288 VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. chap. xi. 
I saw weaving, with the same sort of material, a strong 
species of cloth, for which this neighbourhood is celebrated. 
This village had formerly been a place of some importance; 
and, before the time of Radama, was a sort of independent or 
feudal town, governed by its own chief, who had the power 
of life and death, and rendered only a modified homage or 
military service to the most powerful chief of the province. 
In the evening, Izaro distributed the rice to the bearers. 
The men belong to two divisions of the people, and these. 
divisions are subdivided into parties of ten men each; each 
division received a couple of sacks containing about one hun¬ 
dred pounds each. Each division seized their sacks, and, 
spreading a mat on the ground, emptied the whole out in a 
heap, then measured out the shares to every party, with much 
noise, and, I suppose, great satisfaction, for they all thanked 
me for the supply. At every halting place, the head of the 
party serves out the supply for each individual; and, as the 
inhabitants of the place are always willing to lend cooking 
vessels, and fuel is abundant, this meal of the bearers is soon 
ready. 
Early the next morning, a number of canoes, most of 
which had been sheltered among high reeds on the opposite 
side of the river, were brought to the edge of the water, and 
loaded with the packages. The canoes are made out of a 
single tree, generally the inophyllum, and are some of them 
very large, with bottoms as round as a barrel, and no out¬ 
rigger ; yet the natives seem to have no fear of their up¬ 
setting. On this occasion, I witnessed from my door the 
only thing like a fracas which occurred within my observa¬ 
tion during my stay in the country. Several of the men 
appeared to be quarrelling about the adjustment of the load 
in one of the canoes, and blows with the fist were soon inter¬ 
changed quite as freely as words. Indeed, there was so little 
noise, that the former seemed to be involuntarily substituted 
