I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 144 – Trap
Shaman was very concerned about this group of rabbits. Upon learning the situation, he wanted to resolve the matter immediately.
He discussed with Han Cheng, suggesting that everyone temporarily halt the construction of houses and instead spend a few days hunting to catch some live rabbits.
Han Cheng glanced at the busy tribe members transporting tiles and laying them on the roofs, then looked at the less favorable weather. He shook his head.
Summer had arrived, and there was more rain. If they didn’t finish the roofs soon, a few heavy rains could impact the stability of the houses. They couldn’t afford to delay the more important task for the sake of a few rabbits.
Seeing the Divine Child shaking his head, Shaman felt disappointed. He always prioritized eating over shelter.
Seeing Shaman’s expression, Han Cheng smiled and said, “Catching rabbits is a small matter. I can handle it alone. There’s no need for them.”
Shaman immediately became happy at Han Cheng’s words, but doubts arose.
Although Shaman didn’t participate much in hunting, he knew that hunting wasn’t easy. It required coordination among many people, and hunting alone was even more challenging in an era without firearms or bows and arrows. There was also the risk of becoming prey for other animals.
Even though Shaman wanted to catch rabbits, rabbits, despite appearing docile in captivity, could run very fast in the wild. Moreover, the Divine Child was just a child who had never hunted before, making it extremely difficult to catch live rabbits by himself.
If it were something else Shaman didn’t understand, he wouldn’t think much of it when Han Cheng spoke. But now, what Han Cheng said was about hunting, something the people in the tribe were most familiar with. It was not surprising that Shaman had such thoughts.
“Rabbits can wait. Let’s finish building the houses first,” Divine Child said, turning around and pointing at the busy people constructing the houses.
Compared to improving the quality and size of the rabbits in the group, Shaman was more concerned about the safety of the Divine Child. The series of unprecedented changes that occurred in the Green Sparrow Tribe were all brought about by the shaman.
“There’s no need to worry; I have a solution,” Han Cheng reassured.
Han Cheng wasn’t just boasting; he indeed had a plan.
Shaman, watching Divine Child holding a rope, once again showed an expression of incomprehension.
In the tribe, hunting was usually done with wooden sticks, stone spears, and stones. The Divine Child, who now carried none of these tools, had ropes instead. This puzzled Shaman. When he asked the shaman, he refused to explain and only said to watch carefully; he would catch the rabbits and tell Shaman how afterward.
Watching Divine Child leave the tribe with the Tie Tou couple, carrying ropes, Shaman felt both worried and puzzled.
After standing there for a while, Shaman turned and returned to his cave. When he came out again, he had a length of rope in his hand.
He held the rope in his hand, examining it from side to side, then went to the rabbit enclosure.
After a moment of thought, he swung the rope in his hand and Shaman it towards the startled rabbits. Unfortunately for one rabbit, it got hit, but the soft rope didn’t cause any harm. On the contrary, the rabbit that was struck became even more lively.
Seeing this, Shaman stopped and picked up some green grass cut by the Tie Tou couple, throwing it into the rabbit enclosure.
With tempting green grass, the panicked rabbit group quickly calmed down, moving their three-part mouths to chew on the grass.
Shaman waited for a while, then picked up the black-circled rabbit he often stroked.
This rabbit was already accustomed to it and didn’t panic. It voluntarily squatted on the wall of the rabbit enclosure, motionless, awaiting the arrival of that big hand.
Shaman reached out, stroked the rabbit several times, then looped the rope around its neck twice. Holding one end of the rope in each hand, he gently pulled in opposite directions, tightening the loop around the rabbit’s neck.
Shaman stopped his actions, released the rope, and placed the seemingly resigned black-eyed rabbit back into the enclosure. He scratched his messy head with the hand holding the rope. It was indeed possible to strangle the rabbit this way, but how could those fast-running wild rabbits patiently wait for Divine Child to do so?
Moreover, if it were that easy to strangle them, there would be no need for a rope; one could just catch them barehanded.
Shaman looked at the rope and then at the rabbit, but he couldn’t figure out how to use it to catch rabbits. He could only wait for Divine Child to explain.
After much fruitless contemplation, Shaman thought this way.
They walked more than two miles from the tribe before Han Cheng finally stopped, searching for a suitable place to set rabbit snares.
Near the gathering area of the Green Sparrow Tribe, there were few wild animals. Humans gathered together had a certain deterrent effect on animals. Going farther from the tribe increased the chances of catching rabbits.
Han Cheng was familiar with rabbit snares. In his previous life, in elementary school, he unknowingly tripped over a rabbit snare set by some troublemaker. He fell to the ground, and even a loose lower tooth was knocked out.
This time, Han Cheng wanted to add new wild members to the Green Sparrow Tribe’s rabbit group, so he noted the matter.
He had witnessed Eldest Senior Brothers catching rabbits a couple of days ago. The fact that the two old rabbits in the tribe managed to survive in such circumstances showed their lives were resilient.
Rabbit snares were more effective for catching live rabbits.
Han Cheng was placing a tightening snare under the tall grass.
The other end of the rope was tied to a small tree nearby.
Han Cheng was currently located in a narrow ditch without water, overgrown with random weeds.
On the left side of the ditch, amidst the tall grass, a path about ten centimeters wide could be seen, as if animals frequently used it. Han Cheng set rabbit snares along this path, spacing them about ten meters apart.
After setting seven or eight snares, he moved on to another ditch.
Rabbits liked to walk along the ditch, probably because it provided a more concealed route, making it less likely to be detected by predators. Han Cheng knew this, so he set snares accordingly.
The Tie Tou couple, holding stone sickles and stone spears, followed Divine Child, swinging the rope. Although puzzled by Divine Child’s actions, they didn’t find it strange. They had an inner trust in him. If Divine Child said this method could catch rabbits, it must be possible.
After setting more than fifty rabbit snares, Divine Child led them back to the tribe directly, completely different from the usual hunting method of searching for prey in the wild and using stone spears to kill them. However, they still believed in the Divine Child.
Shaman, waiting near the rabbit enclosure with the rope, hurriedly approached when he saw Han Cheng returning.
Seeing Han Cheng’s hands were empty, he shifted his gaze to the Tie Tou couple following behind, only to find them holding stone spears and stone sickles, without any trace of wild rabbits.
Shaman was somewhat surprised but also felt a sense of inevitability. After all, he had experimented with the rope for a long time but couldn’t find any solution.
Seeing Divine Child’s unchanged expression and no signs of failure, he became even more confused.
“Divine Child.” he asked, seeking clarification. Han Cheng smiled and said, “We’ll have results by tomorrow morning.”
Shaman nodded and didn’t ask further. He was exceptionally looking forward to the next morning, eager to witness the miracle Divine Child would create once again.
Looking up at the sun in the sky, which stubbornly refused to move, Shaman wanted to use a rope to tie it up and pull it over to the other side of the mountain in one go.