UGANDA AND THE WAGANDA. 175 facing the door, the front part being the living-room, and the back the kitchen, for, owing to the rainy climate of Uganda, cooking operations are not carried on so much in the open air as they are in many parts of Africa. The sides of the hut are often separated from the body of it by curtains of mbugu, behind which are the sleeping-places of the family. But in the establishments of the chiefs separate huts are assigned for these different purposes.

The floors of the huts are strewn with soft, fine grass, which is carefully laid down ; first a small bundle of even length is placed on the ground, and then another at right angles to that, and partially overlapping it, then a third at right angles to the second, and so on, forming a series of squares, till the whole floor is covered. A few houses may be seen occasionally with gable roofs and vertical walls, but they have probably been copied from foreigners, and do not need description ; Mtesa's palace at Rubaga being the only one which merits any notice. This was a lofty building, some ninety feet long and supported on huge pillars, each being formed of a large tree. A fine hall occupied about two-thirds of the total length of the building, and on either side were two long, narrow rooms where the court or baraza was occasionally held. At the back were a number of smaller square rooms, through which access was gained to the interior of the palace grounds.