426 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
ill—the Vazimba will come in the night, and carry you 
away to the region of ghosts.” 
It was by no means improbable that some unfavourable 
effect should be produced solely from the influence of their 
excited imaginations; and the slightest illness at that time 
would have banished all their courage, and confirmed their 
superstitious fears. Inquiry was therefore made for a few 
mornings successively, “Have you yet seen the Vazimba?” 
“ No,” said they, “we have not; and as we continue well, 
we are now convinced that all fears of the kind are ground¬ 
less, The Vazimba has no power to injure us—it is a 
senseless imagination.” “ But,” said the Missionaries, 
“ what do your parents say to this ? Does it not also tend 
to convince them ?” “ No,” they replied, “ our parents say 
that you white people have some strong and effectual charms, 
which the Vazimba are not able to resist,” 
Since that period the scholars have shown but little 
apprehension of these objects of national superstition, and 
some have entirely lost the dread of them. 
The influence of fear in such cases has been frequently 
attested by the Malagasy, in the serious illness of which it 
has been the cause; an instance of this kind occurred some 
time ago in connexion with the youth mentioned in the 
foregoing anecdote. Early in the year 1822, being at that 
time a scholar in the Mission School, he became alarmingly 
ill. He was seized with the most violent pains, leaped 
about the room, and endeavoured to strike those near him 
like one insane, and afterwards he became both deaf and 
dumb. These attacks were repeated for several days, and 
always at the same time of the day. The people accounted 
for them by saying he had been visited by some Vazimba. 
The youth, on his recovery and returning to school, was 
asked what had been the matter with him. “ A Vazimba,” 
