THE SPLENDID SUN-BIED. 147 



Nature has provided a number of plants suited 

 to these arid spots, and able to draw nourishment 

 and subsist where other plants would die. And 

 not only so, but the plants and shrubs found in 

 these parched places can afford a sort of refresh- 

 ment and comfort to man. The thirsty traveller, 

 making his way over the plain, often comes on a 

 little plant with a stem no thicker than a quill. 

 If he is aware of the nature of the plant, he will 

 rejoice as though he had found a benefactor. He 

 will dig round it, and will presently unearth the 

 root, which is a large round tuber, the size of an 

 infant's head. When he takes off the rind of the 

 tuber, there is a quantity of juicy pulp within, 

 which is cool and refreshing, and suffices to allay 

 his thirst. 



There is another creeping plant allied to this, 

 and which bears many tubers, some of them as 

 large as a man's head. 



The tubers grow in a circle a little distance from 

 the stem. The natives are very quick at finding 

 out the exact spot where the tuber lies hidden. 

 They strike the ground with a stone, and listen to 



