om himself--beside the beautiful
queen-like sister of Laihova. The more he meditated, however, the more
hopeless did his case seem to become. To lie he would not--not even to
gain Ramatoa. To die he would _rather_ not! To escape he could not!

At last he hit upon an idea. He would refuse to answer. He would take
refuge in absolute silence!

As might have been expected, this course of policy did not avail him
much. When it was found that he would not say whether he was a
Christian or not, it was resolved that the matter should be settled by
an appeal to the ordeal of the Tangena.

This used to be a common and much-practised ordeal in Madagascar in days
but recently past. It consisted in the administration of poison. Other
ordeals existed in the island--such as passing a red-hot iron over the
tongue, or plunging the naked arm into a large pot of boiling water and
picking out a pebble thrown therein for the purpose of trial. Alas for
both innocent and guilty subjected to either trial! But the ordeal most
universally in favour was that of the Tangena.

The Tangena is in fact a poisonous nut about the size of a chestnut
which derives its name from the tree that bears it. If taken in small
doses it acts as an emetic; if in large doses it kills. Many pages
would be required to give a full and particular account of all the
Malagasy superstitions connected with the ordeal. Let it suffice to
say, roughly, that previous to the poison being administered the accused
person is obliged to swallow whole, or rather bolt, three pieces of the
skin of a fowl, about the size of a dollar. Then the decoction of
Tangena in rice-water is administered. If given strong it kills, and
the unfortunate is held to have been guilty. If not too strong, and the
sufferer be able to bear it, vomiting is the result, and the three
pieces of skin are eagerly looked for. The finding of the pieces proves
the accused to be innocent. The not finding of them proves him guilty,
and at once, if he be a free man, he is killed, if a slave he is sold,
and got rid of in some distant market. There was a very complex system
of combined profit and superstition surrounding the whole affair which
it is difficult as well as useless thoroughly to understand, but which
it is easy to see afforded clever scoundrels the means of persecuting,
defrauding, or killing any whom they chanced to dislike, or who stood in
their way. Of course it was very easy to mak