Words Dialects Roots Dictionaries Illustrations Home Page Proper Names Vocabularies Derivatives Grammars Bibliography Contributors Symbols Parts of speech Proverbs Articles Webliography Inquiries Anagrams Toponymy Plates and Tables Changes

| | | |

Engagement of four hundred Men to carry the Personnel of the Mission to the Capital — Dividing the Baggage — Strike of the Marmites — A Wet Sunday in Tamatave — Advance of a Portion of the Baggage on the Road — First Day’s March — River Hivondro — Anzolokafa — Crossing a River — Halt at Ambalatambaca — Arrival at Trano Maro.

By this morning, the number of Marmites recruited for us by well-paid emissaries was nearly complete, and we are in hopes of sending off on Saturday about two hundred men with the heavy luggage, and of following ourselves on Monday. We were taken up to the Fort at the dinner hour, with all the usual ceremony, and found a large table spread in the lower room of the Governor’s house, with roast and boiled, stewed and curried,—all the delicacies in and out of season. Everybody helped himself, some sixty guests sitting down. Knives and forks were used by those who had them, those who had not availed themselves of their fingers. The Governor sat at the top of the table with the General on his right hand, and the Bishop on his left. A great many loyal and friendly toasts were drunk, and at about six o’clock we were able to get away, after a cup of very good native coffee. The General and Bishop were escorted down to the beach, where Anson and I left them, and returned to our house, attended by innumerable fire-flies.

Saturday, July 19th In the morning, the sailors, to whom we had given a bullock, came on shore to kill it. This was easier said than done, and the capture of the animal was not effected for a long time ; at last, however, he was cut up and taken to the ship. The mornings are cool and pleasant now; at 7.30 the thermometer stood at 68°, barometer (aneroid), 30 36 inches. Before breakfast the Marmites began to muster in the courtyard under the trees, and by the time we had finished were present to the amount of some five hundred. All the baggage was in front of our house before the door-way, and round this the Marmites squatted in a semicircle, each with his eyes fixed upon that piece of luggage which he thought lightest; as there were not many light packages, and abundance of heavy ones, of course a great many were eager after the same thing, and at last they charged down on the luggage, fighting and struggling for the lightest things, no one attempting to touch the heavy ones. Anson and I, and Andronisa, backed by the servants, however, drove them back after a vigorous application of long sugar-canes, and restored some kind of order; but Anson being called away, our forces were so diminished, that when a second charge took place we were forced to retire, and to let them have their own way, and tie up the packages as they liked. Not one could we induce to touch some very heavy large cases and magazines, that unwittingly we had brought with us. However at last, through the oratory of Mr. Andronisa, a compromise was effected, and by the help of a little extra pay, and the promise of a bullock, we came to terms. The General and Bishop came to see how we were getting on during the afternoon. We could not get matters with the Marmites arranged before it was dark, so that it was impossible to start off the heavy stores as we had intended, and we had to put off our departure till Tuesday. This evening it came on to blow and rain. Everything was soon wet and moist inside the house as well as out.

July 20th, Sunday—Rain—pouring rain. Anson laid up with a slight attack of fever. The Marmites kill their bullock, and do not appear to mind the wet a bit. The Bishop held morning service on hoard the “ Gorgon,” but we were unable to go, as there were none of the ship’s boats on shore, and the sea was too rough to go off in a canoe. In the afternoon, however, the Bishop came ashore, the weather having moderated, and read the service in French at the store of a trader in the town, where we joined him. The congregation was very small, only four or five people of the place in addition to ourselves. The retail traders here are a very low set, chiefly ex-filibusters from Mexico. Anson was not at all well in the evening, and I began to be seriously afraid that he would not be able to go on with us.

Monday, 21 st July.—Early in the morning one hundred and thirty-four Marmites started off with our heavy baggage in advance; two hundred and forty-five remain behind, being the bearers and carriers of our personal effects and stores for the march up. An escort of twelve Hova soldiers under two officers, with our seven servants, interpreter, and five of ourselves, made the whole of our forces amount to four hundred and six. The General’s palanquin is to be carried by twenty-four men, eight at a time. Captain Anson’s the same. Mine only requires eight, as does also Dr. Meller’s (a botanist, who is on sick leave from Dr. Livingstone’s expedition, and' has requested permission to join our party.) The Bishop will have sixteen men to his. The whole of this day has been devoted to packing.

Tuesday, 22d July.—The General and Bishop landed tolerably early, and we were able to form our line of march by ten o’clock a.m., at which time the vanguard started with music, escort, and all due military honours. Anson and I remained behind at least two hours afterwards to see everything off. We then started at a tearing pace ; he in his long, bed-like palanquin covered something like a hearse with black waterproof; I in a simple chair on two poles, and with no protection from the sun.

On leaving Tamatave we travelled along the coast in a south-west half west direction. Our course lay over a flat plain, the soil sandy, but covered with grass, there being a great quantity of dark vegetable matter mixed with the sand. We noticed a number of strychnos, pan-danus, &c., and various shrubs; and we passed several herds of oxen in pens ready for shipment in “ bullockers ” to Mauritius or Reunion. We had to ford two or three streams, and passed numerous pools of shallow water, in which little naked children were sailing mimic boats. A good trade-wind from the south-east blew freshly the whole day. After travelling two or three miles I caught up the advanced guard and passed it, having the lightest chair. The country now became more wooded and parklike ; short, crisp turf made the plain like au English lawn, and on each side of the road, about half a mile off, were very good groups and topes of timber, principally fillahoes, and gum-trees, and palms of every description. The ground within that distance had been cleared on account of the numerous herds of cattle that come from the interior for sale at Tamatave.

I reached Hivondro River more than thirty minutes before any of the rest, and halted at the village of Anzo-lokafa, where I waited the arrival of the others in the verandah of a house belonging to Madame Fische, a Malagasy princess. All our luggage as it came up was stored in the Government guard-house. The General and the Bishop took possession of a house close by, while the rest of us put up in Madame Fische’s house, which also served as our mess-room. The first day’s journey from Tamatave is always short, in order that travellers may have an opportunity of sending back for anything they may find missing, and alter the arrangement of the baggage, &c., &c.

Wednesday, 23rd July.—Up early, and got a bathe in the sea while the sun was rising; by the time it was up I had walked to the highest part of the village, and sketched the river, and the noble panorama beyond it. Before I had half finished, breakfast was ready, to which we all did ample justice except poor Anson, who was still prostrate with fever. I forgot to say in its proper place, that when we arrived here yesterday, we found our heavy baggage, which had got here before us, but a great many of the bearers had bolted, so we had all the trouble of looking out for and engaging new ones. This of course delayed the day’s march, as we have to send these people on in front.

The river Hivondro

We waited a long time on the banks of the Hivondro, as there were not boats enough to take us over. These boats or canoes are about two feet broad, and vary from twenty to forty feet in length; they are formed from the simple trunks of trees hollowed out. They are very crank and easily upset.

Crossing in the heat of the day was very tedious, but was accomplished at last, and then, after a march of two or three hours, we reached Ambalatambaca (the place of tobacco), a wretched hamlet of not more than half-a-dozen huts or sheds of the most miserable description. Here the Marmites set down our baggage and refused to move a step further except for higher wages. The Bishop and General looked at the proposed accommodation with horror.

A few reeds and stalks of ravenale offered only the scantiest shelter from the dew and wind at night, which we were apt to feel greatly after the fatigue and heat of the day. After a long delay here, we bribed the Marmites to resume their loads, and take us on as far as Trano Maro (many houses), by the promise of an extra sixpence, and an advance of half-a-dollar upon the money due to them.

We did not, however, reach Trano Maro until dark. This village was at least a decided improvement upon the one we had just left. About fourteen houses were arranged in the form of a square, enclosing a piece of ground about thirty yards long. All round this piece of ground the Marmites encamped, making the whole village glow with their fires. Meller had been indefatigable in collecting plants, birds, and insects, all day long; and in the evening, after our dinner, employed himself in arranging his prizes and skinning the birds we had shot. We had a little rain, but the houses were tolerably snug. About eight o’clock the officer in command of the escort of soldiers in a loud voice proclaimed watch-setting, and that any Marmite or other person moving about after that hour would be shot by the sentries. A sentry was posted at each door. One of them from time to time fired off his musket in order to scare away possible thieves, but this was the only disturbance of the night.