90 HOW THE HILL-DAMARAS SMOKE. 



narrow end, communicating with the interior by means of a 

 small aperture. This being done, the party present place 

 themselves in a circle, observing deep silence, and with open 

 mouths, and eyes glistening with delight, they anxiously abide 

 their turn. The chief man usually has the honor of enjoy- 

 ing the first pull at the pipe. From the moment that the 

 orifice of the horn is applied to his lips, he seems to lose all 

 consciousness of every thing around him, and becomes entire- 

 ly absorbed in the enjoyment. As little or no smoke escapes 

 from his mouth, the effect is soon sufficiently apparent. His 

 features become contorted, his eyes glassy and vacant, his 

 mouth covered with froth, his whole body convulsed, and in 

 a few seconds he is prostrate on the ground. A little water 

 is then thrown over his body, proceeding not unfrequently 

 from the mouth of a friend ; his hair is violently pulled, or 

 his head unceremoniously thumped with the hand. These 

 somewhat disagreeable applications usually have the effect of 

 restoring him to himself in a few minutes. Cases, however, 

 have been known where people have died on the spot from 

 overcharging their stomachs with the poisonous fumes. 



The Ovaherero use tobacco in a similar manner as just 

 described, with this difference only, that they inhale the 

 smoke simply through short clay pipes without using water 

 to cool it, which, of course makes it all the more dangerous. 



The first time we were present at a smoking bout we were 

 disgusted and frightened; but, from its being of every-day 

 occurrence, we at length became somewhat reconciled to it, 

 as also to many other unpleasant sights and customs. 



Instead of the naked and barren Naarip, the country had 

 now begun to assume a more pleasing appearance ; for, though 

 every thing looked dry and parched at this season, there was 

 no want of vegetation. Besides a variety of shrubs and 

 stunted bushes, the periodical water-courses were marked by 

 the handsome black-stemmed mimosa, and other species of 

 the acacia family. The hill-sides, also, were in many 



