The houses and dwellings of all these natives are universally set upon
stakes and _arigues_ [_i.e._, columns] high above the ground. Their
rooms are small and the roofs low. They are built and tiled with wood
and bamboos, [137] and covered and roofed with nipa-palm leaves. Each
house is separate, and is not built adjoining another. In the lower
part are enclosures made by stakes and bamboos, where their fowls
and cattle are reared, and the rice pounded and cleaned. One ascends
into the houses by means of ladders that can be drawn up, which are
made from two bamboos. Above are their open _batalanes_ [galleries]
used for household duties; the parents and [grown] children live
together. There is little adornment and finery in the houses, which
are called _bahandin_. [138]
Besides these houses, which are those of the common people and those
of less importance, there are the chiefs' houses. They are built
upon trees and thick arigues, with many rooms and comforts. They are
well constructed of timber and planks, and are strong and large.
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