arrival at the capital—queen ranavalona’s troubles and perplexities.

towards sunrise on the following morning our travellers, on passing out of a rather dense piece of plantation which crowned the brow of a low hill, came in sight of the capital—antananarivo. it was still in the far distance, with many a rice-field and garden between, but distinctly visible, for it occupies the summit and slopes of a considerable hill.

“here, then, through the goodness of god, we have reached the end of our journey,” said ravonino, halting, “and i must remain behind, while you, my friends, push on to the city. fain would i go with you, but that would ruin all, for i am a known and marked man. laihova will now guide you, and tell you what to do. i have just one word for you at parting. be peaceful, do not take offence. interfere not with our customs. use not the fist, and commit your way to god.”

the guide looked so pointedly at ebony while he spoke that that sable comrade could not help noticing it.

“what you looks so hard at me for, hey?” demanded the negro.

“because you are somewhat hot-tempered and apt to get people into scrapes,” answered ravonino, with a slight twinkle in his eye.

“me ’ot-tempered!” exclaimed ebony, in surprise, with an appealing glance at his comrades. “i’d knock you down, ravonino, for sayin’ dat, only it would be like as if what you say’s true! ob all de niggers on ’art’ i’s de meekest, quietest—jest like a babby; why, my moder always said so, an’ surely she ought to know!”

“no doubt she knew, whatever she said,” observed hockins, with a laugh.

“we will be careful,” said mark. “but are your people, then, so particular, that we should require this caution?”

“well, they are not very different from other people,” replied the guide, “and if things had been as usual i should have had no fear; but when queen ranavalona has one of her bad fits, there’s no saying what she may do. her banishing the europeans is a bad sign. i would that i had not brought you here, but there is no help for it now. we have been seen by many people. the news will spread to the town, and if you did not soon appear you would be suspected as spies, and the country would be scoured in search of you. no, there is nothing for it now but a bold face and an honest purpose.”

“humph!” ejaculated ebony, “you’s a fine feller to talk ’bout bold faces an’ honest purpusses, w’en you’re goin’ to steal a young ooman out ob de pallis, fro’ under de bery nose ob do queen!”

“to help rafaravavy to escape of her own free will is not theft,” replied the guide, gravely. “when we are persecuted in one city scripture advises us to flee to another.”

“das true, ravonino. no offence meant. gib us your flipper, old boy!”

grasping the guide’s hand, the negro shook it warmly, and at the same time vowed that he would be most “awrful careful,” and that he would bring rafaravavy to his feet, dead or alive, though he should have to fight the whole town single-handed to effect his object.

it was a thursday evening when they stood thus conversing. they had kept count of the days because of the guide’s quiet but firm determination to rest in camp on the sabbath—a plan which, although they had no very strong principle on the subject, commended itself to the rest of the party because of the pleasant effect of the day’s rest on both soul and body, for it afforded opportunity to have long and earnest talks with ravonino about the former days of persecution, as well as quiet strolls, alone or in couples, and—it must be admitted—occasional slumbers in the cool shade of bush or tree!

“i have purposely contrived,” said the guide, “that, by walking all night, you shall arrive early to-morrow—friday—because it is market-day in the town, and you will be less noticed as well as more amused by what you see than if you were to arrive on any other day. go, and god go with you! i shall be found in the cave that laihova knows of. farewell.”

he turned, with a wave of his hand, as he spoke, and re-entered the bush, while the others, taking the most direct route to antananarivo, descended into the open country. soon they were involved in the crowds which were passing along all the roads leading to the city. the people were either taking their goods for sale or going to make purchases—mayhap to meet friends or kindred.

all night laihova led his friends at a smart pace. next day, as the first object of our travellers was to get into the town without attracting attention, they kept in the thick of the throng all the way up to the market-place. of course the people nearest them took special note of the two englishmen, and some were inquisitive, but, by telling the simple facts regarding their arrival in madagascar, laihova removed any unpleasant suspicions that might have arisen regarding them.

the crowds increased as they advanced, and the numbers were still further augmented, as well as diversified, by the hova army, which they came upon exercising on a plain just below the city. ascending the sides of the steep hill on which antananarivo stands, they obtained a magnificent view of the animated scene, which conveyed the impression rather of a grand holiday than an ordinary market-day. this, no doubt, was largely owing to the operations of the soldiers, whose manoeuvres hockins watched with a critical eye, for his father, having been a soldier, had made him intimately acquainted with the drill as practised in the british army at that period.

“why, i do believe the fellers are speakin’ english!” he said, in some surprise.

“not wonder much, for ingleesh drill’d um,” said laihova, who, since they parted from ravonino, had begun to use his broken english to the best of his power. it must be said that that power was not great, even at the best.

he explained to his friends that radama the first—that wise king who had been so fond of the english, and had done so much to aid the missionaries, abolish the slave-trade, and civilise his people—had, among other changes, remodelled his army after the british pattern, and had obtained the services of non-commissioned officers from the mauritius to drill his troops. these organised them into divisions, brigades, regiments, companies, etcetera, and as they found no native words suitable to express military evolutions, they introduced their own english words of command, which have remained in use ever since.

by means of this army of hova troops, and the flint-lock weapon known familiarly as ‘brown bess,’ radama succeeded in subduing all the native chiefs of madagascar, with only a few exceptions, and thus became the recognised king of an island considerably larger than great britain. being an enlightened and well-disposed monarch, he made good use of the power thus acquired. it was only after his death in 1828 that a retrograde movement set in, as we have said, under the wicked queen ranavalona.

it is one of the misfortunes of our fallen condition that rectitude in any course, however good, cannot long be maintained—at least in reasonable perfection. the army which had enabled radama to pursue on the whole a beneficent course, ere long began to make its creator know its power. feeling his dependence on it, radama adopted the unwise policy of increasing the military influence, and weakening that of the civil officials, the heads of the people, and other functionaries whose position was derived from ancient political arrangements. public offices of honour and importance were given to military officers rather than to civilians, and this unfair exaltation of the military over the civilian class led, as it always does, to tyranny and injustice.

the system of service was in itself a gross form of injustice to the people, for, although the theory of service does not at first sight appear unjust, the practice of it was very much so. more than the half—perhaps nearly two-thirds—of the whole effective male population of the central province were enrolled either as officers or privates. these received no pay, except an occasional gift of a lamba, and about a week’s rice during the year! the soldiers were indeed freed from money taxes in consideration of their service, but this was small compensation for the hardships that it entailed. although the drills at ordinary times did not occur more frequently than for a day or two every fortnight, much time was taken up in passing to and from the exercises, especially in the case of those who lived at a distance, and thus found it almost impossible to cultivate their own rice-fields. frequently, also, the officers would not allow the men to return home without a money bribe. in short, the private soldier was little better than a slave—in some cases worse—while the officers of the highest rank possessed unreasonable power.

military rank was founded on a system which led to some absurdities. it was reckoned by numbers, commencing with one honour for the private, two honours for the corporal, three for the sergeant, and so on up to thirteen for a field-marshal of the higher rank—a few having sixteen honours! those thus highly honoured were not numerous; but the number of officers of lower grade was much greater in proportion to privates, than in the british army. indeed from a third to a fourth of the army was composed of officers, so that “ta phairshon,” with his excess of pipers over fighting men, would not have appeared very outrageous in the eyes of the malagasy troops!

these officers had an eye to profitable business when not on service. it is stated by the missionaries that when engaged in building their churches and schools they sometimes found they had a field-marshal for a foreman, a colonel for mason or carpenter, a major for bricklayer, and so on! above the thirteenth rank the numbers were very few, and of the sixteenth there were not above half-a-dozen.

good, stout, courageous fellows were the men whom john hockins and his comrades saw that day manoeuvring below them on the plain of imahamasina; men who, although by no means comparable to european troops in precision of movement, understood their work nevertheless, and would have proved themselves formidable opponents to deal with in war. laihova further informed them that the first man who organised the force was a sergeant brady, who began his work in the year 1816, carried it on for many years, and rose to the rank of major-general in the service of king radama. after general brady’s death, the native officers continued the work on the same lines.

but in costume and appearance these soldiers were what is familiarly known as “a queer lot!” the uniform of the rank and file consisted of a tunic and trousers of white material, with a narrow-brimmed straw hat painted white, cross-belts and cartouche-box—by no means an unbecoming dress. but it was worn only at drills and reviews and state ceremonies. at other times, when on duty, soldiers went about almost naked, and the contrast of their dirty-white cross-belts with their brown breasts was curious, to say the least, while their straw hats and slovenly gait suggested anything but soldierly bearing.

the variety of dress indulged in, however, by the crowd of officers was outrageous as well as mirth-provoking.

“why it seems to me,” said mark, “that every officer may put on what seemeth right in his own eyes! i see old regimental red coats and pantaloons; hats and shakos that must have been worn a hundred years ago. i even see what looks at this distance like naval uniforms and cocked hats, and no two of them seem to be dressed alike.”

mark looked inquiringly at laihova as he spoke, but that dignified native merely smiled, and made a slight inclination of his head, as if to say, “just so, that’s the way we do it here!”

“why do they let civilians mix wi’ them?” asked hockins, pointing to a particular part of the field.

“to keep ’em cibil, i s’pose,” suggested ebony.

“where?” asked laihova, with a puzzled look.

“there—don’t you see ’em? fellers all in black—with bell-toppers—beavers—chimney-pots on—i don’t know what you call ’em here.”

“them be officers too,” said laihova.

and this was true, for the higher grades of officers usually appeared at drill in a full suit of black cloth, with the common black silk hat doing duty as a helmet, and contrasting oddly enough with the rough home-made scabbardless sword, which was carried naked in the hand.

on some occasions, as our travellers afterwards learned, these regiments turned out in every variety of costume, with coats, hats, vests, and trousers, of all colours and patterns—as if they had been got up by an extensive dealer in old clothes. this passion for variety even extended to the officers of the palace, with whom, however, the material was of the best as well as gayest—for they were all gorgeously clad in blue and scarlet cloth; and velvet, with gold and silver lace, embroidery, feathers, etcetera,—but what nation, even in the so-called civilised world, is free from barbarism in this respect?

one pair of eyes beheld this review on that friday with something of fiendish satisfaction. these belonged to no less a personage than queen ranavalona herself. high up on the balcony of her palace she sat under the shade of a scarlet umbrella.

that very day she had had an angry interview with her prime minister, rainiharo, in reference to her only child prince rakota, who was a young man of mild gentle disposition, as kind to the christians as his mother was cruel and unjust. indeed it was believed that he himself was among the christians, for he dared openly to defend them before his mother, and often protected them secretly from her violence. rainiharo, the prime minister, on the contrary, was their bitter foe, and in his interview with the queen above mentioned, had ventured to accuse the prince of aiding in the protection of those who practised the proscribed religion.

the one redeeming point in the character of ranavalona was her love for this son. when asked to punish the prince for his conduct, she would say in tones of tenderness that seldom issued from her lips, “is he not my son—my only son?” alas! she had little pity for the son or daughter of any one else, whether “only” or otherwise!

the dress of ranavalona, as she sat in her balcony under her scarlet umbrella observing the troops, was gorgeous, but the greater part of it was hidden under the voluminous folds of the scarlet lamba of finest english broad-cloth with which her person was enveloped. here and there, however, portions of a rich silk dress of european manufacture could be seen, as well as various gold and silver rings, bracelets, chains, charms, and ornaments of ivory. scarlet being the royal colour, only the sovereign is entitled to wear the scarlet lamba or use the scarlet umbrella. the queen’s lamba was ornamented heavily with gold-lace. her head was not much decorated, but her hair was anointed with that hideous horror of the sick-room, castor-oil! the odour of which, however, was disguised, or rather mixed, with a leaf which smelt like nutmeg.

“i will submit to this no longer,” said the queen, with a stern frown. “have i not said it? is the will of ranavalona to be thwarted?”

this remark was, in the conversation above mentioned, made to the prime minister, a stern old man, dressed in a scarlet coat with huge gold epaulettes, and profusely braided with gold-lace, blue pantaloons, also gold-laced, and a magnificent brazen-sheathed sword. he stood at the queen’s elbow with a perplexed expression of countenance, being the bearer of news about the effect of which he felt uncertain. but rainiharo was a bold man as well as a bad one.

“your will, madam, is sure to be thwarted,” he replied, “as long as you suffer prince rakota to act as he pleases. your son is a christian. he prays with the christians and encourages them in this new doctrine. we are lost if your majesty does not stop the prince in his strange self-willed ways.”

“but,” repeated the queen, “he is my son—my only, my beloved son! let him do what he pleases. if he wishes to be a christian, let him—he is my beloved son!”

“but, madam,” urged rainiharo, who hated rakota, “if your son resists your will what becomes of the government? i know that rakota—”

“cease to speak to me of rakota,” interrupted the queen, impatiently. “he is my son, i tell you. i love him. let him alone—he will not disobey me.”

“prince ramonja, it is said, has also joined the christians,” continued the minister, with a slightly cynical expression.

“is this true?” demanded ranavalona, fiercely, while she seemed to grind her teeth in wrath.

“i have reason to believe it.”

“let inquiry be made, and if it proves to be true,” said the queen, sternly, “let ramonja be deprived of all his military honours, reduce him to the ranks, and fine him heavily.”

“but he is your own nephew, madam,” returned the minister, simply, yet with a touch of sarcasm in his tone.

“it matters not. it is of our mercy that he does not die, as many others have died before him. let my orders be obeyed if ramonja is guilty. let him be a warning to others in the palace, for it has come to my ears that some of our courtiers are hankering after this religion that seems to have turned my people mad. indeed it is said that some related to yourself are among them.”

she looked pointedly at rainiharo as she spoke, and the prime minister winced, for he had lately discovered that his own son was among the number of the “praying people.” recovering himself in a moment, however, he merely said that he was not aware of any of his kindred having fallen away from the customs of their ancestors.

“i hope not,” returned the queen, darkly, “for degradation and slavery, if not death, await them if they do. go. let a proclamation be made to-day in the market-place. let my people and the army know that i have resolved to extinguish christianity. tell those officers who have become christians, or have taken any part in religious teaching, that they shall lose their honours. they have transgressed my laws and deserve death, but through the supplications of the people of imérina their lives are spared. but their honours, i say, shall be thrown into the river and carried over the cataract of ifarahantsana, for they are trying to change the customs of our ancestors. of some, half the honours shall be thrown into the river. of others, one-third of their honours shall be thrown in, and some shall lose all their honours; the precise number shall be in proportion to their offences. moreover,” continued the angry woman, as she worked herself into a state of great wrath, “there must be no more praying; no more psalm-singing among my people; no more—”

she stopped suddenly and listened, while the veins in her neck and forehead seemed to swell almost to bursting, for at that moment the clear notes of a sweet female voice came from some distant part of the palace and broke softly on her ear. there was no mistaking the nature of the music, for the queen had long been familiar with the music of the psalms in which the “praying people” were wont to sing praise to the name of jesus.

“who sings?” she asked, with a fierce look at rainiharo.

the prime minister again gave vent to a very slight touch of sarcasm as he replied, “i think it is rafaravavy.”

this time the queen noted the tone, and sharply ordered her minister to be gone and do her bidding.

now, rafaravavy was a lady of the palace, as we have said, and a great favourite with her royal mistress, but the queen’s affection for the girl had been severely tested since the latter showed symptoms of a leaning towards the christian religion. it is probable that ranavalona would have cared little as to what her favourite thought about christianity if she had only kept quiet, but rafaravavy was one of those earnest straightforward souls who are prone to act in accordance with their conscientious beliefs without regard to consequences. she did not indeed go about endeavouring to proselytise the household, for she was naturally timid, soft-hearted, and meek, but she made no attempt to conceal her opinions and her sympathy with the persecuted christians. she had even gone the length of interceding for them once or twice when she found her mistress in an amiable mood, but the explosion of wrath which resulted warned her not to presume again in that way.

for some time ranavalona sat brooding over the mystery of that religion, which, notwithstanding all her power and cruelty, she had, after so many years of tyranny, been unable to suppress. then she sent for rafaravavy.

the girl, who in a few minutes entered her presence, was possessed of no ordinary beauty. her delicate features and oval face were much lighter in complexion than those of the other ladies of the court, resembling rather those of a spanish brunette than a hova beauty. her eyes were large, soft, and lustrous; her nose was straight and thin, and her mouth small, with an expression of habitual gravity which made her smile, when it came, all the more attractive. little wonder that poor ravonino had lost his heart to her, for, besides beauty of countenance, the girl was endowed with a sylph-like form, a sprightly disposition, and the sweet grace of humility.

“you have disobeyed me, rafaravavy,” said the queen as she entered.

“forgive me!” answered the girl in a low musical voice. “i did not think my song of praise would reach your ear. it was meant only for my god and saviour.”

“is your god then deaf, that you must sing so loud?” asked the queen, sharply.

“he is not deaf, blessed be his name!” exclaimed the maiden, with enthusiasm, “neither is his arm shortened that it cannot save. oh! if you—”

“stop!” cried the angry queen, “you have presumed to talk to me thus too often. you deserve to die for singing psalms. have you given up praying since i forbade it?”

there was that in the voice of ranavalona which alarmed the girl, and caused her to tremble as she replied, with some hesitation, that she still prayed.

instead of giving way to another burst of passion the queen adopted a bantering tone, and said—

“come, rafaravavy, tell me what you pray for.”

“i pray for the pardon of my sins.”

“is that all? surely you pray for something more than that. something nice that you want very much.”

“yes,” continued the girl, becoming somewhat pale, yet praying silently for courage even while she spoke. “yes, i pray for the pardon of—of your sins, and—”

“go on! why do you stop?”

“and that your eyes may be opened that you may ‘see the king in his beauty,’ and be drawn to him by the cords of love, so that you may cease to persecute the christians and learn to join with them in praising the name of jesus who redeemed us from destruction, and is ready and willing to save us from our sins.”

while rafaravavy was speaking ranavalona put her hand over her eyes. when the former ceased, she did not remove the hand, but said, in a tone which the poor girl could not quite understand—

“go! enough. leave me!”

as rafaravavy left the balcony, a prepossessing youth of delicate form and gentle mien emerged upon it by another door.

“mother,” he said, earnestly, “do, do give me leave to recall your proclamation. i have just heard of it from rainiharo. believe me, many of the nobles are not so good—i mean so guilty!—as you think. and the poor christians—why should they not pray and sing? it is all that you have left to them, for they no longer dare to worship together in the churches.”

“no, rakota, i will not recall it. your constant pleading worries me. it is enough to say that the people shall be examined—by the tangena ordeal if necessary—and they shall be punished according to their deserts. is that all that you come here for, my son?”

it was evident from her tone that ranavalona relented a little, though her words were firmly spoken.

“i came also to tell you,” said the prince, “that the europeans whom your spies brought news of some time ago have arrived. they are even now in the market-place. by my orders the guards have let them pass without question.”

“always interfering, rakota!” said the queen, angrily. “why were they not seized and guarded till i should find time to speak with them?”

“because, mother, that would scarcely be a civil way of receiving strangers.”

“strangers! spies you should have said. have you forgotten the ungrateful frenchmen who so lately tried to overturn my government?”

“but these are not frenchmen. they are english,” said the prince, “and i will answer for them being good and true men.”

“no doubt english are better than french—at least i hate them less; but they are all pale-faced liars and christians, and none of them shall remain in my land. but how can you tell, boy, that they are good and true men? have you had speech with them?”

“not i,” returned the prince. “i have only seen them as they entered the town, but that was enough. one glance satisfied me of their being true men. when the sun rises it needs not much wisdom to know that there is heat and light. an honest face is like the sun. you cannot fail to know it.”

“go, foolish boy. you are too confident. i will not tolerate europeans. these men shall be arrested. hence, and send hither an officer.”

finding that the queen was not in a temper to be trifled with, rakota wisely made no reply, but bowed and went his way. in delivering the message to the officer, however, he whispered such words to him as secured a little delay in the execution of the royal commands.