66 
“ PERHAPS IT WAS HIS UNCLE.' 
[chap. I. 
but he had the best of the struggle and was dragging 
the people into the open river; I was therefore obliged 
to end the sport by putting a ball through his head. 
He was scored all over by the tusks of some other 
hippopotamus that had been bullying him. The men 
declared that his father had thus misused him ; others 
were of opinion that it was his mother; and the argu¬ 
ment ran high, and became hot. These Arabs have 
an extraordinary taste for arguments upon the most 
trifling points. I have frequently known my men 
argue throughout the greater part of the night, and 
recommence the same argument on the following 
morning. These debates generally end in a fight; 
and in the present instance the excitement of the 
hunt only added to the heat of the argument. 
They at length agreed to refer it to me, and both 
parties approached, vociferously advancing their theo¬ 
ries ; one half persisting that the young hippo had 
been bullied by his father, and the others adhering to 
the mother as the cause. I, being referee, suggested 
that “ perhaps it was his uncle.” Wall Illahi sahe ! 
(By Allah it is true!) Both parties were satis¬ 
fied with the suggestion; dropping their theory they 
became practical, and fell to with knives and axes 
to cut up the cause of the argument. He was as fat 
as butter, and was a perfect godsend to the people, 
