They had gone to the river banks to get stones to make into tools. They were ready to dress old Sabre-tooth’s skin, so they hunted for stones that would make good scrapers. They shaped the stones by chipping them with hammer stones, but they did not make handles for them. If the rough edges hurt their hands, they wrapped the scraper in a piece of skin. When the scrapers were ready, they found a smooth spot where they stretched out Sabre-tooth’s skin. Then they made little slits all around the edge and drove little pegs through them. They scraped off thin shavings from the inner side, but they were careful not to spoil the skin by cutting through it. [Illustration: _One side of scraper_] [Illustration: _Opposite side of scraper_] When they had a smooth surface, they rubbed it with fat so as to make it soft. Sometimes they chewed the hard parts to make them soft. When the skin was smooth and soft, they dried it in the sun. Then they took it into the cave. Sabre-tooth’s skin was too large to wear every day, but Strongarm wore it on feast days. THINGS TO DO _Show how the women stretched the skin upon the ground._ _Show how they scraped it and rubbed it with fat._ _Find a stone or a shell that will make a good scraper._ _Get a skin at the meat market and see if you can dress it._ _Name things that you wear that are made of fur._ _Name things made of fur that men and women wear._ _Find as many other uses of fur as you can._ _Where does the fur that we use come from? Ask some one to tell you how it is prepared for use._ _Can you think why fur is more expensive now than it used to be? Why should we be careful about killing wild animals?_ _Name the things you have that are made of leather._ _Visit a tannery and ask some one to tell you about it._ _Draw a picture of the women dressing Sabre-tooth’s skin._ XI THINGS TO THINK ABOUT Why did the Cave-men need more clothing than the Tree-dwellers had? Do you know whether they had cloth? What could they use instead of cloth? How do you think they sewed? How many ways do you know of lacing up your shoes? What did the Cave-men use instead of scissors? What do you think they used for needles and thread? _How the Cave-men Made Clothing_ During the summer the Cave-men did not wear much clothing. They dressed about the same as the Tree-dwellers. When they were in the cave, they did not need clothing, for it was always warm in the cave. But, as winter came on, they were cold when they went out to hunt. Sometimes they tried to keep warm by running, or by swinging their arms. The skins that they wore for trophies also helped them to keep warm. But, as it grew colder, they began to wear larger skins. If they could not find a skin that was large enough, they pieced small skins together. Where we would use scissors, they used a stone knife.