﻿32 
  

  

  ;i 
  cullass 
  or 
  a 
  hatchet. 
  This 
  incision 
  is 
  generally 
  in 
  the 
  figure 
  of 
  a 
  half-moon, 
  with 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  semicircle 
  downwards, 
  and 
  the 
  wound 
  increasing 
  in 
  depth 
  in 
  that 
  i 
  

   direction, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  expose 
  effectually 
  the 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  tree. 
  When 
  this 
  is 
  done, 
  the 
  

   gatherer 
  marks 
  the 
  locality, 
  and 
  leaves 
  the 
  tree, 
  which 
  he 
  does 
  not 
  revisit 
  for 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  time. 
  When 
  the 
  moon 
  is 
  in 
  her 
  wane, 
  he 
  returns 
  and 
  examines 
  his 
  palmiste. 
  

   If 
  the 
  young 
  leaf, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  others, 
  begins 
  to 
  show 
  a 
  yellow 
  tinge 
  at 
  its 
  

   extremity, 
  and 
  if, 
  on 
  application 
  of 
  his 
  ear 
  to 
  the 
  trunk, 
  a 
  hollow, 
  rumbling 
  noise 
  is 
  

   heard 
  within, 
  he 
  concludes 
  that 
  the 
  worms 
  have 
  attacked 
  the 
  vital 
  parts, 
  and 
  the 
  iree 
  is 
  

   immediately 
  cut 
  down 
  ; 
  but 
  if 
  these 
  symptoms 
  are 
  absent, 
  the 
  tree 
  is 
  left 
  standing 
  

   until 
  they 
  appear. 
  The 
  gatherer, 
  however, 
  must 
  now 
  visit 
  the 
  tree 
  frequently, 
  because 
  

   the 
  transition 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  is 
  so 
  rapid, 
  that 
  almost 
  immediately 
  after 
  the 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  the 
  yellow 
  tinge 
  the 
  whole 
  would 
  disappear. 
  When 
  the 
  tree 
  is 
  felled, 
  a 
  square 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  bark 
  is 
  cut 
  out 
  longitudinally 
  from 
  the 
  original 
  incision 
  upwards, 
  and 
  

   its 
  fibrous 
  texture 
  laid 
  open. 
  Myriads 
  of 
  worms 
  are 
  then 
  seen 
  voraciously 
  devouring 
  

   their 
  way 
  through 
  "the 
  substance. 
  In 
  capturing 
  them 
  some 
  degree 
  of 
  dexterity 
  is 
  

   necessary, 
  both 
  to 
  protect 
  one's 
  self 
  from 
  the 
  mandibles 
  of 
  the 
  insects, 
  which 
  inflict 
  

   a 
  painful 
  bite, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  save 
  time, 
  by 
  preventing 
  them 
  from 
  burrowing 
  out 
  of 
  sight. 
  

   When 
  the 
  worms 
  are 
  taken, 
  they 
  are 
  placed 
  into 
  a 
  close 
  vessel, 
  where 
  they 
  continue 
  

   to 
  retain 
  their 
  activity 
  and 
  vigour. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  number 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  procured 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  tree, 
  depends 
  altogether 
  upon 
  

   the 
  season 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  wounded. 
  If 
  the 
  moon 
  is 
  at 
  her 
  full, 
  they 
  are 
  generally 
  

   numerous 
  and 
  good 
  — 
  many 
  thousands 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  an 
  ordinary 
  young 
  tree 
  of 
  

   25 
  feet 
  in 
  height. 
  If 
  a 
  few 
  succeed 
  in 
  eluding 
  the 
  gatherer, 
  they 
  do 
  so 
  only 
  to 
  become 
  

   a 
  prey 
  of 
  as 
  voracious 
  animals, 
  for 
  the 
  wild 
  hogs, 
  or 
  quencos, 
  of 
  the 
  forest 
  relish 
  much 
  

   the 
  soft 
  substance 
  of 
  the 
  palmiste 
  when 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  decomposition. 
  It 
  never 
  

   happens, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  much 
  time 
  passes 
  before 
  they 
  discover 
  any 
  palmiste-tree 
  that 
  

   has 
  been 
  felled 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  night 
  sets 
  in, 
  they 
  flock 
  in 
  numbers 
  to 
  the 
  spot 
  and 
  

   devour 
  the 
  whole 
  substance. 
  A 
  gathering 
  of 
  worms, 
  therefore, 
  brings 
  a 
  hunt 
  of 
  

   quencos 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  gatherer, 
  when 
  his 
  first 
  business 
  is 
  over, 
  chooses 
  a 
  convenient 
  tree, 
  

   where 
  he 
  places 
  himself 
  in 
  ambush. 
  Seated 
  on 
  a 
  cross 
  branch, 
  he 
  awaits 
  the 
  coming 
  

   of 
  the 
  animals. 
  

  

  " 
  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  form 
  an 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  excitement 
  of 
  this 
  midnight 
  sport 
  

   in 
  the 
  thick 
  woods 
  of 
  a 
  tropical 
  country. 
  The 
  usual 
  stillness 
  of 
  the 
  night, 
  and 
  the 
  

   solitude 
  of 
  the 
  wilderness 
  — 
  the 
  croaking 
  of 
  the 
  night-birds, 
  the 
  movement 
  of 
  every 
  

   leaf, 
  animated 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  by 
  the 
  myriads 
  of 
  nocturnal 
  insects 
  that 
  fill 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  — 
  

   the 
  brilliant 
  and 
  fleeting 
  fire-flies 
  traversing 
  the 
  gloom— 
  the 
  strange 
  animals 
  wandering 
  

   in 
  their 
  nightly 
  prowlings 
  — 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  the 
  grunting 
  hogs, 
  and 
  the 
  incidents 
  of 
  

   the 
  hunt 
  : 
  all 
  these 
  things, 
  combined 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  isolation 
  when 
  a 
  man 
  finds 
  

   himself 
  alone 
  in 
  the 
  wilds 
  of 
  a 
  scarcely 
  pervious 
  forest, 
  create 
  an 
  inexpressible 
  feeling 
  

   of 
  mingled 
  fear, 
  pleasure, 
  and 
  anxiety. 
  

  

  " 
  Before 
  the 
  worms 
  are 
  cooked, 
  they 
  are, 
  each 
  in 
  its 
  turn, 
  carefully 
  pricked 
  with 
  

   an 
  orange-thorn, 
  and 
  thrown 
  into 
  a 
  vessel 
  containing 
  a 
  sauce 
  of 
  lime-juice 
  and 
  salt. 
  

   This 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  cleansing 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  viscid 
  fluids 
  they 
  have 
  imbibed 
  

   from 
  the 
  palmiste. 
  Notwithstanding 
  this 
  discipline, 
  the 
  worms 
  retain 
  their 
  vitality 
  

   till 
  they 
  are 
  deprived 
  of 
  it 
  by 
  the 
  culinary 
  process. 
  The 
  simpler 
  mode 
  of 
  dressing 
  

   them 
  is 
  to 
  spit 
  a 
  number 
  together 
  on 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  stick 
  or 
  a 
  long 
  orange-thorn, 
  and 
  roast 
  

   them 
  before 
  the 
  fire 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  fat. 
  The 
  general 
  mode, 
  however, 
  is 
  by 
  frying 
  them 
  

   with 
  or 
  without 
  a 
  sauce, 
  and 
  when 
  dressed 
  in 
  this 
  manner, 
  they 
  form 
  a 
  most 
  savoury 
  dish. 
  

  

  MAR. 
  

  

  8, 
  lfMj4. 
  

  

  