350 



KIDDVS OWN JOURNAL. 



seeds within, like a little pomegranate with 

 an orange-peel husk. The beautiful Tas- 

 manian Sassafras tree is also a dweller in 

 some parts of our fern-tree valley, but not 

 in those we explored on the present occa- 

 sion. The flowers are white and fragrant, 

 the leaves large and bright green, and the 

 bark has a most aromatic scent, besides 

 being, in a decoction, an excellent tonic 

 medicine. The wood is hard and white, 

 with scarcely any visible grain, but is 

 marked or shaded with light brown in irre- 

 gular occasional streaks. Thinking that it 

 must partake of the pleasant fragrance of its 

 bark, I procured some to make boxes of, 

 but found it quite devoid of scent after the 

 bark was removed. A block of it furnished 

 Mr. Meredith with an excellent material for 

 a beautiful toy sailing-boat, which he carved 

 out of it for George ; and the fine, close, 

 velvety texture of the wood, seems admirably 

 adapted for carving of any kind. The saw- 

 yers and other bushmen familiar with the 

 tree, call it indiscriminately ' saucifax' * sar - 

 serfrax,' and 'satisfaction.'" 



a quantity of coarse meal. The boy, with a 

 pitcher of water, fetched no doubt from the 

 neighboring pool, was ready to pour it on the 

 meal as the old man wanted it. 



" Filthy enough were the old man, the lad, 

 the platter, and the meal; but the climax 

 was yet to come. There was a smouldering 

 fire burning in a sand hole, just by, the fuel 

 of which was principally made up of camels' 

 dung. When the dough was sufficiently 

 kneaded, the old man spread it out with his 

 begrimed hands, into a large flat cake ; then 

 opening the fire, he laid the cake upon it, 

 covered it with the hot reeking ashes, and in 

 a little time the savory food was baked 

 to the owner's satisfaction. This was the 

 ordinary diet of the Arabs of the caravan. 

 On festive occasions, such as I shall hereafter 

 describe, a sheep or a goat is cooked in an 

 equally primitive way, and washed down by 

 a due proportion of puddle-water. It will be 

 easily imagined, that among people who fare 

 in this way, a handful of tobacco or a pot of 

 coffee is enough to make their hearts leap 

 for joy." 



A CAMEL JOURNEY ACROSS THE DESERT. 



Mr. Beldam, in his " Recollections of the 

 East," gives this interesting account of his 

 journey : — 



" I have already spoken of the savoirfaire 

 of Khalifa (an Egyptian servant, who acted 

 as cook to the party). The entertainments 

 commonly furnished us were worthy of the 

 Palais Royal. Here is his usual bill of fare : — 

 Breakfast — tea, coffee, hot rolls, and English 

 butter, cold fowls or other meat, eggs, and 

 milk. Lunch, en route — cold meat, bread, 

 English cheese, and fruit. Dinner — sou}) 

 a la Julienne, roast or boiled mutton, fowls, 

 vegetables, rice, maccaroni, pancakes of the 

 most delicious kind, a variety of condiments, 

 and a dessert. Tea and coffee at bed-time ; 

 liqueur and stout for those who liked them ; 

 abundance of Nile water, preserved in glass 

 bottles, of which we partook plentifully at 

 meals ; and Latakia of the finest quality. 



" Throughout the journey we suffered little 

 from thirst, and seldom drank during the day 

 — a circumstance which I attribute mainly to 

 abstinence from all fermented liquors. I cer- 

 tainly began to think, for the first time in my 

 life, that I should become a gourmand. As a 

 counterpart to this European diet, it may be 

 worthwhile to know something of the cookery 

 so jocosely recommended by the noble author 

 whom I have already quoted (Lord Nugent). 

 My companion and 1 walked out this evening, 

 and witnessed the following scene : — An old 

 Arab sat on the ground, and a lad stood beside 

 him, preparing their supper. The old Arab 

 had a large earthen pan, into which he emptied 



A SWEET REPOSE. 



She sleeps amongst the pillows soft, 



(A dove, now wearied by her flight,) 

 And all around, and all aloft, 



Hang flutes and folds of virgin white. 

 Her hair out-darkens the dark night, 



Her glance out-shines the starry sky ; 

 But now her locks are hidden quite, 



And closed is her fringed eye ! 



She sleepeth : wherefore does she start ? 



She sigheth : doth she feel no pain ? 

 None, none ! the Dream is near her heart ! 



The spirit of sleep is in her brain. 

 He cometh down like golden rain, 



Without a wish, without a sound ; 

 He cheers the sleeper (ne'er in vain) 



Like May, when earth is winter-hound. 



All day within some cave he lies, 



Dethroned from his nightly sway, — 

 Far fading when the dawning skies 



Our souls with wakening thoughts array. 

 Two Spirits of might doth man obey ; 



By each he's taught, from each he learns 

 The one is Lord of life by day ; 



Th' other when starry Night returns. 



ENERGY AND VICTORY ! 



The longer I live, the more I am certain that 

 the great difference between men, — between the 

 feeble and the powerful, the great and the insig- 

 nificant, is energy — invincible determination. A 

 purpose once fixed ; and then, — death or victory. 

 That quality will do anything that can be done 

 in this world ; and no talents, no circumstances, 

 no opportunities, will make a two-legged creature 

 a man without it. — Sib T. Fowell Buxton. 



