FIELD SPORTS IN ART 241 



nature, and not from science. His life was occupied 

 with the hunt, and he represented that which filled his 

 thoughts. Those who understand wild sports will not 

 for a moment doubt that the mammoth was taken in 

 pits or otherwise destroyed despite its huge strength ; 

 no matter if it had been twice as large, the cunning of 

 man would have been equal to the difficulty. The mind 

 is the arrow that slays the monster. The greater the 

 danger the greater the interest, and consequently the 

 more the imagination would dwell upon the circum- 

 stances of the chase. Afterwards resting in the cave 

 round about the fire and thinking of the mighty work of 

 sport which had been accomplished, the finger of the 

 savage would involuntarily describe the outline of the 

 creature so laboriously captured. His finger might 

 describe it upon the scattered ashes whitening the 

 ground beside him. Or it might describe the outline 

 simply in the air. Speech in its inception was as much 

 expressed by the finger as the tongue ; perhaps the 

 fingers talked before the mouth, and in a sense writing 

 preceded language. Uttering the unpolished sound 

 which in their primitive society indicated the mammoth, 

 the savage drew rapidly a figure with his finger, and his 

 companions read his meaning written in the air. To 

 this day it is common for the Italian peasantry to talk 

 with their fingers ; a few syllables suffice, illustrated and 

 emphasised by those dexterous hands. A more subtle 

 meaning is thus conveyed than could be put in words. 

 Some of the most ancient languages seem bald and in- 

 complete, too rigid ; they need intonation, as it were, to 

 express passion or changes of emotion, and when written 

 the letters are too far apart to indicate what is meant. 

 Not too far apart upon the page, but far apart in their 

 sense, which has to be supplied as you supply the vowels. 



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