188 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR 
dual, when thus pledging friendship, and drunk by those 
to whom friendship is pledged, with execrations of vengeance 
on each other in case of violating the sacred oath. To 
obtain the blood, a slight incision is made in the skin 
covering the centre of the bosom, significantly called 
ambavafo, “ the mouth of the heart.’’ Allusion is made to 
this in the formula of this tragi-comical ceremony. 
When two or more persons have agreed on forming this 
bond of fraternity, a suitable place and hour are determined 
upon, and some gunpowder and a ball are brought, together 
with a small quantity of ginger, a spear, and two particular 
kinds of grass. A fowl also is procured; its head is nearly 
cut off; and it is left in this state, to continue bleeding during 
the ceremony. The parties then pronounce a long form 
of imprecation and mutual vow to this effect—“ Should either 
of us prove disloyal to the sovereign, or unfaithful to each 
other, then perish the day, and perish the night.* Awful 
is that, solemn is that which we are now both about to 
perform ! O the mouth of the heart!—this is to be cut, 
and we shall drink each other’s blood. O this ball! O this 
powder ! O this ginger ! O this fowl weltering in its blood ! 
it shall be killed, it shall be put to excruciating agonies,— 
it shall be killed by us, it shall be speared at this corner of 
the hearth, (Alakaforo or Adimizana, S.W.) And whoever 
would seek to kill or injure us, to injure our wives, or our 
children, to waste our money or our property ; or if either of 
us should seek to do what would not be approved of by the 
king or by the people; should one of us deceive the other 
by making that which is unjust appear just; should one 
accuse the other falsely ; should either of us with our wives 
* An expression remarkably similar to that of the patriarch Job, 
“ Perish the day in which I was born ! and the night which shouted * A man- 
child is brought forth !’ ” See Dr. Good’s Translation, ch. iii. ver. 3. 
