148 
MADAGASCAR. 
stood their language. Our “ hurricane ” friend, 
who was an excellent speaker of Malagasy, be¬ 
came so popular, and made himself so useful to 
the insular potentate, that when he eventually 
announced his intended departure for England, 
home, and duty, the dark monarch pressed him 
to remain as his counsellor and friend, and not 
only promised, I believe, to give him the half of 
his kingdom, but also to permit him to enter 
the royal circle as his own son-in-law. These 
honours, overwhelming and flattering as they 
were, were graciously declined, however, and it 
was with some amount of inward congratulation 
that our friend at length found himself again at 
sea, as these island kings and courts lag some¬ 
what in their manners and customs behind the 
times, and have an unpleasant way of forcing 
distinctions and hospitality upon those visitors 
who are likely to further their prospects or in¬ 
crease their prestige, but who are, nevertheless, 
themselves anxious to get away and back to 
home and civilisation. 
I will here recount some sea experiences of my 
own of a month’s voyage between Tamatave and 
Reunion in 1879. We had been waiting for a 
passage for some weeks at the beautiful little 
Malagasy harbour, but no ship had arrived. At 
length, on a Sunday afternoon, May 18, we left 
the island on board a roomy and pleasant steamer 
