They were gigantic animals; it was a herd of mastodons--not fossil remains, but living and resembling those the bones of which were found in the marshes of Ohio in 1801.
Eran. efectivamente, animales gigantescos; todo un rebaño de mastodontes, no ya fósiles, sino vivos, parecidos a aquellas cuyos restos fueron descubiertos en 1801 en las pantanos del Ohio.