GATEWAY OF POLES—MEVATANANA.
GATEWAY OF POLES—MEVATANANA.
GATEWAY OF POLES—MEVATANANA.
Mevatananajustifies its name which means “an excellent site for a city.” It stands on a spur of that inner ridge of clay through which the Ikopa has cut its way: and has deep ravines on three sides. The town is 240 feet above the sea level: the river is 150 feet. The town contains 168 houses, of which 80 are within the stockade. The governor’s house is in a broad open square: close to which are the principal shops for cloth, meat, vegetables and fruit. The town occupies an admirable position in relation to the country generally. It stands on the edge of the hill districts and of the fertile plains: it is two miles from the east bank of the river: it is the point up towhich the river is navigable by canoes. It is a good stopping station for all travellers from the coast; and the first resting-place to others journeying from the Capital. It is also the edge of the population. To the east and south the country is empty. Across the river to the west the district contains a few Sakaláva villages of three, five, seven houses at long intervals. On the north at moderate intervals are the six garrison towns in line, which end with the port and harbour of Mojangá. A considerable number of the inhabitants of the town are the Hova garrison from Imerina.
The people gave us a hearty welcome. We occupied the chapel, outside the stockade, on the edge of the ravine: and weary with our wilderness journey were glad to secure a long and refreshing sleep. Surveying, photographing, looking round, talking with the shopkeepers, talking with the Governor of the town and the pastor of the church, writing journals, making sketch-maps, and idling generally, made up a quiet, pleasant Saturday: though our wild friend, the south-east wind, did not forget us, but blew hard all day, raised great clouds of dust, drove away plenty of malaria, and made himself generally disagreeable.
In the evening we dined with the Governor. He is an old gentleman, who ought long since to have been put on pension. But he and his nice, old wife, were hospitable and kind. The feast was simple and truly primitive. Roast fowls, boiled rice, abundance of gravy and bowls of milk are no bad provision for hungry men. The Governor and his lady sat at table with us, as did three of his officers. We brought our knives and spoons with us: but the three officers ate out of a common plate with a hornspoon each. Three other officers sat on the ground and against the wall: while the cook, who superintended the primitive light, and evidently had great faith in the usefulness of his fingers, freely joined in the conversation and gave his opinion upon various matters without the slightest hesitation. Amongst other questions discussed, was the important topic of our journey onward. Was it better to go by water or by land: if the latter, was the journey long or difficult: if the former, could we get canoes here? We had tried in vain to get clear light upon these points, from the captains of our baggage, during the day: so we asked the opinion of our friends to-night. After serious discussion among themselves, the Governor and his officers delivered the following judgment. “If you take boats, that is good. If you go by land, that is good; because you prefer it. What you like, we like. What pleases you, satisfies us.”
We spent a pleasant Sunday at Mevatanâna. The little chapel was well filled: our own bearers making a considerable addition to the usual congregation. Some twenty of them presented to the native pastor their tickets of membership in churches in the Capital and joined with the local members and ourselves at the communion of the Lord’s Supper. Mr. Jukes, who speaks Malagasy well, preached an excellent sermon, from the text, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” &c., which was listened to with deep attention. We had a second service in the afternoon, with sermons from our two chaplains. But we were not impressed with the spiritual life of the people. They seemed very ignorant, very dead. There was no leader among them; no man ofreal, spiritual force, who by his example and his teachings could stimulate his brethren. The native pastor could scarcely read and seemed in other ways an ignorant man. I do not think there was any school in the town. We could not but regret that things were so backward.
At times it has been thought and said, that by the route of the Ikopa, boats and steamers could reach to within sixty miles of the Capital. The student of the Map, which represents our route, can form his own opinion on this subject. Near the sea at certain seasons there are shallows. All about Mevatanána and above the influence of the tides, the shallows are more numerous and more formidable. Above Mevatanána the river is full of rocks and islands. And above Nósifito come the great cataracts, from which upward to the Fárahántsana, the entire bed of the Ikopa, so far as we have heard, is a series of rocky rapids. Now Mevatanána is one hundred and fifty miles from the Capital: and as we shall see is ninety miles from Mojangá. From Mevatanána at least all the upward trade must go by land.
We now hired canoes for our whole party. We could only find three, though they were long and spacious: and I felt rather nervous. We had to stow in them all our baggage and just a hundred men. One canoe was about forty feet long and over three feet broad. It carried forty-three men. But we were tight-packed: and it required great care to change the rowers from time to time, while the canoes were still afloat. Our trip down the stream was delightful. We left the bank at ten o’clock, the men in high spirits at having nothing to carry. The river was about three hundred yards broad; and was shallow andfull of islands. Three miles onward, the islands ceased and we had two long reaches to the north and west. The banks were fair and green: profusely covered with the bamboo cane, with its long lithe stalk and its white feathery flower. We soon began to see crocodiles; and were astonished at their numbers. They appeared in groups; they lay on the banks in the hot sun, lazy and asleep: and when awoke by the shouts of our men, quietly went and hid themselves beneath the water. There was one enormous creature, full twenty feet long, with a huge body and vast jaws. These reptiles were visible all the way down. After resting for tiffin at the village of Ambinány under a noble tamarind tree, we pitched our camp upon a broad bank of sand. There was abundance of drift wood lying about, and the men lit large fires and maintained them all night to keep the crocodiles away.
The spot which we had reached was to us full of interest. Opposite to the camp was theBetsibokariver coming up from the south-east, and here the two rivers joined together. The Ikopa is a quarter of a mile broad: the Betsiboka is much broader and in the rainy season comes down in great flood, so as to throw the Ikopa waters far into the western bank and produce the broad sand on which we stood. High up in the moors of Imérina and among the roots of Angávokely, we had seen the fountains of numerous streams from which these rivers take their rise. At Ambatomena and Anjozorobe we had seen the Mananára, the Zábo, the Manánta: near Mantasóa we had seen the beginnings of the Ikopa and the Varáhina: at Andramásina and under Ankárat, the Sisaony, the Andromba, the Katsáoka and many more: all the waters ofthe Anátivolo, of Lohavohitra and North Vonizongo find their way hither; and now the united streams, keeping the name of the larger, the Betsiboka, will bear us to the sea.
Four miles up the stream of the Betsiboka and on its eastern bank is the flourishing town ofAmparihibe“the town of the big lakes.” We could see it plainly from our camp, standing out prominently on its clay hill. Mr. Jukes had paid it a visit by land and told us about its people. The town is well built: its people are unusually intelligent and amiable. On Sunday afternoon when he arrived, they gave him a most hearty reception. This morning at the monthly missionary meeting, five hundred people were present. He gave them our salutations and preached to them; and then for two hours, answered their questions about the Word of God. He found them most anxious to learn, most anxious to do right. The service concluded, they all walked down to the river with him and said good-bye. They loaded him with presents, and sent us most kind messages. They expressed the deepest regret that they had not met us: and they begged Mr. Jukes on his return to spend a Sunday with them.
We were away early on Tuesday, and found the river broader, but winding and somewhat more shallow. The banks were beautiful with their light green: and here and there the trees were large. But nothing struck us like the crocodiles. They were more numerous than ever. We seemed never to lose sight of them: here there was a group of five, there of eight, six and ten. Sometimes they rose to twenty: and on one occasion on a broad spit of sand, we found no less than forty sleeping in the sun. Whenwe took to counting this was the result: in the first hour we counted a hundred and five; in the next half hour, we saw one hundred and two. During the four days of our river trip, we must have seen not less than sixteen hundred crocodiles: indeed my opinion is that the number rose to two thousand. Some were babies, from twelve to eighteen inches long: others were strong and active; a few were old, of enormous size and very sluggish. The skins of the last were course and rough; and the studs and knobs along the back stood out prominently. Their colour was a brown yellow. I could not detect among them thegayálor fish-alligator, so common in the Ganges; they all seemed to belong to themagarsor true crocodiles. The natives of the district told us that the river swarms with fish, which the crocodiles eat; they lie in wait to seize the cattle, when they come down to drink; and now and then some poor Sakaláve, crossing the river, half tipsy, in a frail canoe, falls into the water and is never seen again. A crocodile moves slowly on land, with his short legs and heavy tail: but once in the water, he is master, and his tail is an engine of great power.
Our course to-day was about north-west: and our speed down the stream about four miles an hour. The flow of the water was strong and in our favour. We were leaving behind us and on the south-east, a fine, lofty ridge, with a very conspicuous gap. The hill on the south of the gap is Namakía; and close to it is Tóngodrahóds. M. Grandidier, travelling from the coast by land, passed close to these points, and has inserted them in his map. Toward the north-west we were gradually approaching another ridge,the bearings of which, as of the former, we had taken at Mévatanána.
Early in the afternoon we passed a little Sakalava village, named Kárambíly; and at 3.25, reached the mouth of a small stream, the Kámona, near to which we knew was the important town ofTrabonjy. We found it five miles inland, in an open basin upon a low hill. The hill was prettily covered by mango trees, in full flower, by fine tamarinds, and numerous palmettoes, the fruit of which is unhappily used to distil rum. The Sakalava town is on the west side of the Hova town. It contains a very large house, the residence of the princess and head of the tribe: and numerous simple dwellings of the Sakalava people. To us they had a singular appearance: they looked like huge bird-cages, being formed of split bamboo and reeds, and quite open to the winds. The houses of the Hova town are unusually large and built in rows with wide streets between: they are formed of wood, reeds and palmetto leaves. The people were on the look-out for us, met us in a crowd at the city-gate; and manifested unmistakeable pleasure at our arrival.
From the intelligent and able governor of Trabónjy, Ráinisóamánana, as well as from his intelligent wife and daughters, we received a peculiarly kind welcome. They could not make enough of us: and we had just to tear ourselves away, if we would reach our port in good time for the steamer that was to bear us home. With the governor we had abundance of serious talk on many things. He saw the importance of our visit; set before us the condition of the churches of the district; and sent an earnestrequest to the Directors that an English Missionary might be appointed to instruct and guide them. Both he and his people sent the most grateful and affectionate salutations to the Society which has so long been the friend of the Malagasy people.
We were invited to visit the family. We found that their house, built in Sakalava shape, was spacious and the roof was high. It contained but one room the portions of which were parted from one another by screens of cloth. On one side stood a table, covered with bright crockery, water decanters and glasses. Above it were hung two engravings of Queen Victoria and the late Emperor Napoleon. A large wardrobe contained, among other things, numerous bottles of medicine. One of the governor’s sons has been a medical student with Dr. Davidson and is exercising his gifts among his people here. The governor told us that the church in Trabónjy contains 250 members: that fifty of these are Sakalavas and 150 Sakalavas profess to be Christians and worship with the congregation. All the Sakalavas of this district, friendly to the Hova Government, burnt their idols, when those of Imerina were consumed. The independent Sakalavas worship their ancestors and keep to their idols still. There are two hundred houses in Trabonjy: in the neighbourhood there are quite two hundred more. And the entire basin must contain two thousand people.
Embarking once more in our canoes, we made steady progress down the river. At five o’clock we came to a fine bend in the river, under a wooded ridge; and turning the boats’ noses in shore we disturbed a “happy family” of twelve crocodiles, who had retired to rest for the night;and took possession of the sand-bank from which they were dislodged. Again we pitched our tents upon the upper terrace, made large fires, and slept well.
We had now reached the ridge, the bearings of which we had taken from Mevatanána. It was very broad, and the river wound its way through, having high banks on either side. These banks were covered with dark thick woods. The air was warm; the vegetation luxuriant. Here and there we passed long gardens of plantains, the plantations of the Sakalavas. The palms were full grown and had broad leafy fronds. We saw too abundance of birds. Wild ducks rose in flocks as we passed on: the flamingo, with his pale purple legs, rose over our heads: the heron was disturbed, while fishing in the stream: white storks were numerous: there were a few wild pigeons: and one little humming-bird kept flitting in and out of the jungle, curious yet afraid.
Early to-day we met the tides, some fifty miles from the sea. The marks on the banks did not indicate a high rise of the water, probably from the fact that the land itself has not yet reached the sea level. During the afternoon we pulled steadily along a fine reach of the river for several miles: its direction was nearly north: and some fine hills were in sight, under one of which, with a double head, was the town ofMahabo. At sunset we passed along the east side of a large island; wood and jungle were rich; the mud banks were evidently fertile: the mangrove was thick with its matted roots: and again we saw vast quantities of theVia, the great Arum lily, which we had admired so much on the east coast a year ago. At the north end of this reach we turned eastward into a narrowstream for five miles, and at eight o’clock, were landed in the mud at the important town of Marovoay.
Marovoaycontains five thousand people and consists of two towns, the Hova settlement and stockade on the hill, and the trading town on the river bank. The latter is extremely dirty: it is full of hides and offal, sweltering in the burning sun; and is reputed to be extremely unhealthy. How can it be otherwise? A large number of Hindu merchants reside in the town; who responded heartily to salutations in Hindustani, and were greatly surprised and interested to meet an old Calcutta-walla in this out-of-the-way corner of the world. We observed with regret the large number of pure Africans in the town, many of them quite young. The Hova houses within the stockade are large and numerous; the chapel is a spacious building, and near the chapel and the gate of the stockade are two noble tamarind trees.
The governor is a most intelligent man and evidently has the interest of his people thoroughly at heart. He and his wife were extremely thoughtful and kind. In the morning, before we went round the town, he and his officers and their families, came in force, with the earnest request that we would stay over the Sunday at Marovoay and help them. They pleaded eloquently also that they might have an English Missionary for themselves. It was hard to refuse. Their arguments were ingenious: they parried objections most skilfully and turned them against ourselves. But we were pledged to the people of Mojangá. For our own purpose, as well as to keep faith with the native churches, it was necessary that we should spend our last Sabbath in the island with them. And so, thoughwith deep reluctance, we were compelled to go forward. Mr. Jukes promised, that if it were practicable, he would spend a Sunday with them, on his return. Paying off our canoes, we secured two boats, fit to cross Bémbatóka Bay, in which strong winds and high seas are often met with. At three o’clock, the kind governor and all his people escorted us in procession to the river side, with drums beating, fifes playing, banners flying. We embarked in our little vessels, in presence of the entire town: and hoisting sail, and giving the governor three cheers, we started on our way.
Our dhows were no great things for a sea voyage. They were open boats: thirty feet long, eight feet broad and six feet deep. We stowed our larger baggage and several men in one, and placed our personal effects and ourselves, with some ten men, in the other. There was a quarter deck aft, seven feet by eight. Altogether our space was limited. The sails were of the usual Eastern type, the lateen sails of Malta and the Levant. We managed to boil a kettle and get some tea, while going out of our little river and sailing along the still waters of the Betsiboka; but it was an amusing affair. Then it grew dark and we settled down for the night. Mrs. Pillans buried herself in rugs in the hold, on the top of the baggage. Mr. Jukes, my colleague and myself occupied the quarter-deck in parallel lines, which like those of longitude, converged on the helmsman at our feet. A mattress beneath us softened the boards and plenty of plaids and rugs kept us warm: while, like the Egyptians of old and the Samoans of modern days, we made a pillow of the quarter-deck rail, which had but little down in its composition. The night was lovely:the stars shone brightly and clear. Ere long the wind freshened, though it kept very steady; and the boats flew along the water. Our course was for a while north-west: then due west, which we kept for at least five hours. After a time we slept for very weariness: and at the end of ten hours, were run ashore high and dry, under Mr. Laing’s windows at Mojangá, under a brilliant moon, at three o’clock in the morning.
Our little trip was a truly pleasant one, though we were exceedingly fatigued all the next day. We could not but feel grateful and happy that we had suffered no delay from contrary winds or a rough sea. We were able too, in God’s good providence, to fulfil our purpose of spending a Sunday with our Christian friends and to enjoy that intercourse with them which would make us acquainted with their condition and wants. Our arrival gave them great satisfaction, and they showed every kindness both to ourselves and our men. Pleasant quarters were kindly offered to us in the house of Messrs. Porter, Muir and Laing; by Mr. Angravink, the gentleman in charge of their agency. Our men however were not particularly gratified with the airy houses of the Sákalávas.
The town ofMojangástands on a long tongue of land, on the north and east side of a vast inlet, called Bembatóka Bay. It is in lat. 15° 42′ 54″ S. and long. 44° 20′ E. The bay is from seventeen to twenty miles deep. It is eight miles across from north to south: and the entrance from the sea is three and a half miles wide. The river Betsiboka enters the bay by two channels on its south-east and east sides, a large island coming in between: and so great is the force with which it has scored out the bay, that nearthe western entrance, the water is sixty-three fathoms deep. In the centre of the bay a long promontory projects from the northern shore. On this were once situated the town of Bembatoka and the village of Ambátolámpy. Ruins of these places may still be seen: otherwise they have disappeared, and at the present day they are represented by Mojangá, which lies much nearer to the sea, on the north shore of the outer bay. The entrance of this outer bay is guarded by two promontories; that on the south is named Katsépa: that on the north is Amorombáto. These points of land are parts of a long limestone ridge, which here forms the sea-coast of the island. This ridge is capped with the usual red clay: on the Katsepa point it showed itself as two white bands beneath the clay, each about ten feet thick. It runs half a day’s journey, about twelve miles, inland toward the north-east. The district south of the Bay is termed Ambongo: that to the north, in which Mojangá is situated, is called Ibóina. The latter includes all the Hova towns as far as Mevatanána, and the district to the foot of the Namakia ridge. Like other important places of trade Mojangá consists in reality of two separate towns, and has done so for many generations. This fact, so simple and patent to a visitor on the spot, has introduced a curious confusion into descriptions of its history; its one name appearing under two perfectly different forms of spelling. The upper town is on the ridge, and is the stockaded residence of the Hova garrison. The lower town is the trading town, built on the inner side of the promontory and on the north shore of the outer bay. The two places are joined by a broad road running straight up the slope of the hill.
The upper town is laid out with great regularity. It includes the house of the Governor, now old, with thick walls and in need of considerable repair. It has numerous houses of large size for the garrison: and in it are the garrison church and the house in which the Sákalávas have deposited relics of some former king, whom they greatly honour. The palisade of the Hova town is surrounded by a ditch and a platform, and is defended by a number of old English navy guns, 12- and 9-pounders. Below and around the Hova town, the hill is covered richly with wood. Indeed there is quite a forest of tamarind, mango, palm and cocoanut trees, many of which are noble specimens of their class. The talipot-palms also were strong and massive. And there were ten or twelve specimens of the baobab, called in Malagasy, theBotona. Of the great baobab I obtained a good photograph: the tree is over sixty feet high: and the trunk near the ground is forty feet in girth.
The lower town extends half a mile along the shore: in the central parts it is five rows of houses deep: at the east end these are thinner. These houses are very light and frail: they have a wooden frame: but the panels are filled in with palmetto leaves, which form a pretty pattern: they are thatched with larger leaves of the cocoanut and palm. They are of course very inflammable and one does not wonder to hear that the town is burnt down nearly once a year. At the west end of the town on a spit of sand in the market, with a vast collection of bullocks’ skulls, bones and remnants: the smell of which was dreadful.
An important element in the lower town is the Hinduand Arab houses, which are employed both as residences for their owners and as safe storehouses for goods. They are built on the Indian pattern: they are of solid material, stone or brick, cemented with lime dug from the hill; they are of two or three stories; have flat roofs and terraces, and contain small rooms. There are about forty of these houses in the town: they have been built by Malagasy workmen, look rough and coarse: and are wholly wanting in the neatness and finish which are given to such houses in Calcutta or Bombay. The town has two mosques: one for the Arab merchants: and one for the Mahomedan traders from Bombay, whose customs doubtless differ in some points from one another. Rival muezzins, morning and evening, summon the faithful to their prayers.
The number of houses amounts to 1327: and the entire population reaches probably to ten thousand. The Hova element is very strong. The Indian adults are about fifty. There are a few Sákalávas in both towns: and the African slaves, universally called by the Malagasy “Mojambikas,” are very numerous. Their skin is very dark: and they have thick lips and curling hair. But they are not pure negroes. They belong to various tribes on the east coast of Africa, who all understand more or less the Swahili language.
The port of Mojangá has long been known to history. The entire districts of Ambóngo and Iboina belonged originally to the Sákalávas tribes. But the Arab traders from East Africa and the Persian Gulf found them out centuries ago: and it was from them that Marco Paolo heard about the island. Several generations back theseArab merchants made themselves strong as advisers of the Sakalava princes; and all last century they had the chief power in their hands. They held the fort on the hill; were masters of the trading settlement. And of course were deeply involved in the slave trade. The high-handed proceedings of the Portuguese fleets, and the later piracies of Captain Kyd and his companions had crippled their commerce, but had not destroyed it: and as the Indian trade, after the days of Admiral Watson and the destruction of Saverndrog once more grew secure, the strength of the Arab trade also was renewed. Mojangá was a strong place in 1824: the town was then a mile long; and it contained a considerable population of Arab blood, “whose fathers had been there from time immemorial.” Radáma had cast his eyes on the district and in 1824, he had his first expedition down to the coast. He was seconded with great energy and skill by his brother-in-law and cousin, Rámanétaka; and Mojangá and all its companions fell into his hands. The district rose in rebellion the following year: but it was again subdued, and Rámanétaka was appointed the first governor. The town is said to have been burnt, a thing quite probable; but it must have been rebuilt. It was far more seriously affected by the stoppage of the slave trade, on which Radáma insisted; according to his recent treaties with the English government. Since then, with varying fortunes, it has remained in Hova hands.
With the year 1874 the British India Steam Navigation Company have made an enterprising attempt to increase the trade of Mojangá, by linking it on to their steam lines to Zanzibar and Aden. Having obtained a ten years’ contract with the French government to carry the mailsfrom Zanzibar, through the Comóro Islands to Nósibé, of their own accord they have extended the steamer’s course, without contract, from Nosibe to Mojangá: and during 1874 a visit has been paid to the port once a month. The effort is a most praiseworthy one. It deserves to succeed. Its success would prove a great benefit to the island. But what are its prospects?
Fully developed, the export and import trade of Mojangá should include two distinct elements: the local trade (among the garrison towns and the Sakalávas of the district): and the through trade with the Central Provinces and the Capital, Antanánarivo. In favour of this through trade, is the consideration that the gradients of the country are easy; and were villages planted in line, as they might easily be, at short distances through Noman’s land, the entire line of traffic could be made safe, as well as easy, and the direct connection with Europe would be complete. On the other side it has to be remembered that that direct trade is of moderate value; that the bearers are thoroughly used to the Tamatave road; and that they asked twenty-six shillings a man for the Mojangá trip, as against ten shillings a man for that to Tamatave. The chief element of the outward trade of the island is bullocks and hides; and as sailing ships carry these articles between Port Louis and Tamatave, they are available for bringing the direct imports at cheaper rates of freight than would prevail in the purely steam line from Mojangá.
What then are the prospects of the local trade? Hitherto it has been very poor for three reasons. The Sakalava population in the whole district is not numerous: the people are poor, ignorant and uncivilised: they havefew wants: they get fish from the rivers; plantains from their gardens; beef from their flocks and herds: their houses cost them a little labour: a few hides will purchase their clothes: at present they produce little more than they can use: they sell a few hides, a little rice, a little bees’ wax. The Hova officers and garrisons in the district are poor: they live upon the public allowances: they are numerous: they produce very little: the idlers and hangers-on form a little army: what money have they with which to purchase goods? The largest portion of the public allowances consists of food of various kinds: only a certain surplus gathers in the hands of the chief officers: and they are the only traders. This brings up the third difficulty in the way of trade: a difficulty felt all over Madagascar. The number of masters, of various grades, doing nothing, living without pay, and living on what they can squeeze out of slaves and clients below them, is countless. Christian justice is softening down these things; but changes in the laws and life of the people are essential to any great improvement. And even with these changes we must give the people time to adapt themselves to their new circumstances: while vested interests die out and public opinion becomes settled and grows strong.
We spent a most pleasant Sabbath with our friends in Mojangá. In the morning we worshipped with the church in the garrison: in the afternoon, we attended the church in the lower town. We saw a good deal of the fine old governor and his family. And we were specially pleased with the young pastor, Rakótobáo; of whom Sir Bartle Frere spoke so kindly in his letters to the Foreign Office and in his address at Exeter Hall. From the sermons hepreached to-day; from his views about church life and discipline; and from the spiritual influence he is exercising over the two congregations here, we judged him worthy of all the commendation he received and even of more. He has only been here eighteen months, and things have greatly improved.
We learned that the ordinary attendance in one of these churches is three hundred: in the other, two hundred and thirty. There are fifty-six members in the two: and all join together in celebrating the communion. They have among them six preachers and six deacons. There are sixty children in the school: of whom thirty can read well. Some thirty adults can read. Six or seven Sakalavas attend worship. In receiving members, they follow the rule prevailing at the Capital of two months’ probation; then the case comes before the whole church. In a similar way, if a member goes astray, he is visited and counsel given him; if unrepentant, he is dealt with by the whole church. In visiting the twelve churches in the district in 1871, the pastor formed schools in them all.
TheSakalavasas a people have not yet been reached. In some places as at Trabonjy, a number of them attend worship; but they need to be dealt with very cautiously to prevent their going off altogether. Their regard for Christianity is more a sign of their political relation to the Hovas than a token that the gospel has fairly taken hold of them. Work among the Sakalavas has yet to begin at the beginning.
We asked ourselves whether we should recommend the Board to place an English missionary in this district. Our judgment is that such an appointment is most desirable.We would not urge the Board to enter upon new ground, and commence an entirely new mission. But all the good in the Sihanaka Mission and in this Mojangá district has sprung from our old work; is based upon it; and in order to complete the old, these elements in it should without delay be heartily followed up. We should thus consolidate and strengthen the good already existing; we should gather new fruit from past efforts; and prepare the way for new movements and local extensions by the native churches themselves.
We had hoped to remain in Mojangá for six days. But to our surprise theMalaccacame into the bay on Monday morning; and would leave again on Wednesday. We had however only to select the tents and other portions of our travelling gear, which we no longer needed and which we purposed to hand over for the use of the mission. Our baggage for board ship packed into very small compass. We saw the young pastor once more: completed our preparations; and said our farewells to the willing and careful men, who had travelled with us so often and so far. Then the school children sang to us as we went into the boats: and so we quitted the land, in which we had spent a delightful twelvemonth, and a people, among whom the grace of God has wrought great marvels, in the face of a sceptical and unbelieving world.
CHAPTER X.OUR RETURN HOME.
CHAPTER X.OUR RETURN HOME.
CHAPTER X.
OUR RETURN HOME.
Domestic Slavery in Madagascar—Ancient Trade in Slaves—Rádama’s Treaty with Governor Farquhar well observed—Similar clause in the Treaty of 1865—Slaves imported nevertheless—Capture of Slaves by theVulture—Successful efforts against the Slave trade—Recent Proclamation of the Queen of Madagascar—Our Return Home—The new Bishopric in Madagascar—Its aggressive attitude and spirit—God’s care of His people.