До Адама
Chapter XIII
IntoLop-Ear’seyescametheplaintivelookthatalwaysaccompaniedincomprehension,andIknowthatinmyeyesmusthavebeenthesamelook.Wehuddled,withourarmsaroundeachother,untiltheheatbegantoreachusandtheodorofburninghairwasinournostrils.Thenwemadeadashofit,andfledawaywestwardthroughtheforest,lookingbackandlaughingasweran.
Bythemiddleofthedaywecametoaneckofland,made,asweafterwarddiscovered,byagreatcurveoftheriverthatalmostcompletedacircle.Rightacrossthenecklaybunchedseverallowandpartlywoodedhills.Overtheseweclimbed,lookingbackwardattheforestwhichhadbecomeaseaofflamethatswepteastwardbeforearisingwind.Wecontinuedtothewest,followingtheriverbank,andbeforeweknewitwewereinthemidstoftheabiding-placeoftheFirePeople.
Thisabiding-placewasasplendidstrategicselection.Itwasapeninsula,protectedonthreesidesbythecurvingriver.Ononlyonesidewasitaccessiblebyland.Thiswasthenarrowneckofthepeninsula,andheretheseverallowhillswereanaturalobstacle.Practicallyisolatedfromtherestoftheworld,theFirePeoplemusthaveherelivedandprosperedforalongtime.Infact,IthinkitwastheirprosperitythatwasresponsibleforthesubsequentmigrationthatworkedsuchcalamityupontheFolk.TheFirePeoplemusthaveincreasedinnumbersuntiltheypresseduncomfortablyagainsttheboundsoftheirhabitat.
