Our First Dwelling 
grass, and was shaded by fig-nut trees. When 
any one wants shade and grass here, it is neces¬ 
sary only to scrape off the wild growth and then 
place a small patch of the grass every ten feet 
square and stick a limb of a fig-nut tree into the 
ground at the desired distance. In one “rainy 
season,” there will be a good sod and a very 
good shade. The fig-nut makes a most excellent 
shade as it always puts on an entirely new coat 
at the beginning of the hot “ dry season.” 
It was arranged that my wife and self should 
occupy one of the bedrooms, and that my wife 
was to superintend the housekeeping whenever 
she was well enough. In regard to board, all I 
had to do was to put two bags of cowries into 
the box every time Mr. Phillips put one. We 
had brought with us two barrels of Baltimore 
flour in hermetically-sealed tin boxes of twenty 
pounds each. By this arrangement we could 
use up what was open before it had time to fer¬ 
ment. Our flour cost us in Ejahyay twenty dol¬ 
lars per barrel; but it was of excellent quality, 
and we had the best “salt-rising” bread that I 
ever ate anywhere. We had also brought along 
with us plenty of sugar, tea, coffee and some 
other luxuries; and as the market here afforded 
everything else, we never suffered for anything. 
67 
