ral defenses. A single well-placed blow could kill one
of the deer or wild cows Furtig's people hunted for
their staple food.
BREED TO COME
In war with one's kind they were forbidden. But
they could be worn to face the Barkers, as those knew
only too well. And with the Rattonsчone used all
and any weapons against those evil things. While with
the Tusked Ones there were no quarrels, because of a
truce.
Yes, the claws were from Gammage. And from time
to time other things came from him, all designed to
lighten the task of living in the Five Caves. So that
the clans were respected and feared. There were ru-
ors that another tribe of the People had settled late-
ly to the north of the lairs, but so far none of Furtig's
people had seen them.
The lairsчFurtig studied those blots on the land-
scape. They formed a long range of mountains. Was
Gammage still there? It had beenчhe began to count
seasons, tapping them off with a fingerчit had been
as many as fingers on his one hand since any word or
gift had come from Gammage. Perhaps the Ancestor
was dead.
Only that was hard to believe. Gammage had al-
ready lived far past the proper span of any ordinary
warrior. Why, it had been Furtig's great-great-grand-
father who had been Gammage's youngling in the last
of the families born before the death of his mate and
his departure for the lairs. It was also true that Gam-
mage's blood lived longer than most. Fuffor, Furtig's
father, had died in a battle with the Barkers, and he
was then the only one of his years left at the Five
Caves. Nor had he seemed old; his mate had had an-
other pair of younglings that very season, and she was
the fourth mate he had won during the passing of sea-
sons!
BREED TO COME
If it was not that so much of Gammage's blood now
ran in the tribe there might be trouble. Once more
