ONCE upon a most early time was a Neolithic man.He was not a Jute or an Angle,or even a Dravidian,which he might well have been,Best Beloved,but never mind why.He was a Primitive,and he lived cavily in a Cave,and he wore very few clothes,and he couldn't read and he couldn't write and he didn't want to,and except when he was hungry he was quite happy.His name was Tegumai Bopsulai,and that means,'Man-who-does-not-put-his-foot-forward-in-a-hurry';but we,O Best Beloved,will call him Tegumai,for short.And his wife's name was Teshumai Tewindrow,and that means,'Lady-who-asks-a-very-many-questions';but we,OBest Beloved,will call her Teshumai,for short.And his little girl-daughter's name was Taffimai Metallumai,and that means,'Small-person-without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked';but I'm going to call her Taffy.And she was Tegumai Bopsulai's Best Beloved and her own Mummy's Best Beloved,and she was not spanked half as much as was good for her;and they were all three very happy.As soon as Taffy could run about she went everywhere with her Daddy Tegumai,and sometimes they would not come home to the Cave till they were hungry,and then Teshumai Tewindrow would say,'Where in the world have you two been to,to get so shocking dirty?Really,my Tegumai,you're no better than my Taffy.'
Now attend and listen!
One day Tegumai Bopsulai went down through the beaver-swamp to the Wagai river to spear carp-fish for dinner,and Taffy went too.Tegumai's spear was made of wood with shark's teeth at the end,and before he had caught any fish at all he accidentally broke it clean across by jabbing it down too hard on the bottom of the river.They were miles and miles from home (of course they had their lunch with them in a little bag),and Tegumai had forgotten to bring any extra spears.
'Here's a pretty kettle of fish!'said Tegumai.'It will take me half the day to mend this.'
'There's your big black spear at home,'said Taffy.'Let me run back to the Cave and ask Mummy to give it me.'
'It's too far for your little fat legs,'said Tegumai.'Besides,you might fall into the beaver-swamp and be drowned.We must make the best of a bad job.'He sat down and took out a little leather mendy-bag,full of reindeer-sinews and strips of leather,and lumps of bee's-wax and resin,and began to mend the spear.
Taffy sat down too,with her toes in the water and her chin in her hand,and thought very hard.Then she said--'I say,Daddy,it's an awful nuisance that you and I don't know how to write,isn't it?If we did we could send a message for the new spear.'
'Taffy,'said Tegumai,'how often have I told you not to use slang?"Awful"isn't a pretty word,but it could be a convenience,now you mention it,if we could write home.'
Just then a Stranger-man came along the river,but he belonged to a far tribe,the Tewaras,and he did not understand one word of Tegumai's language.He stood on the bank and smiled at Taffy,because he had a little girl-daughter Of his own at home.Tegumai drew a hank of deer-sinews from his mendy-bag and began to mend his spear.
'Come here,said Taffy.'Do you know where my Mummy lives?'And the Stranger-man said 'Um!'being,as you know,a Tewara.
'Silly!'said Taffy,and she stamped her foot,because she saw a shoal of very big carp going up the river just when her Daddy couldn't use his spear.
'Don't bother grown-ups,'said Tegumai,so busy with his spear-mending that he did not turn round.
'I aren't,said Taffy.'I only want him to do what I want him to do,and he won't understand.'
'Then don't bother me,said Tegumai,and he went on pulling and straining at the deer-sinews with his mouth full of loose ends.
The Stranger-man--a genuine Tewara he was--sat down on the grass,and Taffy showed him what her Daddy was doing.The Stranger-man thought,this is a very wonderful child.She stamps her foot at me and she makes faces.She must be the daughter of that noble Chief who is so great that he won't take any notice of me.'So he smiled more politely than ever.
'Now,'said Taffy,'I want you to go to my Mummy,because your legs are longer than mine,and you won't fall into the beaver-swamp,and ask for Daddy's other spear--the one with the black handle that hangs over our fireplace.'
The Stranger-man (and he was a Tewara)thought,'This is a very,very wonderful child.She waves her arms and she shouts at me,but I don't understand a word of what she says.But if I don't do what she wants,I greatly fear that that haughty Chief,Man-who-turns-his-back-on-callers,will be angry.'He got up and twisted a big flat piece of bark off a birch-tree and gave it to Taffy.He did this,Best Beloved,to show that his heart was as white as the birch-bark and that he meant no harm;but Taffy didn't quite understand.
'Oh!'said she.'Now I see!You want my Mummy's living-address?
Of course I can't write,but I can draw pictures if I've anything sharp to scratch with.Please lend me the shark's tooth off your necklace.'
The Stranger-man (and he was a Tewara)didn't say anything,So Taffy put up her little hand and pulled at the beautiful bead and seed and shark-tooth necklace round his neck.
The Stranger-man (and he was a Tewara)thought,'This is a very,very,very wonderful child.The shark's tooth on my necklace is a magic shark's tooth,and I was always told that if anybody touched it without my leave they would immediately swell up or burst,but this child doesn't swell up or burst,and that important Chief,Man-who-attends-strictly-to-his-business,who has not yet taken any notice of me at all,doesn't seem to be afraid that she will swell up or burst.I had better be more polite.'
So he gave Taffy the shark's tooth,and she lay down flat on her tummy with her legs in the air,like some people on the drawing-room floor when they want to draw pictures,and she said,'Now I'll draw you some beautiful pictures!You can look over my shoulder,but you mustn't joggle.First I'll draw Daddy fishing.
