HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
365 
The cattle having now been driven by their respective 
owners or their servants out of the court-yard, where it is 
supposed they received some benefit from the king’s sacri¬ 
fices, prayers, and benedictions, the whole town and country 
become one vast slaughter-house. Hundreds of animals 
may be seen driven about through every avenue of the 
town, with ropes thrown around their horns and entangling 
their feet, while all hands are employed in the revolting but 
universal occupation of maiming, hacking, killing, dragging, 
and dividing. From ten to fifteen thousand bullocks are 
usually killed on this occasion. Some wealthy families kill ten 
or twelve; those of the middling classes, three ; and amongst 
the poor, two, three, or four families unite their means, and 
purchase one for division among themselves. All make an 
effort at this festival, though they should impoverish their 
resources for the whole of the coming year. Those who 
kill the fattest bullocks attain the greatest honours. Some 
are fed up for the occasion, and cost from seven to seven¬ 
teen dollars, and in a few instances they are actually kept 
in the fahitras, and fattened there during a space of three or 
four years. Of all that are killed in the town, the allotted 
portion, the rump, is presented to the sovereign; and in the 
country, the same portion is presented to the chiefs and 
nobles* 
It is usual for the sovereign to distribute a large number 
of cattle himself, especially if about commencing an expe¬ 
dition. In 1821 the number given by Rad am a was not 
less than two thousand. By a general edict the people are 
forbidden to kill any bullocks for a few days previous to 
the feast, and for a week or ten days afterwards. During 
the last years of the king’s reign, orders were issued that a 
smaller number of cattle should be killed lest the country 
should be too much impoverished. 
