible to be obliterated by any acts of apparent 
clemency, or even to be regarded by any honourable mind 
otherwise than as acts deserving ever to be held in just 
execration. 
On the return of the troops, several were charged with 
having deeply disgraced themselves by cowardice in the 
field. They were brought under examination, and one of 
the officers requesting that he might be allowed to drink 
the tangena, as a test of his having faithfully discharged his 
duty, his request was granted, and the test decided in his 
favour. Nine, however, w r ere condemned capitally, and 
suffered the appalling death of burning. At the place of 
public execution, a large circle of faggots was formed 
around them; and the sufferings of one or two, who endea¬ 
voured to extricate themselves, were dreadful in the 
extreme. 
The king prolonged his visit at Tamatave until Novem¬ 
ber, 1827, when he returned to the capital in a state of 
health so much impaired, as to occasion the most serious 
apprehensions. He had remained at Tamatave partly on 
account of business, and partly for the indulgence of his 
habits of enjoyment, which were far from being diminished 
in proportion as his bodily strength declined. 
Great as was the sense of fear which the superiority of 
