acknowledge
Mohammed as the Prophet of God, and conform in all other respects to the
true religion, as he called it. As the question was not formally put to
us, we had no reason to reply, and therefore stood silent while the
discussion was going forward. As soon as it was over, the marabout came
to us and inquired whether we were willing to conform to the faith of
the Prophet, promising that if we did so our lives would be spared. We
answered boldly, and at once, that we would not be hypocrites, and that
we had resolved to abide by the religion in which we had been brought
up.

Our determined answer greatly enraged the marabout, who had expected to
make easy converts of us. "Then you must be prepared for the fate you
have brought upon yourselves," he answered.

As evening was approaching, both parties encamped; and we were left
during the night in doubt as to what our punishment would be.

Ben was as firm as any of us. "A pretty sort of prophet Mohammed must
have been, if he could not teach his followers to behave themselves
better than they do," he exclaimed. "I cannot say but what they bow and
pray enough, and go through all sorts of curious forms, but to my mind
it's all outside show; and if their religion don't teach people to be
kind and merciful, and to do to others as they would others should do to
them, it's not worth a bit of rotten rope yarn."

Selim, who had hitherto professed to be a follower of Mohammed,
declared, after hearing our conversation, that he was ready to
acknowledge himself a Christian, and to die with us if we were to be put
to death. Boxall thereupon spoke very earnestly to him, as he had done
to us, and urged him to adhere to his resolution. "It is far better to
die than to live a hypocrite, or to acknowledge that Mohammed was a true
prophet of God, when we know that he was an emissary of Satan sent to
deceive the world," he observed.

Next morning, after the Arabs and blacks had gone through their usual
ceremonies, we were brought out, with our arms bound to our sides.

The marabout had, in the meantime, been among the people, endeavouring
to excite them against us, and they now gathered round from every side
with savage gestures, hurling bitter curses at our heads, calling us
vile Christians, despisers of the true Prophet, Nazarene dogs, accursed
infidels, children of Satan, and similar names, till they had exhausted
their vocabulary of abuse.

The two sheikhs and the other