HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
481 
greater than in the former case, his verdict becomes a 
source of actual profit to him. But few would willingly 
court the risk of obtaining it. 
In litigating and deciding cases before the judges, the 
tangena is often given to fowls or dogs, as representing 
plaintiff and defendant, and the verdict given according to 
the effect of the tangena. This mode is resorted to in 
different cases,—when evidence is deficient or intricate, or 
apparently equal between the two parties; a far more expe¬ 
ditious mode than is sometimes adopted in the courts of 
more civilized countries. 
However much there may be in the practices of this 
ordeal from which an enlightened mind instinctively shrinks, 
as irrational and presumptuous, yet so strong is the con¬ 
viction in the mind of the Malagasy of the unquestionable 
rectitude of its decisions, that many promptly challenge its 
being given them, and most earnestly solicit it, on any sus¬ 
picion or intimation of their being mamosavy. Conscious 
of innocence, they demand the ordeal, fully confident that 
the verdict will be in their favour, and that thus they will 
stand pure in the eye of their family, their friends, and the 
people, and moreover obtain the fine which the false accuser 
must pay in. It becomes, therefore, a point of honour and 
interest with an accused person to demand the test. If he 
declined it, he would expose himself to a public suspicion 
of being conscious of guilt, and consequently afraid to sub¬ 
mit to trial. He would then be watched the more narrowly; 
some actions would be misinterpreted, and at the next time 
of general accusation he would probably be compelled to 
take it; and then, at the best, if declared innocent, have a 
fine of only three instead of twenty-nine and a half dollars. 
Some instances have occurred of persons refusing to 
drink when called on to do it. This is taken as an acknow- 
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