I shall discuss the subject still further when I come to consider, in a subsequent chapter, the question whether pre-glacial man was or was not civilized. [1. "The Prehistoric Races of the United States," p. 56.] {p. 132} CHAPTER III. LEGENDS OF THE COMING OF THE COMET. WE turn now to the legends of mankind. I shall try to divide them, so as to represent, in their order, the several stages of the great event. This, of course, will be difficult to do, for the same legend may detail several different parts of the same common story; and hence there may be more or less repetition; they will more or less overlap each other. And, first, I shall present one or two legends that most clearly represent the first coming of the monster, the dragon, the serpent, the wolf, the dog, the Evil One, the Comet. The second Hindoo "Avatar" gives the following description of the rapid advance of some dreadful object out of space, and its tremendous fall upon the earth: "By the power of God there issued from the essence of Brahma a being shaped like a boar, _white and exceeding small_; this being, _in the space of an hour_, grew to the size of an elephant of the largest size, _and remained in the air_." That is to say, it was an atmospheric, not a terrestrial creature. "Brahma was astonished on beholding this figure, and discovered, by the force of internal penetration, that it could be nothing but the power of the Omnipotent which had assumed a body and become visible. He now felt that God is all in all, and all is from him, and all in him; {p. 133} and said to Mareechee and his sons (the attendant genii): 'A wonderful animal has emanated from my essence; at first of the smallest size, it has in one hour increased to this enormous bulk, and, without doubt, it is a portion of the almighty power.'" Brahma, an earthly king, was at first frightened by the terrible spectacle in the air, and then claimed that he had produced it himself! "They were engaged in this conversation when that _vara_, or 'boar-form,' suddenly uttered a sound _like the loudest thunder_, and the echo reverberated and _shook all the quarters of the universe_." This is the same terrible noise which, as I have already shown, would necessarily result from the carbureted hydrogen of the comet exploding in our atmosphere. The legend continues: