After proceeding a little distance, we halted and entered some huts made for sheltering travellers from the rain. These huts are very simple. A row of poles is driven into the ground, and branches of trees are laid in a slanting direction, that is to say, resting against the tops of the poles, and sloping gradually to the ground. They are covered with straw, and defended from the wind by pieces of wood, placed transversely, forming a sort of hedge sloping very much towards the ground, and to the west. My guide’s wife prepared our dinner. Lamfia provided food for some of the negroes of the caravan, for they had brought no women with them, and they had no pots for boiling their rice. We caught a sheep which had, no doubt, strayed from its owner. The Mandingoes held a council to deliberate whether they should kill it. They agreed that there would be no impropriety in doing so, since they did not know the owner. The animal was accordingly killed, and we had a good supper to help us on our way. In all negro countries meat is a great luxury and, in general, it is only eaten on festival days. The sheep we caught was with lamb; but we nevertheless found the meat very good. The place where we encamped was called Sokodatakha, a name derived from the trees by which it is shaded. It is a large sandy plain, covered with trees and beautiful verdure, and surrounded by granite hills, nearly three hundred feet high. These hills have no vegetation. We passed the night in the huts which I have above described, on the outside of which large fires were kindled, though the weather was very warm. In the middle of the night our rest was disturbed by a storm. I could not sleep on account of the rain, for our huts were by no means weather-proof.