thing farther to do, but wait while the sap gathers in the troughs,
collect it into our kettle, and boil it over the fire in the same manner
as we have done the salt water.

"`Now, Master Harry,' concluded my wife, `be patient. Hope for an early
frost, and you shall have a practical illustration of all these things.'

"Harry had not long to wait. Upon the third night after, a slight
hoar-frost covered the ground, and the day following was bright and
warm. This was the very time to tap the maples, and so we set about it.

"Cudjo had already prepared the troughs--more than twenty of them in
all. These he made in the usual manner. He cut the trunks of several
tulip-trees--those that were about twelve inches in diameter--into logs
of three feet each. These logs he split into two equal parts, and
hollowed out the split sides with his chisel and mallet--thus forming
rude vessels, but quite good enough for the purpose of holding the sap.
The cane tubes were also got ready; and proceeding to the trees--all of
us together--we bored a hole in each with our auger, fitted in the cane
joints, and propped the troughs underneath. In a short time the crystal
liquid began to drip from the ends of the spouts, and then it ran faster
and faster, until a small clear stream fell into the troughs. The first
that issued forth we caught in our cups, as the sugar-water is most
delicious to drink; and it seemed as if our little people, particularly
Mary and Luisa, would never say `enough.' Harry, too, was as fond of it
as they; and was heard to declare that the sugar-maple was the finest
tree of the forest, and quite a match for either bread-fruits, oranges,
or cocoa-palms. We had brought the large kettle, and a fire was soon
kindled, and a crane erected--just as we had done when making our salt.
In a few hours the kettle was filled with sap, and boiling over the
fire.

"Each of us had our separate duty to perform Cudjo, with his bucket,
went from tree to tree, collecting the sap as it gathered in the
troughs, while Mary and I kept up the fire, and looked to the ladling.
When a kettle of the water was sufficiently boiled down, it was
necessary to pour it out into small vessels, that the sugar might
crystallise by cooling. For this purpose we used all our plates,
dishes, and cups. As soon as it cooled it became hard as a brick, and
of a very dark colour. It was then removed from the small vessels, and
a fresh quantity poured into t