CHAPTER  XIX

THROUGH  THE  HINTERLAND

CHIEFS  AND  TREATIES—{continued)

The following morning at seven I started from Gigbama
in my single hammock along a narrow track through very
dense and thick vegetation—much of it narrow glades in
which the foliage shut out the sunlight. Through an
opening here and there I could see much mountainous
country. We crossed several extensive swamps and
numerous running streams, most of which at this time of
the year were fordable. Also many rice and cassada
farms. In three hours we reached the large town of
Kokoru, where a halt was made for an hour. Afterwards
we continued the journey through similar vegetation, but
over rather more hilly ground, with an occasional forest;
some of these so cold and damp that it struck one with
chill, until at last we arrived at Chief Mendingra's resi¬
dential town of Juru, which is in the Gaura country.

The circular mud hut that I occupied there was some¬
what larger than usual, and for the first time I met with
mud beds, which are simply a solid block of hard dried
mud about twelve inches thick, by about six  feet four
inches long.     Three such beds were in this hut;   three

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