With a trencher of porridge, and a dozen roasting ears, together
with a half score of the bread balls such as I have already written
about, Captain Smith can satisfy his hunger with great pleasure,
and then it is that he declares he has the most comfortable home in
all Virginia, thanks to his "houseboys," as he is pleased to call
us.
THE SWEET POTATO ROOT
The Indians have roots, which some of our gentlemen call sweet
potatoes, which are by no means unpleasant to the taste, the only
difficulty being that we cannot get any great quantity of them. Our
master declares that when we make a garden, this root shall be the
first thing planted, and after it has ripened, we will have some
cooked every day.
Nathaniel and I have no trouble in preparing the root, for it may
be roasted in the ashes, boiled into a pudding which should be well
salted, or mixed with the meal of Indian corn and made into a kind
of sweet cake.
However, we lads have not had good success in baking this last
dish, because of the ashes which fly out of the fire when the wind
blows ever so slightly.
Pages:
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71