MAHOMEDAN ASSISTANCE. 219 



lying upon the alga inside ; but when actual 

 business commenced, I began to think I must 

 retreat into the open air. Black, sooty flakes, now 

 began to foil thickly from the glistening well- 

 smoked roof frame, which consisted of long bamboo 

 canes, that diverging from an elevated centre 

 spread around in a wide circumference, to rest upon 

 a round wattled wall of sticks and mud. To this 

 annoyance, w T as soon added falling bits of rotten 

 thatch, that descended upon my bare head and 

 shoulders, until I could stand it no longer, but 

 rushed out of the dirty mess and seated myself 

 upon a quantity of clean straw near to my Maho- 

 medan visitors, who appeared to have made my 

 garden a public cafe, for they kept coming and 

 going all day, staying a little to watch if the pro- 

 ceedings were going on to their satisfaction, and 

 aiding, to the extent of an " Inshallah " (please 

 God), " it would be finished by to-morrow." 



Before evening, one-third of the roof was well 

 covered in, for as I had promised to give a couple 

 of sheep at the conclusion of the business, to the 

 servants of Tinta, they worked away at his cim- 

 byllal grass, as if it had been all my own ; and had 

 I not inwardly resolved to return his kindness in 

 some way or other, my conscience would have often 

 induced me to call out, " Hold ! enough ! " 



July 30th. — By cock-crow again Tinta's servants 

 were at my gate with straw, and Walderheros and 

 Goodaloo went out to recommence upon the roof. 



