LAST JOURNEY TO THE COAST 
the flowers of the tree Spirea, among the foliage of 
which its black and gold wings can continually be 
seen twinkling. Its colour contrast, indeed, gives it a 
most remarkable appearance in flight. 
But scientific work cannot be done on sweet 
potatoes alone, so I sent Wei-Yah and five men to 
Ekeikei to replenish our larder. They took a week 
on the journey, and on their return reported that the 
Ekeikei camp was safe, but there had been thefts 
from the stores at the Kebea. The foolish fellows had 
come back without salt, and as five men cannot carry 
very much, we were only a little better off than we 
had been. We were also in dire want of “trade,” and 
there would be fairly long accounts to settle with our 
carriers for the rest of the journey, the Foula men 
having exhausted all our trade when we paid them off 
at Babooni. In our straits, however, nature provided 
us with at least one delicacy, and we shall always re- 
member Babooni gratefully for its tree-cabbage. ‘These 
edible leaves grow on a small tree like a sycamore, 
and the manner of cooking is as follows: Each leaf 
is plucked separately, and when a sufficient number 
has been got together they are tied up into neat 
packets, bound round in banana leaves and cane string. 
Then stones are collected and heated on a large wood 
fire, and on the top of the hot stones the bundles of 
cabbage are placed, and over them the natives lay 
more banana leaves to a depth of about two feet, and 
above all another layer of hot stones. In about one hour 
the cabbage is cooked, the outer wrapping is taken off, 
and the delicacy is served on a banana leaf or a dish. 
It is a perfect god-send to the half-starved traveller, 
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