From Monkey to Man, or, Society in the Tertiary Age: A Story of the Missing Link, Showing the First Steps in Industry, Commerce, Government, Religion and the Arts; With an Account of the Great Expedition From Cocoanut Hill and the Wars in Alligator SwampBierbower, Austin
Science
From Monkey to Man, or, Society in the Tertiary Age: A Story of the Missing Link, Showing the First Steps in Industry, Commerce, Government, Religion and the Arts; With an Account of the Great Expedition From Cocoanut Hill and the Wars in Alligator Swamp
Bierbower, Austin
Prehistoric peoples -- Fiction
“Wait till the wind rises,” said Koree.
Presently a gust struck them, but it had no effect in starting them.
“Let us push the thing with our clubs,” said Duco, at which all applied
themselves vigorously.
The raft was easily moved in this way, and continued to go as long as
they could reach bottom; but in deep water it stood still, or floated at
the mercy of the waves. Pounder tried to move it by sitting on one log
and pushing with his feet against another. Others beat the water, which
had a little effect. Duco then discovered that by pushing in the opposite
direction against the water they could make it move; and soon they were
paddling in the modern fashion. During much of the way the water was
shallow enough to permit them to use their clubs as poles, or, to get
out and push; so that they were soon far out from land and going in the
right direction.
They would now have reached the opposite shore but for Pounder, who
kept pushing in the way just described thinking he was forcing along
the raft. By reason of his vigorous efforts he snapped the bands which
held the logs together. The raft broke in pieces and he was the first to
fall through into the water. He went down between the logs which he was
pushing apart. Others fell into the water with him, but most remained
on one part or other of the raft; for it broke into nearly equal parts.
Pounder floundered awhile in the water; but, being accustomed to that,
through his previous plunges from the log, he soon got hold of one of the
rafts and lifted himself out of the water.
“These things can’t be depended on,” he said, as he regained his place on
board.
They had now two rafts instead of one, and they pushed and paddled on
each. Pounder, instead of sitting on one log and pushing against another,
next took a seat on one log and pushed with his feet against a knot
on the same log, and believed he was rendering the principal aid in
propelling the raft.
It was easier to proceed with two small rafts than one large one, and
accordingly both were soon landed on the opposite shore, but not till
several of the passengers had fallen overboard and the craft had been
badly damaged.
This was the first water voyage made by the human race. After repairing
their vessels they returned and brought over the remaining hosts, but
not without similar mishaps. Gimbo, the grandfather of Sosee, fell,
with others, into the water, and was nearly drowned. Only by standing on
tiptoes could he keep his head above water until he was rescued, when he
made the following observation:
“The water is the only place where it is better to walk on two feet than
on four.”
Having now crossed the lake it was proposed by Oko that they keep the
rafts. “We spent too much work on them,” he said, “to throw them away.”
“We cannot take them with us,” replied Koree.
“We may want them when we return,” interposed Duco; “so let us fasten
them where we can find them.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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