THE MANDTOC. 



175 



and moist situations ; but when the plant is cul- 

 tivated upon the latter, hillocks must be raised, 

 else the root would decay. Cattle are fed upon 

 the root and stalk : these are first prepared by 

 being cut into small pieces, and exposed to the 

 sun for several hours ; if this was not done, the 

 food would be injurious to them. I have, how- 

 ever, seen some of the draught oxen that have 

 become so habituated to it as to eat the root 

 quite fresh, without receiving any apparent 

 injury ; — in the manner that the human body 

 becomes callous to the most violent medicines 

 by long custom. 



I had in my possession, whilst I resided at 

 Jaguaribe, one of these animals, who generally 

 once in the course of every week at least con- 

 trived to get out of the inclosure, and pass part 

 of the night in some neighbouring mandioc- 

 ground. He was so dexterous in tearing up the 

 stalk with the root attached to it, that the marks 

 of his footsteps alone made us quite confident of 

 the nature of the thief. Whilst I was at Itama- 

 raca, I lost a sheep, which had drank of the 

 juice of the niandioc. The negroes and other 

 persons were making farinha, and a trough 

 stood under the press for the purpose of receiv- 

 ing the juice. The sheep were attempting to 

 come under the shed for the purpose of reaching 

 some of the roots, of which they are extremely 

 fond ; one of them approached the trough, 



