FRIDAY
THE boy was tired. Food was
THE
scarce, always scarce in the winter time, and this winter was worse than usual. There were many mouths to fill, and. since the boy's father and big uncle. were killed the hunters were few.
The boy's brother had
pro- posed a drastic remedy to reduce the number of mouths, but though the old people would un- derstand the necessity, the boy had resisted the proposal with the clumsy argument his limited speech allowed, so, as the other uncles still had some subcon- scious sentiment towards the parents, the matter was shelved.
It might come to that yet, It. was either that or shifting to an-. other hunting ground, and as the old people would be difficult travellers, the result would be the same. True, the old man was no hunter now, and the old wo- man was thin, bent, and unat- tractive to look on, but if it came to a question of clubbing, the boy would far sooner do without Aunt Redhair, with her spiteful and mean ways,-`
The pitfalls and traps had yielded little the last few days.
There had been a fine deer in one yesterday, but the shortage of food had sharpened the
Short Story
wolves' appetites, and, trap or no‘ trap, they had helped themselves only too freely to deer meat. So the boy and his brother, while the older men took in a carcase they had found, were exercising their skill with the sling on the amaller animals which must help to swell the store of provisions before darkness fell around them and the howling beasts of prey became dangers only less than. the grimly evil spirits of the night.
There was a movement in the bracken. The boy did not wait to see what it was. Rabbit or hare, bird or wild cat, nothing would come amiss. Swiftly the stone fled from his sling on an off-chance of hitting the créa- ture before it went; he could not wait for it to show itself. A hówl of pain ensued, and the form of his brother sprang up-from the brown cover, his face aflame with anger The boy hopped quickly aside as a larger stone than his own came hurtling through the air
The boy's brother made braying noise
indicate the animal to which he likened his assailant. It satisfied his pride and the anger diminished, though his glances were anything but friendly
ubbed his bruised shoulder.
A 'diversion was caused by a sudden dash past by the young fawn
the elder, lad, had been
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CHINA MAIL
SUPPLEMENT, SEPTEMBER 2, 1938
THE LAMP
tracking. The boy, who had al- ready fitted another stone in his sling, shot hastily; all too hasti- ly for deadly effect, but he suc- ceeded in hitting and laming the little creature. In an instant the other had dashed after the "vic- tim, whose speed was gone, and throwing himself on it with a quick leap, despatched it with his stone knife. Triumphantly he hoisted it on his shoulders and made towards home-a hole in the limestone crag. The boy fol- lowed; it was getting dark, and he had no mind to face the de- mons of the night alone, with not even a fire to protect him. Al- ready eyes were faintly gleaming in the shadows of the woodlands as they passed through, and rust- les in the undergrowth showed that the wild life of the night had begun to prowl.
** **
High up on the hillside a small red reflection glowed for a mo- ment as the track, turped and gave them a momentary glimpse at the right angle. Only from that particular point could the light be seen until they
By F. W. Robins
were
nearly it on. Up and up the steep. path they went, the sturdy strides of youth alternating with the spasmodic falter or stumble of weariness. Darkness was mak- ing the track faint and familiar landmarks assumed strange shapes. Brambles seemed more numerous, and 28 each new scratch marked his way on his dragging legs the boy wondered whether he had earned the petty spite of some vengeful spirit, who clawed at him as he passed. A stinging whip across the face startled him, until he remember- ed the young tree with the over- hanging. branch scarcely more than a long spear throw from home.
Home! Just a big hole in the rocky hillside, curtained with skins and disguised by bushes, with a welcoming fire inside, and the family, young and old, gather- ed round it. Above all, She would be there to throw him a smile, with eyes as well as mouth, across the flickering flames.
How he wished the warm sea- son would come, when they could“- wander about the hillside with clasped hands, hide among the bushes, or throw round pebħles and nuts for one another to catch. In the cold time he could have so little of her company. Scarcity of food meant hunting while the daylight lasted, then the family meal round the fire, a desultory talk among the elders while the children tossed pebbles on the backs, of their hands, and the half-growns, too tired play
much and too young to talk loud- ly, sat and grumbled among themselves at their elders, or ex- changed sheepish glances with the opposite sex.
*
The boy's brother, eager for food and warmth, was stamping the ground in impatience as he stood parting the bushes by the front (and only) door. The boy had lagged, and a rough brother- liness prevented the elder one passing in if the younger were out in the night of ghouls and beasts, The boy put out an ex- tra effort and caught up.
7
Parting the heavy hides at the mouth of the cave, they threw down
their festoons of small meat, a couple of rabbits, a few birds, a water rat, and fish they had speared through a hole in the ice. Aunt Redhair was plainly about to express her scorn of what she deemed the rewards of laziness, but a well-aimed bone from the shadows caught her in the nick of time and diverted her attention. Failing to allocate the guilt, she pulled the girl by the hair and pointed to the empty water vessel, so cutting short the smile of welcome under the in- fluence of which the boy was shedding some of his weariness.
The boy sank on his haunches and glowered. How he would love to dig a pitfall for Redhair!*** Once, in unreasoning temper, he had loosed a slingstone at her from behind a rock, but a sense of wrong had spoiled his aim, and he had only succeeded in grazing her ear, with the result that while a hunter's wiles had enabled him to get away unseen, the incident had left him suspect for a long time afterwards..
Aunt Redhair's voice was, up- raised in scolding. The girl had brought the vessel back`empty. The stream lay in the dark sha- dows, and she was afraid. Snatch- ing the pot in one hand and a piece of burning wood in the other, the woman went to fetch the water herself. The boy in- wardly invoked the spirits of the darkness to seize her; he had no
hope they would do so, as the
· burning ́brand would keep them at bay.
The girl aquatted on his side of the cave now and soon their out- stretched hands reached along the ground and touched. So they remained, until a subdued chuckle in the gloom betrayed the fact that somebody, of f the younger generation had *seen. Then- whack-and the boy withdrew his reddened fingers with a growl of anger. Lovemaking in the light of a communal fire was none too easy.
All unconsciously his gaze riveted
itself on a curiously shape stone lying on the edge of the fire. Apparently it had lain for a very long time under a. water drip, until some one had knicked it into its present posi- tion, Consequently, it had a mark- ed hollow in the middle which tappered off to a sort of gutter or spout at one end. A great joint. hung over the fire, on a spit sup- ported by two boulders, and the end of this joint was dripping fat into the hollow of the stone.
boy,
Idly, unthinkingly, the deprived of his privacy, pulled out some hairs from a hanging hide, and twisted them together. The flow of hot grease from the chan- nel of the stone intrigued him; he stuffed the twisted hair into the flow to stop it. Crack! A spark flew out from the fire and a tiny piece of burring wood fell just by the twisted hair. Stolidly, the boy watched the hair catch fire, while the wood burned itself out. It puzzled him rather to see how slowly the twisted hair seemed to burn. He twisted a bit more, and lengthened the strands.
The older men's talk had died away. The girl had curled, her- self to sleep. Sounds of satisfied appetite alone broke the silence until they were joined by a loud snore. Then the boy curled him- self up too.
Full of his own resentment against fate and the season of darkness, he slept poorly. Then, too, dry-fuel had been scarce, and after the cooking was done the fire was fed but sufficiently to keep prowling enemies away. Suddenly he sat up. Down among the cooling ashes a little flame flickered in the draught, but
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