“Upon this declaration of his,” said deaan Trongha, in my absence, “where shall we find a man without some relations!” “That,” says he, “I cannot tell, but this is the mind of the demons, and they would never direct it, were there no such man to be found; you must therefore recollect yourself. Now I think of it,” says he, “there is your white man Robin is the only man, I dare say, who is qualified for that important office;” “but then,” said deaan Trongha, “notwithstanding he may be such a man, yet it is not proper for him to go, besides I have given him my word he shall not go against his inclination.” “Why then,” said the umossee, “you must find out some other person more proper if you can.” Having done his business away he went, leaving the deaan in no small perplexity, who was a man of strict honour and a punctual observer of his word. Whereupon he sent for me, and told me, it was in my power to be very serviceable to the whole country, but more especially to himself, and that I should be gratefully rewarded for my compliance with his request; but he insisted first on my promise. “If it be not to kill a man,” said I, “I should be proud of an opportunity to oblige you.” He then told me ingenuously the whole story, and that it could not possibly be helped, or else he would not have asked it of me. I paused a while, but upon a short recollection, said, all I feared was what I told him before; but since there was an absolute necessity for it, I should readily acquiesce. “Hereupon,” said he, “I will protect you, and take as much care of your life and health as of my own.” And immediately ordered a slave to attend me, and all things necessary to be got ready for me. I was to carry this charm, called the elodge, in my left hand, at about three or four stones cast distant from the army, during their march, and at night pitch it at the same distance from the camp, pointing it toward the enemy’s country, then wash myself and mix among the crowd wherever I pleased. This was to be done till we should have an engagement with Woozington’s army; I was to have ten beeves and two slaves for my trouble. The vulgar imagine that this charm has a poisonous quality, and that was the reason I was to wash before I came near any of them; but deaan Trongha told me privately, that he knew well enough I did not think it any way pernicious. “No sir,” said I, “I am very well assured there is neither harm nor good in it, and they shall see me lick it before their faces if they please, which none of them would venture to do for a hundred oxen. I can never think,” said I, “that you yourself have that confidence in it, as you tell them, but you see the ill consequence of making use of these conjurors; for the common people are so strongly persuaded of their power over them by these charms, that were your own life to be in danger, you must do what this imaginary prophet says his demigods direct, though you were to carry this yourself.” “What you say,” said he, “is very true, and were I to refuse to let you carry it, they would refuse to march; or if they did, would charge me with every miscarriage consequent upon it.” “Yes sir,” said I, “but there is still a farther danger, for had the umossee but courage and cunning enough, you have put it in his power to make even yourself subservient to his directions; under the pretence of their being the orders of the demons. And it is but his saying his demons or spirits have ordered such or such a thing to be done, though it be even against yourself, they durst not disobey his orders; for he has them all at his beck, if he did but know it.” And here I cannot but reflect, that not only Madagascar, and other heathenish countries are possessed with this vice of superstition; but even christian nations have been, and are yet too much tainted with it: of this and its mischievous consequences, there have been many flagrant instances.
Soon after we marched out of town, I had a slave, like other great men, to carry my mat and provision for me, and was furnished with every thing I could reasonably desire. Now came the umossee, and put the elodge into my left hand, and I marched in state before them. The next day we joined Rer Befaugher, and two days after that, Rer Mundrosser; James, the son of Efflep, and his man Toby, were both in the army, so that we had good company every evening, as soon as I had fixed my elodge and washed myself. We passed the great river Oneghaloyhe, wading through a ford, which lay a great way higher than where I passed it before. Here our people stocked themselves with beef; for we frequently halted at noon, on purpose to give them time to hunt Hattoy’s cattle.
When I came to the river where several alligators lay, though I had my firebrand in my hand, yet I would not venture to pass over by myself. Then the umossee came up to me and said, I need not be afraid, for whilst I carried the elodge, the demons would protect me from all harm. I laughed at him and told him, “I was well assured he did not imagine that I gave any credit to his assertion, neither have you any such notion of its power; but if you have, do you carry it over here, and either go with me or before me.” However, though he had more wit, I forced him to fetch two guns, that I might discharge them into the water to make the alligators retreat; and then I went over. We saw several people who belonged to two petty princes not far off, and were hunting here for their diversion; as they were not enemies, our people had abundance of discourse with them. Though we passed through a very mountainous wilderness, yet we lay but two nights in it, for they knew a much nearer way than I did when I came alone. When I saw Vohitchfutey, I returned in a very melancholy mood into the camp; insomuch that deaan Trongha took notice of it, and asked me, what I ailed? I told him, we were now drawing near to Anterndroea, which had been a scene of misery to me, and I had terrible apprehensions of deaan Mevarrow. But he cheered me up, and said, they durst not venture to injure me, and he was very well assured that they would not attempt it, as well out of fear, as out of respect to him.
The next day we arrived at Madamvovo, the river at which I used to water my cattle, when in deaan Murnanzack’s country. This was ordered to be the place of rendezvous, and deaan Murnanzack with his brethren, and their forces all met here. Deaan Afferrer soon took notice of me, and when I went to lick his feet he lifted me up and seated me by himself, asking deaan Trongha at the same time how I came to him? I was desired to tell my own tale, which accordingly I did to his satisfaction. He said, I had taken a great deal of pains for liberty, but it was no more than he would have done himself under the same circumstances; and wished me all the good success imaginable.
Deaan Crindo and his sons came the next day, and deaan Mevarrow and his brother along with them. Though I was sorry to find he was recovered of the yaws, yet I ventured to go to him, when I found his brother was with him. After the usual ceremony of licking their feet, they said they were glad to see me, and asked me why I left them? I pretended, in case he would give me my wife, to return as soon as the army parted. Whereupon both told me, she would not marry any other man, but continued constantly to lament my absence. This drew unfeigned tears from me, and here I must confess, that if a sincere conjugal affection be a weakness in man, I must own, let the world think as it pleases, myself guilty of that weakness. These tears, however, as it proved afterwards, were the happy means of deceiving them, and of my escape from danger. And had my shedding them been a piece of artifice only, it might carry its own justification with it; since I had good reason to fear he would have murdered me privately, when he perceived I either contemned or hated him. At night I let deaan Trongha into the secret, lest he should suspect I was carrying on some sinister design in visiting Mevarrow. Here I met with my old trusty friend, who had all this time kept my secrets. He told me likewise, that my wife continued inconsolable, and repented every day of her life that she did not go with me.
In about three days, the army, which now consisted of about four thousand men, marched, and I went before them with the elodge. On the day following we entered the country of Merfaughla, and here the army divided into three parts as in their former expedition, and marched with much more circumspection than before, for we were in an enemy’s country; I still marched in the front. As we were passing between the two woods, a volley of shot was all on a sudden discharged at me; but the enemy ran away as soon as they had fired. They were a small party in ambuscade, on purpose to lay hold on such opportunities. The shot whistled about my ears, and some small boughs that flew off from the trees striking me, I could not immediately tell whether I was wounded or not. However I stopped, and was determined to proceed no farther. Deaan Tradaughe, who was the nearest commander, ordered me to go on; but I peremptorily refused, unless they would send a party to march before. The umossee too came, and talked to me in his old conjuring dialect; and with the same success as he did at the river. At length deaan Crindo came, and commanded me to go on, declaring he would otherwise compel me. I was terribly nettled at the haughtiness of one, whom I had so much reason to hate, and boldly told him he was a proud prince, and that I thanked God I was not under his jurisdiction. “It is true,” said he, “or else I would take care you should go no farther.” Deaan Trongha was now come forward, and asked what was the matter? To whom deaan Crindo complained of my being both obstinate and saucy. He answered, it was unreasonable as well as cruel to desire I should be exposed to danger at that silly rate; and as to the man’s pertness, said deaan Trongha, you forget he is a white, and as good as any of us all. In short, deaan Crindo was obliged to let a hundred young men go before me, and in good time truly it was; for there were several such firings at us that afternoon from small ambuscades.
Two days after this we came to the river, not only where we had encamped before, but fought and defeated deaan Woozington, and killed his brave general Ry-Opheck. Here we encamped again, and as no enemy appeared, most of us were for plundering the country; but deaan Trongha persuaded us against it, and advised us to march still on, in order to find the enemy out, if possible, before they divided their forces into small parties. As for my part, I did not care how soon we came to a battle, for then I should get rid of the elodge.
At length when we had marched four days, a body of the enemy of about a thousand appeared on a plain before us, and deaan Trongha drew out his countrymen to fight them. The umossee came up to me, charging me to march before my master with the elodge, and to throw it towards the enemy as soon as the engagement began. We marched forwards, and they advanced, though but slowly to meet us, for they had a secret design. Deaan Trongha, as they wanted, drew near, and they still kept firing, though at a distance; however, it was fight enough for my purpose, as being a fair excuse for throwing away the elodge. I did it with alacrity, and returned forthwith to the camp; for I had neither gun nor lance to fight, and was glad at my heart to be eased of so troublesome a post. The enemy withdrew into a wood, and our people eagerly followed and fired at them, till the general, who, with eagle’s eyes, looked round about him, notwithstanding the heat of the action, and discovered a long train of fire-arms on a rising bank of earth, among the trees and bushes. Upon that he immediately called out to his people to stop, discovering, moreover, a great number of men concealed in a ditch, that was cast up for that purpose, so he marched back without the loss of one man; for there was no fighting in an unknown wood, and with an unknown force.
Deaan Woozington was, doubtless, one of the most subtile artful men on the island, for though he had not force enough to face an army of four thousand men, and his country was ruined, yet he found out ways and means to be revenged in the severest manner; nor did my valiant master deaan Trongha, notwithstanding his great conduct and bravery, escape his resentment. Our beef being all spent and no enemy to be found that would fight, parties were sent out in quest of cattle and slaves, and returned with good success; though the principal generals, that is to say, deaan Crindo, deaan Murnanzack, and deaan Trongha continued in the camp. Some scouts, however, who had discovered where a large herd of cattle were, coming in, Trongha would go out himself to fetch them; deaan Crindo, indeed, advised him against it, but he would not hearken to his counsel. So about a hundred of the Anterndroeans, with a like number of his own people went with us, for I determined to go, but, Providence designed otherwise, I was taken with a violent pain in my thigh. I went out with them, however, for I was very loth to stay behind him; but my pain increasing, the deaan would not permit me to proceed, and I was forced to hop as it were back, for I could scarcely walk, and never saw this great good prince more; for in three days’ after, three men brought the melancholy news of deaan Trongha’s death, as follows.
About sunrising, a man informed the general, that a party of about fifty of the enemy appeared upon the plain; whereupon he marched his little army out of the wood towards them, and soon saw their number increase; he was resolved, however, to attack them. Here he was guilty of a piece of ill conduct, forgetting that the Anterndroeans were good for little else but bush-fighting. When they came nearer, they saw another party, and though soon after a third appeared, yet there was no retreating. Some of the Anterndroeans, it is true, ran away, and others concealed themselves in the high grass; so that there were but threescore of his own Feraignher people, stood with him to oppose some hundreds. They maintained the fight, however, half the morning; the general received two wounds without falling, but at length, a third killed him. By this time there were not above twenty of his party left, and they resolutely forced their way through the enemy, of which number were those, who gave us this account. The Anterndroea men who skulked in the grass, were most of them killed; for the grass there being very long, and very dry at this time of the year, the enemy set fire to it, and it ran like wildfire, scorching the men who lay concealed under it; so that they were obliged to rise, and most of them were overtaken and cut to pieces.