CH.XXIX MAHOMETAN FAITH, ETC. 255 



upon the scene and stood spectators of this goodly 

 repast. For a while, they watched the eating 

 unmoved ; then the savour of the cooked flesh, 

 making a swift onslaught on their most sacred 

 beliefs, they grew hesitant ; and, finally, after a brief 

 consultation, arrived at a unanimous decision. 

 Elephant meat had won the day, and they came 

 forward, saying that they had been foolish long 

 enough in adhering to such an austere faith, and 

 henceforth were going to consume whatever food 

 the gods sent them and elephant meat in particular. 

 So sitting down, they joined my men's feast, 

 toasting and eating and making merry over the 

 savoury flesh, while the Mahometan faith was 

 relegated, for the time being, to the region of 

 unpleasant memories. 



In the midst of this rude but cheerful banquet, 

 there appeared on the scene an old man, wearing 

 under his arm a board on which was written a 

 Mahometan prayer, a custom followed by many 

 devotees of that faith, and after the usual salaams 

 had been exchanged, one of my men jokingly asked 

 him to join the repast, never for a moment dream- 

 ing that he would do so. At first, the old man 

 emphatically refused, and, as if afraid that proximity 

 to such impiety would defile him, went and sat 

 down a short distance away and closely watched his 

 degenerate brothers, who had so weakly lapsed into 



