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132 Here, in the glorious sunlight, we made our first halt, tethered the animals, and prepared our meal.

After it was over, I felt inclined for a smoke; but the supply of tobacco I had taken from the Penguin had long been exhausted, and as there were no tobacco manufactories in Neuroomia, I had to content myself with smoking a kind of bark, that of the Bubu tree, which possessed a flavour somewhat resembling that of the soothing weed. However, I had none with me, and explained this fact to Yondozi, who said it would be useless to look for the tree in the neighbourhood, but that we should meet with it higher up in the mountains; so I had to console myself with this piece of intelligence, then I spread my trappings out on the ground and went to bed, thinking of the supply of good tobacco I had stowed away on board the Penguin. Why, there was one unbroken chest that would last me at least two years. I would bring it back with me when returning; yet it was bulky, and I began to think that perhaps I had better leave it till they removed the vessel. Of course the crew knew where it was, but they had plenty without it, and very probably had not meddled with it, unless Septimus had finished his supply,