The Thinking Rocks Read Online Free

have her for a mate. I think
she likes me best, but I'm not sure.  I get confused when I'm around
her.  It was not like this when we were younger. Women are hard to
understand."  Taking in a deep breath he asked, "What have you
been up to besides watching me make mistakes with
Ceola?"           
    A
smile broke out on Gennos' face, “Wait until you see what I have! It's not
done, but I think it's something important.  I haven't even shown it to
Koonai. I wanted to show you first and see what you think."
    They
made their way over to their lodge and Cano hung the snake up on a tree branch
so that it could be skinned.  Gennos ducked inside the lodge and soon
emerged with what looked like a short spear with the point tied on wrong. 
It was about as long as Cano's forearm.  The point of the spear was poorly
suited to the shaft; it was heavy and broad.  The biggest problem was that
the sharp part was not on the top but to the side.
    Cano
looked to Gennos questioningly, "I don't understand, it looks like a
child's toy that was made wrong."
    "That's
right, that's just what it is, but it's more!  Let me tell you about
it.  I was starting our fire and saw Dola playing hunter with Bana's
little sister, Lorou.  He had made a small spear but could not find a good
point and he didn't know how to make one.  He found a sharp stone that he
thought was close enough and tried to tie it to the shaft.  It came loose
and was flopping around and he couldn’t throw it very far or straight.  He
became angry and smashed it down on a log and it came all to pieces.  He
went off to play some other game with Lorou.  Our fire had started but I
needed more wood so I went over to where Dola had left his broken spear. 
When I picked up the spear, I noticed something strange.  The head of the
spear was stuck deep in the log.  It was too big and heavy to be in the
log that deep.  However, there it was, and a small boy put it there! 
I got the head out of the log, but I had a hard time doing it.  I brought
the parts back to our lodge and started working on them. This is what I made."
He said holding up the short spear.
    "So?"
Cano looked at Gennos.
    Gennos
reached down and picked up a heavy branch.  He handed it to him and said,
"Break this."   Cano accepted the branch and holding it by
the ends tried to break it across his chest, when this failed, he tried to
break it across his knee.  This failed also. “Brother, I don't know what
you are trying to prove. This is a strong branch.”
    Taking
the branch, Gennos laid it on the ground and picked up the short spear by the
end opposite the head. He raised it high above his head, but instead of
throwing it forward, he swung it down on to the branch. It split in half. 
Smiling at his brother, he said "Any questions?"
    A
smile spread across Cano's face.  "Only one. Can I have it?"
    The Birds
     
    The clan chief's son
Bana was crouched in the brush near the stream. To his right, a fair distance
away, Moki lay on his stomach with his spear at his side. Both hunters were
indistinguishable from their background.  They were both motionless with their
heads tilted down and eyes downcast. They were waiting for Loki to get into
position on the far side of the stream. Their prey was a flock of turkeys that
had been feeding along the stream. They came to this area each day about the
same time. The ambush site was almost perfect. Trees ringed the clearing and
branches overhung the stream. The birds would have a difficult time getting
into the air.  This would mean that they would stay on the ground, but
they were fast, much faster than a running man. There was only one escape route
through the trees, and Bana and Moki were waiting in it for them.
    Bana saw a flurry of
movement from the corner of his eyes, as the first of the birds arrived. 
Within moments the whole flock was feeding quietly near the stream.  Bana
gave the call of the dove and then repeated it, paused, then repeated it