speaking the truth

The thing in his hands, the stick with the rope wrapped around it? That's a linstock, and the rope is slow match.

It's what you use to touch off a cannon, or a period handgonne like I have. Slow match is a special rope soaked in stuff that makes it burn slow but steady, like incense. It's much safer around black powder than an open flame, easy to keep lit and handle under exciting conditions.