How Big-Head Slew the Cave-Bear

HOW BIG-HEAD SLEW THE CAVE-BEAR. Big-Head was very angry. While he was out hunting and the women and children were gathering berries and firewood, a huge cave-bear had seized the opportu nity to take possession of the Big-Head family's cave.

The cave was on the banks of a small stream in southern France, and the time was some 20,000 years ago. It was a very different France, indeed, from the one we now know. Great Britain was still part of the continent, and the Arctic ice cap spread over all Europe as far as southern Germany, as it did over the whole of the Great Lakes region of North America.

But Big-Head didn't worry about the ice, and he had never heard of North America or even of Great Britain. His trouble was the bear. When news of their chief's misfortune was reported to the clan of cavemen it was decided that the bear must be driven from the cave at all costs. Nowhere else could Big Head and his family find so comfortable a home, and winter was fast approaching.

Armed with their bone-tipped spears and flint hatchets, the cave dwellers gathered for the attack.

They were tall strong men, with huge muscles and clad in skins which only partly covered their hairy bodies. But strong as they were, they couldn't face the bear in open battle. Big-Head, however, had a plan for ousting the intruder.

Strong-Arm, who could throw a wounded wild bull with his bare hands, was sent to roll a huge stone to the edge of the hill above the mouth of the cave.

The other hunters were spread out among the rocks near the entrance, each with spear set for a swift throw. Fleet-Foot, who had won many a race with young reindeer, was given a blazing pine torch.

Urged on by Big-Head's rough voice, he crept near the black hole. With a sweep of his arm he threw the torch far into the cave and ran for his life.

A wild roar of fear and rage came out of the yawn ing cavern. There was a rush of a huge body to the entrance. Big-Head gave the sign, Strong-Arm's mighty muscles tightened, and the great rock tipped over the edge. As it crashed to earth it met the bear as he charged out to give battle, and crushed him.

That night there was a great feast on bear's meat.

The cave dwellers painted their bodies with red and yellow clay and danced to the savage beat of a thigh bone on a hollow log. The artist of the clan decided that when he recovered from the feast he would try to carve a cave-bear on a smooth bit of reindeer horn he had at home or perhaps paint a picture of the monster on the wall of the cave. Then they all fell asleep to the music of the hyenas snarling over the remains outside the cave entrance.