68 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. vi 



expect, and, in any case, we do not believe in the 

 Mahometan creed. So now that they have eaten 

 elephant meat, which, according to their creed, is 

 unclean, if we must go to hell, they must go also. 

 On the other hand, if they go to heaven, we shall 

 go also, for since they have eaten unclean meat, as 

 we do, we both stand on the same footing.' 



This was no place for nice argument, even had I 

 been in a position to hold forth on so abstruse a 

 subject. Nor could I let Makanyanga see that I 

 was at all amused, so making some hasty excuse, I 

 quickly retired to the privacy of the bush and gave 

 vent to the laugh which, in order to preserve my 

 dignity, I had been painfully repressing for the last 

 ten minutes. 



