all necessary weapons and instruments, but even to make it a article
of commerce with some of the neighbouring states. During my stay at
Kamalia there was a smelting furnace at a short distance from the
hut where I lodged, and the owner and his workmen made no secret
about the manner of conducting the operation, and readily allowed me
to examine the furnace, and assist them in breaking the ironstone.
The furnace was a circular tower of clay, about ten feet high and
three feet in diameter, surrounded in two places with withes, to
prevent the clay from cracking and falling to pieces by the violence
of the heat. Round the lower part, on a level with the ground--but
not so low as the bottom of the furnace, which was somewhat concave-
-were made seven openings, into every one of which were placed three
tubes of clay, and the openings again plastered up in such a manner
that no air could enter the furnace but through the tubes, by the
opening and shutting of which they regulated the fire. These tubes
were formed by plastering a mixture of clay and grass round a smooth
roller of wood, which, as soon as the clay began to harden, was
withdrawn, and the tube left to dry in the sun. The ironstone which
I saw was very heavy, of a dull red colour with greyish specks; it
was broken into pieces about the size of a hen's egg. A bundle of
dry wood was first put into the furnace, and covered with a
considerable quantity of charcoal, which was brought, ready burnt,
from the woods. Over this was laid a stratum of ironstone, and then
another of charcoal, and so on, until the furnace was quite full.
The fire was applied through one of the tubes, and blown for some
time with bellows made of goats' skins. The operation went on very
slowly at first, and it was some hours before the flame appeared
above the furnace; but after this it burnt with great violence all
the first night, and the people who attended put in at times more
charcoal. On the day following the fire was not so fierce, and on