До Адама

           Theywereexpanding,andinthecourseoftheirexpandingtheydrovetheFolkbeforethem,andsettleddownthemselvesinthecavesandoccupiedtheterritorythatwehadoccupied.

           ButLop-EarandIlittledreamedofallthiswhenwefoundourselvesintheFirePeople’sstronghold.Wehadbutoneidea,andthatwastogetaway,thoughwecouldnotforbearhumoringourcuriositybypeepingoutuponthevillage.ForthefirsttimewesawthewomenandchildrenoftheFirePeople.Thelatterranforthemostpartnaked,thoughtheformerworeskinsofwildanimals.

           TheFirePeople,likeourselves,livedincaves.Theopenspaceinfrontofthecavesslopeddowntotheriver,andintheopenspaceburnedmanysmallfires.ButwhetherornottheFirePeoplecookedtheirfood,Idonotknow.Lop-EarandIdidnotseethemcook.Yetitismyopinionthattheysurelymusthaveperformedsomesortofrudecookery.Likeus,theycarriedwateringourdsfromtheriver.Therewasmuchcomingandgoing,andloudcriesmadebythewomenandchildren.ThelatterplayedaboutandcutupanticsquiteinthesamewayasdidthechildrenoftheFolk,andtheymorenearlyresembledthechildrenoftheFolkthandidthegrownFirePeopleresemblethegrownFolk.

           Lop-EarandIdidnotlingerlong.Wesawsomeofthepart-grownboysshootingwithbowandarrow,andwesneakedbackintothethickerforestandmadeourwaytotheriver.Andtherewefoundacatamaran,arealcatamaran,oneevidentlymadebysomeFire-Man.Thetwologsweresmallandstraight,andwerelashedtogetherbymeansoftoughrootsandcrosspiecesofwood.