82 GESTURE-LANGUAGE AND WORD-LANGUAGE. 



There may possibly be a foundation of fact for this story, 

 wbicli fits very well with what is known of Akbar^s unscru- 

 pulous character, and his greediness for knowledge. More- 

 over it tells in its favour, that had a story-teller invented it, 

 he would hardly have brought it to what must have seemed 

 to him such a lame and impotent conclusion, as that the 

 children spoke no language at all. 



