Some
were red, and some of a green colour, which I supposed to denote
various degrees of ripeness. They were hard, and the outer skin was
quite thin. I recognized in this the pepper plant, a discovery
particularly agreeable at this moment.
* Previously he called it ravensara.
The boys soon gathered a large supply; the red berries were soaked in
salt and water for several days, then washed and rubbed, and finally,
becoming perfectly white, were dried in the sun. The treatment of the
green berries was simple; they were merely exposed to the sun's heat
for a day or two, and then stored: in this way we obtained enough, both
of black and white pepper, to last us a very long time.
I took also a number of young plants, that we might have pepper
growing at Rockburg and our various settlements. Some roots of another
plant were also taken, which, from the pods, appeared to be a kind of
bean.
We were glad of this occupation during the tedious business of smoking
the bears' meat, and availed ourselves of the leisure time by also
preparing for stuffing the condor and the turkey buzzard, urubu or
black vulture--for I could not determine to which species the smaller
bird belonged.
The four boys at length became so weary of inaction, that I determined
to let them make an excursion alone on the savannah.
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