ts entrails. The iron claws of its hinder feet rasped noisily on the
rock-face.

Grom dropped his bow beside him and reached for the spear. His hand
grasped the club instead; but there was no time to change. Swinging
the stone-head weapon in air, he brought it down, with a grunt of huge
effort, full upon one of those giant paws which clutched the edge of
the parapet. Crushed and numbed, the grip of that paw fell away; but
at the same moment one of the hinder paws got over the edge, and
clung. And there the monster hung, its body bent in a contorted bow.

Bawr, meanwhile, seeing Grom's peril, had dropped from his tree,
snatched up his spear and club, and rushed in to the rescue. It was
courage, this, of the finest, counting no odds; for down there on the
level he would have stood no ghost of a chance had the beast turned
back upon him. Grom yelled to him to keep away, and swung up his club
for another shattering blow. But in that same moment the great glaring
eyes filmed and rolled upwards; blood spouted from between the gaping
jaws; and with a spluttering cough the monster lost its hold. It fell,
with a soft but jarring thud, upon its back, and slowly rolled over
upon its side, pawing the air aimlessly. The arrow in the throat had
done its work.

With fine self-restraint Bawr refrained from striking, that he might
seem to usurp no share in Grom's amazing achievement. He stood leaning
upon his spear, calmly watching the last feeble paroxysm, till Grom
came scrambling down from the ledge and stood beside him. He took the
bow and arrows, and examined them in silence. Then he turned upon Grom
with burning eyes.

"You found the Fire for our people. You saved our people from the
hordes of the Bow-legs. You have saved my life now, slaying the
monster from very far off with these little sticks which you have
made. It is you who should be Chief, not I."

Grom laughed and shook his head. "Bawr is the better man of us two,"
said he positively, "and he is a better chief. He governs the people,
while I go away and think new things. And he is my friend. Look, I
will teach him now this new thing. And we will make another just like
it, that when we return to the Caves Bawr also shall know how to
strike from very far off."

With their rough-edged spear-heads of flint they set themselves to the
skinning of the saber-tooth. Then they went back to the high plateau,
where Bawr was taught to shoot a straight shaft. And on the followin