APPENDIX, 143 
which they are cutting, is in the act of falling, The branches, 
bark, and the white portion of the wood are cut away when the tree 
hes been felled, and it is then taken home. The length varies 
from four to six feet, and as the wood is extremely hard, the eut- 
ting of one billet is considered sufficient labour for the day, The 
next day, early in the morning, they cut these billets into chips ; how- 
ever, they are careful not to cut more at one time than may be 
required for the boiling operations of the day, as they think 
the chips would be too dry on the second day. ‘To enable them inore 
conveniently to cut these hard billets into chips, they drive three 
pieces of timber, each having forked branches, of different lengths, 
firmly into the ground about half a pave distant from éach other; and 
the lowest being on a level with the earth. The billet is placed in a 
sloping position in the forks, and lies quite secure to be cut. ‘The 
chips are heaped near the fire-place, after which the men take their 
breakfast, and then proceed to the jungle. The labour attending the 
boiling process always devolves on the females: the Kitori’s wife or 
wives (for they sometimes have two or three), when she has finished 
her own breakfast, kindles the fire in the ¢éroo, and then puts two 
handfuls of chips, neither mote nof less, into ten of the pots, leaving 
the one at each end empty ; water is poured in until it rises four 
fingers’ breadth above the chips; this is ascertained by means of 
a small stick matked like a scale, the lines being distant from each 
other a finger’s breadth, 
It has been mentioned that there are twelve holes in each fire-place 
to hold that number of pots, but should the persons composing the 
family be sickly or old, they will most likely only use six pots ; each 
of these pots will contain about three quarts of liquid, The pots 
at each end are only used during the second and third stages of the 
process. When the liquid has been well boiled and evaporated to a 
finger’s breadth under the surface of the chips, they take the pots 
successively off the fire, and pour the liquid into one of the empty 
ones ; after it has been well boiled in this, they apply the scale, and, if 
it is ready, they transfer it to the other empty pot. It is boiled 
down in this pot till it has attained what they consider the requisite 
degree of consistency, and then emptied into a trough made of the 
Pangara tree (Erythrina indica), as the timber is soft and readily 
absorbs water. The women now fill the pots with fresh chips, and 
the boiling process is thus continued until evening. 
