s all who do not worship him if he chances to meet them.
He lives farther on in the forest yonder, and the Black Kendah make use
of him in war, for the devil in him obeys their priests."

"Indeed, and is this elephant always the same?"

"I cannot tell you, but for many generations it has been the same, for
it is known by its size and by the fact that one of its tusks is twisted
downwards."

"Well," I remarked, "all this proves nothing, since elephants certainly
live for at least two hundred years, and perhaps much longer. Also,
after they become 'rogues' they acquire every kind of wicked and
unnatural habit, as to which I could tell you lots of stories. Have you
seen this elephant?"

"No, Macumazana," he answered with a shiver. "If I had seen it should
I have been alive to-day? Yet I fear I am fated to see it ere long,
not alone," and again he shivered, looking at me in a very suggestive
manner.

At this moment our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of two
Black Kendahs who brought us our breakfast of porridge and a boiled
fowl, and stood there while we ate it. For my part I was not sorry, as
I had learned all I wanted to know of the theological opinions and
practice of the land, and had come to the conclusion that the terrible
devil-god of the Black Kendah was merely a rogue elephant of unusual
size and ferocity, which under other circumstances it would have given
me the greatest pleasure to try to shoot.

When we had finished eating, that is soon, for neither of our appetites
was good that morning, we walked out of the house into the surrounding
compound and visited the camelmen in their hut. Here we found them
squatted on the ground looking very depressed indeed. When I asked them
what was the matter they replied, "Nothing," except that they were men
about to die and life was pleasant. Also they had wives and children
whom they would never see again.

Having tried to cheer them up to the best of my ability, which I fear I
did without conviction, for in my heart I agreed with their view of the
case, we returned to the guest-house and mounted the stair which led to
the flat roof. Hence we saw that some curious ceremony was in progress
in the centre of the market-place. At that distance we could not make
out the details, for I forgot to say that my glasses had been stolen
with the pistol and knife, probably because they were supposed to be
lethal weapons or instruments of magic.

A rough altar had bee