the little fellow was the shepherd. He was
pleased with the idea, and began to split the leaves into strips, which
Fritz platted together into very good whiplashes. I remarked, as they
were working, how strong and pliant these strips seemed, and, examining
them closely, I found they were composed of long fibres, or filaments,
which made me suspect it to be _Phormium tenax,_ or New Zealand flax, a
most important discovery to us, and which, when I communicated it to my
wife, almost overwhelmed her with joy. "Bring me all the leaves you can
without delay," cried she, "and I will make you stockings, shirts,
coats, sewing-thread, cords--in fact, give me but flax and work-tools,
and I can manage all." I could not help smiling at the vivacity of her
imagination, roused at the very name of flax; but there was still great
space between the leaves lying before us and the linen she was already
sewing in idea. But my boys, always ready to second the wishes of their
beloved mother, soon mounted their coursers, Fritz on Lightfoot, and
Jack on the great buffalo, to procure supplies.

Whilst we waited for these, my wife, all life and animation, explained
to me all the machines I must make, to enable her to spin and weave, and
make linen to clothe us from head to foot; her eyes sparkled with
delight as she spoke, and I promised her all she asked.

In a short time, our young cavaliers returned from their foraging
expedition, conveying on their steeds huge bundles of the precious
plant, which they laid at the feet of their mother. She gave up
everything to begin her preparation. The first operation necessary was
to steep the flax, which is usually done by exposing it in the open air
in the rain, the wind, and the dew, so as, in a certain degree, to
dissolve the plant, rendering the separation of the fibrous and ligneous
parts more easy. It can then be cleaned and picked for spinning. But, as
the vegetable glue that connects the two parts is very tenacious, and
resists for a long time the action of moisture, it is often advisable to
steep it in water, and this, in our dry climate, I considered most
expedient.

My wife agreed to this, and proposed that we should convey it to
Flamingo Marsh; and we spent the rest of the day in tying up the leaves
in bundles. Next morning, we loaded our cart, and proceeded to the
marsh: we there untied our bundles, and spread them in the water,
pressing them down with stones, and leaving them till it was ti