288 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
bouring district, and a large meeting was held, to which 
the discontented repaired. Information of these proceed¬ 
ings soon reached the capital. About two thousand sol¬ 
diers were immediately summoned; they renewed their 
oaths of allegiance, promising that whoever should be found 
guilty of creating a disturbance, even if their own parents 
should be implicated, they required but the king’s order or 
permission to put them to death: after these assurances of 
fidelity, the soldiers were ordered to guard the capital. 
On the following day, four or five thousand females assem¬ 
bled at Ambatoroka, a village to the east of Tananarivo, 
and sent a kabary, or message, to the king, complaining of 
his having adopted foreign customs, and having allowed 
his people to be taught by Europeans. In reply, Radama 
sent to ask them what were their grievances; if they were 
too heavily taxed, or if they were displeased at having their 
sons employed in the army; whether he were their king or 
not, and whether they had chosen some other king in his 
stead ? They replied to these questions in the negative; 
but said, they were the nurses of the king, and complained 
because he had adopted the customs of the foreigners; 
had allowed them to teach him and his people; had 
changed the customs of his ancestors; and, finally, he 
had cut off his hair, and drank spirituous liquors. Radama 
sent back a message to ask, if, being king, he had not 
a right to do as he pleased with his hair without consulting 
women; reminding them, it was the inalienable right of 
the twelve monarchs to do as they pleased, and added, 
that he would presently give them a proof of this, by 
taking care that their own hair should never grow again. 
Having ascertained who were the ringleaders, five of them 
were selected, and orders were given to the soldiers of their 
districts and families so to cut off their hair that it should 
