PRIMITIVE PHILOSOPHY. 



155 



Placing the little sticks carefully together, so that 

 all their points touched the fire, he went about pick- 

 ing up others a little larger than the first, and laying 

 them in order one by one. With the circumference 

 of his hands a little extended, he again began blow- 

 ing gently ; the smoke rose a little stronger than be- 

 fore. From time to time he gently changed the 

 position of the sticks, and resumed his blowing. At 

 length he stopped, but whether in despair or satis- 

 fied with the result seemed doubtful. He had a 

 few little sticks with a languishing fire at one end, 

 which might be extinguished by dropping a few 

 tears over it. We had not only gone beyond this, 

 but had raised a large flame, which had afterward 

 died away. Still there was a steadiness, an assu- 

 rance in his manner that seemed to say he knew 

 what he was about. At all events, we had nothing 

 to do but watch him. Making a collection of lar- 

 ger sticks, and again arranging them in the same 

 way as before, taking care not to put them so close 

 together as to smother the fire, with a circumference 

 too large for the space of his hands, but of materials 

 so light as easily to be thrown into confusion, he 

 again commenced blowing, so gently as not to dis- 

 turb a single stick, and yet to the full power that 

 the arrangement would bear. The wood seemed 

 to feel the influence of his cherishing care, and a 

 full body of smoke rose up to gladden us, and bring 

 tears into his eyes. With the same imperturbable 

 industry, unconscious of our admiration, he went 



