The Bejuco Rope
The bejuco, or bush rope, a rattan, is sometimes three hundred feet long; indeed, it is said to have been found on one of the islands three times that length. It is used for rope, cords, or cable; to bind hemp-bags, sugar-bales, and bundles; to lash together whatever breaks down or gives way, in house, harness, carriage, cart, machinery, or package; in the city street, in the country, on the mountain, in the wilderness. The thickest bejuco is used for rafts and cables, and, in conjunction with bamboo, for the making of suspension bridges. And the delicate fibres are woven into cloth, and even made into hats and cigar cases.