The Clan of the Cave Bear Manuscript Pages by Jean M Auel

8/8/2019 The Clan of the Cave Bear Manuscript Pages by Jean M Auel

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C}{A}TEN

I

The

naJced chll"d.

ran

out

of

the hi.de

covered.

lean-to

torards

the rocky

beach

at the

bend.

ln

the

small

r{-ver,

It dldn't

occur

to

her to

look

back.

Nsthing

ln

her

experi.enee

ever

gave

her reason

t,o d.oubt the

shelter

and.

those

wlthln

lt

sould"

be

there'when

she

retutned..

She

splashed

lnto

the

river

and.

felt

rocke

and

pand

shlft

urrd-er

her

feet

a,e

the

shore

feLl off

sharjly.

She

dlved

lnto

the

cold

water

and

caare

uF

sputter*n,

then

reached

out

nlth

sure

strokes for the et,eep

opposite

bank.

She

had

Learned

to

swln be-

fore

she

Leamed.

to

walk

a.nd.,

at flve,

wa,s

at

ease ln

the

water.

Swimmlng

was

often

the

only

Hay

a

river

ccnild be crossed..

The

glrl

pl,ayed

for

a

whlle,

swfunrnlng back

and, forth, then


2/4

L

let

the

current fLoet,

h*r d"olrns{rean,

Hhere

Lt

wid.ened"

and-

bubbled.

over rocks,

she

stood,

up

and

wad"ed to

sflere,

then

walked

back

t,o

the

bea,eh

and began

sortlng

pebb3.es

-

She

rad-

just

plrt

a

stone

on

top of,

a

pI.}e

of esSrecial"ly

pretty

ones

when

the

earLhr

be6an

to

trenbLe,

the

child.

l-eehed"

with

xurprS"s*

a"s

tble

stone

relled.

d"own

of,

its

o$n

accord.,

and.

stared

in

w*nCer

at

the

sma-lL

pyramld

af

peb-

bLes

sbaking

and

leve1in6 therftselves.

On1y

then

d.id.

she

becorne

aware

she

was

shakingn

toc,

br.lt she was

stil-}

more

confused-

than

apprehensive,

Shs

gl-aneed.

aroundo trylng to

undemtand.

why

her

urri.ve::se

lrad

altered. in sone inexpli.cable

w&y, The

earth

was

not

supposed.

ts

move,

The

sria-l-L

raver

r"rhlch

mnrner:.ts

before

had.

floi+ed

*mooth)-y,

was

roiling

with

chopgry l{aves

that

splashed

over

j-te

ba:fts

a-q the

roeking etr*artibed

rireved

at

cross

1ll:ryoses

to the

curtent,

d"rertrging

me.ld"',rp

frsm

the bottom- Brtretr

closs

by the

upstrean

bar*s

quivered.,

aninrated. by

unseen &o.remen{ a,t

the no*ts

,

nnd

d-sw$str*a$},

bou}"d.ere

bobbed in

unm.c*ustsraed,

a6itation,

Beyond"

them, stately

*qnifers

*f

thre

ferest

lnto

which

the

stseruB

fl-ewed.

luv*hed,

6rotesqlrely.

A

giant

pine

near

th*

bank,

its w*ts

exposed.

and

th*ir

l:ol-d

weakened.

by

'the

spring

:mn-off

,

l-eaned. towards

the opposite

shore.

With

a

l

cra*ku

it

6ave

away

and.

crashed

to

the

gr*und-,

brid,ging

the

turbl"d.

wateu**urse,

anfl lay

shaktng

on the unsteaCy earbh"

?he

gi-rJ-

starb,ed.

at the

sounC

of

the

falling *ree

-

Her

sdomach

eh*rned and. tightened.

inte

a

kno*

a.s

fear

bnrshed"

the

edge


3/4

.5

of

her

mtRd..

Fhe

trted

to

stand.

but

fe1l

back,

unbalenced

by

the

sicken{ng

sway*.ng,

she

tri"ed.

aain,

mana.ged.

to

ptrll

hewe}f

rep,

and.

stood.

r.1nstead.j.Ly,

a^frald.

t,o

take

a

steB.

As

she

starfed.

towarrd-s

the

hi.de-covered.

eheLter

set

baek

f,rom

the

strearn,

sire

fert

a

low

nrmble

rise

to

a

te:r*_fylng

roar.

A

sour

steneh

of,

wetness

and.

rot

issr.ied

f,ron

a

crack

openlng

n

the ground.,

llke

the

reek

of

morning

breatFr.

fmm

a

yawning

earbh.

she

stared.

uncomprehend.i-ng3.y

as

d.irt

and.

rocks

a*d

sr*all

trees

feIl"

lnto

the wid"enlng

gap

torn

asunder

in

the

conrnrrsi_on.

The

lean*t,on

perched.

on

the

far

ed"ge

qf

the

a.byee,

tiLted.,

as

haJ"f

the sollc

6round.

beneath

it

puIled.

away.

The

slender

rj_d.ge*

po1-e

teetered.

und.ecld.ed.3-y,

then

eol3-apsed

arui.

d.isappeared

int,o

the

deep

holeu

taking

lts

hice

cever

and.

aLr

Lt contained

wi_th

it.

6r

I'he

girr

trembLed

J"n

wld"e-eyed,

horyer

as

the

fourrbr*athed.

gapln

man

s*ellowed

ever;ghlng

tila.t

had.

g5-ven

neanl_ng

and

secum_ty

to

the

fi-ve

short

years

of

l:*r l_l-fe,

'ruothert

Hothenr

"

she etted.

a.s comprehension

ovewshelined.

hsr.

$}re

d.id-n't

know

tf

*tre

screain

rJ-ngtng

i,,

her

ears

w*s

her

own

ln

the thurutrous

roar of

rend.1ng

rock.

$he clambered

to1;aris

the

d-eep

crack,

bui

the

earbh

rsse

uI)

aJrd.

threw

her

down.

$he

cJ-ar+ed

at

the

ground.

trylng

to

find.

e

seeure

hold.

on

the

heavlng,

shtftlng

l-and,

Then,

the

gap

c3.osed.,

the

rear

ceased,

and.

the

shaklng

earlh

sti.I1ed.,

but

not

the

chlId..

rrayina

fa*e

dswn

*n the

soft

{amp

ssll

*hu:lned.

Loose

by

the

Farcxyzn

t}rat

convulsed.

the

land.,


4/4

,l

she

shook

with

fear.

She

had

reason

to

feat.

The

ehild was

alone

in a

wlld.erness

of

Sra"ssy

steppeo

and-

scattered.

forests.

Slacle:s

spanned

the

eonti"nent

on

the

north,

Bushing

their

cold

before

then,

UntoLd

numbere

of

6razing

aninals

roa*1ed.

the

vast

prairies,

and.

the

carnlvores

that

preyed.

on

thenr,

but

people

were

f

ew.

She

had.

no

r,rhere

to

go

and

she

harl

no

one

wha wouId.

come

and

look

for

her.

$he

was

a-lone.

The

6round.

quivered

a6ain,

settli.ng itself

'

and

the

5lr1

heard

a runbling

fron

the

depths, as

though

the

ear-bh

was

digesting

a

neal

hurried-Ly

gulped."

She

jurnped.

up

in

panic,

terrifled

that

i-t

would

spllt

again,

She

l-osked-

at

the

p)-ace

where

the

lean-to

had.

been.

Raw

ealth

and

uprosted

sh::ubs

were

all

that

rema.lned..

Bursting

into tears,

she

ran

baek

to

the

stream

a::d

erumpled

into

a

sobbin6

heap

near the

nuddy water.

But

the

darnp

bankn

of

the

strear*

offered.

no

refuge

frorl

the restless

planet.

Another

aftershock,

t'hle

tine

more severe,

shudd.ered

the

ground.,

$he

gasped with

surairise

at

the splash

of

cold.

water

on

her

nake body.

Pani-e

returned,

she

sprang

to

her

f*et.

She

had

to

get

away from

this

terrifying

place

of

shakin6'

:

devouring

earlh,

but

where csuld"

she

go?

?here

was

no

place

for

seed-s

to

sBrOut

on

the

rgcky

beaeh

and.

lt

was

clear

of

bnrsh,

but

the

upstream

b*rrks

were

choked

with

shmbs

just

sending

forLh'new

leaves,

Some

CeeF

instinct

toi,d her

to

stay

near

watern

but

the

tangled"

bmnrbles

looked. inpenetrable.

Through wei

eyes that

bLu:red her

vision,

she

Looked

the

other

r+ay

The Clan of the Cave Bear Manuscript Pages by Jean M Auel

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