256 ADVENTURES OF|AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. 



heathenism. Whether he was ' pitying them and 

 offering up a silent prayer on their behalf, I do 

 not know, but, with man's frail nature, looking 

 temptation in the face is admittedly an unwise 

 proceeding, and when the old fellow asked the 

 feasters what the meat tasted like, and whether it 

 was tough, I felt that the ice of his asceticism was 

 beginning to thaw in the sunshine of their epicur- 

 eanism, and pondered on the insatiability of human 

 curiosity as to the nature of sin ! My men replied 

 that it was delicious, and Ntawasie, my tracker, 

 playing the good old role of tempter, coolly took 

 a steak that he was toasting over the fire and 

 offered it to the old man. He looked at it with a 

 gaze in which desire and renunciation were curiously 

 blended, and muttering something about being 

 insulted, rose, walked away a few yards, and once 

 more sat down. Thereupon, my boy, Usufu, went 

 up and chatted .with him and gave him a pinch of 

 snuff to soothe his wounded feelings. After so long 

 an exposure to the appetizing odour of roasting 

 elephant meat, that friendly pinch of snuff proved 

 his undoing, for, a few seconds later, he sprang up 

 and excitedly shouted : 



' Yes, the temptation is too great for me ! Why 

 should I continually deny myself the pleasure of 

 eating this delicious meat, because it has been 

 forbidden by the Mahometan faith? No, I'm sick 



