SOON THEY HAD A TOLERABLY FIRM PATH FROM THE SOLID GROUND TO A PLACE NEAR THE GREAT BEAST.
Longhead now, for a while, lost control of the situation. The men went simply wild. Their shouts filled the air, and to these were joined the shrill cries of the women and children who had approached the swamp and had been interested witnesses of the battle and its result. The great animal—an abundance of food for several days—was theirs. They had occasionally before this happened upon the body of one of these animals, killed in one of the fights which frequently occurred between the males of the species, but, without knives, they had been unable to tear the thick hide, and even when it had been torn by wolves or bears, the meat was so tough they were able to obtain but a few small pieces. Their present hilarity might certainly be excused.
Soon Longhead began issuing orders and enforcing them by punches with the blunt end of his spear or sound blows with the pole, and some semblance of order was obtained. By his direction, men, women and children joined in bringing more brush and grass. This was piled close to the carcass and the men with their flint knives proceeded to cut up the huge body. The women and children carried loads of meat to the settlement, and soon most of the flesh was removed. The head was dragged by the men to Longhead's cave and set upon a stick on the platform as his trophy, while all stood around and roused the echoes of the ravine with their yells and acclamations,—the first time a public acknowledgement was ever given a leader.
Such feasting the group had never known. At each fire, large pieces of rhinoceros steak were roasted on coals or sticks, and for several days, every man, woman and child was literally too full for utterance.
After this experience, Longhead, as the organizer and leader of the coöperative attack on the rhinoceros and the final slayer of the animal, was, by common consent, regarded as the head of the group; his advice was sought on all occasions, and his word was law. He gradually assumed the direction of everything that was done.
Having demonstrated the strength of coöperative hunting, he organized easily a squad of the bravest and most active of the men as special hunters of large game. Each was armed with a long spear, two javelins and a knife, and he required them to practice javelin throwing until each became expert. On a hunt these men always kept within hearing or sight of each other, and they soon originated a code of rude signals by which the whole party might be informed of the appearance of any large animal.
This band of hunters, on their first expedition, led by Longhead in person, encountered a drove of wild hogs. When each man had hunted alone with stones and clubs as his only weapons, these savage creatures were almost as much dreaded as the cave lion or the saber-tooth tiger, and now when they appeared, nearly every hunter, mindful of his old fear, scrambled into a tree; but at Longhead's command they descended, and he organized them into a compact body, back to back. When the hogs charged in their usual manner, the slaughter wrought by the spears and javelins was so great that not an animal escaped, for, in accordance with their habit, the hogs knew nothing of retreat, and the last survivor charged as bravely as if at the head of the herd.
Again coöperation had triumphed, and the settlement feasted for many days.