350 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



had been killed by a lion and more than one-half eaten. It is a 

 common occurrence for women and children to be carried off by 

 lions in this vicinity, the beasts being much encouraged in their 

 attacks by the cowardice of the natives, who vever hunt them. 

 Two days later a native drank so much beer th<.i, he went to sleep 

 near the edge of the lake and was seized by a crocodile and 

 carried off. A great wail was raised by his wives, of which he 

 possessed twenty, and this was kept up for several days. 



AFRICAN IRON FURNACES. 



THE people about the lake are much engaged in iron working, 

 though their furnaces and smithies are extremely crude. There 

 is an abundance of iron ore in the district, but it is not rich. 

 Livingstone watched a founder drawing off slag from the bottom 



C o o 



of a furnace, which process he describes in the following manner : 

 "He broke through the hardened slag by striking it with an iron 

 instrument inserted in the end of a pole, when the material 

 flowed out of the small hole left for the purpose in the bottom 

 of the furnace. The ore (probably the black oxide) was like 

 Band, and was put in at the top of the furnace, mixed with 

 charcoal. Only one bellows was at work, formed out of a goat- 

 skin, and the blast was very poor. Many of these furnaces, or 

 their remains, are met with on knolls ; those at work have a 

 peculiarly tall hut built over them." 



Hoes and spears are the articles chiefly manufactured, the 

 former being generally supplied with two handles, so that it may 

 be worked by two persons at the same time. The people are 

 good-looking and friendly. They do not commonly wear the 

 lip-ring, but submit to what must be keen torture, in ornamenting 

 their arms, which are covered with large, ridge scars,' lattice- 

 shaped, extending also to the back and shoulders, which are 

 produced by deep gashing, the wounds being afterwards irritated 

 to prevent quick healing. 



INHUMANITY AND SUPERSTITION. 



THE people who live about the northern shores of the lake, 

 while friendly and in a, measure industrious, are most inhumao 



