^S Three Young Crusoe 3 



were so large and pretty and came out of the ground 

 so easily. 



"What do you suppose these are?" said Henry. 

 "They look like tree muskmelons." There was 

 row after row of small trees with yellow "melons" 

 fastened close to their trunks and larger limbs in a 

 peculiar way, while mixed with them were small 

 green fruits and flowers. On cutting one of the 

 "melons" open, they found large, bean-like seeds, 

 which were light in color and bitter in taste, and the 

 flesh was very different from that of a muskmelon. 



"Giye it up," said William. And so did Henry. 

 It the beans had been cured, roasted, ground up 

 with sugar, and pressed into cakes, they would have 

 been recognized at once as sweet chocolate; but, 

 tucked away in "melons" on the trunk of a cocoa 

 tree, they were different. 



The next plants were also a puzzle to them. They 

 were only a few feet high, tough and woody, and 

 without fruit. When the boys finally succeeded in 

 pLilling one up, they found several long, thick roots 

 that tasted sweet and starchy. These roots could 

 have been dried, grated, and baked into excellent 

 cakes, if they had only known it; for the plants were 

 sweet cassava, or manioc, from which tapioca is made. 



"We won't need any of this," said William, as 



