great talking among the
groups round the fire that night, and Ned saw that some question
was being debated, at great length. The next morning the chief and
several of the leading men came into their hut, and the chief made
a speech, accompanied with great gesticulation. The lads gathered
that he was imploring them not to leave them, and pointing out that
there would be hostile Indians on the road, who would attack them.
Then the chief led them to the fires, and signed that if they went
out the tribe would be cold again, and would be unable to cook
their food.

Already, indeed, on one occasion after a great feast, the tribe had
slept so soundly that all the fires were out before morning, and
Ned had been obliged to have recourse to his flint and steel. After
this, two fires had been kept constantly burning, night and day.
Others were lighted for cooking, but these were tended constantly,
and Ned saw that there was little chance of their ever going out
together, so long as the tribe remained in the village.

Now, however, he proceeded to show them how to carry fire with
them. Taking one blazing stick, and starting out as for a journey,
he showed that the fire gradually went out. Then he returned to the
fire and took two large pieces, and started, keeping them so
crossed that the parts on fire were always in contact. In this way,
as he showed them, fire could be kept in for a very long time; and
that, if two brands were taken from each fire, there would be
little difficulty in keeping fire perpetually.

Finally he showed them how, in case of losing fire in spite of all
these precautions, it could be recovered by means of friction. He
took two pieces of dried wood; one being very hard grained, and the
other much softer. Of the former he cut a stick of about a foot
long and an inch round, and pointed at both ends. In the other he
made a small hole. Then he unstrung one end of a bowstring, twisted
it once round the stick, and strung it again. Then he put one point
of the stick in the hole in the other piece of wood, which he laid
upon the ground. Round the hole he crumbled into dust some dry
fungus. On the upper end of the short stick he placed a flat stone,
which he bade one of the natives press with moderate force.

Now, working the bow rapidly backwards and forwards, the stick was
spun round and round like a drill. The Indians, who were unable to
make out what Ned was doing, watched these proceedings with great
atten