Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/42

 a country planted over with manioca, (Jatropha manihot Linn.) divided into squares, by rows of cashew and mango trees, which, being in full bloom, filled the air with their perfume. The heat was great, but not so intemperate as to prevent our enjoying the morning's amusement, though the Governor, and several of his officers, who had accompanied us, considered it too oppressive for them to take any part in our diversion. We saw very little game, but we met with a great variety of birds. Among them two species of merops, erythropterus and superciliosus, Latham's Ind. Orn. i. 271, were observed sweeping their course through the air; the certhias, famosa, Ind. Orn. i. 288, and senegalensis, Ind. Orn. i. 284, flew from plant to plant, their glossy plumage fiickering in the sun, while the bright yellow of the oriolus monacha, Ind. Orn. i. 357, and galbula, Ind. Orn. i. 186, produced an agreeable relief to the dark green foliage of the mango. Whereever an orange or papaw tree was seen, flights of the chattering colius striatus, Ind. Orn. i. 369, allured by the fruit, were sure to make their appearance, and occasionally were heard the shriller notes of the Bengal jay, (coracius bengalensis, Ind. Orn. i. 168.) winging its way to some more distant plantation.

After travelling about three miles we reached a building situated in an inclosed area, which proved to be a manufactory of manioca, belonging to a Signior Montéro, in which nearly an hundred slaves were busily engaged, in preparing the roots for use. They are dug up, and brought to the place on asses, and in hackeries drawn by bullocks, of a large breed from Madagascar, and are then cleared from the dirt and rind, with rough scrapers, formed out of a large species of shell, (Helix terrestris) which is found in great profusion on the coast. After this process they are exposed to the sun, and, when sufficiently dry, are ground down as finely as possible, with a hand-wheel, edged with copper, and stuck round with spikes; this being completed, the pulp is put into large bags, and pressed with a heavy weight, and when all the juice is extracted, (which is said to be of a poisonous quality,) the mass is broken to pieces with the hand, and dried on copper-stoves, heated for the purpose, which reduces it to a wholesome farina. This, when mixed with water,