3-26 Natural History/ of the Coco-mi.t Tree 



the tree ; his feet arc conllned, and his heels kept together by 

 a strong elastic ring, made of rushes ; he then places his 

 feet against the coco-nut tree, and supporting himself by 

 the thonsi, which is fastened around his body below the 

 arm-pits, and rests on the trunk of the tree at about the 

 height of his head, he prepares to climb, elevating his 

 feet, and supporting himself by the left hand, applied to 

 the tree. The thong is directed by the right hand, and he 

 raises it as soon as his feet have mounted and tiken fast 

 hold ; he then repeats this operation, till he has rqiichcd the 

 sunnnit : when he arrives there, he lets the thong, which 

 nmst be very clastic, glide over his back, and fall down to 

 his rein5. The elasticity of the thong enables him to 

 manage it easily with one hand, either in climbing up or in 

 descending: wlun thus placed at the top of the tree, and 

 seated on the thong, balancing himself bv means of his 

 body and feet, his arms are at perfect liberty, so that he 

 can perform his labour, and collect the calou at his ease. 



When the palms are very large, th.e chanas cniplov a 

 small, light ladder, made of bamboo, by help of which 

 they raise themselves to the height of six or eight feet. 

 By these means they lessen the labour oV the method be- 

 fore described, which is attended with great fatigue, how- 

 ever strong, active, or expert, the person may be; espe- 

 cially when it is considered that it is performed twice a dav, 

 and that a chana is obliged to cultivate eightv and some- 

 times a greater nun)ber of palms in the course of a year. 



The other implements of this class of labourers are a 

 small cofi'er and a basket. The former is made of the 

 spaths of the coco-ixit tree, and serves for holding the 

 knife; the conical instrument with which the chana beats 

 and bruise=5 the buds, and a box containing the dust of a 

 kind of mica, which he employs for sharpening his knife. 

 The basket, formed of the leaves of the lauturus ingeni- 

 ously interwoven, is so perfectly close that it retains the 

 adou which is collected in it, without suffering it to filter 

 through. The small coiler is fastened arf)und the body of 

 the chana, and rests on the left thigh; and, when suspend- 

 ed, he holds the panier in such a manner, that neither 

 of them can eonline his n)ovements, or impede his opera- 

 tions. Thus accoutred, he climbs up the palm with such 

 velocity, that the eye can scarcely follow liini ; thirty (>,r 

 fortysecondsare sutlicient forhim to arrange himself, and t« 

 reach the sunmiit of the highest coco- nut tree. 



Such are the implements and processes employed to ob- 

 tain Ibe rujuor of the coco-nut, a vinous substance, useful 



ui 



