HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
433 
apparently playing in the sand, while in fact he was work¬ 
ing the sikidy with it.* They seized him; and, in order to 
obtain his liberty, he promised, if they would release him, to 
teach them something; and on their consenting, he instructed 
them thoroughly in the art of the sikidy. They then left 
him, and went to their chieftain, assuring him that they 
could tell him the past and the future—what was good and 
what was bad—what increased and what diminished. 
44 Well,” replied he, 44 tell me by what means I can obtain 
plenty of cattle.” They accordingly worked their sikidy, 
and then directed him to kill all the bullocks he possessed, 
assuring him that great numbers would come to him on 
the following Friday. 44 But what,” said the chieftain, 
probably thinking that to kill all his bullocks was not a 
likely means of obtaining more, 44 if your prediction should 
not come true ?” 44 For that,” said they, 44 we will guarantee 
our heads.” The chieftain then ordered his cattle to be 
all killed, and waited patiently for the new supply until 
Thursday; when, seeing no prospect of any, and appre¬ 
hending that he had been imposed upon, he very rashly 
and prematurely inflicted death upon the man who had first 
named to him the art. On Friday, however, much to the 
chieftain’s surprise and delight, amidst heavy showers of 
rain, vast herds of cattle came, and actually filled an im¬ 
mense plain. The chieftain lamented over the death of 
the man he had ordered to be killed, and directed him to 
be buried with much pomp and ceremony. The other he 
took into close friendship; and ever afterwards implicitly 
followed the directions of the sikidy. 
Two proverbial forms of speech, in common use at the 
present day, appear to have originated in this story. It is 
* Sikidy alanana, means the sikidy worked with sand ; sikidy voafano, 
worked with beans. 
I 2 F 
