TENDENCY TO THE MARVELLOUS. 429 



course of nature befallen both the tribes and individuals, 

 would be recounted either as special visitations of Divine 

 wrath, or blessings for good deeds performed. If in a dreain 

 a particular course of action is suggested, the Arab believes 

 that God has spoken and directed him. The Arab scribe or 

 historian would describe the event as the 'voice of the Lord* 

 (Kallam el Allah) having spoken unto the person ; or, that 

 God appeared to him in a dream and 'said.' Thus, much 

 allowance would be necessary on the part of a European 

 reader for the figurative ideas and expressions of the people." 



Although, then, traditions and myths are of great impor- 

 tance, and indirectly throw much light on the condition of 

 man in ancient times, we must not expect to learn much 

 directly from them. At any rate, as regards the Stone Age 

 in Europe both history and tradition are silent, and here, as 

 in all long civilized countries, stone weapons and arrow-heads 

 are regarded as thunderbolts or "Elfin" arrows. 



Deprived, therefore, as regards this period, of any assistance 

 from history, but relieved at the same time from the embar- 

 rassing interference of tradition, the archaeologist is free to 

 follow the methods which have been so successfully pursued 

 in geology the rude bone and stone implements of bygone 

 ages being to the one what the remains of extinct animals are 

 to the other. The analogy may be pursued even farther than 

 this. Many mammalia which are extinct in Europe have 

 representatives still living in other countries. Much light is 

 thrown on our fossil pachyderms, for instance, by the species 

 which still inhabit some parts of Asia and Africa ; the secon- 

 dary marsupials are illustrated by their existing represen- 

 tatives in Australia and South America ; and in the same 

 manner, if we wish clearly to understand the antiquities of 

 Europe, we must compare them with the rude implements 

 and weapons still, or until lately, used by the savage races in 

 other parts of the world. In fact, the Van Dienianer and 



