first to find these, for he was possessed of a
fine insight into what was good for food.

"Regular fellow for the pot," Jack Penny said one day as Jimmy set up
one of his loud whoops and started off at a run.

This was the first time we found a plantain, and in answer to Jimmy's
_cooey_ we followed and found him hauling himself up by the large
leaf-stalks, to where, thirty feet above the bottom, hung, like a
brobdignagian bunch of elongated grapes, a monstrous cluster of yellow
plantains.

"I say, they ain't good to eat, are they?" said Jack, as Jimmy began
hacking through the curved stalk.

"Yup, yup! hyi, hyi!" shouted Jimmy, tearing away so vigorously at the
great bunch that it did not occur to him that he was proceeding in a
manner generally accredited to the Irishman who sawed off a branch,
cutting between himself and the tree.

The first knowledge he, and for the matter of fact we, had of his
mistake, was seeing him and the bunch of bananas, weighing about a
hundredweight, come crashing down amongst the undergrowth, out of a
tangle of which, and the huge leaves of the plantain tree, we had to
help our black companion, whose first motion was to save the fruit.

This done he began to examine himself to see how much he was hurt, and
ended by seizing my axe and bounding back into the jungle, to hew and
hack at the tree till we called him back.

"Big bunyip tree! Fro black fellow down," he cried furiously. "Got um
bana, though!" he exclaimed triumphantly, and turning to the big bunch
he began to separate it into small ones, giving us each a portion to
carry.

"I say, what's these?" said Jack Penny, handling his bunch with a look
of disgust.

"Bananas," I said. "Splendid fruit food."

"How do you know?" said Jack sourly. "There's none in your garden at
home."

"My father has often told me about them," I replied. "They are rich and
nutritious, and--let's try."

I ended my description rather abruptly, for I was thirsty and hungry as
well, and the presence of a highly flavoured fruit was not to be treated
with contempt.

I cut off one then, and looking at Jack nodded, proceeded to peel it,
and enjoyed the new sweet vegetable butter, flavoured with pear and
honey, for the first time in my life.

"Is it good?" said Jack, dubiously.

"Splendid," I said.

"Why, they look like sore fingers done up in stalls," he said. "I say,
I don't like the look of them."

"Don't have any, then," I said, commenci