had provided, he opened his eyes wide in astonishment. He knew that a
bag of parched corn and several gourds of fresh water had been brought
along, and upon this simple fare he had expected to break his fast.
Now, in addition to the parched corn, he saw fish, oysters, eggs, and a
vegetable, all smoking hot, cooked to a nicety, and temptingly spread
on some freshly cut palm-leaves.

The fish were mullet, that Has-se had speared from the canoe as they
swam in the clear water. He had cleaned them, wrapped them in fresh,
damp leaves, raked aside a portion of the fire that he had kindled when
he first arose, buried them in the hot sand beneath it, and covered the
spot with live coals.

The oysters had also come from the water, in a great bunch that Has-se
had just been able to lift and carry to the fire. To cook them he had
simply placed the entire bunch on the coals, where they had roasted in
their shells, which now gaped wide open, offering their contents to be
eaten.

The eggs were plover's eggs, of which Has-se had discovered several
nests among the tall marsh grass. They also had been roasted in the
hot sand, from which the fire had been raked one side.

The vegetable puzzled Réné considerably, for he had never seen its
like, and knew not what to make of it. When he asked Has-se what it
was, the latter laughed, with the soft, musical laugh, peculiar to his
people, and answered,

"Dost thou not know thy namesake, Ta-lah-lo-ko? It is the leaf bud of
a young palm-tree, and with us Indians it takes the place of bread when