The Ape-Man was very strong, and his blow was a terrible one. The great beast gave a howl of pain, and rearing up, tried to reach Adh with its huge claws. But Adh's fear had all left him, now. His eyes gleamed, and his mouth foamed with rage. Raising his club he struck again and again, until the beast, with blood streaming from its crushed snout, turned tail and ran away down the rocky hillside. There was a great deep wound in Adh's breast, where the claws of the beast had torn him, but he hardly knew it, in his joy at winning the fight. He pounded his clenched fist on his chest until the sound echoed through the valley, and uttered shrill cries of defiance. [Illustration: THE CAVE MAN'S FIGHT WITH A BEAR The great beast gave a howl of pain and, rearing up, tried to reach Adh with its huge claws.] His wife came up to him and stroked and patted him proudly, chattering all the time with pleasure. This made Adh feel very happy, and he pounded his club on the rocks and grunted with delight. He had made this great beast fear him, and the thought filled him with pride. That night, as he lay on the floor of the cave, a terrible fear came over him. What if the creature should come back again, while he was asleep, and carry him off. He got up, and crouched for a long time in the door of the cave, his club ready in his hands. After a while he grew sleepy and wished that there were something across the cave door to keep the beast out, in case he came back. The thought worried him so much that at last he went out, and getting four or five large stones, rolled them to the mouth of the cave, and after crawling inside, fixed them so that the hole by which he crept in and out was almost blocked. After that he went to sleep without feeling afraid. The next morning he followed the bloody trail of the beast over the rocks, but lost it far down the valley. The creature had disappeared. Adh went on spearing fish and forgot all about his enemy. From that time on, Adh often had to fight for his life and that of his wife and child, but he was not afraid. As the years went by, his boy grew up to be strong like his father, and very smart and quick, and when he was old enough, Adh got into the habit of taking him along when he went down the valley after fish, or to gather fruit or nuts. The boy carried a spear, like his father, and used it very skilfully, so that the little family never wanted for food. There were other children, now, and later on, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and Adh had made the cave bigger, by scraping away the soft rock of the walls. Each year, with the coming of the warm Spring, the rains ceased, and all the trees and bushes in the valley were soon covered with bright new leaves, and later, with blossoms and fruit. Adh and his family were very happy.