168 A SPORTING PARADISE 



" * Well ! never mind, old man,' I replied, 

 c let us have a pipe and disinfect the enemy/ 



" We had our pipes and talked of everything 

 we could think of except that screen, but I 

 noticed my companion looking at it continually, 

 and he too detected me a dozen times doing 

 the same thing. Finally, we both spoke almost 

 together. ' What is behind it ? ' 



" The sun had now arisen, and the warm rays 

 fell upon the roof of the hut, and as the heat 

 increased the odours that surrounded us became 

 unbearable. We walked round the hut together 

 a dozen times, and tried to peer into that mys- 

 terious recess and to unearth the mystery without 

 the necessity of pulling aside the screen, but 

 without success. Still we hesitated. There are 

 horrors of death in the shape of death that the 

 bravest shrink from, and though we had both 

 so narrowly escaped its jaws, yet that screen, with 

 its weird shadow, unearthly odour, and awful 

 something hidden, made the very thought of 

 investigation repugnant. The old-fashioned de- 

 cision of tossing a coin in the air or drawing 

 lots doubtless occurred to us both, but to carry 

 it out was a concession to cowardice that neither 

 would admit. 



