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On a steep, stony hill in Greece, they're lived in early times, a few people who'd not

yet learn to build houses. They made their homes in little caves, which they dug in the

earth or hollowed out among the rocks. They lit fires in the caves for warmth, and their

food was wild animals, which they hunted in the woods, with now and then a few berries

on nuts. They did not even know how to make bows and arrows, but used slings and clubs and

sharp sticks for weapons, and the little clothing which they had was made of skins. They lived

on the top of the hill because they were safe there, from the savage beasts of the great

forest around them. And safe also from the wild men who sometimes roamed through the land.

The hill was so steep on every side that there was no way of climbing it, saved by a single

narrow footpath, which was always guarded by someone at the top. It allowed them to observe the

surrounding land, both for intruders and food. One day, when these people were hunting in the

woods, they found a strange young boy, like no one they'd ever seen before. His face was so

fair, and he was dressed so beautifully that they could hardly believe him to be a man like

themselves. His body was so slender and graceful, and he moved so nimly among the trees that they

fancied him to be a serpent in the guise of a human being. They stood still in wonder and alarm

when they saw him. The young man approached and spoke to them, but they could not understand a

word that he said. Then he made signs to them that he was hungry, and they gave him something to

eat, and were no longer afraid of him. At they being like the wild men of the woods, they might have

...