Commissioner and doctor receive no
house-allowance, and according to popular rumour, which is probably
untrue, were graciously told that they might pig in a native hut in or
about Takwa. Consequently they built this place and charge a heavy rent
for it.
Government House is a large parallelogram of bamboo. The roof is an
intricate mass of branches and tree-trunks, with a pitch so flat that it
admits every shower. Mr. Higgins was at once obliged to expend
10_l_.-12_l_. in removing and restoring the house-cover. Under it are
built two separate and independent squares of wattle with plank floors
raised a foot or so off the ground; these dull and dismal holes, which
have doors but no windows, serve as sleeping-places. The rest of the
interior goes by the name of a sitting-room. The outer walls are
whitewashed on both sides, and between them and the two wattle squares is
a space of 6 to 8 feet, adding to the disproportionate appearance of the
interior. Had it been divided off in the usual way the tenement would have
been much more comfortable. There is a scatter of ragged huts, grandiosely
designated as the barracks, on the level space where the Haussas parade.
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