The Later Cave-Men Part 24

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Look at what you have modeled in your sand-box and see if you can tell in what parts of the valley the snow will be deepest.

When the snow is very deep, what do the wild animals do? What do the people do?

Can you think how people learned to use poison in hunting?

Does the poisoned weapon poison any part of the animal's flesh? Why do people try to be careful not to leave poison around?

_How Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse Spent the Winter_

When Willow-grouse was living alone, she had to hunt for her own food.

Sometimes she caught animals in traps, and sometimes she hunted with spears and harpoons. When the wounded animal escaped, Willow-grouse was disappointed. So she tried all sorts of ways to make sure of the game.

One day she happened to use a harpoon which had been thrust into a piece of decayed liver. She wounded a reindeer with the harpoon and the animal soon died.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Three views of a Cave-man's spearhead with a groove to hold poison._]

And so Willow-grouse soon learned to mix and to use poisons. When Fleetfoot made simple spearheads of antler, she helped him make grooves to hold the poison. When they used poison on their weapons, they were sure of the game without a long chase.

They lived happily in the rock shelter until the middle of winter.

Then heavy snowstorms came and the wild animals went away. Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse were left without food. They ate a piece of sun-dried meat which Willow-grouse had left in a tree; and when that was gone, they put on their snowshoes and started toward the south.

Before many days had pa.s.sed, they arrived at the cave of the Bison clan. There they were made so welcome that they stayed for two moons.

It was during this time that the Bison clan learned to use the throwing-stick. While Fleetfoot taught the use of the throwing-stick, Flaker made wonderful harpoons. And as fast as Fleetfoot found new ways of using weapons in hunting, Flaker invented new weapons for the men to use.

Ever since Fleetfoot had been away, Flaker had been working at harpoons. He had made harpoon heads with two or three barbs, and now he was trying to make a harpoon with four or five barbs on each side.

It took a long while to make a harpoon with many beautiful barbs. It took more patience to make it than most of the Cave-men had. For when Flaker traced a regular outline of the harpoon on one side of the antler, he traced the same outline upon the other side. Then he cut upon these lines, and he shaped the barbs one by one, until he had made them all of the same shape and size.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "_It was during this time that the Bison clan learned to use the throwing-stick._"]

He finished the base of the head with a large ridge near the end so as to make it easy to attach it to the shaft. Then he traced Fleetfoot's property-mark upon it, and thought that it was done.

But Willow-grouse, who had been watching him, spoke up and said, "No, there is one thing more. You must put a groove in each of the barbs to carry the magic poison."

And so, although Willow-grouse learned a great deal from watching Flaker use his tools, she taught him something he did not know.

When the harpoon was really finished, Flaker gave it to Fleetfoot. And all the Cave-men gathered around to see the new harpoon.

When everybody had seen it, Fleetfoot placed the harpoon upon his throwing-stick and hurled it again and again. To the people who stood near, the barbs carried the harpoon through the air like the wings of a bird. The deep grooves which held the poison carried sure death with each wound. And the throwing-stick with which it was hurled helped in getting a firm hold and a sure aim.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Harpoons with several barbs._]

#THINGS TO DO#

_Find a piece of soft wood and trace the outline of a harpoon upon it. See if you can whittle a harpoon with barbs._

_Experiment until you can tell whether you like to have a ridge on the base of the harpoon head._

_Draw one of these pictures:_-- "_Heavy snowstorms came and the wild animals went away._"

_Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse find some dried meat in a tree._ _Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse arrive at the cave of the Bison clan._ _Flaker working at the barbed harpoon._ "_The barbs carried the harpoon through the air like the wings of a bird._"

x.x.xVII

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

How did people sew before they had needles? What bones do you think the Cave-men would use first in making needles and awls? Why would people want the hardest bones for needles?

[Ill.u.s.tration: _A bone pin._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _A large bone needle._]

See if you can find out where the hardest bones are found.

See if you can think of all the things that would have to be done in making a needle out of a piece of ivory or a large bone.

Why do we sometimes wax thread? What do you think the Cave-men would use instead of wax?

Why did the Cave men make holes in their awls? What were the first holes which they made in their needles used for?

How do you think they would think of carrying the thread through the needle's eye?

Why do we use thimbles when we sew? When do you think people began to use thimbles? What do you think the first thimbles were like?

_How Willow-grouse Learned to Make Needles_

[Ill.u.s.tration: _A bone awl._]

Willow-grouse soon made friends with the women. They admired the clothing she wore, and they wanted to learn how to polish skins and to make beautiful clothing. So Willow-grouse showed the women how to polish skins and to make them into beautiful garments.

While the women sewed with bone awls, Willow-grouse watched Flaker, who was sawing a bone with a flint saw.

It was soon after this that Willow-grouse learned to make needles of large hard bones. The first ones she made were not very beautiful needles. They were not so smooth nor so round as the awls she had made of bird's bones. But she made a beginning and after a while all the women learned to make fine needles.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _A bone from which the Cave-men have sawed out slender rods for needles._]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _A piece of sandstone used by the Cave-men in making needles._]

They made the needles of a hard bone which they took from the leg of a horse. They traced out the lines they wished to cut just as Flaker traced the harpoon. Then they sawed out slender rods and whittled one end to a point. The other end they made thin and flat, for this was the end where the hole was made.

They made the rods round and smooth by drawing them back and forth on a piece of soft sandstone. This made long grooves in the sandstone, which became deeper and deeper every time the sandstone was used. Then they polished the rods by drawing them back and forth between the teeth of a flint comb.