[Eol]

Yes guns and cannons(especially earlier one were terrible inacturate) but did that matter? No as cannon balls can take out more people in mass then with arrows.

In a way, gunpowder was magic as the knowledge of how it worked was not known. As you may have noticed, Tolkien never really got into the fourth age with emense detail as the previous ages.

Early guns and cannons were also very dangerous, many men died because of a misfire. As to Middle earth, Men and other would get there hands on gunpowder and use it as it was more powerful then arrows and swords.

There was also mention of siege machines( catapults, balistas). How can one person not look them and not think about putting black powder to it.

[ September 05, 2002: Message edited by: Eol ]