| vol. iii.—No. 151. | Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. | price four cents. |
| Tuesday, September 19, 1882. | Copyright, 1882, by Harper & Brothers. | $1.50 per Year, in Advance. |
THE STORY OF A GREAT MAMMOTH.
BY ELIZABETH ABERCROMBIE.
Long and long ago, before you or I were born, in the year 1799 in fact,a man by the name of Ossip Schumachoff threw away a golden opportunity.Having undertaken an expedition up to the Arctic Ocean in search ofivory, he started from home with his wife on a reindeer sledge, and wasso far successful in his undertaking that he discovered on the banks ofthe river Lena a certain block of ice that would have set all thenaturalists in the world in commotion if he had but known it. Thisblock[Pg 738] of ice was of untold value, for it contained the body of anenormous tusked animal in a perfect state of preservation.
Owing to the impenetrable masses of ice surrounding the mammoth, Ossipdid not at that time succeed in reaching it; but returning to the samespot some two years later, he found that the ice had so far melted thata portion of the huge creature was exposed to the air.
And yet Chief Ossip was no nearer to his prize than he had been atfirst. It is true the Ice King smilingly placed it in his grasp, but amightier power, Superstition, stepping in with her rod of iron, bade himtouch it if he dared.
All the old men of his tribe shook their heads discouragingly. All theold women