clustered the Cave People, chattering in terror and clinging desperately
upon whatsoever their hands found. Very quickly Strong Arm called Quack
Quack and Laughing Boy. And he assisted them to mount to the top of the
cave, where Laughing Boy whimpered with fear. They heard the voice of
the Old Woman, calling shrilly to them, as she pointed towards the
branches of the tall trees in the forest, where they might find safety.
And many members of the tribe cast themselves into the waters that rose
steadily every moment, and swam toward the woods. But the waters tossed
them and the current pushed them ever backward. Often they were struck
by great floating logs, that rolled over and over when they sought to
climb up on them.
Then, amid the great tumult, was heard the voice of Light Foot and the
sounds of Big Nose, her man, also. And when the Cave People looked
about, they discovered a flood of huge logs and dead trees that had been
jammed before the entrance of the cave wherein dwelt these two, barring
the way out.
And every man in the whole tribe forgot his desire for safety to answer
the cry for help that Light Foot sent up. For, among the Cave Dwellers,
there was a great tenderness among the men and women of the tribe. The
word of a woman bore great weight, for it was the joy of every man to
please and aid her.
So Strong Arm threw himself into the water, with a cry to his brothers,
while Quack Quack remained upon the top of the cave holding Laughing Boy
in her arms, lest he be harmed.
Long the members of the tribe struggled with the current, till at last
they reached the cave of Light Foot where she struggled with the logs
that shut her in. With all their strength these strong men tugged and
plucked at the trees. But with every effort the waters bore back on
them, jamming the logs into a wedge again, between the cave and the
rocks, till the Old Woman thought they should all be drowned.
At last, however, Strong Arm thrust a great stick between the cave and
the jam of trees and Big Nose and Light Foot were able to add their
strength in diverting the danger. Soon they were free and making their
way, with those who had saved them, toward the woods. It is well to note
here, too, that the cave men thought always of the women, lending them
every aid and that there was not one forgotten amid grave peril.
Not till it was too late to effect his rescue, however, did the Cave
People remember Old Grey Beard, who had also become imprisoned in his
cave. At that time the waters tore about the tops of the rocks and they
knew it was too late to help him.
Although many swam for the woods, few arrived there. Strong Arm, Quack
Quack and Laughing Boy, who had followed their friends, soon found
themselves regretting the rocks above their cave. For all the drift
borne down the river by the swift waters, seemed hemmed and wedged about
the woods. Over these logs it was impossible to pass. For they rolled
and dipped under the feet, dumping the Cave People back into the boiling
water, sometimes crushing them between the great logs.
Strong Arm progressed beneath the debris, but he was unable to find an
opening to come up, and was compelled to return to Quack Quack and
Laughing Boy, who swam about the edge of the great mass of logs,
awaiting him. Very dizzy he was and his lungs collapsed with his breath
as he appeared, for the struggle against the current was almost beyond
his strength.
Again and again they sought to reach the woods where they might find
shelter in the trees, but each time they failed. It was impossible to
advance and the strong current rendered it still more difficult to go
back.
And every moment the waters rose. Logs whirled swiftly past with many of
the forest animals clinging to them. Now and then they saw one of the
Hairy Folk tossed and straining to reach the trees. The Silent One, who
clung to one of the cane rafts, was flung into the whirling jam, by the
current, and crushed like a dry leaf in the hand. As far as the eye
could reach the foaming waters tore their way through the woods. But
between the Cave Dwellers who clung to the skirts of the jam, and the
safety of the forest trees, it seemed there floated and rocked and
churned all the trees of a great world of woods, plucked out and cast
there by the great river, in order to mock them.
But the Cave People clung tenaciously, while the great mass of logs
strained and tore each other, or were flung away in the current. At last
the great hollow tree, in which Strong Arm had kept the Fire alive, was
borne down, for its trunk was old with fire and with rot. As it was
tossed onward in the mighty current, Strong Arm, with Laughing Boy and
Quack Quack close at his side, made their way toward it with a great
effort. As it whirled past them, they flung their arms over the rough
bark and clung to it.
Soon they were able to climb into the burned out hollow of the tree,
where they lay shivering with fear. The trunk of the tree made a kind of
boat the Cave People had never seen, for only the burned out portion at
the end lay open and dipped into the waters. In the hollow they lay for
a long time, till their strength returned and their fears fell. Then
they sat up and looked about.
The rains had ceased and the sun made his way high in the heavens, and
they were borne swiftly along in the great log. Often they crashed into
the branches of trees that rose just above the water. But always Strong
Arm, Quack Quack and Laughing Boy clung tightly. They did not mean to be
hurled into the waters again.
But they were checked in their fearful journey, at last, when the hollow
log was driven amid the interwoven trunks and branches of a tall banyan.
There it lay, tossing in the boughs, as safe as though it had been
anchored securely. For the current of the river sucked and drove it
always more strongly into the arms of the tree.
Soon a great chattering arose among the branches that dipped now and
then into the angry waters, and in a moment they beheld the Foolish One
and a man from the tribe of the Hairy Folk, who called to them.
And Laughing Boy forgot his terrors as he seized a bough and made his
way into the tree, for safety, while Quack Quack and Strong Arm followed
him.
Then arose such a jabbering as was never before heard in the old banyan,
while Strong Arm and the Foolish One made known their adventures. Also
they talked to the man from the tribe of the Hairy Folk in the gesture
language.
Where the limbs of the tree ran far out over the whirling waters,
Laughing Boy found the long deep nests of the oo-ee-a. Often the
branches bent beneath his feet and threatened to give way under him, but
his lightness enabled him to secure these treasures. And together, the
Foolish One, Strong Arm, Quack Quack, Laughing Boy and the man from the
tribe of the Hairy Folk made a supper upon the eggs of the oo-ee-a. Then
they sought out forked branches, where they curled themselves up and
fell asleep.
The waters roared and thundered beneath. Dead trees and old logs beat
against their new refuge in the great banyan, but they wound their arms
and legs about the limbs of the tree and found rest.
Thus, they dwelt in the old banyan, with a wild fowl now and then, a
fish, or a few gulls’ eggs to satisfy their hanger, while the river sank
lower and lower into its old channel. Every day the waters receded and
slipped back into the river bed, till Strong Arm declared the time was
come when they might venture forth toward the land of their fathers.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
VII
BIG FOOT’S NEW WEAPON
The great flood that came in the spring brought death and misery to the
tribes of savages that lived upon the banks of the river. Many were
drowned in the swift waters, while others were borne away and scattered
in strange lands. A few members of the tribe of Cave Dwellers found
safety in the trees near the old Hollow. Far below, many of their
brothers and sisters, with the men and women of other tribes, clung to
the great trees where they also found security.
Strong Arm, Quack Quack and little Laughing Boy were among these. With
the Foolish One and the Hairy Man they lived in the great banyan until
the river crept back into its old channel. Then they descended upon the
earth once more and began their long journey toward the Hollow, where
they had lived with a small group of Cave Dwellers, the people of their
own tribe.
All the face of the world seemed covered with a layer of rich mud,
deposited by the river. The sun grew warmer with every day and a hot
steam arose continually from the earth. Strong Arm and his little band
made their way slowly, for the moist air gave them a fever and weakened
them. Always it was very difficult to find food, for the roots lay
buried in the soft mud. It was necessary to search in the branches of
the trees for the nests of birds, and occasionally they found a few
gulls’ eggs.
For two nights they had slept in the limbs of trees, while Strong Arm
watched wearily lest an enemy approach.
Already at this early stage in their journey the rank grasses of the
tropics were springing up. A thousand creeping things thrust out their
heads from the mud and slime. And the tracks of the black bear, the
wooly-haired rhinoceros and the sabre-toothed tiger were seen once more
along the river bank.
Very cautiously this small band of savages advanced, for they had only
rough sticks to use in defending themselves. On the third day they had
traveled but a little way and of eggs they found none, nor any other
thing. Their stomachs cried for food and they ventured beyond the skirts
of the wood, where dangers lurked, seeking something with which to
satisfy their hunger.
Strong Arm advanced, with caution, ahead of the little party. When he
had gone but a little way, before him, from the cane, there arose
suddenly a huge man. He was taller than any man among the tribe of the
Cave Dwellers, and with a stout stick he struck Strong Arm a blow on the
head that dashed him to the ground. Though the arm of the big man was
swift, it was not much quicker than Quack Quack, who threw herself upon
him from behind. Laughing Boy added his blows to hers, scratching and
biting the legs of the stranger with all his young power, till he also
lay motionless.
A soft movement in the cane announced the presence of another and more
wary enemy. But the blows of Quack Quack, the Hairy Man and the Foolish
One soon drove him from cover, where they beat him freely, till he threw
up his hands in a gesture of submission.
Then, borne on the winds that swept the old forest, came a faint smell
of fresh meat to the nostrils of the hungry group. The anger of the
travelers was soon forgotten and Strong Arm now commanded the two
strangers to lead them to the feast. With a great show of friendliness,
they limped forward and conducted their victors to a fire that blazed
above a pile of rocks.
And they poked away the coals that covered a basin fashioned among the
stones, like a great oven. Covered with large leaves, lay the roasted
body of a man, which the two strangers dragged steaming from the flames.
Then the Cave Dwellers and the strangers seized each his portion of the
meat and fell to eating. And the flesh of the roasted man seemed very
good to them.
Till the new moon grew round and full, the Cave People and the Hairy Man
remained with the strangers, while the water slowly drained off the
swampy river banks and the way toward their old home in the Hollow
became more safe.
They now had always the wonderful Fire with which to protect themselves
against the forest animals. No caves there were and the trees abounded
with the green snakes and many other enemies, but for all these the
small group of men and Quack Quack, the woman, were not harmed.
Upon the rocks they kept the fire burning continually and at night they
slept securely while some among them fed the blaze.
Very soon the Cave People began to call the shorter of the two strangers
Big Foot, because his feet were very long. The other they called Tall,
on account of his extreme height.
Although Strong Arm, Quack Quack and the Foolish One were from tribes
strange to Big Foot and Tall, they were all able to understand each
other perfectly, by means of the simple gesture language common to all
tribes in the lower stage of savagery. Thus, the Hairy Man, from still
another tribe, had no difficulty in making himself understood, nor in
learning the thoughts or wishes of his companions.
One day, when hunting, the little band came upon a flint pit. To the
Cave People the old gravel bed meant nothing, but Tall and Big Foot
became greatly excited, and they grabbed the flakes that had become
chipped from the flint cores and dashed them violently against a great
stone lying near. Faint sparks flew. Then Tall covered the rocks with
the feathers of a dead fowl and struck among them with the flint flake.
Soon the feathers were ignited by the sparks. And Strong Arm and Quack
Quack marveled at the Fire Beast which the strange rock had been able to
summon.
The tribe from whence Tall and Big Foot came, had long known the use of
flint in kindling fires, and well they knew the treasures they had
found. From them the Cave People learned, also, and Strong Arm and Quack
Quack bore with them always thereafter, one of these strange and
wonderful stones, with which they soon became able to call forth the
Fire Beast to their protection.
More and more, as the days passed, Tall taught them wonderful things.
The flesh they cooked remained sweet for many days and did not grow rank
with time, as raw meat did. Thus a new hope sprang up in the hearts of
the Cave People, for armed with these rude flints, they were able at any
time to kindle a fire and protect themselves from the forest enemies.
Also they cooked their food and, this made possible the long, dangerous
journey to the land of their fathers.
In spite of the height of Tall and the long limbs and great muscles of
Big Foot, they wished always to carry out the desires of Quack Quack.
Not only was she a woman, and for all women they cherished a great
tenderness, but also was she strong, and both these men were unable to
forget the blows she had given them when first they had attacked the
Cave Dwellers and their little band. To Quack Quack, therefore, they
looked for commands and they obeyed her words and gestures, while they
sought her good will. But in spite of all this, Strong Arm remained the
leader over all, for he was able to stand up before any man in the
group, and the words which he spoke and the desires he made known were
always for the good of the band.
So it came about naturally that when Strong Arm and Quack Quack
signified their desire to return to the Hollow, which was the old home
of the Cave People, that the Hairy Man, Tall and Big Foot gave heed to
them.
And they all made preparations for the journey. The large bones which
they had found, were made formidable, when they were cracked and split
open at the end. Also they gathered knotted limbs from the trees, which
the Cave People were accustomed to wave savagely around their heads,
crushing in the skulls of the enemy.
But they prized nothing so highly as the rough pieces of flint flakes
which they dug from the old gravel bed. Wonder and awe they felt for
these strange stones, and not a little fear. To them even inanimate
things possessed life, and the small flakes of flint were only a new,
queer sort of animal that had hitherto befriended them by calling forth
the great Fire Beast. These might also be capable of doing them harm,
and it was with deep feelings of uncertainty that they first began to
use these wonderful flint rocks.
In the hunt which preceded their departure, the little band were
fortunate in snaring a fat young boar. They speedily killed him and
dragged his body to the top of a small rocky hill. And they pulled out
the loose stones, building a deep, basin-like oven, into which they put
the body. This they covered with green palm leaves. Then a fire was
kindled over this great oven and everybody made ready for the feast.
But the fragrant odor of roast meat reached the nose of the
sabre-toothed tiger and he followed the scent till he came to the small
camp. And all the stray members of the little band crouched low on the
opposite side of the big blaze in mortal terror. For here there were no
caves in which they could take refuge and their numbers were too few for
them to fight the enemy safely in the open.
But all the loose stones they had dislodged and pulled out when building
the great oven, lay about them. And they gathered them up and piled them
high like a great wall, for they feared an attack from the rear. And the
rude wall of stones rose almost to their waists.
Very warily the tiger crept up the hill and approached the flames. The
wind bore the smell of the roasting meat squarely into his teeth, and
lured him on. But the wind carried, too, the thick smoke upon him, and
he choked and paused to reconnoiter. As the wind died down he advanced
hungrily, but the smoke and sparks from the flames sent him back to the
foot of the hill.
[Illustration]
The little band of savages watched him, while their limbs trembled and
their hair stood on end. Between them and the tiger roared the tall
sheet of flames, but soon he began to circle the hill seeking an easy
way to attack. Below the rude wall, erected by them, the terrifying
smoke and flying sparks no longer threatened. And he sniffed the air and
advanced cautiously.
[Illustration]
In the meantime, the small band of savages were rendered almost beside
themselves with fear. Of weapons they had none. All their new sharp bone
spears lay at the foot of the hill, with the great knotted clubs. The
Foolish One started one of the big stones rolling down upon the tiger,
but it passed instead of deterring him.
Then Strong Arm seized a large burning bough and hurled it straight into
the great beast’s face. But the tiger crouched low on the ground and the
blazing torch passed over his head without harming him. Low he lay, with
his long striped tail swaying to and fro, like the tail of a great cat.
His eyes glowed with rage and fear and his lips were curled back in a
snarl of fury.
Of all things in the old forest the strange, red, flaming fire alone had
caused him to hesitate. The fierce unknown spat out a breath of hot
smoke that bit into his muscular throat and choked him and the hot blaze
held a menace that thrilled his long, lank body with a new fear.
Still he did not give up. Never in all his strong, free life in the
forest had he ever given up. But he retreated to the foot of the hill,
circling round and round it once more.
Long he continued, with his body crouched low, and his head thrown up,
scenting at once the rich odor of the roasting boar, and the thick
smoke, so full of strange menace.
Again and again he advanced, driven by the hunger within him, only to
retreat because of the fear that would not be subdued. But as the sun
sank low in the west, the little band scattered the flames and dragged
out the roasted body of the young boar. From this they tore, eagerly,
great chunks of the warm and dripping flesh and devoured them and one
and all they thought no meat had ever tasted so sweet before.
During the feast they watched the tiger always, and they laid new
branches upon the fire to keep it alive. But ere any one was filled—as
savages were used to fill their stomachs after a long period of
fasting—Strong Arm made known his wishes. Soon everybody understood his
desire to reserve a portion of the young boar, that, should they prove
unequal to the task of driving off the tiger, they might fling to him
and escape.
To his wise suggestion all listened and obeyed except Big Foot, who
declined to relinquish his portion. It was only after Strong Arm had
thrust him down the side of the hill, threatening to hurl him to the
hungry beast below, that Big Foot yielded. Once more Strong Arm had
proven himself the leader of the band. Once more had his words resulted
in the welfare of the group.
For, the flames having subsided a little, the smell of the meat drew old
sabre-tooth irresistibly, and he made a bold and sudden dash upon the
band.
But Strong Arm was quick also and a yell of warning he gave, as he threw
a blazing bough upon him. But the tiger leaped over it and made his way
nearer. Now the others seized burning branches and hurled them, until he
must step straight upon the glowing coals to advance. And the fierce
fires under his feet and the sparks and flames about him, sent the old
fear through his blood and sent the tiger down the hill and through the
forest snarling and howling with pain. Long they hear his roarings
re-echoing through the old woods, but when darkness came on they
descended and gathered more branches and leaves to continue the fire
throughout the night.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
VIII
THE FIRST PLANTING
When the great flood, which Little Laughing Boy imagined covered the
face of all the land, had subsided, and the roaring river fell back into
a portion of its old channel, the survivors of the clans turned their
feet toward the homes of their fathers.
There were many changes. Strange things had occurred. Hundreds of
members of the various hordes had been lost in the flood; the river bed
itself had been twisted into a new and alarming shape so that, on the
other side of its bank, trees had been torn up and the waters had eaten
into the earth and lapped the foot of the low hills; the old Hollow was
filled with many tons of new black earth and many of the caves were
buried beneath the soil deposited by the river.
The Hollow had been the home of the Cave People, of Little Laughing Boy,
his father, Strong Arm, and his mother, Quack Quack. They had escaped
during the flood with the Foolish One, a member of their own tribe, and
had been joined later on by the Hairy Man, a survivor of the Hairy Folk.
And they had clung together during their dangers and journeyings for
mutual strength and protection.
When they had encountered Tall and Big Foot, of one of the man-eating
hordes, their numbers enabled them to overcome these powerful enemies,
who joined the band and fed Laughing Boy his first taste of roasted
human flesh. These men also taught the Cave People the wonderful power
hidden away in the flint pit, which they had discovered; how two pieces
of this strange rock could call forth the protecting fire when struck
sharply together, and how thin pieces of this same rock made wonderful
knives with which to hack and slay the enemy. Indeed, it was the
insistence of Big Foot in carrying away several pieces of this new rock
that caused the others to do likewise, although it was a long time
before any of them returned to the flint pit and began to use flint
regularly in making weapons.
In spite of the large number of men and women and children who lost
their lives in the great flood, this was a time of progress, a time when
all the tribes learned many new things. The surviving Hairy Folk were
thrown with members of the tribe of Cave People—and learned the use of
fire. The Tree Dwellers were forced to walk upon the ground and learned
new methods of fishing and hunting from the Cave People, the fashioning
of rafts made of bamboo poles bound together with tough grasses and wild
vines, which one could propel in the water by paddling with the hands.
The Tall People, who contributed a meagre knowledge of flint, gained the
use of the bow and arrow from their old enemies, the Dart Throwers. It
was a time when men learned much. Of course, many of these things were
forgotten in the days of ease and plenty, until the children of the
members of the tribes discovered or invented or were shown them all over
again in the years that followed.
Strong Arm and Quack Quack and Laughing Boy, in company with the Foolish
One and Tall and Big Foot and the Hairy Man, followed the shore of the
river in order to reach the home of the Cave People. Scarcely a sound
they made, as they wound their way through the heavy grasses that sprung
up, with the magic of the tropics, from the rich soil left by the flood.
Of food there was now every day a greater abundance. Fruits ripened and
grew luscious over night. Hundreds of fish were left in shallows by the
receding flood where they could be gathered by hand. And it was
impossible to avoid stumbling over the egg-filled nests of the gulls and
the oo-ee-a.