The First Days of Man, as Narrated Quite Simply for Young Readers

by Frederic Arnold Kummer

The village men had sprung for their bows and spears as soon as they saw Mor's ships nearing the land, and were now drawn up in front of the village, ready to defend it. The two sides rushed at each other, shouting fierce cries. A shower of arrows and stones met Mor and his men, but the tough hides of their shields kept them from being much hurt, and not many were lost. The village people, who did not have any shields, suffered very much, and many of them fell.

Their chief, a huge man as big as Mor, came out, carrying a heavy spear, and he and Mor began a terrible fight. The village chief aimed a heavy blow at Mor with his spear, but Mor caught it on his shield. When the sharp stone point of the spear cut through the shield it got caught in the wicker-work, and would not come out. Then Mor jerked his shield back and pulled the spear clear out of his enemy's hand. The village chief drew a knife, but Mor rushed at him and killed him with his copper axe.

At this the village people were discouraged, and the men from the island set up a loud shout and rushing at them, killed many of them. The rest, seeing their leader killed, ran away. Then Mor and his men went into the village and captured the women, and took great stores of grain, and wine, and furs back to the ships. After that they set the village on fire.

By this time the village people had secured help, and were coming back to renew the fight, so Mor called his men together, and guided by the light from the blazing huts of the village, they pushed their boats off the sand, sprang aboard, and rowed swiftly away. In a little while they had vanished in the darkness.

When they got back home, Mor and his men had a feast, and all the people thought him a hero. After that, he made many voyages, and so did others of the island chiefs, and the people of the mainland were afraid of them.

These rovers of the sea were no more than pirates, of course, but they did a great deal of good. Year after year they would descend on the people of the coast, burning and robbing, carrying off their women and animals and taking them back to their island home, but sometimes they could not get back, but were driven by storms to other lands, where they settled and built new homes, taking with them all that they had learned about metals, about building boats, and many other things. In this way the knowledge they had gained was spread to other peoples. Sometimes they would land in peace and trade with the people on the mainland, giving them gold and copper and tin in exchange for grain and cattle and pottery. They sailed great distances in their stout ships and not only learned the things that other races knew, but at the same time brought to these other peoples their own knowledge of metal working, and carpentry, and the building of boats. Thus, through these sea rovers, the different arts spread from tribe to tribe, and from people to people, which was what Mother Nature intended.

When man discovered metals, and how to use them, the Stone Age began to draw to a close. There was of course no exact time when the use of stone stopped, and the use of metals began, for in some parts of the world men were using metals for hundreds and even thousands of years, while others, in other countries were still using stone. When Columbus came to America, only a few hundred years ago, the Indians in North America knew nothing of tools or weapons of metal, they were still living in the Stone Age.

Another discovery which came about the same time as the use of metals was the art of making glass. Just when men began to use glass we do not of course know, but in some of the most ancient tombs, along with weapons of copper, and ornaments of gold, we find beads and other small objects made of glass.