Chapter Three.
The Runaways.
Next morning Firetop awoke before the dawn. He sat up at once and looked about him. Not another soul was stirring, and from the different corners of the cave came the sound of snores. The fire was burning brightly, for Grannie had been up four times in the night to put on fresh fuel. Now she too was fast asleep. Firetop crawled quietly out of the warm wolf-skins of his bed. He took one of the wolf-skins and tied it over his shoulder with a leather thong. The rest he bunched up to look as if he were still in bed and asleep.
Hawk-Eye had made a small spear for each of the Twins. They were not playthings. They were real spears, for children of that day had to learn to use such weapons while they were still very young.
Firetop took his spear in his hand and poked Firefly gently in the ribs with it. She woke instantly and would have poked back if Firetop hadn’t shaken his head at her and laid his finger on his lips. She nodded, crawled out of her bed, and bunched it up like Firetop’s. Then she tied a wolf-skin over her shoulder and took her own spear, and together the two children crept silently past the sleepers and out of the cave. They snatched chunks of meat from the remains of the feast as they passed.
It was not yet daylight, though the sky was pink above the hills across the river and all the birds were singing as the Twins came out of the cave and ran down the river path. Neither one of them spoke until they were far enough from the cave so that no one could hear them. Then Firetop whispered: “We’ll climb a tree. We can watch from the tree and see when they start. Then we’ll slide down and follow them. They won’t know we are with them until it’s too far to send us back.”
“They won’t like it,” said Firefly. “What do you think they will do to us?”
“They’ll wallop us,” said Firetop, “but I don’t care. It won’t hurt when it is over, and I’ve just got to go. We shall see all kinds of things that we’ve never seen before.”
“Well,” sighed Firefly, “I do hate that part of it, but I guess it’s worth it. Come on. Let’s climb this tree.”
The children could climb like monkeys, but they had their weapons and the meat and that made it a little difficult. They leaned their spears against the trunk of the tree, took the meat in their teeth, and up they went as easily as you could go upstairs. Then they hid themselves in a fork of the tree and ate their breakfast.
The thick branches made a screen around them so they could see without being seen. They watched the cave. It was not long before they saw Grannie come out and take a look at the weather. Then she put more fuel on the fire and sat down on a rock to gnaw a bone for her breakfast.
Soon Hawk-Eye and Limberleg appeared. They each had their weapons, and a reindeer-skin strapped by leather thongs across their shoulders. Limberleg had a gourd tied to her belt. They were each gnawing bones, too. They stopped to speak to Grannie. The Twins leaned forward and listened with all their ears. They heard Hawk-Eye say, “The children are still asleep. You can tell them when they wake up.”
Then they came along the path, eating as they came. They passed almost under the tree where the Twins were hiding. This seemed to the Twins so funny that they stuffed their mouths full of meat and then clapped their hands over them to keep from laughing aloud. As it was, a little snicker ran out between Firefly’s fingers. Hawk-Eye heard it.
“What’s that?” he said sharply. He and Limberleg stopped a moment and listened.
“Nothing but a squirrel,” said Limberleg. “There he is on that log over there.”
The Twins nearly smothered themselves then, to keep the laughs in.
Hawk-Eye and Limberleg passed on down the path to the very edge of the forest. There they turned and walked along the bluffs, where they could swing themselves into a tree at a moment’s notice. This was safer than walking in the green meadows beside the river where there were no trees to climb.
Firetop and Firefly waited until they were out of sight around the turn. Then they crawled down from the tree, took their spears in their hands, and ran after them. They stayed back far enough so they could hide behind trees if Hawk-Eye or
Limberleg should turn round, yet near enough to keep them in sight.
For miles and miles they walked and ran. It was hard with their short legs to keep the pace set by their father and mother, but they knew very well they had to do it. There was no turning back then.
On and on walked Hawk-Eye and Limberleg. The sun climbed higher and higher. The children were thirsty, but they did not dare to run down to the river for a drink. They were hungry, but they had nothing to eat. They snatched little green leaves from the bushes as they passed, but this was hardly enough to fill their empty stomachs.
“We’ll just have to call them,” said Firefly at last. “I’m so hungry I’ve simply got to have something to eat, and if we stop to hunt for roots, we’ll never catch up with them again.”
“They’ll be as mad as mad bulls when they see us,” said Firetop.
“Yes, of course. We’ll get a good beating,” answered Firefly. “We expected that. But it won’t hurt after it is over; you told me so yourself.”
“Jimminy!” said Firetop,—or if it wasn’t “Jimminy” it was something that meant the same thing,—“I just hate to think of it. Can’t you go on a little longer?”
“What’s the difference?” moaned Firefly. “It’s got to come some time. We might
as well have it over. I’m not going another step.” And she sat plump down on a fallen tree.
Firetop put his hands to his mouth and gave a long sharp cry. It was the distress signal of the Bear Clan. Hawk-Eye and Limberleg stopped instantly. They looked up the river; they looked down the river. Then they caught a glimpse of two red heads and two very scared faces, far back on the bluff. They came tearing back through the underbrush to the two small figures on the log.
They could hardly believe their eyes.
“Where did you come from, you naughty little weasels?” cried Limberleg angrily.
“From the cave,” said Firefly. “We followed you because we want to see what lies beyond the blue hills across the river, too. And if you are going to spank us, please do it right away, because we are awfully hungry.”
“Oh, no,” cried Firetop. “You needn’t do it now if you’d rather not! Couldn’t you put it off until we get home again? We’re willing to wait, and you’d have more time then.”
Limberleg and Hawk-Eye didn’t discuss the matter. They sat right down on the log and began. Limberleg took Firefly and Hawk-Eye took Firetop, and they spanked and spanked.
“Now, can we have something to eat?” sniffled Firetop when it was over. Limberleg looked at Hawk-Eye. “We can’t send them back alone,” she said. Firetop saw that they were going to give in.
“The hyenas would surely get us,” he said plaintively. “We’re pretty small to go back alone,” sobbed Firefly. “And besides, we want to see what lies beyond the blue hills across the river.”
It may be that Hawk-Eye was a little pleased at their courage in following them. Anyway, he said: “Well, you can climb like squirrels. We shall not be gone many days. Come along.” Firetop sprang up and whooped for joy. Firefly turned a somersault. Hawk-Eye and Limberleg laughed. They couldn’t help it. You see, even in those early times parents were fond of their children, although they didn’t know any better punishment for them than spankings. There are some parents like that yet.
“Now, what shall we have to eat?” said Firefly, when everybody was happy again.
“We’ll have to find something,” said Hawk-Eye to Limberleg. “You take the children down into the meadow. I see carrots growing down there. I’ll hunt in the woods. Listen for my call, and when you hear it, come to that big oak tree as fast as you can.”
Limberleg and the Twins started at once down the bluff toward the river. The bushes grew thick along the slope, and as they scrambled through them they made a crashing noise. Firetop was ahead, then came Firefly, and last of all Limberleg.
Suddenly there was a loud whirring sound, and out of the bushes in front of them flew a great wood grouse!
Instantly Firetop braced himself and flung his spear, and before Limberleg or Firefly could catch up with him, he was far
beyond them down the slope, struggling with the wounded bird. When they reached him, he had killed it. Limberleg was delighted. She patted Firetop and called him a great hunter, and said she was glad he had come with them after all.
Maybe you think Firetop wasn’t a proud boy then! He waggled his red head and swaggered up the slope toward the big oak tree with the huge bird on his shoulder. Limberleg and Firefly stayed behind to hunt in the bushes for the grouse’s nest. Firefly found it, and there were seven eggs in it! Then Limberleg patted Firefly. “Your father and I will not need to get any food for you,” she said. “Maybe you will hunt for us.” They went up the slope after Firetop, carrying the eggs.
When they reached the big oak tree on the bluff, Limberleg took the feathers off the grouse and cut it into chunks with her flint knife. They had no fire, so they ate it raw. They ate five of the eggs and left two for Hawk-Eye. They saved the legs of the grouse for him, too. They waited and waited, but still Hawk-Eye did not come. They began to get a little frightened, he was gone so long. At last there was a call, “Hoo, hoo, hoooooo,” like the hooting of an owl, and he appeared crashing through the bushes. He had a rabbit hanging from
his shoulder. Then Firefly played a trick on him.
“We aren’t hungry,” she said. Hawk-Eye was astonished.
“I thought you were starved by the way you acted,” he said.
“We aren’t any of us hungry now,” said Firetop.
“Did you fill yourselves with carrots?” asked Hawk-Eye.
“Oh, no. We had fresh meat,” said Firetop, with his nose in the air.
“Fresh meat?” cried Hawk-Eye.
“What did you kill?” he said to Limberleg.
“Nothing,” said Limberleg.
“But I did,” shouted Firetop.
He told all about killing the grouse. You should have seen Hawk-Eye then! He was just as pleased as our fathers are when we get A in arithmetic!
“I guess you can take care of yourselves,” he said, when he had heard the story. “You don’t need me.” Then he laughed and made his face look scared. “Will you let me go with you to the land where the sun rises?” he said. “I am very small, but I can climb trees! I am afraid to go alone. I need you to kill bison and mammoths for me to eat!”
Firetop, Firefly, and Limberleg laughed at this until they nearly choked. Then Firetop wagged his head at his father.
“You shouldn’t have followed me,” he said. “I shall have to spank you. But you are too small to send alone to the cave, so I’ll have to let you come with me.”
