Bark covering is mentioned as being customary for summer houses of the Narragansetts.[294] Probably bark covering was the rule for winter village longhouses, since it was warmer. For groups dwelling along the coast and on Cape Cod, mat covering is most frequently mentioned.[295] Portability rather than warmth was likely the important factor in “summer” house coverings, since they also had to serve as covering for the hunting house in the fall and the fishing house in the spring. For this reason, mats were probably preferred over bark for summer houses. House frames were left standing when the family moved, and they were re-used the next year. These houses were largely both dry and warm. There was a second layer of matting made of bulrushes on the inside of the house for added insulation. Since they were small and the fire was always burning, they were quite smoky, especially when the smoke hole and the door were closed against the elements. At such times the people inside often had to lie close to the floor in order to breathe properly.[296] =Other Structures=: The Wampanoags had several other kinds of structures. Unfortunately, detailed descriptions of these are for the most part nonexistent. It is reported that the houses of chiefs were different from the ordinary dwelling. They were larger, and finer mats were used for their walls.[297] Also different was the hunting house, which served as a base of operations for the fall hunting season. It provided shelter and a place to store the paraphernalia used in hunting.[298] Available data on construction tells only that they were of a more temporary nature than the regular dwelling house and that “barks and rushes” were used in the building.[299] Another structure was the dance house, built for ceremonial occasions. This was a longhouse measuring as much as one or two hundred feet.[300] Other outbuildings in the settlement included: watch houses in the corn fields, menstrual huts, and sweat houses.[301] Of these, there is some information on the structural details of the sweat houses. They were commonly constructed by excavating a cave into the side of a hill. Sometimes an earth-covered extension was built out from the side of the cave, forming a structure that altogether measured about eight feet in diameter and four feet in height. The door covering was a blanket or a skin. The sweat house was placed as near as possible to a stream or lake, so that the bathers could plunge themselves into cold water at the termination of the bath. Heat was provided by a pile of stones heated on a fire.[302] EQUIPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF BUILDINGS The furnishings of Wampanoag houses were simple. This was necessary because of the Indians’ mobile life. All household equipment, including the covering of the house itself, had to be carried from camp to camp by the women of the household.