Can you think why the Cave-men used stone for their spear points
and knives before they used bone or horn?
What tools did the Cave-men need in making flint spear points?
Why did the Cave-men have to learn to strike gentle blows in making
their weapons? Can you think of any way of removing little pieces
of flint besides striking them off?
_How the Cave-men made Delicate Spear Points_
Perhaps you have seen very beautiful Indian arrows. Perhaps you have
wished you could make such arrows yourself. The later Cave-men first
made such weapons and no people since have ever been able to make more
beautiful ones.
The early Cave-men did not need such beautiful spear points. Rough
points of flint and heavy stone axes were the weapons they needed
most. It was not until the Age of the Chase that people shaped stone
into beautiful forms.
[Illustration]
Scarface always used flakes of flint for the points of spears and
javelins. But in earlier times, people did not know how to strike off
flakes of flint. They put the flint on a hard rock and struck it with
a heavy blow. They smashed the flint, for the hard rock did not yield.
They had not learned to let the flint break in its own way.
When the Cave-men held the flint in the hand, the hand yielded to the
light blow. The flint broke in its own way. But the sharp edges cut
the men's hands. So they covered the palms of their hands with rawhide
and kept from getting hurt. When they worked in this way, they had no
trouble in striking off flakes for spear points and knives.
When the men worked on their flint points, Fleetfoot liked to play
near the workshop. He liked to watch Straightshaft strike off flakes
with a hammer-stone and punch. He liked to listen to the song that
Scarface and Straightshaft sang.
[Illustration: "_When the Cave-men held the flint in the hand, the
hand yielded to the light blow._"]
Scarface and Straightshaft always sang when they worked with the
hammer-stone and punch. While Scarface placed the punch he sang in low
tones. And when he was ready for Straightshaft to strike, he sang so
as to let him know. Then Straightshaft took up the song and marked the
time for each blow.
[Illustration: "_While Scarface placed the punch he sang in low
tones._"]
The men always sang when they worked together. If one man stopped when
it was his turn to sing, the other did not know what to do. Besides
marking the time, the song helped the men to measure the force of each
blow. It helped them to strike off tiny flakes so as not to break the
point. So, at length, the Cave-men began to think that the song they
sang was a charm.
While the men struck off large flint flakes, Fleetfoot played not far
away. He played while they hafted long narrow flakes for knives, but
when they began to chip spearheads, he came and watched them at their
work. He listened to the song of Scarface and Straightshaft, while
they shaped a fine spearhead.
At length the spearhead was ready for the finishing touches. So
Straightshaft dropped his hammer-stone and picked up a queer little
tool. He called it a flaker, and he used it to press off tiny flakes
from the beautiful point.
[Illustration: _Straightshaft using a flaker._]
When Straightshaft had finished, he dropped the flaker and Fleetfoot
picked it up. And he asked Straightshaft if he might use it to press
off little flakes.
Straightshaft let him try, but Fleetfoot was not strong enough to
press off hard flint flakes. So he listened to the story that Scarface
told of the young man who first made a flaker.
Holding up a little bone flaker, Scarface turned to the men and said:
"When I was a boy, no one pressed off flakes of flint. No one had a
flaker. We hammered off flint flakes.
"One summer when there were plenty of salmon, the neighboring clans
had a great feast. Nimble-finger came. I saw him. I heard him speak.
The third day of the feast I saw him flake flint."
[Illustration: _A flaker._]
As Scarface went on he told how Nimble-finger invented the flaker. He
did it one day when he was making a bone handle for a knife. When he
was scraping a bone with a flint scraper he happened to press off a
flint flake.
Nimble-finger did not know how it happened. He tried again and again.
At last he pressed off another flake; and this time he knew that he
did it by pressing the point of the bone against one edge of the
flint.
Nimble-finger never finished that bone-handled hunting knife. But he
showed the people how to make a flaker. He became an inventor; for he
gave the world a tool it had never had before.
When the people returned from the feast many forgot about the flaker.
Others longed for delicate spear points like those Nimble-finger made.
So, at length, they tried to make flakers of their own. Some tried to
make them of wood; but the wood was too soft to break the stone.
Others tried to make them of ivory; but ivory was too hard to get a
hold. At length all the Cave-men made flakers of antler and bone, for
they were hard enough to break the stone and soft enough to get a
hold.
When Scarface finished, Fleetfoot began to talk about Nimble-finger.
He asked Scarface, "Where does Nimble-finger live? Does he always come
to the great feasts?"
To the child's questions Scarface replied, "While Nimble-finger was
still a young man he went far away. For many years he lived far north
in a cave beside the River of Stones. But years have come and gone
since then. If he still lives, he is an old man; but of that I know
not."
#THINGS TO DO#
_If you can find a piece of flint strike off a flake with a
hammer-stone. Strike off a flake with an angular stone. Strike off
a flake by using a hammer and punch._
_Sort out the flakes that are good for knives. Put handles on them.
Sort out the flakes that are good for making into spearheads. See
if you can strike off tiny flakes until the large flake looks like
a spearhead._
_Find something which you can use as a flaker. When you have made
one, see if you can use it._
_Make a collection of stones which you can chip or flake. Tell all
you know about each of those stones._
_Think of Scarface as he was telling the story. Draw the picture._