Why was the harpoon a better weapon for hunting than the spear or
javelin? What could hunters do to keep smooth shafts from slipping
from their hands? What is the harpoon used for to-day?
Why do animals become more cunning after they are hunted?
_How the Cave-men Hunted with Harpoons_
Once again the Cave-men went out to hunt the wild horses. Once again
they took new weapons. But instead of spears and javelins they carried
barbed harpoons.
From a high hill they saw the horses on the edge of a grassy upland.
They hurried over the wooded hills and crept through the tall grass.
When Bighorn gave the signal the sentinels pricked up their ears. But
before they could give the alarm, the men had thrown their harpoons.
The frightened horses crowded upon one another. Snapping sounds of
breaking shafts, sharp cries of wounded horses, and loud shouts of
Cave-men added to their terror.
The snorting of the sentinels warned the Cave-men back. A signal from
the leader brought order to the herd. It began to move as though it
were one solid mass.
Away the herd galloped, striking terror to all creatures in the way.
But the wounded horses soon lagged. In vain they tried to keep up. At
each step the shaft of the harpoon swung under their feet. At each
step the barbed head pierced deeper and deeper. So the Cave-men had
little trouble in finishing the chase.
Perhaps you think the Cave-men had no trouble in hunting after that.
They had less trouble for some time, and they all prized their
harpoons. But on cold days, when their hands were stiff, the smooth
shafts slipped from their grasp.
When they used shafts with knobs and large joints, it was easy to keep
a firm hold. So the men made shafts with larger knobs and they put
girdles around the smooth shafts.
[Illustration: _Chipper using a spear-noose._]
At their games of throwing spears and javelins, Bighorn was almost
sure to win. It was partly because he had large hands and very strong
fingers. By bending one finger like a hook and striking the butt of
the shaft, he could send a harpoon straight to the mark.
Chipper's hands were not very large. His fingers were not so strong as
Bighorn's. But Chipper was a bright young man, and he found a way of
using a spear-noose so that he could throw as well as Bighorn.
The spear-noose was a simple thing. Chipper made it by tying a noose
in each end of a cord. When he used it, he slipped one noose around
his thumb and the other around one finger. Then he grasped the spear
near the butt and slipped the cord around the knob. The spear-noose
was a great help to hunters whose hands were not large and strong.
Every time the Cave-men made new weapons, they worked very well for a
short time. But as soon as the animals learned about them, they became
more cunning in getting away. Wild horses kept sentinels on knolls and
hilltops so that they could see an enemy from afar. They guarded their
herds so carefully that the Cave-men could scarcely get near enough to
hit them with their harpoons.
And so the Cave-men returned many times bearing no trophies. They
returned many times giving no signal for the women to come for fresh
meat.
#THINGS TO DO#
_Take a harpoon and show how the shaft would swing against the feet
of an animal that had been hit by the head._
_Make a girdle around a smooth shaft, or make a shaft with a knob
or large joint near the butt._
_Make a spear-noose and show how Chipper used it._
_Think of the wild horses during the first few minutes after the
men threw their harpoons. See if you can draw a picture of them._