Chap. XIIT. HUTS OF THE ISHOGOS. 2G5 



of the bark of trees, had their doors painted red, 

 white, and bhick, in comphcated and sometimes not 

 inelegant patterns. These doors were very inge- 

 niously made ; they turned upon pivots above and 

 below, which worked in the frame instead of hinges. 

 Each house is of an oblong shape, about twenty-two 

 feet long by ten or twelve feet broad ; tlie door being 

 in the middle of the front, three and a half feet high 

 and two and a half feet broad. The walls are four 

 and a half feet high and the highest part of the roof 

 is about nine feet. 



T could not sleep last night on account of the noise 

 made by these Ishogos. They sang their mbuiti 

 songs until daylight, marching from one end of the 

 village to the other. When at a distance their 

 singing did not sound unpleasant, but when close by 

 it was almost deafening. During the day I made 

 friends with the Ishogos, and gave them sundry 

 small presents. Many of the women came and gave 

 me bunches of plantains, sugar cane, and ground- 

 nuts, and seemed much pleased when I tasted them. 



In the evening the atmosphere was very clear, 

 and I was glad to be able to take some more meridian 

 altitudes and a good many lunar distances. 



By the time I had written down my journal, and 

 recorded my astronomical observations, it was half- 

 past two in the morning, and, after a hard day's 

 work, I was glad to get to bed, especially as we had 

 to leave Igoumbie early the next morning. 



June llth. We took leave of Igoumbie a little 

 before eight a.m. The people seemed unwilling to 

 let us go, and the elders begged us to stay another 

 19 



