4 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXX. 
Sheikh*, my conversation with the former now began 
to turn more and more upon religious subjects, such 
as the return of the Messiah, and on the meaning of 
the name " Paraclete " given in the New Testament 
to the Holy Spirit, who was to descend upon the 
apostles, but which by the Mohammedans in more 
recent times is applied to Mohammed, whose coming, 
they say, is predicted in this instance by the Holy 
Book of the Christians. 
One day when I visited the Sheikh, the two brothers 
were engaged in an animated discussion respecting 
the relation of 'Aisa (Jesus Christ) to Mohammed, 
and a warm dispute arose on the sophistical question, 
whether it would be allowed, after the return of 
'Aisa upon earth, to eat camel's flesh. The Sheikh 
himself was anxious to prove how difficult it would 
be for themselves to change any part of their creed 
after the return of *Aisa, owing to the ditFerence 
which existed between the precepts of the two pro- 
phets, and thus intended to excuse the Christians for 
not embracing the creed of Mohammed, after having 
once adopted that of 'Aisa. The two learned men, 
in the heat of their dispute, had overlooked the fact 
that the camel w^as a prohibited animal to the Jews, 
but not to the Christians, and hence that the return 
of 'Aisa would not interfere with their favourite 
repast. It was by cheerfully entering into these 
* I possess two of these essays, the coritents of which at the pre- 
sent moment are not quite devoid of interest, as they show in 
what light tliese Mohammedans regard the Christians. 
