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Tounderstandthisapostropheofmyuncle's,madetoabsentFrenchsavants,itwillbenecessarytoalludetoaneventofhighimportanceinapalaeontologicalpointofview,whichhadoccurredalittlewhilebeforeourdeparture.
Onthe28thofMarch,1863,someexcavatorsworkingunderthedirectionofM.BoucherdePerthes,inthestonequarriesofMoulinQuignon,nearAbbeville,inthedepartmentofSomme,foundahumanjawbonefourteenfeetbeneaththesurface.
Itwasthefirstfossilofthisnaturethathadeverbeenbroughttolight.
Notfardistantwerefoundstonehatchetsandflintarrow–headsstainedandencasedbylapseoftimewithauniformcoatofrust.
Thenoiseofthisdiscoverywasverygreat,notinFrancealone,butinEnglandandinGermany.
SeveralsavantsoftheFrenchInstitute,andamongstthemMM.
Milne–EdwardsanddeQuatrefages,sawatoncetheimportanceofthisdiscovery,provedtodemonstrationthegenuinenessoftheboneinquestion,andbecamethemostardentdefendantsinwhattheEnglishcalledthis'trialofajawbone.'
TothegeologistsoftheUnitedKingdom,whobelievedinthecertaintyofthefact–Messrs.Falconer,Busk,Carpenter,andothers–scientificGermansweresoonjoined,andamongstthemtheforwardest,themostfiery,andthemostenthusiastic,wasmyuncleLiedenbrock.
Thereforethegenuinenessofafossilhumanrelicofthequaternaryperiodseemedtobeincontestablyprovedandadmitted.
ItistruethatthistheorymetwithamostobstinateopponentinM.EliedeBeaumont.
ThishighauthoritymaintainedthatthesoilofMoulinQuignonwasnotdiluvialatall,butwasofmuchmorerecentformation;and,agreeinginthatwithCuvier,herefusedtoadmitthatthehumanspeciescouldbecontemporarywiththeanimalsofthequaternaryperiod.
MyuncleLiedenbrock,alongwiththegreatbodyofthegeologists,hadmaintainedhisground,disputed,andargued,untilM.EliedeBeaumontstoodalmostaloneinhisopinion.
Weknewallthesedetails,butwewerenotawarethatsinceourdeparturethequestionhadadvancedtofartherstages.
Othersimilarmaxillaries,thoughbelongingtoindividualsofvarioustypesanddifferentnations,werefoundintheloosegreysoilofcertaingrottoesinFrance,Switzerland,andBelgium,aswellasweapons,tools,earthenutensils,bonesofchildrenandadults.
Theexistencethereforeofmaninthequaternaryperiodseemedtobecomedailymorecertain.
Norwasthisall.Freshdiscoveriesofremainsinthepleioceneformationhademboldenedothergeologiststoreferbackthehumanspeciestoahigherantiquitystill.
Itistruethattheseremainswerenothumanbones,butobjectsbearingthetracesofhishandiwork,suchasfossilleg–bonesofanimals,sculpturedandcarvedevidentlybythehandofman.
Thus,atonebound,therecordoftheexistenceofmanrecededfarbackintothehistoryoftheagespast;hewasapredecessorofthemastodon;hewasacontemporaryofthesouthernelephant;helivedahundredthousandyearsago,when,accordingtogeologists,thepleioceneformationwasinprogress.
Suchthenwasthestateofpalaeontologicalscience,andwhatweknewofitwassufficienttoexplainourbehaviourinthepresenceofthisstupendousGolgotha.
Anyonemaynowunderstandthefrenziedexcitementofmyuncle,when,twentyyardsfartheron,hefoundhimselffacetofacewithaprimitiveman!
Itwasaperfectlyrecognisablehumanbody.
Hadsomeparticularsoil,likethatofthecemeterySt.Michel,atBordeaux,preserveditthusforsomanyages?Itmightbeso.
Butthisdriedcorpse,withitsparchment–likeskindrawntightlyoverthebonyframe,thelimbsstillpreservingtheirshape,soundteeth,abundanthair,andfingerandtoenailsoffrightfullength,thisdesiccatedmummystartledusbyappearingjustasithadlivedcountlessagesago.
Istoodmutebeforethisapparitionofremoteantiquity.
Myuncle,usuallysogarrulous,wasstruckdumblikewise.Weraisedthebody.Westooditupagainstarock.
Itseemedtostareatusoutofitsemptyorbits.
Wesoundedwithourknuckleshishollowframe.
Aftersomemoments'silencetheProfessorwashimselfagain.
OttoLiedenbrock,yieldingtohisnature,forgotallthecircumstancesofoureventfuljourney,forgotwherewewerestanding,forgotthevaultedcavernwhichcontainedus.
NodoubthewasinmindbackagaininhisJohannaeum,holdingforthtohispupils,forheassumedhislearnedair;andaddressinghimselftoanimaginaryaudience,heproceededthus:
"Gentlemen,Ihavethehonourtointroducetoyouamanofthequaternaryorpost–tertiarysystem.
Eminentgeologistshavedeniedhisexistence,othersnolesseminenthaveaffirmedit.
TheSt.Thomasesofpalaeontology,iftheywerehere,mightnowtouchhimwiththeirfingers,andwouldbeobligedtoacknowledgetheirerror.
Iamquiteawarethatsciencehastobeonitsguardwithdiscoveriesofthiskind.
IknowwhatcapitalenterprisingindividualslikeBarnumhavemadeoutoffossilmen.
IhaveheardthetaleofthekneepanofAjax,thepretendedbodyofOrestesclaimedtohavebeenfoundbytheSpartans,andofthebodyofAsterius,tencubitslong,ofwhichPausaniasspeaks.
IhavereadthereportsoftheskeletonofTrapani,foundinthefourteenthcentury,andwhichwasatthetimeidentifiedasthatofPolyphemus;andthehistoryofthegiantunearthedinthesixteenthcenturynearPalermo.
YouknowaswellasIdo,gentlemen,theanalysismadeatLucernein1577ofthosehugeboneswhichthecelebratedDr.FelixPlateraffirmedtobethoseofagiantnineteenfeethigh.
IhavegonethroughthetreatisesofCassanion,andallthosememoirs,pamphlets,answers,andrejoinderspublishedrespectingtheskeletonofTeutobochus,theinvaderofGaul,dugoutofasandpitintheDauphinè,in1613.
IntheeighteenthcenturyIwouldhavestoodupforScheuchzer'spre–adamitemanagainstPeterCampet.
Ihaveperusedawriting,entitledGigan–"
Heremyuncle'sunfortunateinfirmitymethim–thatofbeingunableinpublictopronouncehardwords.
"ThepamphletentitledGigan–"
Hecouldgetnofurther.
"Giganteo–"
Itwasnottobedone.Theunluckywordwouldnotcomeout.AttheJohannaeumtherewouldhavebeenalaugh.
"Gigantosteologie,"atlasttheProfessorburstout,betweentwowordswhichIshallnotrecordhere.
Thenrushingonwithrenewedvigour,andwithgreatanimation:
"Yes,gentlemen,Iknowallthesethings,andmore.
IknowthatCuvierandBlumenbachhaverecognisedinthesebonesnothingmoreremarkablethanthebonesofthemammothandothermammalsofthepost–tertiaryperiod.
Butinthepresenceofthisspecimentodoubtwouldbetoinsultscience.Therestandsthebody!Youmayseeit,touchit.
Itisnotamereskeleton;itisanentirebody,preservedforapurelyanthropologicalendandpurpose."
Iwasgoodenoughnottocontradictthisstartlingassertion.
"IfIcouldonlywashitinasolutionofsulphuricacid,"pursuedmyuncle,"Ishouldbeabletoclearitfromalltheearthyparticlesandtheshellswhichareincrustedaboutit.
ButIdonotpossessthatvaluablesolvent.
Yet,suchasitis,thebodyshalltellusitsownwonderfulstory."
HeretheProfessorlaidholdofthefossilskeleton,andhandleditwiththeskillofadexterousshowman.
"Yousee,"hesaid,"thatitisnotsixfeetlong,andthatwearestillseparatedbyalongintervalfromthepretendedraceofgiants.
Asforthefamilytowhichitbelongs,itisevidentlyCaucasian.Itisthewhiterace,ourown.
Theskullofthisfossilisaregularoval,orratherovoid.
Itexhibitsnoprominentcheekbones,noprojectingjaws.
Itpresentsnoappearanceofthatprognathismwhichdiminishesthefacialangle.[1]Measurethatangle.Itisnearlyninetydegrees.
ButIwillgofurtherinmydeductions,andIwillaffirmthatthisspecimenofthehumanfamilyisoftheJapheticrace,whichhassincespreadfromtheIndiestotheAtlantic.Don'tsmile,gentlemen."
Nobodywassmiling;butthelearnedProfessorwasfrequentlydisturbedbythebroadsmilesprovokedbyhislearnedeccentricities.
"Yes,"hepursuedwithanimation,"thisisafossilman,thecontemporaryofthemastodonswhoseremainsfillthisamphitheatre.
Butifyouaskmehowhecamethere,howthosestrataonwhichhelayslippeddownintothisenormoushollowintheglobe,IconfessIcannotanswerthatquestion.
Nodoubtinthepost–tertiaryperiodconsiderablecommotionswerestilldisturbingthecrustoftheearth.
Thelong–continuedcoolingoftheglobeproducedchasms,fissures,clefts,andfaults,intowhich,veryprobably,portionsoftheupperearthmayhavefallen.
Imakenorashassertions;butthereisthemansurroundedbyhisownworks,byhatchets,byflintarrow–heads,whicharethecharacteristicsofthestoneage.
Andunlesshecamehere,likemyself,asatouristonavisitandasapioneerofscience,Icanentertainnodoubtoftheauthenticityofhisremoteorigin."
[1]Thefacialangleisformedbytwolines,onetouchingthebrowandthefrontteeth,theotherfromtheorificeoftheeartothelowerlineofthenostrils.
Thegreaterthisangle,thehigherintelligencedenotedbytheformationoftheskull.
Prognathismisthatprojectionofthejaw–boneswhichsharpensorlessonsthisangle,andwhichisillustratedinthenegrocountenanceandinthelowestsavages.
TheProfessorceasedtospeak,andtheaudiencebrokeoutintoloudandunanimousapplause.
Forofcoursemyunclewasright,andwisermenthanhisnephewwouldhavehadsometroubletorefutehisstatements.
Anotherremarkablething.Thisfossilbodywasnottheonlyoneinthisimmensecatacomb.
Wecameuponotherbodiesateverystepamongstthismortaldust,andmyunclemightselectthemostcuriousofthesespecimenstodemolishtheincredulityofsceptics.
Infactitwasawonderfulspectacle,thatofthesegenerationsofmenandanimalscommingledinacommoncemetery.
Thenoneveryseriousquestionarosepresentlywhichwescarcelydaredtosuggest.
Hadallthosecreaturesslidedthroughagreatfissureinthecrustoftheearth,downtotheshoresoftheLiedenbrocksea,whentheyweredeadandturningtodust,orhadtheylivedandgrownanddiedhereinthissubterraneanworldunderafalsesky,justlikeinhabitantsoftheupperearth?
Untilthepresenttimewehadseenaliveonlymarinemonstersandfishes.
Mightnotsomelivingman,somenativeoftheabyss,beyetawandererbelowonthisdesertstrand?
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