54 The Soverane Herbe 



cleared of the central pith is the stem ; this is stuck 

 in or held to the bowl, which is formed by rolling a 

 banana-leaf into a cone like a sugar-bag or ' twist' 



The natives of the South-West Coast smoke Ihi- 

 amba, a nettle-like plant, as well as tobacco. The top 

 of the stems with the seeds on are used in a manner 

 similar to the Indian mode of smoking ganga. The 

 Congo Africans hollow out a small hole in the 

 ground, covering it with a dome. The dried herb is put 

 in, covered with red-hot stones, and the dome closed. 

 Inserting a reed in this miniature furnace, the native 

 draws in as much smoke as possible in one deep 

 breath. He is seized with a fit of hard, hacking 

 coughing for ten minutes or so, and recovering, 

 repeats the performance. Lhiamba-sxi\o\i\n^ makes 

 the natives moody, fractious and quarrelsome, but a 

 single dose early in the morning prevents fatigue for 

 the rest of the day. 



By the African smoker strength and pungency, not 

 real flavour, of tobacco is most esteemed. Hence he 

 ' sophisticates,' as Ben Jonson complained of his 

 ' smoak-sellers,' his tobacco with vile ingredients to 

 make it taste strong. Fine black fibres are inserted 

 into the mouth-end of cigars to absorb the essential 

 oil and nicotine, When the cigar is finished the 

 fibres are withdrawn and chewed or eaten with relish. 



Thus from America smoking has spread north, 

 south, east and west, until it has encircled the globe. 

 The practice of the aborigines of the New World has 

 become the recreation and delight of the universe. 

 At the lowest computation one-third of the people of 

 the earth are smokers, for it is only in Europe and 



