GRAVESEND. 39 1 



' reek-peg '), a narrow stick, right through each end of this 

 baster or small straw sheaf into the stack, that the baster 

 may lie steady. On this baster is afterwards laid loose 

 straw about 3 or 4 inches thick, or 6 inches, or even a little 

 more, so that the narrow ends of the straw are turned up 

 towards the top of the stack, and the thick are laid across 

 the above-named baster, karfva, so, however, that the 

 ends project a little beyond the lower sides of the stack, 

 to prevent the water which in wet weather runs down the 

 thatch from pouring on to the sides of the stack. After 

 they have laid the straw thus, they have ready to hand 

 long, narrow, slender sticks [the ' rick-pegs '], which are 

 sharpened at one end. One of them is taken and stuck 

 in with the sharp end down in the stack, on one side of 

 the straw already laid on, yet towards the higher part of 

 the same. The rick-peg is then bent [T. II. p. 35] 

 across the straw so as to lie horizontally. This horizontal 

 part is called ' the rod.' To make it lie still, and at the 

 same time fasten the straw, they have another sprata, 

 ■' spray ' of 20 to 25 inches' length, which is sharpened at 

 both ends, and in the middle is slightly cut out on one 

 side, so that it can be bent together, qf 



as in the accompanying figure, with- *^- 



out breaking off. The ' spray,' P Q.R, / \ 



thus bent is set into the stack in ^ / \ £9 

 such a way that one end, P, goes in ^ f \ °** 



one side, and the other end, Q, on the other side of 

 the ' rod ' or long spar laid across the straw. 



The bent spray, PQR, is then pressed or beaten 

 down till it fastens the end of the ' rod,' and likewise 

 presses the straw and holds it fast. Afterwards new 

 straw is taken, and is laid above this in the manner before 

 described, to fasten in such a manner that the large ends 

 of the new straw come to lie above and to cover the 

 small ends of the straw previously laid below, and the 



