ical and moral, all go to
show that they can have no connection with the races in our part of
the earth."

"Their peculiar eyes," said Oxenden, "are no doubt produced by
dwelling in caves for many generations."

"On the contrary," said the doctor, "it is their peculiarity of eye
that makes them dwell in caves."

"You are mistaking the cause for the effect, doctor."

"Not at all; it is you who are making that mistake."

"It's the old debate," said Melick. "As the poet has it:

"'Which was first, the egg or the hen?
Tell me, I pray, ye learned men!'"

"There are the eyeless fishes of the great cave of Kentucky," said
Oxenden, "whose eyes have become extinct from living in the dark."

"No," cried the doctor; "the fish that have arisen in that lake have
never needed eyes, and have never had them."

Oxenden laughed.

"Well," said he, "I'll discuss the question with you on different
grounds altogether, and I will show clearly that these men, these
bearded men, must belong to a stock that is nearly related to our own,
or, at least, that they belong to a race of men with whom we are all
very familiar."

"I should like very much to have you try it," said the doctor.

"Very well," said Oxenden. "In the first place, I take their
language."

"Their language!"

"Yes. More has given us very many words in their language. Now he
himself says that these words had an Arabic sound. He was slightly
acquainted with that language. What will you say if I tell you that
these words are still more like Hebrew?"

"Hebrew!" exclaimed the doctor, in amazement.

"Yes, Hebrew," said Oxenden. "They are all very much like Hebrew
words, and the difference is not greater than that which exists
between the words of any two languages of the Aryan family."

"Oh, if you come to philology I'll throw up the sponge," said the
doctor. "Yet I should like to hear what you have to say on that
point."

"The languages of the Aryan family," said Oxenden, "have the same
general characteristics, and in all of them the differences that exist
in their most common words are subject to the action of a regular law.
The action of the law is best seen in the changes which take place in
the mutes. These changes are indicated in a summary and comprehensive
way by means of what is called 'Grimm's Law.' Take Latin and English,
for instance. 'Grimm's Law' tells us, among other things, that in
Latin and in that part of English which is of Teutonic orig