of the Caves. Such a prize would be
a proof to all the tribe of the potency of his new weapon.

For nearly an hour he waited, moveless, save for his ranging eyes, as
the rock on which he leaned. To a hunter like Grom, schooled to
infinite patience, this was nothing. He knew that, in the woods, if
one waits long enough and keeps still enough, he is bound to see
something interesting. At last it came. It was neither the fat buck
nor the little two-toed horse with dapple hide, but a young
cow-buffalo. Grom noticed at once that she was nervous and puzzled.
She seemed to suspect that she was being followed and was undecided
what to do. Once she faced about angrily, staring into the coverts
behind her, and made as if to charge. Had she been an old cow, or a
bull, she would have charged; but her inexperience made her
irresolute. She snorted, faced about again, and moved on, ears, eyes
and wide nostrils one note of wrathful interrogation. She was well
within range, and Grom would have tried a shot at her except for his
seasoned wariness. He would rather see, before revealing himself, what
foe it was that dared to trail so dangerous a quarry. The buffalo
moved on slowly out of range, and vanished down a runway; and
immediately afterwards the stealthy pursuer came in view.

To Grom's amazement, it was neither a lion nor a bear. It was a man,
of his own tribe. And then he saw it was none other than the great
chief, Bawr himself, hunting alone after his haughty and daring
fashion. Between Grom and Bawr there was the fullest understanding,
and Grom would have whistled that plover-cry, his private signal, but
for the risk of interfering with Bawr's chase. Once more, therefore,
he held himself in check; while Bawr, his eyes easily reading the
trail, crept on with the soundless step of a wild cat.

But Grom was not the only hunter lying in ambush in the sun-drenched
ravine. Out from a bed of giant, red-blooming canna arose the
diabolical, grinning head and monstrous shoulders of a saber-tooth,
and stared after Bawr. Then the whole body emerged with a noiseless
bound. For a second the gigantic beast stood there, with one paw
uplifted, its golden-tawny bulk seeming to quiver in the downpour of
intense sunlight. It was a third as tall again at the shoulders as the
biggest Himalayan tiger, its head was flat-skulled like a tiger's, and
its upper jaw was armed with two long, yellow, saber-like tusks,
projecting downwards below the lower j