filled with grains and fruits.
I may here observe that the main staple of food among these people
consists--firstly, of a kind of corn much larger in ear than our wheat,
and which by culture is perpetually being brought into new varieties of
flavour; and, secondly, of a fruit of about the size of a small orange,
which, when gathered, is hard and bitter. It is stowed away for many
months in their warehouses, and then becomes succulent and tender. Its
juice, which is of dark-red colour, enters into most of their sauces.
They have many kinds of fruit of the nature of the olive, from which
delicious oils are extracted. They have a plant somewhat resembling the
sugar-cane, but its juices are less sweet and of a delicate perfume.
They have no bees nor honey-making insects, but they make much use of a
sweet gum that oozes from a coniferous plant, not unlike the araucaria.
Their soil teems also with esculent roots and vegetables, which it is
the aim of their culture to improve and vary to the utmost. And I never
remember any meal among this people, however it might be confined to
the family household, in which some delicate novelty in such articles of
food was not introduced. In fine, as I before observed, their cookery is
exquisite, so diversified and nutritious that one does not miss animal
food; and their own physical forms suffice to show that with them, at
least, meat is not required for superior production of muscular fibre.
They have no grapes--the drinks extracted from their fruits are innocent
and refreshing. Their staple beverage, however, is water, in the choice
of which they are very fastidious, distinguishing at once the slightest
impurity.

"My younger son takes great pleasure in augmenting our produce," said
Aph-Lin as we passed through the storehouses, "and therefore will
inherit these lands, which constitute the chief part of my wealth. To my
elder son such inheritance would be a great trouble and affliction."

"Are there many sons among you who think the inheritance of vast wealth
would be a great trouble and affliction?"

"Certainly; there are indeed very few of the Vril-ya who do not consider
that a fortune much above the average is a heavy burden. We are rather a
lazy people after the age of childhood, and do not like undergoing more
cares than we can help, and great wealth does give its owner many cares.
For instance, it marks us out for public offices, which none of us
like and none of us can refuse. It