IN WESTEEN AFRICA. 
15 
CHAPTER IV. 
BARRAS. 
In every town or village there are also from one 
to six barras. A barra is a mere open shed; or 
at best it has no more than one or two sides 
closed, and often none at all. In these they do 
their cooking, ordinarily; and from a half dozen to 
a dozen families use the same one for a kitchen. 
Some noted head-men who have many wives, have 
a barra to themselves, which their wives occupy 
not only as a kitchen, but as a workshop in gen- 
eral. 
One or more of th^se in each town are called 
palaver-houses. These answer the same purposes 
which our court-houses do in this country, and 
are not used for the purposes alluded to above. 
In these palaver-houses the head-men of towns 
meet to adjust difficulties, settle disputes, try cul- 
prits, etc.; and when they are not thus engaged 
they spend much of their time in the palaver- 
houses playing the walle. 
