ork of cooking
commences. Just at daylight the old woman in charge takes her place at the
rim of the pit and prays that the cooking may be successful and that the
people may be in condition to partake of the food. In igniting the fuel
the old-fashioned fire-sticks must be employed; to use matches would bring
ill fortune. When the fuel in the pit becomes a blazing mass the women go
to prepare breakfast, but are soon at work again gathering brush and grass
to cover the mescal. Within four hours the fuel is entirely consumed and
the red-hot stones have settled to the bottom of the pit. When it is
certain that no fuel remains unburned, as even a small amount of smoke
would spoil the quality of the mescal, the head-woman says, "It is good,"
and with great eagerness her followers begin to fill the pit. There is
need for haste in throwing in and covering the mescal, as the steam must
be confined to prevent the hot stones from scorching it. The covering
consists of alternate layers of green brush, grass, dry leaves, and
finally a layer of earth, about six inches in thickness. After forty-eight
hours of steaming the seething mass is uncovered and each woman removes
her portion.

The greater part of the product of this cooking is now to be prepared for
winter use by pulling the leaves apart and pounding them into pulp. This
can be kneaded and handled much the same as dough, and while in this
plastic state is formed into large cakes two inches thick and perhaps
three feet long. These are dried in the sun, when they have all the
appearance of large slabs of India rubber, and are easily packed on horses
for the homeward journey.

This dried mescal may be eaten without further preparation, but it is
generally made into a gruel by mixing with water. Alone it is very sweet,
and berries of the aromatic sumac, and frequently walnuts, are crushed
with it to give it flavor.

The fruit of the opuntia, or prickly-pear cactus, which the Apache call
_hush_, is much used for food both in its fresh state and dried. It is
picked from the plant with pincers of split sticks. When the _tu{~COMBINING BREVE~}tza_, or
burden basket, is filled its contents are poured on the ground and the
fruit is brushed about with a small grass besom until the spines are worn
off. In preparing _hush_ the women grind seeds and pulp into a mass, thus
retaining the full food value of the fruit.

Manzanita, pinon nuts, juniper berries, acorns of the scrub oak, fruit of