HOW TO LIGHT A FIRE. 187 



found out all about it. A piece of flat board has a 

 number of small holes made in it, into one of which 

 one end of a pointed stick is placed, the other 

 extremity fitting into a sort of breast-plate, put on by 

 the woman officiating, who with a bow works the 

 stick to and fro rapidly, just as in drilling a hole. In 

 about ten minutes, under favoui-able circumstances, 

 she succeeds in detaching burning fibres of the wood : 

 these are hastily put into a handful of dried grass, 

 which envelopes them, and by rapid motion through 

 the air kindles into flame. This is a most laborious 

 operation, and the poor women were loud in their 

 expressions of joy when we struck fire with lucifers 

 for them ; a solitary act of the kind was a great boon, 

 but a present of half a dozen matches brought down 

 blessings on one's head. 



TUSKI PIPE!?. 



