Part 3
_Get a skin at the meat market and see if you can dress it._
_Name things that you wear that are made of fur._
_Name things made of fur that men and women wear._
_Find as many other uses of fur as you can._
_Where does the fur that we use come from? Ask some one to tell you how it is prepared for use._
_Can you think why fur is more expensive now than it used to be? Why should we be careful about killing wild animals?_
_Name the things you have that are made of leather._
_Visit a tannery and ask some one to tell you about it._
_Draw a picture of the women dressing Sabre-tooth’s skin._
XI
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Why did the Cave-men need more clothing than the Tree-dwellers had?
Do you know whether they had cloth? What could they use instead of cloth?
How do you think they sewed?
How many ways do you know of lacing up your shoes?
What did the Cave-men use instead of scissors?
What do you think they used for needles and thread?
_How the Cave-men Made Clothing_
During the summer the Cave-men did not wear much clothing.
They dressed about the same as the Tree-dwellers.
When they were in the cave, they did not need clothing, for it was always warm in the cave.
But, as winter came on, they were cold when they went out to hunt.
Sometimes they tried to keep warm by running, or by swinging their arms.
The skins that they wore for trophies also helped them to keep warm.
But, as it grew colder, they began to wear larger skins.
If they could not find a skin that was large enough, they pieced small skins together.
Where we would use scissors, they used a stone knife.
Where we would use a needle, they used a bone awl.
They trimmed off the ragged edges and punched holes in the places they wished to sew.
Then they laced them together with sinew thread, as you lace up your shoes.
They fastened the garment over the shoulder by tying it with strong straps.
Sometimes they fastened their garments with buckles.
These skin garments covered only part of the body, but they helped the Cave-men keep warm and strong.
THINGS TO DO
_See if you can find things such as the Cave-men used to make a dress for your doll._
_Find as many ways as you can of sewing by using an awl instead of a needle._
_See if you can find sinew or tough roots and grasses for making thread._
XII
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Can you think why the Cave-men lived in clans instead of in families as we do?
How many men do you think lived in the fire clan? How many women? How many children?
What could the children do to help their fathers and mothers?
How do you think the children played?
_The Fire Clan_
Ever since the Tree-dwellers had learned to use fire, there had been a fire clan on the wooded hills.
There were many other clans, too.
Some of them were named after wild animals, and some were named after plants.
All the people lived in clans, for it was the best way to live at that time.
There were enough men in each clan to protect it from wild beasts.
There were enough women to do the household work.
There were many children, too.
But there was room enough in the cave for all, and they lived as if they were one large family.
Each child in the clan was given a name, which was changed when he became full grown.
The name of one of the girls was Brighteyes.
Brighteyes called every man in the cave her father, and she called every woman her mother.
All of the children were her brothers and sisters.
She did not have any cousins.
She did not have any uncles and aunts.
At that time no one spoke of uncles and aunts.
Brighteyes used to play with her brothers and sisters, and she used to work, too.
She tried to do what the grown people did.
Sometimes the children went with their mothers to hunt for roots and nuts.
But sometimes they had to stay at home to take care of the babies.
Brighteyes liked to play with the babies.
She would hunt for bright and shining playthings, which she strung on spruce root or a kind of tough grass.
Then she would dangle them over the heads of the babies and watch them as they laughed and crowed.
Sometimes the girls made rattles of gourds, which the babies played with for a long time.
Sometimes they carried the babies on their backs until they got very tired.
Then they put them in their skin cradles again and hung them on the branches of a tree.
While they rocked the babies in their cradles they sang them little lullabies.
THINGS TO DO
_Make some playthings for a baby that you know._
_See if you can make a skin cradle for your doll._
XIII
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
How do you think the Cave-men spent the winter?
What kind of food do you think they ate?
What do you eat in the winter?
Why could not the Cave-men have as many kinds of food as you have?
Do you think you could stand it to go out in the cold dressed as the Cave-men were dressed?
_How the Cave-men Spent the Winter_
Perhaps you think that the Cave-men spent a dreary winter.
It might be dreary for you if you had to spend it that way.
But the Cave-men knew nothing about such homes as we have.
They lived in the very best home that anybody had at that time.
That is why they were satisfied.
When the weather was pleasant they went out to hunt, but they never had to go far.
The wild animals were not yet afraid of men, and so they did not try to get away.
By using their spears and stone axes, the Cave-men got plenty of meat to eat.
But they got so hungry for something green, that they ate the green moss that they found in the stomach of the reindeer.
Sometimes they ate the inner bark of trees.
Sometimes they found nuts in squirrels’ nests, but most of the food that they ate was meat.
In the coldest weather they did not have even meat, for it was not safe to hunt in the biting cold.
They stayed in the cave for days at a time without a taste of food.
Sometimes they were so hungry that they chewed hard skins, and they even sucked dry bones.
But they managed in some way to live through these cold days, until the weather became warmer again.
THINGS TO DO
_Think of the coldest and stormiest day you have ever seen, and draw a picture showing how it looked._
_Tell a story of what Brighteyes did during a cold day._
_Tell a story of what the Cave-men did one pleasant day in the winter._
XIV
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Have you ever noticed the bark of a birch tree?
Do you know what birch bark is used for?
Why is birch bark better to make into baskets and boats than the bark of other trees?
Can you think of a way of taking birch bark from a tree without splitting the bark?
Have you ever seen bark that has been mended?
What do you think the Cave-men used birch bark for?
Why do you not have the right to peel birch bark from any tree that you see?
Are there any birch trees that you do have the right to take bark from?
_What the Cave-men Got from the Birch Trees_
When the snow began to melt, the Cave-men were glad; for it was warm enough to leave the cave.
They spent their days on the wooded hills where many birch trees grew.
All the Cave-men liked to go to these trees.
They liked to peel off the silvery white bark that hung from the older trees in strips.
They wanted to get the tough inner bark that was under the smooth outer coat.
They chewed the inner bark the way you chew gum.
Sometimes they bit into the bark with their teeth, and sometimes they cut it with a stone knife.
Then they peeled it off in strips with their fingers.
At first they peeled it carelessly and gave no thought to the width of the strips.
But one day Firekeeper peeled off a wide strip.
There were narrow strips for her to eat, so she kept the wide strip for a while.
One day she began to shape it with her hands and to fold in the edges.
After trying for a long time, she made it into a basket.
She did not cut the bark, but shaped it by making folds in each corner and fastening them with sharp thorns.
She gathered winter buds into the basket and carried them home to the cave.
In a few days the thorns fell out, so Firekeeper cut the bark and sewed the folds.
But this basket did not last very long.
The edges split and Firekeeper’s basket was soon worn out.
One morning she went with the other women to get birch bark for another basket.
They had no trouble in cutting the bark and in loosening the edges with their fingers.
But as soon as they tried to peel it, the bark began to split.
So they tried to press evenly with their fingers against the under side, but still many strips split.
Finally Firekeeper picked up the rib of a deer and pressed it under the loosened edge.
Then she carefully pulled the ends of the rib and peeled off a large piece of bark.
Then all the women tried to peel bark by using the rib of a deer.
They carried the bark that they peeled to the cave, and sat down by the fire to make baskets.
Nobody was satisfied with Firekeeper’s basket, for the corners were rough and the edges split.
They found that by cutting into the sides of the bark they could fold it so as to make smoother corners.
So they cut and folded the bark, then sewed the folds with spruce root.
Then they hunted for something to bind around the edge, so as to strengthen the basket.
Some of the women made rims of tough grass, and some used willow stems.
These were the first rims they had ever made, but the women always put rims on their baskets after that.
THINGS TO DO
_If there is a birch tree growing in your neighborhood, go and see it._
_Notice whether it is a good shade tree. Does the bark on the young trees hang in strips as it does on the older trees?_
_If you have the right to do so, peel off enough birch bark to make a basket, a boat, or a frame._
_When you visit a museum, find as many things as you can that are made of birch bark._
_Find pictures of things that are made of birch bark._
XV
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
When the snow melts in the spring, what happens to the river or stream in your neighborhood?
How does the melted snow get to the river?
Have you ever heard of rivers that are under the ground?
If such a river-bed were dry, what would it be?
Have you ever seen a ravine? Is it anything like a cave?
If the roof of a cave fell in, what would the cave become?
If the sides of a ravine became worn down, what would it become?
Think of ways in which the cave might be flooded when the snow melts in the spring.
Do you know anything about the floods that we have nowadays?
_The Flood_
Winter was almost gone.
The air was getting mild and soft.
The snow was beginning to melt, and the river was rising.
All along the banks there were mountains of snow and ice.
Huge masses of floating ice were carried along by the current.
The Cave-men were watching the swiftly rising river.
They feared that there might be a flood.
The children were playing in the melting snow and wading in the water.
Sharpeyes had just come from the ravine.
This ravine was usually dry in summer, but in winter it was filled with snow.
Now it was a deep, dark stream, with black and threatening water.
All the ravines were pouring their waters into the river, which was rising rapidly.
Where the banks were steep the river was narrow.
There the water was deep, and large masses of snow and ice were carried along by the strong current.
At the drinking-place the banks were low.
There the river was wider and the current was not so deep and strong.
Small masses of snow and ice were carried along by the current, but the larger masses became lodged on the bed of the stream.
In this way the river was forming a dam.
All day long the Cave-men watched the river, but at night they went back to the cave.
There were dark clouds in the sky; so Firekeeper covered the fire with ashes, and they got ready for the night.
All but Firekeeper were soon asleep.
As she kept watch that night there was something that troubled her.
It was not the roaring river.
It was not the pouring rain.
She had heard those sounds before.
It was a sound that was new to her, and she wondered what it meant.
It seemed to come from deep down in the cave, and sounded like rumbling water.
She did not wish to frighten the clan, so she let them all sleep.
She listened again.
She still heard the roaring of the river.
She still heard the pouring rain.
Below it all she heard that strange muffled sound.
It was coming nearer and nearer.
She felt water trickling over her bed of moss and leaves.
At first she thought it was the rain.
She peered into the darkness, but saw nothing.
She felt of the running water.
It was coming from the cave.
Then she called Strongarm.
He quickly roused the people, and they hurried out of the cave.
A moment more and it would have been too late.
The water rushed up from the dark narrow passage and out through the mouth of the cave.
There was water everywhere.
The frightened Cave-men ran for the hills.
They climbed trees, where they stayed through the long dark night.
When the rays of the sun streaked the sky in the east, the Cave-men were still up in the trees.
They looked out over the valley, but they scarcely knew the place.
All the land except the hills was covered by the flood.
All the thickets had disappeared.
Only the tops of the trees stood above the water.
The river was dammed with snow and ice.
The water dashed against the dam, but it could not break its way through.
It was forced back; it was overflowing the banks; it was flooding the land.
Nobody had breakfast that morning.
Nobody had a mouthful to eat all that day.
All the Cave-men watched the flood from the trees.
They heard the ice when it began to crack.
They heard the roaring of the river as it beat upon the dam.
They knew that it was wearing its way through.
About midday there was a loud crash.
The Cave-men then knew that the dam was broken.
They saw the water pour through the dam and sweep everything in its path.
Before sunset the flood was gone.
Most of the ice and snow had been swept away.
The Cave-men were glad to come down from the trees, and they hurried to see what had happened to their cave.
THINGS TO DO
_Notice a river or brook after a heavy rain or the melting of the snow._
_See if you can tell where the current of the river is._
_Notice the difference in the current in the wide and narrow parts of the river._
_Find the parts of the valley that would be flooded if the river overflowed its banks._
_Notice the little holes that are made in the ground by the rain._
_See if you can find a ravine made by the rain._
_Model a small river valley showing some of the work of the rain._
_Change the little pot-holes so as to make them into caves._
_Change the caves so as to make them into ravines._
_Change a ravine so as to make a valley._
_Tell a story of how a pot-hole became a valley._
_Show in your sand box the way the cave was flooded._
XVI
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Do you think that the Cave-men can live in their cave when they go back?
What do you think they lost in the flood?
What did the Cave-men prize most of all?
Can you tell why they thought the fire was alive?
_What the Cave-men Lost in the Flood_
The Cave-men were anxious about their home, so they hastened to the cave.
Their bare feet left clear tracks in the layer of fine mud.
But they were too anxious about the fire to think of such things as tracks in the mud.
They did not know much about the fire or the flood, but they thought that they both were alive.
They feared that the fire had been driven away.
Yet they hoped to find a few live coals that they could kindle into a flame.
But not even a stone was left on the spot to mark the place where the fireplace had been.
Everything had been swept away by the flood.
Firekeeper searched in vain for a spark.
When at last she knew that the fire was gone, she wrung her hands and wailed.
The people joined in Firekeeper’s cries until Strongarm comforted them.
Strongarm hoped that their neighbors still had fire and sent Sharpeyes to find out.
Then he crept through the mouth of the cave to see what had happened there.
The water had gone down in the large cavern, but it was still rumbling below.
The floor of the cave was wet and slippery and covered with fine mud.
Slowly Strongarm groped his way through the dark and damp cavern.
He wanted to find Sabre-tooth’s skin.
He moved his hands over the floor of the cave and into each corner and crevice.
But no trace of the skin could he find.
Then the Cave-men hunted for their weapons, but they, too, had been carried away.
The Cave-men had lost all they had in the flood.
When they saw Sharpeyes coming they went to meet him, but he brought them no good news.
There was no more fire on the wooded hills.
There was sorrow everywhere.
THINGS TO DO
_Show what the Cave-men did when they went back to the cave. Draw a picture of them._
_Tell a story of what you think happened at one of the other caves._
XVII
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
How do you think the Cave-men will get fire?
Where can fire be found without making it?
If the Cave-men had seen a place where there were natural fires, do you think they would remember where it was?
What do you think happened to the wild animals during the flood?
_The Council_
The cave was too damp to live in for several days after the flood.
The Cave-men camped at its mouth and waited for it to dry.
Not an animal came near them during that time.
Many animals had been drowned in the flood.
Many more had escaped to higher lands.
The Cave-men were safe for a time, but they had to live on bark and roots.
They knew that the animals would return, so they began to make new weapons.
It was well that they made them as soon as they did, for the animals soon came back.
At first the animals kept away from the cave, but when they no longer saw the fire, they began to come up nearer.
Then the Cave-men were frightened.
Some of them wanted to leave the cave and live as the Tree-dwellers had lived.
But Strongarm wanted to stay in the cave and to keep all the people in the clan together.
He knew that they could not keep together unless they had fire again.
So he talked with the bravest men, and they decided to hold a council.
Messengers were sent to call all the people to a meeting at the fire clan’s cave.
By midday they had assembled.
They had not held many councils.
They were not used to obeying.
At first there was great confusion, and loud and boisterous talking.
Each had a plan of his own.
But soon they became more quiet and began to listen to the wisest men.
All eyes were soon turned toward an old man who had been their mightiest hunter.
But now he was getting old, and his strength was beginning to fail.
The old man arose in the silence, and thus he spoke to his people:
“Many years have we lived on these hillsides.
Our fathers lived here before us.
They lived many years without fire.
They lived, and they worked, and they waited.
The fire god came among them.
He gave them burning branches.
He told them they were his children.
He asked them to feed him daily.
We have always tried to obey him.
We have always fed him daily.
He has given us his protection.
But the water god was angry.
He came in all his fury.
He drove us from our dwelling.
He rushed upon our fire god.
He drove him far away.
Now the water god has gone.
Our fire god may return.
He may be near us now.
We must search till we surely find him.
We must bring him home again.”
For a moment the old man was silent.
He waited for some one to speak.
At last Strongarm asked the old man if he knew where the fire god now lived.
To this the old man responded:
“That no one knows truly.
I have heard that he dwells in the dry wood.
But he seems not to hear our voices.
I have heard that he dwells in the mountains.
Our fathers have been to the mountains.
They were hunting the musk sheep and the marmot.
One night they were tired and hungry.
They were seeking a place of refuge.
They saw a light in the distance.
They ran to it.
They found the flaming fire.
It gave them its protection.
I have heard there are dark chasms.
I have heard that the fire springs from them.
I think I can find these mountains.
But my steps are getting feeble.
I need the help of a young man.
Who will go on this long hard journey?”
Then Sharpeyes stepped forward and said that he would go with the old man.
Everybody knew that Sharpeyes was a brave young man, and so it was agreed that he should be the one to go.
THINGS TO DO
_Think of the old man as he talked to the people._
_Think of Sharpeyes as he stepped forward and said that he would go._
_Draw one of these pictures._
_Play holding a council._
XVIII
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
When you go traveling where do you stay at night? Where do you think the old man and Sharpeyes stayed?
Where do you get food when you travel? Where would the Cave-men get food?
What new clothing do you need before you go? What clothing do you think the Cave-men needed to get ready to go?
Did the Cave-men need anything that you do not need? Why?
_The Way to the Fire Country_
The Cave-men knew that the fire country was far away from the wooded hills.
They knew that the journey was a dangerous one, and that the old man and Sharpeyes might never return.
So they did all they could to help them prepare for the journey.
Much of the way was rocky, and they knew their bare feet would blister.
So they tried to make something to protect their feet.
They had not yet learned to make shoes and stockings, but they had often bound grass about their feet.
They had even learned to make braided grass sandals.
They braided the grass, then sewed it.
Braided grass sandals were good while they lasted, but they soon wore out.
So they made new sandals of thick, tough skin.
Part of the way was through thorny thickets, so they needed something to protect their legs.
They had not yet learned to make trousers or leggins, but they cut strips of skin to wind around their legs.
Skins that were worn as clothing by day served as blankets by night.
They dared not burden themselves with food, but trusted to killing game on the way.
So they were careful to take their best spears and axes.
They knew that their weapons might break, so they took tools and straps to mend them.
Everybody helped the old man and Sharpeyes.
Everybody arose early the morning they went away.
Sharpeyes and the old man put on their new clothing, and the women brought them food to eat.
As the old man slung a hollow gourd over his shoulder, Firekeeper came up and gave him a skin bag.
Nobody knew what the bag was for until Firekeeper showed them that it would hold water.
The old man was glad to take it and leave the hollow gourd at home.
Then the old man and Sharpeyes took leave of their kinfolk and started out on the long journey.
THINGS TO DO
_Make a pair of sandals of something that you can find growing out of doors._