140 
THE KILIMA NJARO EXPEDITION. 
look and texture. (By-the-bye, when civilization ex¬ 
tends to Africa and people Lave got beyond the stage 
when they only seek for gold or diamonds, it strikes 
me that sun-dried banana leaves would form an ad¬ 
mirable material for paper-making, superior to esparto 
grass.) Provided the roof was done with care, it 
ought to be completely rain-tight. As it was, a little 
patching generally had to take place after the first 
shower. ISTo windows, of course, were made. Light 
was obtained from the open doorway, which was 
closed at night by a mackintosh curtain and a door of 
wooden framework. Inside, the earthen floor was 
stamped hard by men’s feet, and before inhabiting the 
house numerous fires were burnt on the ground and 
their ashes pounded into the beaten earth. Of course 
a trench or moat, to carry off the heavy rain, was 
dug all round the house, so that it generally happened 
that these hastily-constructed abodes were wonderfully 
dry and snug. When the house was built for my 
own occupation I had a large mat made from plaited 
strips of the useful “ migomba ” (dried banana leaves), 
and thrown down on the bare floor of beaten earth. 
Then, on this, one or two wild beasts’ skins or a 
bright-coloured Zanzibar tc mkeka” (dyed grass mat), 
added quite a comfortable look to the interior. My 
bed was mounted in one corner, my portable table 
stood in the centre of the dwelling, boxes of neces¬ 
saries were arranged along the walls, my washing- 
basin was poised on a roughly-made tripod, shelves 
were hastily rigged up to support the lighter articles 
of my equipment, and lastly, nails and hooks were 
knocked into the accommodating rafters, and from 
these depended all the heterogeneous articles that 
would let themselves be hung up. 
