Chapter 6

The men knew that the boys needed to try their strength before they could be really strong. They knew they must do brave deeds before they could be really brave. They knew they must suffer patiently before they could have self-control. And so the Cave-men tested the boys in many different ways.

If the boys stood the tests, the Cave-men shouted praises; but if they showed any sign of fear, the Cave-men jeered at them.

Sometimes the boys were given nothing to eat until they brought food from the hunt. And even then they were not always allowed to touch the food which was near. When the boys were fasting, the Cave-men tempted them with food. And if the boys took even a bite, they failed in the test. So Fleetfoot and Flaker learned to fast without a word of complaint.

One of the hardest things which the boys had to do was to make their own weapons. At first, Greybeard helped them; but, later, they had to do their own work.

So the boys learned to go to the trees that had the best wood for shafts. They learned to cut, and peel, and scrape, and oil, and season, and polish the sticks before they were ready to use. No wonder the boys became tired before all this work was done.

Then they worked very carefully before they could make good spearheads. They hunted for the best stones and learned to shape them very well. When they forgot and struck hard blows, they spoiled the flint points. Then Greybeard would tell them that the strongest and bravest hunters were those who could strike the gentlest blows.

It was work of this kind that was harder for the boys than chasing a wild horse or a reindeer. If they had not known that they must have weapons, they would not have had patience to do it.

While the boys worked at their weapons, they thought of what they would do with them. They thought of the trophies they would bring home and what the people would say. And they learned to sing at their work and to mark the time for each blow. And so they managed to keep at work until the weapons were done.

One day when the boys were flaking spear points, Fleetfoot turned to Flaker and said, "Do you know who made the first flaker?"

"Yes," answered Flaker, "it was Greybeard."

"No, no!" said Fleetfoot, "Nimble-finger did it."

Greybeard heard Fleetfoot speak his name and he came to the spot. Then it was that Fleetfoot learned that Greybeard was Nimble-finger.

After that Fleetfoot took great pains to learn how to flake flint points. He watched Greybeard as he worked and he listened to all he said.

Before many years had passed, the boys could make good weapons. They knew every spot on their own hunting ground. They knew the wild animals that lived there and what they liked to do. They knew each animal by its track. Each sound of the woods, each patch of light, they learned to read as you read a book.

#THINGS TO DO#

_Name things you will have to learn before you are full-grown._

_What kind of tests do you have to take?_

_Tell a story of the way the Cave-men tested Fleetfoot and Flaker._

_Tell a story of all that you think happened the day that Fleetfoot learned that Greybeard was Nimble-finger._

_Name the birds you can tell by their song. Name those you can tell by sight._

_Draw one of these pictures:_-- _Testing Fleetfoot and Flaker._ _Fleetfoot and Flaker in the workshop._ _Fleetfoot discovers Nimble-finger._

XXIV

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

What animals would the Cave-men see just before winter? Which of these live in herds? How are the leaders of the herds chosen?

What kind of a voice does the reindeer have when it is good-natured?

What kind of a voice does it have when it is angry?

_Fleetfoot and Flaker see a Combat_

One day just before winter, Fleetfoot and Flaker went out on the hills. The reindeer were coming back and the boys wanted to see them.

They had gone only a little way, when they saw two handsome stags. Each wanted to be leader of the reindeer herd, and so they were trying their strength.

The stags stood head to head, their red eyes blazing like fire. Their hair stood on end. They stamped their hoofs on the hard ground. They hissed fierce blasts to and fro.

Slowly and carefully they changed their position, still keeping head to head. Each reindeer knew that the lances of the other could strike deadly blows. Each reindeer had fought too many battles to expose himself to such blows.

And so the stags eyed each other, getting more angry all the while. Louder and fiercer sounded their blasts. Then their antlers crashed in a swift charge.

They pulled and pushed with all their might in a life and death struggle. Not until their strength was exhausted did they stop a moment to rest.

Then they tried to draw apart, but they found they could not do it. Each stag was held a prisoner by the antlers of the other. In vain the handsome creatures pulled and pushed. Each was held fast. And the boys, seeing their chance, secured both of the reindeer.

Perhaps it was well for the reindeer that the boys were there. At least, the boys saved them from a more horrible death. Reindeer caught in this way have suffered from hunger and thirst many days before death came.

The boys admired the beautiful reindeer as they lay stretched out on the ground. They felt of their polished antlers that had dealt many powerful blows. And they wished they had such weapons as these to use all of the time.

#THINGS TO DO#

_Show how the reindeer stood in the combat and how they changed their positions. Draw the picture._

_Take a flat surface of clay and see if you can model a reindeer so that it will stand out a little from the surface._

_Tell a story of what you think happened at the cave after the boys killed the reindeer._

XXV

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

If you have ever seen a cat hunt, tell how she does it. Can you think why cats do not hunt together?

Do dogs hunt alone, or with one another? How do wolves hunt?

In what ways can animals help one another in hunting? What animals do wolves hunt to-day? What animals did the wolves hunt in the time of the Cave-men?

_What Happened when Fleetfoot and Flaker Hunted the Bison_

When summer came, Fleetfoot and Flaker watched the bison from day to day. The wolves, too, watched the bison. One day the boys saw two wolves hunt a bison that had strayed from the herd.

The wolves walked boldly up toward the bison until they were only a few paces away. Then they went cautiously.

The bison paid no attention at first; but when the wolves came closer, he stamped his foot and shook his horns. Any animal could know that the bison meant, "It is dangerous here. Keep away!"

But the wolves had a plan and they carried it out. The smaller wolf kept the bison's attention by making believe attack from the front. This gave the big wolf a chance; and he cut the large muscles of the bison's knees with his sharp teeth. The bison was thus crippled so badly that the wolves were more than a match for him.

"I wonder if we could get a bison," said Flaker as the boys watched the wolves at their feast.

"Let's try," said Fleetfoot.

"But how can we get close up," said Flaker, "without frightening the bison away?"

"Let's dress in wolf-skins," said Fleetfoot, "and make believe we are wolves."

And the boys dressed in wolf-skins and took their best hunting knives. They watched the herd until they saw a large bison stray away. Then the boys approached the bison, and they looked so much like wolves that they got very close before the bison threatened with his horns.

Then the boys made the attack. Flaker took the part of the little wolf and attacked the bison's head. Fleetfoot took the part of the big wolf and tried to cripple the bison.

But the boys had not counted upon the bison's tough skin. They had not counted upon his muscles, which were as hard as boards. Flaker's dagger glanced off at one side and merely scratched the bison. But it made the creature so angry that he charged upon Flaker.

Meanwhile Fleetfoot was doing his best to cut the hard muscles of the bison's knee. He forgot about everything else until he had lamed one of the forelegs. It was then that the bison charged and that Flaker called for help. And then Fleetfoot tried to rescue Flaker by drawing the bison's attention away.

Fleetfoot did this just in time to save Flaker's life. He struck at the Bison's head, then dodged in time to escape his horns. He dodged again and again until he was almost exhausted. The bison limped, but he seemed as strong and as furious as ever. Once again the bison charged, and again Fleetfoot dodged. Then a spear whizzed past Fleetfoot's head and a voice called, "Climb a tree."

Fleetfoot never remembered running to the tree. He never remembered climbing it. But for many days he seemed to see himself in the tree and the bison just beneath. For many days he seemed to hear Greybeard's welcome voice.

Greybeard and Fleetfoot stayed in the trees until the bison started up the ravine. Then they climbed down from one of the trees and hurried to see what had happened to Flaker.

#THINGS TO DO#

_Tell something that you have learned from watching an animal._

_Mention as many things as you can that you think the Cave-men learned from animals._

_Straighten and bend your elbow or knee so as to find where the strong muscles are._

_Tell why the Cave-men tried to cut the strong muscles of the bison's knee. We say when we cut these large muscles that we have "hamstrung" the animal._

_Look at the picture of a Cave-man's carving of an animal which has been "hamstrung." Can you tell what animal it is?_

_Think of the two wolves coming up toward the bison. Model one of them in clay. See if the children can guess which one it is._

XXVI

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

What do you think had happened to Flaker? If any of his bones were broken, do you think the Cave-men could set them? Do you think there were doctors when the Cave-men lived? Who would do the work which doctors do to-day?

_What the Cave-men did for Flaker_

Fleetfoot ran ahead of Greybeard and found Flaker on the ground. Fleetfoot stooped and looked into his face. He called him by name. No answer came. Then Fleetfoot asked Greybeard if Flaker was dead.

Greybeard shook his head as he bent down and laid his hands upon the boy. He examined his wounds, then said to Fleetfoot, "Let's carry him down to the cool spring."

So Greybeard and Fleetfoot lifted Flaker and carried him gently down to the spring. There they bathed his face and the ugly wounds with fresh cool water. They bound his wounds with strips of the skins that the boys wore that day.

When Greybeard tried to set the broken bones, Flaker began to moan. He opened his eyes for a moment; then he fell back in a swoon.

Then Greybeard sent Fleetfoot to the cave for help. And Fleetfoot hurried and told Antler; and Antler, picking up some little things which she knew she would need, and telling the women to follow quickly with a large skin, went with Fleetfoot to the spot where Flaker lay.

Greybeard was watching beside the boy when Antler arrived. He helped her set the broken bones and then they prepared to carry him home.

Taking the skin which the women brought, Antler stretched it upon the ground. Then the women helped her lift the boy and lay him upon the skin. Gently they laid him upon the stretcher. Softly they stepped as they carried him home. They tended him carefully many days.

Flaker's wounds soon healed. But when he was strong enough to walk, the Cave-men saw that he was lame.

Flaker was always lame after that. The bones had slipped out of place and now it was too late to reset them. Afterwards the Cave-men learned better ways of setting broken bones. They found better ways of holding them in place while they grew together.

Perhaps the Cave-men learned this by watching the wild animals. Some birds, when they break a leg, hold the bones in place with wet clay. Sometimes we use a plaster cast, but the Cave-men knew nothing about such a way.

The days seemed long to Flaker while he was getting well. Everybody was kind to him, but it seemed hard to keep quiet when everybody else was moving about.

When Fleetfoot went out to hunt, Flaker wanted to go too. But he could not go, and so Fleetfoot used to tell him everything that happened.

#THINGS TO DO#

_Show how the women helped Antler put Flaker upon the skin. Show how they carried him home. Draw one of the pictures._

_Find out why a child's bones will grow together more easily than an old person's bones. See if you can find out what bones are made of. Soak a bone in acid and see what happens to it. Burn a bone and see what happens to it. Why do a child's bones break less easily than an old person's?_

_If there is a spring in your neighborhood, go and see it. Find out where the water comes from._

XXVII

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

If Flaker is lame, how will he be able to get food? What do you think he can do that will be useful to the clan?

Do you think the Cave-men took as good care of the sick, and the lame, and the old people, as we do? What could they do for them?

Why did the men use weapons more than tools? Why did the women use tools more than weapons?

Think of as many tools as you can that the women used.

_How Flaker Learned to Make Weapons of Bone_

Before Flaker was hurt he and Fleetfoot had planned to do many things. But now Flaker was lame, and all the Cave-men knew he would never be able to hunt.

When Flaker first knew it, he was very sad. And so Fleetfoot tried to comfort him. Each day he brought him a bird or a rabbit, and he told him all that had happened.

For a while Flaker thought that if a man could not hunt, there was nothing else for him to do. But soon he found there were many things to do besides going out to hunt.

Flaker began by doing a few little things to help Fleetfoot. He helped him flake heads for harpoons and javelins and make strong shafts.

When Greybeard and Fleetfoot praised his work, Flaker was very happy. And so Flaker busied himself in the workshop when the men went out to hunt. Sometimes Chipper helped him, and often Greybeard worked with him.

When Flaker was tired he would look at the trophies which were fastened on the wall near the cave. He was always glad to see the locked antlers of the two stags.

As he looked at the strong antlers, he could almost see the handsome stags. He thought of them standing head to head ready to strike deadly blows. And he wished he had had such powerful weapons to meet the bison's charge.

The children wanted to be good to Flaker and so they brought him the antlers they found. They liked to play with the antlers, and their mothers used them in many ways. They had learned to cut them with choppers and chisels, and sometimes they cut them with stone knives.

All the women used the small prongs of the antlers. They used them as wedges in prying the bark loose from the sap-wood of young trees. All the women had learned to make hammers of antler by making two cuts near the base. And sometimes they used the broad end of the brow antler instead of a stone chisel.

Once when Flaker was watching Antler, he thought she was making a dagger. But Antler had not thought of making a dagger. She was making a hammer and wedge. When she had finished, she dropped the long beam of the antler upon the ground and went away with her tools.

Flaker kept his eyes fixed upon the long beam. The more he looked at it, the more it looked like a dagger. At length he reached and picked it up. Then he took his knife and began to cut it.

That night when Fleetfoot came home, Flaker gave him a dagger of reindeer horn. Fleetfoot showed it to Bighorn, who took it, then tossed it on the ground.

Bighorn had never seen such a dagger. He thought a good dagger had to be made of stone. So he made fun of Flaker's weapon, then thought no more about it.

But Greybeard and Chipper did not make fun of the weapons Flaker made. They tried the dagger next day, and found that it stood the test. So they asked Flaker to make each of them daggers and javelins of reindeer horn.

#THINGS TO DO#

_Tell all you know about the antlers of full-grown stags. Tell all you know about the antlers of other reindeer._

_Look at the antlers in the pictures on pages 16, 17, 108, and 121. Find the part that would make such a wedge as is shown on page 119. Find the part that would make such a hammer as is shown on page 74. Find a part for a chisel or scraper. Find the long beam that was used in making such a dagger as is shown on page 123. Do you think that Flaker's first dagger was carved in this way? Can you tell why the Cave-men carved their weapons?_

_Act out the part of this story you like best._

_Draw one of these pictures:_-- _Flaker watching for Fleetfoot's return._ _The children bringing antlers to Flaker._ _The women at work making tools._ _Fleetfoot showing the dagger to Bighorn._ _Greybeard and Chipper asking Flaker to make daggers._

_Make as many simple tools as you can out of bone or horn. Find ways of using them._

XXVIII

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

What do you think Flaker used in cutting the antler? What tools will he need to use in making weapons of bone or horn?

What do you think the first saws were? How do you think people came to use saws? How large do you think they were?

What are files used for? Can you think what the first files were like? What do you think they were used for?

_How Flaker Invented the Saw_

How glad Flaker was when Greybeard and Chipper asked him to make them some daggers! He looked at all the antlers the children had brought. He thought of the reindeer he had seen with antlers such as these. He remembered the handsome reindeer with their deadly weapons, and at length he chose the large antlers which had belonged to a handsome stag.

Flaker looked at the long beams and decided to use them for daggers. He took his knife to cut off the prongs, but he could scarcely cut them with a knife.

Flaker knew that the women cut the prongs with a chopper, but a chopper was a woman's tool. And Flaker wanted to be like the men. And so he kept working with his knife, but he wished he had taken a beam which the women had left.

When he was tired using his knife, he played with some flint flakes. He ran his fingers over the sharp edges. Then he carelessly pressed off tiny flakes.

But Flaker soon tired of this and he picked up the antler again. He pushed a flint flake back and forth upon one of the prongs of the antler.

Flaker was simply playing at first; but when he saw that the flint was cutting, his play became real work. And he kept on pushing and pulling the flake until the prong fell to the ground. Then he sawed off other prongs, but he did not know he was sawing.

Flaker had never seen a saw and he did not know what it was. He did not know that when he pressed off the tiny flakes he made the teeth of a flint saw.

But Flaker had made a saw. It was only the rough edge of a flint flake. No doubt such rough edges had been made many times before. But Flaker learned to use the rough edge by pushing and pulling it back and forth.

When Flaker sawed the prongs from the beam, some of the places were rough. So he rubbed them with the face of the flint until he made them smooth. When Flaker did this, the flake, which had been only a knife, became a file as well as a saw.

Greybeard and Chipper tried the new daggers and found that they were sharp and strong. And the next time they went on the chase they took the new weapons along.

Bighorn saw the new weapons, but he said little about them. For Bighorn knew better than to make fun of weapons Greybeard used.

Nothing pleased Flaker more than to be able to help Greybeard. And so he cherished the new tool that he used in shaping reindeer horn. Sometimes he showed it to Greybeard, who was always kind to the boys. But even the wise old man had no idea of what a wonderful tool it was.

The other Cave-men saw the tool, but they thought very little about it. They cared a great deal about the weapons they used in the chase. But few of the Cave-men ever thought of making anything they did not need right away.

And so little was said about the new tool which was a knife with two blades, a saw, and a file, all in one. Nobody dreamed at that time that the little tool was the forerunner of a great change.

#THINGS TO DO#

_If you can strike off a large flint flake with three faces, see if you can make it into a knife-saw-file._

_Look at the picture, or at the real tool you have made, and find the plain face that can be used as a file._

_Find the two edges which can be used as knives. Find the edge which has a crest of teeth, and which can be used as a saw._

_Draw one of these pictures:_-- _The women chopping prongs from the beam of the antler._ _Flaker sawing the prongs off the antler._

XXIX

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Can you think why the females and the young males of the reindeer herd could drive the old stags away during the winter? Could they do it in the summer?

Why can the reindeer walk easily in the snow or on slippery places?

What is it that makes the clicking sound when reindeer walk or run?

Why were the Cave-men careful to make no mistake in the dance?

_The Reindeer Dance_

Fleetfoot did not hunt with the men, but he learned many things from them. In early winter, he heard them tell stories of dangerous encounters with ugly stags. When the old stags shed their antlers, he saw the men dance the reindeer dance.

Fleetfoot mimicked the reindeer's movements and the grunting sounds they made. But he was not allowed to join with the men in dancing the reindeer dance. Only brave men were allowed to join in the dance. Only the bravest men were allowed to lead.

But Fleetfoot stood near and saw everything that was done. Some of the men put on headdresses made of the antlers of the reindeer. Others put on reindeer suits without the headdress of antlers. Those that were to be the Cave-men painted their faces and carried trophies.

Fleetfoot wished that he could have a headdress and take part in the dance. He wondered how long he would have to wait before he could dance with the men. He wondered how many brave things he must do before he would rank as a man.

And when Fleetfoot saw the men standing in silence while Greybeard made offerings to the gods, he looked at the brave old man and wondered how a man could be so wise. Then he thought of Chew-chew's stories of brave men of olden times.

At length Fleetfoot saw Flaker, who was sitting all alone. He went and sat beside him and they watched the men dance.

The men had finished dressing, and the women were seated on the ground. They had rolls of skin, and rude drums, and rattles of reindeer hoofs.

At a signal from Bighorn, a group of men came dancing to the music of the rattles. They moved about and made low grunting sounds as though they were a reindeer herd.

Then the music changed. The women drummed upon skins and hummed in a weird way. They tried to show by the sound of the music the coming of a storm.