Page:Joutel's journal of La Salle's last voyage, 1684-7 (IA joutelsjournalof00jout).pdf/122

 prove mortal, as happen'd to one of our Soldiers, who had eaten of them too greedily, and without that Precaution.

I have seen some Trees resembling the Palm, whose lofty and long Branches spread like that call'd the Latanier, bearing a Fruit, said to be indifferent good. Others the same Sort, but whose Leaves are like Gutters, harsh and so sharp pointed, that they will pierce the thickest Stuffs. This Tree has a Sprout on the Top, which shoots out Flowers in the Shape of a Nosegay, of a whitish yellow, and some of them at the Top of that Sprout have sixty or eighty Flowers hanging down, not unlike the Flower de Luce, and after those Flowers follows a Fruit as long as a Man's Finger, and thicker than the Thumb, full of little Seeds, so that there is scarce any Thing but the Rhind fit to eat, the Taste whereof is sweet and delicate.

There are Abundance of creeping Vines and others, that run up the Bodies and to the Tops of Trees, which bear plenty of Grapes, fleshy and sharp, not to compare to the Delicacy of ours in Europe; but we made Verjuice of them, which was very good in Sauce. Mulberry Trees are numerous along the Rivers, their Fruit is smaller, but sweeter and more delicious than ours; their Leaves are beautiful and large, which would be of good Use for feeding of Silk-worms.

The Plains are strew'd with a Sort of small Sorrel, the Leaf whereof is like Trefoil, and the Taste of it sharp like ours. There are Abundance of small Onions, no bigger than the Top of a Man's Finger, but very well tasted, and when the Heat has scorch'd up the Plains, that Plant shoots out first, and produces Flowers which look like an agreeable Enamel. Nothing is more beautiful than to behold those vast Plains, when the Blossoms appear; a thousand Sorts of different Colours, whereof many have an agreeable Scent, adorn those Fields, and afford a most charming]