The ocean of story, being C.H. Tawney's translation of Somadeva's ...

APPENDIX II ROMANCE OF BETEL-CHEWING 279
placed about 5 yards in front of the huts at irregular distances,
one or two to each hut. The oven is an oblong, about 2 feet
wide by 3 feet long, with two openings above, about 1 foot in
diameter, on which the boilers, common ovoid earthenware
pots (madike), are placed. The opening for the fire is placed on
the windward side, and extends to the far side of the second
opening in the top of the oven, the smoke, etc., escaping
through the spaces between the boilers and the oven. The
earth forms the hearth. To proceed to the details of the
working, the guard and the watcher go out the first thing in
the morning, and mark trees for the Kudubis to cut, noting
the name of the man, the girth and length of the workable
stem and branches. The Kudubi then cuts the tree, and
chips off the sapwood, a ring about 1 inch wide, with his axe,
and brings it into the camp, where a Forester is stationed,
who measures the length and girth of the pieces, and takes
the weight of wood brought in. The Kudubi then takes it
off to his shelter, and proceeds to chip it. In the afternoon
he may have to go and get firewood, but generally he can
get enough firewood in a day to serve for several days' boiling.
So much for the men's work. Mrs Kudubi puts the chips
(chakkai) into the pot nearest the mouth of the oven, and
fills it up with water, putting a large flat wooden spoon on
the top, partly to keep the chips down, and, lighting her fire,
allows it to boil. As soon as this occurs, the pot is tipped into
a wooden trough (marige) placed alongside the oven, and the
pot with the chips is refilled. This process is repeated six
times. The contents of the trough are put into the second
pot, which is used purely for evaporating. The contents of
this pot are replenished from the trough with a coco-nut
bailer (chippu) until all the extract obtained from the chips
has been evaporated to a nearly solid residue. The contents
are then poured into a broken half-pot, and allowed to dry
naturally, being stirred at intervals to enable the drying to
proceed evenly. The extract (rasa) is of a yellowish-brown colour when stirred, the surface being a rich red-brown. This
To make
stirring is done with a one-sided spoon (satuga).
the balls, the woman covers her hands with a little wood-ash
to prevent the extract adhering to them, and takes up as
much catechu as she can close her hands on, and presses it
into shape. These balls are paid for at R.l, 2 per 100, and
are counted before the Forester next morning, and delivered
to the contractor. This ends the work done by the Kudubis.