The Glasgow courier., 1915-08-27
Continued from page ~

but Ut ICOStO tue O6HSC SuCCeeOoO.
The paw closed upon the spear. The
tough wood bent beneath the weight Of
those steel thews. then snapped short
foot from the tigers body. At the
same instant 90 reared and threw him.
self upon the youth. who had snatched
his stone hunting knife from between
his teeth and crouched. ready for the
impact
Down they went the man entirely
buried beneath the great body Of his
antagonist. Again and again the crude
knife was buried in the snowy breast
Of the tiger even while Nu fell beneath
the screaming. tearing incarnation Of
bestial rage.
At the instant It struck the man as
strange that not once had the snap
ping jaws or frightful talons touched
him. and then he was crushed to earth
beneath the dead weight Of 90.
The beast gave one last. titanic
struggle and was still.
With difficulty M wriggled from be
meath the carcass of his kill. At the
last moment the tiger itself had forced
the spears point into its own heart
as 1t bent and broke the haft
The man leaped to his feet and cut
the great throat
Then as the blood flowed be danced
about the dead body Of his vanquished
foe. brandishing his knife and recov
cred hatchet and emitting now shrilI
shrieks in mimicry Of 90 and now
deep toned roars-the call OF the vic
t>riouS cave man.
From the surrounding cliffs and Jun
gle came answering challenges from a
hundred savage throats-the rumbling
thunder of the cave bears growl. the
roar Of Zor, the lion; the vail of the
hyena. the trumpeting of the nam
moth. the deep toned believing Of the
bull bos. and from distant swamp and
sea came the kissing and whistling Of
saurian and amphibian.
His victory dance completed. Nu
busted himself In the removal OF the
broken spear from the carcass of his
kill. At the same time he removed
several strong tendons from Oo's fore
arm. with which he roughly spliced the
broken haft. for there was never un in
stant In the danger fraught existence
of his kind when 1t was well to be
without the service OF Il stone tipped
spear
This precautiOn taken. he busted him
self with the task OF cutting of Oos
head. that he might bear it in triumph
to the cave of his love. With stone
hatchet and knife he hacked and hew
| ed for the better part Of half hour
until ut last he raised the dripping tro
ply above his head. as. leaping high
In air, he screamed once more the
glOating challenge OF the victor. that
all the world might know that there
was no greater hunter than Nu. the
sou Of Nu.
Even rs the last note OF his fierce
cry rolled through the heavy. humid
superheated air Of the Neocene there
came u sudden hush upon the face Of
the world
A strange darkness Ubscured the
swollen sun. The ground trembled and
shook. Deep rumblings muttered up
ward fr0m the bowels Vt the young
earth. and answering grumblings thuu
dered down from the ornament above
The startled trogl0dyte looked quick
" in every direction. searching for tht
great beast who could thus cause tn.
whole land to tremble and cry out In
fear and the heavens above to moan
and the sun to hide himself In terrur
In every direction he saw frightened
beasts and birds and Tying reptiles
scurrying in panic stricken terror IL
search Of hiding places. and. moved b!
the same primitive instinct. the youn:
giant grabbed up his weapon and hi.
trophy and ran like an antelope for tn,
sheltering darkness of the cave OF 90
Scarcely had he reached the fanciet
safety Of the interior when the earth
crust crumpled and rocked. There wal
a sickening sensation Of sudden sink
ing. and amid the awful roar and thun
der Of rending rock the cave mout
closed, and In the impenetrable dark
ness Of his living tomb M. the son o
Nu-Nu Of the Neocene-lost conscious
ness.
That was q hundred thousand year
ago.
NAA0TRR n