The Strength of the Strong

By: London, Jack

OLD Long-Beard paused in his narrative, licked his greasy fingers, and wiped them on hisnaked sides where his one piece of ragged bearskin failed to cover him. Crouched aroundhim, on their hams, were three young men, his grandsons, Deer-Runner, Yellow-Head, andAfraid-of-the-Dark. In appearance they were much the same. Skins of wild animals partlycovered them. They were lean and meagre of build, narrow-hipped and crooked-legged, and at the same time deep-chested, with heavy arms and enormous hands. There wasmuch hair on their chests and shoulders, and on the outsides of their arms and legs. Theirheads were matted with uncut hair, long locks of which often strayed before their eyes, beady and black and glittering like the eyes of birds. They were narrow between the eyesand broad between the cheeks, while their lower jaws were projecting and massive.It was a night of clear starlight, and below them, stretching away remotely, lay range onrange of forest-covered hills. In the distance the heavens were red from the glow of avolcano. At their backs yawned the black mouth of a cave, out of which, from time to time, blew draughty gusts of wind. Immediately in front of them blazed a fire. At one side, partlydevoured, lay the carcass of a bear, with about it, at a respectable distance, several largedogs, shaggy and wolf-like. Beside each man lay his bow and arrows and a huge club. Inthe cave-mouth a number of rude spears leaned against the rock."So that was how we moved from the cave to the tree," old Long-Beard spoke up.They laughed boisterously, like big children, at recollection of a previous story his wordscalled up. Long-Beard laughed, too, the five-inch bodkin of bone, thrust midway throughthe cartilage of his nose, leaping and dancing and adding to his ferocious appearance. Hedid not exactly say the words recorded, but he made animal-like sounds with his mouththat meant the same thing."And that is the first I remember of the Sea Valley," Long-Beard went on. "We were a veryfoolish crowd. We did not know the secret of strength. For, behold, each family lived byitself, and took care of itself. There were thirty families, but we got no strength from oneanother. We were in fear of each other all the time. No one ever paid visits. In the top ofour tree we built a grass house, and on the platform outside was a pile of rocks, which werefor the heads of any that might chance to try to visit us. Also, we had our spears andarrows. We never walked under the trees of the other families, either. My brother did, once, under old Boo-oogh's tree, and he got his head broken and that was the end of

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B08RR363WJ
• ISBN13: 9798587340121
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 94 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"