This unexpected
harvest, which added reaping and threshing to the fishing, salting, and
pickling already on hand, quite troubled her.
`Only think,' said she, `of my beloved potatoes and manioc roots! What
is to become of them, I should like to know? It is time to take them
up, and how to manage it, with all this press of work, I can't see.'
`Don't be downhearted, wife,' said I; `there is no immediate hurry
about the manioc, and digging potatoes in this fine, light soil is easy
work compared to what it is in Switzerland, while as to planting more,
that will not be necessary if we leave the younger plants in the
ground. The harvest we must conduct after the Italian fashion, which,
although anything but economical, will save time and trouble, and as we
are to have two crops in the year, we need not be too particular.'
Without further delay, I commenced leveling a large space of firm
clayey ground to act as a threshing floor; it was well sprinkled with
water, rolled, beaten, and stamped; as the sun dried the moisture it
was watered anew, and the treatment continued until it became as
flat, hard, and smooth as a threshing floor need be.
Our largest wicker basket was then slung between Storm and Grumble; we
armed ourselves with reaping hooks, and went forth to gather in the
corn in the simplest and most expeditious manner imaginable.
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