Then a second pair
of opposite poles were similarly bent inward and tied, and so we proceeded
until the entire stockade had been converted into a dome-shaped cage.
Around these poles we laid lighter sticks, or bands, tying them at the
points of intersection. At the doorway two posts were set firmly in the
ground, projecting upward to a height of 4 feet. A lintel nailed across
the top of the posts completed the door frame. Sticks were nailed to the
lintel and to the side posts, extending to the main frame of the hut, to
which they were tied. We were now ready to thatch our hut. Reddy and
Dutchy went over to Lumberville for several bales of straw. We tied the
straw in bunches and applied it to the frame, copying, as best we could,
the process illustrated in the photograph.
But for its location the hut would have proved a very serviceable
habitation. In order to have a good, dry dwelling without laying down a
board flooring, we had selected for its site the sandy shore at Point
Lookout. This part of the island was not sheltered with trees, and the hot
sun beat down on our hut so strongly that we found the quarters very
uncomfortable indeed. It was this fact that led to the construction of a
tree hut--a building that would be perfectly dry and yet shaded and cool.
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