The opinion has been published (see AATA 21-1085) that extended tuyeres (air-injection tubes) in primitive charcoal-fired iron smelting furnaces preheat the combustion air to an important degree in early African furnaces. Measurements taken of air temperature inside tuyeres in an operating native furnace have been presented in support of this thesis. It is shown here that the method of temperature measurement was incapable of measuring air temperature with even approximate accuracy, the reported values being seriously high. It is also pointed out that heat transfer to air in a hot tuyere is largely by convection, and that under the conditions of operation of the experimental furnace the temperature increase of the air would be 22 ° C or less, an amount very minor in effect. Furthermore, it is pointed out that maximum furnace temperatures over 1,600 ° C are readily obtained in charcoal furnaces with combustion air at ambient temperature, and so no special explanation is necessary for the observed smelting results. It is concluded that there is little air-preheat in long tuyeres and therefore an early novel smelting technique in Africa has not been demonstrated.