Hereupon we were led into another room, and a tall negro, wrapped in a full white garment, came toward us with the little skins of poison. Mr. Lambert was obliged to take them first; but, at the moment when I was about to follow his example, there arose suddenly a loud din of music and rejoicing shouts, and—I awoke, and really heard music and shouting in the streets. It was broad day; I hastily wrapped myself in my clothes, and hurried to the gate to see what was going on; and lo! two men who had been condemned to the tanguin had fortunately got rid of the poison and the three little pieces of skin, and were being led home in triumph by their friends.
If I were of a superstitious nature, who knows what importance I might have attached to this dream, which was partly verified by subsequent events; but, fortunately, my temperament is not of that kind, and dreams never trouble me but during my sleeping hours.
June 8th. To-day the prince held a grand kabar in our house, at which many nobles and officers were present. From this period not a day passed in which greater or smaller kabars were not held at our house, which was, in fact, the head-quarters of the conspiracy.
June 9th. A great fancy-ball has been given at court to-day in honor of Mr. Lambert.
What strange contrasts! On one side a conspiracy hatching—on the other, festivals are the order of the day!
Does the queen really doubt the existence of the treaty between Prince Rakoto and Mr. Lambert, and has she no suspicion of its intended accomplishment? or does she wish to let the conspirators commit some overt act, that she may afterward satiate her revenge with apparent justice? Events will show.
Although both Mr. Lambert and myself were still very unwell, we made up our minds to be present at this feast.
The ball began soon after one o’clock in the day, and was not held in the apartments of the palace, but in front of the building, in the great fore-court in which we had been admitted to our audience. As on that former occasion, the queen sat on the balcony under the shade of her great parasol, and we were obliged to make the usual obeisances to her and to the tomb of King Radama. This time, however, we were not made to stand; comfortable arm-chairs were assigned to us. Gradually the ball company began to assemble; the guests comprised nobles of both sexes, officers and their wives, and the queen’s female singers and dancers. The nobles wore various costumes, and the officers appeared in European dress; all were obliged to make numerous obeisances. Those who appeared in costume had seats like ours given them; the rest squatted about as they liked, in groups on the ground.
The queen’s female dancers opened the ball with the dreary Malagasey dance. These charming creatures were wrapped from top to toe in white simbus, and wore on their heads artificial, or, I should say, very inartificial flowers, standing up stiffly like little flagstaffs; they crowded into a group in such a way that they seemed all tied together. As often as they staggered past the queen’s balcony or the monument of King Radama, they repeated their salutes, and likewise at the end of every separate dance. After the female dancers had retired, the officers executed a very similar dance, only that they kept somewhat quicker time, and their gestures were more animated—that is to say, they lifted their feet rather higher than the performers of the other sex. Those who had hats and caps waved them in the air from time to time, and set up a sharp howling, intended to represent cries of joy.
After the officers followed six couples of children in fancy dresses. The boys wore the old Spanish costume, or were attired as pages, and looked tolerably well; but the girls were perfect scarecrows. They wore old-fashioned French costumes—large, stiff petticoats, with short bodices—and their heads were quite loaded with ostrich feathers, flowers, and ribbons. After this little monkey community had performed certain Polonaises, Schottisches, and contre-danses, acquitting themselves, contrary to my expectation, with considerable skill, they bowed low and retired, making way for a larger company, the males likewise clad in the old Spanish, the females in the old French garb.