Now that Pic was returned to the fold and his position established
among the Men of Ferrassie, he gave himself up to all the activities of
Mousterian life. With his advent, began a period of successful hunting.
Rarely did the hunters return to the rock-shelter empty-handed. What with
their never-depleted larder, the Cave-folk became strong of heart and
body; the burly chieftain grew burlier and the girl rounded out like a
plump partridge. To her Pic devoted such of his time as was not required
for his hunting; and thus he cemented their closer acquaintance. For more
than a fortnight, Pic gave himself up heart and soul to his new life
until another chapter suddenly unfolded itself. One morning he and the
men of Ferrassie were creeping along the river bank in search of game
when he caught sight of two great creatures coming towards him. He sprang
to his feet and waved his arms. At this, the pair came to a sudden halt.
For a moment they stood staring at him in wonder, then came galloping
along with loud squeals and bellows.
“The Mammoth! the Woolly Rhinoceros!” yelled the Cave-men and away they
fled like scared rabbits; all but one of them who seemed to have suddenly
lost the use of his legs and was perforce compelled to face the two great
beasts alone. Along came the pair amid a great rumbling of feet upon the
grassy meadow. Squeals, trumpets, bellows and human shouts rang out over
the lowlands to the distant heights and echoed back again as the opposing
forces clashed and in a moment the duet was become a trio—the Mammoth,
the Rhinoceros and the Ape Boy.
Oh, the joy of that reunion! Hairi jumped up and down, his ears flapped
like fans and his trunk twined about Pic’s body so tightly that the
latter was hard put to keep breath within it. Wulli’s tail rattled
vigorously and he bobbed around like a great bewhiskered shuttle as he
strove to bestow upon the Ape Boy word and act of heart-felt greeting.
The wonder is that Pic survived the twain’s ponderous exuberance but he
managed to weather the storm and after pats and hugs of his own he got
clear of the tangled mass of tusks, trunk, horn and feet and the two
animals quieted down sufficiently to hear how it was, their long-lost
companion had so unexpectedly come back to life.
Pic’s story was soon told, he being careful to delete such portions of
his adventure with the Neander Giant as might cast a shadow over the
present happy reunion. Then it was the turn of the other two to give
an account of their doings. Pic’s attention was now centered upon the
Mammoth—his neck and shoulders gridded with ragged scars, which latter
were discernible beneath thin hair and wool-patches—relics of the Spring
shedding.
“Fighting?” he inquired.
The Mammoth looked somewhat crestfallen as he answered:
“Um-m, not exactly,” whereat Wulli’s eyes twinkled, and the Mammoth
observing, added:
“Well, we both fared badly, although it all seems comical when once past
and done with.” Then in reply to Pic’s puzzled looks, he recounted his
part in the mystery:
“We saw you climb down to the cave and enter it but you never came out,
although we waited and waited until we were almost starved, for there was
almost no food to be found among the rocks. Finally we made up our minds
that you were lost to us forever, so we went away. I would have died
rather than go alone but Wulli was with me. We went away together.”
His voice trembled. He was silent for a moment gazing at his toes which
shone like great door-knobs; then he resumed:
“We rambled this way and that, eating, drinking and sleeping when we had
to and not finding much pleasure in it. We poked our noses into all sorts
of out-of-the-way places. One of them that I am going to tell about was
covered with rocks, single and in mass with scattered patches of trees
here and there. Detecting a strange odor coming from behind some of these
rocks, we went over to find out what it was.
“On nearing the place from where the odor came, we found ourselves on a
ridge with broad stones sticking up edgeways in front of us. It was too
high for us to see over but we managed to find a cleft, not large enough
to squeeze through although it gave us a glimpse of the party.”
“Party?” asked Pic.
“Yes, a party of flesh-eaters sitting around the half-eaten body of a
reindeer. All were females chatting too busily to hear or smell Wulli
and myself. They were the Leopard, Panther, Lynx and Bobcat. The Leopard
being the largest and fiercest of the four, had the most to say as well
as the choicest portions of the feast. Apparently it was she who had
killed the reindeer. We heard her remark:
“‘Yes, reindeer meat is very nice—the nicest of small game.’
“‘Small?’ her three companions pricked up their ears. Wulli and I did
too. That Leopardess was merely talking for effect.
“‘Yes, small,’ she drawled, ‘although some might say medium-sized. I had
in mind the Woolly Rhinoceros, a fairly large animal, ugly and stupid but
sweet and tender. Have none of you ever tasted one?’
“You can imagine how vexed Wulli was,” the Mammoth chuckled. “Then we
heard the Lynxess say in an awed voice: ‘No, I never ate a Rhino. They
are a bit too large for me to manage. Do you select them yourself—live
ones?’
“‘Certainly,’ replied the big cat. ‘I eat only food of my own killing.
The Rhinoceros is easy compared with the Mammoth. I find the latter much
more difficult.’
“It was now Wulli’s turn to be amused,” said the Mammoth. “I thought I
would burst with rage when he whispered, ‘Poor little elephant! I wonder
how many she eats each day.’
“‘Do you—yourself—kill all of the rhinos and elephants you eat?’ the
Bobcattess now asked most humbly.
“‘Of course; do you suppose I swallow them alive?’ the Leopardess
snarled, whereupon the Bobcattess said no more. ‘Young ones, no doubt,’
ventured the Pantheress, ‘I—’
“‘Silence,’ the Leopardess screamed in a great rage. We thought for a
moment that she was going to start a fight but just then she saw the top
of my head. The rocks did not conceal quite all of me. Without a word of
warning to her companions, she crawled away merely saying: ‘Pardon my
haste. I had forgotten that Spotty was all alone.’
“By this time, Wulli and I were both very much annoyed. We hurried around
the rocks to catch that leopardess and punish her. She sprang into a
glade and disappeared. As we followed, her companions scattered in all
directions. We had entered the woods and I had just lowered my head to
avoid colliding with a stout overhanging branch when something reached
down from above and fastened upon my shoulder hump. As I bounded forward
from the pain of it, my back was raked from nape to tail. Never was I
so enraged as at this unexpected attack. I faced about and saw a lithe
cat-like form ascending rapidly into the tree-top. It was the Leopardess
and she it was who had clawed my back as I passed beneath the limb upon
which she lay; and now I could see her safely beyond my reach and hear
her screeching scorn and derision at Wulli and myself. Some strands of my
own hair still clung to her waving paw. The sight of them irritated me
beyond measure.”
“‘We might hide,’ said Wulli. ‘When the wretch thinks that we have gone,
she will come down; then we can catch and chastise her.’
“It takes much scenery to conceal a pair like us. I did not realize this
at first. No matter how hard we tried to find cover, that wretched cat
could see us and jeered our vain efforts with insulting cat-calls. It was
exasperating.
“‘We can hide among the rocks,’ Wulli now suggested. ‘I see a cave;
something in it too. I smell it.’
“We approached the mouth of the dark hole. Wulli lowered his head and
peered into the darkness. ‘Anybody home?’ he squealed.
“A fluffy little creature resembling an oversized bobcat, came bouncing
to the entrance. At sight of us, it stood stock-still, staring at us
with big wondering eyes, then turned tail and essayed a hasty retreat to
within the sombre recesses. This last move, I prevented by hooking the
little roly-poly back with my trunk gently but firmly, whereupon it stuck
a stubby paw in one eye and screwed up its face as though about to cry.
“‘Spotty! It is the baby leopard,’ cried Wulli. ‘That is its mother in
the tree. She scratched your back.’
“‘Aha!’ I grit my teeth and took a fresh grip on the young one, so tight
a hold that Spotty yelled as though he were being killed. Back I marched
to the tree waving the young leopard triumphantly on high. To my great
chagrin, the perch which had but recently held the mother, was now
vacant.”
[Illustration: HAIRI AND THE CAVE LEOPARD]
“And so she escaped?” Pic inquired.
“Not exactly,” was the grim response. “I was looking about and wondering
what to do next when something descended upon my shoulders with terrific
force. It was the mother leopard of course. She alighted upon my back and
anchored herself with her hooked paws. The matter might have ended then
and there, had I but known. You see she merely wanted her cub. My back
smarted so that I would have been only too pleased to be rid of both of
them. Spotty put in his time scratching and biting my trunk. He got too
hot to hold so I dropped him and off he ran.”
“And the mother leopard—what did you do with her?” Pic asked.
“What could I do but run?” replied the Mammoth. “That was the only way
I could think of to shake her off. She dug her claws deep into my back
to keep from falling and that made me run all the harder. Disgraceful,
I must admit, but she was as frightened as I was. Finally I became
exhausted. As I slowed up, the Leopardess jumped and ran to cover. I let
her severely alone.”
“And Wulli—what was he doing all this time?” Pic demanded.
The Mammoth appeared greatly amused. “Come Wulli, it’s your turn now,” he
chuckled. “You might as well confess everything.”
The Rhinoceros was visibly embarrassed. “I wanted to help,” he said, “but
the Mammoth ran too fast for me. I hurried after him but soon became so
tired that I was about to give up the chase, when Crash! down I tumbled
into a deep hole. It was covered with branches so that I could not see
it, but they eased my fall and no bones were broken. The hole was too
deep for me to climb out of and so there I stayed until darkness came and
finally the light again. By that time, I was so cold, tired and hungry
I could scarcely stand. I was brooding over my misfortune, when there
sounded a low hum as of something stirring outside. The hum became cries,
then yells coming nearer and nearer. They were the voices of Trog-men.
Help was at hand. I fairly danced with joy.”
“Help indeed; what a disappointment,” Pic murmured consolingly.
“Yes, the Trog-men were coming. I could hear them plainly and I vowed to
myself that they would be my good friends henceforth and forever more. I
squealed as loudly as I could for fear they might overlook the spot and
pass me by. Their voices rang about the pit-mouth. I——”
“Oh guileless one!” Pic exclaimed bitterly. “Had you forgotten those
who hunted you beyond the great Channel Valley? These men but exulted
over their quarry the Woolly Rhinoceros caught in the trap of their own
making.”
“I did not know then what I know now,” Wulli resumed. “I never thought of
them as enemies. Only friends would be interested in a poor Rhino caught
in a deep hole; but when I saw their faces ranged above me, my mistake
dawned upon me. Every mouth was wide open with teeth bared. Every hand
bore stick or stone. I bowed my head in despair and awaited the end.”
“End?” cried Pic springing to his feet. “You are here and alive. How
could there have been an end?”
The Rhinoceros took keen relish in the dramatic effect of his recital. He
continued with exasperating deliberation:
“While awaiting the end, I thought over many events of my past life and
while thus musing, it suddenly dawned upon me that I was alone. The
pit-mouth was vacant; the Trog-men had gone.”
“Whoow! how simple,” breathed Pic, settling back upon his haunches.
“Gone? What drove them away?”
“I was alone,” Wulli continued. “For a time, all was still; then sounded
a dull thump, thump and the breaking of snow-crust. The sounds ceased
abruptly and a great shadow settled over me. I looked up and saw——”
“The Mammoth!” shouted Pic.
“Even so—the Mammoth; and—and that is about all. I was saved. Nothing
more of moment happened to us until we came here and met you.”
“But you left yourself in the pit,” Pic remonstrated. “It was too deep
for you to climb. How did you get out?”
“The Mammoth; ask him.”
Hairi now took the center of the stage to put the finishing touch on his
partner’s thrilling narrative.
“I pulled him out—like this.” Raising his trunk, the huge Elephant curled
its flexible tip around the Rhino’s horn. Securing a firm grip, he
settled back with his full weight and power. Wulli’s neck elongated like
that of a turtle. The Mammoth’s trunk stretched taut like a tow-line.
Neck and trunk held fast under the strain and in a moment, the Rhinoceros
was being dragged over the ground.
“Pulled him out? You? How wonderful!” Pic was in truth astounded by this
remarkable engineering feat. The Mammoth released his hold.
“Yes, I pulled him from the pit. And now, what next? I believe we have
told about all there is to tell.”
“All but one thing,” Wulli reminded him. “The cave and—and, you know.”
Hairi flapped his ears and wriggled like a school-girl filled with a
secret too big to hold. “There is a mountain near here,” he began in a
voice burdened with mystery. “High upon the mountain is a cave; in the
cave, is——”
“Treasure,” replied Pic, suddenly stirred by the news. “Where is this
cave?”
“Up the river,” answered the Mammoth. “The mountain is too high for
either Wulli or me to climb. We need you to help us.”
“Did you see the treasure?”
“No, but we are sure it is there.”
“Ugh!” grunted Pic; but he felt ripe for a lark and so followed his
friends without further argument.