lthough not strictly correct, the seaman's description had a foundation
in truth, for some of the spiders of Madagascar are enormous, and their
webs so thick that it requires a considerable effort to break them.
Moreover they are said to be poisonous, and the bite of some even
deadly.

The contemplation of those creatures, however, had to be cut short at
that time, as they did not dare to risk keeping Voalavo waiting
breakfast for them.

"We are going to stick pigs and hunt wild cattle," said the jovial
chief, with his mouth full of chicken and rice, when they arrived. "We
will show the white men some fun."

On this being translated Ebony hoped that the black man was included in
the white, and Mark asked if the hunting-ground was far-off.

"A long way," said the chief, "we shan't reach it till night. But
that's no matter, for night is our time to hunt."

He said this with a twinkle in his eye, for he saw well enough that his
guests were impatient to be gone.

"But," continued he, on observing that they did not seem cheered by the
prospect, "our road to the hunting-plain lies on your way to
Antananarivo, so you won't lose time."

As he spoke he opened a small box containing a brown sort of dust, of
which he put as much as he possibly could between the teeth of his lower
jaw and the lip.

"What in all the world is he doin'?" asked Hockins of the guide in a low
tone.

"He is taking snuff."

"I always s'posed," remarked Ebony, "dat snuff was tooken by de nose!"

"So it is, they tell me, in England; but we have a different fashion
here, as you see, and quite as foolish."

"You don't mean that it's tobacco he treats in that way?" exclaimed
Mark.

"Not pure tobacco, but tobacco mixed with other things--something like
the cheap cigars which you English are said to smoke!" replied Ravonino
with something of a humorous twinkle in his eyes. "But we don't smoke.
We only snuff. In making our snuff we first dry the tobacco leaves and
grind them to powder. Then to this we add the ashes of the leaves of a
sweet-smelling herb, the mixture being twice as much tobacco as ashes; a
small quantity of potash or salt is added, and then it is considered fit
for use."

"Don't your people smoke at all?" asked Hockins.

"Not much, and never tobacco--except those on the coast who have been
corrupted by Europeans. Some of us used to smoke _rongona_, a kind of
hemp. It is a powerful stimulant, and used to be taken by warrio