An Irish deer.A few days later he went with the people to these very grounds. There they hunted the bison herds and the Irish deer. And when each of the clans had chosen a place to camp, Fleetfoot bade them farewell. Then it was that the bravest young men came forward and said that they would follow him. And so the young men agreed to be brothers and to help one another in times of need. They agreed upon signs which they should use when they wanted to meet. And when Fleetfoot started homeward, the young men escorted him.Of the adventures on the way to the Bison clan’s cave there is little time to tell. All the young men were faithful. And as they journeyed on their way, they recalled Fleetfoot’s brave deeds in a victory song.THINGS TO DOShow how the people acted from the time Fleetfoot threw his spear until they knew who he was. Draw pictures which will illustrate the story.Make such a hunting dance as you think Fleetfoot led. Show in your sand-map the places where the hunting grounds were.Name all the running games you know. Tell how you play one of them. Draw a picture of the Cave-men playing games.Make a throwing-stick.Look at the picture of the Irish deer and tell how it appears to differ from other deer you know. For what do you think it uses its large and heavy antlers?XXXIVTHINGS TO THINK ABOUTWhat do you think Flaker will do while Fleetfoot is gone? What do you think the Bison clan will do when Fleetfoot returns?Which do you think will be the greater man—Fleetfoot or Flaker?What things do you think Fleetfoot will do? What do you think Flaker will do?Fleetfoot’s ReturnA fragment of a Cave-man’s baton, engraved with the heads of bison.Flaker missed Fleetfoot more than he could tell. Awake, he thought of his dangerous journey. Asleep, he was with him in his dreams. Many, many times each day he prayed for Fleetfoot’s safe return.Ever since the strangers had camped on their lands, the Bison clan had been anxious. When questioned about it, Greybeard was sad and Bighorn shook his head. So the women were trying to arouse their courage, and Flaker was carving prayers.When Fleetfoot announced his return, it was Flakerwho heard his whistle. It was he who shouted the glad tidings to all the Cave-men. And though he was lame, he was the first who ran ahead to greet him.Fleetfoot and his companions had halted on a hillside not far from the cave. It was from this hill that Fleetfoot whistled so as to announce his return. Here his companions waited, while Fleetfoot advanced alone.While Fleetfoot greeted his friends and showed them his wonderful necklace, his companions chanted his brave deeds in a victory song. It was thus that the Bison clan learned of Fleetfoot’s brave deeds. It was thus that they learned of his courage which came from fasting and prayer.When the song was ended, Bighorn advanced with Fleetfoot, and together they escorted the brave young men to the cave of the Bison clan. There they feasted, and rested, and played games until it was time for Fleetfoot’s last test.Meanwhile the young men became acquainted with Flaker. Fleetfoot had told them about him. He had shown them the dagger Flaker made and the engraving of the Big Bear. And so the young men were glad to see him and make him one of their brotherhood.When the time came for Fleetfoot’s last test, he asked permission to speak. And when Bighorn nodded his head, Fleetfoot told the people the story of how he and Flaker had worked and played together. He told of Flaker’s bravery the day he was hurt by the bison. He told of Flaker’s poniard which he used tokill the cave-bear. He told of the tools which Flaker had made for working bone and horn.A Cave-man’s nose ornament.Then he said that the people of the Bison clan had taught them to worship the gods. He said that Flaker had the favor of the gods and that his prayers would bring success. And he urged the Cave-men, on account of these things, to forget that Flaker was lame, and to admit him into the ranks of the full-grown men.The Cave-men listened to what Fleetfoot said and they all gave assent. And when they made ready to receive Fleetfoot, Flaker was brought forward. The nose of each of the boys was pierced and they were given nose ornaments. On account of his bravery Fleetfoot was given a baton which showed that he might lead the men. And Flaker, too, received a baton, but his was to show that he could lead in the worship of the gods.A Cave-man’s baton engraved with wild horses.And so every one knew that Fleetfoot and Flaker were brave young men. They had passed the tests that had been given for courage, and patience, and self-control. Fleetfoot’s companions stayed at the cave until the ceremonies were ended. Then they renewed their vows to help one another and took leave of the Bison clan. And Fleetfoot, having done his duty, was free to return to Willow-grouse.THINGS TO DOSee if you can make such a victory song as you think the young men sang. See if you can make the speech which Fleetfoot made for Flaker.Dramatize this lesson, and then draw a picture of the part you like the best.See if you can make a baton.XXXVTHINGS TO THINK ABOUTWhy do you think people began to live in places where there were no caves? Can you think what kind of a shelter they might find?Find out all you can about the difference between the winter and summer coat of some animal you know.Which skins do you think would be used for curtains and beds? Which skins would be used for clothing? Which for the heavy winter coats?Willow-grouseSoon after the salmon feast, Willow-grouse saw her people again. When they went away, no one knew why she stayed behind. When they returned, no one noticed how eager she was to hear all that was said. So Willow-grouse kept her secret from every one in the clan.Many days the people hunted; but, at length, there were signs of the coming cold. It was then that the wise men gave an order to prepare for the journey to the winter home.All but Willow-grouse obeyed; but she heeded not what was said. It was not because she did not hear thecommand. It was not because she did not care to live with her own people. It was simply because she remembered Fleetfoot and was waiting for his return.And so, when the women chided her for being a thoughtless girl, they little thought that Willow-grouse was making plans of her own. In the confusion of packing, nobody noticed that she stayed behind, and many moons passed before they learned what Willow-grouse did.As soon as her people were out of sight Willow-grouse began to make ready for Fleetfoot. There was no cave near at hand, but there were high overhanging rocks. Under one of these the people had camped. They found the roof and back wall of a dwelling ready-made. So they simply camped at the foot of the rock and built their camp-fire.Willow-grouse knew that the bare rock was a good shelter in summer. But she also knew that it would soon be too cold to live in such an open space. So she cut long poles and braced them under the roof so as to make a framework for front and side walls. Then she covered the framework with plaited branches, and left a narrow doorway which she closed with a skin.It was hard work to make the rock shelter, but Willow-grouse did not mind it. She kept thinking of Fleetfoot all the time, and she hoped the rock shelter would be their new home.An Eskimo drawing of reindeer caught in snares.When Willow-grouse looked at her dress, she saw it was much the worse for wear. So she set snares in the reindeer trails and caught two beautiful reindeer.“A piece of sandstone for flattening seams.”The soft summer skins of the reindeer had short, fine hair. Willow-grouse scraped and pounded them and then polished them with sandstone.Willow-grouse took great pains in making her new garments. She flattened the seams with a piece of sandstone until they were nice and smooth. Then she gathered fossil shells from the rocks and trimmed the neck and sleeves. And she made a beautiful headband and belt, and pretty moccasins for her feet.A reindeer snare.And when the time drew near for Fleetfoot’s return, Willow-grouse dressed in her new garments. She put on the necklace of fossil shells and thought of Fleetfoot’s last words.Fleetfoot kept his promise. When the new moon came he appeared. Then Willow-grouse became his wife and he lived with her in their new home.THINGS TO DOLook at the picture of a rock shelter on page14.Find some large rocks and put them in your sand-box so as to show anatural rock shelter. Make a framework for front and side walls, and see if you can make it into a warm hut. Model the upper valley.Find a piece of sandstone which you can use in polishing skins.Dress a doll the way you think Willow-grouse dressed. Dress a doll the way you think Fleetfoot dressed.Find pretty seeds and shells which you can use in trimming belts and headbands. Before sewing the seeds or shells on the band, lay them so as to make a pretty pattern. After you have made your pattern draw it on paper, so that you can look at it while you are trimming the band.XXXVITHINGS TO THINK ABOUTLook 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 WinterWhen 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.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 passed, 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 thanmost 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.“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.Harpoons with several barbs.THINGS TO DOFind 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.”XXXVIITHINGS TO THINK ABOUTHow 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?(l) A bone pin. (r) 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 NeedlesA 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.(l) A bone from which the Cave-men have sawed out slender rods for needles. (r) A piece of sandstone used by the Cave-men in making needles.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.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.A flint comb used in rounding and polishing needles.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.A flint saw used in making needles of bone taken from the leg of a horse.The first needles had no eyes. They were more like awls and pins, than needles. Perhaps the first eyes were made in needles to keep them from getting lost.It was hard work to saw the bone rods and to round and polish them. No wonder the women did not want to losethem. No wonder they bored little holes in the thin flat end and hung them about their necks.A short needle of bone.It may have been Willow-grouse who first discovered that the eye of the needle could carry the thread. She may have discovered it when she was playing with a needle she carried on a cord. At any rate, the women soon learned to sew with the thread through the needle’s eye. And then they began to make finer needles with very small eyes.A flint comb used in shredding fibers.These fine needles were used at first in sewing the softest skins. They were used, too, in sewing trimming on beautiful garments. But when the women sewed the hard skins, instead of a needle they used a bone awl.A long fine needle of bone.At the meeting of the clans in the salmon season, the Cave-men wore their most beautiful garments. And soon the clans began to vie with one another in wearing the most beautiful skins. And the women hunted for the choicest sands to use in polishing their needles. They still gave the first polish with a piece of sandstone or a gritty pebble. But when they gave the last polish the women used a powder of the finest sand.Instead of beeswax, the women used marrow which they kept in little bags. Instead of a thimble, they used a small piece of leather. And instead of pressing the seams with a hot iron, they made them smooth with a rounded stone.From the tough sinews of the large animals, every Cave-man made his own thread. All the children learned to prepare sinew and to shred the fibers with a jagged flint comb.THINGS TO DOFind bones which you can make into needles. See if you can find a piece of flint for a saw.Find a piece of sandstone with which you can polish your needle.Make a collection of the different kinds of sand in your neighborhood and tell what they can be used for.Make a collection of needles and find out how they were made.XXXVIIITHINGS TO THINK ABOUTIf the animals went away in search of shelter from the storms, do you think the Cave-men would know where they went? What do you think they would say when they noticed that the animals had gone?Two views of a curved bone tool used by the Cave-men in polishing skins.How did the Cave-men learn what they knew? Why did they make more mistakes than people do to-day?What changes did the Cave-men see take place in the buds? in seeds? in eggs?When they found shells in the hard rocks instead of in the water, what do you suppose they would think?Have you ever heard any one say “It rained angleworms?”Have you ever heard any one say that cheese or meat had “changed to maggots?”Can you tell what really happened in each of these cases?Can you see how stories of animals that turned into men could be started? Is there anything that we can learn from these stories?How Flaker Became a Priest and a Medicine ManThe winter was long and stormy. Wild animals found little food. Herds of horses and reindeer went to the lowland forests. Game was scarce on the wooded hills. Few horses or reindeer were seen near the caves. The trails were filled with snow and everything seemed to tell of the coming of a famine.The people ate the frozen meat that was left near the caves, and when they found they could get no more they began to pray to their gods. “O, Big Bear,” they prayed, “send us thine aid. Help us now or we die. Drive the horses and reindeer out of thy caverns. Send them back to our hunting grounds.”When the first rumor of famine came, Fleetfoot took down his drum. And he set out over the hills to call a meeting of the brotherhood.At the first sound of the drumbeat, the people knew what it meant. Everybody felt a gleam of hope. The young men passed the signal along and fresh courage came to the hearts of the people in the neighboring clans.Buckling their hunger-straps around them, the young men started at Fleetfoot’s call. They met near the Bison clan’s cave. There they told of the heavy snowstorms and the disappearance of the herds. They told of the beginnings of famine and considered ways of finding food.Some said, “Let us leave the old hunting grounds for our elders. Let us take wives and go to far away lands.”Others said, “No, let us dwell together and let each clan keep its own hunting ground.”“But how can we dwell together,” said one, “when there is not food enough for all?”A Cave-man’s engraving of two herds of wild horses.The silence which followed the young man’s question showed that no one could reply. It was then that Fleetfoot turned to Flaker and asked him to speak what was in his mind. And Flaker arose, and turning his eyes toward the heavens, he raised his baton, whereupon all the young men were silent. Then he turned to the young men and said, “The gods will surely provide food for the hungry Cave-men.”“But the people need food and game is scarce,” said one of the brave young men. “How can we prevent the famine? How can we make the gods understand?”“Remember the Big Bear,” said Flaker. “He heard our prayer when we made his likeness on stone. Let us make likenesses of the animals. The gods will then understand our prayers and send many herds to our hunting grounds.”Saying this, Flaker picked up a flint point and a flat piece of stone and quickly engraved two herds of wild horses. The young men believed in the power of magic. And when they saw Flaker engraving theherds, they believed the wild horses would come. And so they all tried to make the likeness of an animal they wished to hunt.A Cave-man’s carving of horses’ heads.When they had made offerings to the gods, the young men were ready to go out to hunt. Flaker stayed at the cave, but it was he who directed them in the right way. He remembered all that the Cave-men had said about the reindeer and the wild horses. And so when they started Flaker said, “Follow the trail to the dense forests.”It so happened that just as the young men were starting to hunt, the herds were coming back from the forests. And so the young men had great success, and soon all the Cave-men had plenty of food.A Cave-man’s engraving of a reindeer.When the young men returned to their homes, they had strange stories to tell. They said that Flaker had brought back the herds by his wonderful magic. They showed the engravings they had made and told of their magical power.And so wherever stories of Fleetfoot’s bravery went, stories of Flaker’s magic were told. And just as Fleetfoot worked to learn all the arts of the hunter, so Flaker worked to learn the arts which made him both a priest and a medicine man.Flaker listened to all the stories that were told by the best hunters. He questionedthem eagerly and learned many things which the hunters themselves soon forgot. He learned the haunts of the wild animals in the various seasons. He knew where to look for the best feeding grounds and the places of shelter from storms.And so when the fame of Flaker was noised about among all the clans, people came from near and from far to make gifts and to get his advice.THINGS TO DOFind soft wood or stone and see if you can engrave some animal on it.Find a stick with branches and carve the head of some animal upon the end of the short branches.Dramatize this story.Draw one of these pictures:—Fleetfoot starting out with his drum.Flaker speaking to the young men of the brotherhood.Flaker inquiring of returning hunters about the game and the feeding grounds.Strangers coming with gifts to get Flaker’s advice.XXXIXTHINGS TO THINK ABOUTThink of as many simple ways of catching fish as you can. How do you think the Cave-men fished?What do you think people mean when they say that some one is living a “hand-to-mouth” life?How do you think people learned to dry meat, fish, or fruit?Why would the people honor the one who taught them to preserve food by drying it?Can you think of anything which could be used as food when it was boiled, that would not be a good food eaten raw?Name a bitter vegetable. What happens to the water in which a bitter vegetable is boiled?Name a sweet vegetable. What happens to the water in which a sweet vegetable is boiled?What do you mean by “parboiling?”Do you think the Cave-men will learn how to boil food?How the Cave-men Learned to Boil and to Dry FoodsAgain the salmon feast came, and again the neighboring clans camped at the rapids. This time they caught more salmon than they had ever caught before. And this was the summer that the Cave-men began to dry salmon and to fish with harpoons.It was Willow-grouse who thought of drying salmon, and carrying it to the caves. She remembered the berries dried on the bushes, and the dried meat she found in a tree. No doubt all the Cave-men had eaten dried meat many times before. Often the Cave-men left strips of meat hanging from the trees.Anybody could leave meat which he did not care to eat. Anybody could eat meat which had been dried in the sun. But not every one was bright enough to think of drying meat.Harpoons of reindeer antler used for fishing.Chew-chew had never dried meat, nor had any of the women. It was enough for them to prepare the meat which they needed day by day. Few of the people ever thought of laying up stores for the morrow. They lived a “hand-to-mouth” life.But Willow-grouse remembered the famines. Sheknew food was scarce in the early spring. And when she saw the river full of salmon, she thought of the sun-dried meat.And so Willow-grouse caught some salmon and cleaned them and hung them on the branches of a tree. And when they had dried, she took them down and the Cave-men said that dried salmon were good. And so all the people caught salmon and dried them in the sun.The first few days the people fished as they had fished before. They waded in the water and caught salmon with their hands, or they stunned them with clubs or with stones. But soon the men began to catch salmon by spearing them with barbed harpoons.A flint harpoon with one barb.Afterward the Cave-men fished with harpoons which had barbs on only one side. Perhaps they first used a broken harpoon. Perhaps they found they could throw with a surer aim when the barbs were on only one side. At any rate, the Cave-men used harpoons with barbs on one side for fishing, while they used harpoons with barbs on both sides when they went out to hunt.It was about the time of the salmon feast that people began to boil food. Pigeon first boiled food to eat. She remembered the broth and partly boiled meat which Chew-chew said the gods had left. And she boiled meat and gave it to the men, and they all sounded her praises.For a while the only boiling pot Pigeonused was a hole in the ground which she lined with a skin. Then she used a water-tight basket for boiling little things.A spoon-shaped stone made and used by the Cave-men.Pigeon always boiled by dropping hot stones into the water. She had never heard of a boiling-pot which could be hung over the fire. She had never heard of a stove. The Cave-men knew nothing about such things as stoves. It would have done them no good if they had, for their boiling-pots could not stand the heat. So instead of putting the boiling-pot over the fire, the Cave-men brought the fire to the boiling-pot by means of hot stones.In times of famine, Pigeon learned to boil all sorts of roots and leaves. Many bitter plants, when boiled, were changed so that they tasted very well. Some plants which were poison when eaten raw were changed to good foods by being boiled.And so the young women had their share in procuring food for the clans. While the young men invented new weapons for hunting, and tried to control the animals by magic, the young women learned to preserve foods and to keep them for times when game was scarce.When the end of the salmon feast came, the people had dried many salmon. It was soon after this that the young men captured wives and took them to new hunting grounds. And one of the very bravest young men was the one who captured Pigeon.THINGS TO DOFind some kind of raw food which you can dry. Dry it and tell what happens. What dried foods do we eat? In what kind of a place do we keep dried foods?Find the best way of boiling bitter vegetables. Tell what happens when you boil them. Find the best way of boiling sweet vegetables.Draw one of these pictures:—Catching salmon just below the rapids.Drying salmon.Pigeon boiling meat for the Cave-men.XLTHINGS TO THINK ABOUTDo you think that any of the young men and their wives would live with Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse? Where do you think Flaker will live?Can you think why Willow-grouse would take great pains to embroider her baby’s clothing?Why would Willow-grouse want pretty colors? Think of new ways she might find of getting pretty colors. How could she get the color out of plants into the stuff she wished to color?Why was it easier to make pretty dyes after people knew how to boil?The New HomeA baby’s hood.A year or so passed and Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse were settled with their kinsfolk in a new rock shelter. Its framework was covered with heavy skins instead of woven branches. Heavy bone pegs and strong thongs served to keep the skins in place.“In summer he played in the basket cradle which Willow-grouse wove on a forked stick.”Flaker and other young men with their wives lived in the rock shelter. There were little children, too, and tiny babies.Willow-grouse had a baby and she thought he was a wonderful child. She dressed him in the softest skins which she embroidered with a prayer. And she hung a bear’s tooth about his neck because she thought it was a charm. In winter she put him in a skin cradle and wrapped him in the warmest furs. In summer he played in a basket cradle which Willow-grouse wove on a forked stick.In all that Willow-grouse did, she always asked the gods for help. The baskets she made for boiling food, were also prayers to the gods.She searched for the choicest grasses and spread them on a clean spot to dry. No one knew so well as Willow-grouse when to gather the twigs. She knew the season when they were full-grown and gathered them before the sap had hardened. She gathered them when the barks peeled easily and when the rich juices flowed.When the twigs were gathered the women soaked them and peeled off the bark. They left some of the twigs round, but others they made into flat splints.Sometimes they stained them with the green rind of nuts, and sometimes they dyed them with pretty dyes.First step in coiled basketry.Second step in coiled basketry.Three rows of coiled work.Instead of weaving the baskets, Willow-grouse sewed them with an over-and-over stitch. In this way she made the soft grasses into a firm basket. She began by taking a wisp of grass in the left hand and a flat splint in the other. She wound the splint around the wisp a few times then turned the wrapped portion upon itself. When she had fastened it with a firm stitch, again she wound the splint around the wisp and took another stitch.Sometimes Willow-grouse made baskets for boiling food, and sometimes she made them for carrying water. The baskets she prized most were the ones into which she put a prayer. The prayer was a little pattern which she made for a picture of one of the gods. Sometimes it was a wild animal and sometimes it was a bird. Sometimes it was the flowing river and sometimes a mountain peak. And sometimes it was a flash of lightning, and sometimes it was the sun.All the Cave-men wanted the gods to be friendly and they wanted them to stay near.That is why they took so much pains in making pictures of them. That is why that soon after the rock shelter was made they engraved a reindeer upon the wall.“Greybeard, now old and feeble, walked all the way to the spot.”Greybeard, now old and feeble, walked all the way to the spot. Fleetfoot and Flaker wanted him to perform the magic rites.A water basket.Not all the people who lived there were allowed to take part in the ceremonies. Only the grown people were allowed to see the first part. And only the wisest and bravest ones went into the dark shelter.For a moment, those who went in stood in silence waiting for a sign. Then, by the light of a torch, Fleetfoot chiseled a reindeer on the hard rock, and Greybeard, holding a reindeer skull, murmured earnest prayers.A feeling of awe came over them while they worked. They began to feel that the god of the reindeer was really there with them. They asked the god to take good care of those who lived in the rock shelter, and to send many herds of reindeer to the Cave-men’s hunting grounds.THINGS TO DO
An Irish deer.
A few days later he went with the people to these very grounds. There they hunted the bison herds and the Irish deer. And when each of the clans had chosen a place to camp, Fleetfoot bade them farewell. Then it was that the bravest young men came forward and said that they would follow him. And so the young men agreed to be brothers and to help one another in times of need. They agreed upon signs which they should use when they wanted to meet. And when Fleetfoot started homeward, the young men escorted him.
Of the adventures on the way to the Bison clan’s cave there is little time to tell. All the young men were faithful. And as they journeyed on their way, they recalled Fleetfoot’s brave deeds in a victory song.
THINGS TO DO
Show how the people acted from the time Fleetfoot threw his spear until they knew who he was. Draw pictures which will illustrate the story.Make such a hunting dance as you think Fleetfoot led. Show in your sand-map the places where the hunting grounds were.Name all the running games you know. Tell how you play one of them. Draw a picture of the Cave-men playing games.Make a throwing-stick.Look at the picture of the Irish deer and tell how it appears to differ from other deer you know. For what do you think it uses its large and heavy antlers?
Show how the people acted from the time Fleetfoot threw his spear until they knew who he was. Draw pictures which will illustrate the story.
Make such a hunting dance as you think Fleetfoot led. Show in your sand-map the places where the hunting grounds were.
Name all the running games you know. Tell how you play one of them. Draw a picture of the Cave-men playing games.
Make a throwing-stick.
Look at the picture of the Irish deer and tell how it appears to differ from other deer you know. For what do you think it uses its large and heavy antlers?
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
What do you think Flaker will do while Fleetfoot is gone? What do you think the Bison clan will do when Fleetfoot returns?Which do you think will be the greater man—Fleetfoot or Flaker?What things do you think Fleetfoot will do? What do you think Flaker will do?
What do you think Flaker will do while Fleetfoot is gone? What do you think the Bison clan will do when Fleetfoot returns?
Which do you think will be the greater man—Fleetfoot or Flaker?
What things do you think Fleetfoot will do? What do you think Flaker will do?
Fleetfoot’s Return
A fragment of a Cave-man’s baton, engraved with the heads of bison.
Flaker missed Fleetfoot more than he could tell. Awake, he thought of his dangerous journey. Asleep, he was with him in his dreams. Many, many times each day he prayed for Fleetfoot’s safe return.
Ever since the strangers had camped on their lands, the Bison clan had been anxious. When questioned about it, Greybeard was sad and Bighorn shook his head. So the women were trying to arouse their courage, and Flaker was carving prayers.
When Fleetfoot announced his return, it was Flakerwho heard his whistle. It was he who shouted the glad tidings to all the Cave-men. And though he was lame, he was the first who ran ahead to greet him.
Fleetfoot and his companions had halted on a hillside not far from the cave. It was from this hill that Fleetfoot whistled so as to announce his return. Here his companions waited, while Fleetfoot advanced alone.
While Fleetfoot greeted his friends and showed them his wonderful necklace, his companions chanted his brave deeds in a victory song. It was thus that the Bison clan learned of Fleetfoot’s brave deeds. It was thus that they learned of his courage which came from fasting and prayer.
When the song was ended, Bighorn advanced with Fleetfoot, and together they escorted the brave young men to the cave of the Bison clan. There they feasted, and rested, and played games until it was time for Fleetfoot’s last test.
Meanwhile the young men became acquainted with Flaker. Fleetfoot had told them about him. He had shown them the dagger Flaker made and the engraving of the Big Bear. And so the young men were glad to see him and make him one of their brotherhood.
When the time came for Fleetfoot’s last test, he asked permission to speak. And when Bighorn nodded his head, Fleetfoot told the people the story of how he and Flaker had worked and played together. He told of Flaker’s bravery the day he was hurt by the bison. He told of Flaker’s poniard which he used tokill the cave-bear. He told of the tools which Flaker had made for working bone and horn.
A Cave-man’s nose ornament.
Then he said that the people of the Bison clan had taught them to worship the gods. He said that Flaker had the favor of the gods and that his prayers would bring success. And he urged the Cave-men, on account of these things, to forget that Flaker was lame, and to admit him into the ranks of the full-grown men.
The Cave-men listened to what Fleetfoot said and they all gave assent. And when they made ready to receive Fleetfoot, Flaker was brought forward. The nose of each of the boys was pierced and they were given nose ornaments. On account of his bravery Fleetfoot was given a baton which showed that he might lead the men. And Flaker, too, received a baton, but his was to show that he could lead in the worship of the gods.
A Cave-man’s baton engraved with wild horses.
And so every one knew that Fleetfoot and Flaker were brave young men. They had passed the tests that had been given for courage, and patience, and self-control. Fleetfoot’s companions stayed at the cave until the ceremonies were ended. Then they renewed their vows to help one another and took leave of the Bison clan. And Fleetfoot, having done his duty, was free to return to Willow-grouse.
THINGS TO DO
See if you can make such a victory song as you think the young men sang. See if you can make the speech which Fleetfoot made for Flaker.Dramatize this lesson, and then draw a picture of the part you like the best.See if you can make a baton.
See if you can make such a victory song as you think the young men sang. See if you can make the speech which Fleetfoot made for Flaker.
Dramatize this lesson, and then draw a picture of the part you like the best.
See if you can make a baton.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Why do you think people began to live in places where there were no caves? Can you think what kind of a shelter they might find?Find out all you can about the difference between the winter and summer coat of some animal you know.Which skins do you think would be used for curtains and beds? Which skins would be used for clothing? Which for the heavy winter coats?
Why do you think people began to live in places where there were no caves? Can you think what kind of a shelter they might find?
Find out all you can about the difference between the winter and summer coat of some animal you know.
Which skins do you think would be used for curtains and beds? Which skins would be used for clothing? Which for the heavy winter coats?
Willow-grouse
Soon after the salmon feast, Willow-grouse saw her people again. When they went away, no one knew why she stayed behind. When they returned, no one noticed how eager she was to hear all that was said. So Willow-grouse kept her secret from every one in the clan.
Many days the people hunted; but, at length, there were signs of the coming cold. It was then that the wise men gave an order to prepare for the journey to the winter home.
All but Willow-grouse obeyed; but she heeded not what was said. It was not because she did not hear thecommand. It was not because she did not care to live with her own people. It was simply because she remembered Fleetfoot and was waiting for his return.
And so, when the women chided her for being a thoughtless girl, they little thought that Willow-grouse was making plans of her own. In the confusion of packing, nobody noticed that she stayed behind, and many moons passed before they learned what Willow-grouse did.
As soon as her people were out of sight Willow-grouse began to make ready for Fleetfoot. There was no cave near at hand, but there were high overhanging rocks. Under one of these the people had camped. They found the roof and back wall of a dwelling ready-made. So they simply camped at the foot of the rock and built their camp-fire.
Willow-grouse knew that the bare rock was a good shelter in summer. But she also knew that it would soon be too cold to live in such an open space. So she cut long poles and braced them under the roof so as to make a framework for front and side walls. Then she covered the framework with plaited branches, and left a narrow doorway which she closed with a skin.
It was hard work to make the rock shelter, but Willow-grouse did not mind it. She kept thinking of Fleetfoot all the time, and she hoped the rock shelter would be their new home.
An Eskimo drawing of reindeer caught in snares.
When Willow-grouse looked at her dress, she saw it was much the worse for wear. So she set snares in the reindeer trails and caught two beautiful reindeer.
“A piece of sandstone for flattening seams.”
The soft summer skins of the reindeer had short, fine hair. Willow-grouse scraped and pounded them and then polished them with sandstone.
Willow-grouse took great pains in making her new garments. She flattened the seams with a piece of sandstone until they were nice and smooth. Then she gathered fossil shells from the rocks and trimmed the neck and sleeves. And she made a beautiful headband and belt, and pretty moccasins for her feet.
A reindeer snare.
And when the time drew near for Fleetfoot’s return, Willow-grouse dressed in her new garments. She put on the necklace of fossil shells and thought of Fleetfoot’s last words.
Fleetfoot kept his promise. When the new moon came he appeared. Then Willow-grouse became his wife and he lived with her in their new home.
THINGS TO DO
Look at the picture of a rock shelter on page14.Find some large rocks and put them in your sand-box so as to show anatural rock shelter. Make a framework for front and side walls, and see if you can make it into a warm hut. Model the upper valley.Find a piece of sandstone which you can use in polishing skins.Dress a doll the way you think Willow-grouse dressed. Dress a doll the way you think Fleetfoot dressed.Find pretty seeds and shells which you can use in trimming belts and headbands. Before sewing the seeds or shells on the band, lay them so as to make a pretty pattern. After you have made your pattern draw it on paper, so that you can look at it while you are trimming the band.
Look at the picture of a rock shelter on page14.
Find some large rocks and put them in your sand-box so as to show anatural rock shelter. Make a framework for front and side walls, and see if you can make it into a warm hut. Model the upper valley.
Find a piece of sandstone which you can use in polishing skins.
Dress a doll the way you think Willow-grouse dressed. Dress a doll the way you think Fleetfoot dressed.
Find pretty seeds and shells which you can use in trimming belts and headbands. Before sewing the seeds or shells on the band, lay them so as to make a pretty pattern. After you have made your pattern draw it on paper, so that you can look at it while you are trimming the band.
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?
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.
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 passed, 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 thanmost 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.
“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.
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.”
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.”
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?(l) A bone pin. (r) 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 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?
(l) A bone pin. (r) 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
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.
(l) A bone from which the Cave-men have sawed out slender rods for needles. (r) A piece of sandstone used by the Cave-men in making needles.
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.
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.
A flint comb used in rounding and polishing needles.
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.
A flint saw used in making needles of bone taken from the leg of a horse.
The first needles had no eyes. They were more like awls and pins, than needles. Perhaps the first eyes were made in needles to keep them from getting lost.
It was hard work to saw the bone rods and to round and polish them. No wonder the women did not want to losethem. No wonder they bored little holes in the thin flat end and hung them about their necks.
A short needle of bone.
It may have been Willow-grouse who first discovered that the eye of the needle could carry the thread. She may have discovered it when she was playing with a needle she carried on a cord. At any rate, the women soon learned to sew with the thread through the needle’s eye. And then they began to make finer needles with very small eyes.
A flint comb used in shredding fibers.
These fine needles were used at first in sewing the softest skins. They were used, too, in sewing trimming on beautiful garments. But when the women sewed the hard skins, instead of a needle they used a bone awl.
A long fine needle of bone.
At the meeting of the clans in the salmon season, the Cave-men wore their most beautiful garments. And soon the clans began to vie with one another in wearing the most beautiful skins. And the women hunted for the choicest sands to use in polishing their needles. They still gave the first polish with a piece of sandstone or a gritty pebble. But when they gave the last polish the women used a powder of the finest sand.
Instead of beeswax, the women used marrow which they kept in little bags. Instead of a thimble, they used a small piece of leather. And instead of pressing the seams with a hot iron, they made them smooth with a rounded stone.
From the tough sinews of the large animals, every Cave-man made his own thread. All the children learned to prepare sinew and to shred the fibers with a jagged flint comb.
THINGS TO DO
Find bones which you can make into needles. See if you can find a piece of flint for a saw.Find a piece of sandstone with which you can polish your needle.Make a collection of the different kinds of sand in your neighborhood and tell what they can be used for.Make a collection of needles and find out how they were made.
Find bones which you can make into needles. See if you can find a piece of flint for a saw.
Find a piece of sandstone with which you can polish your needle.
Make a collection of the different kinds of sand in your neighborhood and tell what they can be used for.
Make a collection of needles and find out how they were made.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
If the animals went away in search of shelter from the storms, do you think the Cave-men would know where they went? What do you think they would say when they noticed that the animals had gone?Two views of a curved bone tool used by the Cave-men in polishing skins.How did the Cave-men learn what they knew? Why did they make more mistakes than people do to-day?What changes did the Cave-men see take place in the buds? in seeds? in eggs?When they found shells in the hard rocks instead of in the water, what do you suppose they would think?Have you ever heard any one say “It rained angleworms?”Have you ever heard any one say that cheese or meat had “changed to maggots?”Can you tell what really happened in each of these cases?Can you see how stories of animals that turned into men could be started? Is there anything that we can learn from these stories?
If the animals went away in search of shelter from the storms, do you think the Cave-men would know where they went? What do you think they would say when they noticed that the animals had gone?
Two views of a curved bone tool used by the Cave-men in polishing skins.
How did the Cave-men learn what they knew? Why did they make more mistakes than people do to-day?
What changes did the Cave-men see take place in the buds? in seeds? in eggs?
When they found shells in the hard rocks instead of in the water, what do you suppose they would think?
Have you ever heard any one say “It rained angleworms?”
Have you ever heard any one say that cheese or meat had “changed to maggots?”
Can you tell what really happened in each of these cases?
Can you see how stories of animals that turned into men could be started? Is there anything that we can learn from these stories?
How Flaker Became a Priest and a Medicine Man
The winter was long and stormy. Wild animals found little food. Herds of horses and reindeer went to the lowland forests. Game was scarce on the wooded hills. Few horses or reindeer were seen near the caves. The trails were filled with snow and everything seemed to tell of the coming of a famine.
The people ate the frozen meat that was left near the caves, and when they found they could get no more they began to pray to their gods. “O, Big Bear,” they prayed, “send us thine aid. Help us now or we die. Drive the horses and reindeer out of thy caverns. Send them back to our hunting grounds.”
When the first rumor of famine came, Fleetfoot took down his drum. And he set out over the hills to call a meeting of the brotherhood.
At the first sound of the drumbeat, the people knew what it meant. Everybody felt a gleam of hope. The young men passed the signal along and fresh courage came to the hearts of the people in the neighboring clans.
Buckling their hunger-straps around them, the young men started at Fleetfoot’s call. They met near the Bison clan’s cave. There they told of the heavy snowstorms and the disappearance of the herds. They told of the beginnings of famine and considered ways of finding food.
Some said, “Let us leave the old hunting grounds for our elders. Let us take wives and go to far away lands.”
Others said, “No, let us dwell together and let each clan keep its own hunting ground.”
“But how can we dwell together,” said one, “when there is not food enough for all?”
A Cave-man’s engraving of two herds of wild horses.
The silence which followed the young man’s question showed that no one could reply. It was then that Fleetfoot turned to Flaker and asked him to speak what was in his mind. And Flaker arose, and turning his eyes toward the heavens, he raised his baton, whereupon all the young men were silent. Then he turned to the young men and said, “The gods will surely provide food for the hungry Cave-men.”
“But the people need food and game is scarce,” said one of the brave young men. “How can we prevent the famine? How can we make the gods understand?”
“Remember the Big Bear,” said Flaker. “He heard our prayer when we made his likeness on stone. Let us make likenesses of the animals. The gods will then understand our prayers and send many herds to our hunting grounds.”
Saying this, Flaker picked up a flint point and a flat piece of stone and quickly engraved two herds of wild horses. The young men believed in the power of magic. And when they saw Flaker engraving theherds, they believed the wild horses would come. And so they all tried to make the likeness of an animal they wished to hunt.
A Cave-man’s carving of horses’ heads.
When they had made offerings to the gods, the young men were ready to go out to hunt. Flaker stayed at the cave, but it was he who directed them in the right way. He remembered all that the Cave-men had said about the reindeer and the wild horses. And so when they started Flaker said, “Follow the trail to the dense forests.”
It so happened that just as the young men were starting to hunt, the herds were coming back from the forests. And so the young men had great success, and soon all the Cave-men had plenty of food.
A Cave-man’s engraving of a reindeer.
When the young men returned to their homes, they had strange stories to tell. They said that Flaker had brought back the herds by his wonderful magic. They showed the engravings they had made and told of their magical power.
And so wherever stories of Fleetfoot’s bravery went, stories of Flaker’s magic were told. And just as Fleetfoot worked to learn all the arts of the hunter, so Flaker worked to learn the arts which made him both a priest and a medicine man.
Flaker listened to all the stories that were told by the best hunters. He questionedthem eagerly and learned many things which the hunters themselves soon forgot. He learned the haunts of the wild animals in the various seasons. He knew where to look for the best feeding grounds and the places of shelter from storms.
And so when the fame of Flaker was noised about among all the clans, people came from near and from far to make gifts and to get his advice.
THINGS TO DO
Find soft wood or stone and see if you can engrave some animal on it.Find a stick with branches and carve the head of some animal upon the end of the short branches.Dramatize this story.Draw one of these pictures:—Fleetfoot starting out with his drum.Flaker speaking to the young men of the brotherhood.Flaker inquiring of returning hunters about the game and the feeding grounds.Strangers coming with gifts to get Flaker’s advice.
Find soft wood or stone and see if you can engrave some animal on it.
Find a stick with branches and carve the head of some animal upon the end of the short branches.
Dramatize this story.
Draw one of these pictures:—Fleetfoot starting out with his drum.Flaker speaking to the young men of the brotherhood.Flaker inquiring of returning hunters about the game and the feeding grounds.Strangers coming with gifts to get Flaker’s advice.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Think of as many simple ways of catching fish as you can. How do you think the Cave-men fished?What do you think people mean when they say that some one is living a “hand-to-mouth” life?How do you think people learned to dry meat, fish, or fruit?Why would the people honor the one who taught them to preserve food by drying it?Can you think of anything which could be used as food when it was boiled, that would not be a good food eaten raw?Name a bitter vegetable. What happens to the water in which a bitter vegetable is boiled?Name a sweet vegetable. What happens to the water in which a sweet vegetable is boiled?What do you mean by “parboiling?”Do you think the Cave-men will learn how to boil food?
Think of as many simple ways of catching fish as you can. How do you think the Cave-men fished?
What do you think people mean when they say that some one is living a “hand-to-mouth” life?
How do you think people learned to dry meat, fish, or fruit?
Why would the people honor the one who taught them to preserve food by drying it?
Can you think of anything which could be used as food when it was boiled, that would not be a good food eaten raw?
Name a bitter vegetable. What happens to the water in which a bitter vegetable is boiled?
Name a sweet vegetable. What happens to the water in which a sweet vegetable is boiled?
What do you mean by “parboiling?”
Do you think the Cave-men will learn how to boil food?
How the Cave-men Learned to Boil and to Dry Foods
Again the salmon feast came, and again the neighboring clans camped at the rapids. This time they caught more salmon than they had ever caught before. And this was the summer that the Cave-men began to dry salmon and to fish with harpoons.
It was Willow-grouse who thought of drying salmon, and carrying it to the caves. She remembered the berries dried on the bushes, and the dried meat she found in a tree. No doubt all the Cave-men had eaten dried meat many times before. Often the Cave-men left strips of meat hanging from the trees.
Anybody could leave meat which he did not care to eat. Anybody could eat meat which had been dried in the sun. But not every one was bright enough to think of drying meat.
Harpoons of reindeer antler used for fishing.
Chew-chew had never dried meat, nor had any of the women. It was enough for them to prepare the meat which they needed day by day. Few of the people ever thought of laying up stores for the morrow. They lived a “hand-to-mouth” life.
But Willow-grouse remembered the famines. Sheknew food was scarce in the early spring. And when she saw the river full of salmon, she thought of the sun-dried meat.
And so Willow-grouse caught some salmon and cleaned them and hung them on the branches of a tree. And when they had dried, she took them down and the Cave-men said that dried salmon were good. And so all the people caught salmon and dried them in the sun.
The first few days the people fished as they had fished before. They waded in the water and caught salmon with their hands, or they stunned them with clubs or with stones. But soon the men began to catch salmon by spearing them with barbed harpoons.
A flint harpoon with one barb.
Afterward the Cave-men fished with harpoons which had barbs on only one side. Perhaps they first used a broken harpoon. Perhaps they found they could throw with a surer aim when the barbs were on only one side. At any rate, the Cave-men used harpoons with barbs on one side for fishing, while they used harpoons with barbs on both sides when they went out to hunt.
It was about the time of the salmon feast that people began to boil food. Pigeon first boiled food to eat. She remembered the broth and partly boiled meat which Chew-chew said the gods had left. And she boiled meat and gave it to the men, and they all sounded her praises.
For a while the only boiling pot Pigeonused was a hole in the ground which she lined with a skin. Then she used a water-tight basket for boiling little things.
A spoon-shaped stone made and used by the Cave-men.
Pigeon always boiled by dropping hot stones into the water. She had never heard of a boiling-pot which could be hung over the fire. She had never heard of a stove. The Cave-men knew nothing about such things as stoves. It would have done them no good if they had, for their boiling-pots could not stand the heat. So instead of putting the boiling-pot over the fire, the Cave-men brought the fire to the boiling-pot by means of hot stones.
In times of famine, Pigeon learned to boil all sorts of roots and leaves. Many bitter plants, when boiled, were changed so that they tasted very well. Some plants which were poison when eaten raw were changed to good foods by being boiled.
And so the young women had their share in procuring food for the clans. While the young men invented new weapons for hunting, and tried to control the animals by magic, the young women learned to preserve foods and to keep them for times when game was scarce.
When the end of the salmon feast came, the people had dried many salmon. It was soon after this that the young men captured wives and took them to new hunting grounds. And one of the very bravest young men was the one who captured Pigeon.
THINGS TO DO
Find some kind of raw food which you can dry. Dry it and tell what happens. What dried foods do we eat? In what kind of a place do we keep dried foods?Find the best way of boiling bitter vegetables. Tell what happens when you boil them. Find the best way of boiling sweet vegetables.Draw one of these pictures:—Catching salmon just below the rapids.Drying salmon.Pigeon boiling meat for the Cave-men.
Find some kind of raw food which you can dry. Dry it and tell what happens. What dried foods do we eat? In what kind of a place do we keep dried foods?
Find the best way of boiling bitter vegetables. Tell what happens when you boil them. Find the best way of boiling sweet vegetables.
Draw one of these pictures:—Catching salmon just below the rapids.Drying salmon.Pigeon boiling meat for the Cave-men.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Do you think that any of the young men and their wives would live with Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse? Where do you think Flaker will live?Can you think why Willow-grouse would take great pains to embroider her baby’s clothing?Why would Willow-grouse want pretty colors? Think of new ways she might find of getting pretty colors. How could she get the color out of plants into the stuff she wished to color?Why was it easier to make pretty dyes after people knew how to boil?
Do you think that any of the young men and their wives would live with Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse? Where do you think Flaker will live?
Can you think why Willow-grouse would take great pains to embroider her baby’s clothing?
Why would Willow-grouse want pretty colors? Think of new ways she might find of getting pretty colors. How could she get the color out of plants into the stuff she wished to color?
Why was it easier to make pretty dyes after people knew how to boil?
The New Home
A baby’s hood.
A year or so passed and Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse were settled with their kinsfolk in a new rock shelter. Its framework was covered with heavy skins instead of woven branches. Heavy bone pegs and strong thongs served to keep the skins in place.
“In summer he played in the basket cradle which Willow-grouse wove on a forked stick.”
Flaker and other young men with their wives lived in the rock shelter. There were little children, too, and tiny babies.
Willow-grouse had a baby and she thought he was a wonderful child. She dressed him in the softest skins which she embroidered with a prayer. And she hung a bear’s tooth about his neck because she thought it was a charm. In winter she put him in a skin cradle and wrapped him in the warmest furs. In summer he played in a basket cradle which Willow-grouse wove on a forked stick.
In all that Willow-grouse did, she always asked the gods for help. The baskets she made for boiling food, were also prayers to the gods.
She searched for the choicest grasses and spread them on a clean spot to dry. No one knew so well as Willow-grouse when to gather the twigs. She knew the season when they were full-grown and gathered them before the sap had hardened. She gathered them when the barks peeled easily and when the rich juices flowed.
When the twigs were gathered the women soaked them and peeled off the bark. They left some of the twigs round, but others they made into flat splints.Sometimes they stained them with the green rind of nuts, and sometimes they dyed them with pretty dyes.
First step in coiled basketry.
Second step in coiled basketry.
Three rows of coiled work.
Instead of weaving the baskets, Willow-grouse sewed them with an over-and-over stitch. In this way she made the soft grasses into a firm basket. She began by taking a wisp of grass in the left hand and a flat splint in the other. She wound the splint around the wisp a few times then turned the wrapped portion upon itself. When she had fastened it with a firm stitch, again she wound the splint around the wisp and took another stitch.
Sometimes Willow-grouse made baskets for boiling food, and sometimes she made them for carrying water. The baskets she prized most were the ones into which she put a prayer. The prayer was a little pattern which she made for a picture of one of the gods. Sometimes it was a wild animal and sometimes it was a bird. Sometimes it was the flowing river and sometimes a mountain peak. And sometimes it was a flash of lightning, and sometimes it was the sun.
All the Cave-men wanted the gods to be friendly and they wanted them to stay near.That is why they took so much pains in making pictures of them. That is why that soon after the rock shelter was made they engraved a reindeer upon the wall.
“Greybeard, now old and feeble, walked all the way to the spot.”
Greybeard, now old and feeble, walked all the way to the spot. Fleetfoot and Flaker wanted him to perform the magic rites.
A water basket.
Not all the people who lived there were allowed to take part in the ceremonies. Only the grown people were allowed to see the first part. And only the wisest and bravest ones went into the dark shelter.
For a moment, those who went in stood in silence waiting for a sign. Then, by the light of a torch, Fleetfoot chiseled a reindeer on the hard rock, and Greybeard, holding a reindeer skull, murmured earnest prayers.
A feeling of awe came over them while they worked. They began to feel that the god of the reindeer was really there with them. They asked the god to take good care of those who lived in the rock shelter, and to send many herds of reindeer to the Cave-men’s hunting grounds.
THINGS TO DO