re, almost, throughout the country, when a
traveller enters a village, a present is usually brought to him of rice,
poultry, or fruit, or whatever they have on hand. You'll find out that
for yourselves as you go along--"

"A bery proper state ob tings," remarked Ebony.

"And whatever house you come to," continued Ravonino, "the owner will
invite you politely to enter, and make you welcome. Of course there are
greedy and surly people here and there, but these are an exception to
the rule. Well, on one occasion King Radama heard of some people of
that sort. You must know that our chiefs have always required that they
should be entertained on the best the people could provide. It is an
old custom. Well, Radama made a law that all the provisions and other
kinds of property should belong to the people, but all the houses in the
country should belong to the sovereign; and he ordered the inhabitants
to furnish lodgings to his servants and soldiers wherever they went. In
order to make sure that his orders were obeyed the King soon after went
in disguise to a village some distance off, and towards evening entered
a peasant's house and asked to be taken in for the night.

"The heads of the family did not refuse, but rendered their hospitality
in such a way as showed that he was not welcome. Next day he went to
another house. There he was kindly welcomed, civilly treated, and the
best they had in the house was set before him. In the morning when
taking leave he made himself known, no less to the surprise than
consternation of the family, and he left, assuring them that their
hospitality should not be forgotten. The King kept his word, for he
afterwards sent his officers to the village with a stern reproof to his
first entertainer and a handsome present to the other."

Just as the guide finished his anecdote a resplendent butterfly of
enormous size rose from the bushes, and Mark, to whom it was quite a new
specimen, bounded after it, but failed to effect a capture.

"Neber mind, massa," said the sympathetic Ebony, "you'll hab better luck
nex' time--p'r'aps!"

"Besides," added the guide, "there are plenty more where that came from,
for we have got into a good region for insects."

"Seems to me," said Hockins, "it's a good region for everything. Look
at that now,"--he pointed to an object in front of him. "I would say
that was a spider if it warn't as big as a bird, and hadn't set up a
fishin'-net for a web!"

A