But without noticing all these beautiful specimens of Papuan flora, the Canadian abandoned the agreeable for the useful. He discovered a cocoa-tree, beat down some of the fruit, broke them, and we drank the milk and ate the nut with a satisfaction that protested against the ordinary food on the Nautilus.
“Excellent!” said Ned Land.
“Exquisite!” replied Conseil.
“And I do not think,” said the Canadian, “that he would object to our introducing a cargo of cocoanuts on board.”
“I do not think he would, but he would not taste them.”
“So much the worse for him,” said Conseil.
“And so much the better for us,” replied Ned Land. “There will be more for us.”
“One word only, Master Land,” I said to the harpooner, who was beginning to ravage another cocoanut-tree. “Cocoanuts are good things, but before filling the canoe with them, it would be wise to reconnoiter and see if the island does not produce some substance not less useful. Fresh vegetables would be welcome on board the Nautilus.”
“Master is right,” replied Conseil; “and I propose to reserve three places in our vessel: one for fruits, the other for vegetables, and the third for the venison, of which I have not yet seen the smallest specimen.”
“Conseil, we must not despair,” said the Canadian.
“Let us continue,” I returned, “and lie in wait. Although the island seems uninhabited, it might still contain some individuals that would be less hard than we on the nature of game.”
“Ho! ho!” said Ned Land, moving his jaws significantly.
“Well, Ned!” cried Conseil.
“My word!” returned the Canadian, “I begin to understand the charms of anthropophagy.”
“Ned! Ned! What are you saying? You, a man-eater? I should not feel safe with you, especially as I share your cabin. I might perhaps wake one day to find myself half-devoured.”
“Friend Conseil, I like you much, but not enough to eat you unnecessarily.”
“I would not trust you,” replied Conseil. “But enough. We must absolutely bring down some game to satisfy this cannibal, or else, one of these fine mornings, master will find only pieces of his servant to serve him.”
While we were talking thus, we were penetrating the somber arches of the forest, and for two hours we surveyed it in all directions.
Chance rewarded our search for eatable vegetables, and one of the most useful products of the tropical zones furnished us with precious food that we missed on board. I would speak of the bread-fruit tree, very abundant in the island of Gilboa; and I remarked chiefly the variety destitute of seeds, which bears in Malaya the name of “rima.”
Ned Land knew these fruits well. He had already eaten many during his numerous voyages, and he knew how to prepare the eatable substance. Moreover, the sight of them excited him, and he could contain himself no longer.
“Master,” he said, “I shall die if I do not taste a little of this bread-fruit pie.”
“Taste it, friend Ned, taste it as you want. We are here to make experiments—make them.”
“It won’t take long,” said the Canadian.
And provided with a lentil, he lighted a fire of dead wood, that crackled joyously. During this time, Conseil and I chose the best fruits of the artocarpus. Some had not then attained a sufficient degree of maturity, and their thick skin covered a white but rather fibrous pulp. Others, the greater number yellow and gelatinous, waited only to be picked.
These fruits inclose no kernel. Conseil brought a dozen to Ned Land, who placed them on a coal fire, after having cut them in thick slices, and while doing this repeating:
“You will see, master, how good this bread is. More so when one has been deprived of it so long. It is not even bread,” added he, “but a delicate pastry. You have eaten none, master?”
“No, Ned.”
“Very well, prepare yourself for a juicy thing. If you do not come for more, I am no longer the king of harpooners.”
After some minutes, the part of the fruits that was exposed to the fire was completely roasted. The interior looked like a white pastry, a sort of soft crumb, the flavor of which was like that of an artichoke.