8 WINTER SKETCHES. 



brick hotel looms up among the few small 

 houses in its neighborhood. My curiosity was 

 not only attracted by this disproportion, but by 

 the statue of an elephant nearly as large as life ; 

 I mean the life size of a small elephant, of 

 course. 



This remarkable resemblance to the animal 

 was mounted on a high post before the door 

 of the hotel, and painted over the front of the 

 building I read, in enormous letters, *' Elephant 

 Hotel." 



It was time to breathe my horse, and the 

 ride had given me an appetite for any thing I 

 might find within, even if it should prove to 

 be an elephant steak. The landlord observed 

 that ** the women-folks were not at home, but 

 he guessed he could find something." He ac- 

 cordingly placed a cold turkey and a bottle of 

 London porter on the table, and thus proved 

 that his guess was very correct. As he sat 

 down by my side, I asked him the meaning of 

 all this elephantine display. 



" Why," he answered, " Hackaliah Bayley 

 built this house himself!" 



" Hackaliah Bayley ! Who was he ? " 



" Who was Hackaliah Bayley 1 Don't you 

 know? He was the man who imported the 



