The Glasgow courier., 1915-09-03

"hat fruit was availab BILE in the forest
toward which he was bendingshis steps
IN search Of long. straight shoot of
the hard wood which alone would meet
his requirements
In the days that had been NUS there
mad grown in isolated patches few
zone clumps Of very straight hardwood
trees. The smaller of these the men
OF the tribe would cut down and split
lengthwise with stone wedges until
from single tree they might have
produced material for a score or more
| spear shafts. but now Nu must seek
the very smallest Of saplings. for be
mad no time to waste in splitting a lar
ger tree. even had be had the necessary
wedges and hammers.
Into the forest the youth crept. for,
though 100000 years had elapsed since
his birth. he was still to all intent and
purpose youth. Upon all sides he
saw strange and wonderful trees. the
like Of which had never been in the
forests Of yesterday.
The grOwths were not 80 luxuriant
or prodigious. but for the most part the
trees offered suggestions Of alluring
possibilities to the semiarboreal Nm. for
the branches were much heavier and
more solid than those Of the great tree
ferns Of his own epoch and commenced
much nearer the ground. Catlike be
leaped into the lower branches Of them.
reveling In the ease with which he
could travel from tree to tree.
Gay colored birds Of strange appear.
ance screamed and scolded at him. Lit.
tie monkeys hurried. chattering. from
his path. M laughed. What a quaint.
diminutive world it was indeedl No.
where had he yet seen a tree or crea-
ture 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 the 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 troglodyte discovered
a slender. straight young sapling. He
came to the ground aud tested its
strength by bending it back and forth.
Apparently it met the requirements of
a new shaft.
With his stone hatchet he hewed it
off close to the ground, stripped it of
branches. and climbing to the safety
Of the trees again, where he need fear
no interruption from the huge mon
sters of the world he knew. set to work
with his stone knife to remove the
bark and shape the end to receive his
spearhead.
First he split it down the center 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 binds the
spearhead into his old haft, and for
want Of water to moisten it crammed
the whole unfragrant mass into his
mouth that it might be softened by
warmth and saliva.
For several minutes he busted him.
self in shaping the point of the new
shaft that it might exactly f1t the in
eQualities 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 it tightly
about the new shaft into which he had
set the spearhead
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 the
Neocene; nor 90. the saber toOthed
tiger. He missed the believing of the
bull bos and the Kissing and whistling
of monster saurian and amphibian.
To M it seemed a silent world
Propped up against the bole of the
tree before him grinned the hideous
head of the man hunter. the only ia
miliar object in all the world about
him.
! Presently he became aware that the
lesser apes were creeping warily closer
to have better look at him. He wait
ed silently until from the tail Of bis
eye he glimpsed one quite near. and
then in 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 the language 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?"
"The hairless ones kill us with sharp
sticks that fly through the air." replied
the monkey. ''or with little sticks that
make a great noise that 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 to kill us?''
"Why should IT. replied NJ. 1T is
| hottop <hok mn ho rraorAc tho<