Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 47.djvu/250

240 said to divide itself naturally into three sections: the first was similar to that eastward of the capital, a treeless region of moors and hills. This was the most inhabited. It consisted of four broad terraces which fell rapidly toward the sea. The road, however, leading as it did obliquely across these terraces, presented on the whole easy gradients. Then came a section of nearly uninhabited wilderness, wooded and undulating. The third section contained the cultivated hills and plains of the Sakalavas. I reengaged for this journey four of the filanzana-bearers and the captain, Mazoto, who had come up from Tamatave with me. This Mazoto was a bright, intelligent fellow, who, besides being the chief of the men, acted as my body servant, and assisted me in cooking and the general duties of vagrant housekeeping. He was born in the country, but of Mozambique parents. His descent showed itself very clearly in his curly hair, his features, and his manner. I then engaged four more filanzana-bearers and six baggage coolies. This made a following of fifteen persons. I took a little larger stock of provisions, but otherwise the outfit was quite the same as when coming to the metropolis from Tamatave. I hired my men only as far as the land journey extended, and was therefore obliged to pay one half more for their return, which seemed no more than just. The bulk of this payment was arranged to be made when they arrived in Antananarivo, and I promised them each also a small present to be earned only by faithful attention to duty and good behavior—so that by these means I had the men pretty well under control. And now it was necessary to call the roll of my assembled bearers and coolies, and this was no easy or quick matter, for scarcely one name was of less length than six syllables. Biographical names in Malagasy are quite as long as geographical. Two of the men were slaves belonging to Mr. Ryder's clerk. In appearance they could not be distinguished from the others, and in amiability and faithful work they proved rather superior to them. All the names, singularly enough, began with the letter R. Here are some of them: Rataimiandra, Ramahamay, Rainivelonandro, Rainizanakolona. The baggage was soon packed in three parcels, and covered with tarred cloth for fear of stray showers. These parcels then being lashed to thick bamboo poles, each borne by two men, were sent on in advance. My filanzana stood waiting, and after a hasty but none the less heartfelt parting from my kind entertainer, I "mounted" and started away north through the deeply gullied streets of the capital, past the edge of the great Zoma, by the tomb of the prime minister's family, and down on to the great plain of Betsimitatatre, covered as far as the eye could see with variously tinted rice fields and everywhere traversed by large and small canals of water obtained mostly from the Betsiboka River. The large canals are utilized by boatmen in