PEESCHEE'S MARVELLOUS STOUT. 
259 
Peeschee, and altogether so frightful to behold that he, 
the narrator, fled in terror. 
Again the boys nudged each other, their eyes twinkling 
with fun. To their surprise, however, Solomon looked 
grave, and stated that, on the whole, he believed the 
Indian's story. 
" Let's see haow the critter looked, Peeschee," said he, 
handing him a charred stick, and clearing a spot on the 
smooth hearthstone. 
When Peeschee leaned back again, there was a rough 
drawing on the stone. 
" Why, that looks like an elephant ! " exclaimed two 
or three at once, as all bent eagerly over the drawing. 
" That's jest it ! " said Solomon, who had eyed the 
drawing closely. " I've heerd fur-hunters tell of an 
animil jest like an elephant, somewhars in the interior, 
only a good deal bigger, an' covered with long hair.* 
They say thar's only two or three in Alaska, an' nowhars 
else in the world." 
" I know," exclaimed Robert, suddenly. " Whether 
it's true or not, the animal the hunters have described, 
and Peeschee has drawn, is the Mammoth, or prehistoric 
hairy elephant. In 1800 the body of one of them was 
found frozen into an iceberg in Siberia, and the bones are 
in the Royal Museum now." 
" Now you speak of it, I believe I've heard the same 
story around Wrangel," said the lieutenant. "But I 
* See in recent issue of Alaska Free Press (Sitka) and Boston Journal, 
Oct. 28, 1887, reports, by natives, of this strange animal. 
