1892-93.] NOTES ON THE WESTERN DENES. 65- 



long, stone lancet and handle forming, when connected, a scythe-like 

 implement, the warrior — or indeed assassin, as the case may have been — 

 struck therewith his victim on the temple, oftentimes thus causing instant 

 death. 



Before bringing to a close this chapter devoted to stone implements, it 

 may not be amiss to say a word concerning the art of stone chipping as 

 practised by the prehistoric Denes. I remember having read in a publi- 

 cation emanating from a learned society, an elaborate dissertation on 

 this subject wherein the author took great pains to elucidate difficulties 

 which to me appeared to be mainly of his own making. It may be that 

 the rules of the craft varied with the localities and the material em- 

 ployed ; but here, among the Western Denes, there was no great mystery 

 about the operation. 



The material chosen in preference to fashion arrow or spear heads with 

 was loose, broken pieces of the rock such as were found on the surface. 

 Of course these were confined to a few localities only, wherein were 

 situated sorts of quarries which were very jealousl}' guarded against any 

 person, even of the same tribe, whose right to a share in their contents 

 was not fully established. A violation of this traditional law was often 

 considered a casus belli between the co-clansmen of the trespasser and 

 those of the proprietors of the quarry. 



The first operation consisted in roughly blocking off with a hard stone 

 the pieces of the flint, the removal of which was necessary to obtain 



a vague resemblance to the intended 

 weapon. Then grasping the flint length- 

 wise with the closed fingers of the left 

 hand (fig. 44), the arrow-smith carefully 

 pressed off" the flakes with an elongated 

 stone held in his right hand, until the 

 desired form and finish were obtained. 

 Fig. 44. A piece of buckskin served as a pad 



to protect the hand against the asperities of the point. 



I owe these details to an old chief who has been an eye-witness to the 

 operation. I should add that in not a few cases a moose molar tooth 

 replaced the long chipping stone. I know also of a very few points the 

 sharp edges of which have been polished off by friction. 



