suddenly, he will push the lighted pipe in amongst the thatch, at the risk of setting fire to the whole structure. These grass roofs ignite very readily, and unless the ceiling of the rooms is thickly covered with earth, it is almost an impossible feat to rescue household furniture with the roof all alight. If, however, an earth ceiling has been provided, after the first blaze of the grass, which usually expends itself in eight to ten minutes, it is possible to get out most of one's effects whilst the wood-work smoulders.
Many missionaries have to do the greater part of the carpentering for their homes, and our illustration shows one of them so employed. It is possible, sometimes, but not always, to get native help. It must not be supposed that house building must needs be a work carried on without any chance of preaching the Gospel, provided that the missionary has learnt something
