HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
57 
plaintive howl from his dog, which slept at the door of his 
tent; and that, on rushing out, he was just in time to see 
a crocodile dive into the adjacent stream with the dog in 
his jaws. 
Like the ancient Egyptians, and the inhabitants of 
Sumatra, with some other parts of the East, in the present 
day, the Malagasy regard the crocodile with superstitious 
veneration. By the latter he is esteemed the king of the 
waters, and they not only consider him as supreme in his 
own element, but seem to suppose the animal has a right 
to be so. To dispute it, according to their ideas, would be 
to expose themselves to his vengeance, and to consequent 
death. To shake a spear over a river, is regarded as chal¬ 
lenging the lord of the waters, and exposing themselves to 
his wrath the next time they had to pass that or any other 
stream. To throw any kind of manure into the river, 
especially that of cows, is deemed to be an unpardonable 
affront; and it is thought to be well for the unhappy man 
who commits such an outrage, if he forfeit not his life for 
his temerity. Hence, perhaps, it happens they seldom 
attempt to destroy the crocodile, and rather avoid what¬ 
ever they suppose likely to provoke him. They have 
ody mamba, charms against the crocodile, which are some¬ 
times thrown into the river, but generally carried about 
the person. 
The natives also, at times, when about to cross a river, 
pronounce a solemn oath, or enter into an engagement to 
acknowledge the sovereignty of the crocodile in his own 
element. Monsieur de V., whose voyage to Madagascar 
was published in 1722, after speaking of an aged native who 
had been occupied at the water’s edge nearly half an hour 
in pronouncing his oath, observes, “ After this, elevating 
his voice, so that he might be heard across the river, he 
