doctor and Nub, while the mate and Dan went back to bring up the other
logs. The first operation was to slice off a part of the outer hard
wood till the pith appeared. The log was then rested on bamboo trestles
a couple of feet from the ground. The two workmen now cut across the
longitudinal fibres and the pith together, leaving however, a part at
each end untouched, so that the log formed a rough trough. The pulp
thus cut into small pieces, and mixed with water, was beaten by a piece
of wood, by which means the fibres were separated from it, they floating
on the top, while the flour sank to the bottom. A number of bamboo
buckets, manufactured by Nub, enabled Walter and Alice to bring the
water required for the operation. The coarser fibres floating on the
top being thrown away, the water was drained off, and the remaining pulp
was again cleared by more water. This operation was repeated several
times, till a pure white powder alone remained.

"There, Miss Alice," said the doctor, showing it to her, "I beg to offer
you some, with which you can make cakes or puddings,--though I confess
that it is not equal to wheaten flour, as this is in reality starch: but
it will afford nourishment to us, as it would have done to the flowers
and roots of the tree had we not cut it down."

"I thought sago was like little white seeds," remarked Alice.

"What is imported is so in appearance," answered the doctor. "In order
that it may keep, it is prepared by being first moistened, and then
passed through a sieve into a shallow dish, and placed over a fire,
which causes it to assume a globular form. The sago, when properly
packed, will keep a long time; but the flour we have here would quickly
turn sour, if exposed to the air. I propose filling the baskets we have
made with what sago we do not require for immediate use, and sinking
them in fresh water, when it will thus keep for a long time. Had we but
an iron pot, we might easily prepare it for a voyage; but we must, of
necessity, find some other means of doing so."

"Don't you think the large mollusc-shell will answer the purpose?"
observed Walter. "If it will cook meat, it will surely bake the sago."

"In that instance it had water in it," observed the doctor. "I am
afraid that with dry sago in it the shell will take fire. However, we
will try. Perhaps we may find a large flat stone which we can surround
with a rim of wood; and by applying heat under the centre our o