Dessert, on the other hand, might be plentiful and varied. "Bed-yew-rie"
(XIMENIA AMERICANA), thirst-allaying and palate-sharpening; "Top-kie"
(Herbert River cherry, ANTEDISMA DALLACHYANUM), resembling red currants
in flavour; "Pool-boo-nong" (finger cherry, RHODOMYRTUS MACROCARPA),
sweet, soft and appeasing; "Panga-panga," raspberry (RUBUS ROSAEFOLIUS);
"Koo-badg-aroo" (Leichhardt-tree, SARCOCEPHALUS CORDATUS), resembling a
strawberry in shape, but brown, spicy and hot; "Murl-kue-kee"
(snow-white berries of EUGENIA SUBORBICULARIS), vapid, and as insipid as
an immature medlar; "Raroo" (CAREYA AUSTRALIS), mealy and biting.
Various figs, ranging in size from a large red currant to a tennis-ball,
and in colour from white through all the tints from pale yellow and green
to red, purple and black, sweet and generally mawkish. The banana would
be there in the MUSA BANKSIA ("boo-gar-oo"), although "close up all bone";
but the Davidsonian plum, plentiful on the mainland, would be absent.
The scape of the ELETTARIA SCOTTIANA, oozing viscid nectar, might stand
as a sweetmeat.
Then, dallying with tomahawks and flat stones with the tough nuts of the
"Moo-jee" (TERMINALIA MELANOCARPA), and the drupes of the "Can-kee"
(PANDANUS AQUATICUS) to extract the narrow sweet kernels, and sipping the
while cordial compounded of the larvae of green tree-ants ("book-gruin"),
acidulous and nippy, the men might indulge in after-dinner stories
and reminiscences, as the gins and piccaninnies drink heartily of water
sweetened with sugar-bag (honey-comb), and chew the seeds contained in
the china-blue pericarp of the native ginger--"Ool-pun" (ALPINIA CAERULA).
Pages:
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404