Their progress after leaving the spot described in the last chapter was not so rapid as could have been desired by anxious men, for it was absolutely necessary to proceed with extreme caution.

 

Not only were the Queen’s troops out in various directions, but many of her spies had been seen prowling about, like the evil one they served, seeking whom they could devour¹. Of this the travellers were made aware at the first villages they came to; and as Ravonino had formerly² been well-known at the capital, it became necessary for him not only to disguise himself, but to keep as much as possible out of sight.

 

Disguising himself was not very difficult, owing to the fact that when he lived in Antananarivo he had, like his father, worn a bushy beard. This had made him a marked man, for the Malagasy, as a rule, have little beard, and what little they possess is usually pulled out by the roots. Since he became a fugitive³ the guide had shaved closely. This of itself went a long way to change his appearance; but when, in addition, he had modified the arrangement of his hair, and stained his face of a darker hue⁴, he had made himself almost unrecognisable, even by his best friends. His chief difficulty was with his voice, which had a mellow⁵ sweetness in it that resisted modification⁶. However, by keeping silence, or speaking low, he hoped to escape recognition until he should reach the vicinity of the capital, where he had friends who would gladly receive and conceal⁷ him, even at the risk of their lives.

 

As to the great object that lay nearest his heart, he hoped to manage that through his friend Laihova, without himself entering the capital.

 

Our travellers soon reached the inhabited part of the country, where, being surrounded by men and women going about, as well as journeying towards the Antananarivo market with provisions, etcetera, they ceased to attract much attention. Of course the Englishmen were subjects of curiosity—sometimes of

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