The huts were hexagonal in form, and where
grouped were joined so that they resembled the cells of a bee-hive.
One hut meant a warrior and his mate, and each additional hut in a
group indicated an additional female. The palisade which surrounded
the village was of logs set close together and woven into a solid
wall with tough creepers which were planted at their base and
trained to weave in and out to bind the logs together. The logs
slanted outward at an angle of about thirty degrees, in which
position they were held by shorter logs embedded in the ground
at right angles to them and with their upper ends supporting the
longer pieces a trifle above their centers of equilibrium. Along
the top of the palisade sharpened stakes had been driven at all
sorts of angles.
The only opening into the inclosure was through a small aperture
three feet wide and three feet high, which was closed from the inside
by logs about six feet long laid horizontally, one upon another,
between the inside face of the palisade and two other braced logs
which paralleled the face of the wall upon the inside.
As we entered the village, we were greeted by a not unfriendly
crowd of curious warriors and women, to whom Chal-az generously
explained the service we had rendered him, whereupon they showered
us with the most well-meant attentions, for Chal-az, it seemed,
was a most popular member of the tribe.
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