Chap. VI. NEARLY POISONED. 131 



but we added boiled rice to it, and, being very hungry, 

 partook freely of it; and, in consequence of the overdose, 

 we were delayed several days in severe suffering, and some 

 of the party did not recover till after our return to the ship. 

 Our illness may partly have arisen from another cause. One 

 kind of cassava (Jatropha maligna) is known to be, in its raw 

 state, poisonous, but by boiling it carefully in two waters, 

 which must be thrown off, the poison is extracted and the 

 cassava rendered fit for food. The poisonous sort is easily 

 known by raising a bit of the bark of the root, and putting 

 the tongue to it. A bitter taste shows poison, but it is 

 probable that even the sweet kind contains an injurious 

 principle. The sap, which, like that of our potatoes, is 

 injurious as an article of food, is used in the " Pepper-pot " 

 of the West Indies, under the name of "Cassereep," as a 

 perfect preservative of meat. This juice put into an earthen 

 vessel with a little water and Chili pepper is said to keep meat ? 

 that is immersed in it, good for a great length of time ; even 

 for years. No iron or steel must touch the mixture, or it 

 will become sour. This "Pepper-pot," of which we first heard 

 from the late Archbishop Whately, is a most economical 

 meat-safe in a hot climate ; any beef, mutton, pork, or fowl 

 that may be left at dinner, if put into the mixture and a 

 little fresh cassereep added, keeps perfectly, though otherwise 

 the heat of the climate or flies would spoil it. Our cook, 

 however, boiled the cassava root as he was in the habit of 

 cooking meat, namely, by filling the pot with it, and. then 

 pouring in water, which he allowed to stand on the fire 

 until it had become absorbed and boiled away. This method 

 did not expel the poisonous properties of the root, or render 

 it wholesome; for, notwithstanding our systematic caution 

 in purchasing only the harmless sort, we suffered daily 



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