ople for food
in the absence of Rice, which will scarcely hold out with many of them
above half the Year. [Coracan.] There is Coracan, which is a small
seed like Mustard-seed, This they grind to meal or beat in a Mortar,
and so make Cakes of it, baking it upon the Coals in a potsheard,
or dress it otherwise. If they which are not used to it, eat it, it
will gripe their Bellies; When they are minded to grind it, they have
for their Mill two round stones, which they turn with their hands
by the help of a stick: There are several sorts of this Corn. Some
will ripen in three months, and some require four. If the Ground be
good; it yields a great encrease; and grows both on the Hills and
in the Plains. [Tanna.] There is another Corn called Tanna; It is
much eaten in the Northern Parts, in Conde Uda but little sown. It
is as small as the former, but yieldeth a far greater encrease. From
one grain may spring up two, three, four or five stalks, according
as the ground is, on each stalk one ear, that contains thousands of
grains. I think it gives the greatest encrease of any one feed in the
World. Each Husbandman sowes not above a Pottle at a Seeds-time. It
growes up two foot, or two foot and an half from the ground. The way
of gathering it when ripe, is, that the Women (whose office it is}
go and crop off the ears with their hands, and bring them home in
baskets. They onely take off the ears of Coracan also, but they being
tough, are cut off with knives. This Tanna must be parched in a Pan,
and then is beaten in a Mortar to unhusk it. It will boyl like Rice,
but swell far more; the tast not bad but very dry, and accounted
wholsome; the fashion flattish, the colour yellow and very lovely to
the Eye. It ripens in four months, some sorts of it in three. There
are also divers other sorts, which grow on dry Land (as the former)
and ripen with the Rain. [Moung.] As Moung, a Corn somewhat like
Vetches, growing in a Cod. [Omb.] Omb, a small seed, boyled and eaten
as Rice. It has an operation pretty strange, which is, that when it is
new it will make them that eat it like drunk, sick and spue; and this
only when it is sown in some Grounds, for in all it will not have this
effect: and being old, none will have it. Minere, a small seed. Boumas,
we call them Garavances. Tolla, a seed used to make Oyl, with which
they anoint themselves; and sometimes they will parch it and eat it
with Jaggory, a kind of brown Sugar. And thus much of their Co