ward to scold and slap their
respective children for putting this disgusting burnt meat into their
mouths.

To Grom and Bawr, however, A-ya explained the whole situation in a few
pertinent phrases, and followed up her explanation by proffering them
each a well-cooked morsel. They both smelled it doubtfully, tasted it,
broke into smiles, and devoured it, smacking their bearded lips.

"Did _you_ do this, girl?" demanded Grom, beaming upon her proudly and
holding out his great hairy hand for another sample. But Bawr strode
forward, thrust the old men aside, hacked himself off a generous
collop, stuck it on his spear-head, and thrust it into the fire.

In his impatience, Bawr kept pulling the roast out every minute or
two, to taste it and see if it was done enough. His enthusiasm--and
that of Grom, who was now following his example--cured the rest of the
warriors of their hesitation, so effectually that in five minutes
there was nothing more left of the great elk's carcase but antlers,
bone and offal. Those who had got nothing fell upon the body of the
bear, skinning it and hacking it in greedy haste. The young women,
having satisfied convention by slapping their bewildered and
protesting brats, soon yielded to curiosity and began surreptitiously
to nibble at the greasy cooked morsels which they had confiscated.
Then they, too, grabbed up spears and sticks for toasting-forks and
came clamoring shrilly for their portions. And A-ya, standing a little
apart with Grom, smiled with comprehending sarcasm at their
conversion.

For the next few hours the fires were surrounded each by a seething
and squabbling mob, the innermost rings engaged in toasting their
collops with one hand, while with the other they tried to shield their
faces from the heat. As fast as those in the front rank wriggled out
with their browned and juicy tit-bits, others battled in to take their
places; and the Tribe of the Cave Men, mindful of nothing but the
gratification of this new taste, feasted away the afternoon with such
unanimous and improvident rejoicing as they had never known before. At
last, radiant with gravy and repletion, they flung themselves down
where they would and went to sleep, Bawr and Grom, and two or three
others of the older warriors, who had been wise enough to banquet
without gorging themselves, thought with some misgiving of what might
happen if an enemy should steal upon them at such an hour of torpor.

But no enemy approache