[Illustration: Lion's tooth]
CHAPTER V
THE OLD AX MAKER VISITS HIS DAUGHTER
As they were talking, a long call came from far away. They listened. The call came again, and Strongarm put his hands to his mouth and answered.
"It is old Flint, the ax maker," he said to his wife.
"Grandfather!" cried the boys, and they ran to meet him.
Soon they came back with an old man. His hair was rough and gray, but his eyes were bright under his bushy eyebrows. He wore an old brown bear skin.
"Ho, man!" called Strongarm, "come on!"
"Sit and rest, father," Burr said.
The old man sat down on the root of a tree. Burr brought him bison meat and wild honey and a horn of water.
"Eat, you are tired and hungry."
The old man ate all he wanted. Then he began to talk. He told about his wife, and the work at the stone yard and the gravel bed, and of the men who had come from far away to buy his axes.
The boys stood by and listened.
After some time Burr looked at the bag on the old man's shoulder.
"Have you a new ax in there for me?" she asked with a little laugh.
Smiles came about the old man's mouth, and he slowly pulled four beautiful chipped axes from his bag. One ax was big and heavy. That was for Strongarm. He handed it to him. Another ax was small and light. That was Burr's. She put out her hand for it. There were two little axes. These the boys snatched with shouts of joy.
The axes were wide at the sharp end and narrow at the head, and you could see where every chip had come off.
Strongarm turned his ax over and looked at it. He rubbed his fingers along the rough sharp edge.
