Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-08-08
La,cs, From the AltaI xautaIns.
MsMMoTHs ALIVE AND KIcKING.-GREAr FIGHT
BETWEEN A AAsToDoN AND SEA SERPENT.
A correspondent of the New York World

MAMM0THs ALIVE AND KICKlNG.-GREAT FIGHT
BETWEEN A MAsToDoN AND SEA SERPENT.
A correspondent of the New York World
in letter dated at Moscow. Russia-and
which it is to be hoped nobody will be so
suspicious as to suppose written in the
World offce-relates at length the adven-
lures ola Russian named Cheriton for his
first name, with q surname composed OF all
the consonants in the language, who escaped
from the mines of Siberia where he was
sent for smuggling, and made his way into
the wilderness of the Altai mountains,
Here he observed large numbers OF beasts of
various kinds moving in the same direction,
and following their lead he came to pass
in the mountains, looking down from which
he saw below him beautiful valley, shut
in on all sides by lofty mountain ranges.
In the centre was a beautiful lake.
Descending into the valley he slept one night
on the margin of the lake and was greatly
terrified by uncouth noises and huge and
monstrous shapes. In the water and on
land he saw great ard terrible creatures,
such as he never supposed could be found
anywhere He kept up circle of fire about
him through the night, and received no
bodily harm from his formidable visitors.
The next day he sought for place of safety,
and while exploring cave he found a
mammoth, alive and in vigorous health.
The discovery of this beast, heretofore sup
posed to be extinct, is described as follows:
He entered with some precautions, for the
rocky pavement was worn as II by use, and
within he heard slow, measured move
ment as of an animal gently Illuminating,
and heavily breathing with great calm IN
| spirations and expiratlons like the sigh OF a
smiths bellows. One turn, then another,
| he heard a heavy startling snort, and there
in the half light of the cave, standing full
before him, alive, chewing the cud, and
waving its proboscis to and fro with a slow,
gentle, majestic motion, he saw-a nam
moth
Cheriton describes the mammoth as being
a very imposing looking animal, covered
with reddish brown wool and long black
hair. During his stay in the valley he was
close to five of them, all ofwhich were near
Nv of a size, being about twelve feet high,
eighteen feet long, with tusks projecting
about four feet, and being eight to ten feet,
counting the curve. The skin, which was
hare on the upper surface of the ears, on
the knees and rump, was of a mouse
color, and seemed very thick. The animal
was nocturnal in its habits, frequenting
caves or forest depths by day, and feeding
at night and early morning. Cheriton
thinks there might be some fifteen or twenty
ofthese monsters in the valley altogether,
but that all these are aged, and that very
few are born nowadays. At any rate he
saw none that had the least appearance Of
being young. They were very peaceable
animals, torpid and sluggish as old oxen,
never disturbing Cheriton, nor indeed TAX
ing much notice Of him.
This fortunate explorer found also other
animals not known to exist elsewhere, and
among other things " important if true,
he told the correspondent something more
thana cock and bull story nothing
less in act,than mastodon and saurophidian
story-of fight, which must have even sur
passed in interest any ordinary dog fight.
The lake was full Of fish Of many species,
but was inhabited by 4 monster of which
/ therltOn was IN constant Qreau, n sOrt OF
saurophidian, which he described as being
thirty feet long, and armed with scales and
horrible iangs. This monster-he never
saw but the one-was master of the lake, and
lived by deyouring the animals which came
by night to its brink to drink. Cheriton gives
a graphic and exciting description of a con-
test which he witnessed one morning at
early dawn between this crocodile-serpent
and one Of the mast0dons. The battle,
which lasted more than an hour, ended in
the discontinue Of the mammoth. which
could barely limp away after having been
CONSTRUCTED in the serpents folds
Chrriton at last made his way out Of the
valley. and after suffering incredible hard
ships came to Russian station. The in
terest in his story procured him pardon
and he Is now engaged upon history Of
his adventures and discoveries. He should
know, before his book is published, that
his saurophidian has been seen in Lake
Champlain having evidently come by the
way OF the st, Lawrence, and Caughnawaga
ship canal. We say the saurophidian has
been seen here. for if the beast supposed to
be a sea serpent, which has been seen near
Whitehall and Vergennes and in Shelburn
Bay, was not saurophidian, what was 1t =!