96 



THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



and the dakha of southern Africa. In the low lands of 

 East Africa it grows before every cottage door. As in 

 hot climates generally, the fibre degenerates, and the 

 plant is only valued for its narcotic properties. The 

 Arabs smoke the sun-dried leaf with, and the Africans 

 without tobacco, in huge waterpipes, whose bowls con- 

 tain a quarter of a pound. Both ignore the more 

 luxurious preparations, momiya and hashish, ganja 

 and sebzi, charas and maajun. Like the " jangli" or 

 jungle (wild)-bhang of Sindh, affected by kalandars, 

 fakirs, and other holy beggars, this variety, contracting 

 the muscle of the throafc, produces a violent whooping- 

 cough, ending in a kind of scream, after a few long 

 puffs, when the smoke is inhaled ; and if one man sets 

 the example the others are sure to follow. These gro- 

 tesque sounds are probably not wholly natural ; even 

 the boys may be heard practising them ; they appear to 

 be a fashion of " renowning it " ; in fact, an announce- 

 ment to the public that the fast youths are smoking 

 bhang. The Datura stramonium, called by the Arabs 

 and by the Wasawahili " muranha," grows in the well- 

 watered plains ; it bears a large whitish flower and a 

 thorn-apple, like that of India. The heathen, as well 

 as their visitors, dry the leaves, the flowers, and the 

 rind of the rootlet, which is considered the strongest 

 preparation, and smoke them in a common bowl or in a 

 water-pipe. This is held to be a sovereign remedy 

 against zik el nafas (asthma) and influenza; it di- 

 minishes the cough by loosening the phlegm. The 

 Washenzi never make that horrible use of the plant 

 known to the Indian dhaturiya, or datura-poisoners: 

 many accidents, however, occur from ignorance of its 

 violent narcotism. Meat is scarce : the only cattle are 

 those driven down by the Wanyamwezi to the coast ; 



