HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
489 
The complainant, however, was encouraged by other 
judges, and by several officers of the government; and 
ultimately the whole was brought before the queen. The 
man who had spoken against the idols was ordered to drink 
the tangena, that it might be ascertained whether he had 
intended to revile the idols or not. The accused Christian 
was preserved through the ordeal, and declared innocent, 
but it was reported, that though the tangena did not prove 
him guilty, the queen considered the conduct of the Christians 
such as to merit her extreme displeasure. 
Shortly after this, it was reported that the queen being 
ill, the chief officer in the gevernment was sent to the place 
where one of the national idols was kept, for a powerful 
charm, which it was supposed would remove her sickness. 
On his way to the capital with the emblems of the idol, 
and the charm for which he had been sent, some of his 
relatives, who were Christians, spoke of the inutility of 
recourse to the idols or charms on such occasions, and 
spoke of the true God as the only restorer of health, and 
preserver of life; adding, that multitudes in the country 
held similar opinions. This was reported to the queen, 
and greatly increased her displeasure against the Christians. 
On the 15th of February, which was the Sabbath, the queen 
went out in great state, being carried in a sort of palanquin, 
surrounded by troops, and proceeded by numbers of women, 
officers, and nobles. The royal party passed by one of the 
chapels while the congregation assembled for public worship 
were singing; and on this occasion the queen was heard to 
say, in reference to their worship, u They will not stop till 
some of them lose their heads.” 
The Christians were neither ignorant of the charges 
preferred against them, nor of the feelings with which they 
were regarded by the queen, and could scarcely avoid 
