A summary of "Land of the Mammoths" by Semyon Karatov

This book is an adventure story about the lives of Stone Age people, written in 1969. It depicts in detail the process of prehistoric man’s survival alone with the wild nature and his ability to build trusting relationships even with giant animals.

Flooding in the savannah

A terrible thunderstorm erupts in the savannah at night. Bright lightning illuminates the rushing herds of horses, deer, and bison. A young man from the Andor tribe named Juam realizes that the river has overflowed its banks. The waters of melting glaciers are rapidly flooding the steppe. Juam runs toward a range of hills, passing a huge, lame mammoth with a broken tusk along the way. Braving the cold waves, the young man reaches an island, where he spends the night on a low tree.

In the morning, Andor sees three wolves tearing a deer to pieces. With a loud cry of "yarrkh!", he drives the predators into the water. Then Juam performs a rite of atonement. He touches the deer’s fur with a river otter’s tooth, absolving himself of the guilt of using another’s kill. The abundance of raw meat and the warm sun restore his strength.

Saving Big Brother

While surveying the hill, Juam notices a reddish-brown trunk sticking out of a ravine. The mammoth has fallen into a deep hole and can’t turn around. The young man takes pity on the giant, calling him Rag and Big Brother. He begins regularly bringing him armfuls of succulent grass. At night, the beast sniffs the man trustingly.

When the water recedes, Juam decides to rescue his captive. He spends the day dumping thick branches of bushes into the ravine. The mammoth manages to trample the branches underfoot, gradually climbing higher. At this moment, a golden horse runs out of the savannah, fleeing wolves. Juam lights a fire and throws burning branches at the predators, protecting the horse, whom he names Madun. Soon, the mammoth escapes the trap. Juam cleans the clay from its fur, and together they descend the hill.

Andor encampment

In the tribe’s caves, primitive labor is in full swing. Women scrape hides with flint scrapers, and elders forge arrowheads. A band of hunters, led by red-eyed Uras, brings back the carcasses of two aurochs. The eldest mother, Aiza, distributes food. At night, guards tend the watchfire, driving away animals.

Chieftain Huog soon arrives with his guests — the Larh tribe. According to ancient custom, the Larh can choose Andoran girls as wives. A conflict brews between Juam and the burly Larh Uruk. Both are attracted to the green-eyed huntress Regza.

Hunters’ duels are taking place at the edge of the forest. The strongman Tum, enraged, attacks Juam, but is quickly restrained by his tribesmen. Later, Chief Huog announces a special contest. Whoever can knock off a blue kingfisher feather with a well-aimed dart will share the hearth with Regza. Juam and Uruk throw their weapons simultaneously. The feather falls to the ground, but the winner cannot be determined. Soon, Tum suffers a severe attack of madness. He swings his club wildly, and the frightened tribe chases him far into the steppe.

Life among giants

Juam leaves the caves and returns to the vast savannah, where he reunites with Rag. They wander together for dozens of days. Andor sleeps in the trees, and during the day, he feels safe next to the giant. They survive a severe drought and escape devastating steppe fires.

The young man observes duels between cave lions and encounters packs of cowardly hyenas. Later, he joins a herd of mammoths, led by the wise female Guara. Life by a vast lake allows Juam to rest. In the forest, he meets an old woman, Krokh, and feeds her emaciated grandchildren roast venison.

White Death at the Reed Lakes

Continuing their journey through the forest, Juam and Tum capture a boy named Horo, a member of the Haros tribe. Juam suffers severely from an infected wound inflicted by a bear’s claws. Exhausted by the journey, he himself is eventually captured by unknown Haros.

At night, a young man lies by a bright fire. His arms and legs are tightly bound with strong straps. Beside him lies a captive tribeswoman, Onga. The Haross chieftain, Abus, and the hunter leader, Kuho, prepare to kill the Andors at dawn.

Early in the morning, the white leopard, Ahhiya, bursts into the camp with incredible commotion. The local tribes, terrified, call him the White Death. The guards scatter in panic. Juam, freed from his bonds, boldly engages in mortal combat. With the shaft of his broken spear, he delivers a precise blow and kills the ferocious predator. The loud cry of the Andors announces victory to the surrounding area.

Soon, Rag, the faithful mammoth, lumbers toward the lake. Juam calms his four-legged friend and deftly removes the snow-white skin from the dead leopard. The lake dwellers are overwhelmed with joy, for the terrible threat has passed forever.

Returning home

The Haross ceremoniously free Onga. The rescued Andors sit in a tribal circle, taking a place of honor atop Ahhia’s fluffy pelt. The boy, Khoro, becomes Juam’s faithful friend. The old chieftain nuzzles the boy’s shoulder as a sign of deep affection. Toward evening, Juam and Onga leave the hospitable reed lakes. They watch as herds of mammoths slowly move north toward the lush grasses. The rays of the setting sun remind them of the glow of their home fires.