A CANOE VOYAGE. 
101 
As probably nothing in the way of food will 
be available but rice and very tough beef on the 
journey, the traveller lays in a good store of tea, 
biscuits, and preserved meats. For those who 
require something stronger in the way of refresh¬ 
ment, a very inferior kind of rum, and the native 
beer, may be had at any of the villages at a 
very cheap rate ; but in most cases it is wisest to 
carefully and firmly avoid indulgence in these 
luxuries, as they are almost always heavily adul¬ 
terated, and therefore contain incentives to fever 
and debility. The start is usually made in the 
afternoon from Tamatave, as it takes some time 
to get the bearers together at the last, and to 
send off* everything in the way of baggage well 
on ahead of the traveller himself. The rule in 
Madagascar is, always to keep your belongings 
in front of you. No amount of persuasion, or 
specious promises on the part of his bearers, will 
induce the old campaigner to start until he has 
seen all his luggage carefully packed and sent 
off, and then he himself mounts his jilanjdna , 
and gives the word to depart. 
About eight miles south of Tamatave is the 
busy and thriving town of Ivondrona, where a 
considerable trade is done between the up- 
country Hovas and the east coast merchants, 
who come down here to meet the sellers and 
get an early choice of the market. The mouth 
