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First published in the American Boy magazine, Volume 23, issue numbers 4 through 7, February through May, 1922. This digitized version edited by GL,III in 2010.
| Introduction |
Table of Contents |
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| LONG, LONG AGES AGO, thousands of years
before the times that our histories record, the earth was inhabited by
strange creatures—giant animals, primitive men with hairy bodies, rough
weapons and homes in mountain caves. The story of those long past ages
is told by the remains that have been found buried deep in the
earth - crude weapons, the bones of strange animals, many of which are
unknown in the world of today, and skeletons of human beings.
Among these is "The Boy of Le Moustier," found near Le Moustier in the
Dordogne region of Southwestern France, with bones of the Mammoth and
the Hairy Rhinoceros and other prehistoric animals. It is the skeleton
of a young man with the low forehead, massive eye-ridges and chinless
jaw, known by this time as characteristics of a primitive people, the
Mousterians, last of the ancient Neanderthal race whose time on earth
may have dated back to two hundred thousand years or more before the
time of Christ. Down through the ages the remains of this boy had lain
there until the skeleton was unearthed about twelve years ago [1908 - GL,III,ed.] The head
was resting upon a pile of flint flakes and a fine flint hand-ax was
near the right hand. What a fascinating story The Boy of Moustier could
tell us to-day if those crumbling bones could come to
life—a story of strange, far-away centuries! But even the crumbling
bones themselves and the remains of the cave homes and weapons are mute
historians they tell part of the story of the ancient people who
inhabited prehistoric western Europe. From these strange things, Mr.
Langford has woven a strange tale—a wonderfully thrilling story that
will take you back to ancient days and peoples. Besides making it an
exciting story, Mr. Langford has carefully based it on facts that
anthropologists have discovered by the remains in the earth. He tells
only the things that could have happened in the days of cave men—a
story that "The Boy of Le Moustier" might tell us! By GEORGE LANGFORD;
[ILLUSTRATED BY ERNEST FUHR - not here, GL,III, ed.]
THOUSANDS of years before the times that histories record, the earth was inhabited by giant animals, primitive men with hairy bodies, rough weapons and homes in mountain caves. THE MAMMOTH MAN is a story of those ancient days. It tells of a fierce tribe of man-eating cave men who live in the gloomy recesses of Castillo, in Northern Spain, ruled by Totan, their giant hetman. It tells also of a race of brave, clear-eyed hunters who dwell in the pleasant valley of the Vezere River in Northern France, ruled by Pic, the revered "Mammoth Man" and maker of fine flints for weapons marvelous to other primitive people. It tells of Hairi, the mammoth, and Wulli, the woolly rhinoceros —faithful friends of Pic, and of Kutnar, his son. Gonch, the Muskman, a crafty schemer of the Castilian tribe, travels to the valley to capture the maker of wonderful flints, gaining hospitality with pretense of friendship. Caught spying, he is ordered away. Gonch also incurs the enmity of Hairi and Wulli by a cowardly attack when Hairi is caught in a bog. Because Kutnar also knows the secret of making the sharp flints, Gonch on leaving the valley lures the boy away with him by means of lies. Pic, discovering their tracks, starts in pursuit astride Hairi, the mammoth. ... |
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