Madame Pfeiffer set out on what proved to be her final expedition, on the
21st of May 1856. She proceeded to Berlin, thence to Amsterdam, Leyden,
Rotterdam; visited London and Paris; and afterwards undertook the voyage
to the Cape of Good Hope. Here she hesitated for a while in what
direction she should turn her adventurous steps before she pushed forward
to the goal of her hopes--Madagascar. At length she decided on a visit
to the Mauritius; and it is at this part of her journey that we propose
to take up her record.
[Port Louis, Mauritius: page183.jpg]
She saw much scenery in this rich and beautiful little island that moved
her to admiration. The volcanic mountains assume the boldest and most
romantic outlines. The vegetation is of the most luxuriant character.
Each deep gorge or mountain-valley blooms with foliage; and the slopes
are clothed with stately trees, graceful shrubs, and climbing plants;
while shining streams fall from crag to crag in miniature cascades. Of
course Madame Pfeiffer visited the sugar-cane plantations, which cover
the broad and fertile plains of Pamplemousse. She learned that the sugar-
cane is not raised from seed, but that pieces of cane are planted. The
first cane requires eighteen months to ripen; but as, meanwhile, the
chief stem throws out shoots, each of the following harvests can be
gathered in at intervals of twelve months; hence four crops can be
obtained in four years and a half. After the fourth harvest, the field
must be cleared completely of the cane. If the land be virgin soil, on
which no former crop has been raised, fresh slips of cane may be planted
immediately, and thus eight crops secured in nine years. But if such is
not the case, "ambrezades" must be planted--that is, a leafy plant,
growing to the height of eight or nine feet, the leaves of which,
continually falling, decay and fertilize the soil. After two years the
plants are rooted out, and the ground is once more occupied by a sugar
plantation.
When the canes are ripe and the harvest begins, every day as many canes
are cut down as can be pressed and boiled at once. The cane is
introduced between two rollers, set in motion by steam-power, and pressed
until it is quite flat and dry: in this state it is used for fuel. The
juice is strained successively into six pans, of which the first is
exposed to the greatest heat--the force of the fire being diminished
gradually under each of the others. In the last pan the sugar is found
half crystallized. It is then deposited on great wooden tables to cool,
and granulate into complete crystals of about the size of a pin's head.
Lastly, it is poured into wooden colanders, to filter it thoroughly of
the molasses it still contains. The whole process occupies eight or ten
days. Before the sugar is packed, it is spread out on the open terraces
to dry for some hours in the sun.
* * * * *
An excursion was made to Mount Orgueil, in order to obtain a panoramic
view of the island-scenery. On one side the lofty ridge of the Morne
Brabant, connected with the mainland only by a narrow neck of earth,
stretches far out into the sapphire sea; near at hand rises the Piton de
la Riviere Noire, the loftiest summit in the island, two thousand five
hundred and sixty-four feet. In another direction are visible the green
tops of the Tamarin and the Rempart; and in a fourth, the three-headed
mountain called the Trois Mamelles. Contiguous to these opens a deep
caldron, two of the sides of which have broken down in ruin, while the
others remain erect and steep. Besides these mountains, the traveller
sees the Corps de Garde du Port Loris de Mocca; Le Pouce, with its narrow
peak projecting above the plateau like a thumb; and the precipitous Peter
Botte.
The last-named mountain recalls the memory of the daring Hollander who
first reached its summit, long regarded as impracticable. He succeeded
in what seemed a hopeless effort by shooting an arrow, to which a strong
cord was attached, over the top. The arrow fell on the other side of the
mountain, at a point which could be attained without much difficulty. A
stout rope was then fastened to the cord, drawn over the mountain, and
secured on both sides; and Peter Botte hauled himself up by it to the
topmost crest, and thus immortalized his name. The ascent has since been
accomplished by English travellers.
A trip was also undertaken to the Trou de Cerf, or "Stag's Hole," a
crater of perfectly regular formation, brimful of bloom and foliage. As
no sign or mark betrays its whereabouts, the traveller is seized with
astonishment on suddenly reaching its brink. His astonishment soon wears
off, and he feels an intense delight in contemplating the view before
him. It comprises three-fourths of the island: majestic mountains
clothed in virgin forests almost to their very crests; wide-spreading
plains, green with the leafiness of the sugar-cane plantations; cool
verdurous valleys, where the drowsy shadows softly rest; and beyond and
around the blue sea with a fringe of snow-white foam marking the
indentations of the coast.
* * * * *
On the 25th of April 1857 Madame Pfeiffer sailed for Madagascar, and
after a six-days' voyage reached the harbour of Tamatave.
Madagascar, the reader may be reminded, is, next to Borneo, the largest
island in the world. It is separated from the African mainland by the
Mozambique Channel, only seventy-five miles wide. It stretches from lat.
12 to 25 degrees S., and long. 40 to 48 degrees E. Its area is about ten
thousand geographical square miles.
[The Traveller's Tree: page189.jpg]
Madagascar contains forests of immense extent, far-reaching plains and
valleys, rivers, lakes, and great chains of mountains, which raise their
summits to an elevation of ten or twelve thousand feet. The climate is
tropical, the vegetation remarkable for abundance and variety. The chief
products are gums and odoriferous balsams, sugar, tobacco, maize, indigo,
silk, spices. The woods yield many valuable kinds of timber, and almost
every fruit of the Torrid Zone, besides the curious and useful
Traveller's Tree. Palms are found in dense and beautiful groves; and
among them is the exquisite water-palm, or lattice leaf-plant. In the
animal kingdom Madagascar possesses some remarkable forms; as, for
instance, the makis, or half-ape, and the black parrot. The population
consists of four distinct races: the Kaffirs, who inhabit the south; the
Negroes, who dwell in the west; the Arabs in the east; and in the
interior the Malays, among whom the Hovas are the most numerous and the
most civilized.
* * * * *
Tamatave, when visited by Madame Pfeiffer looked like a poor but very
large village, with between four and five thousand inhabitants. Of late
years, however, it has grown into a place of much commercial importance.
There are some decent houses; but the natives live chiefly in small huts,
which are scattered over a wide area, with scarcely any attempt at
regularity of arrangement. These huts are supported on piles from six to
ten feet high. They are built of wood or of bamboo, thatched with long
grass or palm-leaves; and they contain only one room, of which the
fireplace occupies a disproportionate share. Windows are wanting, but
light and air are admitted through two opposite doors.
The bazaar is situated in the middle of the village, on an irregular
piece of ground, and is distinguished alike by its dirt and poverty. The
articles exposed for sale are only a supply of beef, some sugar-cane,
rice, and a few fruits; and the whole stock of one of the dealers would
be dear at a couple of shillings. The oxen are slaughtered on the spot,
and their flesh sold in thick hunches, with the skin, which is esteemed a
great delicacy. Meat is not bought according to weight, but the size of
each piece is measured by the eye.
The Tamatavians are principally Malagasys; and, physically, their
appearance does not recommend them. They have wide mouths, with thick
lips; their noses are broad and flat; their chins protrude; their cheek-
bones are disagreeably prominent. Their complexion may be any shade of a
muddy brown. Generally, their teeth are regular, and very white; but
against this redeeming trait must be put their hideous hair, which is
coal-black, very long, very woolly, and very coarse. When worn in all
its natural amplitude, its effect is curiously disagreeable. The face
seems lost in a "boundless convexity" of thick frizzled hair, which
stands out in every direction. But, usually, the men cut their hair
quite short at the back of the head, leaving only a length of six or
eight inches in front, which stands upright, like a hedge of wool. Much
pride is felt in their "head of hair" by the women, and even by some of
the men; and, unwilling to shorten so ornamental an appendage, they plait
it into numerous little tails. Some coquettishly allow these tails to
droop all about their head; others twist them together into a band or
bunch, covering the top of the head like a cap. No wonder that much time
is spent in the preparation of so complex a head-gear; but then, on the
other hand, when once made up it will last for several days.
Now as to the costume of these interesting semi-savages. Their articles
of clothing are two in number--the _sadik_ and the _simbre_. The former,
which by many natives is considered quite sufficient, is a strip of cloth
worn round the loins. The simbre is a piece of white stuff, about four
yards long and three broad, which is worn much like a toga. As it is
constantly coming loose, and every minute needing adjustment, it is an
exceedingly troublesome though not ungraceful garment, keeping one hand
of the wearer almost constantly employed.
Males and females wear the same attire, except that the latter indulge in
a little more drapery, and often add a third article--a short tight
jacket, called _kanezu_.
Simple as is the clothing of the Malagasy, their food is not less simple.
At every meal, rice and anana are the principal or only dishes. Anana is
a vegetable very much like spinach, of a by no means disagreeable flavour
in itself, but not savoury when cooked with rancid fat. Fish is
sometimes eaten, but not often--for indolence is a great Malagasy
quality--by those who dwell on the borders of rivers or on the sea-shore;
meat and poultry, though both are cheap, are eaten only on special
occasions. The natives partake of two meals--one in the morning, the
other in the evening.
The rice and anana are washed down with _ranugang_, or rice-water, thus
prepared: Rice is boiled in a vessel, and purposely burned, until a crust
forms at the bottom. The water is poured on, and allowed to boil. The
water in colour resembles pale coffee, and in taste is abominable to a
European palate. The natives, however, esteem it highly, and not only
drink the water, but eat the crust.
* * * * *
One of the great ceremonies of Madagascar, the royal bath-feast, is
described by Madame Pfeiffer. It is celebrated on the Malagasy
New-Year's Day, and has some curious features. On the eve, all the high
officers, nobles, and chiefs are invited to court; and assembling in a
great hall, partake of a dish of rice, which is handed round to each
guest with much solemnity that he may take a pinch with his fingers and
eat. Next day, all reassemble in the same place; and the queen steps
behind a curtain, which hangs in a corner of the room, undresses, and
submits to copious ablutions. Assuming her clothes, she comes forward,
holding in her hand an ox-horn that has been filled with water from her
bath; and this she sprinkles over the assembled company--reserving a
portion for the soldiers drawn up on parade beneath her window.
Throughout the country this day is an occasion of festivity, and dancing,
singing, and feasting are kept up till a late hour. Nor does the revel
end then; it is prolonged for eight days. The people on the first day
are accustomed to kill as many oxen as will supply them with meat for the
whole period; and no man who possesses a herd, however small, fails to
kill at least one for this annual celebration. The poor exchange rice,
and tobacco, and several potatoes, for pieces of meat. These pieces are
long thin strips; and being salted, and laid one upon another, they keep
tolerably well until the eighth day.
Madame Pfeiffer had an opportunity of witnessing the dances, but did not
find them very interesting.
Some girls beat a little stick with all their might against a thick stem
of bamboo; while others sang, or rather howled, at their highest and
loudest pitch. Then two of the ebony beauties stepped forward, and began
to move slowly to and fro on a small space of ground, half lifting their
arms, and turning their hands, first outwards, and then towards their
sides. Next, one of the men made his _debut_. He tripped about much in
the same style as the dusky _danseuses_, only with greater energy; and
each time he approached any of the women or girls, he made gestures
expressive of his love and admiration.
* * * * *
Our traveller obtained permission to enter into the interior of the
island, and to visit Antananarivo, {197} the capital. As she approached
it, she could see it picturesquely planted on a high hill that rose out
of the broad and fertile inland plain; and after a pleasant journey
through rich and beautiful scenery, she came upon the suburbs, which
enclose it on all sides.
The suburbs at first were villages; but they have gradually expanded
until they have been formed into a compact aggregate. Most of the houses
are built of earth or clay; but those belonging to the city must, by
royal decree, be constructed of planks, or at least of bamboo. They are
all of a larger size than the dwellings of the villagers; are much
cleaner, and kept in better condition. The roofs are very high and
steep, with long poles reared at each end by way of ornament. Many
houses, and sometimes groups of three or four houses, are surrounded by
low ramparts of earth, apparently for no other purpose than to separate
the courtyards from the neighbouring tenements. The streets and squares
are all very irregularly built: the houses are not placed in rows, but in
clusters,--some at the foot of the hill, others on its slopes. The royal
palace crowns the summit.
Madame Pfeiffer expressing her surprise at the number of
lightning-conductors that everywhere appeared, was informed that perhaps
in no other part of the world were thunderstorms so frequent or so fatal.
She was told that, at Antananarivo, about three hundred people were
killed by lightning every year.
The interior of the town was in appearance exactly like one of the
suburbs, except that the houses were built of planks or of bamboo.
At the time of Madame Pfeiffer's visit, the sovereign of Madagascar was
Queen Ranavala, memorable for her sanguinary propensities, her hatred of
Europeans, and her persecution of the Christian converts. It proves the
extraordinary power of fascination which our traveller possessed, that
she obtained from this feminine despot so many concessions--being allowed
to travel about the island with comparative freedom, and being even
admitted to the royal presence. The latter incident is thus described:--
Towards four o'clock in the afternoon her bearers carried Madame Pfeiffer
to the palace, over the door of which a great gilded eagle expands its
wings. According to rule, in stepping across the threshold the visitor
put her right foot foremost; and this ceremony she also observed on
entering, through a second gateway, the spacious courtyard in front of
the palace. Here the queen was visible, being seated on a balcony on the
first story, and Madame Pfeiffer and her attendants were directed to
stand in a row in the courtyard opposite to her. Under the balcony some
soldiers were going through divers evolutions, which concluded, comically
enough, by suddenly lifting up the right foot as if it had been stung by
a wasp.
The queen was attired in a wide silk simbre, and wore on her head a large
golden crown. Though she sat in the shade, a very ample umbrella of
crimson silk--throughout the East a sign of royal dignity--was held over
her head. She was of rather dark complexion, strongly and even sturdily
built, and, though seventy-five years of age, remarkably healthy and
active. On her right stood her son, Prince Rakoto; and on her left, her
adopted son, Prince Ramboasalama. Behind her were gathered nephews,
nieces, and other relatives, and the dignitaries and grandees of her
kingdom.
The minister who had conducted Madame Pfeiffer and her companion--M.
Lambert, a French adventurer, who played a conspicuous part in the
affairs of Madagascar--addressed a short speech to the queen; after which
the visitors had to bow thrice, and to repeat the words, "Esaratsara
tombokoc" (We salute you cordially); to which she replied, "Esaratsara"
(We salute you). They then turned to the left to salute King Radama's
tomb, which was close at hand, with three similar bows; afterwards
returning to their former position in front of the balcony, and making
three more. M. Lambert next held up a gold piece of eighty francs value,
and placed it in the hands of the minister who had introduced them. This
gift, which is expected from every stranger when first presented, is
called "Monosina." The queen then asked M. Lambert if he wished to put
any question to her, or if he needed anything, and also addressed a
remark or two to Madame Pfeiffer. The bowings and greetings were then
resumed; obeisance was paid to King Radama's monument; and the visitors,
as they retired, were again cautioned not to put the left foot first over
the threshold.
The royal palace is (or was) a very large timber building, consisting of
a ground-floor and two stories, surmounted by a singularly high-pitched
roof. Each story is surrounded by a broad gallery. The roof is
supported on wooden pillars, eighty feet high, and rises forty feet above
them, resting in the centre on a pillar not less than a hundred and
twenty feet in height. All these columns are fashioned each from a
single trunk; and when it is considered, says our authority, that the
forests containing trees of sufficient size for this purpose lie fifty or
sixty miles from the capital, that the roads are nowhere paved, and in
some places are quite impassable, and that all the pillars are dragged to
the capital without the help of a beast of burden or any single machine,
and are afterwards wrought and set up with the simplest tools, the
erection of this palace may justly be called a gigantic undertaking, and
the palace itself ranked among the wonders of the world.
The government of Madagascar has always been Draconian in its severity,
and the penalty exacted for almost every offence is blood. Some of the
unfortunates are burned; others are hurled over a high rock; others
buried alive; others scalded to death with boiling water; others killed
with the spear; others sewn up alive in mats, and left to perish of
hunger and corruption; and others beheaded. Recourse is not unfrequently
had to poison, which is used as a kind of ordeal or test. This is
applicable to all classes; and as any one may accuse another, on
depositing a certain sum of money,--and as, moreover, no accused person
is allowed to defend himself,--the ordeal does not fall into disrepute
for want of use. If the accused endures it without perishing, a third
part of the deposit is awarded to him, a third part goes to the court,
and the remainder is returned to the accuser. But if the accused die,
his guilt is considered to have been established, and the accuser
receives back the whole of his money.
The poisoning process takes place as follows:--
The material employed is obtained from the kernel of a fruit as large as
a peach, called the _Tanghinia venenifera_. The lampi-tanghini, or
person who administers the poison, announces to the accused the day on
which the perilous dose is to be swallowed. For eight-and-forty hours
before the prescribed time he is allowed to eat very little, and for the
last twenty-four hours nothing at all. His friends accompany him to the
poisoner's house. There he undresses, and takes oath that he has had no
recourse to magic. The lampi-tanghini then scrapes away as much powder
from the kernel with a knife as he judges necessary for the trial. Before
administering the dose, he asks the accused if he confesses his crime;
which the accused never does, because under any circumstances he would
have to swallow the poison. The said poison is spread upon three little
pieces of skin, each about an inch in size, cut from the back of a plump
fowl. These he rolls together, and administers to the supposed culprit.
"In former days," says Madame Pfeiffer, "almost every person who was
subjected to this ordeal died in great agony; but for the last ten years
any one not condemned by the queen herself to take the tanghin, is
allowed to make use of the following antidote. As soon as he has taken
the poison, his friends make him drink rice-water in such quantities that
his whole body sometimes swells visibly, and quick and violent vomiting
is brought on. If the poisoned man be fortunate enough to get rid not
only of the poison, but of the three little skins (which latter must be
returned uninjured), he is declared innocent, and his relations carry him
home in triumph, with songs and rejoicings. But if one of the pieces of
skin should fail to reappear, or if it be at all injured, his life is
forfeited, and he is executed with the spear, or by some other means."
{204}
* * * * *
During Madame Pfeiffer's stay at Antananarivo a conspiracy broke out,
provoked by the queen's cruelty. It failed, however, in its object; and
those concerned in it were mercilessly punished. The Christians became
anew exposed to the suspicions and wrath of Ranavala; and Madame Pfeiffer
and her companions found themselves in a position of great peril. The
royal council debated vehemently the question, Whether they should be put
to death? and this being answered in the affirmative, What death they
should die? Happily, Prince Rakoto interfered, pointing out that the
murder of Europeans would not be allowed to pass unavenged, but would
bring down upon Madagascar the fleets and armies of the great European
powers. This argument finally prevailed; and Madame Pfeiffer and the
other Europeans, six in all, then in Antananarivo, were ordered to quit
it immediately. They were only too thankful to escape with their lives,
and within an hour were on their way to Tamatave, escorted by seventy
Malagasy soldiers. They had good cause to congratulate themselves on
their escape, for on the very morning of their departure ten Christians
had been put to death with the most terrible tortures.
The journey to Tamatave was not without its dangers and difficulties, and
Madame Pfeiffer, who had been attacked with fever, suffered severely. The
escort purposely delayed them on the road; so that, instead of reaching
the coast in eight days, the time actually occupied was three-and-fifty.
This was the more serious, because the road ran through low-lying and
malarious districts. In the most unhealthy spots, moreover, the
travellers were left in wretched huts for a whole week, or even two
weeks; and frequently, when Madame Pfeiffer was groaning in a violent
excess of fever, the brutal soldiers dragged her from her miserable
couch, and compelled her to continue her journey.
At length, on the 12th of September, she arrived at Tamatave; broken-down
and unutterably weary and worn, but still alive. Ill as she was, she
gladly embarked on board a ship which was about to sail for the
Mauritius; and reaching that pleasant island on the 22nd, met with a
hearty welcome from her friends--to whom, indeed, she was as one who had
been dead and was alive again.
The mental and physical sufferings she had undergone, combined with the
peculiar effects of the fever, now brought on an illness of so serious a
character that for long the doctors doubted whether her recovery was
possible. On her sixtieth birthday, the 14th of October, they pronounced
the brave lady out of danger; but, in fact, her constitution had received
a fatal shock. The fever became intermittent in its attacks, but it
never wholly left her; though she continued, with unabated energy and
liveliness, to lay down plans for fresh expeditions. She had made all
her preparations for a voyage to Australia, when a return of her disease,
in February 1858, compelled her to renounce her intention, and to direct
her steps homeward.
Early in the month of June she arrived in London, where she remained for
a few weeks. Thence she repaired to Berlin.
Her strength was now declining day by day, though at first she seemed to
regard her illness as only temporary, and against the increasing physical
weakness her mind struggled with its usual activity. About September,
she evinced a keen anxiety to behold her home once more,--evidently
having arrived at a conviction that her end was near. She was carefully
conveyed to Vienna, and received into the house of her brother, Charles
Reyer; where, at first, the influence of her native air had an
invigorating effect. This gave way after a week or two, and her illness
returned with augmented force. During the last days of her life, opiates
were administered to relieve her sufferings; and in the night between the
27th and 28th of October she passed away peacefully, and apparently
without pain,--leaving behind her the memory of a woman of matchless
intrepidity, surprising energy, and heroic fixity of purpose.
NOTES.
{105} Since Madame Pfeiffer's time this mode of self-torture has been
prohibited by the British Government.
{197} That is, the "City of a Thousand Towns."
{204} We give Madame Pfeiffer's account, as an illustration of the old
ways of Madagascar society. But the poison-ordeal has of late been
abandoned, owing to Christian influence.