CHAPTER NINE.
A JOVIAL CHIEF, AND NEW EXPERIENCES OF VARIOUS KINDS.
The friendly hospitality of the chief of this village was found to belikely to cause delay, for he would not hear of his visitors departinguntil they had been feasted and entertained with games and hunting.
As they were completely in his power there was nothing for it but tosubmit with the best grace possible, although Ravonino was naturallyanxious to push on.
"You see it won't do to look as if we were indifferent to hishospitality," said the guide. "He would be greatly offended, for youmust know that the Malagasy pride themselves on their hospitality.Come, we will go and have a look at the neighbouring woods while theyare preparing breakfast for us, and I will tell you a story about thelate King Radama."
"Was that the good king you told us about who did so much for themissionaries, though he wasn't a Christian himself?" asked Hockins, asthey all passed through the enclosure of the village and entered thewoods.
"Yes, the same," replied the guide, "though whether he was a Christianor not I cannot tell. I judge no man. He made no profession ofChristianity, but he was kind to the missionaries--very different fromRanavalona."
"Das de oosurper, what you call 'er?" said Ebony.
"Just so," returned the guide. "Well, as I was saying, our people arevery hospitable. Everywhere, almost, throughout the country, when atraveller enters a village, a present is usually brought to him of rice,poultry, or fruit, or whatever they have on hand. You'll find out thatfor yourselves as you go along--"
"A bery proper state ob tings," remarked Ebony.
"And whatever house you come to," continued Ravonino, "the owner willinvite you politely to enter, and make you welcome. Of course there aregreedy and surly people here and there, but these are an exception tothe rule. Well, on one occasion King Radama heard of some people ofthat sort. You must know that our chiefs have always required that theyshould be entertained on the best the people could provide. It is anold custom. Well, Radama made a law that all the provisions and otherkinds of property should belong to the people, but all the houses in thecountry should belong to the sovereign; and he ordered the inhabitantsto furnish lodgings to his servants and soldiers wherever they went. Inorder to make sure that his orders were obeyed the King soon after wentin disguise to a village some distance off, and towards evening entereda peasant's house and asked to be taken in for the night.
"The heads of the family did not refuse, but rendered their hospitalityin such a way as showed that he was not welcome. Next day he went toanother house. There he was kindly welcomed, civilly treated, and thebest they had in the house was set before him. In the morning whentaking leave he made himself known, no less to the surprise thanconsternation of the family, and he left, assuring them that theirhospitality should not be forgotten. The King kept his word, for heafterwards sent his officers to the village with a stern reproof to hisfirst entertainer and a handsome present to the other."
Just as the guide finished his anecdote a resplendent butterfly ofenormous size rose from the bushes, and Mark, to whom it was quite a newspecimen, bounded after it, but failed to effect a capture.
"Neber mind, massa," said the sympathetic Ebony, "you'll hab better lucknex' time--p'r'aps!"
"Besides," added the guide, "there are plenty more where that came from,for we have got into a good region for insects."
"Seems to me," said Hockins, "it's a good region for everything. Lookat that now,"--he pointed to an object in front of him. "I would saythat was a spider if it warn't as big as a bird, and hadn't set up afishin'-net for a web!"
Although not strictly correct, the seaman's description had a foundationin truth, for some of the spiders of Madagascar are enormous, and theirwebs so thick that it requires a considerable effort to break them.Moreover they are said to be poisonous, and the bite of some evendeadly.
The contemplation of those creatures, however, had to be cut short atthat time, as they did not dare to risk keeping Voalavo waitingbreakfast for them.
"We are going to stick pigs and hunt wild cattle," said the jovialchief, with his mouth full of chicken and rice, when they arrived. "Wewill show the white men some fun."
On this being translated Ebony hoped that the black man was included inthe white, and Mark asked if the hunting-ground was far-off.
"A long way," said the chief, "we shan't reach it till night. Butthat's no matter, for night is our time to hunt."
He said this with a twinkle in his eye, for he saw well enough that hisguests were impatient to be gone.
"But," continued he, on observing that they did not seem cheered by theprospect, "our road to the hunting-plain lies on your way toAntananarivo, so you won't lose time."
As he spoke he opened a small box containing a brown sort of dust, ofwhich he put as much as he possibly could between the teeth of his lowerjaw and the lip.
"What in all the world is he doin'?" asked Hockins of the guide in a lowtone.
"He is taking snuff."
"I always s'posed," remarked Ebony, "dat snuff was tooken by de nose!"
"So it is, they tell me, in England; but we have a different fashionhere, as you see, and quite as foolish."
"You don't mean that it's tobacco he treats in that way?" exclaimedMark.
"Not pure tobacco, but tobacco mixed with other things--something likethe cheap cigars which you English are said to smoke!" replied Ravoninowith something of a humorous twinkle in his eyes. "But we don't smoke.We only snuff. In making our snuff we first dry the tobacco leaves andgrind them to powder. Then to this we add the ashes of the leaves of asweet-smelling herb, the mixture being twice as much tobacco as ashes; asmall quantity of potash or salt is added, and then it is considered fitfor use."
"Don't your people smoke at all?" asked Hockins.
"Not much, and never tobacco--except those on the coast who have beencorrupted by Europeans. Some of us used to smoke _rongona_, a kind ofhemp. It is a powerful stimulant, and used to be taken by warriorsbefore going out to battle, because it drove them nearly mad, and sofitted them for their bloody work. Government has lately forbidden itsuse--but it is still used in secret."
"They've got baccy, an' don't smoke!" murmured Hockins to himself in akind of meditative surprise, as though he had just been told that thenatives possessed food and did not eat.
"But _you_ don't smoke?" remarked the guide.
"That's 'cause I hain't got baccy nor pipe. You give me pipe and baccyan' I'll smoke you into fits in no time."
"Do you feel the want of it much?"
"Not much. At first I did, most awful, but now I'm gettin' over it."
The guide was silent. He might have remarked, "Yet now, if you had thechance, you would enslave yourself _again_!" but, not being of anargumentative turn of mind, he merely shook his head and changed thesubject. It was well, for Hockins was one of those people who, "ifconvinced against their will, remain of the same opinion still."
After breakfast, while the young men of the tribe armed themselves andmade preparation for the expedition, Ravonino took his friends throughthe village, the inhabitants of which were evidently as deeplyinterested in seeing the white men as the latter were in seeing thebrown; for each were objects of curiosity to the other.
During the stroll our friends saw the weaving of the _lamba_--the largeplaid-like garment of hempen cloth worn extensively in the island. Thelooms were rude and simple, but the fabrics produced were wonderfullygood in appearance and texture, some being made of a kind of coarsesilk. Many of them were ornamented, and rendered very heavy withimmense quantities of small leaden beads fastened to the garment eitherin straight or curved rows, the lead having been procured from tradersat the coast, and the beads having been manufactured by themselves.These natives wore but little clothing--merely a cloth round the loins,and sometimes a jacket made of coarse material. The _lamba_ is usuallyworn over the shoulders in the cool of the morning, but at the time wewrite of most of the
men who used the garment, had bound it tightlyround their waists.
Our travellers were made acquainted at this time with a game whichinterested them greatly--especially arousing the enthusiasm of thenegro. It was a kicking game, played by some of the more active amongthe young men, who, having got ready for the field quickly, were waitingfor their slower companions. The chief peculiarity of the gameconsisted in the mode of kicking, namely backwards, in the horse ordonkey fashion. The guide explained that the name of the game, whenliterally translated, was, "striking blue with the sole of the foot!"It is a desperate game, and when played, as it frequently is, byhundreds of active and powerful young men, the results are sometimessprained ankles, broken legs, etcetera.
"Oh! das de game for me!" cried the enthusiastic Ebony, who could hardlybe restrained from joining. "De sole ob my foot's awrful broad, an' Icould strike black as well as blue. Do let me try, massa!"
Fortunately, perhaps, for our negro, the chief came out of his hut atthat moment and gave the signal for the hunters to advance, thusbringing the game and Ebony's aspirations to an abrupt end. The youngmen at once fell to the rear, and the whole party sallied forth into theforest.
It was magnificent weather, with just cloud enough to prevent the sunbeing overpoweringly hot, and the tract of country over which theypassed was surpassingly beautiful. To Mark Breezy it seemed as if allthe winged insects in the island had come forth to welcome him. Therewere butterflies of various sizes and brilliant colours flitting to andfro among the wild-flowers, besides dragon-flies, grasshoppers ofexquisite beauty, spiders with coats of gold and silver, caterpillarshalf-a-foot long in gorgeous array of black, scarlet, and yellow, andmany other creatures which we may not pause to describe here, thoughMark and the guide frequently paused to look at them, insomuch that theywere often left a considerable way behind. One of the butterflies whichMark caught at that time was very beautiful, and a slow flier. Itactually measured eight inches across the extended wings.
Of larger animals they saw none; and it may be as well to remark herethat there are no large carnivora in Madagascar--no lions, tigers,leopards panthers, or creatures of that sort--nothing larger than awild-cat and a wolf being known. Neither are there elephants, giraffes,rhinoceroses, hippopotami, antelope, nor deer; the only large animalsbeing two species of ox, and the wild-boar, goats and sheep, andcrocodiles. There are also huge bats, an animal of the monkey tribecalled the lemur, hedgehogs, and rabbits.
The lemurs are very pretty little things, and, being gentle affectionatecreatures, are sometimes tamed and kept as pets.
The scenery, we have said, was beautiful. At one turn of the road inparticular a landscape of such beauty appeared suddenly before them thatMark was arrested as if spell-bound; it was such a gorgeous combinationof luxuriant foliage--ferns and palms and bamboos, interlaced withcreepers, and enlivened by streams which brawled and tumbled inpicturesque cascades, over which hundreds of butterflies sported in thesunshine. From the height of land on which they stood a wide,well-watered plain was seen to extend far below them. It was hemmed inon either side by wooded hills and backed by the interior highlands.Far down the hill-side their companions could be seen wending their waythrough the tangled shrubbery, just in rear of the native hunters, ledby their energetic chief Voalavo. As the men carried spears, the pointsof which glittered in the sun, the party had quite a martial aspect.
To our young student the whole scene was enchanting. It had the effectof subduing and solemnising his feelings in a way which he had neverbefore experienced. The earnest, religious cast of his companion'sspirit also tended not a little to deepen this feeling and induce himfor the first time in his life to understand that "nature's God" was invery truth present with him.
"Is not the hand of the Master here?" said Ravonino, after a longsilence.
"Truly, my friend, it is," replied the young man, "and your remark putsme to shame. For many a time, through the microscope and the humanframe and the surrounding world, might I have seen this Master-handeverywhere--if my eyes had been open."
The guide turned on Mark an earnest, inquiring look.
"Friend," he said, impressively, "if this be so, you are now veryspecially awakened to the Truth. If you have passed through and seen somuch without recognising God in his creatures, you have been brought forthe first time to know yourself. Turn now--now--to the Saviour, and youwill henceforth see a glory in all things that you never saw before.Turn, my friend--for `now is the accepted time.'"
Ravonino spoke with such an earnest look and tone that the youth couldnot doubt the sincerity of his belief in the Saviour whom he soaffectionately held up to his view.
"Ravonino, I believe you are right. God help me to turn!"
"He _has_ helped you already," said the guide. "That prayer, _if true_,never yet came from an unrenewed heart."
As he spoke a shout from those further down the hill-side stopped theconversation and obliged the friends to resume the descent.
"That is the plain, I am told," said Ravonino, "where they expect tofind wild cattle, and where we shall have to encamp, no doubt, tillnight enables us to hunt."
"Not a very cheerful time to go sporting," said Mark.
"They do not count it sport," remarked his comrade, gravely. "They areshort of meat, and hunt for food."
A few minutes later and the party was encamped in the thick woods thatbordered the plain.