CHAPTER IL 
TOWNS — LOCAXIT Y AND DESCRIPTION. 
On the banks of the rivers, and generally 
near a large tree, or something of the kind 
to mark the locality, and in villages and 
towns, the people all live, except that occa- 
sionally a few families collect together a 
short distance from the water-side, and im- 
mediately back from a town to which they 
are tributary. 
Their towns are built without any 
regularity or order, having no streets or 
regularly laid out walks in them. The houses 
being placed on the ground without method, 
and so close to each other that often there 
is barely room to pass between them, a 
stranger finds some difficulty in winding his 
way out of a large African town when he 
has ventured any considerable distance from 
the gate of entrance. The great irregulari- 
ty and constant windings about are well 
calculated to bewilder. 
Most of these towns are barricaded or 
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