400 
VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. 
CHAP. XIV. 
the savage; and had any caterer for public amusement in 
Europe been present, the Sakalava waltz might perhaps have 
been transferred to more civilised assemblies. 
After the Sakalava dance,* about a hundred females, con¬ 
nected, as I inferred, from their air, their apparel, and the 
careful and elaborate dressing of their hair, with the officers 
and other respectable families of the capital, entered the open 
space. They ranged themselves three abreast and facing the 
queen, in a sort of open column. The line or column con¬ 
sisted of thirty-four successive threes. As soon as they were 
in position they slipped the lambas or scarfs from their 
shoulders down to their waists, and thus exhibited their rich 
velvet, satin, silk, and muslin dresses, many of them trimmed 
about the body and sleeves with gold. The queen’s band 
commenced a slow soft native tune. A dancing-master at the 
head of the column, and facing the queen, signalled the 
movements, and the dancing commenced—if dancing it could 
be called in which the feet covered by the flowing lamba 
appeared scarcely to move, for each dancer remained on the 
same spot, and the arms chiefly answered in easy and grace¬ 
ful motion to the measure of the music. There was not a 
really fair face among them, though none were very dark. The 
figure and the countenance of many were more finely formed 
than those of lower grade, and numbers of them might have 
been termed handsome. The music consisted entirely of 
original native tunes remarkably soft and simple. After two 
or three dances they bowed to the sovereign and retired. 
Such were the native dances of the day. 
Five very juvenile couples, dressed in silk and muslin, now 
came forward. They were the children of the high officers of 
the government, and danced exceedingly well in the European 
style, to European tunes. They also made their bow to the 
queen, and then retired. 
Eight couples of young men and women then rose from the 
