“Of course: a descendant of Abraham.”
“Well, that’s what that old chap is, sir.”
“Stuff!” said Dean.
“Ah, you may call it stuff, sir; but see where we found him, in this old cave. He’s been there for ages and ages, and he got so old at last that he crawled in there to die, but found he couldn’t die a bit. He’s been going on keeping just alive for nobody knows how long; and when an old man gets as old as that he has got past wanting to eat and drink. He just goes on living; and it’s my belief, as I said afore, that he’s one of them as set up those walls and dug the gold and melted it for King Solomon’s ships to take away. Did you ever hear of the wandering Jew, sir?”
“Yes, Dan. Of course.”
“Well, sir, that’s ’im.”
“We did find a curiosity, then,” said Mark merrily.
“Oh, bother!” said Dean. “Here, Dan, you had better leave history alone. I shouldn’t be at all surprised, though, if the animated fossil has lived as long as old Parr.”
“Old Parr, sir? You mean him as made the Life Pills?”
“No, he doesn’t,” said Mark, laughing. “He was an old fellow who lived to about a hundred and fifty.”