"And this poisonous plant is used as an article of food?" Fred asked, in astonishment.
"Yes. The juice contains hydrocyanic acid; but it is removed by pressure and by the action of heat, so that the dried flour is perfectly harmless. It is still a mystery how the unlettered Indians learned the virtues of the plant, which was in universal use when the Spaniards and Portuguese first came here.
PLANTATION NEGRO.
"The Indians have a pretty fable concerning the origin of mandioca," the Doctor continued. "They say that long ago, in one of their tribes, a child was born which walked and talked precociously. It was named Mani, and died when it was only a year old. It was buried in the house where it died, according to the custom of the tribe; the roof of the building was removed, and the grave was watered daily. An unknown plant sprung from the grave; and when it ripened the earth cracked open and revealed the root. The Indians ate this root, and thus learned the uses of mandioca. Believing it to be the body of Mani, they gave it the name Mani-oca, the house of Mani."
"A very pretty story, indeed," said Frank. "I will make a sketch of the plant in remembrance of it."
By this time they had reached the garden, and Frank busied himself with his pencil, while Fred made note of the appearance of the bush, which was about five feet high, and had long, pointed leaves at the extremity of the branches.
One of the plants was dug from the ground in their presence; the roots were in a cluster, and resembled large turnips, and the aggregate weight of the half-dozen roots that were taken out was from twenty-five to thirty pounds. In a shed close by a native was preparing the substance for use; the process may be thus described:
The roots are washed, and then scraped, with a shell or knife, into a fine pulp. This pulp is placed in a loosely-woven bag of palm-fibre, which is suspended from a pole; a weight at the lower end of the bag brings a pressure upon the pulp, by which the juice is forced out. While the substance is still damp it is spread on metal plates, and dried over a fire; and great care must be taken to drive off every drop of the poisonous juice. During the drying it is stirred and broken into coarse grains, and this forms the farina, or meal of mandioca.