There was a hurried confusion
of bare feet moving rapidly across the stone floor. There was a
loud crash as of a heavy weight of stone falling upon stone, and
then surrounding the ape-man naught but the darkness and the silence
of the tomb.
19
Diana of the Jungle
Jane had made her first kill and she was very proud of it. It was
not a very formidable animal--only a hare; but it marked an epoch
in her existence. Just as in the dim past the first hunter had
shaped the destinies of mankind so it seemed that this event might
shape hers in some new mold. No longer was she dependent upon the
wild fruits and vegetables for sustenance. Now she might command
meat, the giver of the strength and endurance she would require
successfully to cope with the necessities of her primitive existence.
The next step was fire. She might learn to eat raw flesh as had
her lord and master; but she shrank from that. The thought even
was repulsive. She had, however, a plan for fire. She had given
the matter thought, but had been too busy to put it into execution
so long as fire could be of no immediate use to her. Now it was
different--she had something to cook and her mouth watered for the
flesh of her kill. She would grill it above glowing embers. Jane
hastened to her tree. Among the treasures she had gathered in the
bed of the stream were several pieces of volcanic glass, clear as
crystal.
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