236 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
decomposition. The bier itself is left by the side of the 
grave, and a new one prepared on every new occasion. It 
is considered ceremonially polluted ; no one would venture 
to make use of it even for fire-wood. 
Drury, who was wrecked near St. Augustine’s Bay, and 
was sixteen years in the south-western part of the island, from 
which he returned to England in 1717, gives the following 
account of the general observances at burials in that part 
of the country:— 
44 When any one is dead, all the relations and neighbours 
come to the house; the women make doleful lamentations, 
and the men assist in the necessary preparations for the 
funeral. In the first place, they pitch upon a tree for a 
coffin: after that, a cow or an ox is killed, and some of 
the blood sprinkled upon it, imploring at the same time 
their forefathers, and the demons and demi-gods, to aid 
and assist them, and take care that the tree does not split 
in the falling, or that any one be not hurt either by cutting 
or felling it. When the tree is down, they cut it about 
a foot longer than the corpse, and split it directly length¬ 
wise, (for they always make choice of a tree which they 
know will split after this manner,) and dig both parts 
hollow like two troughs. It is then carried to the house, 
the corpse being in the mean time washed, and wrapped 
up in a lamba, or frequently in two, and sewed together. 
There is frankincense, or a gum much like it, burning all 
the time in the house. They seldom keep the corpse 
above one day, especially in hot weather. They put the 
corpse in the troughs, closing them together, and carry it 
upon six men’s shoulders. Every family has a burying- 
place of their own, which no one dares infringe or break 
into; nor does any one indeed attempt it: this is enclosed 
arid fenced round with sticks like palisadoes. When they 
