118 THE ANGLEK AXD HUNTSMAN 



terial as pitch, sulphur, resin, saltpeter, and naptha. From 

 this " Greek fire" was evolved. There is dispute as to who 

 first invented gunpowder, some claiming it was the Chi- 

 nese, but as China was entirety cut off and remote from the 

 balance of the world, it remained for the other countries 

 to solve the great problem for themselves. 



One of the monks, Roger Bacon by name, was labor- 

 ing one night in his constant endeavors to make a satis- 

 factory "fire" for uses stated above, and on this particu- 

 lar night he used pure instead of impure saltpeter, endeav- 

 oring, we can suppose, to get a most violent and longer 

 burning flame. He was busy at his work, watching the 

 progress of the experiments, when suddenly a terrific ex- 

 plosion rent the building. He narrowly escaped death. 

 The investigation proved that pure saltpeter could not be 

 used in the mixture for the purpose of making "fire." 

 Little did he realize that he had really discovered gunpow- 

 der. Thus in the thirteenth century Roger Bacon gave 

 to the world that potent agency of destruction now famil- 

 iarly known throughout the civilized world. 



In the opinion of the writer Bacon died not knowing 

 the great importance of his discovery. In later years, a 

 man named Schwartz studied Bacon's works and carried 

 on dangerous investigations of his own, and he was the 

 first man to give to Europe and the world the fruits of 

 the discovery of gunpowder. 



Needless to say, it was but a short time until the cross- 

 bow and gun-powder had been so improved until the 

 matchlock was produced. Successive generations saw the 

 flint-lock, the early Persian gun, the Scotch wheel-lock, 

 the early Swiss pistols, the Dutch wheel-lock or double- 

 barreled pistol, the wheel-lock rifle, and various other 

 freaks and fancy guns, until the present time when our 

 modern high-power rifles, our perfect shotguns and mod- 

 ern implements of war and peace have attained to a state of 

 perfection never dreamed of by our forefathers. 



