his father and mother and eldest sister said, "Come, let us kill this woman, for it is through her only it has come about that Andrianòro has gone off to a country he knew not." So her father-in-law said, "How shall we manage to kill her?" Then her mother-in-law and sister-in-law replied, "Give her spirits in a horn,[1] for that is what she told Andrianòro before they were married." So they went to buy rum, and put it in a horn. But Rafàravàvy, Andrianòro's sister, was there with his wife, and overheard about their killing her. So the wife charged Rafàravàvy, saying, "When I am dead, then say to the chief people, 'Bury her in the road by which Andrianòro will come.'" "Yes," said Rafàravàvy, "but cannot I be substitute for what is to befall you, my relative, for what will it matter to me? for I will inform the chief people secretly."
So the two sisters-in-law locked all the gates (seven deep), and Andrianorò's parents and sister and wife went and fetched the tòaka. Soon the father called at the gateway, "Open me the gate, my child, oòpen me the gate, my child; for here is the tòaka for thee." Then his daughter-in-law replied, "I do not drink tòaka, O dada; for if I drink that I die, no matter if in a white horn, or in a black horn." Then again her mother-in-law and her sister-in-law called, and to the same effect, but Andrianòro's wife still refused, as she had done before. Then the three broke the gate where the wife was, together with her sister Rafàravàvy; and they forced tòaka into Andrianòro's wife's mouth, and she died. So the sister went to the chief people and said, "Bury her in the road by which Andrianòro will come, for that was the charge she left."
So she was buried there; and there was a voice crying out for Andrianòro there in his wife's grave. And after some time Andrianòro said to the people who went with him, "Come, let us return to the land of our ancestors, for I am longing to see my wife, for she appears to me constantly in dreams" [or visions]. And after a long journey he got back to his house; and his sister Rafàravàvy chanced to be in the house weeping for sorrow for her brother's wife. And when she ceased weeping she declared to her brother about her father and mother killing his wife. Then Andrianòro was in a swoon a long time before coming to his senses. And after he had lamented her a long time he said, "Where did you bury my wife?" His sister
- ↑ The ordinary drinking-vessel.
