FOUNDATIONS FOR ECONOMICS, Part 2: SHELTER

IT WAS ONE THING TO EAT, ANOTHER TO REST.  BUT ONE COULD NOT SIMPLY REST JUST ANYWHERE!  THESE WOODS WERE TOO DANGEROUS FOR THAT . . . .

The spring he had found came from near the
base of a high cliff.

At first, Gron simply thought to lay down along the crevice where the rock wall met the sloping forest floor, not far from the spring.  He dozed uneasily for a few minutes.  But the sun was dropping toward the far horizon above the trees.  He knew other creatures came out at night -- many of them for water at this spring.  Yes, surely they would come here!  Some of them were large and dangerous, or at least unfriendly to man; this much he recalled.


He arose and took up his weapons, and his sack.  He must find another, better place.  Gron walked along the edge of the high red cliff to another place where the ground suddenly dipped down again.  He followed the contour of the land downward with his left hand against the rock cliff.  At the bottom of the next depression, Gron found the ground was moist, but there was no standing water.  The towering cliff actually hung well over this area, and a natural cave was formed underneath it.  In the dim light he quickly explored what there was to the cave and found himself grinning.  The back of the cave was many hands wide and nearly as tall as he.  There was just enough light remaining for him to see that it pushed far back into the cliff, ending in a small niche into which he could easily squeeze.  He explored the rest of this, but had to stoop low to reach the back end of the cave, finally getting down on his hands and knees before he came to a dead end.  Yes, this would work -- at least for this night.  Gron had found his first true shelter! 

Taking his stone knife he began
to hack off small branches . . . .

Making his way back out he found some low trees, and quickly sliced off the lower, thin limbs that he could use for back support and a more comfortable bed frame.  He also pushed together pine needles and leaves, and carried those in hands-full back to the cave itself.  Six trips did the job, hauling the needles and the branches.  He was tired and thirsty again.  He walked back to the spring to refresh himself, then walked further away and downhill to relieve himself.  While his urine ran down the slope he thought about his food pouch.  There were a few berries left he had saved.  They would be his late supper.  While he was finishing Gron heard the roar of a large animal, and the hair stood up on the back of his thick neck.  It sounded like that of a saber tooth tiger!  Not only could they move quickly, they were nearly three times the size of a man, and weighed as much as a large boulder.  Would his small cave be a safe place to spend the night, or merely a dead-end where the beast could easily trap him and finish him off?

Where he was peeing he found a number of large, flat stones.  There were more of these back at his cave, so he ran back there to its entrance.  Noticing the moist soil again at the front of the cave, he dug down, to see if it would fill with water.  When he saw that it did, he smiled again, then turned to the most important task before he could sleep.  With fear lending him an energy he had not experienced in awhile, Gron began hauling large, flat rocks, one at a time.  He carried them back to that place, far within the natural cave and placed them along the front of his small sleeping quarter.  It took many trips and it was nearly dark, when he had finished.  His eyes, however, had adjusted well to the oncoming night, and his weariness and sense of accomplishment pushed his fear to the background now. 

Gron went and got one last drink at the muddy hole he had dug, then covered it also with smaller, round stones.  He didn't want to attract other creatures to this second water spot, quite close to where he was sleeping.  Finally he checked to make sure he had everything he needed, and crawled through the small hole he had left.  Before he sealed himself in completely, he went to work on his bed, arranging the branches, then quickly covering them with pine needles and the leaves he had gathered.  Testing the bed he found it adequate and even comfortable, though as tired as he was, he doubted he would have any trouble sleeping. 

Gron found a small cave at the base of the
cliff.  He would make this
his first base camp for the night.

Finally he filled in the hole behind and above him with more of the large, flat stones.  He had sealed himself inside, yet not so completely that through some of the upper cracks he could not see the stars. 

It was a clear night, and these shone bright, as in the dark, he felt for his pouch.  From it he ate the last of his berries, chewing them each slowly, enjoying their full taste.  He was still breathing hard when he lay down in a reclining position.  As his breathing became normal, his exhaustion from the day's endeavors, and the long way he had come, began to catch up with him.  Gron's eyelids were heavy and closing as he relaxed into his man-made nest.  But before he slid off to sleep he heard the mighty howl of the beast he had heard earlier.  Surely, it was the same creature, though just as surely, further away.  He made sure his weapon was in his hand, as he settled down to rest.  He had learned to sleep lightly, but his make-shift couch was so comfortable that, after so much work, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.



LBC