Sharptooth Goes to the River
Before sunrise the next morning Sharptooth awoke.
She opened her eyes and looked out upon the hills.
“Hyenas were stealing down to their caves”
She heard animals moving about.
A large cave-bear was passing by toward his cave.
Hyenas, too, were stealing down to their caves.
Many flesh-eating animals were slinking away to their dens.
They were tired with their night’s work.
Most of them had eaten until they were satisfied, and now they were ready to sleep through the day.
The wild cattle were coming back to the hills.
The baby awoke.
Sharptooth played with him a moment.
Then she put him under her arm and slipped down the tree.
“Sharptooth played with him a moment”
She started down toward the river, but she did not go by the trail.
It was safer to walk in the shadow of the tall trees.
Once she suddenly grasped a branch of a tree and swung herself up and looked about.
“The animals were ready to sleep through the day”
She had heard a rustling in the underbrush.
Long ago she had learned what such sounds meant.
So she swung on the branches until she reached the river.
She listened a moment in the tree.
Then she slipped down and ran to the water’s edge.
She dipped up the water with her hand.
She drank some, and then gave some to the baby.
He was so pleased that he laughed aloud.
As quick as a flash, Sharptooth sprang for the tree.
She was afraid the hyenas were in the thickets.
She was afraid they had heard the baby laugh.
She talked to the baby in a strange language.
She made queer clucking sounds.
After that he was always quiet when they went to the river.
He must have understood what she said.