194 PAGAN TRIBES OF BORNEO chap. 



of the interior was from ore found in the river beds, 

 and possibly from masses of meteoric iron ; and even 

 at the present day the native ore is still smelted in 

 the far interior, and swords made from it by the 

 Kenyahs are still valued above all others. 



Smelting and forging demand a specialised skill 

 which is attained by relatively few. But in each 

 Kayan village are to be found two or three or more 

 skilled smiths, who work up for a small fee the metal 

 brought them by their friends, the finishing touches 

 being generally given by the owner of the implement 

 according to his own fancy. 



The smelting is performed by mixing the ore 

 with charcoal in a clay crucible, which is embedded 

 in a pile of charcoal. The charcoal being ignited is 

 blown to a white heat by the aid of four piston- 

 bellows. Each of the bellows consists of a wooden 

 cylinder (generally made from the stem of a wild 

 sago palm) about four feet in length and six 

 inches in diameter, fixed vertically in a framework 

 carrying a platform, on which two men sit to work 

 the pistons (see PI. 107). The lower end of each 

 cylinder is embedded in clay, and into it near its 

 lower end is inserted a tube of bamboo, which, 

 lying horizontally on the ground, converges upon 

 and joins with a similar tube of a second cylinder. 

 The common tube formed by this junction in turn 

 converges with the tube common to the other 

 pair of cylinders, and with it opens by a clay 

 junction into a final common tube of clay, which 

 leads to the base of the fire. The piston con- 

 sists of a stout stick bearing at its lower end a 

 bunch of feathers large enough to fill the bore of 

 the cylinder. When the piston is thrust downwards, 

 it drives the air before it to the furnace ; as it is 

 drawn upwards, the feathers collapsing allow the 

 entrance of air from above. The upper extremity 

 of each of the piston-rods is attached by a cord to 



