laager

leiri A defensive encampment encircled by wagons, especially by South African Boers.
James Bryce

Wagons (..) can be readily formed into a laager, a camp, by being drawn into a circle, with the oxen placed inside and so kept safe from the attacks of wild beasts.

“And for how long d'you think you're going to be safe in the cities?” Louis persisted. “Just a matter of time, then our frontiers will shrink as we draw our little laager more and more tightly.”

At the foot of this isolated mount, whereof the aspect somehow filled me with alarm, we camped on the night of January 21, taking no precautions against attack by way of laagering the wagons.

That evening, we laagered close to a large open area covered with elephant grass about six feet high.