little. Limberleg spread the skins of
two bears upon the cave floor and threw herself on one of them.
Hawk-Eye went to the cave-mouth, took a look at the stars, yawned,
warmed himself at the fire, and then he too went to bed. The rest of
the men and women found their own places in other shadowy corners of the
cave, and soon the whole clan of the Bear was sound asleep.

The Cave Twins--by Lucy Fitch Perkins

CHAPTER THREE.

THE RUNAWAYS.

Next morning Firetop awoke before the dawn. He sat up at once and
looked about him. Not another soul was stirring, and from the different
corners of the cave came the sound of snores. The fire was burning
brightly, for Grannie had been up four times in the night to put on
fresh fuel. Now she too was fast asleep. Firetop crawled quietly out
of the warm wolf-skins of his bed. He took one of the wolf-skins and
tied it over his shoulder with a leather thong. The rest he bunched up
to look as if he were still in bed and asleep.

Hawk-Eye had made a small spear for each of the Twins. They were not
playthings. They were real spears, for children of that day had to
learn to use such weapons while they were still very young.

Firetop took his spear in his hand and poked Firefly gently in the ribs
with it. She woke instantly and would have poked back if Firetop hadn't
shaken his head at her and laid his finger on his lips. She nodded,
crawled out of her bed, and bunched it up like Firetop's. Then she tied
a wolf-skin over her shoulder and took her own spear, and together the
two children crept silently past the sleepers and out of the cave. They
snatched chunks of meat from the remains of the feast as they passed.

It was not yet daylight, though the sky was pink above the hills across
the river and all the birds were singing as the Twins came out of the
cave and ran down the river path. Neither one of them spoke until they
were far enough from the cave so that no one could hear them. Then
Firetop whispered: "We'll climb a tree. We can watch from the tree and
see when they start. Then we'll slide down and follow them. They won't
know we are with them until it's too far to send us back."

"They won't like it," said Firefly. "What do you think they will do to
us?"

"They'll wallop us," said Firetop, "but I don't care. It won't hurt
when it is over, and I've just got to go. We shall see all kinds of
things that we've never seen before."

"Well," sighed Firefly,