water might run down into the trough below. The strainer was now
stretched across the upper part of the trough, and putting in our sago,
Macco began to pour the water from the shell which he had brought for
the purpose. We eagerly watched the process. In a short time a good
deal of thick matter seemed to run off, leaving only refuse in the net.
This refuse we threw aside, and supplied its place with fresh sago.
This we continued doing till our trough was nearly full, and the water
being allowed to run off, we found a fine mass of sago starch with a
slightly red tinge. We now made this up into thick cylindrical masses,
as we had seen done before, and covered them up with the sago leaves.

Truly thankful for our success, we carried off the sago we had thus
manufactured to our encampment. We agreed, however, before commencing
any other operation, to turn all the pith we had obtained into sago, as
we might not otherwise have time to manufacture a further supply. Our
difficulty was to cook it. We had seen it eaten boiled with water. It
then forms a thick glutinous mass, and salt is mixed with it to give it
flavour, as it is of a somewhat astringent taste. We tried boiling some
in one of our shells; but before the sago was sufficiently boiled the
shell caught fire. We, however, managed to eat it, and mixing it with
salt, found it palatable. We then determined to try and make some bread
of it. To do this, however, we had to build an oven. This, without
difficulty, we formed in the earth. We then filled it with hot embers.
Having pounded our sago in a shell, we mixed it with water, and made it
into small cakes. These we placed on stones in the oven. In our first
experiment we burned up our cakes, as we kept them too long in. We then
agreed that we would try and make a baking-pan, such as we had seen
formed. This is a square box made of clay, with several divisions, into
each of which a cake is placed sideways. The difficulty, however, was
to form this oven; and we agreed that we would try and find some clay
and manufacture one. At the next attempt we kept the cakes in a much
shorter time, and found them sufficiently palatable. We were occupied
for more than a week in manufacturing our sago. It was probably very
inferior to what is made by more experienced persons. At the same time
it was wholesome, and would be a great addition to the animal food we
were likely to procure.

One evening, as we approached o