Frazer went again to the Lakes; but when her nurse took out of the other
end of the basket a birch-bark cradle, made for her doll, worked very
richly, she clapped her hands for joy, saying, "Ah, nurse, you should not
have brought me so many pretty things at once, for I am too happy!"
The remaining contents of the basket consisted of seeds and berries, and a
small cake of maple-sugar, which Mrs. Frazer had made for the young lady.
This was very different in appearance from the Indian sugar; it was bright
and sparkling, like sugar-candy, and tasted sweeter. The other sugar was
dry, and slightly bitter: Mrs. Frazer told Lady Mary that this peculiar
taste was caused by the birch-bark vessels, which the Indians used for
catching the sap, as it flowed from the maple-trees.
"I wonder who taught the Indians how to make maple-sugar?" asked the
child.
"I do not know," replied the nurse. "I have heard that they knew how to
make this sugar when the discoverers of the country found them. [Footnote:
However this may be, the French settlers claim the merit of converting the
sap into sugar.] It may he that they found it out by accident. The
sugar-maple when wounded in March or April, yields a great deal of sweet
liquor. Some Indians may have supplied themselves with this juice, when
pressed for want of water; for it flows so freely in warm days in spring,
that several pints can be obtained from one tree in the course of the day.
Pages:
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99