184 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



a point at the smaller end, and then, with a swift, 

 dexterous stroke, cut it across, leaving a small hole. 

 Through this I drew the cool liquid, clear and sweet, 

 which fills the ivory chamber within, in quantity 

 nearly a pint, and was about to throw the empty shell 

 away, when he caught it, with one blow cleft it in 

 twain, and, chipping a spoon from the rind, handed 

 it to me again, that I might scoop out the translucent 

 jelly, which is considered a delicacy. 



Like all old negroes who have passed their lives 

 in the shade of the cocoa palms, Thomas Ned was an 

 adept at extracting from the best of the cocoanuts 

 4heir hidden virtues, and well merited the praise I 

 bestowed upon him for his skillful performance. 

 Having passed the better part of his life in the serv- 

 ice of wealthy planters, he knew how to make those 

 insidious beverages which serve the great men to pass 

 away dull time in the tropics ; and, so far as our 

 limited sideboard afforded the ingredients, he gave 

 me the proof of his skill as a concocter of drinks to 

 which, in my solitude, I had been a stranger. 



Thomas Ned was, like the majority of the blacks, 

 very abstemious, and would not even partake of the 

 beverages he prepared, except on unusual occasions ; 

 his chief delight seemed to be in their concocting, as 

 evidence of his honorable position in ancient times, 

 when he was the plantation butler. He took the old 

 retainer's delight in seeing his master enjoy the good 

 things of life, even if he himself abstained; and I 

 could not deny him such vicarious pleasure, although 

 I felt constrained to check his desire to hasten me on 



