he saw mermaid and merman , centaur and unicorn , elephants ( one huge , one tiny ) , bulldog , frog and phoenix , zebra , tiger , manticore and basilisk , swans pulling a carriage , a white ox , a fox , twin walruses , even a sea serpent , all of them brightly colored and more than real : each rode the platform as the waltz came to an end and a new waltz began .