before taking them to the drying-shed, where they
are spread on a platform of split bamboo, twelve feet above a
smouldering fire. The process continues for six weeks, the nuts being
repeatedly turned until they begin to rattle. Only a slow method of
drying prevents the escape of the essential oil, necessary to the
flavour of the fruit, which must afterwards be dipped in slaked lime to
preserve it from insects. The coral-like mace contains a rich supply of
aromatic balm, and when loosened from the nutmeg can be dried in the
sun. The delicate scarlet branches, spread on wickerwork frames in open
spaces of the woods, contrast vividly with the shaded verdure of the
beautiful trees. The mace, trodden flat for facility in packing,
resembles a dainty growth of finest seaweed, and in the 16th century
shared popularity with the nutmeg which produced it. Even in the
present day a pewter spice box is an indispensable present on that
sixth anniversary of a Dutch marriage still known as "the pewter
wedding," and a nutmeg-box, with a grater, remains as a favourite
bridal gift, the fashion originating when the passion for spices first
pervaded mediaeval Europe. Trade, as well as Science, wrote many
chapters of romantic adventure in the long history of the world's
social development, and modern thought but dimly realises the magnetic
spell of the days when the veil was first lifted between East and West,
and the wonders of untrodden shores disclosed to the pioneer. Heine, in
his _Lieder_, chants of the mystic nutmeg-tree as the ideal growth of
the tropical forest, for every stage of life and growth reveals some
fresh beauty in delicate bloom, glistening foliage, and fruit of
roseate gold. The spreading boughs, with their perfect contour and
emerald depths of light and shadow, suggest a typical picture of that
unfading Tree of Life in the midst of the earthly Paradise, round which
the passing ages weave innumerable dreams, while faith transplants it
to a fairer Garden than that of Eden. Where the winding woodland roads
lead along the shore, colossal screw-palms and silver-flowered
Barringtonias border the rocks, the sparkling azure of the sea visible
through the fantastic boughs, and the eternal song of the surf
vibrating through the still air with mysterious undertones. The brown
_campong_ of Banda Lonthar stands at the foot of the mossy steps which
lead to the summit of the wooded range, and command a superb view of
the island group.