Do you know whether we can tell what the weather is going to be?
Have you ever heard any one talking about the signs of the weather?
What signs do you know?
Notice animals and see how they act before a storm.
Notice what animals and birds are here in summer that are not here
in winter. Are any here in winter that are not here in the summer?
Why did the bison go away from the Cave-men's hunting grounds each
winter? When they went away would they go in large or small herds?
If the weather kept pleasant how do you think they would travel?
What would they do if it looked like a storm?
Notice the animals that live near you and see whether they turn
their heads or backs toward the storm.
_Overtaken by a Storm_
Winter passed and summer came and now it was almost gone. The cattle
had gone to the forests in the lowlands where they spent the winter.
Straggling lines of bison were moving down the valley. Now and then
they stopped a few days to eat the tall grass. Then they slowly moved
onward toward the lower lands.
The days were like the Indian summer days which we sometimes have in
late autumn. Everybody enjoyed each day as it came, and thought little
about the coming cold. But one morning the sky was gray and gloomy,
and the sun could not pierce through the heavy clouds. The air was
cold and now and then a snowflake was falling.
There was no meat at the cave, and everybody was hungry. So Bighorn
said to the men, "Let's hunt the bison to-day."
The men crowded around, for they were always glad to go hunting with
Bighorn. As soon as he had shown them his plan, they took their
weapons and started toward the herd.
Bighorn expected to find the herd feeding quietly on a hillside. But,
instead, the bison were tossing their horns, sniffing the air, and
looking this way and that.
Bighorn saw that the bison were restless and that he could not take
them by surprise. "We shall have a hard chase," said he to the men,
"if we get a bison to-day."
The men stood still for a moment, for they did not know what to do.
Fine snowflakes were now falling and the dark clouds threatened a
heavy storm. But the men were hungry and they were not ready to give
up the hunt at once.
"Listen!" said Bighorn, as a low rumbling sound came from the upper
valley.
The Cave-men put their ears to the ground and heard a sound like
distant thunder. As they listened it came nearer and nearer and the
ground seemed to shake.
The Cave-men were not afraid. They knew what the sound meant. The
bison, too, knew what it meant. They knew that winter was coming, and
that it was time for them to be gone. They knew that the laggard herds
were racing with the storm.
And so the sentinels of the scattered herds gave signals to the bison.
And before the Cave-men were on their feet, the bison had started
toward the ford.
Louder and louder the rumbling sound grew as the great herd galloped
on. The snow was now falling thick and fast, and a cold northwest wind
was blowing. But in spite of the wind and the snow, the Cave-men
pressed on toward the ford. Bighorn still hoped to get a bison as the
great herd passed.
By the time the herd reached the ford, the wind had become a strong
gale. The air was so thick with the snow that it nearly blinded the
men. Then Bighorn turned and said to the men, "We must find a shelter
from the storm."
The bison, too, tried to find a shelter. Some of them hugged up
closely to the sheltered side of the cliffs. Others sought cover in
the ravines. But many could find no protection, so they turned about
and faced the storm.
[Illustration: "_But many could find no protection, so they turned
about and faced the storm._"]
The Cave-men wished they were safe at home, but they dared not go
through the storm. They huddled together and felt their way to a spot
where the snow did not drift. There they lay down in the snow and
waited for the storm to cease.
#THINGS TO DO#
_Name some bird that migrates. Tell all that you know about the way
it migrates._
_When you go out to play, show how the bison migrated in warm
weather. Show how they migrated in cold weather._
_Show in your sand-box where the deep drifts would be. Show places
where the snow would not drift. If you cannot be sure about where
the drifts would be, see if you can find out by watching the storms
during winter._
_If the Cave-men are buried in the snow, how do you think they can
get air to breathe? How can they tell when the storm is over?_