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For several days thing go well. Each afternoon you camp on a grassy bank. Azog and Larga work patiently to catch trout in their crude nets. Mi gathers fruit and nuts. You tighten the vines that hold the raft together. You have grown to like Mi a lot. People living in modern times might say she’s ugly, but when she smiles, she looks so happy that you’ve begun to think Neanderthals are more beautiful than modern people. After your work is done, you and Mi play together. She is stronger than you but not as well coordinated. Thought she can break branches you can hardly bend, you can climb trees while Mi only stands below and looks up enviously. Maybe that was why Neanderthals became extinct, you reflect. The day is warmer. The river is now deep and fast-flowing. There’s no need to pole; the four of you stretch out on the raft and listen to Larga tell stories about the tribe she came from. It’s while listening to one of her tales that you first hear the rushing noise ahead. At first you think it’s the wind, then you thinks it’s rapids. Then you realize it’s a waterfall! turn to page 99