It Was A Very Different Dwelling To Gray
Shirt's Residence At Arevooma.
I was as high as its roof ridge and
had to stoop low to get through the door-hole.
Inside, the hut was
fourteen or fifteen feet square, unlit by any window. The door-hole
could be closed by pushing a broad piece of bark across it under two
horizontally fixed bits of stick. The floor was sand like the
street outside, but dirtier. On it in one place was a fire, whose
smoke found its way out through the roof. In one corner of the room
was a rough bench of wood, which from the few filthy cloths on it
and a wood pillow I saw was the bed. There was no other furniture
in the hut save some boxes, which I presume held my host's earthly
possessions. From the bamboo roof hung a long stick with hooks on
it, the hooks made by cutting off branching twigs. This was
evidently the hanging wardrobe, and on it hung some few fetish
charms, and a beautiful ornament of wild cat and leopard tails, tied
on to a square piece of leopard skin, in the centre of which was a
little mirror, and round the mirror were sewn dozens of common shirt
buttons. In among the tails hung three little brass bells and a
brass rattle; these bells and rattles are not only "for dandy," but
serve to scare away snakes when the ornament is worn in the forest.
A fine strip of silky-haired, young gorilla skin made the band to
sling the ornament from the shoulder when worn.
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