The Thinking Rocks

  Dola was listening intently, but he was apprehensive. This sounded like there was a lot to remember. "Do you think that I can learn how to do this?" he asked.

  Cano started to answer, but was cut off by Gennos. "You will learn how to do this because you must. Your life will be better, and you will have hot food to eat. This is serious; it can save your life.”

  Cano continued, "As I said the wood is important. We use different kinds of the wood to bring out the Fire Spirit. We have a piece of wood with a hole in it that does not go too deep. We have another piece as long as your forearm, but thinner than your little finger. One end will be about as wide as the tip of your little finger. This wide end fits into the hole in the other piece of wood. It is very important that the sides of the wide end of the thin stick not touch the sides of the hole. The Fire Spirit will not come if the sides touch. The wood with the hole must have a notch leading to the hole. This allows us to feed the Fire Spirit the fine rotten wood and to get the fire started. The Fire Spirit will only come to us if we do all these things correctly."

  The three hunters searched the brush near the river for the types of wood they needed. Gennos helped Dola choose the correct types of wood. When they had all they needed, Cano demonstrated how it was to be done. Gennos knelt before Cano and held the bottom piece of wood with both hands. Cano knelt and placed the wide end of the thin stick in the hole, after putting a small pile of wood dust in the notch leading to the hole. Cano took a deep breath and then spit on each hand before bringing the palms of his hands together with the thin stick between them. He then rotated the stick backward and forward with his hands. As his hands moved down the stick to the bottom, he would quickly move them to the top. "This is the hard part; you have to push down with your shoulders and arms. The stick must not stop moving, we must call the Spirit of Fire from the wood. If you don't press hard and keep the stick moving, the Spirit will not come."

  Cano stopped and looked at Dola.

  Dola looked at Cano and asked, "Why do you stop?"

  Cano smiled as he handed the thin stick to Dola, "You are to learn by doing. The Spirit of Fire waits for you to call."

  Dola took the stick and soon was spinning it almost as fast as Cano had. Soon he had sweat on his forehead, but he kept at it. A small wisp of smoke came from the bottom of the spinning stick. Gennos nudged some wood dust into the notch and toward the base of the spinning stick, more smoke and then a red glow appeared. Gennos blew gently toward the glow and it grew bigger. Softly he added more dust. Suddenly, there was a small flame, and he added small strands of grass and leaves. "Move the fire starting wood away; we must now feed the Spirit more grass and twigs."

  They soon had a small fire going and the heat from it felt good. The feeling of heat and pride burned strong in Dola's breast. He had created FIRE.

  Across the fire, the brothers smiled at each other.

  Later, the brothers were able to spear some fish and a few frogs. They cooked them over Dola's fire.

  Dola was able to catch a large frog alive, and they all had a good laugh as whiteface tried to catch it.

  The next morning they were all up at daybreak. They showed Dola how to chip the bark away from the base of the selected trees. Next, they started low fires around the base of the trees. Cano told Dola to keep the fire hot and low on the tree, not to look up into the branches because the Spirit would think that was where it was to go. "We only want to cause the tree to burn down, not burn up," said Cano. When the fire would start to climb, they would put the fire out with dirt or wet skins.

  The work was slow even after the trees were down. After determining the length they wanted, the top end of the tree had to be burned off.

  Dola was given the job of looking for vines to tie the tree trunks together. He was well protected by the small wolf that was his constant companion. No frog was safe if she was untied.

  After a considerable amount of time, they were able to drag logs to a shallow place in the river where the current was almost non existent. The logs were than lashed together. They found some poles to guide the raft. Dola had tied some vines together so that they would be able to tie the raft up at night.

  They gathered their belongings together and left their campsite early the next morning. The sun was just starting to warm and there were small birds in the trees singing. A soft breeze came up and helped the raft on its way down the black river. Gennos sat on the front of the raft and watched for rocks and other dangers. Dola sat near the edge of the raft with Whiteface next to him. Cano stood at the rear and tried to use a pole to guide the raft.

  The raft traveled down the river at a leisurely pace, the current was strong, but the water was smooth. There were high bluffs on one side of the river and the other side was covered by low brush.

  The days on the river blended into one another. The weather was clear and they saw a variety of animal and bird life. Their passage was pleasant and uneventful until one night when the raft was tied to a tree on the riverbank. They had eaten the fish that they had cooked over a small fire on shore. As night started to fall they returned to the raft for sleep. It was a beautiful night, the sky was full of stars and there were few clouds. The moon was full and bright, and it cast soft shadows. A soft moistness rose from the river, but it was not unpleasant. The night birds could be heard in the trees and the cry of nighthawks could be heard over the river. The tiny band of travelers lay on their backs looking at the sky and speaking when the mood struck them.

  After a long period of silence Dola spoke. "Gennos, I have a question."

  "That's good to hear, questions are like seeds, they may grow into something important. Besides that, they lead to knowledge, something my brother could use more of."

  Cano didn't answer; he just threw a piece of fish he had been eating at his brother.

  Gennos ducked, and continued speaking as though nothing had happened. "What is your question?"

  Dola hesitated before speaking. "Days ago when we found the tracks of the opossum you did something I don't understand. I feel silly asking you about it, but it has been bothering me. You took some dirt from the tracks and spit on it, made a mud of it and then made a mark on your face by your eye. Why did you do that? Is it some kind of magic mark to help you understand the animal you track? I'm sure you had a reason for doing it, but I can't understand it."

  Gennos looked serious as he answered. "It had nothing to do with identifying the tracks. It was a test to see if you would accept what I did and said without question. Would you believe what I tell you or would you want to know why a thing is so. You are right to question what you don't understand. The answers should fit the question. This is how we learn. You are young, but you are never too young to learn. There are things that you will not understand until you are older and have more experience. Don't worry about being young and having trouble understanding things like this; you can't do anything about it. Someday you will have a family; they will depend on you to stay alive. You have to know what you are doing." He paused for a moment before continuing, "There will be times when Cano or I will tell you to do something that you will question, but do it. Your life or ours may depend on it. You can question later, but your life may depend on your actions. Remember, question us later, but do as you are told first." He paused again, "Making the mark above my eye was a way of saying this is a trick, are you smart enough to see it's a trick?"

  Dola was about to answer when he was startled by a growl from Whiteface. Dola looked in the direction that Whiteface was looking. At first he wasn't sure if he saw something or not. Something might be moving along the vine that held the raft to the tree on the riverbank. He stared and was finally able identify it. It was a snake. A big one and it was crawling out to the raft. He scrabbled to his feet and pointed. "Snake, Snake!" he hollered.

  Cano and Gennos came to their feet with weapons in hand. Whiteface raced to the end of his rawhide strip barking and then stopped to confront the snake, with a deep growl. The snake dropped onto t
he raft.

  Unfortunately, all of these sudden movements caused the raft to start rocking. Gennos was the closest to the snake and as he attempted to gain a better position, he lost his balance and fell into the river backward. Cano saw his brother hit the water and thought that leaving the raft was a good idea; he hit the water seconds later. Dola hesitated only a heartbeat before following them. As the waters calmed and their sputtering ended, they all stood in the shallow water staring at the raft and wondering where the snake was.

  Dola was the first to speak, "I have a question, is this a good time to ask it?"

  Cano asked, "Is it an important question, one that needs to be answered now?"

  Dola said, "I think it’s very important and I wish you would let me ask it."

  "All right, ask your question," said Cano as he studied the raft.

  "Do you think there are more snakes in the river or on the raft?"

  After a few moments to reflect on the question, they all returned to the raft cautiously. It was debatable as to who was more apprehensive, the dripping hunters or the snake, which had beaten a hasty retreat to the shore. Whiteface seemed to be the only one who wasn't concerned.

  The next morning they were underway as the day birds awakened and the sun rose.

  The fishing was good, but the trio was getting tired of the same food day after day. About midday Cano suggested that it would be a good idea to make camp early so that he could go hunting. Everyone was agreeable. Dola wanted to go with Cano, but he liked being around Gennos too. If Cano wanted him to come along he would have said so.

  Cano left camp as Gennos and Dola finished cleaning the fish. After they had the fire started Dola noticed that the ants had started getting on the fish they had just cleaned. Gennos suggested that he put the fish on sticks and put them near the fire to keep the ants away. Dola soon had the days catch staked out near the fire.

  Cano hiked up through a small valley with a stream toward a stand of large trees. He saw deer tracks and the droppings of a large animal that he couldn't identify. The day had turned hot and the valley cut off any chance of a breeze. The forest was still and no birds were singing. As he climbed higher he found a grassy meadow and a slight breeze. At the far end he saw movement but couldn't determine what it was. The wind was blowing toward him so he decided to try to get closer. Finally he was close enough to get a good look at the strange creatures. They were large animals, much taller at the shoulder than he was tall. They had short dusty brown hair and had a long neck and four legs; their feet were like large pads. Another strange feature was their heads, which were prominent with hairy ears and fat lips. They had a large hump in the center of their backs, and long tails with a wad of hair at the end. A small group of them started to run around the herd, they were quite fast. The way they ran was strange, and then Cano saw why. They ran with the legs on one side both moving forward while the legs on the other side moved to the rear. This was odd; most animals ran by moving their back legs together and then their front legs together. He would have to talk this over with Gennos when he returned to camp.

  There was a sizable herd of them eating grass and leaves. Even at this distance from the herd he could smell them, and it wasn't a pleasant odor. There were many of them and they were too big for him to try to bring one down. Besides it would be difficult getting the meat back to camp. He would have to find more suitable game. Quietly he faded back into the brush.

  As he climbed higher he noticed a cave in the side of the hill. Slowly, he approached it with one of his spears ready until he was near the entrance. Stopping he listened carefully for any sound that would signal danger. He could hear nothing. If anything was in there, it was very quiet. He looked in and was surprised by its size. After the narrow entrance it quickly changed to a large cave. He was surprised to find that it was big enough to hold all of the Clan of the Spear. The cave had a musty smell and there were bones scattered about the floor. The bones were not those of something that had died here, but were the bones of things eaten here. Some of the bones were large, which meant that what had eaten them was larger. He knelt and examined them. Some still had fragments of meat attached. Something was still living here. He heard a sound, and sprang to his feet and drew back his spear. He was facing the direction the sounds had come from, but nothing was there. He thrust his spare spear forward as a guard, and then stood there ready for an attack. It was then that he saw the horrid bloodthirsty creature that he thought was threatening his life. It was a small rodent that was working its way through some leaves looking for food. Cano lowered his spear and drew a deep breath. There would be no need to relate this experience when he got back to camp.

  As he was leaving the cave he noticed long deep scratches on the walls and in the dirt. There were also some coarse dark brown hairs on the cave wall at the narrow entrance. Something big had made the scratches and the hair was probably from a cave bear. He thought it would be wise to leave before it returned. The mouse fled at his approach, but returned to forage when he was gone. It doubtlessly didn't know that bears eat mice.

  He continued to climb higher and finally reached the highest point on the hill. As he surveyed the country around him he noticed a sign of death. Vultures were circling below him and to one side of the trail he had taken on his way up the hill. He would investigate that area and see if there was anything he could use there. The day was coming to an end and he still didn't have any food to return to camp with.

  He headed down the hill toward the area where the vultures circled. Climbing down was faster than his assent, but the ground was covered with loose leaves and occasional vines. He slipped and slid frequently and had to slow down to keep from falling from the numerous small cliffs. He found that by grabbing saplings on the way down he could make better time. This was still a tricky maneuver because of the spears he carried. He made more noise than he liked, but he had no other options.

  Finally, he came to the area where the vultures had flocked. He found a scene he was not expecting. There was a clearing that contained a bloodbath. It appeared as though a cave bear and a giant sloth had fought. The sloth was huge, almost the size of a mammoth. The bear was very large. If it was standing, Cano's head would only reach the bears stomach, it looked as though the bears front feet when spread apart had the same span as its height. Its claws were longer than Cano's fingers.

  It was not apparent why they had fought. The sides of the sloth were raked with claw marks similar to those Cano had seen at the cave. Chunks of meat had been ripped from the neck and shoulders of the sloth. Its broken body lay a short distance from that of the bear. A long string of intestines from the bear's stomach were scattered across the ground toward the sloth. Blood soaked the ground and the sickly sweet smell of it hung in the air. Neither animal showed any signs of life and the vultures were squawking and fighting over the open wounds of the sloth.

  Cano tried to understand what had happened. The sloth was much bigger than the bear, but they are slow in their movements. The bear usually moves slowly, but that is deceptive. They are capable of lightning like speed when it is needed; a man would have no chance of out running a bear. Somehow, the sloth and bear had fought; the bear was quicker and ended by killing the sloth. But, and it was a big but, the sloth had gotten in one good slash with its enormous front claw. The claw was bigger than my head Cano thought. It was more than adequate for removing the bear's intestines.

  Cano stood looking over the carnage in the small clearing. As yet the vultures paid no attention to him or the bear. Walking up behind the bear cautiously, he prodded the bear with his spear to assure that it was dead. The bear exploded with a spinning roar and a tremendous swipe with its left paw, which knocked the spear from his hand and threw him off balance. It followed with a slashing blow from its right paw that would have disemboweled him had he been a breath closer. As it was, the claws cut four shallow channels diagonally across his chest as he fell away from the attack. The bear rose to its full height, cocked its head to o
ne side, and with a bloody froth spraying from its mouth, it roared. The roar came from the depths of the bear's being and carried the echoes of past triumphs. Cano could feel the ground he laid upon quake. It seemed as though the only things in the world were the bear and the naked power it projected.

  Cano scrambled to the side searching for his spear, as he found it, the bear loomed over him. He had no room or time to throw the spear with the bear towering over him. He braced the butt of the spear on the ground and attempted to pivot toward the bear. Before he could get the spear into position, the bear fell upon him. The last thing he saw was the bear's bloody mouth, wide open and roaring, coming down to destroy his head.

  Back at the river Gennos and Dola were looking at the fish that had been placed by the fire on the sticks. The meat was dry but not burned. Gennos was quite excited about it. Dola couldn't see the reason for the excitement.

  Gennos seemed elated by the fish. "Dola, don't you understand what has happened? Can't you see how important this is?"

  Dola was embarrassed by his lack of perception concerning the fish. The fish were dry. Why was this so important?

  Gennos hurried on without waiting for Dola to answer his questions. "This meat can last for days before we have to get rid of it. Think about it, we won't have to fish as much. The fish that we do catch will last us longer. Fresh fish don't last for longer than the day you catch them. Now we can dry the fish so that we can eat even if we don't catch fish everyday. We will have extra food we can take with us. We should thank the Great Spirit for this gift of knowledge."

  Dola had listened carefully and then said, "I saw the dried fish as you did, but I didn't understand what I was seeing. You seem to see things that I miss."

  Gennos answered, "You and I see the same things, but I have more years of looking at things. You have to train yourself not only to see things; you must also train your self to look at things. There is as much difference in looking and seeing, as there is in hearing and listening. Don't worry if you don't understand it all now. You will understand more as you grow older. Things seem to change as you grow older. You will seem to see things in different way."