OUR APARTMENT. 39 



to the direct rays of an almost vertical sun, was a 

 sufficient protection against the evil most to be 

 feared, " a coup de soleil." 



The morning after our arrival, a survey was taken 

 of the stores which, during the past night, had been 

 brought from the bogalow, and placed, part in 

 the lower room of our house, and part in the little 

 court adjoining, so that they might be under the eye 

 of Nassah, one of the Arab servants of Mr. Crutten- 

 den, who was appointed to watch over, and who in 

 fact slept among and upon, the boxes and packages. 

 The apartment occupied by Mr. Cruttenden 

 and myself was the elevated cabin, immediately 

 adjoining the residence of the Sultaun. It was 

 rather a long room, with a sloping roof, the centre 

 of which was a few inches above our heads, but at 

 the sides was only two feet high from the floor. 

 The walls consisted of frames, in which were 

 sliding shutters of most irregular construction, 

 and of every dirty colour that can be conceived. 

 The floor of the upper end was raised about a 

 foot into a kind of dais, or, as Mr. Cruttenden 

 styled it, a spare bed, not being more than five 

 feet in its longest direction, and upon which 

 had been spread his sleeping carpets for the 

 night. The entrance into our novel residence was 

 a square hole in the farther, corner of the floor, 

 through which we ascended and descended, like 

 stage ghosts, carefully inserting our toes in any 

 little crevices we could see among sundry dry and 



