The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1899-05-24

like flint" but the saving knife is
more commonly used. Sand Is some-
times added to increase the friction.
In some places, when the particles fall
they are gathered in dry leaf aud
swung around the head until the leaf
blazes.
The blowing method seems TO have
sprung wholly from the Pacific Isl.
anders. 1t is closely connected with
the saving method. A soft, corky bit
of wood is picked up near by, and a
small, pointed stick of hard wood is
found. Kneeling on the hearth or
soft stick, the man holds the pencil
like plow between his clasped hands,
somewhat as one takes pen, and
forces it forward at an angle of about
forty degrees, slowly at first and then
with increasing rapidity until the
wood is ground Off and forms in n
small heap at the end of the groove he
has so made. The groove is about
six inches long. Mr.. Darwin found
it difficult to make fire in this way, but
Mt last succeeded. The Samoan can
get fire in forty seconds, and some can
make the wood burst into flame by
this method.
The fourth method of obtaining fire
that of striking" a light is one
familiar, in degree, to all. Before
steel was obtainable flint aud pyiites
were used. Eskimos of the Mackenzie
river district use fre-set composed
of tinder-pocket, which contains
| L. - l.a xtstl l,,tx
cntkins mixed with charcoal, or soaked
in gunpowder and water, n rough bar
of flint, and half-sphere of pyrites,
evidently n round stone broken in two
for greater convenience.
The tinder-bag is made OF reindeer
skin. A little bng hanging from the
larger one contains tinder TO use in
case that in the larger one becomes
accidentally useless; but the little
bag also acts as toggle. IL is passed
under the belt when the tinder-bng
is carried by the squaw, much as our
women wear their chatelaine. bags.
The cover of the bag is an oblong pad
stuffed with deer hair. This pad is
held on the forefinger under the py-
rites to protect the hand when a spark
is being struck off into the tinder in
! the bag.
With the Iron Age came the use of
the flint aud steel, and the most au-
cient specimens of these fire-working
tools are so nearly like those found in
many an old garret today that lie.
scriptiol seems unnecessary.
The Chinese strike.a-lights show n
very ingenious way OF combining the
steel with II pouch in which to carry
the flint aud tnder. In Tibet the
with incrusted silver set with costly
jewels. The japanese still use flint
and steel. Their tinder-boxes have
two compartments. The smaller one
is for the tinder md has n damper.
The larger one is for the flint and
steel. They mount the steel in wood.
Our North American Indians were
slow to acknowledge civilized arts and
methods rs superior TO their own; but
fire-making with flint and steel ap-
pealed to them at once, and was
promptly adopted. Burkskin pouches
were made in which to carry the flint
and steel, aud hung from the belt be-
side the tomahawk. They have many
curious beliefs concerning fire and its
origin. The Alaskan Indians will tell
you that "Yetl," the Great Raven,
who created man and gave him all
blessings, after obtaining light and
fresh water, stole burning brand
from fire island (volcnno) in the sea
and started back to earth holding it in
his beak. But the journey was SO
long that the brand burned shorter
and shorter. Swiftly and more swiftly
Yeti piled his magic wings; but the
brand burned his bill and then dropped
to the ground and scattered in all
directions. And because the divine
fire. dropped from Yeti's beak, en-
tered into every rock and every dry
bit of wood lying on the surface of the
earth, they say one can always call
fire ont of the rocks by striking them
with steel, or ont of wood by rubbing
it with other wood.
This is the Alaskan explanation of
the mystery known to us as fire
making.