reathed, and Ayrault, who had a tender
heart, sent an explosive ball into its skull, which ended its suffering.

The three hunters then surveyed the scene. The largest and most
powerful beast they had believed could exist lay before them dead, not
from the bite of a snake or any other poison, but from mechanical
injuries of which those they had inflicted formed but a very small
part, and literally cut to pieces.

"I am curious to see the animal," said Cortlandt, "capable of doing
this, though nothing short of dynamite bombs would protect us from him."

"As he has not stopped to eat his victim," said Bearwarden, "it is fair
to suppose he is not carnivorous, and so must have had some other
motive than hunger in making the attack; unless we can suppose that our
approach frightened him away, which, with such power as he must
possess, seems unlikely. Let us see," he continued, "parts of two legs
remain unaccounted for. Perhaps, on account of their shape, he has
been able the more easily to carry or roll them off, for we know that
elephant foot makes a capital dish."

"From the way you talk," said Cortlandt, "one would suppose you
attributed this to men. The Goliath we picture to ourselves would be a
child compared to the man that could cut through these legs, though the
necessity of believing him to have merely great size does not disprove
his existence here. I think it probable we shall find this is the work
of some animal with incisors of such power as it is difficult for us to
conceive of."

"There is no indication here of teeth," said Bearwarden, "each foot
being taken off with a clean cut. Besides, we are coming to believe
that man existed on earth during the greater part, if not the whole, of
our Carboniferous period."

"We must reserve our decision pending further evidence," said Cortlandt.

"I vote we take the heart," said Ayrault, "and cook it, since otherwise
the mammoth will be devoured before our eyes."

While Bearwarden and Ayrault delved for this, Cortlandt, with some
difficulty, parted the mammoth's lips and examined the teeth. "From
the conical projections on the molars," said he, "this should be
classed rather as a mastodon than as a mammoth."

When the huge heart was secured, Bearwarden arranged slices on
sharpened sticks, while Ayrault set about starting a fire. He had to
use Cortlandt's gun to clear the dry wood of snakes, which, attracted
doubtless by the dead mastodon, came in such num