The officers looked comical enough. They went about in threadbare civilian suits, that forcibly reminded me of the fashions which prevailed when I was a child.
To these quizzical costumes, the ugly black faces and woolly hair gave such an effect that the whole was overwhelmingly funny, and I lamented that I had no skill in drawing, for I might have produced some wonderful caricatures from the models before me.
Except on parade and at exercise, the officers, like the soldiers, wear a costume that suits them. The soldiers live in a kind of barracks, in the court-yard of which the exercise is performed and the courts-martial are held. Europeans are strictly prohibited from entering these barracks.
The Queen of Madagascar can easily put herself at the head of a powerful army. Nothing but her potent word is needed to bring it together; for the soldiers receive no pay, and are obliged, moreover, to clothe and feed themselves. They procure provisions by going out to work, with the permission of their superiors; or they go home to cultivate their fields. But the soldier who wants his officer’s permission for frequent absence must propitiate the latter by giving him a part of his earnings—at least a dollar annually. The officers are generally very little richer than the soldiers. They certainly receive, like the civil officials, a remuneration for their services from the customs revenue; but the pay is so small that they can not live upon it, and are compelled to have recourse to other means, not always of the most honest description. According to the law, a very small portion of the customs revenue ought to come to the private soldier; but I am told the officers find the amount so trifling that they do not take the trouble to give any account of it, and prefer keeping it entirely for themselves, so that the poor soldier who can not find work, and is too far from his home to be able to visit it from time to time, is literally in danger of being starved to death. He is obliged to endeavor to support life with herbs and roots, and all kinds of makeshifts (sometimes very nauseous ones), and may think himself lucky if he gets a little rice now and then. This rice the poor fellow throws into a large vessel filled with water, drinks the thin rice-water in the daytime, and only at evening allows himself a handful of the grain. But in war-time, as soon as he is on an enemy’s territory, he makes amends to himself for the hardships he has endured; then he plunders and steals right and left; villages are burned to the ground, and the inhabitants killed or dragged away to be sold as slaves.
After parade was over, the officers drew up, accompanied by the band, before our (or, more properly, speaking, Mademoiselle Julie’s) house, to salute Mr. Lambert, and invite him to a feast in the queen’s name. This is the only expense the queen is in the habit of incurring for people whom she wishes to treat with distinction.
Mr. Lambert treated the officers to some good wine, whereupon they marched off to the strains of the national hymn, which really sounded melodious enough.
On the 17th of May, the solemn banquet was held in the house of the first judge of the kingdom. The hour was fixed for three o’clock, but they did not come to fetch us until five. We betook ourselves to the house, which stood in the midst of a large square or court-yard, with palings around it. The soldiers stood in a double line from the entrance of the court to the house, and the national hymn was played as we passed. We were conducted at once to the dining-hall. Two sentries, with crossed muskets, stood before the door, but this did not prevent any one who listed from going quietly in and out.
The company, consisting of about thirty people, had already assembled to receive the guest of the day, Mr. Lambert, with due honor.
The first governor, who is at the same time commandant at Tamatavé, wore black European clothes, and across his chest a broad red satin ribbon, like that of an order; but, wonderful to relate, there are no orders yet in Madagascar. The second governor had donned an old European suit of faded sky-blue silk velvet, richly embroidered with gold; and the other gentlemen were likewise dressed in European fashion.
The table was covered with dishes of meat of all kinds, tame and wild fowl, fish, and other marine productions. I do not think I exaggerate when I say there were above forty dishes, great and small. The principal show-dish was the head of a calf of rather large size, so stripped of flesh that it looked like a skull, and produced any thing but an agreeable effect. There were likewise many different kinds of beverages, French wines and port, English beer, etc. After the meat, little badly-made tarts of various kinds were served, and the banquet ended with fruit and Champagne. Of the last-mentioned wine there was plenty, and it was drunk out of tumblers.