t thinking, as she shook her head and watched it
out of the corner of her eye.

When Strongarm came with the coals, the cave was already warm and light
and full of the smell of good things cooking. He looked at the fire
and wondered where it had come from, but said nothing.

Near the fire his wife had a basket lined with clay. In it were the
seeds of the wild grains and acorns, with hot coals. She shook the
basket around and around until the seeds were roasted. Then from the
ashes she pulled the roots she had put there to roast.

After Strongarm had eaten, he lay down by the fire. Nodding toward it
he said, "Where did you get it?"

Flint then told him that he had brought it out of stones. Strongarm
sat up and looked hard at Flint. Then Flint had to strike the stones
together again, to let Strongarm see the fire come out.

"Beaver Tail, an old ax maker, showed me how to do it," said Flint.
"He has worked in stone all his life. For a long time he has known
that fire lives in stone. He has seen sparks fly as he chipped his
axes. One day in making a spear head, he struck a quartz pebble with
his flint hammer stone. A big spark came! He struck again and again,
and the sparks came fast and caught the dry grass at his feet!"

"Um," grunted Strongarm, wondering. He thought for a long time; then
he looked at Flint and said, "Fire lives in wood, too! My ax handles
grow warm as I rub them."

The boys listened in wonder to their grandfather's strange story of the
making of fire.

[Illustration: The boys listened in wonder]

After a time Thorn said, "We have always had fire in the cave. All the
cave folks have it. They did not bring it from stones. Where did they
get it?"

"Once, in the old days," Strongarm said, and turned to the boy, "a man
saw fire come out of the sky and begin to eat up the woods! He could
feel the fire from where he stood. It made him warm, and he liked it.
But he was afraid to take any, for he thought the fire man might be
angry. But at last he did take some. He kept it, and grew to like it
more and more. With it burning beside him, the night was not so dark,
and he was not afraid; for the hungry wolf and tiger turned away--teeth
and claws could not fight fire!

"The other men saw that it was good to have fire; so, in time, they
took some of it. And ever since then every man has tried to keep his
fire burning."

"It is better for us cave folks since fire came," Burr then s