1851.] 
A DESCRIPTION OF JAVITA. 
259 
(Whose flowers attract the fairy humming-birds) ; 
The guava, and the juicy, sweet cashew, 
And a most graceful palm, which bears a fruit 
In bright red clusters, much esteem’d, for food ; 
And there are many more which Indians 
Esteem, and which have only Indian names. 
The houses are of posts fill’d up with mud. 
Smooth’d, and wash’d over with a pure white clay ; 
A palm-tree’s spreading leaves supply a thatch 
Impervious to the winter’s storms and rain. 
No nail secures the beams or rafters, all 
Is from the forest, whose lithe, pendent cords 
Binds them into a firm enduring mass. 
Erom the tough fibre of a fan-palm’s leaf 
They twist a cord to make their hammock-bed, 
Their bow-string, line, and net for catching fish. 
Their food is simple — fish and cassava-bread. 
With various fruits, and sometimes forest game, 
All season’d with hot, pungent, fiery peppers. 
Sauces and seasonings too, and drinks they have, 
Made from the mandiocca’s poisonous juice ; 
And but one foreign luxury, which is salt. 
Salt here is money : daily they bring to me 
Cassava cakes, or fish, or ripe bananas, 
Or birds or insects, fowls or turtles’ eggs, 
And still they ask for salt. Two teacups-full 
Buy a large basket of cassava cakes, 
A great bunch of bananas, or a fowl. 
One day they made a festa, and, just like 
Our villagers at home, they drank much beer, 
(Beer made from roasted mandiocca cakes,) 
Call’d here “ shirac,” by others “ caxiri,” 
But just like beer in flavour and effect ; 
And then they talked much, shouted and sang. 
And men and maids all danced in a ring 
With much delight, like children at their play. 
For music they’ve small drums and reed-made fifes, 
And voeal chants, monotonous and shrill. 
To which they’ll dance for hours without fatigue. 
s 2 
