Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-04-29

younger world. But We were without
this momentum We were just getting
started. and we could not go far in a
single ceuerHtion We were without
weapons, without fire and in the raw
beginnings Of speech The device OF
writing lay so far in the future that
am appalled, when think of it.
Even | was once on the verge OF n
great discovery To show you how
fortuitous was development In those
DAYS let me state that had it not been
for the gluttony Of Lop Ear ] might
have brought about the DEMONSTRATION
of the dog And this was something
that the Fire People who lived 70 the
northeast had not yet achieved. Trey
were without dogs. This I knew from
observation. But let me tell you how
Lop Ears gluttony possibly set back
our social Development many genera
lions.
Well to the west of our caves was
great swamp. but to the south lay
stretch of low, rocky bills. These
were little frequented for two reasons
First of all, there was no food there OF
the kind we ate. and, next, those rocky
bills were filed with the lairs of car
nivorous beasts.
But Lop Ear and I stra~ed over to
the hills one day. We would not have
strayed had we not been teasing a III
ger Please do not laugh. 1t was old
Saber Tooth himself. We were per
fectly safe. We CHANGED upon him in
the forest early in the morning, and
from the safety of the branches over
head we chartered down at him our
dislike and hatred. And from branch
to branch and from tree to tree we
followed overhead. making an internal
row and warning all the forest dwell
ers that old Saber Tooth was coming.
We spoiled his hunting for him. any
way. And we made him good and
hungry. He snarled at US and dashed
his tail. and sometimes he paused and
stared up at us quietly for a long
time. as If debating in his mind some
way by which he could get hold Of us
But we only laughed and pelted him
with twigs and the ends of branches.
This tiger batting was common sport
among the folk. Sometimes half the
! horde would follow from overhead a
| tiger or lion that had ventured out in
/ the daytime. 1t was our revenge, for
| more than one member Of the horde.
! caught Unexpectedly, had gone the
way of the tigers belly or the lions,
Also by such ordeals Of helplessness
and shame we taught the hunting AM
/ our territory. And, then, it was funny.
1t was a great game.
| And so Lop Ear and I chased Saber
! Tooth across three miles of forest. To-
ward the last he put his tail between
his legs and fed from our gliding like
a beaten cur We did our best to keep
up with him, but when we reached the
edge of the forest he was no more
than a streak in the distance.
| don't know what prompted US. IN
! less it was curiosity, but after playing
around awhile Lop Ear and I ventured
across the open ground, to the edge of
the rocky hills. We did not go far
Possibly Mt no time We're we more than
a hundred yards from the trees. Com
ing around a sharp corner of rock I'VE
went very carefully, because we did
not know what we might encounterl
we came upon three puppies playing
in thesSun.
They did not see Us. and we watched
them for some time. They We're wild
dogs In the rock wall was a horizon
tai assure, evidently the lair where
their mother had left them and where
they should have remained had they