Part 16 (1/2)

He chased some of the animals home to their dens, but he never went to the caves.

Sabre-tooth and the cave-bear were too large and fierce.

The hyenas were small, but they lived in packs.

So Bodo learned to let them alone.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”_Bodo would build a fire at the mouth of the hole_”]

But he was not afraid of the gophers and badgers.

He chased them to their holes and tried to smoke them out.

He would build a fire at the mouth of a hole.

Then he would stand with a club in his hand and watch.

He would watch until the animal came out.

Sometimes he had to wait a long time.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Bodo's club_]

But in the end he nearly always got meat to eat.

One day he was hunting squirrels.

He chased a squirrel to its hole in a tree.

Then he tried to smoke it out.

He waited a long time in vain, so at last he set fire to the tree.

But the rain soon came and his fire went out.

So Bodo struck the tree with his club.

The trunk gave way.

Bodo peeped into the hollow tree.

He wanted to find the squirrel.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”_He put in his hand and pulled the squirrel out_”]

It lay there perfectly still.

He put in his hand and pulled it out.

It had been killed by the fire and smoke.

He began to eat the warm flesh.

He wondered why it was so hot and tender.

Bodo did not know then that the flesh had been roasted.

This was the first time that he had ever eaten cooked food.

Not long afterward all the people learned to roast meat.

THINGS TO DO

_Draw a picture of Bodo hunting with a firebrand._ _See if you can find trees that have hollows in them._ _How do you think that the hollows were made?_ _Find out whether there are any animals near you that live in hollow trees._

XXVIII.