early in the spring the snows began to melt on the mountain tops, many miles above the hollow, and to run down into little streams that lost themselves in the great river. day by day the waters of the river arose along its banks. the cave people gave little heed, for they had much to do at this time, to satisfy their hunger. only the old woman bent her eyes on the whirling waters with fear and dread in her heart.
long before the memory of the other members of the tribe, she recalled a time when the waters had clambered over the river banks and spread many a day’s journey into the deep forests. many of her 82brothers and her sisters had been swallowed up by the angry waters. the members of her tribe had been scattered and joined new tribes. since those days, she had always feared the river, when it rose in the spring.
when she warned the cave people, one and all, they listened to her words, but they knew not what to do. and always the river rose higher and higher and its current grew more swift, tearing away the young saplings that grew low down, and bearing them swiftly away.
but the cave people had need of great skill these days to satisfy the hunger of the tribe. a new activity seemed born unto them. eyes grew keen for the tracks of the wild boar and their ears were open for a sound of the foot of the forest enemies.
sharp eyes everywhere pierced the woods and glanced from the branches of trees, for man and beast had need to be ever alert and watchful to survive the dreary period of the hard seasons. the black bear appeared, thin and dangerous. but the cave people eluded and outwitted her. across yawning cracks in the ground or over great hollows, they threw branches of trees. and upon these branches they threw dead fish and smeared the blood of the wild duck.
through the woods the smell of fresh blood reached the keen nose of the bear and she made her way thither to satisfy the hunger that gnawed 83her continually. but the branches gave way under her great bulk and she fell crashing into the pit below, where the cave people killed her with their long bone weapons.
it was after one of these great bear feasts, when the cave people had fed the fire into a roaring blaze to protect them from the animals that grew over-bold at this season of the year, that the old woman renewed her warnings. the waters of the great river continued to climb upward and there remained but a little way before they should overflow the banks.
then the old woman gathered the members of the tribe together and told them the story of her childhood days. the new words of the tribe came stumblingly to her lips, therefore she made known her thoughts chiefly in the gesture language.
first she pointed to the land across the river, waving her wrinkled hands northward. that way lay the home of her birth. many, many years before—she held up both hands to indicate the time was beyond the power of counting—she had lived with her fathers and mothers, on a river bank. very small she was in those days. her head came only to the thigh of a man.
came a time when the waters of the river crept up over the lands, just as they had begun to steal over the wood north of the hollow. the people of her tribe had climbed into the great trees, but 84with the coming of every new sun, the waters rose higher and higher. long the waters continued to climb till they became a great surging flood, creeping through the forest and at last joining the waters of the river that flowed beside the homes of the cave people. over all the world there remained no dry land.
and the old woman, who was then a child, dwelt for many suns with her fathers and mothers, in the tall trees.
but there came one day a storm, when the waters foamed and whirled and tore up the trunks of the great trees and hurled them into the flood. and the limbs of the tree, on which the old woman clung, were beaten and bent in the mighty struggle till at last, she was whipped from the branches and thrown into the waters, as nuts are shaken from the trees.
and the old woman was borne away in the swift current. she heard many cries, as the waters threw her about, and some of her people leaped into the flood to save her. but she was beaten about like a leaf in the wind and unable to call to them.
soon she found herself dashed against the trunk of a tree, and she climbed upon it and clung to it for a long time. often she grew very weary and slipped back into the waters, but always she clung to the branches of the tree, till, at last, she had been washed ashore. and she made her way 85into the new land till she came, by and by, to the homes of the cave dwellers.
tubers they fed her and the eggs of the wild fowl. and she remained with them and became a member of the tribe.
never again had the old woman beheld the people of her own tribe, save at night when she dreamed on her bed of dry leaves in the deep cave. sometimes they returned to her then and told her strange things.
thus the old woman told her story and when she was finished a trembling seized her brown body and she gazed long at the swift waters of the river. of the color of the leaves, touched by the frosts of winter, were her wrinkled hands, with which she pointed toward the river. and the cave people were seized with fear also, for even as they watched, small rivulets crept over the banks and trickled down into the hollow.
heavy rains fell all through the day that followed and the small streams of water that overflowed the banks found their way into all the little hollows, filling them. at night when the cave dwellers sought their caves, their hearts were filled with dread.
quack quack crouched close to strong arm, with her arms about little laughing boy. the rumbling and roar of the waters sounded in their ears, as the swollen river tore downward in her course. but, after a time, they fell asleep and forgot 86their terrors, till the cries of their brothers and sisters aroused them toward the morning.
now the cave in which strong arm slept was upon a point above the caves of the other members of the tribe, but when he arose and rolled the great stone from the entrance of the cave, the snarling waters curled about his feet and wet them. and, when he looked into the hollow, a strange sight met his eyes. for the river had risen in the darkness, covering the face of the world. every moment the waters surged savagely onward over the land, into the deep woods, as though they meant to devour the whole earth.
at those points where the ground rose higher than the surrounding land, clustered the cave people, chattering in terror and clinging desperately upon whatsoever their hands found. very quickly strong arm called quack quack and laughing boy. and he assisted them to mount to the top of the cave, where laughing boy whimpered with fear. they heard the voice of the old woman, calling shrilly to them, as she pointed towards the branches of the tall trees in the forest, where they might find safety.
and many members of the tribe cast themselves into the waters that rose steadily every moment, and swam toward the woods. but the waters tossed them and the current pushed them ever backward. often they were struck by great 87floating logs, that rolled over and over when they sought to climb up on them.
then, amid the great tumult, was heard the voice of light foot and the sounds of big nose, her man, also. and when the cave people looked about, they discovered a flood of huge logs and dead trees that had been jammed before the entrance of the cave wherein dwelt these two, barring the way out.
and every man in the whole tribe forgot his desire for safety to answer the cry for help that light foot sent up. for, among the cave dwellers, there was a great tenderness among the men and women of the tribe. the word of a woman bore great weight, for it was the joy of every man to please and aid her.
so strong arm threw himself into the water, with a cry to his brothers, while quack quack remained upon the top of the cave holding laughing boy in her arms, lest he be harmed.
long the members of the tribe struggled with the current, till at last they reached the cave of light foot where she struggled with the logs that shut her in. with all their strength these strong men tugged and plucked at the trees. but with every effort the waters bore back on them, jamming the logs into a wedge again, between the cave and the rocks, till the old woman thought they should all be drowned.
88at last, however, strong arm thrust a great stick between the cave and the jam of trees and big nose and light foot were able to add their strength in diverting the danger. soon they were free and making their way, with those who had saved them, toward the woods. it is well to note here, too, that the cave men thought always of the women, lending them every aid and that there was not one forgotten amid grave peril.
not till it was too late to effect his rescue, however, did the cave people remember old grey beard, who had also become imprisoned in his cave. at that time the waters tore about the tops of the rocks and they knew it was too late to help him.
although many swam for the woods, few arrived there. strong arm, quack quack and laughing boy, who had followed their friends, soon found themselves regretting the rocks above their cave. for all the drift borne down the river by the swift waters, seemed hemmed and wedged about the woods. over these logs it was impossible to pass. for they rolled and dipped under the feet, dumping the cave people back into the boiling water, sometimes crushing them between the great logs.
strong arm progressed beneath the debris, but he was unable to find an opening to come up, and was compelled to return to quack quack and laughing boy, who swam about the edge of the 89great mass of logs, awaiting him. very dizzy he was and his lungs collapsed with his breath as he appeared, for the struggle against the current was almost beyond his strength.
again and again they sought to reach the woods where they might find shelter in the trees, but each time they failed. it was impossible to advance and the strong current rendered it still more difficult to go back.
and every moment the waters rose. logs whirled swiftly past with many of the forest animals clinging to them. now and then they saw one of the hairy folk tossed and straining to reach the trees. the silent one, who clung to one of the cane rafts, was flung into the whirling jam, by the current, and crushed like a dry leaf in the hand. as far as the eye could reach the foaming waters tore their way through the woods. but between the cave dwellers who clung to the skirts of the jam, and the safety of the forest trees, it seemed there floated and rocked and churned all the trees of a great world of woods, plucked out and cast there by the great river, in order to mock them.
but the cave people clung tenaciously, while the great mass of logs strained and tore each other, or were flung away in the current. at last the great hollow tree, in which strong arm had kept the fire alive, was borne down, for its trunk was old with fire and with rot. as it was tossed 90onward in the mighty current, strong arm, with laughing boy and quack quack close at his side, made their way toward it with a great effort. as it whirled past them, they flung their arms over the rough bark and clung to it.
soon they were able to climb into the burned out hollow of the tree, where they lay shivering with fear. the trunk of the tree made a kind of boat the cave people had never seen, for only the burned out portion at the end lay open and dipped into the waters. in the hollow they lay for a long time, till their strength returned and their fears fell. then they sat up and looked about.
the rains had ceased and the sun made his way high in the heavens, and they were borne swiftly along in the great log. often they crashed into the branches of trees that rose just above the water. but always strong arm, quack quack and laughing boy clung tightly. they did not mean to be hurled into the waters again.
but they were checked in their fearful journey, at last, when the hollow log was driven amid the interwoven trunks and branches of a tall banyan. there it lay, tossing in the boughs, as safe as though it had been anchored securely. for the current of the river sucked and drove it always more strongly into the arms of the tree.
soon a great chattering arose among the branches that dipped now and then into the angry 91waters, and in a moment they beheld the foolish one and a man from the tribe of the hairy folk, who called to them.
and laughing boy forgot his terrors as he seized a bough and made his way into the tree, for safety, while quack quack and strong arm followed him.
then arose such a jabbering as was never before heard in the old banyan, while strong arm and the foolish one made known their adventures. also they talked to the man from the tribe of the hairy folk in the gesture language.
where the limbs of the tree ran far out over the whirling waters, laughing boy found the long deep nests of the oo-ee-a. often the branches bent beneath his feet and threatened to give way under him, but his lightness enabled him to secure these treasures. and together, the foolish one, strong arm, quack quack, laughing boy and the man from the tribe of the hairy folk made a supper upon the eggs of the oo-ee-a. then they sought out forked branches, where they curled themselves up and fell asleep.
the waters roared and thundered beneath. dead trees and old logs beat against their new refuge in the great banyan, but they wound their arms and legs about the limbs of the tree and found rest.
thus, they dwelt in the old banyan, with a wild fowl now and then, a fish, or a few gulls’ eggs to 92satisfy their hanger, while the river sank lower and lower into its old channel. every day the waters receded and slipped back into the river bed, till strong arm declared the time was come when they might venture forth toward the land of their fathers.
