-and the
first thing hauled up was the bottom. This was no slight performance,
and required all the strength of the camp. Strong "rheims" were
attached to one end, and these were passed over a limb of the tree,
still higher up than those on which the staging was to rest. One stood
above to guide the huge piece of plank-work, while all the rest exerted
their strength upon the ropes below. Even little Jan pulled with all
his might--though a single pound avoirdupois weight would have been
about the measure of _his_ strength.

The piece was hoisted up, until it rested beautifully upon the
supporting limbs; and then a cheer rose from below, and was answered by
Swartboy among the branches.

The heaviest part of the work was over. The boxing of the wagon was
passed up, piece by piece, and set in its place just as before. Some
branches were lopped off to make room for the cap-tent, and then it was
also hauled up, and mounted.

By the time the sun set, everything was in its place; and the aerial
house was ready for sleeping in. In fact, that very night they slept in
it, or, as Hans jocularly termed it, they all went to "roost."

But they did not consider their new habitation quite complete as yet.
Next day they continued to labour upon it. By means of long poles they
extended their platform from the wagon quite up to the trunk of the
tree, so as to give them a broad terrace to move about upon.

The poles were fast wattled together by rods of the beautiful
weeping-willow (_Salix Babylonica_), which is a native of these parts,
and several trees of which grew by the side of the vley. Upon the top
of all, they laid a thick coating of clay, obtained from the edge of the
lake; so that, if need be, they could actually kindle a fire, and took
their suppers in the tree.

To make a still finer flooring, they procured a quantity of the material
of which the ant-hills are composed; which, being of a glutinous nature,
makes a mortar almost as binding as Roman cement.

After the main building had been finished off, Swartboy erected a
platform for himself, and one for Totty in another part of the ample
nwana. Above each of these platforms he had constructed a roof or
screen, to shelter their occupants from rain or dew.

There was something odd in the appearance of these two screens, each of
which was about the size of an ordinary umbrella. Their oddity
consisted in the fact that they were _ears of the elephant_!

CHAP