for making
baskets, brooms, bellows, and many other household utensils.

Torribio's cabin consisted of but one room, and the fire-hearth was
placed outside under a small shed. This primitive abode contained
neither chairs, tables, nor benches. Sumichrast was full of admiration
at this simplicity, which I considered rather overdone; but my friend
compared the life of civilization, in which luxury has created so many
wants, with the lot of these men who can dispense with almost every
thing, and decidedly came to the conclusion that the latter are much the
happier.

On leaving the hut, I noticed to our left a magnificent avocado
pear-tree--_Persea gratissima_--the fruit of which yields a pulp called
"vegetable butter." The avocado pear, called by the Indians _ahuacate_,
is the same shape as a large pear, with interior of a light-green color
and of a buttery nature; its sweet flavor is delicious to every palate.
It is either eaten plain, or seasoned with salt, oil, and vinegar.

"The avocado pear-tree, I should think, has no relations among trees!"
said Lucien, smiling.

"Yes, certainly it has. It belongs to the Laurel family, and is the only
member of it which produces eatable fruit. Its connections, though,
occupy an important position in domestic economy. First, there is the
bay-tree--_Laurus nobilis_--the leaves of which are indispensable in
French cookery; while the berries furnish an oil used in medicine. Next
comes the _Laurus camphora_, from the leaves of which camphor is
extracted, the crystallized essence which evaporates so easily; then the
_Laurus cinnamomum_, the bark of which is called cinnamon; and, lastly,
sassafras, the aromatic wood which is said to be a powerful sudorific."

Our guide conducted us across a field of Indian corn or maize. Europe is
indebted to America for this valuable gramineous plant. The common bread
or _tortilla_ of this country, which is a kind of pancake, is made from
it. Before the maize is quite ripe, it is eaten boiled or parched; in
fact, generally throughout America, it is used instead of barley or oats
for feeding horses and cattle.

As soon as Torribio entered his own plantation, he bent down a few twigs
of the _masorcas_ without dividing them from the stem.

"Why do you bend those poor plants like that? Won't they die?" cried
Lucien.

"Yes; in the first place, because they are annuals, and our guide only
hastened their death a few days; besides, the ears he cut are r