78 A DESCRIPTION OF THE WANYORO. 



united to him in blood-brotherhood. To perform this cere- 

 mony a slight incision is made with a razor above the fifth 

 rib on the right side. Coffee-berries are soaked in the blood, 

 and are exchanged and eaten by those participating in the rite. 

 The covenant thus made lasts for life. The parties to it never 

 desert one another in danger, and frequent the houses and 

 converse with each other's wives without constraint or suspicion. 

 A case of breach of faith has never been known. I met with 

 the same custom under the name " pobratimstvo " among all 

 the southern Slavs. 



Among the narcotics used, tobacco, which is much smoked 

 by both sexes, takes the first place. It is called in Unyoro 

 as well as in Uganda " taha" and is obtained from two 

 different plants, one of which — Nicotiana virginiana, the most 

 common — has white flowers, tinted at the edge with pink, and 

 reaches a height of about three to four feet, but bears only 

 medium-sized leaves, which have a strong aroma, and suffer 

 greatly from the attacks of insects. The other kind, much 

 stronger in flavour, has fawn-coloured flowers, and is rather 

 a smaller plant than the former, but it is dying out. It 

 is also called " taha" Where the word " irkabwe" used in 

 the market here for tobacco, comes from, I cannot tell ; 

 perhaps it is borrowed from another language (Galla ?). I 

 am inclined to believe that the species with yellow blossoms 

 is indigenous. The leaves, without much sorting, are simply 

 dried on the roofs of sheds ; they shrink a great deal, and 

 produce a very good tobacco, though of rather unattractive 

 appearance, which is made up in bundles to be sold. It is 

 generally known that tobacco grown on low-lying land is 

 mild, and that from high ground strong. The tobaccos 

 from Nkole and the highlands of Uganda are considered the 

 best. The pipe-bowls are spherical, large, and strong, and 

 are attached to long stems, which in Londu are formed of 

 two pieces tied together with varan-skin, and are as much as 

 five feet long. I have only seen narghiles (argilis) in Usoga. 

 Every one has his own pipe ; but when he happens not to 

 have it with him, he takes a few whiffs from his neighbour's. 

 The larger the bowl of the pipe, the greater the gentleman 

 who uses it ; I have seen bowls which would easily hold a 



