384 



Ceram. 



passed through, when the fibrous refuse is thrown away, and 

 a fresh basketful put in its place. The water charged with 

 sago starch passes on to a trough, with a depression in the cen- 

 tre, where the sediment is deposited, the surplus water trick- 

 ling off by a shallow outlet. When the trough is nearly full, 

 the mass of starch, which has a slight reddish tinge, is made 

 into cylinders of about thirty pounds' weight, and neatly cov- 

 ered with sago leaves, and in this state is sold as raw sago. 



Boiled with water, this forms a thick glutinous mass, with 

 a rather astringent taste, and is eaten with salt, limes, and 



SAGO-WASHING. 



chilies. Sago-bread is made in large quantities, by baking it 

 into cakes in a small clay oven containing six or eight slits side 

 by side, each about three-quarters of an inch wide, and six or 

 eight inches square. The raw sago is broken up, dried in the 

 sun, powdered, and finely sifted. The oven is heated over a 

 clear fire of embers, and is lightly filled with the sago-powder. 

 The openings are then covered with a flat piece of sago bark, 

 and in about five minutes the cakes are turned out sufficiently 

 baked. The hot cakes are very nice with butter, and when 

 made with the addition of a little sugar and grated cocoa-nut 

 are quite a delicacy. They are soft, and something like corn- 



