THE TOBACCO OF LAUDA. 231 



front of one house I noticed a gourd with seven holes, into 

 which were stuck pieces of straw ; the woman who lived there 

 had had several children, but lost them all, and this was a 

 charm to prevent the recurrence of the catastrophe. 



The chief of Laiida came to visit us, bringing with him a 

 present of tobacco, which is cultivated in his territory. Like 

 all Latiika tobacco, it is made into flat round cakes, which, 

 when required for use, are powdered. The method of prepara- 

 tion is as follows : — As soon as the leaves have obtained the 

 necessary maturity, they are pounded until the stalks and leaves 

 form one mass ; this paste is made into a large heavy bundle, 

 which is wrapped in leaves and exposed to the heat of the sun 

 for a time ; the drying process is then completed in the shade. 

 When the bundle is opened, its contents are found to have 

 become mouldy ; it is exposed to the sun for a second time, 

 then finely ground, and finally a little water is added to it, 

 and it is formed into a paste, from which the cakes already 

 mentioned are made. Throughout the whole district of the 

 upper White Nile these cakes are called Jcaniet, and are much 

 sought after. The best tobacco in Latiika grows on Jebel 

 Molong. 



Our stay here had been almost too long, and as we had still 

 much work before us, and a long way to go, we were obliged 

 to move forward. Keeping the cloud-crowned Jebel Lafit, a 

 long mountain chain, to our left, we had to cross a sandy plain 

 covered by burrows, until we arrived at a wide but still pass- 

 able swamp. It is impossible for me to say much about the 

 next portion of our route as far as Khor Bicher, because a 

 terrible thunderstorm overtook us, and in a few moments the 

 country was transformed into a lake, through which we hurried 

 forward, wading up to our ankles in water. In the park land 

 through which we passed two groups of very dark rocks were 

 visible ; Khor Bicher itself was scarcely fordable, and caused a 

 delay of over an hour, as it was so much swollen by the rain, 

 and its banks are so steep. Shortly after, we had to cross Khor 

 K5z, which is much more important, and comes from Taran- 

 gole. Near it lies the large village of Eyakke, picturesquely 

 situated among hills, and surrounded by green corn-fields, and a 

 forest of Balanites. Evakke is the first village in Chief Latome's 



