Marooned in the Forest: The Story of a Primitive Fight for Life

by A. Hyatt Verrill

I had seen arrow-heads of white quartz, of flint, and of various other stones, and I therefore came to the conclusion that the kind of rock made little difference; and as there were more pebbles and stones around the borders of the lake than anywhere else in the vicinity, I made my way to the shore and picked up a number of stones which I thought might serve my purpose.

Again inside my hut, I proceeded to crack the pebbles with a large stone. While some of the rocks broke into small bits, or thick, squarish pieces, others split into flakes or slivers which were quite thin and bore a remote resemblance to the forms I desired.

I reasoned that the Indians must have worked with stones for tools, and my common sense told me that the simplest and easiest method of transforming a rough flake of stone to an arrow-head would be to chip or break off the edges by nicking them with a rock.

Selecting a promising flake of quartz, I attempted to work it into shape and chipped away steadily for half an hour or so. It was work to which I was not accustomed, and I scratched, bruised, and cut my hands, but the bit of stone gradually assumed a rough, spear-like shape. I was becoming elated at my success when, without warning, the quartz split in two. I was thoroughly disgusted. Tossing the two pieces petulantly into the fire, I tried another piece of stone. This was even more disappointing than the first, for with the third blow of my stone hammer the rock flew to pieces and this followed the other into the flames. Then it occurred to me that I might grind the stones on my grindstone, and I at once tried this scheme. Instead of cutting the rock the grindstone was cut by the rock, and I realized that this method was impracticable. Then I thought that possibly some softer stone might be ground into shape, and I made another trip to the edge of the lake and returned with a number of pieces of a slate-like stone which seemed fairly soft. This gave way rapidly to the grindstone and I soon succeeded in grinding out two arrow-heads which pleased me greatly. These I bound on to my arrows in place of the bone heads, and then, in order to test them, I fired one at a piece of hide. The arrow flew much straighter and harder than those with the bone heads, but when it struck the skin the slate splintered and the arrow fell to the earth without even penetrating the hide.

I was now thoroughly convinced that my attempts at making stone arrow-heads was a complete failure and I seated myself before the fire to rest and think. As I sat there, gazing idly at the flames, I noticed the bits of quartz glowing red among the coals, and, impelled by a vague curiosity, I raked them out upon the hearth. Thinking to cool the stones so I could examine them, I poured some water upon them and instantly the hot quartz flew into pieces. Surprised at this, I picked up one of the fragments and was struck by its knife-like edge and smooth surface, and like an inspiration it dawned upon me that here, perhaps, was a solution of my problem.

If water poured upon hot quartz would cause the stone to sliver off in this way, why would it not be possible to heat stones, drop water upon them in the proper places, and thus break off pieces until the desired shape was produced? It was certainly worth trying, and without more ado I set to work to try the experiment.

Placing a lump of quartz in the fire, I waited until it was red-hot, and then, pulling it out, I poured a little water upon it. With a sharp crack it burst into several pieces. Selecting the best of these, I again placed them on the coals. When they were well heated I drew one out and very carefully dropped water upon one edge. Pieces flaked from it wherever the water touched the hot stone. While my first attempt was a failure and the piece of quartz refused to assume the form of an arrow-head, yet I realized that this was due to my lack of skill and care and that my theory was correct.

Over and over again I heated stones and flaked them into shape by means of drops of cold water, and although I did not succeed in making a single arrow-head before darkness came and I was obliged to cease, yet I felt convinced that with practice I could produce keen, well-shaped arrow-points, and I went to bed determined to resume my labors on the morrow and to persevere until I was successful.

I heard no sound from the lynx, or any other prowler, that night, and found the deadfalls undisturbed when I opened my door in the morning. As I approached the tree where I had placed the lynx-trap, I saw it was sprung, but the lynx was not in it, although a few wisps of dark-brown hair and numerous bloodstains proved that some creature had been struck by the heavy descending log. All about there were lynx tracks in the snow. Here and there I saw smaller tracks, and for a few moments I was puzzled, for the hairs upon the tree trunk did not look exactly like those of a lynx and much of the blood was trodden into the snow by the creature’s feet. Then, as I examined the trap more carefully, I discovered the tip of a bushy black tail and realized what had happened. The fisher-cat had been caught in the deadfall and had been found and devoured by the lynx. I smiled as I thought how one thief had made away with another, but I regretted the loss of the fisher’s warm skin. I reset the deadfall and then visited my other traps. Three hares were hanging in the twitch-ups, and the fact that they had not been disturbed proved that my surmises in regard to the fisher’s fate had been correct. One of the deadfalls contained a skunk, which I did not use, although its fine coat of black-and-white fur was a great temptation despite its odor. Another deadfall contained a marten, while the others had not been disturbed.

The rest of the day I devoted to working at my arrow-heads and before noon I had the satisfaction of producing a very creditable arrow-head of quartz. I was anxious to test this, but I hesitated for fear of breaking it and thus wasting all the time and labor I had spent. Finally I decided to take the risk and, having bound it to one of the arrow-shafts, I fired it at one of the hares I had caught. With a thud it struck the carcass, penetrated skin, muscle, and bone, and came to rest with half its length projecting beyond the farther side of the hare. I hurried forward to examine the point, expecting to find it chipped or broken, but it was absolutely uninjured. I shouted with joy as I realized that my perseverance was rewarded, that I now possessed a weapon of real penetrating power, and that, provided my aim was true, I could successfully bring down many a creature that otherwise would have been beyond my reach.