"And that is the first I remember of the Sea Valley," Long-Beard
went on. "We were a very foolish crowd. We did not know the
secret of strength. For, behold, each family lived by itself, and
took care of itself. There were thirty families, but we got no
strength from one another. We were in fear of each other all the
time. No one ever paid visits. In the top of our tree we built a
grass house, and on the platform outside was a pile of rocks, which
were for the heads of any that might chance to try to visit us.
Also, we had our spears and arrows. We never walked under the
trees of the other families, either. My brother did, once, under
old Boo-oogh's tree, and he got his head broken and that was the
end of him.

"Old Boo-oogh was very strong. It was said he could pull a grown
man's head right off. I never heard of him doing it, because no
man would give him a chance. Father wouldn't. One day, when
father was down on the beach, Boo-oogh took after mother. She
couldn't run fast, for the day before she had got her leg clawed by
a bear when she was up on the mountain gathering berries. So Boo-
oogh caught her and carried her up into his tree. Father never got
her back. He was afraid. Old Boo-oogh made faces at him.

"But father did not mind. Strong-Arm was another strong man. He
was one of the best fishermen. But one day, climbing after sea-
gull eggs, he had a fall from the cliff. He was never strong after
that. He coughed a great deal, and his shoulders drew near to each
other. So father took Strong-Arm's wife. When he came around and
coughed under our tree, father laughed at him and threw rocks at
him. It was our way in those days. We did not know how to add
strength together and become strong."