The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-04-14


or prodigious. but for the most part
tho trees offered suggestions OF al
Turing possibilities to the semiaboreal
MI, for the branches were much
heavier and more solid than those Of
the great tree-fern of his own epoch,
and commenced much nearer the
ground.
Catlike, he leaped into the lower
branches of them, revealing in tho
ease with which he could travel from
tree TO tres.
Gay-colored birds of strange ap.
pearance screamed and scolded at
him. Little monkeys hurried. chat
tering from his path. MI laughed.
What a quaint, diminutive world II
was. indeed! Nowhere had he yet
seen tree or creature that might
compare In size to the monsters
among which he had travelled the
preceding day.
The fruits. too. were small and
strange. He scarcely dared venture
TO eat Of them lest they be poisonous.
II tho lesser ape folk would only let
him come close enough to speak with
them he might ascertain from them
which were safe; but for some unac-
countable reason they seemed to fear
and mistrust him. This above all
other considerations, argued to Nu
that he had come in some mysterious
way into another world.
Presently the troglodyts discovered
a slender, straight young sapilng. He
came to the ground and tested it's
strength by bending It back and
forth. Apparently It met the require
ments Of a now shaft.
With his stone Ratchet he hewed 1t
of close to the ground. stripped 1t Of
branches, and climbing to the safety
OF the trees again, where he need
fear no interruption from tho huge
monsters of the world he knew, set to
work with his stone knife to remove
the bark and shape the end to receive
his spear-head.
First he split 1t down the centre
for four or five inches. and then he
cut notches In the surface upon
either side Of the split portion. Now
he carefully unwrapped the rawhide
that bound the spear head into his
old haft, and for want OF water to
moisten 1t crammed the whole I'M
fr Mt mn NJ I'M
It might be softened by warmth and
saliva.
For several minutes he busted him
self in shaping the point OF the new
shaft that 1t might exactly ft tho
Inequalities in the shank Of the spear
head.
! BY the time this was done the
rawhide had been sufficiently mois.
tened to permit him to wind II tight
ly about the new haft into which he
had set the spear-head.
As he worked he heard the noises
OF the Jungle about him. There were
many familiar voices. but more
strange ones.
Not once had the cave bear spoken:
nor Zor, the mighty lion Of tho
Neocene: nor 90. the sabre-toothed
tiger. He missed the believing Of the
bull bos. and the kissing and whistling
Of monster saurian and amphiMan.
To Nu 1t seemed a silent world.
Propped against the bole Of the tree
before him grinned the hideous head
OF the man-hunter. the only familiar
object In all the world about him.
Presently he became aware that the
lesser apes were creeping warily
closer to have a better look at him.
He waited silently until from the
tail OF hts eye he glimpsed one quito
near. and then In a low voice he
spoke in the language that his allies
Of yesterday had understood: and
though ages had elapsed since that
long gone day, the little monkey
above him understood. for tho Ian
guage OF the apes can never change.
why do you fear M. the son of
Nu?" asked the man. when has he
ever harmed the ape-people"
1.-THE hairless ones kill US with
sharp sticks that fly through the air"
replied tho monkey. "Or with little
sticks that make a great noise and
kill US from afar. But you seem not
to be OF these. We have never seen
one like you until now. Do you not
wish m kill us2"
why should II" replied M. "Tt
Is better that we be friends. All that
I wish Of you is that you tell mo
which Of tho fruits that grow here be
safe for me to eat. and then direct
me to the sea beside which dwell the
tribe of M. my father"
The monkeys had gathered in force
by this time. seeing that the strange
white ape offered no harm to their
fellow; and when they learned his
wants they scampered about in all
directions to gather nuts and fruits
and berries for him.
1t Is true that some OF them forgot
what they had intended doing before