The jury smiled The question requires no answer, he said I reeled where I sat The messenger entered He took a long, careless stare at me I beckoned a porter You can't get out here, he said, crustily We told our tale I have found a clue I've held the fort by main force Never! he answered. Never! We shall have him in our power Victory! You wished to see me, sir? Well, this is a fair knock-out, he ejaculated Harold, your wife has bested me CHARLES DARWIN By Grant Allen CONTENTS I. THE WORLD INTO WHICH DARWIN WAS BORN II. CHARLES DARWIN AND HIS ANTECEDENTS III. EARLY DAYS IV. DARWIN'S WANDER-YEARS V. THE PERIOD OF INCUBATION VI. THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES VII. THE DARWINIAN REVOLUTION BEGINS VIII. THE DESCENT OF MAN IX. THE THEORY OF COURTSHIP X. VICTORY AND REST XI. DARWIN'S PLACE IN THE EVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT XII. THE NET RESULT INDEX[Pg viii] THE WHITE MAN'S FOOT. BY GRANT ALLEN, WITH SEVENTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY J. FINNEMORE. 1888. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "BOWING DOWN TOWARDS THE MOUTH OF THE CRATER, THEY SEEMED TO SALUTE THE GODDESS OF THE VOLCANO" Frontispiece. "IT'S MORE THAN DANGEROUS. IT'S ALMOST CERTAINLY FATAL" "ALL AT ONCE A GREAT BODY OF GAS WAS EJECTED INTO THE AIR, IN A BLAZE OF LIGHT" "'YOUNG MAN,' HE CRIED, '...I WARN YOU NOT TO TRIFLE WITH THE BURNING MOUNTAIN'" "I ROLLED DOWN RAPIDLY TO THE VERY BOTTOM" "I LAY THERE HORROR-STRICKEN, AND GAZED IDLY DOWN" "I CLUTCHED THE CRUMBLING PEAK WITH MY HOOKED FINGERS" "SHE CARRIED ME SLOWLY UP THE ZIG-ZAG PATH" "'IF YOU KNEW ALL,' SHE ANSWERED, 'HOW YOU WOULD PITY ME!'" "'EVERYTHING IS CORRECT,' HE WHISPERED" "SHE LOOKED UP IN AN AGONY OF SUSPENSE" "KEA TRIED ON ALL HER THINGS" "A STRANGE PROCESSION BEGAN SLOWLY TO DESCEND" "THE BAMBOO BENT OMINOUSLY DOWN" "WE RODE AT FULL SPEED IN BREATHLESS HASTE" THE BECKONING HAND ETC. BY GRANT ALLEN. STRANGE STORIES. CONTENTS. The Beckoning Hand Lucretia The Third Time The Gold Wulfric My Uncle's Will The Two Carnegies Olga Davidoff's Husband John Cann's Treasure Isaline and I Professor Milliter's Dilemma In Strict Confidence The Search Party's Find Harry's Inheritance STRANGE STORIES BY GRANT ALLEN 1884 CONTENTS. The Reverend John Creedy Dr. Greatrex's Engagement Mr. Chung The Curate of Churnside An Episode in High Life My New Year's Eve among the Mummies The Foundering of the "Fortuna" The Backslider The Mysterious Occurrence in Piccadilly Carvalho Pausodyne The Empress of Andorra The Senior Proctor's Wooing The Child of the Phalanstery Our Scientific Observations on a Ghost Ram Das of Cawnpore WEDNESDAY THE TENTH A TALE OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC BY GRANT ALLEN 1890 CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. WE SIGHT A BOAT 9 CHAPTER II. THE BOAT'S CREW 27 CHAPTER III. THE MYSTERY SOLVED 41 CHAPTER IV. MARTIN LUTHER'S STORY 56 CHAPTER V. A BREAK-DOWN 72 CHAPTER VI. ON THE ISLAND 86 CHAPTER VII. ERRORS EXCEPTED 100 CHAPTER VIII. HOT WORK 113 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.