What He Was 



9 



the full answer to the question what is the 

 * fittest/ which no man can define ? 



He knew that victory does not always go to the 

 fleet of foot, and he had discovered that the mighty 

 dinosaur had had to give way to beasts of lesser 

 stature. Had he not his own picture of how the 

 ranting reptile rears his tiny head erect, and 

 hissing, spits defiance, when lo ! there croaks a 

 challenge, and he drops, felled by the lightning 

 lash of rival tail ? Was he not busy exploring 

 those very catacombs that lodge the bones of just 

 such a battle royal, where Might had once 

 contested Right, and failing, sliddered lifeless 

 deep into primeval slime ? 



Thus brooding, Brown took stock of human 

 things and watched the pageant pass. In fancy 

 he sat beside the Lists, and saw two warring 

 knights come prancing in to settle their accounts 

 and court his favour. The first of these was clad 

 in the dull hereditary armour of his forbears, full 

 of the dents and ominous blood-stains of many 

 a previous challenge, but on his sure-shield 

 burned a fiery Cross. The other knight was 

 somewhat younger, and he wore a shining coat 

 of mail, obviously new and not yet tested, and 

 on his banner was blazened Truth, The first 

 spoke of rich rewards and of his House of many 

 mansions and high authority. The other, more 



