xiv FINDING THE MAN-EATERS' DEN 157 



had deceived me and made me imagine a black 

 bank and a few rushes to be a living animal. We 

 now left the bed of the ravine, and advanced along 

 the top. This turned out to be a good move, for 

 soon we heard the galloping of a herd of some 

 animal or other across our front. I rushed round a 

 corner in the path a few yards ahead, and crouching 

 under the bushes saw a line of startled zebras 

 flying past. This was the first time I had seen 

 these beautifully marked animals in their wild state, 

 so I selected the largest and fired, and as I was 

 quite close to them he dropped in his tracks stone- 

 dead. When I stood over the handsome creature I 

 was positively sorry for having killed him. Not so 

 Moota, however, who rushed up in ecstasy, and 

 before I could stop him had cut his throat. This 

 was done, as he remarked, " to make the meat 

 lawful," for Moota was a devout follower of the 

 Prophet, and no true Mohammedan will eat the 

 flesh of any animal unless the throat has been cut 

 at the proper place and the blood allowed to flow. 

 This custom has often caused me great annoyance, 

 for Mohammedan followers rush in so quickly when 

 an animal is shot and cut the head off so short that 

 it is afterwards quite useless as a trophy. 



By the time the zebra was skinned, darkness was 

 fast approaching, so we selected a suitable tree in 

 which to pass the night. Under it we built a 



