144 
MODE OP PASSING THE NIGHT. 
my journal, my hoart glows with gratitude to thorn and i 
hope and pray that God may spare mo to make them some 
return 
Before leaving .the villages entirely, wo may glance at 
our way of spending the nights. As soon as wo land, Borne 
of the men cut a little grass for my bod, whilo Mashauana 
plants the polos of the little tont. Those aro used by day 
for carrying burdens, for the Barotso fashion is exactly 
liko that of the natives of India, only the burdon is fastened 
noar the onds of the polo, and not suspended by long cords. 
The bod is miwlo, and boxes ranged on oach side of it, and 
then the tent pitched over all. Four or five feet in front 
of my tont is placed the principal or kotla fire, tho wood 
for which must be collected by the man who occupies the 
post of herald and takes as his perquisite the heads of all 
the oxen slaughtered and of all the game too. Each per- 
son knows the station he is to occupy in reference to tho 
post of honor at the fire in front of the door of tho tont. 
The two Makololo occupy my right and left, both in eating 
and sleeping, as long as the journey lasts. But Mashauana. 
my head-boatman, makes his bod at the door of tho tent as 
soon as I retire. Tho rest, divided into small companies 
according to their tribes, make sheds all round tho firo, 
leaving a horseshoo-shaped spaco in front sufficient for the 
cattle to stand in. Tho firo givos confidence to the oxen; 
so tho men aro always careful to keep them in sight of it. 
Tho sheds are formed by planting two stout forkod poles 
m an inclined direction, and placing another over theso in a 
horizontal position. A number of branches aro thon stuck in 
the ground in tho direction to which tho poles are inclined, 
the twigs drawn down to tho horizontal polo and tiod with 
strips of bark. Long grass is thon laid over tho branches 
in sufficient quantity to draw off the rain, and we navo 
sheds open to the firo in front but secure from boasts be- 
hind. In less than an hour wo wore usually all undor cover. 
We never lacked abundance of grass during the whole 
journey. It is a picturesque sight at night, when the clear 
