C. H. Robinson

“ The women and children carried loads of meat to the settlement, and soon most of the flesh was re [86] moved. The head was dragged by the men to Longhead's cave and set upon a stick on the platform as his trophy, while all stood around and roused the echoes of the ravine with their yells and acclamations,—the first time a public acknowledgement was ever given a leader.
Such feasting the group had never known. At each fire, large pieces of rhinoceros steak were roasted on coals or sticks, and for several days, every man, woman and child was literally too full for utterance. ”

“ No man assisted in the support of his children or took part in their care, except unconsciously as he aided in the maintenance of the children of the group or tribe; no man cared more for the mother of his children than he did for any other woman who might attract his fancy or passion. Above all, the men and women of that long epoch were strangers to the sacred companionship, the life-long attachment and communion of souls with mutual interests which attach to the true marriage of to-day. ”

“ He assumed the leadership of the party, and when they approached the swamp, each was directed to gather a bundle of dry grass, reeds and brush. These he had thrown down as they progressed, to give them footing in the soft ooze, and soon they had a tolerably firm path from the solid ground to a place near the great beast. On their approach the rhinoceros made no further attempt at progress, but he turned his head with its long sharp horn toward his foes and, with loud snorts of rage, seemed to dare them to come nearer. ”

“ When Longhead climbed down, after the dogs had dispersed, he secured the sharpened stick, and it was with a new feeling of safety he moved through the forest, spear in hand; for a spear had been invented. [51] A few days later he even ventured to attack a wild dog he found separated from the pack; a thing he never would have done when armed with only a club or stone. He killed the animal and carried it in triumph to the fire-cave, for it was the first time, to his knowledge, a man, ever, single-handed, had killed so large an animal of a ferocious kind. ”

“ His feeble intellect, however, soon wearied of the new sensation, and he withdrew to an overhanging rock near-by. He knew of a small cave at its base with a narrow entrance, and of this he at once took possession, rolling against the opening some masses of stone lying near and piling in others after he had entered, until he had secured the opening against any dangerous animal. He gave little further thought to the phenomena of the [5] fire, for man had not yet reached a development in intellect which permitted a consecutive train of thought for any considerable length of time. ”

“ They had yet no belief that man had a soul or spirit which existed after his death. This thought was to come ages thereafter.
It was not long until it was suggested that Longhead must have subjected to his control one or more powerful but invisible beings whom he kept shut up in his cave under the guardianship of the woman, and who, at his command, produced the fire and wonderful weapons. That Broken Tooth was the guardian of these beings, made mystery attach to her as well, and they began to look upon her with fear and reverence also. ”

“ Here was Old Saber-Tooth, the one animal of all others whose vicinage carried terror wherever he went, at bay at last. For a while the animal would [29] make dashes toward them, when Broken Tooth would tumble into the cave and Longhead draw near the entrance, ready for instant retreat to safety; but each time the fear of the fire sent the tiger back beyond the charmed circle of its light, where it gave vent to its disappointment in savage growls and spittings. At length, wearied by the unprofitable labor, and awed by the strange light and heat, the beast disappeared ”

“ Bear knew him at once, and with a howl of rage and uplifted club, rushed upon him. Longhead was terribly frightened, and for a moment forgot all about his spear, but in a second he recalled the fate of the pig and other animals and, with all his strength, he threw his javelin at the hairy breast of the advancing enemy, now but a pace or two distant. It went nearly through his body and, with a yell of pain, the giant [59] threw up his hands and fell to the ground. He tried to pull the weapon from his body, and failing in this, writhed in agony for a few moments and then lay perfectly still. ”

“ Broken Tooth remained to maintain the fire by putting on fresh fuel, while Longhead carried armfuls of sticks and logs from the forest, together with pieces of punk for future use. The punk he piled at the cave entrance to keep it dry, and man was now master of fire, the most beneficent of nature's gifts. ”

“ On a hunt these men always kept within hearing or sight of each other, and they soon originated a code of rude signals by which the whole party might be informed of the appearance of any large animal.
This band of hunters, on their first expedition, led by Longhead in person, encountered a drove of wild hogs. When [88] each man had hunted alone with stones and clubs as his only weapons, these savage creatures were almost as much dreaded as the cave lion or the saber-tooth tiger, and now when they appeared, nearly every hunter, mindful of his old fear, scrambled into a tree ”

“ Daily Longhead went forth in search of food, which he brought to the cave and they shared it together. Sometimes there was plenty, but often their meals were scanty, as the only weapons then known were stones and clubs. Broken Tooth aided to some extent, by searching a piece of low moist ground not far from the cave [37] for such roots and tubers as were palatable, and altogether, they managed to sustain life as well as before their union, but the woman never ventured far from the platform for fear that by some accident their precious fire should go out. ”

“ There is a time for rejoicing, too, when a lost will is found, bringing wealth and release from all worries, and the young mother is free to accept the love and protection that in her sorrow she denied herself. ”

“ The genial warmth of the fire pleased them greatly and they asked Longhead what it was and where it came from. He made vague and mysterious answers and gave them little satisfaction. He told them, however, that the savage animals were afraid of the light and would not come near it, relating their adventure with Saber-Tooth their first night at the cave, and he assured them that if the fire was kept alive by a supply of fuel, one could sleep in the open forest at night without danger, and showed them the effect of putting on fresh fuel. ”

“ Affairs at the settlement near the fire-cave now moved along smoothly. Their new weapons enabled the hunters to secure abundance of food in a country teeming with animal life, now that they dared attack the larger animals. Cooking made both the flesh and vegetables more nourishing as well as more appetizing, and soon the enormous stomachs, no longer continually distended with raw and indigestible food, became reduced in size and their bodies less unwieldy. ”

“ When evening began to draw near, Broken Tooth found herself looking often into the forest and wishing for Longhead's return. She sometimes feared a savage beast might have killed him. This was a new feeling for her. In the former life she had never cared for any one or cared particularly to see others. One evening when the man finally appeared, she ran into the forest to meet him and put her arms around his [48] neck. Longhead looked at her in some surprise and then returned the caress, and they walked arm in arm to the platform. ”

“ The inventions and improvement in conditions already described were the necessary and almost immediate results of the control and use of fire, and when this point was reached, further progress for many generations can scarcely have been considerable. Primitive man was not fertile in original ideas, nor inventive, except from accident aided by necessity, [123] and the use of the bow and arrow, stone axe, baskets, weaving and pottery were to come many generations after the death of Longhead, Broken Tooth and their fellows of the fire-cave settlement. ”

“ Each man now brought him suitable sticks for javelins and spears, and for each he made a long spear, two javelins and a knife.
When the first supply of flakes was exhausted, Longhead heated another nodule of flint and poured water on it from a piece of bark, but he was careful to do this when none of the others were about; and thus maintained both secrecy and a supply of materials.
The control of fire and the manufacture of these valuable and mysterious weapons, gave Longhead a standing in the group which none had ever before attained. Human society had not yet been organized in any form ”

“ At the time when rock-shelters became favorite habitations of the people at the fire-cave, marriage relations were still loose, and any idea of male parentage was yet to come, but in a few generations, instead of accepting the birth of children without thought, it was generally believed that the supernatural beings with whom their imaginations peopled the [103] hills, valleys, groves and ravines, were responsible for their advent. ”

“ Perhaps the example of Longhead and Broken Tooth, who had remained true to each other, had something to do with this gradual change in the relations of the sexes, but it was not until many generations after when the fact of male parentage became known to mankind, that anything at all like marriage was known or any man regarded any child or children as his own. ”

“ This communal organization of society continued for thousands of years and its vestiges still exist amid the highest enlightenment, as the foundation for business corporations, partnerships, and, indeed, all commercial and other coöperation,—communism—the greatest good to the greatest number, being the basis of all civilized laws. ”

“ The hunters of the group still continued their coöperative search for food, and the fact that it was often impossible to determine who had killed a particular animal, while it was frequently certain that the weapons and efforts of several had a part in it, brought about a system for making an equitable distribution of all the animals taken in each expedition. First the share required by Longhead and Broken Tooth would be set apart, then the remainder was apportioned to [106] each member of the group or to each habitation in proportion to the number of persons to be supported. ”

“ The manifest blessings or comforts due to its use, and the mysterious manner of its production in [90] the fire-cave hidden from the sight of all, began to give rise to the idea that Longhead and Broken Tooth must be in communication with some superior being.
It cannot be said that man at that time had any religion, any conception of a god, or indeed, any definite idea of supernatural beings, but there were many mysteries of nature which he could in no wise comprehend. ”

“ Later, he discovered that narrow strips of rawhide were better than roots for tying on a flake, and, after many years of progress, the long tendons of large animals were substituted as still better for the purpose.
Longhead and his new deadly weapon had numerous encounters with small animals, in each of which he found his new spear superior to anything he had yet tried, and this gave him still greater confidence in himself. He no longer sneaked through the forest half bent to the ground and fearing nearly every animal he might [55] meet, but went with head erect and a more fearless step. ”

“ The inhabitants of the caves and rock-shelters did not clean house every spring and fall, or, indeed, at any other time; the refuse and debris of the household were allowed to accumulate upon the floors of the caves and rock-shelters, and to this we owe nearly all the knowledge possessed by civilized man of the domestic arts, weapons, food, etc., and the general conditions under which the cave-men lived, as well as of the animals which were their contemporaries. ”

“ The worst trouble Longhead had to overcome in the manufacture of weapons was the method of fastening the points to the shafts or handles. The small fibrous [111] roots he used at first would fray and break when they became dry, and the points would be lost or fail the hunter at a critical moment. The stringy bark he cut from trees with his knife was little better, but, one day when cutting up a large animal for cooking, he found its hide so tough he could hardly penetrate it with the knife, an idea occurred to him, and he cut off a long narrow strip of the skin for an experiment. ”

“ Nearly every day Longhead would go into the forest in search of small animals for food. In his absence Broken Tooth first collected sufficient fuel to keep the fire alive for another twenty-four hours, then she would visit the low ground for roots and tubers, eggs and nuts, for since they had been experimenting with roasting, they had discovered that a number of roots which had been rejected as bitter and unpalatable, when raw, were much improved by roasting, and these had been added to the bill of fare. ”

“ Soon the people of the group at the fire-cave were informed that the fire-spirits desired the man to remain most of the time at or near the cave that they might converse with him at all times and instruct him in additional methods for promoting the happiness and welfare of the people, and it would, therefore, be impossible for him to take part in the daily hunt for game, though he would still lead them in important expeditions. ”

“ They had no desire to benefit their fellows by sharing with them their accidental discovery, for man was yet a purely selfish animal, and there was no organized society of any kind; but they both recognized the fact that when others became acquainted with its benefits, they would [39] soon acquire the fire, by force if necessary, and that their own lives would stand for nothing, should they resist. ”

“ When Bear saw a man or woman with food he wanted, he reached for it with a roar, and it was at once given up or its owner was beaten nearly to death. He had a large number [58] of the women so terrified that they did not dare to associate with the other men; these he kept near himself and compelled them to supply him with food. Longhead had once persuaded one of these women to accompany him on a trip in search of food. ”

“ When further questioned in regard to the fire, they boldly asserted that the whispered stories were true; that their control of fire and the ability on the part of the man to make superior weapons was due to supernatural beings who frequented the cave and were subject to them. They asserted that these beings were so powerful they could strike them all with instant death, and would have done so but for the intercession of the fire-man and the woman to whose control they were subject ”