. The Baganda . he top of the pit the earthwas moistened and beaten hard with sticks to make it holdtogether; on this hard surface a rim of clay was made, fourinches deep and about a foot wide. Some of the smallant-hillocks, which abound in that part of the country, weregathered and cut into shape to form slabs, each slab fullyfour inches thick ; with these a wall was built round the topof the pit. Spaces were left in the lower part of the wallfor the nozzles of the bellows used for the furnace. The firstlayer of stones was laid on the fuel, the larger stones being 38o THE BAGANDA CHAP, broken
. The Baganda . he top of the pit the earthwas moistened and beaten hard with sticks to make it holdtogether; on this hard surface a rim of clay was made, fourinches deep and about a foot wide. Some of the smallant-hillocks, which abound in that part of the country, weregathered and cut into shape to form slabs, each slab fullyfour inches thick ; with these a wall was built round the topof the pit. Spaces were left in the lower part of the wallfor the nozzles of the bellows used for the furnace. The firstlayer of stones was laid on the fuel, the larger stones being 38o THE BAGANDA CHAP, broken into small pieces; these alternate layers of stone andcharcoal were repeated, until the furnace was filled walls of the furnace were four feet high ; the top rowof slabs was built so that it narrowed the hole, leaving onlya small aperture at the top of the furnace. All the joints weresmeared over with clay, and the walls were similarly smearedon the outside : the nozzles of the bellows were then inserted. FIG. 62.—smiths bellows. into the four openings left for them round the furnace. Thebellows were of the ordinary kind which was used by thesmiths throughout the country ; they consisted of two pots,sometimes made of wood, but more frequently of unbakedclay, with a hole in the side, to which a nozzle was attached,a foot in length ; the pots measured eight inches in goat-skin with a stick attached to it was tied over themouth of each pot, and a man stood between the two pots XI INDUSTRIES 381 and raised the sticks up and down, so as to draw the air inby the nozzle, and by the downward movement to force it outagain into the pipe at the end of the nozzle by which it wascarried into the furnace. With a little practice the manwho worked the bellows became quite expert in keeping upa continuous blast. After the preparations had been made,the chief smith lighted the fire at the bottom of the furnacethrough one of the blast-holes, and the blast was started allround
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidbaganda00joh, bookyear1911
