Of course the Man was wild too. He was dreadfully wild. He didn't even begin to be tame till he met the Woman, and she told him that she did not like living in his wild ways. She picked out a nice dry Cave, instead of a heap of wet leaves, to lie down in; and she strewed clean sand on the floor; and she lit a nice fire of wood at the back of the Cave; and she hung a dried wild-horse skin, tail-down, across the opening of the Cave; and she said, Wipe you feet, dear, when you come in, and now we'll keep house.

THIS is the picture of the Cave where the Man and the Woman lived first of all. It was really a very nice Cave, and much warmer than it looks. The Man had a canoe. It is on the edge of the river, being soaked in the water to make it swell up. The tattery-looking thing across the river is the Man's salmon-net to catch salmon with. There are nice clean stones leading up from the river to the mouth of the Cave, so that the Man and the Woman could go down for water without getting sand between their toes. The things like black-beetles far down the beach are really trunks of dead trees that floated down the river from the Wet Wild Woods on the other bank. The Man and the Woman used to drag them out and dry them and cut them up for firewood. I haven't drawn the horsehide curtain at the mouth of the Cave, because the Woman has just taken it down to be cleaned. All those little smudges on the sand between the Cave and the river are the marks of the Woman's feet and the Man's feet.

The Man and the Woman are both inside the Cave eating their dinner. They went to another cosier Cave when the Baby came, because the Baby used to crawl down to the river and fall in, and the Dog had to pull him out.

That night, Best Beloved, they ate wild sheep roasted on the hot stones, and flavoured with wild garlic and wild pepper; and wild duck stuffed with wild rice and wild fenugreek and wild coriander; and marrow-bones of wild oxen; and wild cherries, and wild grenadillas. Then the Man went to sleep in front of the fire ever so happy; but the Woman sat up, combing her hair. She took the bone of the shoulder of mutton—the big fat blade-bone—and she looked at the wonderful marks on it, and she threw more wood on the fire, and she made a Magic. She made the First Singing Magic in the world.

Out in the Wet Wild Woods all the wild animals gathered together where they could see the light of the fire a long way off, and they wondered what it meant.

Then Wild Horse stamped with his wild foot and said, O my Friends and O my Enemies, why have the Man and the Woman made that great light in that great Cave, and what harm will it do us?

Wild Dog lifted up his wild nose and smelled the smell of roast mutton, and said, I will go up and see and look, and say; for I think it is good. Cat, come with me.

Nenni! said the Cat. I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me. I will not come.

Then we can never be friends again, said Wild Dog, and he trotted off to the Cave. But when he had gone a little way the Cat said to himself, All places are alike to me. Why should I not go too and see and look and come away at my own liking. So he slipped after Wild Dog softly, very softly, and hid himself where he could hear everything.

When Wild Dog reached the mouth of the Cave he lifted up the dried horse-skin with his nose and sniffed the beautiful smell of the roast mutton, and the Woman, looking at the blade-bone, heard him, and laughed, and said, Here comes the first. Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, what do you want?

Wild Dog said, O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy, what is this that smells so good in the Wild Woods?

Then the Woman picked up a roasted mutton-bone and threw it to Wild Dog, and said, Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, taste and try. Wild Dog gnawed the bone, and it was more delicious than anything he had ever tasted, and he said, O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy, give me another.

The Woman said, Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, help my Man to hunt through the day and guard this Cave at night, and I will give you as many roast bones as you need.

Ah! said the Cat, listening. This is a very wise Woman, but she is not so wise as I am.

Wild Dog crawled into the Cave and laid his head on the Woman's lap, and said, O my Friend and Wife of my Friend, I will help Your Man to hunt through the day, and at night I will guard your Cave.

Ah! said the Cat, listening. That is a very foolish Dog. And he went back through the Wet Wild Woods waving his wild tail, and walking by his wild lone. But he never told anybody.

When the Man waked up he said, What is Wild Dog doing here? And the Woman said, His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always. Take him with you when you go hunting.

Next night the Woman cut great green armfuls of fresh grass from the water-meadows, and dried it before the fire, so that it smelt like new-mown hay, and she sat at the mouth of the Cave and plaited a halter out of horse-hide, and she looked at the shoulder of mutton-bone—at the big broad blade-bone—and she made a Magic. She made the Second Singing Magic in the world.

Out in the Wild Woods all the wild animals wondered what had happened to Wild Dog, and at last Wild Horse stamped with his foot and said, I will go and see and say why Wild Dog has not returned. Cat, come with me.

Nenni! said the Cat. I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me. I will not come. But all the same he followed Wild Horse softly, very softly, and hid himself where he could hear everything.

When the Woman heard Wild Horse tripping and stumbling on his long mane, she laughed and said, Here comes the second. Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods what do you want?

Wild Horse said, O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy, where is Wild Dog?

The Woman laughed, and picked up the blade-bone and looked at it, and said, Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, you did not come here for Wild Dog, but for the sake of this good grass.

And Wild Horse, tripping and stumbling on his long mane, said, That is true; give it me to eat.

The Woman said, Wild Thing out of the Wild Woods, bend your wild head and wear what I give you, and you shall eat the wonderful grass three times a day.

Ah, said the Cat, listening, this is a clever Woman, but she is not so clever as I am.

Wild Horse bent his wild head, and the Woman slipped the plaited hide halter over it, and Wild Horse breathed on the Woman's feet and said, O my Mistress, and Wife of my Master, I will be your servant for the sake of the wonderful grass.

Ah, said the Cat, listening, that is a very foolish Horse. And he went back through the Wet Wild Woods, waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone. But he never told anybody.

THIS is the picture of the Cat that Walked by Himself, walking by his wild lone through the Wet Wild Woods and waving his wild tail. There is nothing else in the picture except some toadstools. They had to grow there because the woods were so wet. The lumpy thing on the low branch isn't a bird. It is moss that grew there because the Wild Woods were so wet.

Underneath the truly picture is a picture of the cozy Cave that the Man and the Woman went to after the Baby came. It was their summer Cave, and they planted wheat in front of it. The Man is riding on the Horse to find the Cow and bring her back to the Cave to be milked. He is holding up his hand to call the Dog, who has swum across to the other side of the river, looking for rabbits.

When the Man and the Dog came back from hunting, the Man said, What is Wild Horse doing here? And the Woman said, His name is not Wild Horse any more, but the First Servant, because he will carry us from place to place for always and always and always. Ride on his back when you go hunting.

Next day, holding her wild head high that her wild horns should not catch in the wild trees, Wild Cow came up to the Cave, and the Cat followed, and hid himself just the same as before; and everything happened just the same as before; and the Cat said the same things as before, and when Wild Cow had promised to give her milk to the Woman every day in exchange for the wonderful grass, the Cat went back through the Wet Wild Woods waving his wild tail and walking by his wild lone, just the same as before. But he never told anybody. And when the Man and the Horse and the Dog came home from hunting and asked the same questions same as before, the Woman said, Her name is not Wild Cow any more, but the Giver of Good Food. She will give us the warm white milk for always and always and always, and I will take care of her while you and the First Friend and the First Servant go hunting.