THE WAGANDA 



93 



classes each court has a hut which serves as a waiting-room 

 for visitors. The number of the courts is more or less indi- 

 cative of the rank of the individual. 



The native hut in Uganda is a cone-shaped building, the 

 grass-thatched roof of which reaches right down to the ground, 

 except at the entrance where it is cut so as to leave a low 

 narrow verandah. Very often the reed-fence of the enclosure 

 meets the hut at the two sides, so that the front half of the 



A WAGANDA FAMILY. 



hut lies in one court and the second half in another. The 

 heavy roof requires a strong support, and the many poles and 

 pillars used for this object greatly diminish the available space 

 inside the hut which is dark and smoke-stained. 



The Waganda style of thatching is the best I have yet seen. 

 The grass seems to lie so perfectly smooth ; no rope is required 

 to tie down the thatch which is a good protection against the 

 rain, and only a strong gale could cause perceptible damage. 

 The lower circle of thatch is first attached, then another 

 over it but higher up, and so on to the top. The grass to be 

 used for this purpose is tied first of all into small bundles 



