TAMA TO KABARU. 39 



in the preparation of beer ; Niamunya, the golden medium-sized 

 sweet fruits of which have a delicious white pulp, and are used 

 for eating as well as for the manufacture of banana wine ; Kar- 

 ainbe, with firm fruit of a span's length, having brick-red skins, 

 and only employed for eating — decidedly the best kind. The 

 natives seldom eat ripe bananas ; but the green fruit, alone, 

 or cooked with meat, forms the basis of their food. It is 

 remarkable that many of the fruit-bearing plants show well- 

 marked red ribs on their leaves, corresponding with Musa 

 JEnsete, the mother of their species, which comes often enough to 

 the fore here, but has nothing remarkable about its shape. It is 

 found from Fatiko (3000 feet high) on towards the south every- 

 where, and its large black seeds are much liked for necklaces.. 



The distance between Tama and Kabaru was short, and as 

 the road seemed to lead through a great garden, we soon reached 

 our journey's end. As regards the grass, it is just the reverse 

 of what it was in the north ; there tall grass was the rule, and 

 plantations were only met with occasionally ; here there is one 

 cultivated stretch of land after another, and houses in great 

 numbers, and where tracts of land covered with high grass are 

 found, the latter seems to be spared on purpose to provide 

 material for housebuilding. It was fortunate that I had a roof 

 over my head, for immediately after our arrival the rain, which 

 had been threatening since morning, began to descend in 

 torrents. 



My house, under the projecting roof of which were hung as 

 charms small bundles of maize, lubia, and durrah, neatly rolled 

 up in banana leaves, was full of earthen vessels, bark cloth, 

 and gourd bottles. There were also the large baskets mentioned 

 above, wide at the top, narrowing towards the bottom, and 

 closely plaited, in case of being needed for the manufacture of 

 beer. In this case a pap of bananas mashed with water is put 

 into them, and they are buried in the earth, and covered with 

 banana leaves and a thick layer of hay until the fermentation 

 begins. In all the houses were suspended small baskets filled 

 with hay, which are used as roosts for fowls, these being very 

 small, but kept in great numbers. 



There are no trees in the banana groves except several 

 varieties of the fig, which are used for the manufacture of 



