They Begin By Throwing The Fish Exactly In The State
In Which It Came From The Water, On The Fire.
When it has become
a little warmed they take it off, rub away the scales, and then peal off
with their teeth the surface, which they find done and eat.
Now,
and not before, they gut it; but if the fish be a mullet or any other
which has a fatty substance about the intestines, they carefully guard
that part and esteem it a delicacy. The cooking is now completed
by the remaining part being laid on the fire until it be sufficiently done.
A bird, a lizard, a rat, or any other animal, they treat in the same manner.
The feathers of the one and the fur of the other, they thus get rid of.*
[*They broil indiscriminately all substances which they eat. Though they boil
water in small quantities in oyster shells for particular purposes,
they never conceived it possible until shown by us, to dress meat
by this method, having no vessel capable of containing a fish or a bird
which would stand fire. Two of them once stole twelve pounds of rice
and carried it off. They knew how we cooked it, and by way of putting it
in practice they spread the rice on the ground before a fire,
and as it grew hot continued to throw water on it. Their ingenuity was
however very ill rewarded, for the rice became so mingled with the dirt
and sand on which it was laid, that even they could not eat it,
and the whole was spoiled.]
Unless summoned away by irresistable necessity, sleep always follows the
repast.
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