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diff --git a/old/50484-0.txt b/old/50484-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d758f49..0000000 --- a/old/50484-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5220 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The First Days of Man, by Frederic Arnold Kummer - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The First Days of Man - As Narrated Quite Simply for Young Readers - -Author: Frederic Arnold Kummer - -Release Date: November 18, 2015 [EBook #50484] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRST DAYS OF MAN *** - - - - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, Chris Curnow and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - _The Earth's Story: I_ - - THE FIRST DAYS OF MAN - - FREDERIC ARNOLD KUMMER - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: AFTER MOTHER NATURE HAD SENT HEAT AWAY TO MELT UP SOME -OTHER WORLDS, SHE CALLED FOR HIS BROTHER, COLD, AND COLD CAME RUSHING -UP, HIS GREAT WHITE WINGS GLITTERING WITH FROST.] - - - - - _The Earth's Story: I_ - - THE FIRST DAYS - OF MAN - - AS NARRATED QUITE SIMPLY - FOR YOUNG READERS - - BY - - FREDERIC ARNOLD KUMMER - - ILLUSTRATED - -[Illustration] - - NEW YORK - GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, - BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - - THE FIRST DAYS OF MAN. II - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - -[Illustration] - - -ACKNOWLEDGMENT - - -THE Author desires to express his thanks to Dr. William K. Gregory, -of the American Museum of Natural History, as well as to the other -Museum authorities, for their courtesy and assistance in the matter -of illustrations, and in the preparation of the text. The book does -not pretend, of course, to be a strictly scientific work. Many -liberties have been taken, in order to render the subject interesting -to the youthful mind. Man's early inventions did not come about so -simply as is pictured in the various chapters. But the development of -civilisation is a romance, and only by so treating it can we hope to -enlist the interest of the young reader. It is sufficient that the -story rests upon a foundation of fact. - - - - -[Illustration] - - -PREFACE FOR PARENTS - - -EVERY child, between the ages of five and fifteen, seeks by constant -questioning to grasp the fundamental facts upon which our whole fabric -of present-day knowledge is based. These facts, painfully gathered -by the human race during its many centuries of development, must of -necessity be absorbed by the child within the short space of some ten -or twelve years. It is a prodigious task, and one in which the growing -mind should be afforded every possible assistance. Two courses are -usually adopted by parents; one, to dismiss the child's questions with -the stock phrase, "You are not old enough to understand," the other, to -place in his hands some so-called book of knowledge, containing, it is -true, a great mass of information which the child should possess, but -usually so badly presented, so jumbled together, that no one fact has -any bearing on another, and thus the child is left to turn from "Why -the ocean is salt?" to "What is a lightning rod?" without the least -understanding of the principles and laws which underly these and all -other facts, and link them together in a composite whole. - -The writer has followed, with his own children, a method of presenting -the steps in the gradual development of man which has produced most -gratifying results. Instead of treating each fact, each laboriously -accumulated bit of human knowledge, as a mere isolated patch in a -crazy-quilt of information, he has attempted to arrange them in logical -sequence, to form an interesting pattern, so that as the child's fund -of knowledge increases, he feels a deeper and deeper interest in -fitting each newly acquired fact into its proper place in his mental -picture of things. - -The result is that the child is constantly building a structure which -he understands. His mass of accumulated knowledge is not heaped -together hap-hazard, like a pile of blocks, but each occupies its -proper and logical place in a slowly developing whole. He derives -pleasure from what would otherwise be hard work, just as he would -derive pleasure from fitting together the pieces of a puzzle picture; -he finds himself progressing toward some understandable end, and -without knowing it, he has not only gathered his facts, and catalogued -them, but he has begun to think about them, and their relation to each -other, in short, he has begun the process of logical thought, which is -the first and greatest step in all education. - -In this process of storing away in his brain the accumulated knowledge -of the ages, the child's mind passes, with inconceivable rapidity, -along the same route that the composite minds of his ancestors -travelled, during their centuries of development. The impulse that -causes him to want to hunt, to fish, to build brush huts, to camp out -in the woods, to use his hands as well as his brain, is an inheritance -from the past, when his primitive ancestors did these things. He -should be helped to trace the route they followed with intelligence -and understanding, he should be encouraged to know the woods and -all the great world of out of doors, to make and use the primitive -weapons, utensils, toys, his ancestors made and used, to come into -closer contact with the fundamental laws of nature, and thus to lay a -groundwork for wholesome and practical thinking which cannot be gained -in the classroom, or the city streets. - -As has been said, the writer has tested the methods outlined above. The -chapters in "The Earth's Story" are merely the things he has told his -own children. It is of interest to note that one of these, a boy of -seven, on first going to school, easily outstripped in a single month -a dozen or more children who had been at school almost a year, and was -able to enter a grade a full year ahead of them. The child in question -is not in the least precocious, but having understood the knowledge -he has gained, he is able to make use of it, he has a definite mental -perspective, a sure grasp on things, which makes study of any kind easy -for him, and progression correspondingly rapid. - -Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the fact that methods of thinking -are more important, than the particular things we think about. Right -thinking is the cornerstone of all mental development. In the writer's -opinion it is the great lack in modern education. - - FREDERIC ARNOLD KUMMER. - - _Catonsville, Maryland._ - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I HOW MOTHER NATURE MADE THE - EARTH READY FOR MAN 19 - - II THE FISH THAT GOT STUCK IN THE MUD 29 - - III THE APE THAT WALKED LIKE A MAN 40 - - IV THE HUNGRY APE AND THE BUNCH OF - WILD FRUIT 51 - - V THE CAVE, AND THE FISH 63 - - VI ADH'S FIRST FIGHT 76 - - VII RA MAKES A NEW SPEAR 87 - - VIII MA-RA FINDS A NEW KIND OF FOOD, AND A - COAT OF FUR 103 - - IX THE COMING OF FIRE 117 - - X THE FIRST BOAT 133 - - XI TOR-AD THE POTTER 148 - - XII HOW RA-NA SAVED HIS PEOPLE 162 - - XIII THE FIRST BOW AND ARROW 173 - - XIV KA-MA THE TRAVELLER 182 - - XV THE SEA PEOPLE 199 - - XVI MA-YA BUILDS A CANOE 209 - - XVII THE CONQUERORS 225 - - XVIII THE ISLAND MEN 245 - - XIX THE FIRST SEA FIGHT 259 - - XX THE SEA ROVERS 276 - - XXI THE END OF THE STONE AGE 285 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - -[Illustration] - - - COLD CAME RUSHING UP, HIS GREAT WHITE - WINGS GLITTERING WITH FROST _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - BEFORE MAN 37 - - THE FIRST THINKER 57 - - THE WOODEN SPEAR 73 - - THE CAVE MAN'S FIGHT WITH A BEAR 79 - - THE HOME OF EARLY MAN 83 - - THE FIGHT WITH A MAMMOTH 91 - - THE BEGINNING OF THE STONE AGE 95 - - TYPES OF WEAPONS USED BY EARLY MAN 99 - - THE BEAR SKIN 111 - - THE FIRST FIRE 119 - - THE FIRST COOK 127 - - THE FIRST VOYAGE 137 - - A DUG-OUT CANOE OF EARLY MAN 137 - - THE FIRST ARTIST 149 - - THE FIRST POTTER 155 - - THE SACRED FIRE 167 - - BOWS AND ARROWS AND SLINGS 177 - - EARLY STONE WEAPONS AND IMPLEMENTS 195 - - EARLY METHODS OF BREAD AND FIRE MAKING 231 - - THE FIRST MUSIC 267 - - THE FIRST ARMOUR 271 - - STONEHENGE 287 - - - - -THE FIRST DAYS OF MAN - -[Illustration] - - - - -THE FIRST DAYS OF MAN - - - - -CHAPTER I - -HOW MOTHER NATURE MADE THE EARTH READY FOR MAN - - -IN the beginning, millions of years ago, before there were any men, or -animals, or trees, or flowers, the Earth was just a great round ball of -fire, bright and dazzling, like the Sun. - -Instead of being solid, as it is now, it was a huge cloud of white-hot -gases, whirling through space. - -We all know how solids can be turned into liquids, and liquids into -gases, by Heat, for we have only to heat a solid piece of ice to turn -it into a liquid, water, and if we keep on heating the water, _it_ will -turn into a gas, which we call steam. It was the same way with all the -solid things on the Earth; Heat had turned them all to gases, like -steam. - -Then God called Mother Nature to Him and told her to get the Earth -ready for Man to live on. - -So Mother Nature sent Heat away to melt up some other worlds, and -called for his brother, Cold. And Cold came rushing up, his great white -wings glittering with frost. - -"What can I do for you, Mother Nature?" he asked. - -"Blow on the Earth with all your might, Cold," said Mother Nature, "and -get it ready for Man to live on." Then she flew away, and as she went -she took a piece of the Earth-cloud and rolled it into a ball, and set -it spinning in space about the Earth, so that it might cool down later -and be the Moon. - -When Mother Nature had gone, Cold, who was the spirit of the great -outer darkness in which the Sun and Stars move, hovered about the Earth -and blew on it with all his might, and as his icy breath swept over the -fiery Earth, the hot gases began to get cooler and cooler, and at last -they turned back to liquids again. And after that, they got cooler -still and began to turn to solids, just as hot melted taffy gets hard -and solid when it cools. - -It took Cold a very long time to cool the Earth, millions of years, but -he did not mind, for he had nothing else to do. So he blew and blew, -and after a while a hard solid crust began to form all over the Earth, -very rough and uneven, with high hills and mountains sticking up here -and there, and between them great wide valleys and plains, all of solid -rock. - -When Mother Nature came back to look at the Earth, Cold asked her how -she liked it. - -"You have done very well, Cold," she said, "but it isn't fit for Man to -live on yet, for it is too hot, and there isn't any water. Blow some -more, and make Rain." - -So Cold blew again, on the great white clouds of steam that came -rolling up from the hot Earth, and his icy breath cooled the steam and -turned it into Rain, just as the steam from a teakettle will turn to -little drops of water if you cool it suddenly. And the Rain fell back -on the Earth, year after year, until at last it filled up the great -wide plains and valleys between the hills and turned them into rivers, -and lakes and oceans. But they were boiling hot. - -"How do you like it now, Mother Nature?" asked Cold. - -"It still isn't fit for anything to live on," said Mother Nature. "You -must cool it some more. And tell Rain to make some earth for things to -grow in. They can't grow in solid rock." - -So Cold blew again, harder than ever, and as the cool Rain fell he said: - -"Rain, will you please make some earth for things to grow in?" - -"Very well," said Rain. "I will." - -So Rain fell for days and months and years on the hot rocks, and -cracked and softened them, and each little raindrop as it rushed down -the sides of the mountains, carried a bit of soft, crumbling rock -down into the valleys, and after a very long time, all these bits of -rock-dust which Rain had washed down from the hills formed great wide -beds of mud covering the rocky surface of the plains many feet deep. - -At the same time that Rain was washing the soft rock down into the -valleys to form mud, he also carried down many bits of harder rock, -yellow and white, and other colours, like glass. These rocks would not -form mud, because they were too hard, but instead they became smooth -round pebbles of all sizes, with millions of tiny bits, called sand, -and the rivers carried them down to the ocean, and made beautiful clean -beaches, as you can see whenever you go to the seashore. And Rain -washed many other things out of the rocks and carried them down into -the ocean, such as salt. There are great beds of rock-salt all over the -Earth, and Rain melted them, and washed the salt into the ocean, and -that is why the ocean is salt. - -When Mother Nature, who was very busy, came to look at the Earth she -smiled, because it pleased her. - -"You have done very well, Cold and Rain," she said. "All the rivers and -lakes and oceans are full of nice warm water, and all the valleys and -plains are covered with soft warm mud, ready for things to grow in. I -think I had better speak to the Sun." - -So Mother Nature said to the Sun: - -"Sun, the Earth is ready for you now. Please make something grow." Then -she went away to look after some other worlds she was fixing up. - -The Sun looked down at the Earth and smiled as he saw the nice rich -beds of mud, and the great wide Ocean. - -"Are you ready, Ocean?" he asked. - -"Yes," said the Ocean. "I am warm and salt and full of Rain." - -"Good. We shall need plenty of Rain," said the Sun. Then he turned to -the Air. - -"Are you moist and warm, Air?" he asked. "Yes," said the Air. "I am -very moist and warm." - -"Good," said the Sun. Then he turned to the beds of mud. - -"Mud," he said, "you are ugly and black, but you are also full of nice -rich chemicals and all sorts of substances we need to make things -grow. With the help of Air, and Rain, I am going to cover you with a -beautiful carpet of green, so that you will not be ugly any longer." - -So the Sun turned his blazing rays on the soft mud and warmed it, -and then a wonderful thing happened. Tiny living things, like plants, -formed out of the chemicals in the Mud and the Water, and the Air, -began to spring up, just as God had long ago planned. They were very -small and weak at first, but after a while they grew stronger and -stronger, until they had spread all over the Earth, wherever there was -mud or dirt for them to grow in. And later on, because the Air was so -moist and warm, the way it is in the tropics, and because the Sun was -so hot, and there was plenty of Rain, the plants on the Earth grew to -be very large and strong. There were ferns, like the little ones we see -in flower-pots, as big as trees, and all sorts of tall, rank grasses, -and vines, even at the North and South Poles, for in those days, before -the Earth had cooled down the way it has now, the Poles were warm, too. - -For hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years these great ferns and -other plants grew, and died, and fell back into the mud, and as they -rotted they made more earth, for other plants to grow in, so that the -earth-covering on top of the rocks grew thicker and thicker. In some -places the leaves and trunks of these fern-trees got mashed down on -each other in thick layers, and became harder and harder, until they -turned to coal. Often, in coal mines, the miners will break open a lump -of coal and find printed in its surface the exact pattern of the leaf -of one of these great fern-trees, just as it fell, millions of years -ago. - -While all this was going on, Mother Nature, having a little time -to spare, came back to take a look at the Earth. It was one of the -smallest worlds she had to look after, so she could not give it all her -time. - -"It is doing very nicely indeed," she said to the Sun. "In eight or ten -million years it may be ready for Man. But we must have some fish and -other things first. Won't you please attend to it for me, Sun? I am -very busy just now looking after some new-born stars in the Milky Way." - -"Certainly," said the Sun. "I will attend to it at once." So he turned -to the Ocean. - -"Ocean," he said, "wouldn't you like to have some fish swimming about -in you?" - -"Indeed I should," said the Ocean. "I am very big, and I have plenty of -room for all the fish you can make." - -"Good," said the Sun. "Do you see those tiny spongy growths along the -edge of the mud—those funny little things like jelly-fish. I have -noticed that some of them haven't quite made up their minds yet whether -to be plants, or fish. They have begun to wriggle and squirm about -in the mud, and a plant, you know, is supposed to take root and stay -in one place. Don't you think we ought to help them to make up their -minds?" - -"Yes," said the Ocean. "What do you want me to do?" - -"Well, suppose you gently wash them loose from the shore, and let them -drift for a while in your nice warm salt water. Maybe they will get to -like it." - -"I'll try it," said the Ocean. - -So he did, and after a time the tiny creatures got to like the water -so much that they lived in it all the time, instead of just squirming -about in the mud. And as thousands of years went by, some of them grew -little shell-houses to live in, and some of them fastened themselves -to rocks, like oysters, and waited for food to drift right into their -mouths, but others grew fins and tails, so that they could swim about -in search of something to eat. It took a very long time of course, but -after a while, as they grew and grew, and changed and changed, the -Ocean came to be full of all sorts of fish, large and small. And the -Ocean was very proud of them. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE FISH THAT GOT STUCK IN THE MUD - - -WHEN Mother Nature came back to take a look at things she was delighted -to see how well they were going. - -"The trees and plants and grass are doing nicely," she said, "and so -are the fish. Now we must get some animals on land, and you, Ocean, -must attend to it for me." - -"What can _I_ do?" the Ocean asked. "I haven't any animals to put on -the land." - -"Then you must put some fish there, and I will see that they are turned -into animals." - -"But fish can't live on the land," said the Ocean. "They haven't any -lungs to breathe air with. They can only breathe in the water." - -"I know that," said Mother Nature, smiling. "You just do as I tell you, -and leave the rest to me." - -"What do you want me to do?" asked the Ocean. - -"Tell the Wind to blow a great storm, and wash some of your fish up -into the salt marshes. And after that, have your waves build a wall of -sand along the edge of the marshes, so that the fish and the water you -have washed in cannot get out again." - -"I will do it," said the Ocean, "but I do not see any sense in it." - -"You will, when I have finished," Mother Nature said. - -So the Ocean spoke to the Wind, and told him to blow his hardest, and -the Wind howled and shrieked with joy and drove the waves before him, -and they danced and rolled up into the great wide marshes and carried -thousands and thousands of fish with them. Then other waves came, -carrying sand, and with the sand they built a wall all along the edge -of the marshes, so that the water in the marshes could not get out -again, but stayed there, spread out like a great shallow inland sea. - -Then Mother Nature said to the Sun: - -"Sun, dry up the marshes, and see what happens." - -So the Sun blazed down on the marshes and began to dry them up. It took -him thousands of years to do it, for they were very large, but he did -not mind that, for he had nothing to do but shine. - -The fish that had been carried into the marshes had a great time, at -first, swimming about in the shallow water quite as much at home as -they had been in the Ocean. But after a while, as the marshes began to -dry up, some of the fish got caught in the mud on the edges, and they -couldn't breathe, with their heads out of water, so they flopped their -fins in the mud, and tried to breathe the air, and at last, by pushing -with their fins, they managed to get back into the deeper water again. -Every time this happened, their fins got a little tougher and stronger, -from pushing themselves along in the mud, and their lungs got a little -more used to breathing air, instead of water, and by the time thousands -of years had gone by, and the water in the marshes was nearly all dried -up, the great-great-great-grandchildren of the first fish had got so -used to breathing air that they did not mind it a bit, and their fins -had got so used to rubbing along on the mud that they weren't fins any -longer, but had changed to short, strong little webbed feet. - -Mother Nature came and looked at them, and laughed. - -"You see, Ocean," she said, "I knew what I was about. Your fish have -turned into reptiles. They can live on land as well as in the water, -and they have legs and feet." - -"How did you do it?" the Ocean asked. - -"I did not do it. There is a wonderful law, made by God, which takes -care of all such things. No matter what sort of a life any creature is -in the habit of living, if you make him live another kind of life, he -will change himself to suit it. Your fish couldn't breathe air, when -they first tried it, but as soon as they _had_ to breathe it, this law -I speak of helped them, so that their lungs began to change, and before -long, they had grown a new pair of lungs, fitted to breathe air. It was -the same way with their feet; the tender fins they used to swim about -in the water with weren't hard and tough enough to scrape against the -mud and rocks, so they have grown tougher and stronger fins, like -little legs, to get about with. You may be sure that God knew what He -was about when He planned the Universe, and made its laws. You just -watch these reptiles we have made, and see what happens to them. I'll -be back in a million years or so, and see how things are getting along. -We'll be ready for Man pretty soon." Then Mother Nature went away to -look after some comets that had gotten lost and were dashing madly -through space, trying to find out where they belonged. - -The Ocean watched the reptiles in the great salt marsh, and saw many -wonderful things. As the water in the marsh got lower and lower, being -dried up by the Sun, the mud in the marsh got harder and firmer, and -the reptiles in it, who lived partly on land and partly in the water, -found after a while that there wasn't enough water left for them all to -live in, so thousands of them crept inland, away from the sea, and made -their homes in the great fern forests, or among the rocks on the bare -hillsides and plains. And no matter what sort of a life they lived, -they changed to suit it. - -Some made their homes in the soft earth along the edges of the marsh, -squirming along on their stomachs, and as they did not need feet and -legs to squirm with, their feet and legs got smaller and smaller, until -they did not have any at all, and they became snakes. Some dug holes -in the hard ground with their feet, to make homes for themselves, and -from digging and digging, their feet became very strong, with hard, -sharp nails on them. And those that lived under the ground all the -time, feeding on the roots of plants, lost their eyes and became blind, -because they no longer needed eyes to see with, in their dark burrows, -just like the moles we see digging under our lawns to-day. Some, like -the frogs and the turtles, stayed in the marshes. The frogs made holes -in the mud to live in, but the turtles grew hard shells on their backs, -so that they could carry their homes about with them, and sleep on the -open ground without any fear that other animals could harm them. Some -of the reptiles, who liked the water best, crawled out of the marshes -into the rivers, and became crocodiles, and alligators, while those -that went inland forgot all about the water, and instead of scales, -or shiny skins, like the reptiles, they grew hair on their bodies, to -protect them and keep them warm. Some, who took to living in the trees, -grew sharp claws, and long legs, to climb with, while others, who did -not care for climbing, but ran around on their four feet all day, found -that after a time their feet grew very hard and strong, and because -they did not use their toes any more, they gradually lost them, and -grew hoofs, like the horse, or the deer. And some, who liked the trees -better than the ground, because there were always plenty of berries -and fruits to be found there, stayed in the tree-tops all the time, -and never came to the ground. Their front fins had gradually become -larger, from flopping them in the air all the time, and at last, after -many thousands of years, these fins became wings, and the trees in the -forest were full of birds. - -The kinds of food the new animals ate had a great deal to do with their -shapes and sizes. Some, like the deer, the huge elephants we call -mammoths, and the giraffes, who came later, grew very fond of the fresh -green leaves of the trees, and ate them most of the time. The giraffe -got into the habit of reaching up so far for the tender leaves that his -neck grew longer and longer, until now he has the longest neck of any -animal in the world. - -Some animals, instead of eating leaves, or fruit, learned to eat other -animals, and so their teeth and claws got very large and sharp, and -their bodies very quick and strong, like the lions and tigers, so that -they could jump upon the creatures they ate and tear them to pieces. - -Because the Earth was so warm and comfortable, and there was plenty -to eat, some of the animals grew to be very large. There were mammoth -elephants, two or three times as large as the elephants we see in the -circus to-day, with shaggy hair, and long curving tusks to fight with. -And there were animals like lizards, some of them almost as big as -whales, and others with long necks, and wings like a bat, that flew -about over the marshes, eating smaller animals, or the leaves of plants -and trees. As the Earth became cooler, many of these early sorts of -animals died out, became extinct, as we call it, and we only know that -they once lived, because sometimes we find the bones or skeletons of -them lying in beds of clay or rock. - -[Illustration: BEFORE MAN - -Because the Earth was so warm and comfortable, and there was plenty to -eat, some of the animals grew to be very large.] - -All these changes the Ocean watched while Mother Nature was away, -and the laws that God had made to govern the Universe filled him -with wonder. Even in his own kingdom of the sea he saw strange -things—flying fish, and others that grew swords at the ends of their -noses, to spear their enemies with. And he even saw, at the very bottom -of the sea, where it is always dark, fish that grew little electric -lights like the lights of a firefly, by which they were able to see -their way about in the darkness. - -When the new animals had spread all over the edge of the Earth, Mother -Nature came back to see how everything was going. - -"Splendid," she said, when she had looked things over. "The plants, and -the fish, and the animals are all doing very nicely indeed. Now we are -ready for Man." - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE APE THAT WALKED LIKE A MAN - - -WHEN Mother Nature told the Sun that the Earth was at last ready for -Man, the Sun did not quite understand her. - -"What kind of creature is this Man you are always talking about?" he -asked. - -"Wait and see," Mother Nature replied, "and while you are waiting, just -keep your eye on that funny little animal running about there in the -woods—the one with the long arms and legs and tail. I'll be back after -a while and tell you more about him." Then she went away. - -The Sun looked down at the creature Mother Nature had pointed out to -him, and saw a queer little animal, covered with hair, and looking -somethink like a very small monkey. This animal liked the fruits and -nuts of the trees, and spent most of his time in the tree-tops, but -sometimes he would go down to the ground, and run about through the -thick jungle forests on all four feet, like a squirrel. But when he -wanted food, or when some of the fierce flesh-eating animals attacked -him, he would quickly climb up into a tall tree. - -The trees in those early forests grew very close together, and the -little monkey animals found that they could swing from limb to limb -with their arms, and thus travel for miles, from one tree to another, -without going down to the ground at all. When they first took to living -in the trees they had smooth skins like their parents the reptiles, but -as thousands of years passed, hair grew out all over them, to protect -them and keep them warm during the chilly rains. - -For a long time the Sun watched these creatures, while Mother Nature -was away, and he saw them slowly change. For one thing they grew larger -and stronger all the time, and came to look more and more like the -monkeys and apes we find in the jungle country even to-day. But still -they were not apes, but from them, both the apes and Man, are descended. - -From their habit of swinging from limb to limb, or from strong vines, -like a trapeze performer in a circus, these ape-like animals got more -and more in the habit of standing upright, balancing themselves on -their hind feet on one limb, while they held on with their fore feet to -another limb higher up. But still whenever they went down to the ground -they ran about on all fours. - -If these ape-like creatures had kept on living in the same sort of a -place, where the food grew in high trees, and the forest beneath was -filled with savage animals ready to eat them up, they would have kept -right on being apes. Indeed, most of them have stayed that way, for we -find their descendants living in the jungles of the tropics to-day, not -very different from the way they were so many hundreds of thousands -of years ago. But about that time Mother Nature stopped by to see how -things on the Earth were getting along. - -"What are those creatures doing that I spoke to you about?" she asked -the Sun. - -"Nothing, that I can see," the Sun replied, "except playing about in -the tree tops, and eating nuts and fruit." - -"That won't do at all," said Mother Nature. "We must get them up into -the hills, where things will be different. I see some splendid big -valleys over there on the mountain side, where there aren't many wild -beasts to eat them, and where the trees and bushes are low, and full of -nuts and fruit. It is the very place for them." - -"How are you going to get them there?" asked the Sun. - -"I think I will have Wind blow up a storm, and set the jungle on fire -with Lightning. Then, when the fire drives them up the mountain side, -some of them will surely wander into the valleys." - -So the Wind blew up a great storm, and the Lightning flashed and -set the jungle on fire, and all the beasts ran before the flames, -afraid. Some went in one direction and some in another, but a few of -the ape-like animals ran into the hills, and here they found a wide, -peaceful valley, with a stream running through it, and plenty of food -about for them to eat, so they took refuge there. - -It was not so warm in the mountain country as it had been in the -jungle below, because the higher up in the air we go, the cooler it -gets, and we often see snow on the tops of high mountains, even in -the middle of summer. And where it is cooler, the trees do not grow so -thick and tall and close together as they do in the hot jungle. So the -trees and bushes in the valley which the ape-like creatures had found -were smaller, and easier to climb than the ones they had been used to, -and on many of them the fruit and nuts hung so close to the ground -that they could easily be picked without climbing at all. There were -no savage animals in the valley, either, for the fierce flesh-eating -beasts preferred to stay down in the jungle, where there was always -plenty for them to eat. - -The ape creatures had an easy time of it in their new home. When they -saw that no enemies came to eat them up, and that there was plenty of -food all about, fruit, and nuts, and sweet-tasting roots that grew -underground, they began to get out of the habit of spending all their -time in the trees. But they still ran about on all fours, like the -other animals. - -When Mother Nature came along she was very much pleased. - -"They are beginning to change already," she said. "See how much larger -and stronger they are. But I think I might as well take away their -tails." - -"Why?" said the Sun. "It seems to me their tails are very useful -things. Some of the monkeys down in the jungle are beginning to use -them to help themselves in climbing about in the trees." - -"That is all very well for monkeys," smiled Mother Nature. "They need -them, for they are going to be monkeys and live in trees all the rest -of their lives. But these animals are different. They do not need to -climb trees so much now, for there is plenty of food near the ground, -and very few enemies about from whom they must escape." - -"But," objected the Sun, "a time may come when there will not be any -food near the ground, and who knows when some hungry beasts may wander -into the valley and eat all your new creatures up?" - -"What you say is very true, Sun," replied Mother Nature. "Those things -of which you speak are very likely to happen. But I am going to take -away their tails just the same, for it would never do to have them turn -into monkeys, like the creatures down in the jungles. These animals are -going to be different. For one thing, they must learn to walk about -on their hind feet, instead of running on all fours, like the other -beasts. And to teach them that, I have got to keep them out of the -tree-tops. If they haven't sense enough to find some way to get food, -and protect themselves from their enemies, they will surely starve, or -be eaten up. But I am certain they will get along." - -So the ape creatures lived happily in their wide valley, picking the -fruit and nuts from the low bushes and trees, and sleeping safely in -grassy beds on the ground, and because Mother Nature did not think they -needed tails, she took them away, just as her great laws had taken away -the feet of the snake, and the eyes of the mole, when they were no -longer needed. As the years went by, and new generations of apes were -born, their tails were smaller and smaller, and finally, when a very -long time indeed had passed, they were born without any tails at all. - -The Sun watched, for hundreds and thousands of years, and he saw that -after a while the whole valley came to be full of the new creatures -without tails. At first they ran about on all fours, picking food, or -climbing the trees, the way they had always done, but because there -were so many of them to be fed, it often happened that food on the -bushes became scarce near the ground, and the ape creatures had to -stand up on their hind legs in order to reach it. After a while, from -standing up on their hind legs so much, they got used to it, and came -to like it, and walked about that way most of the time. - -The Sun saw this strange sight of an animal walking about, upright, on -its hind legs, instead of running about on all fours, as all the other -animals did, and because he had never seen such a sight before, it -surprised him very much indeed. - -"Is he a Man, Mother Nature?" he asked. - -"No," Mother Nature told him. "He is not a Man yet." - -"Why not?" said the Sun. - -"Because he has not yet learned to think. He is just like all the other -animals so far. But I am going to make him think very soon, and when -he does, he will begin to be a Man." - -"How are you going to make him think?" the Sun asked. - -"I am going to make him hungry." - -"Will that make him think?" - -"Yes. If he needs food to keep himself alive, and doesn't find it right -at his hand, he will have to think of a way to get it, or starve. And -I don't believe he will let himself starve. You see, Sun, I have tried -the same thing over and over, on a great many other worlds, and the -laws that God has made always work." - -Then Mother Nature sent for Cold and had a talk with him. - -"Cold," she said, "I want you to get to work and cool the Earth off a -little more quickly. Those animals down there are much too comfortable." - -"Very well," said Cold, flapping his great frosty wings. "Just watch me -make them shiver and shake." - -Then Mother Nature went away, but as she went, she gave the Earth -a little push, very gently, so as not to disturb things too much. -And the Earth, which had been spinning around perfectly straight and -upright, like a huge top, now leaned over a little, as it went swinging -around the Sun. - -"What did you do that for, Mother Nature?" asked the Sun. - -"I did it, Sun, to make the Seasons. From now on, instead of it being -warm all the time, there will be Winter and Summer on the Earth." - -"How will tipping the Earth over like that make Winter and Summer?" the -Sun asked. - -"It is very simple. As long as the Earth swung around you in an upright -position, your rays struck upon it just the same way the whole year -round. Now that I have pushed it over a little, so that it no longer -stands upright, don't you see that for half the year you will shine -more strongly on the lower part of the Earth, which is turned toward -you, and less strongly on the upper part, which I have tilted away from -you. That will make Summer on the lower part of the Earth, where you -are shining brightest, and Winter on the upper part, where you are -shining least." - -"I see," said the Sun, looking down at the Earth. "I can't reach the -part that is turned away from me so well." - -"Exactly. But six months from now, when the Earth has swung halfway -around you, and is on the opposite side of you, the part that is now -turned away from you will be turned toward you, and it will be Summer -there, while the part that is having Summer now, will then be having -Winter." - -"It is very interesting," said the Sun, "but I still don't see what you -did it for." - -"I did it to help make my Man think," said Mother Nature, as she went -away. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE HUNGRY APE AND THE BUNCH OF WILD FRUIT - - -IN the valley where the Ape-Men lived the weather began to get colder -and colder, year after year, and they were having a hard time to find -enough to eat. There were thousands and thousands of them, now, and -there were not enough roots, and berries, and nuts, and birds' eggs to -go around, so the Ape-Men were often hungry. - -One morning a young ape went out to try to find something for -breakfast. He had not eaten a thing since the afternoon before, and -then all he had was a handful of dry shrivelled berries, and he was -almost starving. - -He went all through the valley, hoping to find some of the sweet golden -fruit that used to be so plentiful, but he could not find any, for the -other apes had picked it all. - -At last, climbing over the steep rocks at the upper end of the valley, -he came across a tree which bore the kind of fruit he liked so much. At -first he thought it was empty, but soon, to his delight, he discovered -three large and beautiful bunches far out on the end of a slender limb. - -His first impulse was to climb out on the limb and gather the fruit, -but when he got about halfway out, the slender limb began to crack, and -looking down he saw that it hung over the edge of a high, steep cliff, -and that if he fell, he would be dashed to pieces. So he got back off -the limb in a hurry, and came down to the ground. - -The next thing he did was very stupid, but he had not yet begun to -think. He took a stone and threw it at the fruit, as he had often done -before, and knocked one of the bunches down. It fell over the edge of -the cliff and was dashed to bits on the rocks below, far out of his -reach. - -By this time the ape had tried all the things he knew, and as he could -not think of anything else to do, he sat down and gazed at the fruit -for a long time in silence. There were tears in his eyes, for he was -very hungry, but he could think of no way to get the fruit. - -Mother Nature, who was watching the efforts of her Ape-Man, pointed him -out to the Sun. - -"You see, Sun," she said, "now that the cold has made food so scarce, -my children in the valley are getting very hungry. That poor creature -down there actually has tears in his eyes." - -"He may be hungry," said the Sun, "but I don't see that it has made him -think, the way you said it would." - -"He is doing his best," said Mother Nature. "You see, he hasn't much of -a brain to think with, but what little he has is trying very hard to -find a way to get that bunch of fruit for his breakfast." - -The Sun laughed. - -"How stupid your Ape-Man is," he said. "There is a splendid big stick -lying in the grass right under the tree, with a hook at the end of it -where a limb has been broken off. All the foolish creature has to do is -to take the stick in his hands, pull the bunch of fruit toward him with -it, and he will have his breakfast. It is very simple and easy." - -"It may seem easy to you, Sun," said Mother Nature, "but it isn't easy -at all to a poor creature who has never thought before in all his life. -It has taken millions of years to bring this Ape-Man from the mud and -slime of the Ocean, to where he is now, but all that was not so hard, -as it is to make him pick up that stick and gather that bunch of fruit. -If he does it, he will have had an idea for the first time in his life; -he will have begun to think, and from now on he will not be an animal -any longer, but a Man." - -"Couldn't we help him in some way?" asked the Sun. - -Mother Nature looked down at the Ape-Man sitting beneath the tree. - -"Suppose you shine very brightly on the stick, Sun," she said. "It may -make him notice it." - -So the Sun shone very brightly on the stick, but the Ape-Man did not -move, but sat gazing at the fruit. - -"Wait," said Mother Nature. "I will try something else. There is a -snake lying among the roots of the tree. I will make him crawl over the -stick and move it a little. Then perhaps the Ape-Man will notice it." - -So Mother Nature called the Wind to her, and told him to blow gently -against the tree and cause some dead limbs and twigs to fall. The Wind -blew, and snapped off some little twigs, and one of them fell near the -snake and woke it up. Then the snake squirmed off, and in doing so he -moved the stick a little, so that the Ape-Man, whose eyes were very -sharp, noticed it as it glistened in the sun. He got up from where he -was sitting, and went over to the stick and gazed at it stupidly for -quite a while. - -"Goodness, how slow he is," said the Sun. "Hasn't the creature any -brains at all?" - -"Not much," replied Mother Nature, "but I think he has an idea at -last—just a faint little idea moving about in his brain like a shadow. -See, he is going to pick up the stick." - -The Sun looked, and saw the Ape-Man take the stick from the ground. He -held it in his hand for several moments, looking at it. Then he looked -at the bunch of fruit, and after that, he looked back at the stick -again. When he had done this two or three times, he took the stick, -and going to the edge of the cliff, poked awkwardly at one of the -remaining bunches of fruit. - -"He had better look out," said the Sun, "or he will knock that one down -and lose it too." - -He had no sooner spoken, than the heavy bunch of fruit fell from the -limb and dashed to the rocks far below. The Ape-Man gave a long cry -of anger and disappointment. Then he began poking at the third and -last bunch. But this time he was more careful. After a few moments -the hook at the end of the stick caught around the limb, and when the -Ape-Man pulled on it, he saw that the fruit began to move toward him. -He chattered with joy, at this, and pulled harder and harder, and at -last the slender branch bent until the bunch of fruit was right in his -hands. Then the Ape-Man dropped the stick, and sitting down on the -grass ate the fruit as quickly as he could. After that he threw himself -down in the grass and went to sleep. - -The Sun, who had been watching him carefully, laughed. - -"Such a little thing, to make so much fuss about," he said. - -[Illustration: THE FIRST THINKER - -The hook at the end of the stick caught around the limb, and when the -Ape-Man pulled on it, he saw that the fruit began to move toward him.] - -"It may seem a little thing to you, Sun," said Mother Nature, "but -it is really the biggest thing you have ever seen in your life. For -the first time, you have seen the birth of a Man. He is very slow -and clumsy and stupid, now, but after a while his children and his -children's children are going to become so strong and cunning and -powerful by means of their little brains, that they will rule the -Earth, and all the other animals will be afraid of them, and bow down -to them. And they will harness the Wind, and the Rivers, and the -Lightning, and cause Heat and Cold to do their bidding, and they will -defy the Ocean, and conquer the Air, and make even you, Sun, work for -them and serve them." - -"Ha-Ha!" laughed the Sun. "Those little Ape-Men make me work for them! -I don't believe it." - -"Wait and see," said Mother Nature. "I know what I am talking about, -for I have seen the same thing happen, many times, in other worlds that -you know nothing about. And Man will do all these things I tell you of, -because God has given him a brain and taught him to think. - -"How has God taught him to think?" said the Sun. "It was the fruit, -and the snake, and the Wind, and you and I who taught him." - -Mother Nature looked at the Sun and frowned. - -"Don't you know, you foolish Sun, that God made the fruit, and the -snake, and the Wind, and the Earth, and you, and everything else in the -Universe, and that if it were not for His laws, you wouldn't be here at -all. You had better go on shining, and not make foolish remarks about -things you do not understand." Then Mother Nature went away. - -The Ape-Man, asleep in the sun, woke up after a time, and feeling -thirsty he went down to the stream in the valley to get a drink. But he -took the stick he had used to get the fruit, with him. It was a nice -stick, straight and strong, like a spear, except for the short hooked -limb at the end of it, and the Ape-Man liked it, because it had helped -him get something to eat. - -When he went back that night to the place in the grass where he usually -slept, some of the other Ape-People crowded about him, chattering in -surprise at seeing him carrying the stick, for this was something none -of them had ever done before. One of the crowd tried to take the stick -away from him, but he drew back and hit the other over the head with -it and knocked him down. After that the others were afraid of him, and -let him alone. And although the Ape-People had no language, and did -not know how to speak as we do, they used different kinds of cries -and grunts, when they were angry, or cold, or afraid. When anything -frightened them, they uttered a cry that sounded like "Adh!", and -because they said this whenever the Ape-Man with the club came among -them, it grew to be a sort of name for him, and he shouted it out to -terrify them, when he made his way through the woods. - -After a while, others of the apes got clubs too, and used them to fight -with, but except the stones they sometimes threw, Adh's stick was the -very first weapon used by Man. - -Mother Nature was satisfied with her new Man, so far as he had gone, -but she knew that he would have to suffer, if he was to learn, and -although she did not like to make him suffer, she had to do it. - -"You can blow all you like, Cold," she said. "I want my people to -suffer. Pain is not a pleasant thing, but it is only through pain that -they will ever learn." - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE CAVE AND THE FISH - - -A COLD wind blew through the valley where the Ape-Men lived, and the -trees and bushes were brown and bare of fruit. The rays of the Sun, -which used to come down straight and hot all day, now shone slantwise, -because the Earth had been tipped over, and they seemed to have very -little warmth. The days, too, were shorter, and the nights were longer, -and cold. All the Ape-Men were obliged to huddle together in their -beds of grass to keep warm. They did not know that Mother Nature had -tipped over the Earth to make Winter and Summer, but they were very -uncomfortable, and they did not like it. - -But the worst thing of all was, that there was almost nothing to eat. -Always before there had been some kind of fruit, or berries, all the -year round. Now they were able to find only a few nuts, and the sweet -bulbs which grew at the roots of certain plants, and the smaller -animals got most of these. Even the nesting birds they sometimes caught -and ate had gone where it was warmer. Pretty soon there was nothing to -eat at all, and the Ape-Men were starving. - -Adh, who had begun to think a little, puzzled about this for a long -time, but could not understand it. Of course, if the Ape-People had -stored up food, during the Summer, they would have had something to -eat, when the cold weather came, but they had never thought of doing -such a thing, because there had usually been enough to eat, before. -Now they did not know what to do, and as they could no longer find any -food in the valley, they gradually wandered off, down toward the low, -hot jungle-lands from which they had come. Here they found things to -eat, but they also found lions and great sabre-toothed tigers and other -fierce beasts to eat them, and as they had long ago forgotten their old -trick of living and sleeping and seeking safety from their enemies in -the tree-tops, it was not long before they were all eaten up. - -When the Sun saw this, he was very much surprised. - -"Look, Mother Nature," he said. "Your Ape-People have all been eaten -up." - -"You are wrong, Sun," replied Mother Nature. "Adh and the ape woman he -has taken for his wife are still in the valley. He was the only one who -had learned to think, so the others were of no use and I had to get rid -of them. Before long the children of Adh and his wife will fill the -valley with a race of Men, and from there they will spread all over the -Earth." - -Adh did not go with the others for two reasons. The first was that -they did not like him, because he made them afraid of him, and so they -went away without him. The second reason was, that Adh's wife had a -tiny baby boy to nurse and take care of, and it was easier, to stay -where they were, than to wander off through the jungles. Now that all -the others had gone, Adh managed to find enough roots and nuts to keep -himself and his little family alive. - -Soon after the others had left, it began to rain, and every day the -cold rain beat down on Adh and his family and drenched them. Even -their grass nest under the boughs of a thick tree, was turned into -a pool of mud and water, on which the sun never shone to dry it and -keep it warm. Cold and Rain were making the new Ape-Man suffer, as -Mother Nature had told them to do. Adh, as he wandered about the -valley hunting for a little food, tried very hard to think of a way -to keep himself and his family comfortable, but no new ideas came to -him. Occasionally he managed to catch a young bird, which he greedily -devoured, but they were very scarce and hard to find. - -"Look at the stupid creature," laughed the Sun, peeping for a moment -through the heavy rain-clouds. "He hasn't sense enough to find a hole -in the rocks, where he would be dry and warm." - -Mother Nature did not answer. Instead, she waited until she saw Adh -climbing over the rocks at the upper end of the valley, searching for -the nests of wild birds he sometimes found there. Then she called Cold -to her. - -"Blow your hardest for a few moments, Cold," she said. - -Cold puffed out his cheeks and blew a freezing blast down the valley, -and all the falling drops of Rain turned to bits of ice, like hail, -which cut Adh's shoulders and arms and back, and hurt him, in spite of -his thick coat of hair. To escape from the storm, he ran beneath some -overhanging rocks, and suddenly found himself in a little cave, its -floor covered with soft dry moss. Here he was quite safe from the hail -and rain, and he was very much pleased. - -While he was standing in the cave, Adh suddenly had another thought. -He wished that his wife and child were with him. And no sooner had he -thought of them than he dashed out of the cave, and forgetting all -about the hail and rain, he ran to the nest in the grass where they lay -trying to keep warm, and brought them as fast as he could back to the -nice dry cave. And this cave was Man's very first home. - -"You see," said Mother Nature to the Sun, "whenever I want my new Man -to think, I send him some kind of trouble. If I hadn't made him hungry, -he would never have got the idea of pulling the bunch of fruit out of -the tree with his stick, and now, because I made him cold and wet, he -has found himself a home." - -"What are you going to make him do next?" asked the Sun. - -"Wait and see," said Mother Nature. "But don't forget that I have given -him a wife and child to think about, now, and he will do more, on their -account, than he would ever do, alone, for in his simple way, he loves -them." - -"What is Love?" asked the Sun. - -"It is one of the great laws of the Universe, that God has made, a -feeling, or instinct, that causes all His creatures to want a mate to -live with, and thus have children. If it were not for this law, there -would never be any children, and all the living creatures on the Earth -would disappear in a very little while." - -"This Love must be a very queer thing," said the Sun. "I do not -understand it." - -"And yet, Sun, you will see, some day, that it is the most wonderful -law that God has made. Without it, Man would never amount to anything -at all. From now on my creature Adh is going to think of doing a great -many things, because of his wife and child, that he would not think of -doing without them." - -When Adh got his wife and child into the cave, they were no longer cold -and wet, but they were still very hungry, and all day long the Ape-Man -wandered through the valley, looking for something to eat. Sometimes, -when all he could find was a few dried berries, or a handful of little -grains from the tall grasses that grew here and there, he would carry -them back to his wife, instead of eating them himself. In the past, -before he had any wife, he would never have thought of such a thing as -going hungry for the sake of some one else, but now it was different; -he thought of his wife and child. - -At last there came a day when from morning to night he could not find a -single scrap of food. Everything was gone, and he was weak from hunger. -He went down to the shore of the little lake that lay in the bottom of -the valley, and throwing himself on the ground, drank as much water as -he could, to fill his empty stomach. Then he sat up and stared at the -cold, grey sky, not knowing what to do. Presently he saw a great bird, -like a fish-hawk, swoop down to the surface of the lake, and rise a -moment later with a shining fish in its claws. Then, as Adh watched, -another hawk flew up and tried to take the fish away from the first -one. The two birds screamed and tore at each other, and as they fought, -the fish the first one had been carrying fell to the ground close to -where Adh was sitting. - -He walked over to where it lay, and picked it up, more from curiosity -than anything else, for he had never thought of such a thing as eating -a fish. For thousands of years his parents before him had eaten nothing -but fruit, and roots, and nuts, with occasionally an egg or a young -bird, and he had always done just as they had done. He did not know -that the flesh of fish, or animals, was good to eat. - -As he held the fish in his hands, he smelt the fresh blood from the -wound made by the claws of the fish-hawk and it made him hungrier than -ever. Half starved as he was, he could have eaten anything, and without -thinking any more about it, he tore the fish apart and put a piece of -it in his mouth. It tasted strange to him, and he did not like it, -but his stomach was very empty, and almost before he knew what he was -about, he had eaten the whole fish. - -After that, he felt better, and sat on the edge of the lake for a long -time, watching the fish swimming about in the shallow water. Then he -thought of his wife. She would want something to eat, too. How could he -get another fish? He tried for a long time to catch one in his hands, -but they were too quick for him. - -Then he thought of his club, and taking it in his hands, he did his -best to hit one of the fish with it, but every time he failed. Once he -struck so hard that the club was splintered against a rock, and the -heavy end of it broken off. Adh looked at the piece left in his hands -and felt sad, for he loved his club, and always carried it about with -him. Pretty soon he noticed, as he felt the broken and splintered end -of the stick, that it was very sharp, and he thought to himself, why -could he not drive the sharp end into the back of one of the fish, as -it lay in the mud. It took him a long time to do this, but by lying -among the rushes, and keeping very quiet, he finally succeeded. -Reaching down, he seized the fish he had speared in his hands. - -"Look!" said Mother Nature to the Sun. "My new Man has made himself a -spear." - -When Adh gave the fish to his wife, she did not understand what he -wanted her to do with it, but finally, by chattering, and making signs, -he got her to eat a little of it. The new kind of food made her rather -sick, at first, but after a while, as there was nothing else to eat, -she made a meal of it, and from then on Adh went to the lake every day -and speared a fish or two for their dinner. By the time the cold rainy -season was over, and the warm weather had come again, he and his wife -had grown quite used to eating fish, and had even got to like it. - -Mother Nature watched all this and smiled to herself. - -"See how quickly my Ape-Man is learning to think," she said to the Sun. -"Already he has found a home, and taught himself to get food from the -rivers and lakes, instead of from the trees and bushes, and he has made -himself a spear. I knew he was not going to let himself starve." - -[Illustration: THE WOODEN SPEAR - -Reaching down, he seized in his hands the fish he had speared.] - -"What is he going to do next?" asked the Sun, who was getting very much -interested in the funny little Ape-Man. - -"I think I shall teach him to fight," Mother Nature said. - -"To fight? What for?" - -"So that he can protect himself against his enemies. When I took away -his tail, you said he would either starve, or be eaten up. Well, he -hasn't starved, and I can't let him be eaten up. He will have plenty of -enemies, before he gets through, and if he doesn't know how to fight, -they will destroy him." - -"Will this thing you call Love help him to fight?" asked the Sun. - -"Yes. He will fight twice as hard, because of his love for his wife and -child. If you don't believe it, just wait and see." - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -ADH'S FIRST FIGHT - - -WHEREVER he went, Adh carried about with him a club. He had found -himself a new one, now that his first was broken, and this new club -was short and heavy, with a great hard knob on the end of it, as big -as his two fists. He had broken it from the limb of a tree, and rubbed -and polished it on the rocky floor of the cave until it was hard and -smooth. Besides the club, he had made himself a long straight spear, -with the end of it rubbed to a point against the rocks. He used the -spear for getting fish, and had become so skilful that he hardly ever -missed them. - -One night, when the cold rains were over, and the trees in the valley -were covered with fresh new leaves, Adh was sitting on a flat rock in -front of his cave, eating a large fish. - -He was not thinking of anything, except how good the fish tasted, when -suddenly his quick ears heard a sound, and looking up he saw a great -beast, like a bear, covered with hair, making its way slowly up the -rocky hillside toward him. - -It was a huge, clumsy animal, much larger than himself, but it walked -on all fours, snuffing the air as though it smelt the fish Adh had been -eating. The Ape-Man had never seen such a creature before. - -The hair on Adh's neck stood straight up, for he was very much -frightened, and his first thought was to run away as fast as his legs -would carry him. Then he remembered his wife and child, lying asleep -inside the cave, and instead of running away, he picked up some heavy -stones and threw them at the oncoming enemy. - -One of the stones hit the beast on the shoulder, but instead of -stopping, it gave a grunt of rage and came on faster than ever, -straight toward the cave. - -Adh picked up his club from where it lay on the rock beside him and -stood before the door of the cave, chattering and screaming with anger -and fear. His wife, awakened by the noise, came out of the cave and -stood just behind him, holding the young one in her arms, and also -uttering shrill cries. - -The creature's black snout, with small fiery red eyes, came slowly -forward until Adh could feel its breath on his face. Then, just as the -beast started to rear up on its hind legs, Adh raised his club, and -springing forward, struck the animal across the nose with all his might. - -The Ape-Man was very strong, and his blow was a terrible one. The great -beast gave a howl of pain, and rearing up, tried to reach Adh with its -huge claws. But Adh's fear had all left him, now. His eyes gleamed, -and his mouth foamed with rage. Raising his club he struck again and -again, until the beast, with blood streaming from its crushed snout, -turned tail and ran away down the rocky hillside. There was a great -deep wound in Adh's breast, where the claws of the beast had torn him, -but he hardly knew it, in his joy at winning the fight. He pounded his -clenched fist on his chest until the sound echoed through the valley, -and uttered shrill cries of defiance. - -[Illustration: THE CAVE MAN'S FIGHT WITH A BEAR - -The great beast gave a howl of pain and, rearing up, tried to reach Adh -with its huge claws.] - -His wife came up to him and stroked and patted him proudly, chattering -all the time with pleasure. This made Adh feel very happy, and he -pounded his club on the rocks and grunted with delight. He had made -this great beast fear him, and the thought filled him with pride. - -That night, as he lay on the floor of the cave, a terrible fear came -over him. What if the creature should come back again, while he was -asleep, and carry him off. He got up, and crouched for a long time in -the door of the cave, his club ready in his hands. After a while he -grew sleepy and wished that there were something across the cave door -to keep the beast out, in case he came back. The thought worried him so -much that at last he went out, and getting four or five large stones, -rolled them to the mouth of the cave, and after crawling inside, fixed -them so that the hole by which he crept in and out was almost blocked. -After that he went to sleep without feeling afraid. - -The next morning he followed the bloody trail of the beast over the -rocks, but lost it far down the valley. The creature had disappeared. -Adh went on spearing fish and forgot all about his enemy. From that -time on, Adh often had to fight for his life and that of his wife and -child, but he was not afraid. - -As the years went by, his boy grew up to be strong like his father, -and very smart and quick, and when he was old enough, Adh got into the -habit of taking him along when he went down the valley after fish, or -to gather fruit or nuts. The boy carried a spear, like his father, and -used it very skilfully, so that the little family never wanted for -food. There were other children, now, and later on, grandchildren and -great-grandchildren, and Adh had made the cave bigger, by scraping away -the soft rock of the walls. Each year, with the coming of the warm -Spring, the rains ceased, and all the trees and bushes in the valley -were soon covered with bright new leaves, and later, with blossoms and -fruit. Adh and his family were very happy. - -The oldest boy they called Kee, because when he was very young he -always said "Kee-Kee" when anything pleased him. And before long the -cries or grunts they used for the things they saw about them, such as -fruit, or fish, or the Sun, the Rain, or the cave, came to be used over -and over, and in this way they began to have words for things. There -were not many words at first, but Man had invented speech, which was -something none of the animals had ever done. - -[Illustration: THE HOME OF EARLY MAN - -The first houses built by man consisted of boulders piled up to form a -cave and covered with sod. The one shown below represents the earliest -attempts with rough, unhewn stone. Above is a stone house of later date -showing that the boulders had been hewn for the purpose.] - -Mother Nature watched the progress of her children with a smile. - -"Just see," she said to the Sun, "how quickly they are learning. Did I -not tell you that Love would teach my Ape-Man many things? If he had -not loved his wife and child, he would have run away when the bear came -to attack him, but because of them he stayed, and fought. And he has -made a door to his cave, to keep his enemies away, during the night." - -"What are those strange grunts and cries I hear them using?" the Sun -asked. - -"They are beginning to make a language," Mother Nature replied. "Before -long, they will be able to say many things to each other, and be -understood. They are certainly doing very well. I hope nothing happens -to them." - -"It seems to me they are awfully slow," said the Sun. - -"Not at all. Think how many thousands of years they have ahead of them. -There is no hurry, you know. The Earth is only a hundred million years -old. They have plenty of time. I think I shall go away now, and take -a look at another sun I am making, many times bigger than you are. I -shan't be back for several thousand years. Good-bye." - -"Good-bye," said the Sun, in a surly voice, for it made him very angry -to think that there were any suns in the Universe bigger than he was. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -RA MAKES A NEW SPEAR - - -ADH had been dead a long time, now, and Ra was his -great-great-great-great-grandson. He was called Ra because that was the -word the Ape-Men used to mean big, or strong, and Ra was the strongest -boy in the valley. - -He lived with his mother and father and several brothers and sisters in -a cave high up among the rocks, and because his father was lame, Ra had -to do most of the work for the family. He knew how to say a number of -words, queer little cries and grunts that meant things, and the hair on -his body was not as thick and shaggy as Adh's had been. The Ape-People -had been living in caves, protected from the weather, for a long time -now, and as they did not need so much hair to keep them warm, the great -law of Nature we have heard about before, had begun to take their hair -away from them. But it was not until Man began to wear clothes that he -really lost his coat of hair. - -There were many Ape-Men in the valley now, descendants of Adh and -his wife, and they had hollowed other caves in the soft rock and -earth of the hillsides at the upper end of the valley, digging with -sharp-pointed sticks and stones. They lived on raw fish, and fruits, -roots and nuts, just as Adh and his family had done before them, and -the eggs of wild birds, and the young fledglings, which they found in -nests among the trees and rocks. They carried long wooden spears, and -clubs, and were quick and strong. And because there were plenty of fish -in the stream, and in the lake at the lower end of the valley, even -during the cold rainy season, they had never thought of storing up food -for the Winter. Of such things as clothes, or fire, they knew nothing -at all. - -There were high, rough hills, covered with thick forests, all about -the valley, except at its lower end, where the great lake spread out, -pouring its waters into the country below through a narrow gorge -between two hills. Because the valley was protected in this way, few -enemies came into it to attack the cave men. When one appeared, as -sometimes happened, the hunters, with their clubs and spears, would -attack it in a body, and while it often happened that some of them were -killed, they usually were able to overcome the intruder in the end, or -drive him from the valley. The most terrible of these enemies was the -sabre-toothed tiger, larger than any tiger you have seen in the circus, -with two long sharp teeth or fangs, curving down like sabres from his -upper jaw. When this terrible beast appeared, the cave men usually hid -in their caves, afraid. - -Once, when Ra was about twenty years old, a huge beast like an -elephant, with long shaggy hair and great curving tusks came splashing -up along the marshy shores of the lake, and began to strip and eat the -tender leaves and fruit from the young bushes and trees. - -Ra, who was spearing fish at the upper end of the lake, had never seen -such a creature before, and when he caught sight of it coming towards -him he was very much frightened. - -He quickly gave the alarm, and soon twenty or more of the cave men ran -up, and surrounding the huge creature, began to attack it by throwing -stones at it, at the same time making a loud noise, hoping to scare it -away. - -The great creature did not mind the stones, at first, for he scarcely -felt them, as they bounced from his thick, hairy sides, but soon one of -the stones struck him near the eye and hurt him, and he turned on the -cave men with a snort of pain, waving his long trunk about in the air. - -When the cave men saw him coming they did their best to get out of the -way, at the same time striking with all their might at his huge sides -with their spears. The spears, however, with their wooden points, while -strong enough to pierce a fish, were of no use against the elephant's -tough hide, and fell back blunted or broken. Ra, as he saw the great -beast coming toward him, its little red eyes gleaming, its long trunk -swinging to and fro, drove his spear with all his might at its flank -but the point was splintered from the blow and he barely escaped with -his life. Three of his companions were trampled to death by the savage -creature as they tried to escape, and two more were seized in its great -trunk and crushed. The cave men, frightened, ran back to their caves -and sat there, helpless, until the animal, unable to find them, had -eaten his fill of the leaves and fruit, and gone away, leaving a trail -of stripped and broken bushes and trees behind him. - -[Illustration: THE FIGHT WITH A MAMMOTH - -The cave men did their best to get out of the way, at the same time -striking with all their might at his huge sides with their spears.] - -Ra worried a great deal about this fight. He was very angry with the -beast because it had killed one of his brothers, and he could not -understand why his spear had failed to pierce the elephant's hide. Its -point, rubbed sharp on a rock, had always been strong enough to kill -the largest fish, but now it was blunt and broken, and Ra did not like -it any more. - -As he sat in the sun before the cave, trying to cut a new point to his -spear with a stone, an idea came into his head. Why could he not in -some way fasten the stone to the end of his spear? The stone, he knew, -was hard enough not to break against the toughest hide. It was a large -and clumsy stone, however, and Ra soon saw that he could do nothing -with it. - -The thought pleased him, but he said nothing to any of his friends -about it. Instead, he hurried off to a place on the shore of the lake -where a few days before he had seen some very sharp flat stones, quite -different from the clumsy bit of rock he had found near the cave. - -He gathered several pieces of this stone, and amused himself by -striking them against each other and breaking them. At last he got what -he wanted, a flat, narrow piece, shaped something like the leaf of a -tree, and about as long as his hand. The stone was very hard, and it -took him hours to chip and rub it down until it had a sharp point. When -at last it was done, he had another thing to think about. How was he to -fasten the stone to the end of the spear? - -He took the spear and looked at it. The blow he had struck against -the elephant's side had split the end of it. After a great deal of -trouble Ra managed to force the thin flat stone into the split end of -the spear. It looked very well, he thought, but he knew it would not -stay there unless it were fastened in some way. Glancing about, he saw -some of the long, tough marsh grasses that he had often used to string -his fish together, when carrying them home. He took some strands of -this grass and wrapped them around the end of the spear in such a way -that the stone point was held tightly in place. It was a clumsy piece -of work, for Ra had never used the grasses in such a way before, but -it was strong, as he found out by spearing several fish in the shallow -water of the marsh. When he went home, he was very proud of what he -had done, and showed the new spear to his father, and to some of his -brothers. - -[Illustration: THE BEGINNING OF THE STONE AGE - -Ra's invention of the stone-pointed spear gave the cave men new courage -so that they became very fierce and bold.] - -His father did not think much of it, and said wooden-pointed spears -were good enough for anybody, but his brothers chattered with pleasure, -and got Ra to show them where he had found the white stone, and how -he had chipped the spear point into shape, and fastened it on. Before -long, they too had stone-pointed spears, and as they made more and more -of them they made them stronger and better, using the twisted entrails -or guts of fish to bind the points in place, instead of the marsh -grasses. Soon all the men in the valley were armed with stone-pointed -spears, and some of them, taking Ra's idea, fixed stones in the ends of -their heavy clubs, and with the making of these stone-pointed spears -and axes, Man had begun what is known as the Stone Age. - -Ra's invention was a great blessing to the cave men, for now they were -able to fight their enemies on much more even terms. This gave them new -courage, and they became very fierce and bold. But it was not only for -making weapons that they began to use the hard, sharp bits of flint Ha -had discovered. They soon found them useful for many other things. It -was easier, to cut a fish to pieces, with a sharp-edged stone, than -to tear it to bits with their fingers, so they began the use of flint -knives, and later on they made all sorts of tools out of stone, which -helped them very much in their daily lives. But these things came later. - -"My new people have learned a great deal, since I have been away," said -Mother Nature to the Sun. "Now I am going to teach them to eat meat." - -"How will you do that?" the Sun asked. - -"By taking away their fish, so that when the Winter comes, they will be -hungry." - -[Illustration: TYPES OF WEAPONS USED BY EARLY MAN] - -"How can you take away their fish?" said the Sun. - -"By taking away their lake," replied Mother Nature, "and for that I -shall need Wind and Rain." - -So she called Wind and Rain to her. - -"Wind and Rain," she said, "I want you to blow up a great storm, and -turn the little stream in the valley into a mighty torrent, and when -the torrent is strong enough, it will wash away the banks that dam up -the lake at the lower end of the valley, and carry the lake, and all -the fish in it, right down through the low country into the Ocean." - -So Wind and Rain made a terrible storm, and the Lightning flashed, and -the Thunder roared, and all the cave men crept into their holes in -the rocks, afraid. For three days the storm swept through the valley, -tearing down the trees, stripping them of their fruit, and turning the -stream into a raging muddy torrent, that tore along in its course like -a flood. - -When the Sun at last shone again, and the cave men came out of their -holes to see what had happened, their lake was gone, and in the -foaming yellow torrent that poured through the valley there was not a -single fish. - -Of course there was some food remaining, fruit, and nuts, and eggs, -but with so many to feed it did not last long, and as the cold rainy -weather came on, the cave men, without any fish to eat, were soon very -hungry. Once more Mother Nature was about to teach them something new -by means of suffering and pain. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -MA-RA FINDS A NEW KIND OF FOOD, AND A COAT OF FUR - - -MA-RA, the grandson of Ra, was out looking for food. It was the chief -thing the cave men did. When they had plenty, they would lie in the -sun and sleep, but when food was scarce, as it was now, they spent the -whole day, from morning to night, looking for something to eat. - -Ma-Ra went down along the banks of the stream, hoping to find a fish. -It was not so much of a torrent, now, as it had been during the storm, -but it was still swift and strong, dashing down over the rocks in the -narrow way it had cut for itself, and boiling up here and there in -clouds of foam. The wide lake at the lower end of the valley was gone, -and there were no longer any quiet marshy pools along the edge of the -stream, in which fish might live. - -The stream poured out of the valley through a narrow gorge, tumbling -over the rocks in a foaming waterfall. This was the only entrance to -the valley, except over the rough, forest-covered hills that surrounded -it on all sides, and none of the cave men, in their hunts for food, had -ever gone outside the valley. They knew nothing of the country beyond, -and were afraid to enter it, not knowing what sort of enemies they -might meet. - -Ma-Ra reached the waterfall and stood there for a long time, his heavy -spear in his hand. All he could see through the gorge was a wide marshy -plain, covered with tall rank grass, with here and there a clump of -fern-like bushes and trees. He wondered if there were any food to be -found in the plain, for he had had nothing to eat since the afternoon -before, and he was very hungry. He knew it would be useless to go back -to the caves, for he would find no food on the way, and when he got -back, there would be nothing there either, except a few of the dry -roots of plants on which the cave people were trying to keep themselves -alive. Ma-Ra felt a spirit of adventure stirring within him; why, he -said to himself, should he not go outside the valley and see what he -could find? He might as well be killed by some wild beast, as starve -to death. So he decided to go. - -Picking his way carefully over the slippery rocks beside the waterfall, -he finally got to the bottom of it, and found himself on the edge of -the wide, marshy plain. There were many hummocks of grass, with muddy -pools between, but although he searched very carefully, in none of them -could he find any fish. - -As he walked along through the tall grass, higher than his waist, he -saw many large birds fly over his head, lighting here and there to feed -on the tender shoots of the grass, but while he knew these birds might -be good to eat, there was no way in which he could catch one of them. - -Suddenly Ma-Ra paused, the hair on his neck and head standing up -straight. Some animal was coming toward him through the grass; he saw -the grass tops waving, and heard low grunts, as the creature forced -its way along through the mud. What it was Ma-Ra could not tell, but -he stood quite still, a little to one side of the path the animal was -taking, and waited, spear in hand. - -In a few moments he saw a heavy pointed snout come poking through -the grass, with little sharp tusks sticking upward, and small bright -eyes, which turned quickly from side to side, watching for any danger. -Suddenly the animal saw Ma-Ra and stopped. It had never seen a man -before, and did not know what to make of him. - -Ma-Ra was very quick. Without waiting a moment, he drove his -flint-pointed spear into the animal's side, just behind its fore-leg. - -The wild pig tried his best to use his sharp tusks, but it was too -late. Ma-Ra's thrust had been a fatal one, and in a few moments the -boar fell over on his side, dead. - -Ma-Ra drew out his spear. Some bits of the animal's flesh, warm and -covered with blood, clung to his spear point. Half starving, he put -them in his mouth, chewed them, swallowed them. They tasted good to -him, even better, he thought, than raw fish. With the blade of his -spear he cut some strips of flesh from the animal's side and made a -hearty meal. Then, because the body of the boar was too large and heavy -for him to carry, he twisted some marsh grasses together, tied them to -the animal's front legs, and began to drag it along through the marsh -toward the entrance to the valley. - -When he at last came to the waterfall, he was tired, and he saw at once -that he would not be able to carry the body of the boar over the steep, -slippery rocks that led into the valley. So he sat down to think what -he should do, and meanwhile, ate some more of the boar meat. Soon he -heard a cry from the rocks above, and saw two of his brothers standing -in the valley entrance, looking down at him in surprise. - -He called to them to join him, which they did, chattering loudly over -his bravery in going outside the valley. They too were very hungry, so -Ma-Ra showed them the boar he had killed, and gave them some of the -meat to eat. They liked it, as he had, and soon their stomachs too were -full. Then the three of them carried the body of the boar up over the -steep rocks beside the waterfall, and took it home to the caves, very -proud of what they had done. - -That night Ma-Ra's family had a big feast, and Ra patted his grandson -on the back and said a word or two which meant, in their simple -language, that he had done well. The next day several parties of the -cave men went out to hunt for the new sort of food. They found many -different kinds of animals, in the marsh, and on the hillsides around -the valley, and they ate them, and soon got to like the flesh of -animals better even than they had liked the raw fish. - -That winter the tribe did not go hungry, and the new food they had -found, as well as the danger of hunting for it, made them bolder and -fiercer than ever. There were scarcely any animals that they were -afraid of now, except the great mammoth elephants, which we call -mastodons, and the huge hairy rhinoceros, which sometimes attacked them -in the marsh, and the terrible sabre-toothed tigers. - -Food was not the only thing the cave people got from the bodies of the -animals they killed. For one thing, they found a way to use the skins. - -At first, finding them tough and not fit to eat, they threw them away, -but Mother Nature did not like this. She wanted her children to learn -to use the furry skins of the animals they killed. So, one day, when -Ma-Ra and some of his friends were stripping the skin from an animal -they had speared, in the marsh land, she called Cold and Rain to her -and told them to make Ma-Ra and his companions just as uncomfortable as -they could. - -Cold and Rain laughed when they heard this, for they loved to make the -funny little creatures dance, so they poured down such a bitter cold -rain that Ma-Ra and the others were chilled to the bone. - -Ma-Ra, his teeth chattering from the cold, looked at the skin he had -just stripped from a small bear. The skin was still warm, and without -thinking he wrapped it about his head and shoulders to keep off the -cold rain. His friends did not understand what he was about, at first, -but soon they saw that Ma-Ra was warm, while they were not, and they -tried to take the skin away from him, but he would not give it up. - -When the rain was over, and the party had returned to the valley, Ma-Ra -took the skin of the bear with him and hung it up on the wall of the -cave. - -The next day, when he went to get it, he was very much disappointed to -find that it had dried hard and stiff as a board, and seemed no longer -of any use to him. - -Now Ma-Ra had begun to think quite a good deal, and he remembered -that when the skin was soft, the day before, it had been moist, so he -took it down to the bank of the stream and washed it over and over in -the water, scrubbing it with sand, and pounding it between two round -stones, until it had become quite soft again. Then he put it in the sun -to dry. - -Again it dried stiff and hard, and Ma-Ra was about to throw it away. -Then he remembered how the grease and fat of the animals he killed -softened the rough hard skin of his hands, so he got a lump of grease -and rubbed the bear skin over and over with it, working the grease into -all the pores. This time, the skin stayed soft, and Ma-Ra, although he -did not know it, was the first Man to make leather. - -He threw the heavy piece of fur about his shoulders, and fastened it -with a sharp thorn, and walked about very proud of his new fur cloak. -After that, the cave people did not call him Ma-Ra any longer, but Han, -which in their language meant the skin of an animal. - -[Illustration: THE BEAR SKIN - -Ma-Ra threw the heavy piece of fur about his shoulders, and fastened it -with a sharp thorn, and walked about very proud of his new fur cloak.] - -Other very useful things, too, the cave people found in the bodies of -the animals they killed. Some of the bones, after they had cracked them -open and eaten the marrow, they used for knives, or for spear points, -and the women made coarse needles from them, with which they later on -sewed together pieces of skins for belts, to hold the men's clubs and -knives when hunting. Sinews, drawn from the animals' muscles, gave -them strong cords or thread, and after a time they made sandals, or -moccasins, out of the tough hides, to protect their feet when running -over the sharp stones. The teeth they often strung on bits of sinew and -hung around their necks, to show what great hunters they were. - -As the centuries went by, they once more found, in the marshes below -the valley, fish which had made their way up from the Ocean, and from -the bones of these they made smaller and sharper needles, for sewing -the leather they had begun to use. Strips of this leather, called -thongs, or the twisted entrails of animals, called gut, took the place -of the cords made of marsh grasses, for binding on the heads of spears, -or axes, and as the cave men took to wearing skins and furs, they began -to lose the hair on their bodies, and they looked less and less like -animals, and more and more like human beings. - -Besides getting their food by hunting, the cave people soon learned -many ways of trapping animals and other game. In the case of the larger -beasts they sometimes made traps by digging deep holes or pits in the -ground and then fixing upright in the bottom of these pits many strong, -sharp stakes, with keen points. Over the pits they would lay a thin -covering of branches and leaves. These traps were placed in the paths -the animals usually took when going to the streams and ponds to get -water. When the heavy beast walked on the thin covering of the pit, it -would give way, and he would fall on the sharp stakes, and either be -killed, or wounded so that the hunters could make short work of him -with their spears. - -Smaller animals and birds they trapped by snares of different sorts. -One kind they made by bending down a stout sapling until it almost -touched the ground, and hooking the end of it under a notched stake -driven in the earth. On the end of the sapling was a noose of cord, or -gut. This noose they spread in a circle around the notched stake. On -the stake they tied a bit of food, for bait. When the animal tried to -pull the food off the stake, the bent sapling would slip out of the -notch and fly upward, and the animal or bird would be caught in the -noose. - -In many such ways the cave men got food for themselves and their -families. - -The Sun was very much surprised to see how quickly the cave men had -begun to learn. - -"They are smarter than any of the other animals on Earth," he said. - -"Yes," said Mother Nature. "They are smarter, because they have begun -to use their brains, to think, just as I told you they would. But they -have really only just started. If you watch them carefully, you will -see many surprising things, in the next two or three thousand years." - -"They seem very cold," said the Sun, "even with their caves, and their -fur coats. I have a hard time to keep them warm, in the Winter." - -"I will attend to that," Mother Nature told him. "I am about to send -them a very wonderful thing." - -"What is it?" the Sun asked. - -"Fire," Mother Nature replied. "Soon they will be making Heat work for -them." - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE COMING OF FIRE - - -WHEN Mother Nature got ready to send Fire to the cave men, she called -Heat and Cold and Wind and Rain to her and explained what she wanted -them to do. - -"My little people down there," she said, "need something to keep them -warm, during the Winter, and also they need something to cook their -food with, and later on to help them make pottery, and smelt metals, -and do all the wonderful new things I am going to teach them to do. -Without Fire, they can never be anything but savages, the way they are -now. So we must send them Fire." - -"Fire," said Cold, puffing out a great cloud of frost. "I have no Fire -to give them." - -"Nor I," said Wind and Rain. - -"I have plenty of Fire, inside the Earth," said Heat. "Do you want me -to burst out in a blazing volcano? I am afraid it might burn them all -up." - -"No, Heat," said Mother Nature. "We do not need any volcanoes just -now. But you have another way to give them Fire. Have you forgotten -Lightning?" - -"I see," said Heat. "Lightning is certainly very hot. What do you want -me to do?" - -"The trees and grass in the valley," Mother Nature replied, "are brown -and dry from the Sun. Cold and Wind and Rain, I want you to send a -thunder storm to the valley, and set the forest afire with a bolt of -Lightning. Then, Heat, you can blaze away all you like, until I tell -Rain to put you out again." - -[Illustration: THE FIRST FIRE - -The storm rolled down over the valley, and at last a great flash of -Lightning struck a dry tree and set it on fire.] - -So Heat, dancing down the rays of the Sun, turned the water at the -surface of the Ocean into vapour, like steam, and it rose high in the -air and formed clouds. Then Wind drove the clouds over the valley, and -Cold blew on them, and turned the vapour of the clouds back to water -again, so that it fell as Rain. Now each little bit of vapour in the -clouds carried with it a tiny spark of Electricity, for the Air about -the Earth is always filled with Electricity, carried by tiny drops of -moisture. When all the little sparks got together in the thick black -clouds, they formed big sparks, and when the clouds got so full of -Electricity they couldn't hold any more, these big sparks jumped from -the clouds down to the Earth, in great flashes, sometimes half a mile -long. You can make a little spark like that, if you walk quickly over a -soft rug, on a dry winter day, and then put your knuckle to the metal -radiator. It will be a real Lightning flash, although it will be only -half an inch long, and the little crackling sound you hear, as the -spark jumps from your knuckle to the radiator, is real thunder, but -because the flash is so small, your thunder will not be very loud. - -So the storm rolled down over the valley, and the Lightning flashed, -and the Thunder roared, and all the cave people ran into their holes -and huddled together, shivering. They had seen the Lightning and heard -the Thunder before, but because they did not know what they were, they -thought some terrible dragon, with a roaring voice and a tongue of -flame was coming to eat them up. - -At last a great flash of Lightning struck a dry tree and set it on -fire, and the Wind blew the clouds away for a while, so that the Rain -might not put the fire out. - -"I'll show them something," said Heat, as the tree and the bushes about -it began to crackle and blaze. - -As soon as Wind blew the storm away, the cave people, not hearing the -Thunder any more, came out to see what was going on. When they saw the -blazing tree, they were at first very much frightened, for they had -never seen Fire so close at hand before. So they chattered and pointed, -afraid to go near it. - -After a while, when they saw that the fire did them no harm, they went -closer, and gathered about the roaring flames, watching them as they -devoured the dry leaves and branches. - -Then Mother Nature told Wind to blow the flames gently toward the -cave people, and the heat from the flames warmed them, and they liked -it. So they came nearer, and at last a boy picked up a blazing branch -that fell near him, because it was red and pretty. But he dropped it -again very quickly, you may be sure, and ran howling with pain to his -mother, his burnt fingers in his mouth. - -"I am sorry," laughed Heat, dancing among the flames, "but I had to let -you see that I can burn as well as warm you. So you had better treat me -with care." - -Soon the flames spread, and other trees took fire, and the flames -roared and danced down the valley like mad, their red tongues licking -up everything that came in their way. - -Some of the older cave men went to the place where the fire had first -started and gathered about the hot coals, enjoying the warmth. But soon -they saw that the fire was dying out, so they began to throw leaves and -twigs and branches on it, and every time it blazed up they shouted with -joy. - -When Mother Nature saw that the cave people liked the new thing she had -sent them, she told Wind to blow the storm back again, so that Rain -might fall on the blazing forest, and put out the flames before the -trees were all burned up. - -"But do not wet the little fire the cave people have kept burning among -the rocks," she said, "for if you do, they will not be able to light -it again. And I wish, Cold, that you would blow with all your might." - -The cave people, gathered about the fire, felt the cold wind on their -backs, and because the fire kept them warm, they liked it, and put more -and more wood on it to keep it alive. Whenever it died down, and they -felt cold again, they brought more branches and twigs. After a time, -night came, and the bright yellow flames pleased them so much that they -danced about the fire, chattering with delight. - -Presently they grew sleepy, and lay down beside the fire, because it -was warmer there, than it was inside the caves. And they went to sleep -and forgot all about the fire, so that, when morning came, they woke -up, chilled by the cold, to find that their fire was gone. - -This made them feel very sad. Then one of the younger men, who was -called Ab, because he was slow and lazy, like a bear, was very angry -because the fire had gone out and left him cold, so he began to poke -about among the ashes with a stick, and after a while, away down at the -bottom of the pile, he found a bed of glowing red coals. He got some -leaves and twigs and put them on the coals, and when the fire blazed up -again, the cave people all shout Ai-Ai, and that became in time their -word for fire. They called Ab Ai-Ab after that, because he was the one -who had brought back the fire. - -Mother Nature, who was watching the cave people, was glad when she saw -that they had saved the fire, for she was afraid she might have to make -it all over again for them. But she was not satisfied. - -"The Rain will soon put it out," she said to the Sun, "if they do not -carry it into their caves. I must teach them a lesson. But first, they -must find out more about what Fire can do for them, so you had better -keep on shining for a while." - -The cave people, when they saw that the fire was burning again, left -Ai-Ab and the women to keep it blazing, while they went out to hunt for -food. They did not know, then, all the wonderful things Fire was going -to do for them, but they liked it because it kept them warm. - -There were two boys in one of the parties that went down the valley. -One was called Tul, which meant quick, and the other was called Ni-Va, -which meant fish, and they called him that because he was a very good -swimmer. Tul and Ni-Va were not allowed to go outside the valley with -the older men, but were told to search through the woods for the sweet -roots of certain kinds of plants that the cave men ate, and for eggs, -and the young wild birds. - -When Tul and Ni-Va came to the edge of the forest, they saw a great -wide space which had been burned by the fire before the rain had put it -out. So, being curious, they forgot all about the roots and eggs they -had been sent after, and went poking about among the ashes and charred -trunks of trees, to see what they could find. - -They had been doing this for quite a while, when Ni-Va heard Tul call -to him, and ran up to see what his companion had found. - -There among some burnt bushes lay the body of a great bird, as large as -a turkey. It had been sitting on its nest on the ground, and in trying -to escape it had become entangled among some thick vines. The fire had -burnt away the feathers of the bird, and left it scorched and black, -and still a little warm from the bed of ashes in which it lay. - -[Illustration: THE FIRST COOK - -Ai-Ab took a large piece of the deer meat, and putting it on the end of -a stick, held it over the flames of the fire.] - -Tul tried to lift the bird by one of its legs, but to his surprise, -the leg came right off in his hand, for the body of the bird had been -cooked by the fierce heat. - -Tul looked at the leg, smelt it, and then being hungry, began to eat. -It was the first time that he or any other man had ever eaten cooked -food, and the taste of it pleased him, so he told Ni-Va to eat the -other leg. This Ni-Va did, and he too liked it very much, because it -was much more tender than raw meat, and had a better taste. They took -the body of the bird home and gave it to Ai-Ab, who was sitting beside -the fire. - -Ai-Ab, who was also hungry, smelt the cooked food, and when the boys -showed him how they had eaten the legs, he tore off a great piece of -the breast and devoured it. The rest he gave to some of the women. - -Now Ai-Ab, although he was slow and lazy, was also very smart. When he -tasted the cooked meat, and saw how good it was, an idea came to him. -He did not say anything to the two boys about it, but when the men came -home from hunting, bringing with them the bodies of two young deer, -Ai-Ab took a large piece of the deer meat, and putting it on the end of -a stick, held it over the flames of the fire. - -The other men crowded about, laughing, because they thought Ai-Ab had -gone mad and was burning up his dinner. But when the smell of the -cooking meat came to them, they liked it, and stopped laughing. Soon -Ai-Ab drew the hot crisp meat from the flames and began to eat it, and -then they all wanted to taste it, but Ai-Ab told them if they wanted -any to cook it for themselves. Some of the others followed his example, -holding the bits of meat over the fire on the points of their spears, -and it was not long before the whole tribe took to cooking their food -instead of eating it raw. They kept the fire burning day and night, and -Ai-Ab watched it, and kept it going, and he was the very first cook -among Men. - -"They have found that Fire is very useful to them," said Mother Nature, -"for it not only keeps them warm, but it cooks their food. I must teach -them to take better care of it." So she told Rain to sprinkle the fire -a little, but not to put it quite out. - -When the cave men saw that the rain was putting out their fire, they -were very angry, for they did not want to lose it, but although they -piled on more and more wood, the flames sank lower and lower, and at -last the fire was nearly out. - -Then Ai-Ab, who was the keeper of the fire, and had shown himself so -smart, took a burning stick from the bottom of the pile, and ran with -it into the cave where he and his people lived. It was a large cave, -because Ai-Ab's father was one of the head men of the tribe, and had -several wives and a great many children. - -Ai-Ab took the burning stick into the cave and dropped it in the middle -of the floor. Then he gathered some dry grass and leaves from the beds -on which he and the others slept, and threw them on the coals. The fire -blazed up at once, and his brothers and sisters ran out and got armfuls -of twigs and branches, and although the twigs were wet, they finally -began to burn. - -When the other cave men saw what Ai-Ab had done, they made fires in -their caves, as well, and if one went out, they would borrow some hot -coals from a neighbour. Once, however, during the rainy season, when -all the wood was wet, they came very near losing their precious fire, -so after that, the head man of the tribe told two old men, who were not -strong enough to go out after food, to watch the fire and keep it going -in a cave by themselves, which they filled with dry wood, and while one -watched, the other slept, and in this way the fire never went out. The -Fire seemed something sacred to them, and after a time, they got into -a way of coming to the cave and saying prayers or making wishes to it, -and thought of it as a sort of god. And in worshipping Fire, or the -Sun, or any of the other great forces that helped them, the cave men, -although they did not know it, were really worshipping God, who made -all these things for their use. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE FIRST BOAT - - -TUL the Swift, and Ni-Va the Fish, were always together. - -It made them angry not to be allowed to leave the valley with the -hunting men, so they planned in secret to make a trip by themselves. -The weather was warm, now, for the spring had come, and they talked a -great deal about the country outside the valley, where they had never -been, and planned to see it. - -Tul had a fine spear he had made, with a long sharp lizard's tooth for -a point. He had found the tooth among some bones in the lower end of -the valley, where the lake had once been, and was very proud of it. -Ni-Va's spear was tipped with bone, for spearing fish. He had never -killed one yet, but he wanted to very much, for he heard the older men -talking about it, when they came back from the great marsh. He also -carried a small stone-bladed axe, while Tul took a flint knife, such -as the men used for skinning animals. Both had leather sandals, and -belts from which the hair had been scraped with sharp stones. - -They took no food with them when they went, and they did not tell any -one that they were going, but one morning, very early, they crept out -of the cave, before the sun was up, and made their way down the banks -of the stream toward the lower end of the valley. - -When they came to the waterfall, they climbed down over the path of -rocks worn smooth by the feet of many hunting parties, and soon found -themselves on the wide marshy plain which stretched out as far as their -eyes could reach. - -The river, after it emptied into the plain, spread out into many small -winding streams, and that was what made the great marsh they saw before -them. Off to the right, however, they found that the ground was higher, -so instead of following the paths through the marsh which the hunting -parties usually took, the two boys circled off toward the higher -ground, as the walking was easier that way. - -The ground was hard, and full of flat stones, between which the coarse -grasses were springing up covering the Earth with a fresh coat of green. - -Tul and Ni-Va travelled all day, without seeing much to interest them. -The path led downward hour after hour, toward the lower country, and -they soon left the marsh far behind them. Great flocks of water fowl -flew overhead, going to and fro from the marsh; they threw stones -at them, but did not hit any. There were few trees or bushes on the -hillside, and the ground was stony and rough, with scarcely any animals -about. Once some strange creatures like deer, without any horns, ran -near them, and in the distance they saw some giant forms that looked -like the mammoths they had heard the hunters speak about, but nothing -that they could use for food came within their reach. - -When night fell they were both hungry, and cold, without any fire, -and as they lay alone on the bare ground, trying to sleep, they felt -a little afraid, for they knew that there were many animals in the -country about the great marsh that would gladly eat them up. - -Morning came at last, and found them not only hungry, but very thirsty -as well. Far off, at the foot of the hillside, they saw what looked -like a line of trees. - -It was after midday when they reached it, and found themselves on the -banks of a wide river, flowing through a forest of tall bushes and -trees. - -It was much warmer here than it had been in the valley, for they had -been travelling steadily downhill for nearly two days, and had reached -the low country. There were many more living things about than there -had been on the bare hillside, birds, and animals of various sorts that -slipped noiselessly through the thick vines and bushes along the banks -of the river. - -The two boys threw themselves down at the edge of the stream and drank -until their thirst was quenched. Then Ni-Va, with his bone-pointed -spear, waded about along the shore and soon brought up a fine big fish. -They ate it for breakfast, although they would have liked it better, -if they had had a fire, in which to cook it, for they had come to like -cooked food better than raw, now. After breakfast, they talked about -what they should do. - -[Illustration: THE FIRST VOYAGE - -The two boys sprang upon the log which floated slowly out into the -stream.] - -[Illustration: A DUG-OUT CANOE OF EARLY MAN - -Made by hollowing out the trunk of an oak tree.] - -Ni-Va, the swimmer, wanted to swim across the river and see what the -country was like on the other side, but Tul could not swim, and when -they saw the dark backs of some great reptiles, like crocodiles, -cutting the surface of the water, they soon gave up the idea. - -They were sitting on the bank, wondering whether they had not better go -back, when Tul saw a log, the broken trunk of a tree, floating slowly -down the stream, close to the shore. Climbing out on a low limb which -hung over the water, he hooked the point of his spear into a broken -branch on the log, and gently towed it up to the bank. - -Ni-Va, when he saw what Tul had done, chattered with delight, and -sprang upon the log. In a moment, Tul had joined him, pushing the -log away from the shore with his spear. It floated slowly out into -the stream, carried along by the current, and Tul and Ni-Va found -themselves upon Man's first boat. - -The two boys thought that they would be carried across the river on -the log, but as soon as their clumsy craft drifted to the middle of -the stream, the current caught it with full force, and began to sweep -it at a great rate down the river. Tul, with his spear, tried to guide -their boat by pushing against the bottom, but the water was far too -deep for him to reach it and in his efforts he very nearly fell off the -log. They knew nothing about paddling, even if they had had anything -to paddle with, so they could only cling to the log and trust to -some change in the current, to carry them to shore. To their dismay, -however, they saw that the river was rapidly growing wider, and the -banks getting further and further away. - -Hour after hour the log boat swept along in the swift current, and by -the time the sun was ready to set, the river was so wide that they -could hardly see the shore. There were no longer any thick woods, and -all they could see were low sandy banks, with here and there clumps of -bushes and tall grass. Suddenly the log, which had been drifting in a -long curve around a point, came to a stop on a sand bar. Ni-Va slipped -overboard, ready to swim, with Tul holding on to his shoulder, but to -his surprise he found that the water came only up to his waist. Tul -quickly joined him, and leaving their clumsy craft the two boys waded -ashore. - -When they reached the sandy bank, and climbed up on it, a wonderful -sight met their eyes. As far as they could see, before them and to -either side, stretched a great shining body of water. They had never -supposed there was so much water in the world, and the sight of it for -a moment frightened them. The vast sheet of water before them was the -Ocean, and they were the very first Men in all the world to see it. - -The bank on which they stood sloped down to a beach of shining white -sand. The two boys crossed it eagerly, watching with wide eyes the -great foaming breakers as they tumbled up on the shore. Tul, who was -very thirsty, ran down to the edge of the water and scooping up a -handful, tried to drink it. It was salt and bitter, however, and he -quickly spat it out again. - -Hungry and thirsty, the two adventurers sat on the sand and wondered -what they could find to eat and drink. There might be fish, in this -great wide water, but if there were, they soon saw that they could -not get near enough to spear them, on account of the huge breakers. -Presently Ni-Va, who had been idly digging in the wet sand with his -fingers, brought up a round object that looked something like a nut. -With the aid of two pebbles he cracked it open, and being very hungry, -ate the soft meat he found inside. It tasted very good, and soon he and -Tul had dug a large pile of the shell-fish, and made a hearty meal. The -soft moist clams not only satisfied their hunger, but quenched their -thirst a little, and as there was nothing else to eat, and the night -was coming on, the two wanderers stretched themselves on the warm sand -and soon fell asleep. - -The rising sun waked them, and springing up, they looked eagerly about. -Near them, on the beach, they saw a huge turtle, lying in the sun. The -boys had seen turtles before, since the hunting men sometimes brought -them home from the marshes, but they were small compared to this great -animal. Creeping up to it in some fear, Tul and his companion managed -to turn it over on its back with their spears, after which they killed -it and made their breakfast of some of the meat. There was enough to -have lasted for a week, but the boys soon saw that they could not stay -where they were much longer without water. They could not understand -why the water in the Ocean was so bitter and salt, and they went back -to the place where they had left the log, hoping that the river water -might be different. They soon found that it, too, was salt and the -little they drank of it only made them more thirsty than before. There -was nothing to do but get back to the forest country as quickly as -possible, where they might find some juicy berries or fruits to quench -their thirst. - -Before they started Ni-Va tied some chunks of the turtle meat to his -girdle with leather thongs, and Tul took a handful of the shells of the -clams they had eaten and twisting some coarse grass about them, slung -them around his neck. Then they went back to the log. - -They thought, at first, that the current which had carried them down -the stream would carry them back, but as soon as they had managed to -push the log off the sand bar, it set out quickly for the sea, and they -scrambled off it at once and waded back to the shore. - -The only thing to do was to go back along the river bank to the place -from which they had started, so they set out. At first the way was -easy, with smooth banks of sand to walk on, but after a time they -came to the forest, and found it very hard indeed to make their way -through the bushes and trailing vines. When night came, they were tired -out, and afraid, too, because they heard the cries and grunts of many -animals in the dense woods all about them. Without knowing why, the two -boys did as their ancestors had done, and climbing into the forks of a -great tree, spent the night safe from harm. In the morning they resumed -their journey, and this time, when they tried the water of the river, -they found that it was only a little salt, and they were able to drink -it and quench their thirst. - -When the middle of the afternoon arrived, they saw the hills from which -they had come rising against the sky to their left, and leaving the -banks of the river they set out toward the higher country. - -Several times they thought they had lost their way, but they kept on, -and at last saw the surface of the great marsh stretching out before -them. From here on, they had no trouble, and on the second night they -reached the entrance to the valley. They were very tired, and hungry -too, for the turtle meat they had brought along was all eaten up, but -Ni-Va managed to spear some small fish along the edge of the marsh, so -that their stomachs were not quite empty when they finally got home. - -When they told their friends in the valley about the great water they -had seen, stretching as far as their eyes could reach, the others -would not believe them, and even the shells they had brought back did -not convince the cave people that there could be a stream or river -as big as that. Tul and Ni-Va offered to guide a party to the Ocean -and show them, but the others only laughed, and thought the boys were -not telling the truth. They were quite satisfied, in the valley, they -said, and did not care to go to a place where the water was not fit to -drink, and there was no fire, and no caves in which to sleep. But Tul -and Ni-Va made up their minds that some day they would go back to the -great water, and see it again. - -The two boys were never tired of telling about their adventures, and -were very proud of the necklaces they made of the shells Tul had -brought back with him. They tried to make a log boat, like the one they -had used to float down the great river, and because they could not find -a log on the banks of the stream big enough to hold them, they got -several smaller logs, and fastened them together with twisted ropes of -grass, and in this way made a raft, and had great fun with it, riding -down the swift-flowing stream that ran through the valley. - -The Sun, who was watching them, laughed. - -"Your little Men will never conquer the Ocean on a thing like that," he -said, looking at the clumsy raft. - -"Wait," said Mother Nature. "They will surprise you. That log, drifting -in the river, was their first boat, and that raft, which is a little -better, is their second. Some day, my children will take a log, and -burn it out with fire, and make a canoe. And others will make strong -frameworks of wood, or the bones of the whale, or twisted reeds, and -cover these frameworks with the bark of trees, or skins, or pitch that -they will find in the earth, and make canoes, and kyaks, and coracles. -And later on, they will cover the frames of their boats with planks of -wood, and put sails on them, and make ships that will carry them to the -ends of the Earth. And they will even make ships of iron, and put great -engines in them, and laugh at the storms of the Ocean, and conquer -them, because they have brains with which to understand my laws." - -"It sounds like a fairy tale," said the Sun. - -"It is," said Mother Nature. "The most wonderful fairy tale in the -world, because it is true." - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -TOR-AD THE POTTER - - -TOR-AD lived many hundreds of years after Tul and Ni-Va made the -first boat. He was not called Tor-Ad at first, but just Tor, which in -the language of the cave people meant a Turtle. They called him this -because he was very slow and lazy, and liked to lie half asleep in the -sun while the other boys made spears, or practised throwing them at a -mark, to make themselves more skilful in hunting. - -Tor did not care for throwing spears. He preferred to sit among the -rocks and dream. Sometimes he would sit still for hours, scratching -little lines on the flat stones with a sharp piece of flint. - -[Illustration: THE FIRST ARTIST - -Tor made large drawings on the walls of the caves that looked like -bears, and mammoths, and wild boars.] - -Long before that, some of the hunters, in making handles for their -knives out of bone, or wood, had carved these handles into rude shapes, -that looked something like an animal, or a man, but Tor had never seen -any drawings, because none had been made. Sometimes he would find a -flat piece of rock with weather marks, or cracks on it that reminded -him of things he had seen—fish, or the heads of bears, or men. He -would look at these for a long time, and try to copy them with his -sharp bit of flint, but it was very hard for him to make anything that -looked like the objects he saw about him. - -Still, Tor kept on trying, while the other boys laughed at him, because -he would not go with them to swim, or hunt, or look for fish in the -shallow pools at the head of the great marsh, but Tor did not mind, for -he was happy scratching on his rocks in the sun. - -One day, after many trials, he at last drew something on a flat stone -that looked a little like a fish, and he ran to the cave with it and -showed it to his father. Tor's father, instead of being pleased, was -angry with him, and told him he had better go with the other boys and -learn to spear fish, and not waste his time trying to make pictures of -them. Tor's mother, however, liked the little drawing, and kept it in -the cave. - -As Tor grew older he learned to draw many things with his sharp piece -of flint—figures of animals and birds, and some of them were so good -that his friends could tell what they were, and got him to scratch -others for them on bits of bone, or the handles of their knives. He -made larger drawings, too, on the walls of the caves, that looked like -bears, and mammoths, and wild boars. - -After a time, he found a bed of smooth red and yellow clay along the -river bank, and used it, and the juice of berries, to colour the -figures he drew upon the cave walls. Some of these coloured drawings we -find even to-day, on the walls of caves in France and other countries, -and protected as they have been from the wind and rain, the colours of -these early crude pictures are as bright and clear as when they were -first made, fifty thousand years ago. - -One day, while playing with some of the clay he had found along the -river bank, Tor began to roll a lump of it between his fingers, pleased -because it was so smooth and easy to shape. At first he made only round -balls, rolling them under his hand on the top of a flat stone, but -presently he found that he could press a hollow in the lumps of soft -clay, making something that looked like the cup-shaped shells of the -large nuts which the tribe used for carrying water. Very carefully Tor -smoothed and patted his lump of clay until he had formed a little round -bowl, thick and clumsy, but still large enough to hold several drinks -of water. The thought that he had made something new pleased him, and -he took it home with him and put it on a ledge of rock in the cave. -Then he forgot all about it. - -When his mother found it, in the morning, it was quite hard and dry. -She did not know what it was, at first, but Tor told her how he had -made it from the river clay, and she was so pleased that she took it -down to the stream with her, and showed it to some of the other women, -who had come to fetch drinking water in bowls made of the shells of -large nuts. But when Tor's mother came back to the cave with the clay -bowl full of drinking water, it got soft and began to lose its shape, -which made the other women laugh at her, and at Tor, for trying to -make a drinking cup out of mud. Then Tor's mother became angry, and -threw the bowl into the fire which she had made before the cave, to -cook fish for breakfast. And Tor she sent away to the hills about the -valley, to gather eggs from the nests of the wild fowl which lived -there. - -Tor felt very badly at the loss of his little bowl, and when he got -back to the caves that night, and his mother was busy with the eggs he -had brought, he took a stick and began to poke about in the hot ashes -of the fire, hoping to find the bowl again. - -At last he discovered it, among the coals at the bottom of the fire, -and dragged it out with the stick, for it was too hot to touch with his -hand. - -When it got cool, he took it up. A piece had been broken from one side -of it, when his mother threw it down, but otherwise it was not much -hurt. Tor was surprised to find, when he had brushed the ashes from it, -that while before it had been yellow, it had now turned a bright red. - -This pleased him, although he did not understand it, so he took the -bowl down to the river-bank, and put it in the water, thinking to -soften the clay by wetting it, as he had often done before, and then -mould it over again into something else. To his surprise, the water -would not soften the clay, but it did wash it clean, and made it seem -redder and prettier than ever. Then he struck it against a stone, and -at once it broke into many sharp pieces, just as a flower-pot would be -shivered to bits, if you were to strike it against something hard. - -[Illustration: THE FIRST POTTER - -He worked all night, heating in the fire the clay bowl he had made.] - -All this puzzled Tor for a long time, but he decided at last that the -heat of the fire had dried and burned his clay and changed it so that -it became hard and red. He made up his mind to make another bowl for -his mother, and this time to burn it in the fire first, before he gave -it to her. - -Very early the next day he got another lump of clay, and made a larger -bowl, taking great care this time to shape it carefully, so that it was -round and smooth. Then he drew the picture of a turtle on one side, to -mark it with his name, and a fish on the other, and hid it away among -the rocks until he should have time to make a fire and burn it. - -That night, when every one was asleep, he took some hot coals from -the fire before the cave, and carrying these coals in the clay bowl, -he made a new fire at a hiding place he knew of among the rocks. All -night he sat beside the fire, watching it, heaping on fresh wood to -keep it blazing hot. In the morning, very sleepy and tired, he took the -bowl out of the fire with a crooked stick, cooled, washed and dried it, -and filling it with water, carried it proudly to his mother. - -At first she would have nothing to do with it, because the first one -had been such a failure, but after awhile, when she saw that the water -did not soften it, and that it had such a pretty red colour, she was -very much pleased, and called Tor's father and some of the others to -come and look at it. - -They did not see much use in it at first, since the nut shells they -used for carrying water they thought quite good enough. They did, -however, like the pretty red colour of the pottery, and Tor's mother -was so proud of the bowl that she kept it in the cave, and would not -let any one drink out of it but herself. - -Soon Tor found that he could make much larger bowls and jars out of the -smooth soft clay, and after a time, the cave people used these jars -for storing nuts, or roots, or berries, when they had more than they -needed at the moment. But still the thought had not occurred to them to -store away food for use during the winter. Even in the coldest weather, -they were able to kill animals, and fish, and they supposed they would -always be able to do so. - -Tor also made queer little figures, out of the clay, and red beads, -with holes through them, which the women strung on bits of leather, or -sinew, and used for ornaments, about their necks. And because in their -simple language, Ad was the word for earth, or clay, they began to call -the clay worker Tor-Ad, instead of just Tor. - -It took the cave dwellers many many hundreds of years to learn how -to ornament the bowls and jars they made with pictures and patterns -in colours, and a much longer time, to find out a way of making them -smooth and round by whirling them about on a flat wheel and pressing -their fingers, or a wooden tool, against them as they turned. We must -remember that the minds of the first men grew very slowly, and it often -took them a very long time to think out what seem to us very simple -ideas indeed. Even now, although many thousands of years had passed, -since the days of Adh, they knew nothing at all about metals; their -weapons and tools were made of stone, but as time went on, they made -them better and better, so that among the relics we find of the later -stone age are axes, beautifully polished and strong and sharp enough -to be used in working wood, knives, with keen edges, spear and arrow -heads, scrapers, for scraping the hair from hides in making leather, -and even such fine things as razors, all made of stone. Some of the -tribes during the latter part of the stone age were wonderful workers -in both wood and stone. With tools of the very hardest flint they cut -softer stones into great building blocks, built palaces and temples, -and monuments of all sorts, some of which are found even to-day, buried -in the sand or earth, and well preserved in spite of their great age. -Whenever men of science dig up the ruins of these ancient villages and -towns, they find weapons of flint and bone, the ashes of fires, and -many pieces of broken pottery, showing that the use of fire, the making -of stone implements, and the burning of clay pottery, were the first -three great steps taken by Man in his progress toward what we call -civilisation. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -HOW RA-NA SAVED HIS PEOPLE - - -RA-NA was a wise old man who had dwelt in the valley for nearly a -hundred years. He was lame, having had his leg almost torn off by a -bear while hunting in the marshes, but his wits were very keen. - -He was one of the watchers of the Sacred Fire, and lived in the Fire -Cave with another old man named Sut, who was almost blind. - -There were great piles of firewood before the cave, and more was stored -inside, to be used in wet weather. In the centre of the cave was a flat -rock, with a deep hollow in the top of it, in which the fire burned. -This fire was never allowed to go out. One or the other of the old men -watched it day and night, throwing on a few pieces of wood whenever -they were needed. When rain came and the fires the cave men had built -outside were put out, it was easy to build them again by taking hot -coals from the Sacred Fire. - -Later on, the cave people learned a way to make fire by rubbing two -sticks together, but it was a long time before they found out how to -do this, and meanwhile, they had to keep their precious fire always -burning, for fear they might lose it. - -Since the old men who watched the fire were never allowed to leave -it, they could not go out to hunt for food for themselves, and so the -cave people brought it in to them; bits of fish, and meat, and roots -and grains and nuts. After a while these offerings they brought to the -fire watchers came to be looked on as offerings to the Fire itself; the -people were thankful to the Fire because it warmed them, when they were -cold, and frightened away wild beasts, and cooked their food. So they -began to think of the Fire as a sort of god, and showed their thanks -to it by bringing in these offerings of food. In this way it soon came -about that the supply of meat, and fish, and other things the people -brought to the cave was much more than the two old men could possibly -eat, so they hung the fish, and the strips of meat, on poles stretched -across the roof of the cave, in order that it might not be wasted. The -nuts, and grains, and sweet-tasting roots they piled up in great heaps -in the back of the cave. Ra-Na and his companion did not know when they -hung the strips of meat and fish in the roof of the cave that the smoke -from the fire would preserve them. They only thought that they would -dry. But we know now that if we hang fish, or meat, in the smoke of a -burning fire, it will be preserved from decay, and will keep, without -spoiling, for months and even years. There are certain chemicals, such -as creosote, in the smoke from burning wood, which go into the meat or -fish and keep it from decaying, and this way of preserving food has -been used from the earliest times, and is still used to-day, just as it -was thousands of years ago, to make smoked fish, and bacon and ham. - -The weather in the valley had been growing colder year after year, but -so far there had been very little ice or snow. Mother Nature, who was -now ready to teach her children another lesson, called Cold to her. - -"Cold," she said, "you have certainly helped me a great deal. Now I -have something more for you to do." - -"What?" Cold asked. "Do you want me to freeze your little people again? -I love to make them shiver and shake." - -"I want you to send them Ice and Snow. They might as well get used to -such things, for they are going to see a great deal of them from now -on." - -So Cold flapped his wings, and blew a bitter blast from the frozen -north, and all the little raindrops were turned to beautiful white -flakes of snow, and all the marshes and streams and lakes were covered -with ice many inches thick. - -The north wind swept through the valley like a knife, and made the cave -people shiver and shake to their very bones. They put on their fur -coats, and huddled over fires in the caves, waiting for the cold to go -away, as it always had before. But this time the cold did not go away, -but got worse and worse, and the snow whirled down and covered all the -valley, and the ice got thicker and thicker. The cave people had never -seen anything like this before, and they were afraid. After a while, -when they had eaten all the food they had in the caves, they began to -get hungry, so hunting parties went out to find food. These parties -searched everywhere through the valley, and the marsh-land outside, -but they could find hardly anything. The ice on the marshes kept them -from spearing fish; they broke holes in it here and there, but the -fish would not come near the holes, and they could not reach them with -their spears. The thick snow which covered the ground prevented them -from finding any of the sweet roots they often ate when other food was -scarce, and there were scarcely any animals about that they could kill. -The few that they saw easily got away, for the cave people could not -run through the thick snow fast enough to catch up with them. Party -after party came back to the caves with little or nothing at all; a -few wild fowl that they had managed to knock down with stones, and -some small animals that they found frozen in the snow. There was not -enough food to go around, only a mouthful apiece, and as the days went -by, and the cold got worse, the cave people once more found themselves -starving. - -[Illustration: THE SACRED FIRE - -Many of them went to the cave of the Sacred Fire, and prayed to it, for -they thought the fire was a god which could drive away the cold.] - -Many of them went to the cave of the Sacred Fire, and prayed to it, for -they thought the fire was a god, the spirit of warmth and heat, which -could drive away the cold. But they brought no offerings of food to -place before the fire, because they had none to bring. Even to the fire -watchers they could bring nothing. - -This, however, made no difference to Ra-Na and his companion, because -the fire cave was full of food, and they had plenty to eat. - -Ra-Na got to thinking about how hungry the people were, and of all the -good food in the cave, so when any came to worship the Sacred Fire, he -gave them something to eat. Soon all through the valley the people were -saying that the Fire God was taking care of his children by giving them -food, and they came, and were fed with the smoked meats, and fish, and -the roots and nuts which the two old men had stored away. - -It did not take very long to eat all this food up, for there were many -people in the valley, but by the time it was all gone, the storm had -passed, and under the heat of the sun the snow and ice began to melt, -so that the hunting parties were once more able to find fish and -animals for food. They had a hard time, and many starved to death, but -the tribe was saved. - -Ra-Na explained to the people how the Sacred Fire had kept the meat and -fish for them, and they thought it a very wonderful thing, a miracle. -After that, when food was once more plentiful, they brought great -offerings of it to the Fire Cave, to show how grateful they were for -their escape from starvation, and they laid away stores in their own -caves too, all through the summer, for they had learned a great lesson, -the need of storing food for use during the winter. From that time on -the cave people were never in danger of starving in the cold months, -and for this they gave thanks to the Fire God, and to Ra-Na and Sut, -who came to be looked upon as the Sacred Fire's priests. - -When the first men began to worship Fire, they were giving thanks to -one of God's great forces, which had brought them comfort and happiness -in the shape of warmth and cooked food and safety from their enemies, -the wild beasts, who feared the hot flames. This worship of God's -great natural forces was the beginning of religion. Later on, they -came to worship the Sun, the Rain, the Wind, the Sea, the Lightning, -the Rivers and Mountains, seeing in each the power of the Great Spirit -which had created them all. This early kind of worship was in many ways -very beautiful, but it was not long before the priests of the Fire or -other god began to change it to suit themselves. Having nothing to do -but live in the cave or temple, and be fed by the tribe, they found -life very easy and comfortable, and this made them think themselves -better than the common people. So they became proud and arrogant, and -made every one believe they could get special favours from the gods. In -this way they came to rule the people, for they would threaten any one -who did not obey them with the anger of the gods. It was very easy for -these priests, they had great power, and instead of being two old men -who watched the fire, younger men became priests, with many followers -about them, all of whom the people had to feed and support in idle -luxury. Soon the priests began to make all sorts of rules, telling the -people what they should eat, and wear, ordering them to build fine -temples, in which the priests might live, forbidding them this and -that, and claiming to have wonderful powers given to them by the gods. -They became very cruel, too, and not only frightened the people by -clever tricks, which to these simple creatures seemed like wonderful -miracles, but told them to make all sorts of sacrifices to the gods, -sometimes even human beings, men, women and children, who, they said, -had to be killed and offered upon altars so that the gods would not be -angry. All this work by the priests soon changed the simple religion of -the people, worshipping God through His great forces into a brutal kind -of religion which we call Paganism. This rule by the priests lasted -for a very long time; it was found among all the ancient peoples, in -Nineveh and Babylon, in Egypt, Greece and Rome, and it was only when -Christ came to teach people a better way to worship the Divine Creator -that people began to understand that God is not cruel and angry, asking -sacrifices, but a God of Love. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -THE FIRST BOW AND ARROW - - -AMONG a people whose whole life was spent in fighting, and in killing -animals for food, weapons were the most important things. We have -seen how the cave men used clubs and spears, and later stone axes and -knives. But as the tribe increased in numbers, so that the whole valley -was filled with them, it became harder and harder to get enough food. - -The cave men were very swift runners, and often pursued and overtook -the smaller beasts, but there were many that they could not overtake. -There were also great flocks of waterfowl that flew over the marshes. -The hunters tried in every way to kill these, but it was hard work. -Sometimes they would manage to hit one with a well-aimed pebble or -stone, but even though they became skilful throwers, it was not easy to -throw a stone far enough, or with enough force, to kill an animal or -a large bird. So they all tried to think of some way to kill birds and -animals at a distance. - -One of the first things they did was to invent the sling. Some early -hunter found out, that by placing a smooth round pebble in a leather -thong, and whirling it about his head, he could throw the pebble much -further and harder than he could by hand. It was not long before the -cave men became very skilful in the use of the sling. They found out -just the right moment to let go one end of the thong, so that the -pebble would fly straight and hard toward the mark, and soon they were -able to hit and kill the marsh birds, something like our ducks, or -geese, without much trouble. But the sling, although useful against -such small game, did very little harm to animals of larger size. A wolf -or a bear paid no attention to the pebbles that hit him, and either ran -away, or turned against the hunters and attacked them. - -Of course the cave men soon learned how to throw their spears, hurling -them at the enemy with great force and skill. But they could not throw -them very far, because they were so heavy, so they made smaller, -lighter ones called javelins, which they could fling a great distance. -The further they threw them, however, the less certain was their aim, -so they often missed. - -On this account the early people tried in many ways to find out how to -throw their sharp-pointed javelins a long distance, and at the same -time with correct aim. One way was to use a throwing stick—a short -piece of wood with a handle to it, and a groove along the top in which -they laid the javelin or spear. With these throwing sticks they could -hurl a spear a greater distance, than they could in the ordinary way. -Some of these early peoples may have used the blow-gun, such as is used -to-day by the savages of the forests in South America. These blow-guns -are made of long, hollow tubes of wood, such as bamboo, and little -poisoned darts are shot from them with great force by blowing through -one end of the tube, just as boys to-day blow beans or bits of putty -from a bean shooter. But it was not until man invented the bow and -arrow that he found a really serviceable weapon for killing things at a -distance. - -Just how the bow and arrow came to be invented we shall of course never -know. Some people think it came from the use of bent saplings in making -snares or traps. Such a sapling, springing back when released, would -throw a small object a considerable distance. Some think the bow may -have developed from the bow-drill. One of the first ways of making -fire, as we have said, was by rubbing two sticks together. A simple -way to do this was to twirl one stick between the palms of the hands, -like a drill, while pressing it against a piece of softer wood. Later -on, men found that by twisting a double cord between the ends of a bent -stick, they could twirl the drill by moving the bent stick from side to -side, and they used these bow-drills, as they are called, not only to -make fire, but to drill holes in bone, or bits of wood, or even stone. -But it is very likely that man discovered the bow for shooting with -first, and later used the idea of the bent stick to make the bow-drill. - -[Illustration: - -BOWS AND ARROWS AND SLINGS - -With the bow and arrow, early man could kill his enemies at a -distance.] - -Sometimes, when making and seasoning the long handles of their spears, -the early men may have found that, if a spear shaft was crooked, -it could be straightened by bending it like a bow in the opposite -direction and tying the two ends together with a cord. This would have -made a sort of bow, and it may be that in some such way as this man -found that a string tied between the two ends of a bent piece of wood -could be used to shoot a javelin or arrow a greater distance than it -could be thrown by hand. - -But however the invention of the bow and arrow came about, it was one -of the most important steps taken by early man. He was now able to kill -his enemies, his game, at a distance. As he learned to use his new -weapon, he slowly found out the best kinds of wood to make it from, -picking out those which were tough, strong and elastic. Not being able -to cut down large trees and saw them into strips, he was forced to make -use of small saplings, cut in the forests. He soon found out that these -saplings, when green, were not hard and elastic; he had learned this -in making his spear shafts. But when such saplings had been dried for -many days before the fire, they became fit to use. Then he would scrape -off the bark with a stone knife, make notches at each end, to hold the -bow-string in place, and cut down the thicker end of the sapling until -both ends of his bow were of the same size. For his arrows he used thin -strong reeds at first, but later on made them of seasoned saplings too, -using a smaller size. He knew, from making spears and javelins, how to -fix at the end of the arrow a stone point, or a head of sharp bone, but -he found out very soon that the arrows would not fly straight unless -they had a bit of feather, or a tuft of grass fastened to their ends. -It may be that these feathers were first fastened to the ends of the -arrows as ornaments, just as they had been fastened to the shafts of -spears, but when the cave men found that they would make their arrows -fly straighter, they used them for that purpose. - -The bow and arrow made it much easier for the cave dwellers to get -food, and in those days, the getting of food was the chief object of -their lives. Always there stood before them the fear of hunger. They -had not felt this fear, when the days were all pleasant and warm, and -there was plenty of fruit and nuts and game, but when the cold came, -and food was scarce, the hunter who could bring back the most food -became a very important man in his tribe. So the cave men tried very -hard to become skilful in the use of their new weapon. With fire to -keep them warm, caves to keep out the cold and rain, and the bow and -arrow to help them get food, they became stronger and more fearless all -the time. But the tribe in the valley had grown so large that there was -no longer food enough for all near at hand, and soon parties in search -of game began to wander farther and farther away from the valley, -building huts of brush in the forests beyond the hills, or digging -caves in the earth to protect them from the storms. - -Mother Nature, who was watching the doings of her children very -carefully, saw that the valley was getting too full, and began to make -plans to find a new home for some of her people. - -"How will you do it?" asked the Sun, to whom she had spoken of her plan. - -"Watch carefully," Mother Nature replied, "and you will see." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -KA-MA THE TRAVELLER - - -KA-MA was a young man who was very restless and unhappy in the valley. -Ever since a child he had heard the story of Tul and Ni-Va, and how -they went out from the valley and found the sea, which the valley -people called the Great Water. Tul and Ni-Va had been dead for a very -long time, but still the old men, who had heard the tale from their -grandfathers, told it about the fires at night, until the story became -a legend, and Tul and Ni-Va were spoken of as children of the gods. - -None of the valley people had ever tried to find the Great Water again; -they were happy and contented where they were, and had no wish to -travel so far from their fires, their caves. But Ka-Ma, who listened -to the story with eager eyes, vowed that some day, when he grew to be -a man, he too would brave the unknown dangers of which the old men -spoke, and make his way to the river, and from there to the ocean. - -He forgot this plan, when he grew older, but sometimes at night it -would come to him again, and make him restless and sad. But still he -did not go. - -There was a young girl in the valley called Tula, and she and Ka-Ma had -played together when they were children. They liked each other very -much, and when they grew older, they fell in love with each other, and -wanted to marry. - -In those days, when a young man saw a girl he liked, he would go to the -rocks in the hillside and prepare himself a cave. Then he would hunt -for her through the valley until he found her, and when she saw him -coming, she would run, trying to escape him, yet hoping in her heart, -if she liked him, that he would be swift enough to catch her. - -Then, if the young man did catch her, he would take her in his arms and -carry her to the cave he had made ready, and it would be their home -from that time on. - -Now Tula was swift, and strong, with long yellow hair, and smooth white -teeth, and as she grew up, Ka-Ma said to himself that he would take -Tula for his wife. - -But Tor, who was the strongest man in the tribe, and was called its -chief, also liked Tula, and wanted her for himself. He had many other -wives, but none of them was as young and swift and strong as Tula. So -one day, Tor, seeing Tula bathing in the river, waited for her in the -rushes beside the bank. When she came out, he struck her lightly over -the head with his stone axe, and then took her in his arms and began to -carry her to his cave. - -Ka-Ma, who had also been waiting for Tula, saw this and it made him -very angry. At first he crept along after Tor, afraid to do anything, -because Tor was the chief of the tribe, but soon his anger and courage -rose, at the sight of Tula in Tor's arms, and he ran up, axe in hand, -and demanded that Tor let her go. - -The chief roared at him, and beating his breast with his fist, told -Ka-Ma to go away, but Ka-Ma stood his ground, for he saw that Tula who -had now recovered her senses, was smiling at him. Then Tor dropped the -woman, and drawing the axe from his girdle, came at Ka-Ma to kill him. - -The chief was very strong, but Ka-Ma was younger and more active and -quick. For a long time the two fought, so that they were wounded on the -shoulders, and arms and chest, and the blood ran down their bodies to -the ground. Then Tula, who wanted Ka-Ma to win, picked up a stone and -threw it at Tor, and struck him on the side of the head, so that for -a moment he was stunned. With a great shout Ka-Ma raised his axe, and -springing forward, brought it down with all his might upon Tor's skull. -The heavy, sharp axe broke through the bone, and into Tor's brain, and -he fell to the ground dead. - -Ka-Ma was frightened by what he had done, for he knew that Tor had many -friends, who would seek to kill him. So he hid the body beneath some -leaves, and telling Tula to wait for him, he went back to his cave, and -got his spear, and his bow and arrows, and tied what food he had in a -piece of skin and hung it over his shoulders. Then he returned to the -place where he had left Tula, and together they fled from the valley. - -Ka-Ma, remembering what he had heard about the journey of Tul and Ni-Va -to the Great Water, made up his mind that he and Tula would go there -too. The story told by the men said that the path lay along the edge -of the great marsh, to a river, many times bigger than the one in the -valley, and that here the travellers had been sent a log boat by the -gods. Ka-Ma made his way along the marsh, with Tula following him, -carrying the bundle of food. - -It took them three days to reach the wide river, because twice they -lost their way, but at last they found themselves on its banks. There -was no log boat in sight, however, and Ka-Ma made up his mind to -build a raft. He hunted through the woods until he found eight or ten -smaller logs, and these he tied together with thin strong vines, like -grapevines, which he tore from the trees. Then he and Tula got on the -raft and began to drift down the river. - -Suddenly a shower of stones and arrows began to fall about them, and -looking toward the shore, they saw a number of the valley people, -friends of Tor, who had followed them to the river. Ka-Ma snatched -up his bow to return the fire, while Tula, whose mind was very quick, -began to paddle the raft toward the opposite shore with Ka-Ma's -broad-bladed spear. It was slow work, and meanwhile the stones and -arrows kept on falling about them, but moving along in the river -current, they were a hard mark to hit. So while a few of the arrows -and stones struck the raft, they did no harm. Tula kept on paddling -and the raft slowly began to drift in toward the farther shore, and -finally grounded in the mud. Snatching up their weapons and food the -two voyagers quickly waded to the bank and hid behind a clump of trees. - -Their pursuers, however, did not give up the chase. Soon they began to -bring logs from the forest, and Ka-Ma saw that they, too, were building -a raft. There were five of them in all and they worked very quickly. In -a little while a second raft started across the river, on which were -four of the men. The fifth stayed on the other bank. The four who stood -on the raft paddled very hard with their spears, as they had seen Tula -do, and soon the clumsy craft was in the middle of the stream. Then -Ka-Ma took his bow, and fitted an arrow to it. Very carefully he took -aim, and fired. One of the paddlers on the raft fell, with an arrow -through his shoulder. The others, however, came on. - -Again Ka-Ma fired, this time at closer range, and again his arrow found -a mark in one of the men. Then, as the raft drifted toward the shore, -Tula began hurling stones at it. - -Unable to shoot their arrows with careful aim while on the shaky raft, -the two who were unhurt began to retreat, paddling furiously in their -haste to get back out of range. One of the men, who had been killed by -an arrow from Ka-Ma's bow, they pushed from the raft into the river. In -a moment the snouts of huge crocodile-like creatures appeared from the -water, and the body of the dead man was torn to pieces. - -The taste of blood made the crocodiles furious; they pushed their great -bodies against the frail raft, driving it this way and that, and soon -the vines which bound the logs together broke, and the two passengers -found themselves struggling in the water. Their struggles did not last -long; the hungry crocodiles rushed at them, and quickly ate them up. - -The fifth man, who had stayed on the shore, set up cries of fear and -rage, and ran away. Ka-Ma and Tula, on the other side, watched him go, -glad of their narrow escape. They did not try to continue their journey -that day, but made a camp on the river bank. They had no fire, to keep -away wild beasts, so Ka-Ma watched all night, spear in hand, while Tula -slept. - -In the morning, after eating the last of the smoked meat they had -brought with them, Ka-Ma added some new logs to his raft, and bound it -with stronger vines, so that there would be no danger of its coming -apart, in case the crocodiles attacked them. - -When they pushed off from the shore in the morning, they found the -current much stronger than it had been the afternoon before; there was -a tide running toward the ocean, but Ka-Ma and his wife, who did not -know what a tide was, were thankful that their raft moved so swiftly. -There were no crocodiles to be seen. - -All day long they drifted toward the sea. The forests on each side -of the river became thinner and thinner, and by the time the sun was -sinking below the trees, the raft had come to the mouth of the river, -and the voyagers saw before them the wide curving surface of the ocean. - -The sight of the Great Water terrified them, they were drifting right -toward it, and their raft, unlike the log of Tul and Ni-Va, did not -ground on a sand bar, but kept right in the middle of the rapid -current. They were very hungry, for they had had nothing to eat since -morning, and their tongues were dry and swollen from thirst. The legend -told by the old men in the valley had said that the river water as it -neared the ocean was salt and bitter, not fit to drink. They had tried -to drink it, as the day wore on, but could not, and the salt made them -more thirsty than ever. - -These troubles, however, they soon forgot in the terrible fear that -they would be washed out to sea. Being land people, they were afraid of -the great, wide ocean; they wanted to feel the earth, solid and firm, -under their feet. And each moment they saw themselves being carried -farther away from it. The mouth of the river was now so wide, that in -the twilight they could scarcely see the low, sandy shores. - -Both Ka-Ma and his wife knew how to swim; they had learned this, in the -river which flowed through the valley at home. With his spear in hand, -while Tula carried the bow and arrows, Ka-Ma sprang into the water, and -Tula followed him. Afraid as they were of the crocodiles, they were -more afraid of the sea, so they struck out for the shore with all their -might. - -When they were almost tired out, they felt the sandy bottom under their -feet, and a few moments later they had waded to the bank, where they -lay for a time in the warm sand, resting. - -Hunger and thirst drove them to their feet, for they knew they must -find food and water before the darkness came. Ka-Ma remembered that -the tale of the old men spoke of strange food, in shells like nuts, -which Tul and Ni-Va had dug from the sand. With the point of his spear -he also began to dig, and soon a pile of shell-fish lay before him. -When they broke the shells open, they found soft, jelly-like creatures -inside, which tasted very good and were moist enough to take away a -little of their thirst. At last, when night came, they threw themselves -on the sand tired out, and without keeping watch, slept until the dawn. - -In the morning, Ka-Ma's first thought was to find water. Even the -shell-fish they ate for breakfast did not satisfy their burning thirst. -They went up to the higher ground of the shore, but the sand was hot -and dry, with no sign of a stream anywhere. Only a few low bushes and -trees grew about, and they tried to relieve their thirst by chewing the -tender green leaves. - -Mother Nature, who saw the danger they were in, called Wind and Rain -to her and told them to make a storm. When noon came, the waves of the -ocean were dashing against the shore with a roar like thunder, and the -rain poured down in torrents. Ka-Ma and Tula lay on the ground, with -their mouths open, but the few drops which fell upon their tongues was -not enough to satisfy them. - -When the storm was over, however, and the sun came out again, they -found many pools in hollow places in the rocks, and from these they -drank their fill. Then, feeling stronger, they went back farther and -farther from the ocean, until they found a clump of trees, with coarse -grass growing about, and a spring of fresh water forming a little pool. -The place where these trees grew was on a fairly high hill, overlooking -the ocean, and here Ka-Ma decided to make their home. He knew, of -course, that they could never again go back to the valley. - -He had always been used to living in a cave in the rocks, until now, -but here there were no rocks, except those which jutted out along the -seashore. So he built a strong hut of saplings and rushes. First he -cut with his stone axe two posts, higher than his head, and as thick -around as his arm. At the top of each of these posts was a fork, where -the sapling had branched into limbs. He dug two deep holes in the -ground with his spear, and set the two posts in them, pounding down the -earth about them until it was firm and hard. Then he cut a third pole, -and laid it across the top of the other two, its ends resting in the -two forks. Tula, using rope made of plaited marsh grass, bound the -cross-pole firmly to the posts. - -When this was done, Ka-Ma cut many more long slender saplings, and -placing one end of each on the ground, rested the other end against the -cross or ridge pole, to which Tula tied them fast. These long slanting -poles on each side, from the ridge pole to the ground, made a sort of -tent. Then they gathered great bundles of the long tough rushes which -grew in the salt marsh along the river bank, and wove these in and out -of the slanting poles, until they had made a sort of ragged frame like -coarse basket work. On top of this they laid more rushes, running the -same way as the poles, that is, from the ridge pole to the ground, -until the roof was many inches thick. Over these they tied more poles, -to hold the rushes in place. One end of the little hut they blocked -up with earth and brush; the other they left open, for a door, so -that they could crawl inside and keep dry when it rained. Ka-Ma was -very proud of his hut; he had built smaller ones like it, with his -companions from the valley, when hunting trips kept them away from the -caves for several days, but he knew this one was to be his home, so he -took great pains to make it large and strong. - -[Illustration: EARLY STONE WEAPONS AND IMPLEMENTS] - -It took them several days to build the hut, and meanwhile, Ka-Ma had -speared fish along the river bank, and shot some wild birds with his -bow and arrow, so that Tula and himself might have food. Having been -used to eating their food smoked, or cooked, they did not like the raw -birds and fish so much, but they had no fire, and knew of no way to get -any. So they made the best of what they had. - -Here Ka-Ma and his wife Tula lived for many years, and their children -grew up, and built other huts in the little grove, and thus was formed -the first tribe of men to live by the sea. Because the way they lived -was different from the way in which their forefathers had lived in -the valley, they too became different. They ate more fish, and less -meat, and because they killed but few animals, they did not use skins -for clothing, but as we shall see later, began to weave a coarse -grass-cloth out of the rushes they found in the marsh. They became -great swimmers, built rough canoes out of wicker, covered with skins, -and because it was not easy to spear fish in the deep waters of the -river, the way it had been in the great marsh, they one day invented -the fishhook. All these things, however, we shall tell about in another -chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE SEA PEOPLE - - -AS Ka-Ma's children grew up, he taught them all the things he knew, -how to make weapons and tools of stone, how to dry and season wood, -for spear handles, and bows and arrows, how to make cord of fish guts, -or the twisted stems of marsh grasses, how to spear fish, use the -sling, and shoot with the bow. But he could not teach them how to make -pottery, for he could find no clay, and worst of all, there was no fire -with which to burn it, even if he had found the clay. - -The young people, who had never seen fire, and did not know what it -was, were quite content to eat their food raw, for they had never -tasted it any other way, but Ka-Ma thought every day of the Sacred -Fire, and wished that in some way he could get it again. - -Sometimes, when he was drilling a hole in a bit of shell, or in a stick -of wood, with a sharp-pointed piece of flint, it seemed to him that -the drill grew very hot, but no fire came. - -One day Ka-Ma took the dried shell of a nut which he had found in the -forest, and after cutting off one end, began to drill a hole in each -side of it. Through these holes he meant to run a cord. Not having any -bowls or jars of pottery in which to carry water, he thought he could -make a sort of water bottle out of the large nut. Then, when he went -hunting, or fishing, he could carry the bottle about his shoulders by -means of the cord, and so have fresh water to drink during the long, -hot day. He had never done this in the valley, because there was plenty -of water all about, sweet and fresh, but here all the water was salt, -except in the little pool near his hut, and so he either had to carry -some with him or go thirsty. - -He used a thin sharp piece of flint with a wooden handle to bore the -hole, twirling it rapidly between the palms of his hands, and at the -same time pressing down upon it as hard as he could. It was a very hot -day. The soft, moss-like fibres which covered the outside of the nut -were dry as tinder. As the drill cut slowly into the hard shell, Ka-Ma -saw, to his surprise, a tiny wisp of smoke curl up from the hole. Its -smell told him it was the same smoke he had smelt so often in the Fire -Cave at home. Harder and harder he pressed the drill down, faster and -faster he twirled it, and then, suddenly, the smoke burst into a tiny -flame, which licked up the dry fibres about the edge of the hole and -was gone. - -Filled with wonder, he tried again and again, and each time the little -flame appeared, and went out. At last, after he had thought for a long -while, he picked a bunch of the dry moss-like fibres from the shell, -and giving it to one of his sons, told him to hold the fibres in the -flame the next time it appeared. He also gathered beside him a heap of -dry leaves and grass. - -When the boy put the fibres into the flame, they blazed up at once, and -burnt his hand so that he dropped them with a cry of pain, but Ka-Ma -took the blazing bit and placed it among the dry leaves and grass, and -in a moment he had a fire. Tula, who had been watching him, quickly -brought reeds, and bits of wood, and soon a hot fire was roaring in -front of the hut. The children gathered about, astonished and a little -afraid, but Ka-Ma and his wife were filled with joy. He did not know -why the fire had come, for he did not understand that friction, caused -by rubbing two objects together, makes heat, but he was very grateful, -for he had now found a way to make fire whenever he wanted it. For -this reason, it was not necessary for him or his family to keep the -fire going night and day, and thus the new tribe no longer thought of -the fire as sacred. They did not worship it, the way the valley people -did. Being able to make it whenever they wanted to, it no longer seemed -to them so wonderful, nor were they afraid of losing it. Instead of -worshipping fire, they began to worship the Sun, and the Sea. - -That night, Ka-Ma cooked some fish over the hot coals, and he and all -his family had a feast. Later on he showed his children how to preserve -fish by smoking them, the way his people had done in the valley. Then -he began to search through the back country for clay. - -At last he found some, and it was not long before the new tribe was -using pottery bowls and jars, just as they were used by the tribe in -the valley. - -One of Ka-Ma's sons, named Ran, was a great fisherman. No one could -spear fish so well as he. In the ocean, of course, he could not reach -them, for the water was far too deep, and the surf too strong, but -he waded in the shallow spots along the river banks, and when he saw -a fish lying in the mud, he would bring his spear down as quick as a -flash, and rarely ever missed. - -It was not long, however, before the fish became frightened, and when -they saw anything moving about in the water they would swim away. This -made it harder and harder to get them, and Ran sometimes spent a whole -day, without bringing home more than one or two. - -One day, while resting on the river bank, he saw a large fish snap up -a little one and devour it. Ran thought that this might be a good way -to bring the fish within reach of his spear, so he managed to catch -several of the little fish by driving them into a shallow pool. Then he -took the cord from his bow, and after tying one of the little fish to -the end of it with a bit of grass, he lowered it into the water. Quick -as a flash a large fish darted up, snapped away the little one, and was -gone before Ran could raise his spear. - -When Ran saw that the strings of grass would not hold the little fish -tight enough to his bow-cord, he tried to think of some better way to -fasten them. One of his arrows had a head made of a sharp-pointed piece -of bone about as long as his finger. Taking this piece of bone from -the arrow, he sharpened the other end of it also, by rubbing it on a -rough stone. Then he tied the bow-cord tightly about the middle of the -piece of bone, and stuck the two sharp ends both ways into the body -of one of the little fish. The large fish, he knew, would be unable -to bite through the piece of bone, and while trying to tear the small -fish loose, Ran believed he would have time to spear him. Once more he -lowered the bow-cord into the water. - -Soon a big fish darted up, but instead of trying to tear the smaller -one loose, he swallowed it whole, and started away. Ran had no time to -use his spear, but neither was the big fish able to get away, for as -soon as he jerked against the strong bow-cord, the piece of bone turned -crosswise and its sharp points stuck firmly in his throat. Ran, not -expecting this, was almost pulled off his feet, but he could not let go -of the bow-cord because the loop at the end of it was about his wrist. -In a moment he had recovered his balance and hauled the big fish ashore. - -Although he did not know it at the time, Ran had made a great -discovery. His hook and line were very poor and clumsy, but he had -caught a fish with bait, and this was something no man had ever -done before. He tried again and again, and while he was not always -successful, and often pulled the little fish right out of the big one's -throat because the piece of bone did not turn and stick fast, he still -had caught seven or eight by the time the day was over. - -Ran's clumsy tackle was only a beginning. Later on, the sea people made -fish-hooks in many ways. One was to tie a sharp thorn, at an angle, to -the end of a bit of stick, fastening it firmly with wrappings of sinew, -or gut. Another was to make the same sort of a hook out of bone. Still -another was to carve a hook from stone, with a barb on it, like the -barbs they made on their stone arrow heads, so that the hook would not -pull loose. Long cords of gut, or twisted grass served them as lines. -Soon the sea people were fishing from rafts, in the river, or from the -rocks along the sea coast, and as they caught more, and bigger fish, -they found it easier to get food in this way, than by hunting in the -back country for wild animals. Thus they had fewer and fewer skins and -furs to keep them warm, and this fact caused them to discover a way of -plaiting and weaving cloth out of the tough marsh grasses, to use as a -covering for their bodies in winter time. - -Isn't it curious to think that learning how to make fish-hooks should -also have taught them weaving? and yet it did, as you can see. All -during the cold weather in the valley Ka-Ma and his wife had been used -to wearing cloaks of fur, had been in the habit of sleeping in warm, -cosy caves, in which, in the coldest weather, a fire was kept burning. -The hair on their bodies, like that of all the cave people, had grown -thin, and no longer served to keep them warm. Their children by the -sea were born the same way, with very little hair; they could not stand -the bitter cold of winter without some covering for their bodies. At -first, when the sea tribe was small, it was an easy matter to go into -the back country, far up the river, and kill bears and other wild -animals for their furs. As the years passed, and the tribe grew larger -and larger, this was no longer easy, for the young men of the tribe, -while brave swimmers and fishermen, had forgotten, or never learned, -how to attack and kill the wild beasts which lived inland. So the sea -people had to look about them, to find some other material out of which -they could make clothes. - -From the time they built their first brush huts, they had learned how -to plait together the long reeds, in making roofs. Later, the art of -fishing taught them how to twist the finer grasses, long and tough, -into thin strong cords. By tying a row of these cords between two -poles, and then weaving other cords in and out across them, the sea -people found they could make a thick, tough, durable sort of cloth, -like grass matting. It was not warm, like fur, but it would keep off -the cold rains, and was much better than no covering at all. - -Leather, too, they learned how to make from the skins of some of the -animals they found in the sea; great creatures, like walrus, or seals, -that they fought and killed on the rocks along the coast. Living as -they did more in the open air than the valley people, sleeping in huts -instead of caves, wearing few furs, they grew tougher and stronger than -the people in the valley, and were very brave and hardy and daring. - -With their cords of grass, they learned before long to make nets, -with which they caught fish in the river, wading in the water and -pulling the nets between them. They lived on fish and wild fowl; they -knew little of the fruits, nuts or roots which the valley tribes ate. -Sometimes hunting parties went up the river, and brought back fresh -fruits, but not often. It was toward the sea that they turned for new -adventures. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -MA-YA BUILDS A CANOE - - -FOR a long time after Ka-Ma and his wife came to live beside the sea, -his children and his children's children continued to use rafts, made -of logs tied together, for floating on the waters of the river. They -never ventured on the ocean with these rafts, because of the heavy -waves, and surf. Once or twice a raft was swept from the river into the -sea, but the waves dashed over it, washing the men upon it into the -water, and finally tossed it like a cork through the foaming surf and -left it, battered and broken, on the beach. Some of the sea people were -drowned in this way, and this made them very careful when they used -their rafts upon the river. - -There was a young man in the tribe named Ma-Ya, who used to sit for -hours on the beach, looking out across the ocean, and wondering what -was on the other side. He thought the ocean was a very wide river, too -wide for him to see across, but he believed that if he could find some -way of reaching the other side, he might find a new country, filled -with strange adventures. The early men who lived by the sea always -felt this call to cross its wide surface, and find new lands. It was -the spirit which drove the early Norsemen, the Vikings, to Iceland, -and later on, all the way across the Atlantic to the shores of North -America, many centuries before Columbus made his first voyage. It sent -these same Norsemen southward, around the shores of Spain to the coast -of Africa, and into the Mediterranean Sea until they came to Italy, and -even to the shores of Asia. But all this was thousands of years later, -when man had learned how to build stout ships out of wooden planks, -driven by long rows of oars, and sails. - -Ma-Ya, sitting on the beach, made up his mind that some day he would -cross the Great Water, and see what was on the other side. He believed -there was land there, because he often saw flocks of birds winging -their way inland from the sea, and he felt sure that in the place from -which they came there must be food for them to eat, and trees for them -to nest in, just as there were in his own country. But he knew he could -never venture to make such a voyage on a clumsy raft. - -One day, while fishing along the banks of the river, he saw, floating -in the water, a dry leaf. A caterpillar had spun his cocoon in it, and -with his web had drawn together the ends and sides of the leaf in such -a way that it took the form of a perfect little canoe. When Ma-Ya saw -it, it was gliding rapidly down the stream, dancing over the little -waves like a bit of thistledown. In the centre of it lay the single -passenger, the caterpillar in his cocoon. - -Ma-Ya thought how nice it would be if he had such a boat to ride in. -He thought about this a great deal, and finally an idea came into his -head. Why could he not make himself a boat shaped like that, large -enough to carry him and one of his companions upon the surface of the -water? But it was a long time before he found a way to do it. - -The sea people had learned a great deal from twisting and weaving -rushes and reeds together to form the roofs and framework of their -huts. Ma-Ya thought that in this way he might use reeds to make the -framework of a boat. - -So he got a great pile of reeds and wove them into a large round -basket, shaped something like a bowl, and big enough to hold him. Then -he covered the basket with the skin of a sea animal he had killed, -tying the edges of the skin to the rim or edge of the wicker bowl. When -he put his new boat in the water, it floated very nicely, but it had a -bad habit of turning round and round, no matter which way he paddled. -Still, it was much lighter than a raft, and could be used to cross the -river in, or to fish from in quiet pools. But Ma-Ya was not satisfied -with it; he wanted a boat which would be longer and narrower, with -pointed ends, so that it could be more easily driven through the water. -So he kept on thinking and thinking. - -These round basket-work boats were called coracles, and sometimes, -instead of being covered with skins, they were made by plastering all -over the basket-work surface a kind of pitch that the early people -found oozing from the ground. They were not very useful boats, -however, and that was why Ma-Ya made up his mind to build a better one. - -At last, after thinking about the matter for a long time, he found a -way. First he took two long, stout poles of seasoned wood, such as the -tribe used for making the handles of their spears. These two wooden -poles he laid side by side on the ground, and then bound their ends -tightly together with leather thongs. When this was done, he pulled the -two poles apart in the middle, bending them like two bows until they -were about three feet apart. A stick of this length, placed between -the two poles in the middle, kept them apart. He now had a strong -framework, very much the shape of a long, narrow leaf, pointed at each -end, and widest in the middle. - -When this was done, Ma-Ya got another pole about three feet longer than -the framework, and bent the two ends of it upward at right angles to -the main part of the pole. These bent ends, which were about eighteen -inches long each, did not bend upward sharply, like the upright leg -of the letter "L," but sloped upward on a curve, like the sides of -the letter "U." Then he fastened the two uprights to the ends of his -framework, with the straight part of the pole eighteen inches below it. -This gave him the main framework of his boat. Then he took many strong -slender reeds and bent them U-shaped, fastening the middle or bottom of -the "U" to the bottom pole, and the two ends to the two upper or side -poles. Because these side poles were widest apart in the middle, the -U-shaped reeds were wide and flat there, but toward the two ends of the -boat, the "U" shapes became narrower and narrower until at the ends -they were shaped like a narrow "V." These bent reeds formed the ribs of -the boat, and were held in place by wrappings of strong cord. - -When they were all in place, Ma-Ya took more reeds and wove them in -and out lengthwise of the boat, between the ribs, making a coarse -basket-work, just as he had done in making his coracle. The framework -of the boat, when done, looked like a coarse wicker basket made in the -shape of a canoe. - -For a covering, Ma-Ya used the back part of the hide of a great walrus -he and some of his companions had killed upon the rocks. This hide, -while still moist and soft, was placed upon the wicker framework and -drawn over the upper edges, or gunwales, of the boat and fastened with -thongs. At either end the hide was stretched tightly upward, and bound -to the tops of the two posts or uprights at stem and stern. There were -no openings or seams in the hide whatever, so that there could be no -leaks. When the hide had become dry, it stretched tightly over the -frame, and became very hard and tough, yet the canoe was so light that -Ma-Ya could lift it in his two hands. - -He placed it in the water, and with a paddle such as the sea people -used for their rafts, climbed aboard. - -It did not take him long to find out that his canoe was very easily -upset. If he leaned too much to one side or the other, it would turn -over, and leave him to drag it ashore and empty the water out of it -before trying again. After a while, however, he got used to the new -boat, and found that with a few strokes of his paddle he could send -it through the water at great speed. His companions, who had laughed -at it, at first, soon saw that Ma-Ya had made something that would be -very useful in fishing, and in getting about on the water, and they too -began to build boats of wicker-work, covered with skins. Up to now, the -sea people had found it very hard to paddle their heavy rafts up the -river, owing to the strong current, but in the swift, light canoes they -could go wherever they pleased. - -Ma-Ya's idea, however, was not to go up the river, so much as it was -to sail on the ocean. As soon as he had learned how to manage his new -craft, he allowed the current to sweep him through the river mouth -and out on the broad surface of the sea. It was a quiet day, with no -wind blowing, and Ma-Ya found that his little craft rode the long -ocean swells as lightly as a cork. He paddled about for several hours, -delighted with his success, and then drove his new boat back into the -river mouth and pulled it up on the shore. - -The next day he told one of his brothers of his plan to try to cross -the Great Water and see what was on the other side, and the two -adventurers placed provisions, and some jars of water, in the canoe, -and started out. - -This time, however, there was a strong wind blowing from the ocean, -making its surface very rough. What had seemed to be only tiny waves, -from the shore, turned out to be dangerous white-caps, which swept over -the frail craft ready to fill it with water. The wind, too, became -stronger, so that Ma-Ya and his companion could hardly paddle against -it. Stronger and stronger grew the gale, and more and more weary grew -the arms of the two paddlers. Soon they saw that instead of making any -headway, they were being slowly driven back toward the shore. Their -water jars had been upset by the plunging of the boat as it tossed in -the waves, and more and more spray came aboard with every gust of wind. -Ma-Ya became afraid, and told his companion they must try to paddle -back to the mouth of the river. - -This, however, they soon found they could not do. The gale had driven -them a mile or more down the beach, and they could not force the boat -back against it. Light as it was, and floating on the surface of the -water like a leaf, it was at the mercy of the wind. In a few moments -the two voyagers saw that they were being driven right toward the surf -which thundered on the sandy beach. They paddled furiously, trying to -keep the bow of the canoe pointed toward the shore, and waited to see -what would happen. The great breakers lifted the tiny craft in their -arms as though it had been a speck of foam, and hurled it round and -round toward the beach. In the twinkling of an eye it was filled with -water, upset, and Ma-Ya and his companion were left struggling in the -waves. Luckily they were strong and fearless swimmers, and after a long -fight, managed to make their way through the surf, almost battered to -pieces. The sea folk, who were gathered on the shore watching them, ran -down into the water and pulled them up on the beach. The little canoe -was washed in and out again for many minutes, rolling over and over in -the boiling surf like a huge fish, but at last it too came tumbling -upon the sands, crushed and broken. The sea people pulled it up out -of reach of the waves, and Ma-Ya gazed at it sadly. He knew now that -while his frail craft was good enough for sailing on the river, it -would never do for crossing the Great Water. So he made up his mind to -think of something else. - -It was many years before Ma-Ya made his next boat, and this time it was -of wood. - -He knew that the shape of his little canoe had been right, but that -to stand the waves of the Great Water it would have to be made of -something much stronger and more solid than wicker, covered with skin. -The only thing he knew of was wood, yet his brain, which was only just -beginning to think, told him no way in which he could make a boat out -of wood. - -One day, while far up the river in a canoe, he came across a huge log, -the trunk of a tree, which had been blown down by the wind. It had -drifted along the river from the forests above, and finally stuck on a -mud-bank, where it was held by its dead branches. - -Ma-Ya climbed up on this log and looked it over carefully. Something -about it made him think of a boat. This was because the tree was -partly hollow; a long stretch along one side of it had rotted away. -Ma-Ya cut at the rotten wood with his stone axe, and found it soft and -crumbly. He thought that if he and some of his companions were to dig -out the centre of the log with their axes, and roughly chop the two -ends to a point, they would have a large and strong boat, which even -the waves of the ocean could not harm. It would take a long time, he -knew, but he had nothing to do, and some of his friends, to whom he had -told his plan to cross the Great Water and see what was on the other -side, offered to help him. The next day, with axes and chisels of sharp -flint, a little party went up the river to the mud-bank where the log -lay, and began work on it. - -The pointing of the ends was a long, hard task, but little by little -they cut away the dry wood, and after many weeks the outside of the log -began to take the shape of a boat. The task of digging out the inside -was easy at first, where the wood was soft and rotten, but after a time -the rotten wood was all cut away, and then the work became very hard. -Knowing that fire would burn away the wood, Ma-Ya told his companions -to start little fires all along the surface on which they were working, -and when the fires had charred the inside of the log a little, they put -them out and chipped away the burned wood. Over and over again they did -this, for many weeks, and at last the inside of the log had been cut -away until there was room in the new boat for fifteen or twenty men. -Its sides were very thick and strong; they did not dare to burn away -too much of the wood, for fear they would make a hole right through -it. When it came time to push the new craft off the mud into the -water, they found it so heavy that they were obliged to call for help. -Finally, with thirty or forty men pushing and pulling, the great boat -was slid into the water, where it floated almost as well as the lighter -canoes. With paddles in their hands, Ma-Ya and a dozen of his friends -scrambled aboard, and sent the new craft flying down the river. - -Ma-Ya and his friends made many voyages on the ocean in this boat, but -although they sometimes paddled for two whole days, they never were -able to cross the Great Water. No matter how far they went they could -see nothing beyond them but the blue surface of the ocean, stretching -as far as the eye could reach. All of Ma-Ya's friends said that there -was no other shore to the ocean; that it went on and on until it joined -the sky, but Ma-Ya refused to believe this, because of the flocks of -birds he watched coming in from the sea. But he never found the other -shore of which he dreamed. - -One thing, however, he did discover, a very great thing indeed, -although Ma-Ya did not know, then, how great it was. He found out how -to make the wind move his boat, by using a sail. And like nearly all of -the discoveries of the early people, it was made by accident. - -Sometimes, in the middle of the summer, the sun on the water became so -hot and burning that the men paddling the boat could hardly stand it. -It was warmer in summer, in those days, than it is now, and the blazing -rays of the sun often made the handles of the paddles so hot the men -could scarcely hold them. To keep off the sun, Ma-Ya would lash some -upright poles to the sides of the boat and hang from them a cover, or -awning, made of grass-cloth. One day, while paddling up the broad mouth -of the river, a squall came up behind them, and striking the awning, -turned it sideways, like a sail. At once the boat began to fly through -the water so fast ahead of the squall that the paddlers found their -work of no use, and drew in their paddles. Ma-Ya set up a great shout -and pointed to the sail. His companions did not understand at first, -but when they saw the boat sailing along without their paddles being -used, they too understood, and also began to shout. Not knowing how to -stop, they sat doing nothing while the heavy squall carried them far up -the river and finally drove them ashore on a sand bar. - -Ma-Ya was delighted. He lashed a stronger upright pole near the front -of the boat, with another pole across it, from which he hung a large -piece of grass matting, and the next time they went out, the wind took -them along in fine fashion. Coming back, however, they had to use their -paddles, for Ma-Ya did not know how to sail against the wind, nor did -the sea people discover how to do this for a very long time. - -Ma-Ya was a great inventor. He gave to the sea folk boats and sails. -But he was never able to cross the Great Water. When he died, he called -his children and grandchildren about him, and told them to keep on -trying, and some day they would find the land of the flying birds. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE CONQUERORS - - -MANY hundreds of years had passed, since Ka-Ma and his wife Tula left -the valley, and the tribe of the cave people had grown very large. The -whole valley was now filled with them, and they had spread out over the -hills which surrounded it, and far into the country beyond. - -The head man, or chief of the tribe lived in the largest of the rock -caves, and had many wives and children. Those who had gone outside the -valley formed separate tribes of their own, each with a smaller chief, -but all of them were under the rule of the head chief. - -The rocks all about the valley sides were honeycombed with caves, and -as the tribe grew, and there were not enough caves for all, these bands -of adventurers would leave the valley, and make new homes of their own -on the hillsides, and in other valleys beyond them. - -There were no longer any animals to be killed for food in the valley of -the caves, and the people there gave up being hunters, and spent their -time making things, such as pottery, stone implements of all sorts, -weapons, leather, moccasins, and smoked meats and fish. They were the -workers, while the tribes outside were the hunters and fishers. When -any man in the outside tribes killed more deer, or caught more fish, -than he needed, he would bring them to the people in the valley, and -exchange them for spear heads, smoked meats, pottery, tanned leather, -or any of the other things he needed. This was the very beginning of -barter, or trade. When one tribe had more than they needed of one -thing, and another tribe had more than they needed of another, they -would exchange with each other, so that both were better off. This -trading of things between peoples is what makes up the business of the -world to-day. If the people in the United States have more wheat, or -beef than they need, and the people in England have more leather goods, -or cutlery, or woolen cloth, or the people in France more silks and -satins, we send our wheat or beef, or cotton to them, and bring back -their leather goods, or cutlery, or silk. - -In the beginning, it was very easy for a hunter to bring a bundle of -skins, or a string of fish into the valley, and exchange it for what -he needed, a stone axe, or a leather coat, or a pottery bowl. Later -on, when the tribes of men had spread far over the country, it often -happened that the hunter who brought a bundle of skins to one tribe, -did not want to buy anything from that tribe, but instead, wanted to -go to some other tribe, a long distance off, to get something they had -which he particularly wanted. This made a difficulty, and to overcome -it, something was needed that could be exchanged with any tribe, and -yet could be easily carried about, on long journeys. So the people -began to use beads, and later on, when metals had been discovered, -ornaments such as bracelets, or rings made of copper, or gold, and -these beads and ornaments became the first money used by man. But this -came later on; now the traders exchanged one thing for another, just as -they do in savage countries to-day. - -There were some grasses which grew in the valley, which bore tiny hard -seeds or grains on their tops, and for a long time the cave people -had made use of these grains for food, when other things were scarce. -After a while, they noticed that if they let any of these grains fall -in the soft earth, they would grow up again, and have more grains on -them. They saw that this was an easy way to get food, so they took the -grains and planted them, scratching up the hard ground with the points -of their spears. Later on they made a tool something like a hoe, by -fastening a sharp piece of stone crosswise at the end of a stick, and -used this to loosen the ground for planting the grain. - -All the grains, such as wheat, corn, rye, or oats, the roots, such as -potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips, and the like, and the many other -vegetables we eat, once grew wild, and were very small and hard. But -every sort of plant grows better, and has larger seeds and roots and -fruit, if it is cultivated, that is, if the soil in which it grows -is loosened up and made soft, so that the rain can easily get to its -roots, and the roots can spread out, sucking moisture and chemicals -from the ground. For this reason the early men found that the grains, -or roots which they planted, kept growing larger and better to eat, -year after year, and as the valley and the country around it became -filled with people, and food became scarce and harder to get, the -people in the valley who did not move away began to plant and grow many -of these roots and grains, and they were the first farmers. As Mother -Nature had so often told the Sun, it was the search for food, the -struggle to keep alive, that taught the first people almost everything -they knew. - -At first, the people chewed the hard grains, and swallowed them, just -as they would eat nuts, but it was a good deal of trouble to do this, -so while the men were away hunting, the women would take the grains and -pound them up in a hollow stone, with another stone, round and smooth, -and sometimes having a handle to it. This made a coarse kind of flour. -Adding a little water to it, they mixed a sort of paste, which they -moulded into little cakes and placed in the sun to dry. In this way -they made the first bread. Later on, instead of drying these cakes in -the sun, they found they could do it more quickly by placing them on -flat stones, heated very hot in a fire, and these cooked cakes of oats, -and wheat and rye soon became one of their chief articles of food. - -They found it easy to keep the grains and roots during the winter by -storing them in their caves, usually in great earthen jars. They tried -to keep some of the fruits in this way too, berries, and wild grapes, -but the fruits would not keep. Instead, they turned sour and fermented, -forming wine, which the people drank, when they were tired, and cold, -to cheer them up. Among the very earliest peoples of which we have any -record, wine was used; we find it spoken of often in the Bible, and -the writings on the tablets of clay dug up in the most ancient ruins. -Living as they did a rough life in the open air, these early peoples -could drink wines without harm. It was not until thousands of years -later that men found out how to distil the strong spirits and liquors -which are so harmful to people living the indoor lives we lead to-day. - -[Illustration: EARLY METHODS OF BREAD AND FIRE MAKING] - -The valley people were by now no longer savages. Even in the arts they -had made some progress. Their pottery bowls and jars were ornamented -with designs in black, and red and other crude colours. They made -ornaments of beads, and painted designs on their leather clothing, -or sewed coloured beads on them, in various patterns. The walls of -their caves were covered with rude pictures or drawings, they carved -drinking cups from the horns of the animals they killed, and their -stone axes and other implements were smooth and polished, and sometimes -carved with pictures and rude signs like letters. Weaving had begun -among them, as well as among the sea tribes, but the cords they wove -together, instead of being made of grass, were of twisted hair, or -wool, scraped from the skins of animals. They were much more civilized -than the people who lived by the sea, for although the sea people had -made boats, with sails, and hooks and nets for catching fish, they knew -nothing of planting grains, or making bread from them. Each people was -going ahead in its own way. - -Among the hunters who spread from the valley into the surrounding -country was a young chief named Ban. He was very strong and brave, and -nobody in his tribe could throw the spear so far, or strike so hard a -blow with the axe. Being a mighty hunter, he pushed farther and farther -away from the valley, always seeking the places where the most game was -to be found. Year after year he and his tribe moved nearer to the sea, -but this they did not know, for they had never seen it. - -One night, while chasing a huge bear, Ban and his hunters reached the -top of some low hills, and here, having killed the bear, they made a -camp and slept. In the morning, Ban, who had climbed upon a tall rock, -found himself looking over a great wide valley, which sloped down and -down, mile after mile, until the far side of it was lost in the morning -mists. Soon the sun dried up the mists, and there, far away, was a wide -strip of water, shining in the early sunlight like a river of silver. -Ban called some of his companions to him, and they gazed at it a long -time in silence. They knew it was water, but they did not know it was -the ocean, but supposed it to be a great river. - -Ban was tired of living in the hills, and wanted to find a new home -where fish and game were more plentiful, so he told his companions to -go back and bring up the whole tribe. - -Soon they came, several hundred of them, the young men with their -weapons, the old men, the women and children bringing the pottery -bowls, the furs and skins, the food. They left the brush huts they had -been living in, and swarmed down the slope of the hillside like so many -bees. Whenever the early tribes got tired of living in one place, and -decided to find another home, they moved like this, in a great swarm, -just as bees do when the hive becomes overcrowded, and some must seek -a new place to live in. Later on, when there were many more people on -the earth, these great movements or migrations of tribes and races were -made by hundreds of thousands, and even millions, wandering through the -country for thousands of miles, destroying everything in their path, -and finally coming to rest in a new home, and founding a new nation. - -Ban and his people moved slowly toward the sea, hunting and camping -as they went. At last one day they came to the seashore, and stood -on the smooth white sand, gazing at the ocean in wonder. They saw no -one about, and there was very little to eat, so they set out along the -shore, hoping to find a better place to make a camp. - -For two days they wandered along the ocean, shooting wild-fowl, -catching some turtles, and killing a few seals they saw on the rocks. -When they found they could not drink the ocean water, some of them -wanted to go back to the hills, but Ban would not let them. - -"Let us keep on," he said. "Somewhere there will be water we can -drink." So they went on, slaking their thirst with the blood of the -birds and animals they killed, or with rainwater they found in hollows -in the rocks. - -On the third day, some of Ban's men, who had been going on ahead, came -back, and said that they saw smoke rising into the air, far up the -beach. They thought it might come from the fires of one of the other -valley tribes, on a hunting trip. Ban gave the order to hurry on. - -Soon they came to a point of rocks, on which there were many seals. -Far out on the point they saw some men, hunting them. Ban's people set -up a great shout to these men, who stood looking at them in surprise. - -Ban and some of his fighters called to the strangers, and the men -on the rocks called back, but neither could understand what the -others said, for in all the many years the children of Ka-Ma and Tula -had lived by the sea, they had made a new language for themselves, -different from the language of the people of the valley. When the hill -people heard these strange words, and saw the grass-cloth clothing the -sea people wore, they knew them to be strangers, and not of the valley -tribe. This at once made them enemies, and they began to throw stones -at them with their slings, and to shoot at them with arrows, and hurl -their spears. - -The little band of sea folk fought back as best they could, but the -hill people were too many for them, and soon they were all killed. -Then the hill men took their weapons, and ornaments, and clothing, and -divided them up, and went on, shouting, toward the smoke they had seen. - -They found other bands of the sea people along the shore, and some -fought and were killed, while others ran swiftly back toward their -homes to give warning to the tribe. - -When Ban and his men reached the village of huts, a little army of the -sea tribe stood ready to give battle, but they were not many, for most -of the young men were away in their boats, fishing. - -A terrible fight now began. The sea folk tried bravely to defend their -homes, and killed many of Ban's men, but there were not enough of them, -and before long they were overcome. Then the hill tribe swarmed down -on the village, killed the old men and children, and took the women -prisoners to make them slaves. The village they set on fire and burned. - -Some few of the women escaped, and ran down to the shore of the river, -near where it emptied into the sea. Here a path led to some rocks, -where the fishermen got aboard their boats. - -A great log canoe, seeing the smoke from the burning village, came -quickly down the river, with ten men on each side paddling as hard -as they could. They knew that their people were in danger, and came -to save them. As they reached the little landing, the women who were -huddled there cried out to them, telling them that a great army of -strange men had killed all their companions, burned the village, and -taken the women prisoners. At first those in the boat wanted to come -ashore and fight, but in a moment Ban and his followers came crowding -down toward the landing, shouting, and throwing stones and shooting -arrows. So the men in the canoe quickly dragged the women aboard, and -paddled away from the shore, out into the middle of the river, where -the hill men could not get at them. Here many of their companions, who -had been fishing in other canoes, joined them, shouting with rage at -the enemy on shore, and shooting at them with bows and slings. - -The battle raged in this way for hours, but although more of the sea -people came up in their boats, they were not nearly as many as the hill -men were, because most of the tribe had been lost in the first battle, -defending their homes. So they dared not go ashore, for they knew if -they did they would be killed. - -All night they stayed in their boats, calling out in rage against their -enemies, who shouted back, daring them to come ashore and fight. In -the morning a storm came up, and scattered the boats. Some of them -were driven ashore, and the men in them captured or killed by the hill -people. Some were driven out to sea, and being small and light, were -sunk. But the great log canoe in which the women had taken refuge had a -grass-cloth sail, and the storm drove it far out over the ocean. - -There was a young chief in this boat named Tul-Ab, who was strong, and -skilful and brave. He divided the water they carried among the men and -women, and gave them fish, which they had caught, to eat, and sat in -the stern of the boat all night and guided it with a paddle, to keep it -from being upset by the waves. He had heard, when a child, of the land -of the flying birds across the Great Water, and he hoped that the storm -might carry them there, and so save their lives. - -By the next afternoon the weather had cleared, and Tul-Ab saw in the -distance a high, rocky coast, against which the waves were beating -fiercely. He roused the men in the boat, and told them to take their -paddles and keep the canoe from being driven ashore until he could find -a safe place to land. - -After a time they came to a place where a river ran through the cliffs -into the sea, and here they found a little harbour, and were able to -make a landing on a quiet beach. Tul-Ab's companions went ashore and -threw themselves on the sand, tired out after the terrible night. But -Tul-Ab went in search of water, and found some in hollows in the rocks -and filled their jars. Then they caught some fish, and made a fire to -warm themselves, and spent the night in some holes in the side of the -cliff. - -All these things the Sun had been watching, and he was sorry to see the -sea folk destroyed. When Mother Nature came to look at the earth, he -spoke to her. - -"What is the use of making such a nice tribe by the sea, and then -letting the people from the hills kill them?" he asked sourly. - -"They are not all killed," Mother Nature replied, laughing at him. "I -wanted some of them to go to that big island they have just found, and -so I let Ban and his people come and drive them there." - -"Why did you want them to go to the island?" asked the Sun. "Weren't -they getting along very nicely where they were?" - -"Yes. They learned many things. But here, on this new island, they will -learn much more. It is a very large island, as you can see, and there -are metals on it, and many other new things for them to find out about. -If I don't spread my new men around a little, they will always stay in -one place, and the earth will never be populated." - -"It is a pity they have to fight, and kill each other," the Sun said. - -"Yes," said Mother Nature. "It is a pity, but men are going to keep on -fighting and killing each other for thousands and thousands of years. -The battle you saw between the sea people, and the tribe from the -hills, was the beginning of war. These two peoples hated each other, -because their language, and their clothes, and their ways of living, -were different. And as one tribe hates another, for these reasons, so -will nations, which are only great tribes after all, hate each other, -and fight and kill, for a very long time indeed, even after they have -become what they call civilized, and fight with terrible engines of -war, which fly in the air, and swim under the water, and blow thousands -of persons to pieces in a single moment. That is the law of force, that -the strong must overcome the weak, and only when man has become really -civilized, and learned the law of love, will fighting stop. They have -to fight now, for in that way they become strong, and brave, and get -courage to conquer the winds and the sea, and the cold and heat, and -spread to all the parts of the earth. Not until long after this is done -will men learn that they all belong to one great tribe, and that it is -not necessary to fight each other any longer, but to help each other. -It is the same on all my other worlds—the people fight each other for -a long time, like bad children, until one day they find that they are -not children any longer, but grown up men and women, and then they do -not fight any more." - -"I should think that God would make them that way in the first place," -grumbled the Sun. - -"He could, you foolish creature," said Mother Nature, with a frown, -"but if He made His people and His worlds perfect to begin with, there -would be no need to create them at all. God is like a weaver, weaving -a wonderful pattern. He finds joy in His work. If it were all finished -as soon as it was begun, even God Himself would have no purpose. All -things must grow slowly and beautifully, from the seed to the plant, -from the plant to the tree, from the tree to the perfect fruit. You, -Sun, are growing too. Some day, your heat will be gone, and you will -grow old and die. You will be cold, and dark, without any light to -shine with. Then it may be that the Great Mind that made you, will -cause you to live again. Meanwhile, do each day what you have to do, -and stop grumbling about things you do not understand." - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE ISLAND MEN - - -THERE were twenty-two men and eight women in Tul-Ab's little party. The -great log canoe had been crowded. - -The place where they landed was a little harbour at the mouth of a -small river, with high cliffs on either side of it, and a narrow beach -at their feet. They managed to catch some fish in the bay without much -trouble, and to find dry brushwood for fire, but there was no water to -drink, except the little they had found in the hollows in the rocks, -left there from the rainstorm of the night before. The shallow caves in -which they slept were only holes in the rock. - -When morning came, Tul-Ab and some of his men began to climb up the -cliffs, in search of water, and a place to make a camp. They did not -like the small caves along the shore; they wanted to be higher up, -where they would be safe from attack, and where they could build brush -huts of the kind they had always lived in. - -They found a smooth grassy place at the top of the cliffs, from which -they could look far out over the sea. There were no trees on the cliff -top, but only some low bushes. A stream, however, came from the rocks -higher up and crossing the little plateau, tumbled over the edge of -the cliffs into the sea. All over the surface of the plateau were many -flat rocks, some small, some very large and heavy. An easy path down -the side of the cliff led to the beach below, where they had spent the -night. - -Tul-Ab and his men were troubled, because they found nothing about -them the way it had been in their other home. There were no trees on -the cliff tops with which to build huts; they saw some, on the hills -further back, but they were small and stunted. Nowhere did they see any -of the marsh grasses and reeds they had used so much in making their -houses. Yet they liked the place they had found for a camp, because -it was high and safe from attack, in case Ban and his hill men should -come after them from the other shore. Tul-Ab looked about and saw -nothing but rocks, and the thought came to him, why not build houses -for themselves out of these rocks. - -He picked out a great flat boulder near the stream, and he and his men -dragged up other boulders, and arranged them in the form of a square. -On these they placed more stones, choosing the flat ones, until they -had built four walls, as high as their heads. In one of the walls they -left a hole for a door, placing over its top a long, flat stone, to -keep the wall above from falling down. The front wall they built higher -than the back, so that the roof of the house would slant, to make the -rain run off. - -The roof bothered Tul-Ab a great deal. If he had had reeds and marsh -grass, he would have known what to do, but he could find none. With -his men he went farther up the hillside and cut down many of the short -stunted trees, and these they laid side by side across the walls of the -house to make a roof. There were spaces between these logs, through -which rain would come, so they cut sods of earth from the grassy -surface of the plateau, and covered the roof with a thick layer of -them, with flat stones on top to hold the sods in place. When the house -was done, Tul-Ab took it for his home, for he was the chief, and he -also took one of the women for his wife. - -When the first stone house had been built, the little tribe built -others, until there was room for all to sleep protected from the rain. -Not knowing what wild animals, or even men, might live in the woods -further back from the shore, they also built a stone wall across the -neck of the plateau, so that on one side their camp was protected by -the cliffs leading down to the ocean, and on the other, by this wall of -stone. They brought great piles of firewood into the camp for cooking -the fish they caught, and the waterfowl they shot with bows and arrows, -along the shores of the little bay at the foot of the cliffs. Every day -the men went out hunting and fishing in the canoe, sometimes on the -ocean, when it was smooth, and at others, on the bay, or up the river -which ran into it. They could not go up this river very far, because -of the rocks in it, which made rapids, over which the boat could not -pass. But they often went beyond the rapids on foot, and brought back -wild hogs, and many small furry animals they had never seen before, and -sometimes bears and horned deer. - -Having no marsh grass from which to weave cloth, the tribe began once -more to use skins and furs for clothing, and to eat more meat, and -less fish, than they had eaten in their old home. The country of the -sea people had been flat and marshy, while that of the valley tribes -was hilly and far from the sea, but in the new home of Tul-Ab and his -tribe, they found both the hills and the sea, close together, and so -they grew to be like both the sea folk, and the people of the valley -and the hills from which they had first come. - -Already, in building things of stone, they had done something that men -had never done before. Instead of living in caves, or brush huts, they -had built houses of stone, and a stone fort. This was a new thing, and -from it they began to learn to be carpenters. As the tribe got larger, -and more houses were built, they found they could make the roof logs -fit closer together by chipping off the two sides of them, and so they -made the first hewn timbers. It was not long, before they found they -could split the logs with stone wedges, and in this way make rough -planks, or boards. These boards they fastened to cross pieces with -wooden pegs, to make doors for their houses to keep out the wind and -snow and rain. - -The women they had brought with them had children, and these children -grew up and had more children, and before very long there were many -hundred people in the tribe, and their stone huts dotted the cliffs as -far as the eye could see. When they found there was not room enough -behind the first wall for the growing village, they built another and -longer wall, further back from the sea, for they were always afraid of -being attacked, on account of the way their former village had been -destroyed. Only the very oldest men remembered this now, but they told -the story to the younger men, around the fires at night, and when these -grew old, they told it to their children and grandchildren, so that it -became a legend in the tribe that they had come from another country, -where enemies lived who might attack them. A watchman stood day and -night on the cliffs, looking out over the sea, ready to light signal -fires, in case he saw boats coming toward them from across the water. - -The island people found plenty of flint, out of which to make weapons -and tools for working wood, and they were very skilful fishermen, and -also great hunters with the bow and arrow. As they made hunting trips -far back into the country, they found many different kinds of wood for -making bows and small canoes, but no reeds were to be found, so they -forgot the art of making basket work. Neither did they find any clay, -for a long time, and when the few bowls and jars they had brought with -them were broken, they made drinking cups of the horns of animals, or -of wood. They still used smoked meat and fish, but they knew nothing -about planting and growing grains to make bread. - -These people were great workers in wood and stone. They worshipped the -Sun, and built a temple to him of huge upright stones, set in a wide -circle, with a flat altar stone in the middle, on which they placed -their offerings of meat and fish. These offerings they burnt with fire, -because the priests of the temple told them it pleased the Sun to -smell the smoke of the burning flesh as it rose up in the sky. Twice -in the year they had great feasts. One was when the days began to get -longer, in the spring, and fruits and flowers began to grow. This -time is in March, and we call it the vernal equinox, because then the -days and nights are of equal length, and equinox means equal nights. -From then on, until June, the days grow longer and the nights grow -shorter. From June till September, the nights grow longer and the days -shorter, until once more they are the same length, and this is called -the autumnal equinox. Then the island tribe held another festival, the -feast of the harvest. After that the nights began to grow still longer, -and the days shorter, because the sun was going away from them more and -more, all through the cold winter. Even to-day we remember these two -festivals, by offerings of flowers in the spring, at Easter time, and -by the harvest feasts which country people still hold in some places at -the end of the summer, when the harvests are gathered in. - -The island people built their houses and temples of stone. With wood -they at first made only roofs and doors, but it was not long before -they began to use it for building other things, such as boats. They -found no big trees of soft wood on the rocky hillsides, out of which -they could make large canoes. So they hewed planks out of the smaller -trees, and built the first wooden ships made by man. They could not be -called ships, at first, for they were only small boats, but as time -went on they built them larger and larger until they would carry forty -or fifty men. - -Modor was the first man to build one of these boats and he was a -skilful carpenter. He hewed a long heavy keel for his boat out of a -tree trunk, and at each end he set up a stout post, one for the stem, -the other for the stern. Wooden braces, or knees, as they are called, -fastened by pegs, held the posts to the keel. Modor's tools were -heavy stone axes, wedges of stone to split planks with, saws, made of -jagged, toothed pieces of flint, with wooden handles bound to them, -sharp flint knives for making wooden pegs, and drills, for boring holes -for the pegs. With such rough tools it was not easy for Modor and -his companions to build a boat, but they were strong and patient, and -worked very hard. - -After the stem and stern posts had been fastened in place, ribs were -pegged to the keel to form the frame of the boat. These curved ribs -they made in two ways. One was to hew them from the crooked limbs of -trees. The other was to take straight pieces of wood and soak them for -many days in water, until the wood became soft and pliable, and then -bend them to shape, and tie them that way with leather cords while they -dried. - -When the ribs had been fastened to the keel with wooden pegs, long -strips of wood were bent around the tops of the ribs, from the stem -post to the stern post, and fastened to each rib with a peg. This made -the framework of the boat, and now it had to be covered with planks. - -Modor and his helpers took the split boards they had made and bent them -over the framework, with a peg at each rib to hold them, and in this -way covered the whole framework of the boat. Of course a boat built -in this rough way would not be water-tight; there were many joints -and seams between the rough planking through which water would leak. -But Modor had found, oozing from the pine trees, a black, sticky sort -of gum or pitch, and this, with soft fibres from the bark of trees, -he used to calk his boat and make it tight. The way he did this was -to heat the pitch in a large shell, dip the fibres in it, and then -drive them into the cracks with a stone wedge. In this way, after many -trials, Modor at last got his boat so that it would not leak. - -He built a deck of wood over the forward part of the boat, and across -the middle part he put five board seats. These seats were for the -paddlers to sit on, but the paddles were so long, in order to reach -the water, that they were like oars, and it was hard to handle them -against the ocean waves. So Modor drove pegs into the edges or gunwales -of the boat to hold the oars in place, and men thus began to row boats, -instead of paddling them, as they had their canoes and rafts. - -As we have seen, the tribe had almost forgotten how to weave, because -they no longer had the tough marsh grasses to make cord from. But Modor -twisted the fibres from the bark of certain trees into strong cords, -and took them to some of the old women, who knew how to weave, and they -wove him a sail from them. Then he put a mast in the middle of his -boat, with a pole or yard across it, and hung the sail from this yard, -with strong cords tied to its lower corners to hold it down. - -In this boat Modor and his companions made many voyages along the -coast, fishing, and hunting. On one of these trips he found a marsh -covered with reeds and rushes, but he did not gather them, for the -tribe had no use for them now. On another voyage Modor's boat was -carried by the wind across the water to a low shore. It was the same -shore from which Tul-Ab and his companions had fled hundreds of years -before. When Modor's boat came in sight of the beach, he saw many men -running along the sand, waving their spears and shouting. Several -canoes crowded with fighting men came out from the shore. Then Modor -lowered the sail of his boat, and the rowers bent to their oars, and -soon left the canoes and the shore far behind. - -When Modor got back to the village he told the old men what he had -seen, and that night around the camp fires they told again the story of -Tul-Ab, and sang a song about him, and his coming to the island. - -The next day the chief of the tribe, whose name was Gudr, told the -watchers on the cliffs to be very careful, and to keep their eyes -always on the sea, for he feared that the people from across the water -might come to attack them. But for a long time none came. - -Other men in the tribe also built boats like the one made by Modor, -larger ones, and they carved the heads of animals, or birds, or fish, -out of wood, and fastened them at the bows of their boats, and this was -the first use of figureheads, which you can see on some sailing ships -even now. They painted the boats with red, and yellow and blue earths, -mixed with fish oil, and stained the sails different colours with the -juices of berries and plants. - -One day, while digging along the bottom of the cliffs for red earth -with which to make paint for his boat, Modor came across a lump of -something that he at first thought was stone. It was yellow in colour, -and very heavy. He laid it on a rock, and beat it with the head of his -axe, expecting it would break. But instead of breaking, it flattened -out, and began to shine, where the axe head struck it, like the rays -of the sun. Modor was very much pleased with his find, because it was -so pretty, and he beat it out into a thin strip, and rubbed it bright -with a stone, and bent it like a bracelet about his upper arm. His -companions, when they saw it, liked its pretty, bright colour, but -beyond that, they paid no attention to it. They did not know that Modor -was the first man in the world to discover a metal. The bracelet he had -bent around his arm was made of pure gold. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE FIRST SEA FIGHT - - -THE Stone Age on earth lasted for a very long time; much longer than -you would think, as you read this story. From the time when Ra made his -first stone-pointed spear many, many thousands of years had passed, -and still men knew nothing of the use of metals. In some parts of the -earth, as the tribes migrated, and spread to new countries, stone -weapons and tools were used for thousands of years longer; in fact, -they are still used, even to-day, by certain savage tribes. But in -other parts of the earth, men discovered metals, and how to use them, -and soon the age of bronze began. - -In Nature's great storehouse metals are found in two different ways. -Some of them, such as gold, tin, and copper, occur free, that is, they -are found in the rocks in solid veins. When these rocks are broken up -by the action of the weather, or by swift-flowing streams, the bits of -metal, being very heavy, fall to the bottom, and are found in lumps, or -nuggets in the sand and earth along the shores. - -Other metals, such as iron, are usually found in nature in the shape of -ores, and can only be gotten out of these ores by smelting, that is, by -heating the ores in a hot fire. - -Early man, of course, found the free metals first, and it was a very -long time before he learned how to smelt ores, and make iron, and -steel. The ancient Egyptians carved their wonderful statues, their huge -obelisks, with tools of copper, hardening the soft metal in some way, -so that it would cut the toughest stone. The secret of hardening and -tempering copper in this way has been lost, and the most skilful metal -workers to-day do not know how to do it. - -When Man first discovered gold, the only use he made of it was for -ornaments, just as Modor twisted the golden bracelet about his arm. -Tin, too, although harder than gold, was of little use to him. Even -copper, the hardest of the three, was too soft in its natural state to -be used for anything but knives, or swords, and even these were not -so good as those made of very hard stone. But when it was found that -copper and tin, melted together, would form what is known as bronze, -hard, tough and strong, a new era or age began, known as the Age of -Bronze. - -It was long after Modor found the lump of gold, however, that the use -of bronze began. - -The island men kept watch from their village on the cliffs for many -years, expecting each day to see a fleet of canoes come across the -water from the far-off mainland, but as time passed they forgot about -their enemies, and went on fishing and hunting and building boats in -peace. - -Then, one day, when the sea was quiet and smooth, a watcher on the -cliffs saw a boat far off on the horizon, and as it came closer, others -appeared behind it until there were forty or more in sight. He gave the -alarm, and soon the smoke went up from the signal fires, calling all -the fishing and hunting parties home as quickly as possible. - -The attacking fleet was made up of many large log canoes, driven by -both paddles and sails. The hill men whom Ban had led to conquer the -tribe by the sea knew little or nothing about making boats when they -came, but the prisoners they had taken, women, and a few men, they -made their slaves, and from these they learned how to make canoes of -wicker and skins, and also how to burn them out of logs. As time went -on Ban's tribe became great fishermen, just as the sea people had -been before them, and travellers came down from the valley, bringing -grain, and fine pottery, and many other new things that the sea people -had known nothing about. This made the tribe of Ban very powerful and -strong; from the slaves they had learned to make fish hooks, and nets, -and grass cloth and boats, and from the hill people, and the dwellers -in the valley, they learned how to make bread, and wine, and to plant -things for food, and make clothing of leather and skins instead of -grass cloth, and much besides. Soon all the country between the valley -and the sea was covered with people, and now the new tribes that -wandered away from the valley went inland, settling new country, for -there was no longer any room for them, in the direction of the sea. - -When the tribe of Ban, and the other tribes that now lived along the -seacoast, wanted to find new places where there was plenty of game, -there was nowhere for them to go. The sea stopped them. But they knew, -when they saw the boat of Modor sail along their coast, that the old -legend about the land of the flying birds was true, and that somewhere -across the Great Water was a new country, where there might be plenty -of game, and room for them to live. So a thousand of them, in fifty -great canoes, twenty men to a canoe, set sail on a voyage of discovery. -It was their boats that the watchers on the cliffs saw coming toward -them. - -When the smoke signals went up, all the boats of the island men came -flying home, and gathered in the bay below the cliffs. The entrance to -the bay was narrow, and they decided to fight from their ships, and -keep the enemy's boats out. Unless these could get into the bay, there -was no way in which the men in them could climb up to the village on -the high ground above, for the cliffs on the ocean side were much too -steep to climb. - -The invaders lowered their sails and paddled about the mouth of the -bay, trying to make up their minds what to do. They had not expected to -find such a rocky shore, for their own coast was flat and sandy. Then -suddenly they decided to sail into the bay and attack the ships of the -island men inside. - -The island men's ships were larger and higher out of the water than the -log canoes, but there were not nearly so many of them; less than thirty -in all, some large and some small. Their sails were lowered, but rowers -manned the oars, while on the decks forward stood fighting men, with -spears, slings and heavy rocks, and bows and arrows. Along the shore -of the bay, at the foot of the cliffs, more fighting men stood, while -above, in the village on the plateau, were the women, the old men and -children, all ready to roll great stones down the path which led up the -cliff, in case any of the enemy should try to climb up that way. - -The canoes of the invaders swept into the bay through its narrow -mouth, and at once dashed toward the opposing fleet, their crews -cheering and shouting. At the same time the boats of the island men -advanced to meet them, led by Modor, who had become the chief of the -tribe, now that Gudr was dead. Modor, whose vessel was in the lead, -told his men to row as hard as they could, straight at the first canoe. -The tall prow of his boat hit the canoe and crushed in its side, so -that it sank, and all the crew were thrown into the water. This battle -was the very first sea-fight, and Modor was the first man to ram an -enemy's ship. - -Other ships belonging to the island men came up, and other canoes were -rammed. The men in the water tried to climb aboard the ships, but they -were struck with axes, or pierced with spears, so that the water of -the bay was red with blood. But the island men did not have things all -their own way. Some of the canoes attacked the ships in pairs, one on -each side, and their crews sprang aboard and fought with the island men -on the decks, so that many were killed on both sides. - -Some of the sea people ran their canoes ashore, and jumped out on the -sand. Here they were met by the defenders on the beach, who fought with -them to protect their homes. - -The battle raged with fury for two or three hours, but at last, when -many of their boats had been sunk, and the crews killed, the sea people -gave up the fight and paddled out of the bay. - -Modor now gave a great shout and called to his men to follow in -pursuit. The ships, with their long oars, were faster than the canoes, -in the rough water outside the bay, and rammed and sank many of them. -Only twelve out of the fifty that came, managed to escape; their crews -paddled away with all their might, and soon they were mere specks in -the distance. - -Then Modor and his ships came back to the bay, the wounds of his men -were washed and bound up, and a great feast was held that night to -celebrate the victory. - -In the enemy's canoes that had been driven up on the shore they found -all sorts of provisions; cakes made of grain meal, and jars of wine, -neither of which they had ever seen before. They also found round -wicker baskets, for holding fish, and strong cords of twisted grass, -and many pottery jars and bowls. - -[Illustration: THE FIRST MUSIC - -One of the men had taken the shell of a sea turtle, and stretched some -thin strings of gut across it and he picked these strings with his -fingers while singing his song.] - -They ate the bread cakes, and drank the wine, which made them very -merry and gay. The old men, who later on were called bards, made a -song in honour of Modor's victory, and one of them played the first -music that man had ever heard. He had taken the shell of a sea turtle, -and stretched some thin strings of gut across it and he picked these -strings with his fingers while singing his song. Many hundreds of -years later these bards, with their rude harps, wandered all through -the country, from village to village, entertaining the people around -the fires at night with songs of the mighty deeds of Modor and other -great chiefs and leaders of the past. In those days, before people had -learned to write, these bards were the ones who kept the history of -the past, and even to-day we can find some of their songs and stories -in the ancient sagas and legends of almost every people and country. -Some of the deeds of these ancient heroes as told by the bards were so -wonderful that the people came to look upon them as gods. - -One of the young men in Modor's boat made a new discovery, while the -battle was going on. When the attacking canoes came alongside, he -sprang into one of them, followed by some of his companions, and fought -the crew with his axe. A shower of sling stones from another canoe flew -about him. To protect his face and head from the stones he snatched up -the round wicker top of one of the fish baskets, and held it before -him, so that the sling stones bounced off and did him no harm. This was -the first shield. - -Later on, when the battle was over, he took one of these round wicker -tops, and stretched a piece of heavy leather over it. Then he fastened -two leather thongs on the inside, so that he could slip his arm through -them and so hold the shield before him while still having his hand free -to grasp his bow. - -Modor, who was a great chief, as well as a skilful carpenter, saw how -useful this was at once. He sent a party up the coast to where he had -seen the reeds growing, and had them bring back many bundles of them. -With these he showed the women how to make frames of basket-work, and -cover them with tough hide, so that each man had a shield to defend -himself with. - -[Illustration: THE FIRST ARMOUR - -Modor made wide gold bands and put them on each arm from the elbow to -the shoulder, and these bands, originally ornaments, formed the first -metal armour.] - -Another thing that came from this battle was the beginning of the use -of armour. One of the sea folk had struck Modor a heavy blow across the -arm, that would have cut it to the bone, had not the axe fallen upon -the thick band of gold Modor wore on his arm. After this, Modor hunted -for more of the gold, and when he found it, he made many more wide gold -bands, and put them on each arm from the elbow to the shoulder, and -this was the first use of metal armour. But it was a very long time -before men came to use heavy armour of brass, and iron and steel. - -Modor loved adventure, and he made up his mind to gather a fleet of -ships, and cross the water to the land of the sea people, and attack -them. But he did not live to do this. One day, while hunting in the -marsh of the reeds, up the coast, a great beast like a rhinoceros, with -long woolly hair, and sharp horns on its snout, charged down on him and -his companions. They fought bravely, but Modor and two of his men were -killed, and the rest fled to their boat, afraid. - -The whole village mourned Modor with songs and cries of grief, and the -next day a party went to the marsh and brought back his body. They -buried it in a grave on the plateau, with great stones over it to mark -the place. With his body they buried the dead chief's spear, and axe, -and his gold armlets and shield, for these people believed that the -dead would live again, and would need their weapons in the other world. - -For hundreds and hundreds of years after this the island people lived -in peace. The tribe grew very large, and spread far inland, where they -found pleasant meadows, and forests, and banks of clay from which to -make pottery. They built many stone villages and temples, and made -armlets of gold, as Modor had done, and sewed plates of it to their -belts, and ornamented the handles of their spears and knives with it. -They also found tin, from which they made ornaments of a shining colour -like silver, and copper, from which they made spear heads, and axes, -beating them into shape with hammers of stone. With coloured clays, and -the juices of plants, they stained their bodies in strange patterns, -and coloured the shafts of their arrows and spears. - -In the forests of the island were many wild animals, bears, great -horned deer, and savage wolves, while along the rivers that flowed -through the marshy country were huge beasts like the rhinoceros, and -wild boar and snakes. From fighting these enemies they became fierce -and brave, and when the bards sang of the men who came to attack them -from over the sea, they would beat their weapons on the ground, with -a loud noise, and talk of setting out to conquer them, as Modor had -planned to do. But it was not until long after, when a chief named Mor -came to be head of the tribe that they crossed the Great Water. - -The twelve boats that escaped from the sea fight never reached home -again. They had no compass to steer by, and the wind and tide drove -them to a far-off shore, where no man had ever been. Here they settled, -just as the island men had done before, and grew into a new tribe and -people. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -THE SEA ROVERS - - -MOR and his men at last made up their minds to sail out across the -Great Water and see what was on the other side. The island people were -very strong and brave, and thought it much better to fight and have -adventures, than to stay at home in peace all the time. So they made -ready a fleet of twenty large boats, each one big enough to hold forty -men, and one bright morning, with the wind blowing straight across the -water, they raised their coloured sails, red, and blue, and yellow, and -set out. - -Each man carried with him a wicker shield, covered with tough hide, -which he hung over the side of the boat within easy reach of where he -sat at his oar. Many wore rings of gold and copper and tin about their -arms. Their caps were made of leather, with the wings of birds in them, -one on each side. They carried bows and arrows, long spears with -points of polished flint, or copper, and stone axes and knives. Some of -the chiefs had axes with heads of copper. - -They took water with them in great bottles made of the skins of -animals, and plenty of smoked meat and fish. When they set sail, -hundreds came down to the shore to see them off. Mor, a big strong -man, almost a giant, waved his glittering copper axe in farewell, then -turned his eyes toward the sea and led his little fleet out of the bay -on its journey. - -For a day and a night they sailed without seeing anything but a few -birds. Some of the men, when they saw nothing but the ocean in every -direction, as far as the eye could reach, were frightened and wanted to -turn back, but Mor told them to wait, that they would soon reach land. - -On the afternoon of the second day one of the men on watch gave a cry, -and soon they saw stretching along the horizon a thin grey line of -shore. A little later they could make out hills, and clumps of trees, -and the smoke from a village. - -It was evening and the people of the village were cooking supper -about their fires. Mor led his boats into a little cove some distance -away, and as soon as they grounded on the sand he and his men sprang -ashore. Five men were left in each boat, to guard it, and the others, -nearly seven hundred in all, with Mor at their head, went to attack the -village. - -The village men had sprung for their bows and spears as soon as they -saw Mor's ships nearing the land, and were now drawn up in front of -the village, ready to defend it. The two sides rushed at each other, -shouting fierce cries. A shower of arrows and stones met Mor and his -men, but the tough hides of their shields kept them from being much -hurt, and not many were lost. The village people, who did not have any -shields, suffered very much, and many of them fell. - -Their chief, a huge man as big as Mor, came out, carrying a heavy -spear, and he and Mor began a terrible fight. The village chief aimed -a heavy blow at Mor with his spear, but Mor caught it on his shield. -When the sharp stone point of the spear cut through the shield it got -caught in the wicker-work, and would not come out. Then Mor jerked his -shield back and pulled the spear clear out of his enemy's hand. The -village chief drew a knife, but Mor rushed at him and killed him with -his copper axe. - -At this the village people were discouraged, and the men from the -island set up a loud shout and rushing at them, killed many of them. -The rest, seeing their leader killed, ran away. Then Mor and his men -went into the village and captured the women, and took great stores of -grain, and wine, and furs back to the ships. After that they set the -village on fire. - -By this time the village people had secured help, and were coming back -to renew the fight, so Mor called his men together, and guided by the -light from the blazing huts of the village, they pushed their boats off -the sand, sprang aboard, and rowed swiftly away. In a little while they -had vanished in the darkness. - -When they got back home, Mor and his men had a feast, and all the -people thought him a hero. After that, he made many voyages, and so did -others of the island chiefs, and the people of the mainland were afraid -of them. - -These rovers of the sea were no more than pirates, of course, but they -did a great deal of good. Year after year they would descend on the -people of the coast, burning and robbing, carrying off their women and -animals and taking them back to their island home, but sometimes they -could not get back, but were driven by storms to other lands, where -they settled and built new homes, taking with them all that they had -learned about metals, about building boats, and many other things. In -this way the knowledge they had gained was spread to other peoples. -Sometimes they would land in peace and trade with the people on the -mainland, giving them gold and copper and tin in exchange for grain -and cattle and pottery. They sailed great distances in their stout -ships and not only learned the things that other races knew, but at the -same time brought to these other peoples their own knowledge of metal -working, and carpentry, and the building of boats. Thus, through these -sea rovers, the different arts spread from tribe to tribe, and from -people to people, which was what Mother Nature intended. - -When man discovered metals, and how to use them, the Stone Age began -to draw to a close. There was of course no exact time when the use of -stone stopped, and the use of metals began, for in some parts of the -world men were using metals for hundreds and even thousands of years, -while others, in other countries were still using stone. When Columbus -came to America, only a few hundred years ago, the Indians in North -America knew nothing of tools or weapons of metal, they were still -living in the Stone Age. - -Another discovery which came about the same time as the use of metals -was the art of making glass. Just when men began to use glass we do -not of course know, but in some of the most ancient tombs, along with -weapons of copper, and ornaments of gold, we find beads and other small -objects made of glass. - -How it came to be discovered is another thing we do not know, or -by what race. It is very likely that it was made by many different -peoples, at different times in the world's history. Over and over we -find that some race which had gone far along the road to civilisation, -would be swept away by savage tribes and its discoveries lost for -many centuries. We know this, because sometimes we find, when digging -in the earth, the remains of savage peoples, with thick skulls and -rude weapons, and under these are the skulls and polished weapons and -ornaments of a much more highly civilised race. The road which man -followed in his progress toward the civilisation we have to-day did not -run smoothly upward, like a path up a hill, but dipped up and down and -around in many circles, always rising a little higher, however, as the -ages went by. - -It is thought that the sea people first discovered glass. Ordinary -glass is made of lime, soda-ash and sand, three very common substances. -Because sand is the thing most needed in making glass, we think it must -have been discovered by a people living on the seashore. It must have -been first made by accident, because man could not have set out to -discover something he did not know anything about. - -The most common story about the first glass is that it was made by some -sailors belonging to the Phœnicians, one of the early sea-going tribes -living on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is supposed that -these sailors, building a fire on the seashore to cook food, may have -propped their pots up on pieces of limestone, which furnished the lime, -just as the beach furnished the sand, and the fire, the ash and the -heat. Probably they found in the ashes of their fire a hard, greenish -lump of glass. They did not know what it was, of course, but carried -it away because it was clear and bright and pretty in colour, like a -jewel. Wiser men, hearing their story, may have learned in this way how -to mix sand, lime and soda-ash together and by heating it form glass. - -The earliest things made of glass were coarse beads, and little bottles -and vases. Later on, man came to make very beautiful glass vases and -bowls and drinking cups, such as those found in ancient tombs in Egypt, -and in the ruins at Troy, and on the Island of Cyprus. These cups and -bowls and other objects are tinted the most wonderful colours, blue -and green and gold, like the feathers of a peacock. It is said that -the ancient Egyptians knew how to make glass that would not break, -so that a vase, dropped to the floor, instead of being shivered to -pieces, would be only bent out of shape. This secret, like the way the -Egyptians had of hardening and tempering copper, has been lost, and the -most skilful glass makers to-day could not make glass like that. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -THE END OF THE STONE AGE - - -DURING all these long centuries, many, many thousands of years, the -people from the valley where Adh and his wife first lived had been -spreading far out over the surface of the earth. Many boats and canoes, -carried by storms from the country of the sea people, were driven to -other countries, and all around the shores of the sea new tribes were -springing up. Century after century, as these tribes became larger, -and game grew scarce, new bands of adventurers wandered off into the -wilderness inland, and from the tribes they formed still other bands -wandered away. Some crossed great lakes and seas in boats, others -drifted down mighty rivers for hundreds, and even thousands, of miles, -on rafts. Mountain ranges were crossed to find new hunting grounds, -and new tribes were formed, which in their turn sent out other bands -of adventurers. During all this time the face of the earth was -changing. Great glaciers from the frozen north crept southward century -after century, grinding the surface of the rocks like giant ploughs. -Earthquakes and floods caused new continents to rise where before there -had been only seas, or made seas, in places where there had been dry -land. Mother Nature's new race of men had to fight the heat and the -cold, the storms and the sea, as well as the fierce animals which were -always ready to attack them, but in spite of all these things, they -spread and grew, year after year, until the earth began to be covered -with them. - -They did wonderful things with their tools of stone. Remains of their -work are found in many places, tens of thousands of years old. On the -Island of Malta, in the Mediterranean Sea, there has been found an -underground temple of great size, with many arched and vaulted rooms, -beautifully carved, all of which were cut out of the solid rock with -axes and chisels of flint. In other places wonderful temples, tombs and -buildings of various sorts have been discovered, built of great cut -stones, and we wonder how such huge rocks could ever have been squared -and polished so beautifully with nothing but tools of stone. - -[Illustration: STONEHENGE - -The ancient ruins in Wiltshire, England. Below, a diagram showing their -original construction.] - -Mother Nature had been away for quite a long time now, for she did not -have to bother so much about her children as she had at first. In every -direction she saw them following her great laws, conquering the winds, -the sea, the rivers, the mountains, the plains, using the woods of the -forest, the fruits and grains of the fields, the metals, the clay and -the rocks to suit their needs. North and South and East and West they -spread out, increasing year after year in accordance with God's great -laws. - -When Mother Nature came back she looked at the Sun and smiled. - -"They have made a good beginning," she said. - -"Is that only a beginning?" asked the Sun. - -"Yes. So far they have hardly done anything at all. But they are on -the right track. With every thousand years that go by they will learn -a little more, and some day, far in the future, they will begin to -be really civilised. That time will come when they have conquered -everything else in the world, and begin to conquer themselves." - -"Why is it," asked the Sun, "that some of them, like the ones on the -island, are going ahead so fast, while others are still just savages?" - -"It is because of the climate, and the kind of country they live in. -Look at those savages down there in the hot jungle. All they have to -do is stretch out their hands and pick some nice juicy fruit. There -is always plenty for them to eat, and it is so warm all the time they -don't need any clothes, or houses to live in, but can sleep in the -trees, or in little bamboo huts. They will never learn to grow things, -or to hunt animals to eat. Life is so easy for them that they will keep -right on being savages for thousands of years." - -"They are getting brown and black," said the Sun. "Why is that?" - -"It is because they do not wear any clothes, and the hot rays you are -shining down on them are turning their skins darker. Just look at those -people up there in the north, where your rays are not so hot. They are -getting lighter and lighter all the time, their hair is getting yellow -and their eyes blue. They are stronger and quicker, too, and they know -much more. In their cold country there is no food ready to be eaten all -the year round. They have to fight very hard for a living, and this has -made them strong and brave and cunning." - -"It is very wonderful," said the Sun. - -"Look at those people by the seashore," Mother Nature went on. "See -what splendid fishermen and sailors they are getting to be. And those -strong hunters, who live in the mountains, and those farmers, beginning -to raise grain and other things for food. Each tribe is learning -different things, depending on its surroundings. Soon those tribes -on the plains will have great herds of buffalo, and sheep and other -animals, and later on they will teach them to work, and to carry them -on their backs, and pull heavy loads. They will use their milk for -food, too, and the wool and hair from their backs they will weave into -warm, strong cloth from which to make clothing. After a while you will -see these tribes wandering thousands of miles with their flocks and -herds, going north in summer and south in winter to find fresh grass -for their animals. The people will live in tents, and ride horses and -camels, and they will be called nomads." - -"How are they going to catch these animals?" asked the Sun. - -"Some they will capture while very young. For others they will make -traps by digging pits in the ground and covering them over with thin -rushes and grass. The animals will walk on the rushes, thinking they -are on solid ground, and so fall into the pits, and be caught." - -"These different peoples don't like each other," the Sun said. "They -fight whenever they meet." - -"Yes," Mother Nature told him, with a sigh. "The tribes that are -strongest and know the most must overcome those that are weak and lazy -and ignorant. It may seem to you a cruel law, but it is a wise one, or -God would never have made it. He wants His people to grow stronger and -wiser and better all the time, and so you can see that He has to let -the ones that are wiser and stronger go ahead, or the race would not -make any progress at all. It would never do to have those splendid -island people destroyed by those lazy savages in the jungles. For a -long time Man will have to live by the law of force. It cannot be -helped. But some day, as I have already told you, he will throw this -law aside, and live by the law of love. It will take a long time, Sun, -but it will come. Meanwhile, watch my little people carefully and you -will see many more wonderful things." - - - END OF VOLUME ONE - - - - - TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: - -—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The First Days of Man, by Frederic Arnold Kummer - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRST DAYS OF MAN *** - -***** This file should be named 50484-0.txt or 50484-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/4/8/50484/ - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, Chris Curnow and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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