The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-07-08
IN JOYFUL YUCATAN.
A TRAVELLING GROCERY MAN WAKES
ELOQUENT IN PRAISE.
He Talks of Eread That Grows Ia Nuts,
Milk That Cones From Trees, Sirup
That Gathers on Ants Backs and Light
That Shines From Leaves.

Milk That Cones From Trees, Sirup
That Gathers on Ants Backs and Light
That Shines From Leaves.
"Seems to me that ought to be sorry
went down there, now, said John
Gilbert, the travelling grocery man,
who recently returned from @ six weeks
stay III Yucatan. II don't see how !
can 80 ahead and resume the rounds
that my business calls for without a
sigh and regret, that, SO where may
in my native land, will look ii vain
for the tree that il those tropical climes
gave me light by night, for the tree
that gave me my daily bread, and the
one that gave me milk for my coffee, to
say nothing Of the pleasing ard bClboos
ant that gave me the sweetenins for it.
Time and cash customers may wear
down ard biCat the edge Of this regret,
but it is sharp nov. and Ireally suppose
that I ought to be sorry went down
there.
'sI didn't know anything about these
remarkable specimens Of the vegetable
and animal kingdoms when I first struck
that country, but I noticed that the
bread we had in camp was very good
and the milk very choice and creamy,
while the coffee was deliciously sweet
ened. One morning heard the cook ct
our party hollering out orders to the
Indian guides.
Here, your he hollered. Hurry
up and pick some bread! And there
amt a bit CT milk! Go bore Cor some
right away! And say, you dago over
yonder, what's the matter CT ycu
streining some sugar out O thc',, ants:'
ssThis was a little astonishing to re,
and asked fer information. Then l
found cut al abort it.
''The tree that gave the bread we ate
down there doesn't look . bit as Il 1t
would do it. But ! found cut that looks
are deceptive under the equator. The
bread isn' bread exactly when it is first
picked, but it is rice, stiff dough in
closed il 3 nutshell abo1,t the size OF q
goose egg. They crack tie shell, take
out the dough, lznead it q little, and 1t
is ready for baking. By thinning it
down to a batter with the milk they get
from another tree, cur camp cook used
to make first rate pancakes out Of it.
The day 7 came away he strained the
sweetening out CT q quart CT arts, mixed
il up witll, a batch Of the dough ard
made sweet cake that would have been
good enough for anyDcdys folks to set
out before company.
"gle ants that snnply the honey, CT
strip, OF whatever it might be called,
are WORT. travelling all the way down
there on mule to see. They are about
the size CT o small peanut, AID on Their
back is q transparent seek that they dis
til honey i2to until they swell up as big
as q coed sized marble. You can SCOOP
these ants up :oy the peck. They make
this honey to feed their young Oh, but
they are so 2ccd natured and so snscep-
tible to familiarity that all one has to
do is to tickle them under the fore
shoulder and they will give you every
drop Of honey they have i'll stock and
then so meeEly Off to fill up again.
"But this accommodating ant isn't
one whit more curious than The tree
that acts in the capacity Of dai1lh1cwn
there. This tree has a big 1gh
and leathery that they half al;
soling SHOES. When the fails
one of the trees, they BOZ the
! trunk. and It lets down Imhlte m