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Determined o make it through the winter, you consider your three basic needs: food, warmth, and protection from predators. You study the interior of the shelter with new interest. About nine feet above the ground is a ledge, which can be reached with a series of hand and footholds chipped into the wall. While the tribe was living there, the ledge was used as a sacred place, and no one slept there. You never dared climb to it, but now your life may depend on the safety it offers. You grab a handhold and test it. You must be especially careful in everything you do; there’s no one to take care of you when you get hurt. Once you reach the ledge, your spirits rise. It’s about twenty feet long, and, though not wide, it slants inward, so you’re not likely to roll out while sleeping. Best of all, a spring trickles out of the wall near one end of the ledge—you’ll be able to get fresh water without even coming down to the ground. Turn to page 35.