Dinner at Mr. Laborde’s.—Foot-boxing.—Ladies of Madagascar and Parisian Fashions.—The Conspiracy.—A Dream.—A Fancy-dress Ball.—An unquiet Night.—Concert at Court.—The Silver Palace.—An Excursion of the Queen.
On the 3d, 4th, and 5th of June I was very unwell, with premonitory symptoms announcing a coming attack of the malignant fever of Madagascar. It luckily happened that, during these days, nothing of any interest occurred.
On the 6th of June Mr. Laborde gave a grand dinner in honor of Prince Rakoto, in his garden-house, situate at the foot of the hill.
Although the dinner was announced for six o’clock, we were carried to the house as early as three o’clock. On the way we passed a place in the upper town on which nineteen heavy guns (eighteen-pounders) were planted, the muzzles pointing toward the lower town, the suburbs, and the valley. They were placed there by King Radama, who had received them as a present from the English. They were not landed at Tamatavé, but at Bombetok, on the eastern coast. The distance from this place to the capital is greater than from Tamatavé, but the roads are better, and river conveyance can be made available for several days’ journey.
On our arrival at Mr. Laborde’s garden-house, all kinds of efforts were made to shorten the interval before dinner: several native sports were exhibited, the most popular of which was a kind of “foot-boxing.” The combatants kicked each other all over, and with such hearty good-will that I expected every moment broken legs or ribs would be the result. This delicate sport is in particular favor among the people in winter, as it effectually warms those engaged in it. The coldest season here is between the month of May till the end of July, when the thermometer often falls to four, three, or even to one degree (Réaumur). Nevertheless, every thing remains green; the trees do not lose their leaves, and the landscape looks as pretty and blooming as in Europe in the middle of spring. The inhabitants of Tananariva are fond of the summer heat, and as they have no means of procuring wood, and of thus artificially supplying the want of animal heat, they resort to the aforesaid pastime of foot-boxing.
The rich make their slaves bring wood from the distant forests to kindle fires. In Mr. Laborde’s house, a coal fire was kept up in a great brazier from early in the morning till late at night, but, of course, the door or the windows remained always open. This piece of luxury costs a dollar per day—a very high price compared with the cheapness of all other necessaries.
The foot-boxing was followed by dancing and gymnastic exercises; nor was music wanting, for a band had been provided, which executed some pieces skillfully enough. I was not so well pleased with the songs of a number of native girls, who had been taught by a missionary residing with Mr. Laborde. They knew a number of songs by heart, and did not scream in such shrill fashion as those whom we had before heard; on the contrary, their performance was tolerably correct; but it was a dreary entertainment, and I was devoutly thankful when they came to the last bar.
A little before six o’clock came the prince, accompanied by his little son, his beloved Mary, and a female friend of hers. Mary made even a less favorable impression upon me than when I first saw her. The fault was in her dress, for she was attired completely in the European style. Whatever other people may say, the stiff, exaggerated fashions diffused by Paris over the world do not charm me, even when worn by our own countrywomen, and only look well on those whom nothing can disfigure; but where there is a complete lack of natural beauty and grace, they become whimsical and ridiculous, and particularly so in conjunction with clumsy figures and monkey faces. Madame Mary may be a very good creature, and I should not like to offend her in any way; but that did not prevent me from being obliged to bite my lips till the blood almost came in the effort to avoid laughing aloud at her appearance. Over half a dozen stiff-hooped petticoats she wore a woolen dress with a number of great flounces, and great bows of ribbon, the latter fastened, not in front, but at the back. She had thrown a French shawl over her shoulders, and could never arrange it to her satisfaction; and on the top of her head, woolly as a curled poodle’s, was perched a quizzical little bonnet of reeds.
Her friend wore a muslin dress, and a cap of such antiquated form that, sexagenarian as I am, I could never remember having seen one of similar fashion; but afterward I remembered having seen a similar one on a portrait of my grandmother, who lived about the middle of the last century. This woman, who was of a more clumsy figure and had uglier features than Mary, positively frightened me every time I looked at her; she always gave me the idea of a cannibal chief in disguise.
The dinner-party was very cheerful. I had never seen Mr. Lambert in such excellent spirits; as for the prince, he seems always in good-humor. After dinner, Mr. Lambert and Mr. Laborde held a short political discussion with the prince in another room. I was admitted to take part in this conversation, and shall have to recur to it. The evening was unfortunately somewhat spoiled for me by the singing chorus. The plentiful repast seemed to have inspired the ladies with peculiar powers, for they screamed much worse than before dinner, and, to increase the noise, clapped their hands as an accompaniment. A few also performed the dreary dance of Madagascar to the sound of the marovane, the only instrument yet invented by Malagasey musical genius. It consists of a bamboo, as thick as a man’s arm, and four feet long. Shreds of the bark are fastened all around it, supported by little bridges of wood. The tone is very like that of a bad, worn-out cithern.