as far back as any of the cave people could remember, their fathers had used the bones of wild beasts as weapons. i suppose they discovered long before that the marrow inside these bones was very good to eat. then they hammered them with great stones till the bones split open and after they had eaten the marrow somebody discovered the sharp bones made very formidable weapons. no one had ever found sticks so strong and so sharp as these bone weapons.
by and by all the cave people possessed great bones, split at one end, like a sharp sword. almost every day the youths and maidens threw bones or sticks to display their skill. and the one whose aim was true and who showed most power 28in his arm, strutted about and stuck out his chest, in order that all the other cave people might know how great he was.
one there was whom they called big nose. now in the time of the cave people it was a marvelous thing for a child to possess a nose that protruded. generally cave noses were much like the noses of the tree people, with merely two large nostrils in the center of the face, slightly extended, preceding the head in order that the owner might catch the smell of danger or of good food. but him the cave people called big nose because his nose turned down instead of upward, and it extended nearly half an inch beyond his face.
when he was only a slim brown youth, big nose became able to out-throw all the other young folks. he could fling his rough bone javelin many feet further than any of the others and with greater force. at the edge of the woods, he would hurl it far among the trees and clip off, every time, the heads of the small purple flower that grew tall and slim in the forest.
big nose grew proud and held his head very high. and he began, after a little while, to wander farther and farther into the woods alone, for he desired greatly to meet the mountain lion or the green snake, in order that he might kill them with his weapon and become still greater in the eyes of the cave people.
29every one thought he was brave but very foolish, for the youths and maidens rarely wandered about in the forest alone. too often had their brothers gone out and never returned, and there was fear in their hearts.
but in spite of their warnings, big nose continued to hunt and one day, when he had traveled beyond the great rocks, he discovered a large tree lying prone upon the ground. the spring storms had uprooted it and flung it down to die.
big nose sped on till he reached the oak tree, when he heard, from its branches, a deep growl and much scratching. big nose drew back quickly and sheltered himself behind a great tree, waiting. aloft he held his bone spear, ready to hurl it upon the enemy.
he waited a long time, but nothing came forth from the boughs of the oak tree, and gradually he grew bolder and cautiously advanced again. his ears twitched constantly and he drew his lips back from his teeth just as dogs do when they attack the enemy.
big nose still heard the low growling, but he saw nothing. when he reached the fallen oak, he saw that its branches were flung over a deep hole in the ground. he peered into it carefully and saw a black bear, digging frantically with her paws. evidently she had blundered through the branches of the tree and had fallen down into the hollow.
30when big nose found there was no danger, he grew very happy and laughed softly to himself, for the black bear stood upon her hind feet and clawed the air, trying to get out.
and he dropped stones upon her head till she grew wild with rage and staggered about trying to reach him with her paws. big nose laughed softly and continued to tease her till she stood again on her hind feet, exposing her throat in rage. then he lifted his arms above his head and flung the bone javelin into her breast with all his strength.
the bear dropped to the ground pawing at the bone which protruded from her throat, dripping with blood. furiously she tore about the pit, beating its sides with her paws. and big nose was terrified when he saw his bone weapon fall to the bottom of the hollow, and he ran about hunting for a long stick with which he hoped to poke it out again.
when he returned to the pit, bearing sticks and boughs, he found the bear pressing her paws to her breast and growling with rage.
very carefully he bent over the hollow and poked his weapon, but the bear discovered his movements and turned quickly upon him. with a stroke of her great paw, she slashed savagely at his arm, and laid it open to the bone. big nose choked back a cry of pain.
31then he arose to his feet and staggered homeward. softly he went and his feet touched the earth gently. dry leaves did not crack under them and he made no sound. but his wound bled badly and he grew weak with pain.
then he stopped at the side of a dead tree and tore off a strip of bark, which he wrapped tightly around his arm. and he sped quickly, for wild beasts came forth eagerly at the smell of blood and he had no weapon with which to defend himself.
but he arrived at the hollow in safety. and the old men among the cave people nodded their heads and threw out their hands, as much as to say:
“we told you so.”
but the youths and maidens gathered around big nose with much interest, saying, “what? what?” which, in the language of the cave people, means, what is the matter?
and the brown maidens came near and gazed upon big nose with wonder and admiration. even light foot, who had, alone, slain the man, who came down the river, from the enemies, the arrow people, was pleased with big nose and brought herbs with which to wrap his wounds.
but big nose waved them all aside with a lofty gesture. though the pain hurt him sorely, his face was calm, and he knew all the cave people would think long of his bravery. and his blood 32was warm because light foot looked upon him with love and fire in her eyes.
when all the eyes of the cave people were directed upon him, big nose knelt quickly on the ground and dug a small hole in the earth. with his arm that was uninjured, he pointed into it, growling in imitation of the black bear. and they knew he had discovered a bear that had stumbled into a hollow. then big nose threw a stick into the hole and they understood he had hurled his bone javelin upon the bear. snatching a second stick, he poked furiously to show how he had sought to extricate his weapon. with another deep growl, he pulled out his arm and held his wound where all could see.
it was in this way that the cave people talked to each other. their words were few and most of their ideas were expressed by gestures. “quack, quack,” they said when they meant wild duck. a deep growl signified the black bear, while a long line, made by drawing a finger through the dust or sand, gave everybody to understand the person spoke of a snake.
if you have seen a pantomime show, you will understand something of the manner of the gesture language of the cave people. even we “civilized” folks, long accustomed to verbal language, say many things to each other every day, by facial expression and by gesture.
and so, even the children among the cave 33people understood the adventures big nose had encountered. when his pantomime monologue was finished, the men and women of the tribe rose eagerly. they pointed first to the hole big nose had dug in the ground, and then toward the forest, as much as to say,
“is the bear still in the pit?”
and one of them asked “big nose kill?” big nose shook his head and started toward the wood, indicating that the cave men were to follow.
so the strong men started through the forest. they hurried forward, keeping close together, with their bone javelins in their hands. for it was growing dusk. but all were hungry, and cave people who have eaten little for twenty-four hours are willing to risk some danger for a meal of fresh meat.
they reached the pit safely. the bear still growled savagely in pain, and it was after much jabbing with their bone weapons that they dispatched her.
speedily they dragged her from the hole and began at once to skin and disembowel her. they worked into the dark hacking up and distributing portions in order that each man might carry back to the hollow his share of the burden.
very sharply the cave men drew in their breath, for the fresh blood of the bear smelled good to them. but the terror of the night was strong upon them, and they listened intently, sniffing 34the air, twitching their ears and trembling with fear. for it is in the night that the wild beasts creep forth for food, and the smell of fresh blood reaches a long way off.
so the cave men huddled together very close, each carrying a portion of the dripping carcass of the bear. big nose, too, bore a huge chunk of the meat, which he chewed from time to time. his wounded arm ached sorely, but because of the pride in his heart, he spoke not. but the way to the hollow seemed very far and his knees almost sank beneath him.
each man bore his bone weapon pointing away from his fellows, in order that the hyena, if it sprang at them, might receive the sharp bone point.
strong arm was he who thought most of the fire and the safety it brought. but he was unable to express his thoughts. for the sign of the fire among the cave people was spoken in a gesture, and gesture language is not understood in the darkness.
one terrifying incident marked the journey home. soft foot-falls crumbled the leaves and two green eyes spotted the black, but the cave men huddled closer together, and shrieked so loudly that the animal, whatever it was, dashed away in fear.
when they came to the hollow, the cave men called loudly to the others, and distributed big 35chunks of bear meat, which they all ate eagerly, with great satisfaction. then the people crept into their caves, rolled great stones before the entrances, and slept.
many suns came and went away again and big nose was so proud of his wound that he moved his arm with great care. the blood that covered it grew hard and black but he sought to preserve it there always, in order to recall to the minds of the cave people thoughts of his courage. to him it was a precious ornament, so beautiful that it caused the young men to regard him with jealousy and the young women with admiration.
and light foot, who was very beautiful in the eyes of all the cave people, refused to look any longer upon the other youths of the tribe. and when big nose asked her to share his cave, she was proud and happy and went to live with him and became his wife.
one there was among the youths of the cave people whom they had never called “man,” which is to say, “you are wise and brave; therefore you are a man.” him they called run fast, because, in spite of the hair grown heavy upon his face, it was always his custom to run away when trouble came.
all the cave people were often afraid, for death sometimes lurked in the shadows, and their ignorance was so great that they were unable to explain very common occurrences. but run fast 36was more fearful than the old women and the little children.
run fast hated big nose because big nose had done all the things he was afraid to do.
but one day he crept into the wood. he thought he knew of a way that would cause all the cave people to look upon him with admiration. he did not see laughing boy slip through the brush behind him.
run fast did not travel far. he never went far from the hollow when he was alone. and he did not see little laughing boy, who watched him curiously from the bushes.
then run fast did a very strange thing. seizing his split bone knife, he scraped his arm till the blood ran and dropped on the ground. then he bound it tightly, with a piece of bark, just as big nose had done.
he returned to the hollow, screaming wildly, until the cave people gathered to learn the cause of his distress. and he repeated, in the language of gesture, the same story big nose had told a few suns before.
the strong men and the women surveyed him sharply, for it did not seem possible to them that run fast had killed anything. but little laughing boy, who saw that run fast was receiving much attention because of the blood upon his arm, pushed his way among the people.
with a stone in his hand, he rubbed fiercely up 37and down upon his forearm, till the blood flowed, pointing to run fast and shaking his head.
his meaning was plain. the cave people understood him. it was, “see me. i can scratch myself harder than run fast did.”
then all the cave people knew what run fast had done and they cried “baby! baby!” to run fast and he was disgraced before them all.
after that, when the young men of the tribe came home with blood upon their bodies, the strong men shook their heads and refused to believe tales of their adventures, unless they brought back something to prove their words. so it came to be a custom among the cave people that the men or women who had killed a savage beast carried home with him the tail, or the hide or teeth of that animal. these they wore always as tokens of their bravery. thus the cave people first adorned their bodies.
