62 
MADAGASCAR. 
placed at the disposal of passers-by for their use 
and enjoyment, free of any charge, by command 
of the central Government. This house is kept 
clean and in good repair by the chief man of the 
village, and this duty is part of the fanampoana 
or personal service rendered to the State in lieu 
of direct taxes. The ceremony of the fanange- 
nana , or covenant of blood, as practised by the 
Malagasy, is peculiar. It prevails to a consider¬ 
able extent even now amongst the Sea Dyaks of 
Borneo, and consists of a solemn vow of eternal 
friendship and mutual obligation, sealed by the 
act of solemnly partaking of each other’s blood 
by the two contracting parties—by which act 
they become brothers or members of the same 
family. A small puncture is made in the breast, 
in the region of the heart, and the smallest 
quantity of blood possible suffices for the cere¬ 
mony. But its effect is binding and life-long, 
and its obligations are always observed by the 
Malagasy with the most profound respect and 
care. 
The betrothal of children prevails here as in 
India and elsewhere in the East, and they are 
often engaged long before they can understand 
the nature of their engagement, such arrange¬ 
ments being made by the parents for family 
reasons, and for the purpose of keeping together 
the possessions of the tribe. The Malagasy are 
