CHAPTER XTHE FIRST BOATTulthe 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 smallstone-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.THE FIRST VOYAGEThe two boys sprang upon the log which floated slowly out into the stream.A DUG-OUT CANOE OF EARLY MANMade 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 carriedacross 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 slippedoverboard, 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 findto 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 carrythem 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 leavingthe 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 placewhere 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 XTHE FIRST BOATTulthe 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 smallstone-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.THE FIRST VOYAGEThe two boys sprang upon the log which floated slowly out into the stream.A DUG-OUT CANOE OF EARLY MANMade 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 carriedacross 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 slippedoverboard, 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 findto 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 carrythem 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 leavingthe 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 placewhere 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."
THE FIRST BOAT
Tulthe 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 smallstone-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.
THE FIRST VOYAGEThe two boys sprang upon the log which floated slowly out into the stream.
THE FIRST VOYAGEThe two boys sprang upon the log which floated slowly out into the stream.
THE FIRST VOYAGE
The two boys sprang upon the log which floated slowly out into the stream.
A DUG-OUT CANOE OF EARLY MANMade by hollowing out the trunk of an oak tree.
A DUG-OUT CANOE OF EARLY MANMade by hollowing out the trunk of an oak tree.
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 carriedacross 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 slippedoverboard, 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 findto 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 carrythem 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 leavingthe 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 placewhere 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."