[Illustration: He held the pebble in his left hand and struck it a sharp blow]
"We chip axes by striking," he then said to the young ax maker. "That way of chipping is good enough for axes; they are heavy and have, besides, the weight of the arm to carry the blow. With spear heads it is different; a spear is thrown, and the head should be sharp. I can get a smaller chip, and so a sharper edge, by pressing than by striking; so I chip my spear heads by pressure."
He laid a little piece of deer skin in his left hand. On this he laid one of the flakes he had just broken from the pebble, and held it fast with his fingers. Then he took a piece of deer antler.
"This antler," he said, "is soft enough to spring a little when I press it against the pebble. Yet it is hard enough to bring off a chip."
He began pressing with the antler along the edge of the flake. He pressed very hard; and every time he pressed, a little chip flew off. He worked very fast.
"I must not let a hump come in the middle," he said; "for then I should have a turtle back. Look on that chip pile; you will see many turtle backs that I have thrown away."
The old man was making the point now, and he began to sing:
"I give you the eye of the eagle,
To find the rabbit's heart!
I give you the eye of the eagle,
To find the rabbit's heart!"
As Thorn listened, and caught the meaning of the song, his eyes grew bright and he held his head high.
"Grandfather hopes that I will hunt with the little bow and spear!" he said to himself.
He was very glad. He began to dance and clap his hands in time with the old man's song. Then he caught the words and began to sing with his grandfather:
"I give you the eye of the eagle,
To find the rabbit's heart!
I give you the eye of the eagle,
To find the rabbit's heart!"
Before long the little spear head was done. It was thin and sharp and beautiful. Thorn tied it to the little straight stick, and he had an arrow for his bow!
Flint worked on.
"We make all of our axes and spear heads and knives and scrapers of flint," he said after a while. "It chips more easily than any other stone."
After some time Flint and the boy left the stone yard.
