MEDICAL EXPEDIENCES. 
241 
have no idea of being thus peremptorily dis¬ 
missed from audience. Their capacity for 
“ hanging on ” is marvellous. Hints are so much 
waste of effort; actual “ turning out ” even has 
been known to fail; and the calm manner in which 
a Malagasy will come back to the dwelling from 
which he has been forcibly, if kindly, ejected 
a few minutes before, and ask for some fresh 
favour, or some special mark of your regard for 
him, is as delightful as it is inimitable. The 
natives, on the occasion which I am describing, 
finding my friend’s domicile closed to them, 
simply sat down in concentric rings, as is their 
custom, and proceeded to discuss the enclosed 
“ foreigner ”; and as the walls of the native 
dwellings are formed only of zozoro, or rib of 
the broad leaf of the palm-tree, with various 
convenient gaps up and down, the weary stranger 
had the satisfaction of listening to the various 
details of a discussion of his character, appear¬ 
ance, want of good manners, &c., which would be 
more likely to promote wakefulness than sleep. 
At length an idea dawned upon his troubled 
brain, the resources of dental science came to his 
rescue, and he sprang to the door with a terrific 
bound and hideous howl. There was a beautiful 
moon shining at the moment, and to the horror 
of the watching and breathless crowd, my friend 
put his hand to his mouth, and in a moment held 
Q 
