oys in
many different ways.

If the boys stood the tests, the Cave-men shouted praises; but if they
showed any sign of fear, the Cave-men jeered at them.

Sometimes the boys were given nothing to eat until they brought food
from the hunt. And even then they were not always allowed to touch the
food which was near. When the boys were fasting, the Cave-men tempted
them with food. And if the boys took even a bite, they failed in the
test. So Fleetfoot and Flaker learned to fast without a word of
complaint.

One of the hardest things which the boys had to do was to make their
own weapons. At first, Greybeard helped them; but, later, they had to
do their own work.

So the boys learned to go to the trees that had the best wood for
shafts. They learned to cut, and peel, and scrape, and oil, and
season, and polish the sticks before they were ready to use. No wonder
the boys became tired before all this work was done.

Then they worked very carefully before they could make good
spearheads. They hunted for the best stones and learned to shape them
very well. When they forgot and struck hard blows, they spoiled the
flint points. Then Greybeard would tell them that the strongest and
bravest hunters were those who could strike the gentlest blows.

It was work of this kind that was harder for the boys than chasing a
wild horse or a reindeer. If they had not known that they must have
weapons, they would not have had patience to do it.

While the boys worked at their weapons, they thought of what they
would do with them. They thought of the trophies they would bring home
and what the people would say. And they learned to sing at their work
and to mark the time for each blow. And so they managed to keep at
work until the weapons were done.

One day when the boys were flaking spear points, Fleetfoot turned to
Flaker and said, "Do you know who made the first flaker?"

"Yes," answered Flaker, "it was Greybeard."

"No, no!" said Fleetfoot, "Nimble-finger did it."

Greybeard heard Fleetfoot speak his name and he came to the spot. Then
it was that Fleetfoot learned that Greybeard was Nimble-finger.

After that Fleetfoot took great pains to learn how to flake flint
points. He watched Greybeard as he worked and he listened to all he
said.

Before many years had passed, the boys could make good weapons. They
knew every spot on their own hunting ground. They knew the wild
animals that lived there and what they liked to do. They k