36 THE BIG CANOE

an animal had ever existed—an animal with two
tails!

“It is a real animal,” Quahl assured them. “I would
not bring home a dream animal after a search lasting
so many years!”

“What is it called?” the chief asked gruffly.

“I know of no other name for it except the Ancient
One,” Quahl replied. “That is the name by which it
was called by a seal that came to me in a dream;
that is the name they give it in the Northland. It stands
in a great ice cave where it must have been im-
prisoned long ago, at the beginning of time. With
it are many others, all dead, frozen by the intense
cold. See, here is a piece of the hairy skin; here is a
piece of a tooth; here, a piece of tusk. These are all
the proofs I could bring you, to show that such an
animal really existed. Here on this long piece of
ivory, however, is the story of the discovery of the
Ancient Ones, just as it happened, carved plainly for
you by Loo, a carver of the Northland. He was with
me when I found the cave and first looked upon these
amazing animals. He carved the story here upon this
ivory stick, that you might see exactly what was

done.”
He held up a long flat piece of ivory with a hole in
each end and etched with tiny figures.

“Look! I will explain it to you so that you may
know exactly what happened,” Quahl continued.
“Here we are, Loo and I, with our dogs and sledges.