  THINGS TO THINK ABOUT Look at what you have modeled in your sand-box and see if you can tell in what parts of the valley the snow will be deepest. When the snow is very deep, what do the wild animals do? What do the people do? Can you think how people learned to use poison in hunting? Does the poisoned weapon poison any part of the animal’s flesh? Why do people try to be careful not to leave poison around? How Fleetfoot and Willow-grouse Spent the Winter When Willow-grouse was living alone, she had to hunt for her own food. Sometimes she caught animals in traps, and sometimes she hunted with spears and harpoons. When the wounded animal escaped, Willow-grouse was disappointed. So she tried all sorts of ways to make sure of the game. One day she happened to use a harpoon which had been thrust into a piece of decayed liver. She wounded a reindeer with the harpoon and the animal soon died. image 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 than image “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. image 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:— |
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