88 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



Sitting under the shade of my bamboos, I burst 

 open the pods until I had at least a barrel of seeds in 

 bulk, as yet uncleaned of the adhering pulp and 

 fiber. Having seen the process in other islands, I 

 knew that I must next allow the seeds to ferment, and 

 so I filled my now empty cracker barrel with them 

 and set them aside for three days, then turned the 

 barrel over and gave them three days more, after 

 which they were spread out to dry. 



On the plantations the planters have smooth stone 

 floors, called harhacues^ upon which the cacao is 

 spread ; but I merely stretched some canvas, pro- 

 tecting them from night dews and rains, and in this 

 manner soon had my crop cleaned and dried. This I 

 stowed carefully away, and then felt that at least one 

 want was in a measure provided for. 



This was not my only discovery, however; it 

 seemed that Heaven showered down many blessings 

 upon me at that time, perhaps to try me and prove 

 whether or no prosperity would ruin me. That 

 other discovery was coffee. In the same locality, 

 but at a higher elevation in the hills, I came upon 

 a clump of coffee trees, some white with fragrant 

 blossoms and others red with fruit. Like the cacao 

 trees, these also were sadly in need of pruning, and 

 after I had gathered their fruit I cut the most of 

 them back severely, taking off their tops at about 

 eight feet from the ground. I cut down the wild 

 trees that crowded in upon them, thus giving them 

 light and air, spread a mulch of leaves about their 

 roots, and then left them to flourish alone. 



