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It was only after his death in 1828 that a retrograde movement set in, as we have said, under the wicked Queen Ranavalona. It is one of the misfortunes of our fallen condition that rectitude in any course, however good, cannot long be maintained at least in reasonable perfection.
But now I must warn you warn all of you who are Christians," he added, with emphasis, looking round upon the natives, "if there be any such among you that Queen Ranavalona has got one of her bad fits again. She has ordered that no one is to sing or pray to Jesus, or to read the Word of God, on pain of imprisonment, death, or being sold into slavery. Many have been sold already, and some have died.
The King of Siam essayed a waltz with the Queen Ranavalona, of Madagascar, while the Sultan of Turkey basked in the smiles of a Chicago heiress to a hundred millions. The Czar choose for his partner a dark-eyed beauty from Peru, but King Malietoa, of Samoa, was suspicious of civilized charmers and, avoiding all of their allurements, expressed his joy and gave vent to his enthusiasm in a pas seul.
Then he left them, but not before receiving many an earnest and affectionate message to friends and kindred of the fugitives still at the capital, but who had, as yet, managed to elude the vigilance and escape the malignity of Queen Ranavalona and her spies.
But I have various little surprises and plots in store, which cannot be properly wrought out unless Ranavalona will consent to go to the gardens privately that is to say, without public announcement, for that has much to do with the success of my scheme."
At first it almost seemed as if, in his anger, he would with his own hand, then and there, inflict the punishment he threatened; but once again, as in the case of Ranavalona, love proved more powerful than anger. "No, no, boy," he said, turning away with a wave of his hand, as if to dismiss the subject finally, "you shall not die. It is a delusion. You deceive yourself. Go. Leave me!"
The countenance of Ranavalona was now changed. She took no pleasure in Mark's collections, and sent no more for the musical seaman. To make matters worse, there came in, on the following day, a report that some of her soldiers had captured a large band of fugitives in a distant part of the country, and were then marching them in chains to the capital.
There is to be a great bull-fight this week, and you know Ranavalona will allow nothing to interfere with that. Besides, it takes time to get up such an expedition as you suggest. However, I like the notion well. Go. I will think over it and see you again."
I was young then, and strong; but I don't think my heart was so warm as it is now! Learning to read was hard hard; but the Lord made me able, and when I got a Bible all to myself I thought there was nothing more to wish for. But the good Radama died, and Ranavalona sits upon his throne. You know she has burned many Bibles. Mine was found and burned, but she did not suspect me.
Well, we found nothing to object to in the first verse, but in the second the very second we found the word `darkness. This was sufficient! Queen Ranavalona does not like darkness, so we condemned it at once unanimously for we could not for a moment tolerate anything with darkness in it."
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