“Now listen. If I have made any mistakes, correct me.”
He read as follows:
“Height, 19 feet; length from apex of forehead to insertion of tail, 26
feet; length of trunk, 16 feet; length of tail, 6 feet; total length,
including trunk, and tail, 48 feet; length of tusks, 9 1/2 feet; ears
keeping with these dimensions; footprint resembles the mark left when
one up-ends a barrel in the snow; color of the elephant, a dull white;
has a hole the size of a plate in each ear for the insertion of jewelry
and possesses the habit in a remarkable degree of squirting water upon
spectators and of maltreating with his trunk not only such persons as he
is acquainted with, but even entire strangers; limps slightly with his
right hind leg, and has a small scar in his left armpit caused by a
former boil; had on, when stolen, a castle containing seats for fifteen
persons, and a gold-cloth saddle-blanket the size of an ordinary
carpet.”
There were no mistakes. The inspector touched the bell, handed the
description to Alaric, and said:
“Have fifty thousand copies of this printed at once and mailed to
every detective office and pawnbroker's shop on the continent.” Alaric
retired. “There--so far, so good. Next, I must have a photograph of the
property.”