X90 TRAVELS IN 
ful artift. I defy any blackfmlth, notwlth- 
ftanding all his Ikill, and every effort of his 
ingenuity, to form any things with the two in- 
ftruments I have mentioned, equal to what is 
produced by thefe favages. 
Thofe whom I faw were collefted around 
a huge fire, at the bottom of a rocky emi- 
nence, and were drawing from it a pretty 
large bar of iron, which was red hot. Hav- 
ing placed it on the anvil, they began to beat 
it with ftones exceedingly hard, and of fuch a 
figure as rendered them eafy to be held and 
managed in the hand. They feemed to per** 
form their work with much dexterity. But 
what* appeared to me mofl extraordinary, and 
afforded me an excellent opportunity of giv- 
ing them fome ufeful leflbns on its mecha- 
nifm, had they been capable of putting them 
in pi-aftice, was their bellows. Their bellows 
indeed, which v^as a moft wretched inflru- 
ment, was compofed of a fheep's Ikin properly 
ftripped off, and well fewed. Thofe parts 
that covered the four feet, which had been 
cut off as ufelefs, and even incomm.odious, were 
tied. They had alfo cut off the head ; and 
placed in the orifice of the neck the mouth 
of a gun barrel, around which the Ikin was 
drawn 
