"Ye seek Elikoia's life....Ye watch to make sure of your prey, when
the boy is alone, his thoughts fixed on high....Ye shall wear
hideous forms, ye shall wander on the land, as well as on the
water, but nowhere shall ye find rest. Ye shall dread and be
dreaded by all; ye shall constantly be put to death, that your hide
and carcase at least may serve for useful purposes in the land that
ye have denied.... Ye shall be slain with no more compunction than
when a man cuts down a tree with which to make his hut." [1]....
[Footnote 1: The above belongs to the ancient mythology
of Montalluyah.]
Hippopotami are very numerous in my planet; their breed is encouraged,
for they are found to be invaluable.
They are of a cruel nature, and there is much antipathy between them and
human beings. Apart from the valuable uses to which they are made
subservient, these beasts are regarded in our planet with a feeling akin
to that with which you regard the serpent, it having been supposed in
the early ages of our world that the hippopotamus embodied a portion of
the spirit of the enemy of mankind.