You will soon hunt for yourselves."
It began to rain, and they all sat under a tree until the rain had
passed.
[Illustration: Little wild pigs were eating the acorns]
CHAPTER VI
THE COMING OF FIRE
When Strongarm came back from the hunt, he found the cave cold and dark
and wet. A stream of water was running down through the smoke-hole.
It had put out the fire. The ashes, too, were wet; and there were no
coals from which to start the fire again.
He looked at the black fire-place.
"Now I must walk all the way to old Hickory's for fire," he grumbled;
"and it is growing dark."
Tired and hungry, he left the cave.
He had not gone far when a dead branch fell across his path. He jumped
back.
"The people who live in the trees did that--some of those shadow
people," he said to himself. "They tried to kill me. The man who
lives in the wind is angry, too. Hear him roar!
"I do not like shadow people," he thought as he walked on. "They live
in trees and wind and rivers and fire and stones and everything, but
you cannot see them. They will hurt you if you make them angry. I am
afraid of them. I wish I had a torch to scare them off. All the other
shadow people are afraid of the fire man."
Then to keep up his heart he sang in a loud gruff voice:
"O why did the water put out the fire?
O why did the water put out the fire?"
Strongarm gave a loud call as he came up to Hickory's cave.
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