I selected an oak beam, one end of which we fixed
between the roots of our tree; beneath this I placed our bags on a row
of little blocks of wood; I then took a large bough, which I had cut
from a tree, and prepared for the purpose, and laid it across them. We
all united then in drawing down the opposite end of the plank over the
bough, till we got it to a certain point, when we suspended to it the
heaviest substances we possessed; hammers, bars of iron, and masses of
lead. This acting upon the manioc, the sap burst through the cloth, and
flowed on the ground copiously. When I thought the pressure was
complete, we relieved the bags from the lever, and opening one, drew out
a handful of the pollard, still rather moist, resembling coarse
maize-flour.
"It only wants a little heat to complete our success," said I, in great
delight. I ordered a fire to be lighted, and fixing one of our iron
plates, which was round in form, and rather concave, on two stones
placed on each side of the fire, I covered it with the flour which we
took from the bag with a small wooden shovel. It soon formed a solid
cake, which we turned, that it might be equally baked.
It smelled so good, that they all wished to commence eating immediately;
and I had some difficulty in convincing them that this was only a trial,
and that our baking was still imperfect.
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