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33S VISITS TO MADAGASCAR. CHAP. XII. accessible, in order that I might have rendered the picture permanent. Friends from the capital met us as we approached, and, after cordial greetings, we entered this feudal-looking village, passing along narrow, intricate passages, until we halted at the house in which I was to lodge, and which belonged to the resident head man of the place, the chief to whom the large house belonged being absent at the capital. The house to which I had been conducted was large and well built. Part of the floor was covered with matting. A neatly- framed four-post bedstead, on which mats were spread, with a native-made chair by its side, occupied one comer; another sleeping-place, of an inferior kind, occupied the opposite end of the house; while large water-jars, and other useful ar ticles, filled up the intervening space. There was a raised hearth near the centre; and amongst the furniture and ornaments, some of which were curious, I observed a large drum, apparently of native manufacture, the barrel being formed out of a solid piece of wood, hanging from a peg near the top of the wall. The chief himself soon entered, and gave me a cordial welcome, while crowds of the villagers gathered round the house to gaze at the stranger. One of my bearers, who had previously complained, was so ill during the previous night, as to be unable to travel with us in the morning: but with the help of companions, who had carried him part of the way, he arrived soon after noon. He was lodged in an adjacent house; and, as soon as I was aware of his illness, I went and found him suffering severely. I gave him some medicine, and expressed my regret that he or his companions had not informed me before, as the fever, from which he was then suffering so much, might probably have been prevented. During the afternoon several friends from the capital arrived with a present of poultry, &c., and a letter from friends there