278 
VISITS TO MADAGASCAR 
CHAP. XI. 
addicted to drinking, and that what should have furnished 
provisions for the men, had been spent in arrack, I requested 
Izaro, a friendly chief of our party, and one whom I thought 
I could trust, to undertake the purchasing of food for the 
bearers during the journey. This necessitated the numbering 
of our company, that he might know for how many he had, to 
provide rice twice a day. I was a little startled when he 
brought me the list, amounting to upwards of 109; but 
being fully persuaded that an empty stomach would not make 
a man’s burden lighter, or in any way help him over the road, 
I furnished Izaro with money, earnestly requesting him to 
see that all the bearers of my packages were regularly sup¬ 
plied with food. There were two vessels loading with rice at 
Tamatave when we left; and the demand for that article 
being just now somewhat unusual, it was not at every village 
in this neighbourhood that rice could be obtained. Manioc 
of excellent quality, however, was abundant, and with this 
the people were equally well satisfied. 
Again the rain fell heavily throughout the night; but, as 
the weather cleared soon after daybreak, the maromites set 
off with their packages. Before we started, Ramananasoa, a 
Hova officer, arrived from Tamatave, having been sent by the 
governor to see that every needful assistance was rendered us 
on the road. 
Before resuming the account of my journey to the capital, 
it may be well to offer a few words in explanation respecting a 
class of persons which I may frequently have occasion to 
mention in the course of my narrative, viz. the native officers. 
These are not persons wearing uniforms, and occupied in mi¬ 
litary duties, but servants of the government, holding place in 
the graduated scale of rank established in the government 
service, civil as well as military. In many instances I should 
not have known they were officers at all, had not the attend¬ 
ants and others introducing them, announced their approach 
