174 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



ordinary; but thefe fruits would have kept 

 only a very few days without rotting, unlefs wc 

 had cut them in flices and dried them, or made 

 them ferment, according to the manner of the 

 natives, much the fame as is pradifed in Europe 

 with various forts of vegetables. From the time 

 we had been at this anchorage, we had had a 

 fufficient quantity to fupply amply our daily 

 wants. We ate them withpleafurc, and relin- 

 quiflied without regret our bifcuit, and even 

 the frnall allowance of foft bread which it was 

 cuftomary to ferve out to us, although it was 

 of a good quality. We found thefe fruits far 

 preferable to yams ; however, the natives who 

 came and dined with us ate both the one and the 

 other indifcriminately. Our cook generally 

 fcnt them to table plain boiled, although they 

 would have been much better if he had taken 

 the trouble to bake them in the oven. 



Thefe fruits are of a nearly oval form, three 

 decimeters in length by two in thicknefs. The 

 whole of them is eatable, except the extremely 

 thin pellicle with which they are covered, and a 

 very fmall part which lies in the centre where the 

 cells terminate ; they contain no feeds, but in 

 return they are filled v.irh a very nourifning 

 pulp, eafy of digeftion, of a moll agreeable fla- 

 vour, and Vr'hich v.e aUvays ate with a new 

 degree of fatisfaction. 



During 



