CHAP. II.] Sir Rod. Mttrchison — Capt. Blunt, 55 



they had been digging." Thus the bubble burst, and 

 many an honest, hardworking man lost the savings of a 

 lifetime. The chimney of the shaft still remains as a 

 monument of man's folly and credulity. 



Mr. Murchison''s new pursuit speedily grew too en- 

 grossing, and took up too much of his time to allow of a 

 frequent visit to Brixworth. Science had not, at that 

 time, begun to teach that the Book of Genesis was all 

 wrong — that the world was millions of years old — that 

 man^s first parent was a bit of jelly, which, by process 

 of improvement called "evolution," first grew into an 

 ^' ape," and then into being a '^ man." A body of 

 philosophical faddists — known as ^^Positivists '^ or ^^ Cock- 

 sureists" — had not then written books to prove that 

 seeing is not believing without touching and handling ; 

 and the unscientific and simple-minded poet had not 

 " chafi'ed " his philosophical friends with the lines : — 



" An ape there was in the days that were earlier ; 

 Centuries passed and its hair it grew curlier ; 

 Centuries more gave a thumb to its wrist. 

 And then it was man and a Positivist." 



After quitting Northamptonshire, Mr. Murchison 

 (afterwards Sir Roderick) never again pursued the 

 *' wily one," unless it was to dig out its fossilized 

 remains from the bowels of the earth, where he may 

 have fallen a victim to a Deinotherium or some other 

 Palaeozoic monster. 



Another welcome visitor at Brixworth at this time was 

 Captain Blunt, of Crabbit Park, Sussex, father to Mr. 

 Wilfred Scawen Blunt, so well known as the friend of 

 Arabi, the Soudanese, the Parnellites, and all the enemies 

 of his country, and of the opposers of legitimate authority. 



