A Son of the Ages: The Reincarnations and Adventures of Scar, the Link / A Story of Man From the Beginning

by Stanley Waterloo

It is hard to tell how great was the excitement in the village when we showed what we had with us, and the news of our discovery went about.

Excellent and very curious was the story of our tribe from that same day. There began a new life, for we had another interest now than mere living upon what the earth and land and water might give us for the eating or the wearing. Surely never before did a tribe of men so change in character, because never before had arisen conditions so splendidly compelling. I devised double pouches from the skins we had, one to hang on each side of a horse, and the youth of the tribe were set at work bringing the copper rocks from the distant forest, while men there toiled to break the larger ones to fragments suited for such carrying. There was a procession of boys and horses between the village and the treasure ground, and soon there arose a small mountain of the copper rocks beside the stone anvil near the great tree trunk, and the sound of hammering never ceased. I worked with Hammer at the shaping, as did two other men, and it was not long, since the anvil rock would accommodate but four workers, before we had rolled down from farther up the valley four or five more of the hard rocks to also serve as they might for other anvils, though to accomplish this required many men as did the later hard work in chipping the tops of the new rocks down to the proper level. Then still more of the men were set to work to learn the way of the hammering and shaping, and became expert according to their gifts, though none could ever hope to equal the way of Hammer. How he rejoiced in his own skill! There appeared nothing he could not fashion from the glittering copper brought to him. With mighty blows at first he would beat the metal more nearly into the shape desired than could any other of us while wielding the heaviest hammers, and then, such crude shape gained, it was marvellous to watch him. He played with the thing as if he loved it. The sound of his beating, as he changed from each hammer to a lighter one in his fashioning, was like the slope from hand to finger tip, until the gentle “tap-tap” could be scarcely heard and beneath his hand lay, finally, such perfect weapon or utensil as had never been before. Once, in sheer bravado it may be, he devised and made a brooch so delicate and fine and beautiful that all stood wondering, and there came dark looks and jealousies among both men and women, but he gave the splendid bauble to the most aged of the women, saying that old women had once been young, and so the faces brightened. Very wise was Hammer in his way, and both he and I were above the woman hunger. As for the lucky beldame, she was the proudest among us all and would surely die most unwillingly, since, now, the world was so good!

We went together, Hammer and I, and more thoroughly explored the forest and found that the “float” there, as we had called it, would last perhaps a lifetime at the rate we were using it, and found also that there were many of the copper boulders in the ravines and glens farther along the mountainsides than we had explored at first. This discovery it was which caused me to have a new belief as to whence the copper had come. One of the heights of the range had once been a fire mountain, as was easy to see from where its vomitings had run down the valleys, and was it not possible that the copper had thus been tossed up from the very bowels of the earth? This I thought must be true, and Hammer agreed with me regarding the thing. So concerning that we gave no further thought. It came at last that those working in and about the forest built themselves huts there and that another village arose, though not a large one, and it came, too, that others built huts along what was now become a beaten highway such as never had been seen, and so we were for a time a long and straggling community. Then came another change and a most potent one.

Some leagues to the north of us was a village of a strong tribe with whom we had always been on close and pleasant terms, for they were of our own blood and so we understood each other well. Thus it chanced that they were the first to barter with us for our excellent copper weapons and that there was much commingling of the people and, as a consequence, from that man-woman happening which always seems to come when the youth of each kind are brought much together, the young men and women of each tribe began taking each other for mates and so the commingling became still closer and better. Then followed what was most wise. There was held a council of the chief men of each tribe, in which Hammer and I had much to say, and it was decided that the two should join and that the formidable tribe thus made should build its village upon the copper fields. There were shelter and water and streams, and game and fish, and it was a fine village site in every way. And thus it came. Barriers were built that we might defy all enemies. Not a man or youth but had keen copper-headed spear and arrows and knife and axe and was trained in the sharpening and care of them. We were bravely weaponed. Not always, though, did we use the copper arrows, for they were too precious to be shot lightly in the hunting, those made of stone still serving for the killing of the smaller game. Then followed a small thing which proved in the end a great one: a youth of the tribe, that he might not easily lose his copper arrows, had tied the scarlet feather of a bird to each arrow shaft close to its end in a little groove, that it might not hit the bow and mar his shooting. The brilliant feather would reveal the arrow wherever it might chance to fall, which was a good thing. But more came of it. The youth soon learned that an arrow flew more smoothly and evenly and that with it thus feathered he was far surer of his game. This was counted a curious thing, and some held that the red colour made a spell or charm and so guided the arrow rightly, but with the trying of other feathers of any colour, even those from the drab geese, it was found that they served as well. The gray goose shaft sufficed. It was most curious, but it was a potent thing, and soon all arrows were thus feathered and the tribe became the greatest of all archers. Bad would it be for any foeman who might attack us. Much I thought upon this thing and of how always it seemed that one discovery was followed in its needs and new calls by another.

There happened about this time another thing most interesting to us all and fine in its results, following what was conceived by Hammer. He had long looked enviously upon the smaller boulder of the two we had found in the canyon, because it seemed so full of copper of the finest quality, though we paid no attention to it since we had such an abundance of the “float” about us. He would not be denied, though I made much sport of him.

Hammer caused a pit to be dug close beside the boulder and a little deeper than its height, and the bottom of this he had filled with the dryest of wood. Then he brought to the pit’s side a veritable mountain of wood as dry, and was ready for the test. The strong men of the tribe were summoned and there was a great upheaval of the rock with levers, and it was tumbled down upon its bed of wood, which was promptly fired. As the flames rose other wood was heaped upon the rock until it was hidden from view, and so, night and day, was the great hot fire continued, men bringing more fuel all the time and working by watches to keep at reddest heat the bed of coals in the midst of which the rock lay. None cared to approach very near that astounding fire. It was on the fourth night that the climax came, and well it was for the firemen at the time that they were resting behind a boulder at a little distance from the flames, for there came an explosion which fairly lifted the village from its sleep and sent that copper rock in fragments in all directions. Great was the reward of the experiment, and it was good that we should thus learn what fire could do.

And ever our bartering increased with the tribes on every side. Those distant purchased the new weapons and those still farther away saw and must have them, until our community became the most prosperous, as it was becoming the most numerous, in all that far-extending country of plain and hill and forest. There came even some from that huge illimitable forest to the south, peopled by the tall strong men who had come from the far East even as had come our own people, though at some different time, albeit with these our trading was but a little, for they were fierce and dangerous and we cared not much for their close acquaintance, despite our growing strength. As for Hammer and me, we were growing older and less inclined to risk or venture. Yet there was no abatement in our constant thought of all that might be done with the red copper. There followed a time when Hammer spoke less often and seemed lost in some new thought. One day he told me of it.

“If,” he said, “we could only melt and mould the copper!” And he said also, “You and I will go to the village and work there a while and try to do certain things.” So I went with him.

The flat rock which had been our anvil was in its place, and sound as ever, seemingly, stood the hollow tree trunk near it, and I saw that it was at this trunk with the hollow opening at its bottom that Hammer looked first and examined most carefully. In the times of our working here I had noticed one thing about this opening at the base of the trunk—that, especially when the wind blew up the valley, it roared and whistled up the trunk through the opening and even drew curvingly the flames of any fire which chanced to be made near it. Could it be this, I thought, that was now in the mind of Hammer? I was not mistaken.

He called to the men in the village and bade them bring from the banks of the stream behind the village a great quantity of the soft tenacious clay such as we used in making our pottery, at which work both men and women among us were most skilful, and this clay he spread upon the earth in and before the opening, thus making a clay platform. He also plastered the inside of the trunk upward as far as he could reach, with this same clay; then upon the clay platform he made a fire, not too high, and fed this fire until nightfall, and for some time later. Then we slept, for we were older men now and cared not to work into the night.