84 
THE LOTUS HARVEST. 
[chap. I. 
prized by the women are polished iron anklets, which 
they wear in such numbers that they reach nearly 
half way up the calf of the leg ; the tinkling of these 
rings is considered to be very enticing, but the sound 
reminds one of the clanking of convicts’ fetters. 
All the tribes of the White Nile have their harvest 
of the lotus seed. There are two species of water- 
lily—the large white flower, and a small variety. The 
seed-pod of the white lotus is like an unblown arti¬ 
choke, containing a number of light red grains equal 
in size to mustard-seed, but shaped like those of the 
poppy, and similar to them in flavour, being sweet 
and nutty. The ripe pods are collected and strung 
upon sharp-pointed reeds about four feet in length. 
When thus threaded they are formed into large bun¬ 
dles, and carried from the river to the villages, where 
they are dried in the sun, and stored for use. The 
seed is ground into flour, and made into a kind of 
porridge. The women of the Shir tribe are very 
clever at manufacturing; baskets and mats from the 
leaf of the dome palm. They also make girdles and 
necklaces of minute pieces of river mussel shells 
threaded upon the hair of the giraffe s tail. This is 
a work of great time, and the effect is about equal 
to a string of mother-of-pearl buttons. 
Jan. 31 st .—At 1.15 p.m. sighted Gebel Lardo, bear- 
