Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-17

that I slept and never comfortable.
One Of the folk died, and his widow
was taken into the cave of another one
Of the folk. I took possession Of the
abandoned cave, but it was wide
mouthed. and after Red Eye nearly
trapped me in it one day | returned to
sleeping in the passage of the double
cave. During the summer however, l
used to stay away from the caves for
weeks. sleeping in tree shelter made
near the mouth Of the slough.
| have said that Lop Ear was not
happy. My sister was the daughter of
the Chatterer. and she made Lop Ears
life miserable for him. In no other
cave was there so much scuabbling
and pickering If Red Eye was Blue
beard, Lop Ear was henpecked, and
imagine that Red Eye was too shrewd
ever to coyct Lop Ears wife,
Fortunately for Lop Ear, she died.
An unusual thing happened that sum-
. mer. Late, almost at the end of it, a
second crop Of the stringy rooted car
rots sprang mp. These unexpected sec
ond crop roots were young and juicy
| and tender, and for some time the car
rot patch was the fav0rite feeding
place of the horde. One morning early
several score Of us were there max
ing our breakfast. On one side of me
was the Hairless One. Beyond him
| As Fo+ NJ
Bone and Long Lip. On the other side
| of me were my sister and Lop Ear,
| she being next to me.
| There was no warning, On the sud
| den both the Hairless One and my
/ sister sprang and screamed. At the
same instant I heard the thud of the
arrows that transtixed them. The next
/ instant they We're down on the ground,
/ fioundering and gasping, and the rest
/ of us were stampeding for the trees,
/ An arrow drove past me and entered
| the ground. its feathered shaft vibrat-
| ing and oscillatin- from the impact of
/ its arrested flight remember clear
| Iy how I swerved as l ran to 90 past
| it and that l gave it 4 needlessly wide
/ berth. l must have SHE'D at it as a
/ horse SHES at an object it fears.
Lop Ear took a smashing fall as he
ran beside me An arrow had driven
/ through the calf of his leg and tripped
/ him. He tried to run. but was tripped
and thrown by it a second time. He
sat up, crouching. trembling with fear
and called to me pleadingly. | dashed
| back. He showed me the arrow. |
caught hold of it to pull it out. but the
consequent hurt made him seize my
\ hand and stop me. 4 flying arrow
passed between us. Another struck a
rock, snlintered and fell to the ground.
| This was too much. | pulled suddenly
with all my might. LOp Ear screamed
| as the arrow came out and struck at
me angriIy. But the next moment we
were in full fight again.
I looked back. Old Marrow Bone
deserted and far behind, was totterine
silently along in his handicapped race
with death. Sometimes he almost fell,
and once he did fall; .aslt no more ar
rows were coming. eHe scrambled
weakly to his feet. Age burdened him
heavily, but he did not want to die.
The three fire men, who were now run
ming forward from their forest am
bush, could easily have got him, hut
they did not try. Perhaps he was too
old and tough. But they did want the
Hairless One and my sister. for as
looked back from the trees | could see
the fire men heating in their heads
| with rocks. One of the fire men was
the wizened old hunter who limped.