vi MAKANYANGA THE PHILOSOPHER 67 



fools than others, while Mahometans are the 

 greatest fools of all. So the first big village we 

 came to, I thought I'd take advantage of the 

 Mahometan's usual stupidity. I told the villagers 

 that your tracker, Kapopo, and I were Mahometans, 

 but that the remainder of the party were not ; also, 

 that we had killed three buffaloes and cut their 

 throats according to Moslem rites and were desirous 

 of purchasing food with the flesh. So the idiots 

 said "good," and brought us lots of food in 

 exchange for the so-called buffalo meat, and we, 

 as you see, have brought it here. I will take good 

 care not to visit their village again, for if they ever 

 find out the trick I have played on them, they will 

 most assuredly poison or murder me at the first 

 opportunity." 



Upon my remonstrating with him on his duplicity 

 and lecturing him upon the wrong he had inflicted 

 on those unsuspecting Mahometans, he argued : 

 ' Well, master, had I deceived shenzis (that is, 

 heathens), like ourselves, I should certainly feel that 

 I had done wrong, but with Mahometans, no : for 

 they say that we who are not Mahometans are only 

 heathens, and that when we die we all go to Ahellas 

 (Hades), and that they, who are Mahometans, are 

 sure to go to Binguni (Paradise). Now this no 

 man knows, for no human being, to our knowledge, 

 has ever returned from the grave to tell us what to 



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