When driven in they were about five feet high, while the top of the trunk was perhaps eight feet from the ground.

Cutting a long, straight pole, Sam laid it in the forks of his two stakes, parallel with the tree trunk.

Then taking the canes he laid them from this pole to the top of the tree trunk, for rafters, placing them as close to each other as possible.
On top of them he laid the palmete leaves, taking care to lap them over each other like shingles.

When the roof was well covered with them, he made the boys bring some armfuls of the long gray moss which abounds in southern forests, and lay it on top of the roof, to hold the palmete leaves in place, and to prevent them from blowing away.
For sides to the house bushes answered very well, and in less than an hour after the company halted, they were safely housed in a shed open only on the side toward the fire, and the ground within was rapidly drying, while supper was in course of preparation.
"Sam," said Tom presently.
"Well," answered Sam.
"What did you dig that big ditch for?
a little one would have carried off all the water that'll drip from the roof." "Yes, but I dug this one to carry off other water than that." "What water ?" "That which was already in the ground that the house is built on.

You see this soil is largely composed of sand, and water runs out of it very rapidly if it has anywhere to run to.