38 



THE ADVENTURES OF 



lower end, a thick liquid was flowing, called " molasses," or 

 treacle, which is used for making rum, gingerbread, and for 

 other purposes. The lowest part of the sugar-loaf seemed, 

 also, to be yellow and sticky. 



Passing through a dark passage, Lucien noticed two half- 

 naked laborers, who were moistening clay and converting it 

 into a kind of dough. 



" What a nasty mess !" he cried, with a self-satisfied tone. 

 "What would mamma say, if she was here? It was only 

 the other day she gave my brother and sister a good scold- 

 ing." 



" What was it for ?" I asked. 



" For mixing up mud to build a town and reservoir in 

 the long passage in our house." 

 " What part did you take in it ?" 



" Oh, I was architect ; but I was scolded as much as the 

 others." 



"That I can readily believe," replied Sumichrast, who 

 could hardly keep his gravity ; " but come, let us follow i i 

 these laborers, and you will soon see that they are not mix- 

 ing up this mud for mere pleasure." 



To his great surprise, our little traveller saw them filling 

 up, with a dark-colored liquid, the empty part of the moulds, 

 from which the molasses had drained away. 



" They are spoiling the sugar-loaves !" he cried. 



" Quite the contrary ; they are going to whiten it. The 

 water that is contained in the clay will filter gradually 

 through the sugar, and will drive before it the molasses 

 that is left round the crystals ; and this operation, several 

 times repeated, will produce that spongy kind of sugar 

 which is well known to retain a flavor of the cane, rather 

 disliked by Europeans accustomed to the finer products of 

 their refineries." 



The only department we now had to visit was the " dry. 



