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<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SON OF TARZAN ***</div>

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<img src="images/cover.jpg" style="width:100%;" alt="[Illustration]" />
</div>

<h1>The Son Of Tarzan</h1>

<h2 class="no-break">by Edgar Rice Burroughs</h2>

<div class="chapter">

<p class="center">
To Hulbert Burroughs
</p>

<hr />

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2>Contents</h2>

<table summary="" style="">

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap01">I.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap02">II.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap03">III.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap04">IV.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap05">V.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap06">VI.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap07">VII.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap08">VIII.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap09">IX.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap10">X.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap11">XI.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap12">XII.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap13">XIII.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap14">XIV.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap15">XV.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap16">XVI.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap17">XVII.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap18">XVIII.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap19">XIX.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap20">XX.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap21">XXI.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap22">XXII.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap23">XXIII.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap24">XXIV.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap25">XXV.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap26">XXVI.</a></td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td> <a href="#chap27">XXVII.</a></td>
</tr>

</table>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap01"></a>I.</h2>

<p>
The long boat of the <i>Marjorie W.</i> was floating down the broad Ugambi with
ebb tide and current. Her crew were lazily enjoying this respite from the
arduous labor of rowing up stream. Three miles below them lay the <i>Marjorie
W.</i> herself, quite ready to sail so soon as they should have clambered
aboard and swung the long boat to its davits. Presently the attention of every
man was drawn from his dreaming or his gossiping to the northern bank of the
river. There, screaming at them in a cracked falsetto and with skinny arms
outstretched, stood a strange apparition of a man.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Wot the &rsquo;ell?&rdquo; ejaculated one of the crew.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;A white man!&rdquo; muttered the mate, and then: &ldquo;Man the oars,
boys, and we&rsquo;ll just pull over an&rsquo; see what he wants.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
When they came close to the shore they saw an emaciated creature with scant
white locks tangled and matted. The thin, bent body was naked but for a loin
cloth. Tears were rolling down the sunken pock-marked cheeks. The man jabbered
at them in a strange tongue.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Rooshun,&rdquo; hazarded the mate. &ldquo;Savvy English?&rdquo; he
called to the man.
</p>

<p>
He did, and in that tongue, brokenly and haltingly, as though it had been many
years since he had used it, he begged them to take him with them away from this
awful country. Once on board the <i>Marjorie W.</i> the stranger told his
rescuers a pitiful tale of privation, hardships, and torture, extending over a
period of ten years. How he happened to have come to Africa he did not tell
them, leaving them to assume he had forgotten the incidents of his life prior
to the frightful ordeals that had wrecked him mentally and physically. He did
not even tell them his true name, and so they knew him only as Michael Sabrov,
nor was there any resemblance between this sorry wreck and the virile, though
unprincipled, Alexis Paulvitch of old.
</p>

<p>
It had been ten years since the Russian had escaped the fate of his friend, the
arch-fiend Rokoff, and not once, but many times during those ten years had
Paulvitch cursed the fate that had given to Nicholas Rokoff death and immunity
from suffering while it had meted to him the hideous terrors of an existence
infinitely worse than the death that persistently refused to claim him.
</p>

<p>
Paulvitch had taken to the jungle when he had seen the beasts of Tarzan and
their savage lord swarm the deck of the <i>Kincaid</i>, and in his terror lest
Tarzan pursue and capture him he had stumbled on deep into the jungle, only to
fall at last into the hands of one of the savage cannibal tribes that had felt
the weight of Rokoff&rsquo;s evil temper and cruel brutality. Some strange whim
of the chief of this tribe saved Paulvitch from death only to plunge him into a
life of misery and torture. For ten years he had been the butt of the village,
beaten and stoned by the women and children, cut and slashed and disfigured by
the warriors; a victim of often recurring fevers of the most malignant variety.
Yet he did not die. Smallpox laid its hideous clutches upon him; leaving him
unspeakably branded with its repulsive marks. Between it and the attentions of
the tribe the countenance of Alexis Paulvitch was so altered that his own
mother could not have recognized in the pitiful mask he called his face a
single familiar feature. A few scraggly, yellow-white locks had supplanted the
thick, dark hair that had covered his head. His limbs were bent and twisted, he
walked with a shuffling, unsteady gait, his body doubled forward. His teeth
were gone&mdash;knocked out by his savage masters. Even his mentality was but a
sorry mockery of what it once had been.
</p>

<p>
They took him aboard the <i>Marjorie W.</i>, and there they fed and nursed him.
He gained a little in strength; but his appearance never altered for the
better&mdash;a human derelict, battered and wrecked, they had found him; a
human derelict, battered and wrecked, he would remain until death claimed him.
Though still in his thirties, Alexis Paulvitch could easily have passed for
eighty. Inscrutable Nature had demanded of the accomplice a greater penalty
than his principal had paid.
</p>

<p>
In the mind of Alexis Paulvitch there lingered no thoughts of
revenge&mdash;only a dull hatred of the man whom he and Rokoff had tried to
break, and failed. There was hatred, too, of the memory of Rokoff, for Rokoff
had led him into the horrors he had undergone. There was hatred of the police
of a score of cities from which he had had to flee. There was hatred of law,
hatred of order, hatred of everything. Every moment of the man&rsquo;s waking
life was filled with morbid thought of hatred&mdash;he had become mentally as
he was physically in outward appearance, the personification of the blighting
emotion of Hate. He had little or nothing to do with the men who had rescued
him. He was too weak to work and too morose for company, and so they quickly
left him alone to his own devices.
</p>

<p>
The <i>Marjorie W.</i> had been chartered by a syndicate of wealthy
manufacturers, equipped with a laboratory and a staff of scientists, and sent
out to search for some natural product which the manufacturers who footed the
bills had been importing from South America at an enormous cost. What the
product was none on board the <i>Marjorie W.</i> knew except the scientists,
nor is it of any moment to us, other than that it led the ship to a certain
island off the coast of Africa after Alexis Paulvitch had been taken aboard.
</p>

<p>
The ship lay at anchor off the coast for several weeks. The monotony of life
aboard her became trying for the crew. They went often ashore, and finally
Paulvitch asked to accompany them&mdash;he too was tiring of the blighting
sameness of existence upon the ship.
</p>

<p>
The island was heavily timbered. Dense jungle ran down almost to the beach. The
scientists were far inland, prosecuting their search for the valuable commodity
that native rumor upon the mainland had led them to believe might be found here
in marketable quantity. The ship&rsquo;s company fished, hunted, and explored.
Paulvitch shuffled up and down the beach, or lay in the shade of the great
trees that skirted it. One day, as the men were gathered at a little distance
inspecting the body of a panther that had fallen to the gun of one of them who
had been hunting inland, Paulvitch lay sleeping beneath his tree. He was
awakened by the touch of a hand upon his shoulder. With a start he sat up to
see a huge, anthropoid ape squatting at his side, inspecting him intently. The
Russian was thoroughly frightened. He glanced toward the sailors&mdash;they
were a couple of hundred yards away. Again the ape plucked at his shoulder,
jabbering plaintively. Paulvitch saw no menace in the inquiring gaze, or in the
attitude of the beast. He got slowly to his feet. The ape rose at his side.
</p>

<p>
Half doubled, the man shuffled cautiously away toward the sailors. The ape
moved with him, taking one of his arms. They had come almost to the little knot
of men before they were seen, and by this time Paulvitch had become assured
that the beast meant no harm. The animal evidently was accustomed to the
association of human beings. It occurred to the Russian that the ape
represented a certain considerable money value, and before they reached the
sailors he had decided he should be the one to profit by it.
</p>

<p>
When the men looked up and saw the oddly paired couple shuffling toward them
they were filled with amazement, and started on a run toward the two. The ape
showed no sign of fear. Instead he grasped each sailor by the shoulder and
peered long and earnestly into his face. Having inspected them all he returned
to Paulvitch&rsquo;s side, disappointment written strongly upon his countenance
and in his carriage.
</p>

<p>
The men were delighted with him. They gathered about, asking Paulvitch many
questions, and examining his companion. The Russian told them that the ape was
his&mdash;nothing further would he offer&mdash;but kept harping continually
upon the same theme, &ldquo;The ape is mine. The ape is mine.&rdquo; Tiring of
Paulvitch, one of the men essayed a pleasantry. Circling about behind the ape
he prodded the anthropoid in the back with a pin. Like a flash the beast
wheeled upon its tormentor, and, in the briefest instant of turning, the
placid, friendly animal was metamorphosed to a frenzied demon of rage. The
broad grin that had sat upon the sailor&rsquo;s face as he perpetrated his
little joke froze to an expression of terror. He attempted to dodge the long
arms that reached for him; but, failing, drew a long knife that hung at his
belt. With a single wrench the ape tore the weapon from the man&rsquo;s grasp
and flung it to one side, then his yellow fangs were buried in the
sailor&rsquo;s shoulder.
</p>

<p>
With sticks and knives the man&rsquo;s companions fell upon the beast, while
Paulvitch danced around the cursing, snarling pack mumbling and screaming pleas
and threats. He saw his visions of wealth rapidly dissipating before the
weapons of the sailors.
</p>

<p>
The ape, however, proved no easy victim to the superior numbers that seemed
fated to overwhelm him. Rising from the sailor who had precipitated the battle
he shook his giant shoulders, freeing himself from two of the men that were
clinging to his back, and with mighty blows of his open palms felled one after
another of his attackers, leaping hither and thither with the agility of a
small monkey.
</p>

<p>
The fight had been witnessed by the captain and mate who were just landing from
the <i>Marjorie W.</i>, and Paulvitch saw these two now running forward with
drawn revolvers while the two sailors who had brought them ashore trailed at
their heels. The ape stood looking about him at the havoc he had wrought, but
whether he was awaiting a renewal of the attack or was deliberating which of
his foes he should exterminate first Paulvitch could not guess. What he could
guess, however, was that the moment the two officers came within firing
distance of the beast they would put an end to him in short order unless
something were done and done quickly to prevent. The ape had made no move to
attack the Russian but even so the man was none too sure of what might happen
were he to interfere with the savage beast, now thoroughly aroused to bestial
rage, and with the smell of new spilled blood fresh in its nostrils. For an
instant he hesitated, and then again there rose before him the dreams of
affluence which this great anthropoid would doubtless turn to realities once
Paulvitch had landed him safely in some great metropolis like London.
</p>

<p>
The captain was shouting to him now to stand aside that he might have a shot at
the animal; but instead Paulvitch shuffled to the ape&rsquo;s side, and though
the man&rsquo;s hair quivered at its roots he mastered his fear and laid hold
of the ape&rsquo;s arm.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come!&rdquo; he commanded, and tugged to pull the beast from among the
sailors, many of whom were now sitting up in wide eyed fright or crawling away
from their conqueror upon hands and knees.
</p>

<p>
Slowly the ape permitted itself to be led to one side, nor did it show the
slightest indication of a desire to harm the Russian. The captain came to a
halt a few paces from the odd pair.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Get aside, Sabrov!&rdquo; he commanded. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll put that brute
where he won&rsquo;t chew up any more able seamen.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t his fault, captain,&rdquo; pleaded Paulvitch.
&ldquo;Please don&rsquo;t shoot him. The men started it&mdash;they attacked him
first. You see, he&rsquo;s perfectly gentle&mdash;and he&rsquo;s
mine&mdash;he&rsquo;s mine&mdash;he&rsquo;s mine! I won&rsquo;t let you kill
him,&rdquo; he concluded, as his half-wrecked mentality pictured anew the
pleasure that money would buy in London&mdash;money that he could not hope to
possess without some such windfall as the ape represented.
</p>

<p>
The captain lowered his weapon. &ldquo;The men started it, did they?&rdquo; he
repeated. &ldquo;How about that?&rdquo; and he turned toward the sailors who
had by this time picked themselves from the ground, none of them much the worse
for his experience except the fellow who had been the cause of it, and who
would doubtless nurse a sore shoulder for a week or so.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Simpson done it,&rdquo; said one of the men. &ldquo;He stuck a pin into
the monk from behind, and the monk got him&mdash;which served him
bloomin&rsquo; well right&mdash;an&rsquo; he got the rest of us, too, for which
I can&rsquo;t blame him, since we all jumped him to once.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The captain looked at Simpson, who sheepishly admitted the truth of the
allegation, then he stepped over to the ape as though to discover for himself
the sort of temper the beast possessed, but it was noticeable that he kept his
revolver cocked and leveled as he did so. However, he spoke soothingly to the
animal who squatted at the Russian&rsquo;s side looking first at one and then
another of the sailors. As the captain approached him the ape half rose and
waddled forward to meet him. Upon his countenance was the same strange,
searching expression that had marked his scrutiny of each of the sailors he had
first encountered. He came quite close to the officer and laid a paw upon one
of the man&rsquo;s shoulders, studying his face intently for a long moment,
then came the expression of disappointment accompanied by what was almost a
human sigh, as he turned away to peer in the same curious fashion into the
faces of the mate and the two sailors who had arrived with the officers. In
each instance he sighed and passed on, returning at length to Paulvitch&rsquo;s
side, where he squatted down once more; thereafter evincing little or no
interest in any of the other men, and apparently forgetful of his recent battle
with them.
</p>

<p>
When the party returned aboard the <i>Marjorie W.</i>, Paulvitch was
accompanied by the ape, who seemed anxious to follow him. The captain
interposed no obstacles to the arrangement, and so the great anthropoid was
tacitly admitted to membership in the ship&rsquo;s company. Once aboard he
examined each new face minutely, evincing the same disappointment in each
instance that had marked his scrutiny of the others. The officers and
scientists aboard often discussed the beast, but they were unable to account
satisfactorily for the strange ceremony with which he greeted each new face.
Had he been discovered upon the mainland, or any other place than the almost
unknown island that had been his home, they would have concluded that he had
formerly been a pet of man; but that theory was not tenable in the face of the
isolation of his uninhabited island. He seemed continually to be searching for
someone, and during the first days of the return voyage from the island he was
often discovered nosing about in various parts of the ship; but after he had
seen and examined each face of the ship&rsquo;s company, and explored every
corner of the vessel he lapsed into utter indifference of all about him. Even
the Russian elicited only casual interest when he brought him food. At other
times the ape appeared merely to tolerate him. He never showed affection for
him, or for anyone else upon the <i>Marjorie W.</i>, nor did he at any time
evince any indication of the savage temper that had marked his resentment of
the attack of the sailors upon him at the time that he had come among them.
</p>

<p>
Most of his time was spent in the eye of the ship scanning the horizon ahead,
as though he were endowed with sufficient reason to know that the vessel was
bound for some port where there would be other human beings to undergo his
searching scrutiny. All in all, Ajax, as he had been dubbed, was considered the
most remarkable and intelligent ape that any one aboard the <i>Marjorie W.</i>
ever had seen. Nor was his intelligence the only remarkable attribute he owned.
His stature and physique were, for an ape, awe inspiring. That he was old was
quite evident, but if his age had impaired his physical or mental powers in the
slightest it was not apparent.
</p>

<p>
And so at length the <i>Marjorie W.</i> came to England, and there the officers
and the scientists, filled with compassion for the pitiful wreck of a man they
had rescued from the jungles, furnished Paulvitch with funds and bid him and
his Ajax Godspeed.
</p>

<p>
Upon the dock and all through the journey to London the Russian had his hands
full with Ajax. Each new face of the thousands that came within the
anthropoid&rsquo;s ken must be carefully scrutinized, much to the horror of
many of his victims; but at last, failing, apparently, to discover whom he
sought, the great ape relapsed into morbid indifference, only occasionally
evincing interest in a passing face.
</p>

<p>
In London, Paulvitch went directly with his prize to a certain famous animal
trainer. This man was much impressed with Ajax with the result that he agreed
to train him for a lion&rsquo;s share of the profits of exhibiting him, and in
the meantime to provide for the keep of both the ape and his owner.
</p>

<p>
And so came Ajax to London, and there was forged another link in the chain of
strange circumstances that were to affect the lives of many people.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap02"></a>II.</h2>

<p>
Mr. Harold Moore was a bilious-countenanced, studious young man. He took
himself very seriously, and life, and his work, which latter was the tutoring
of the young son of a British nobleman. He felt that his charge was not making
the progress that his parents had a right to expect, and he was now
conscientiously explaining this fact to the boy&rsquo;s mother.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that he isn&rsquo;t bright,&rdquo; he was saying;
&ldquo;if that were true I should have hopes of succeeding, for then I might
bring to bear all my energies in overcoming his obtuseness; but the trouble is
that he is exceptionally intelligent, and learns so quickly that I can find no
fault in the matter of the preparation of his lessons. What concerns me,
however, is the fact that he evidently takes no interest whatever in the
subjects we are studying. He merely accomplishes each lesson as a task to be
rid of as quickly as possible and I am sure that no lesson ever again enters
his mind until the hours of study and recitation once more arrive. His sole
interests seem to be feats of physical prowess and the reading of everything
that he can get hold of relative to savage beasts and the lives and customs of
uncivilized peoples; but particularly do stories of animals appeal to him. He
will sit for hours together poring over the work of some African explorer, and
upon two occasions I have found him setting up in bed at night reading Carl
Hagenbeck&rsquo;s book on men and beasts.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The boy&rsquo;s mother tapped her foot nervously upon the hearth rug.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You discourage this, of course?&rdquo; she ventured.
</p>

<p>
Mr. Moore shuffled embarrassedly.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I&mdash;ah&mdash;essayed to take the book from him,&rdquo; he replied, a
slight flush mounting his sallow cheek; &ldquo;but&mdash;ah&mdash;your son is
quite muscular for one so young.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He wouldn&rsquo;t let you take it?&rdquo; asked the mother.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He would not,&rdquo; confessed the tutor. &ldquo;He was perfectly good
natured about it; but he insisted upon pretending that he was a gorilla and
that I was a chimpanzee attempting to steal food from him. He leaped upon me
with the most savage growls I ever heard, lifted me completely above his head,
hurled me upon his bed, and after going through a pantomime indicative of
choking me to death he stood upon my prostrate form and gave voice to a most
fearsome shriek, which he explained was the victory cry of a bull ape. Then he
carried me to the door, shoved me out into the hall and locked me from his
room.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
For several minutes neither spoke again. It was the boy&rsquo;s mother who
finally broke the silence.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It is very necessary, Mr. Moore,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;that you do
everything in your power to discourage this tendency in Jack, he&mdash;&rdquo;;
but she got no further. A loud &ldquo;Whoop!&rdquo; from the direction of the
window brought them both to their feet. The room was upon the second floor of
the house, and opposite the window to which their attention had been attracted
was a large tree, a branch of which spread to within a few feet of the sill.
Upon this branch now they both discovered the subject of their recent
conversation, a tall, well-built boy, balancing with ease upon the bending limb
and uttering loud shouts of glee as he noted the terrified expressions upon the
faces of his audience.
</p>

<p>
The mother and tutor both rushed toward the window but before they had crossed
half the room the boy had leaped nimbly to the sill and entered the apartment
with them.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;&lsquo;The wild man from Borneo has just come to town,&rsquo;&rdquo; he
sang, dancing a species of war dance about his terrified mother and scandalized
tutor, and ending up by throwing his arms about the former&rsquo;s neck and
kissing her upon either cheek.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Oh, Mother,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s a wonderful, educated
ape being shown at one of the music halls. Willie Grimsby saw it last night. He
says it can do everything but talk. It rides a bicycle, eats with knife and
fork, counts up to ten, and ever so many other wonderful things, and can I go
and see it too? Oh, please, Mother&mdash;please let me.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Patting the boy&rsquo;s cheek affectionately, the mother shook her head
negatively. &ldquo;No, Jack,&rdquo; she said; &ldquo;you know I do not approve
of such exhibitions.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see why not, Mother,&rdquo; replied the boy. &ldquo;All
the other fellows go and they go to the Zoo, too, and you&rsquo;ll never let me
do even that. Anybody&rsquo;d think I was a girl&mdash;or a mollycoddle. Oh,
Father,&rdquo; he exclaimed, as the door opened to admit a tall gray-eyed man.
&ldquo;Oh, Father, can&rsquo;t I go?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Go where, my son?&rdquo; asked the newcomer.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He wants to go to a music hall to see a trained ape,&rdquo; said the
mother, looking warningly at her husband.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Who, Ajax?&rdquo; questioned the man.
</p>

<p>
The boy nodded.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Well, I don&rsquo;t know that I blame you, my son,&rdquo; said the
father, &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t mind seeing him myself. They say he is very
wonderful, and that for an anthropoid he is unusually large. Let&rsquo;s all
go, Jane&mdash;what do you say?&rdquo; And he turned toward his wife, but that
lady only shook her head in a most positive manner, and turning to Mr. Moore
asked him if it was not time that he and Jack were in the study for the morning
recitations. When the two had left she turned toward her husband.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;John,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;something must be done to discourage
Jack&rsquo;s tendency toward anything that may excite the cravings for the
savage life which I fear he has inherited from you. You know from your own
experience how strong is the call of the wild at times. You know that often it
has necessitated a stern struggle on your part to resist the almost insane
desire which occasionally overwhelms you to plunge once again into the jungle
life that claimed you for so many years, and at the same time you know, better
than any other, how frightful a fate it would be for Jack, were the trail to
the savage jungle made either alluring or easy to him.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I doubt if there is any danger of his inheriting a taste for jungle life
from me,&rdquo; replied the man, &ldquo;for I cannot conceive that such a thing
may be transmitted from father to son. And sometimes, Jane, I think that in
your solicitude for his future you go a bit too far in your restrictive
measures. His love for animals&mdash;his desire, for example, to see this
trained ape&mdash;is only natural in a healthy, normal boy of his age. Just
because he wants to see Ajax is no indication that he would wish to marry an
ape, and even should he, far be it from you Jane to have the right to cry
&lsquo;shame!&rsquo;&rdquo; and John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, put an arm about
his wife, laughing good-naturedly down into her upturned face before he bent
his head and kissed her. Then, more seriously, he continued: &ldquo;You have
never told Jack anything concerning my early life, nor have you permitted me
to, and in this I think that you have made a mistake. Had I been able to tell
him of the experiences of Tarzan of the Apes I could doubtless have taken much
of the glamour and romance from jungle life that naturally surrounds it in the
minds of those who have had no experience of it. He might then have profited by
my experience, but now, should the jungle lust ever claim him, he will have
nothing to guide him but his own impulses, and I know how powerful these may be
in the wrong direction at times.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
But Lady Greystoke only shook her head as she had a hundred other times when
the subject had claimed her attention in the past.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;No, John,&rdquo; she insisted, &ldquo;I shall never give my consent to
the implanting in Jack&rsquo;s mind of any suggestion of the savage life which
we both wish to preserve him from.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
It was evening before the subject was again referred to and then it was raised
by Jack himself. He had been sitting, curled in a large chair, reading, when he
suddenly looked up and addressed his father.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Why,&rdquo; he asked, coming directly to the point, &ldquo;can&rsquo;t I
go and see Ajax?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Your mother does not approve,&rdquo; replied his father.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Do you?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;That is not the question,&rdquo; evaded Lord Greystoke. &ldquo;It is
enough that your mother objects.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am going to see him,&rdquo; announced the boy, after a few moments of
thoughtful silence. &ldquo;I am not different from Willie Grimsby, or any other
of the fellows who have been to see him. It did not harm them and it will not
harm me. I could go without telling you; but I would not do that. So I tell you
now, beforehand, that I am going to see Ajax.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
There was nothing disrespectful or defiant in the boy&rsquo;s tone or manner.
His was merely a dispassionate statement of facts. His father could scarce
repress either a smile or a show of the admiration he felt for the manly course
his son had pursued.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I admire your candor, Jack,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Permit me to be
candid, as well. If you go to see Ajax without permission, I shall punish you.
I have never inflicted corporal punishment upon you, but I warn you that should
you disobey your mother&rsquo;s wishes in this instance, I shall.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; replied the boy; and then: &ldquo;I shall tell you,
sir, when I have been to see Ajax.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Mr. Moore&rsquo;s room was next to that of his youthful charge, and it was the
tutor&rsquo;s custom to have a look into the boy&rsquo;s each evening as the
former was about to retire. This evening he was particularly careful not to
neglect his duty, for he had just come from a conference with the boy&rsquo;s
father and mother in which it had been impressed upon him that he must exercise
the greatest care to prevent Jack visiting the music hall where Ajax was being
shown. So, when he opened the boy&rsquo;s door at about half after nine, he was
greatly excited, though not entirely surprised to find the future Lord
Greystoke fully dressed for the street and about to crawl from his open bed
room window.
</p>

<p>
Mr. Moore made a rapid spring across the apartment; but the waste of energy was
unnecessary, for when the boy heard him within the chamber and realized that he
had been discovered he turned back as though to relinquish his planned
adventure.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Where were you going?&rdquo; panted the excited Mr. Moore.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am going to see Ajax,&rdquo; replied the boy, quietly.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am astonished,&rdquo; cried Mr. Moore; but a moment later he was
infinitely more astonished, for the boy, approaching close to him, suddenly
seized him about the waist, lifted him from his feet and threw him face
downward upon the bed, shoving his face deep into a soft pillow.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Be quiet,&rdquo; admonished the victor, &ldquo;or I&rsquo;ll choke
you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Mr. Moore struggled; but his efforts were in vain. Whatever else Tarzan of the
Apes may or may not have handed down to his son he had at least bequeathed him
almost as marvelous a physique as he himself had possessed at the same age. The
tutor was as putty in the boy&rsquo;s hands. Kneeling upon him, Jack tore
strips from a sheet and bound the man&rsquo;s hands behind his back. Then he
rolled him over and stuffed a gag of the same material between his teeth,
securing it with a strip wound about the back of his victim&rsquo;s head. All
the while he talked in a low, conversational tone.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am Waja, chief of the Waji,&rdquo; he explained, &ldquo;and you are
Mohammed Dubn, the Arab sheik, who would murder my people and steal my
ivory,&rdquo; and he dexterously trussed Mr. Moore&rsquo;s hobbled ankles up
behind to meet his hobbled wrists. &ldquo;Ah&mdash;ha! Villain! I have you in
me power at last. I go; but I shall return!&rdquo; And the son of Tarzan
skipped across the room, slipped through the open window, and slid to liberty
by way of the down spout from an eaves trough.
</p>

<p>
Mr. Moore wriggled and struggled about the bed. He was sure that he should
suffocate unless aid came quickly. In his frenzy of terror he managed to roll
off the bed. The pain and shock of the fall jolted him back to something like
sane consideration of his plight. Where before he had been unable to think
intelligently because of the hysterical fear that had claimed him he now lay
quietly searching for some means of escape from his dilemma. It finally
occurred to him that the room in which Lord and Lady Greystoke had been sitting
when he left them was directly beneath that in which he lay upon the floor. He
knew that some time had elapsed since he had come up stairs and that they might
be gone by this time, for it seemed to him that he had struggled about the bed,
in his efforts to free himself, for an eternity. But the best that he could do
was to attempt to attract attention from below, and so, after many failures, he
managed to work himself into a position in which he could tap the toe of his
boot against the floor. This he proceeded to do at short intervals, until,
after what seemed a very long time, he was rewarded by hearing footsteps
ascending the stairs, and presently a knock upon the door. Mr. Moore tapped
vigorously with his toe&mdash;he could not reply in any other way. The knock
was repeated after a moment&rsquo;s silence. Again Mr. Moore tapped. Would they
never open the door! Laboriously he rolled in the direction of succor. If he
could get his back against the door he could then tap upon its base, when
surely he must be heard. The knocking was repeated a little louder, and finally
a voice called: &ldquo;Mr. Jack!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
It was one of the house men&mdash;Mr. Moore recognized the fellow&rsquo;s
voice. He came near to bursting a blood vessel in an endeavor to scream
&ldquo;come in&rdquo; through the stifling gag. After a moment the man knocked
again, quite loudly and again called the boy&rsquo;s name. Receiving no reply
he turned the knob, and at the same instant a sudden recollection filled the
tutor anew with numbing terror&mdash;he had, himself, locked the door behind
him when he had entered the room.
</p>

<p>
He heard the servant try the door several times and then depart. Upon which Mr.
Moore swooned.
</p>

<p>
In the meantime Jack was enjoying to the full the stolen pleasures of the music
hall. He had reached the temple of mirth just as Ajax&rsquo;s act was
commencing, and having purchased a box seat was now leaning breathlessly over
the rail watching every move of the great ape, his eyes wide in wonder. The
trainer was not slow to note the boy&rsquo;s handsome, eager face, and as one
of Ajax&rsquo;s biggest hits consisted in an entry to one or more boxes during
his performance, ostensibly in search of a long-lost relative, as the trainer
explained, the man realized the effectiveness of sending him into the box with
the handsome boy, who, doubtless, would be terror stricken by proximity to the
shaggy, powerful beast.
</p>

<p>
When the time came, therefore, for the ape to return from the wings in reply to
an encore the trainer directed its attention to the boy who chanced to be the
sole occupant of the box in which he sat. With a spring the huge anthropoid
leaped from the stage to the boy&rsquo;s side; but if the trainer had looked
for a laughable scene of fright he was mistaken. A broad smile lighted the
boy&rsquo;s features as he laid his hand upon the shaggy arm of his visitor.
The ape, grasping the boy by either shoulder, peered long and earnestly into
his face, while the latter stroked his head and talked to him in a low voice.
</p>

<p>
Never had Ajax devoted so long a time to an examination of another as he did in
this instance. He seemed troubled and not a little excited, jabbering and
mumbling to the boy, and now caressing him, as the trainer had never seen him
caress a human being before. Presently he clambered over into the box with him
and snuggled down close to the boy&rsquo;s side. The audience was delighted;
but they were still more delighted when the trainer, the period of his act
having elapsed, attempted to persuade Ajax to leave the box. The ape would not
budge. The manager, becoming excited at the delay, urged the trainer to greater
haste, but when the latter entered the box to drag away the reluctant Ajax he
was met by bared fangs and menacing growls.
</p>

<p>
The audience was delirious with joy. They cheered the ape. They cheered the
boy, and they hooted and jeered at the trainer and the manager, which luckless
individual had inadvertently shown himself and attempted to assist the trainer.
</p>

<p>
Finally, reduced to desperation and realizing that this show of mutiny upon the
part of his valuable possession might render the animal worthless for
exhibition purposes in the future if not immediately subdued, the trainer had
hastened to his dressing room and procured a heavy whip. With this he now
returned to the box; but when he had threatened Ajax with it but once he found
himself facing two infuriated enemies instead of one, for the boy had leaped to
his feet, and seizing a chair was standing ready at the ape&rsquo;s side to
defend his new found friend. There was no longer a smile upon his handsome
face. In his gray eyes was an expression which gave the trainer pause, and
beside him stood the giant anthropoid growling and ready.
</p>

<p>
What might have happened, but for a timely interruption, may only be surmised;
but that the trainer would have received a severe mauling, if nothing more, was
clearly indicated by the attitudes of the two who faced him.
</p>

<p class="p2">
It was a pale-faced man who rushed into the Greystoke library to announce that
he had found Jack&rsquo;s door locked and had been able to obtain no response
to his repeated knocking and calling other than a strange tapping and the sound
of what might have been a body moving about upon the floor.
</p>

<p>
Four steps at a time John Clayton took the stairs that led to the floor above.
His wife and the servant hurried after him. Once he called his son&rsquo;s name
in a loud voice; but receiving no reply he launched his great weight, backed by
all the undiminished power of his giant muscles, against the heavy door. With a
snapping of iron butts and a splintering of wood the obstacle burst inward.
</p>

<p>
At its foot lay the body of the unconscious Mr. Moore, across whom it fell with
a resounding thud. Through the opening leaped Tarzan, and a moment later the
room was flooded with light from a dozen electric bulbs.
</p>

<p>
It was several minutes before the tutor was discovered, so completely had the
door covered him; but finally he was dragged forth, his gag and bonds cut away,
and a liberal application of cold water had hastened returning consciousness.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Where is Jack?&rdquo; was John Clayton&rsquo;s first question, and then;
&ldquo;Who did this?&rdquo; as the memory of Rokoff and the fear of a second
abduction seized him.
</p>

<p>
Slowly Mr. Moore staggered to his feet. His gaze wandered about the room.
Gradually he collected his scattered wits. The details of his recent harrowing
experience returned to him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I tender my resignation, sir, to take effect at once,&rdquo; were his
first words. &ldquo;You do not need a tutor for your son&mdash;what he needs is
a wild animal trainer.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;But where is he?&rdquo; cried Lady Greystoke.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He has gone to see Ajax.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
It was with difficulty that Tarzan restrained a smile, and after satisfying
himself that the tutor was more scared than injured, he ordered his closed car
around and departed in the direction of a certain well-known music hall.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap03"></a>III.</h2>

<p>
As the trainer, with raised lash, hesitated an instant at the entrance to the
box where the boy and the ape confronted him, a tall broad-shouldered man
pushed past him and entered. As his eyes fell upon the newcomer a slight flush
mounted the boy&rsquo;s cheeks.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Father!&rdquo; he exclaimed.
</p>

<p>
The ape gave one look at the English lord, and then leaped toward him, calling
out in excited jabbering. The man, his eyes going wide in astonishment, stopped
as though turned to stone.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Akut!&rdquo; he cried.
</p>

<p>
The boy looked, bewildered, from the ape to his father, and from his father to
the ape. The trainer&rsquo;s jaw dropped as he listened to what followed, for
from the lips of the Englishman flowed the gutturals of an ape that were
answered in kind by the huge anthropoid that now clung to him.
</p>

<p>
And from the wings a hideously bent and disfigured old man watched the tableau
in the box, his pock-marked features working spasmodically in varying
expressions that might have marked every sensation in the gamut from pleasure
to terror.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Long have I looked for you, Tarzan,&rdquo; said Akut. &ldquo;Now that I
have found you I shall come to your jungle and live there always.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The man stroked the beast&rsquo;s head. Through his mind there was running
rapidly a train of recollection that carried him far into the depths of the
primeval African forest where this huge, man-like beast had fought shoulder to
shoulder with him years before. He saw the black Mugambi wielding his deadly
knob-stick, and beside them, with bared fangs and bristling whiskers, Sheeta
the terrible; and pressing close behind the savage and the savage panther, the
hideous apes of Akut. The man sighed. Strong within him surged the jungle lust
that he had thought dead. Ah! if he could go back even for a brief month of it,
to feel again the brush of leafy branches against his naked hide; to smell the
musty rot of dead vegetation&mdash;frankincense and myrrh to the jungle born;
to sense the noiseless coming of the great carnivora upon his trail; to hunt
and to be hunted; to kill! The picture was alluring. And then came another
picture&mdash;a sweet-faced woman, still young and beautiful; friends; a home;
a son. He shrugged his giant shoulders.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It cannot be, Akut,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;but if you would return, I
shall see that it is done. You could not be happy here&mdash;I may not be happy
there.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The trainer stepped forward. The ape bared his fangs, growling.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Go with him, Akut,&rdquo; said Tarzan of the Apes. &ldquo;I will come
and see you tomorrow.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The beast moved sullenly to the trainer&rsquo;s side. The latter, at John
Clayton&rsquo;s request, told where they might be found. Tarzan turned toward
his son.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come!&rdquo; he said, and the two left the theater. Neither spoke for
several minutes after they had entered the limousine. It was the boy who broke
the silence.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The ape knew you,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and you spoke together in the
ape&rsquo;s tongue. How did the ape know you, and how did you learn his
language?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
And then, briefly and for the first time, Tarzan of the Apes told his son of
his early life&mdash;of the birth in the jungle, of the death of his parents,
and of how Kala, the great she ape had suckled and raised him from infancy
almost to manhood. He told him, too, of the dangers and the horrors of the
jungle; of the great beasts that stalked one by day and by night; of the
periods of drought, and of the cataclysmic rains; of hunger; of cold; of
intense heat; of nakedness and fear and suffering. He told him of all those
things that seem most horrible to the creature of civilization in the hope that
the knowledge of them might expunge from the lad&rsquo;s mind any inherent
desire for the jungle. Yet they were the very things that made the memory of
the jungle what it was to Tarzan&mdash;that made up the composite jungle life
he loved. And in the telling he forgot one thing&mdash;the principal
thing&mdash;that the boy at his side, listening with eager ears, was the son of
Tarzan of the Apes.
</p>

<p>
After the boy had been tucked away in bed&mdash;and without the threatened
punishment&mdash;John Clayton told his wife of the events of the evening, and
that he had at last acquainted the boy with the facts of his jungle life. The
mother, who had long foreseen that her son must some time know of those
frightful years during which his father had roamed the jungle, a naked, savage
beast of prey, only shook her head, hoping against hope that the lure she knew
was still strong in the father&rsquo;s breast had not been transmitted to his
son.
</p>

<p>
Tarzan visited Akut the following day, but though Jack begged to be allowed to
accompany him he was refused. This time Tarzan saw the pock-marked old owner of
the ape, whom he did not recognize as the wily Paulvitch of former days.
Tarzan, influenced by Akut&rsquo;s pleadings, broached the question of the
ape&rsquo;s purchase; but Paulvitch would not name any price, saying that he
would consider the matter.
</p>

<p>
When Tarzan returned home Jack was all excitement to hear the details of his
visit, and finally suggested that his father buy the ape and bring it home.
Lady Greystoke was horrified at the suggestion. The boy was insistent. Tarzan
explained that he had wished to purchase Akut and return him to his jungle
home, and to this the mother assented. Jack asked to be allowed to visit the
ape, but again he was met with flat refusal. He had the address, however, which
the trainer had given his father, and two days later he found the opportunity
to elude his new tutor&mdash;who had replaced the terrified Mr. Moore&mdash;and
after a considerable search through a section of London which he had never
before visited, he found the smelly little quarters of the pock-marked old man.
The old fellow himself replied to his knocking, and when he stated that he had
come to see Ajax, opened the door and admitted him to the little room which he
and the great ape occupied. In former years Paulvitch had been a fastidious
scoundrel; but ten years of hideous life among the cannibals of Africa had
eradicated the last vestige of niceness from his habits. His apparel was
wrinkled and soiled. His hands were unwashed, his few straggling locks
uncombed. His room was a jumble of filthy disorder. As the boy entered he saw
the great ape squatting upon the bed, the coverlets of which were a tangled wad
of filthy blankets and ill-smelling quilts. At sight of the youth the ape
leaped to the floor and shuffled forward. The man, not recognizing his visitor
and fearing that the ape meant mischief, stepped between them, ordering the ape
back to the bed.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He will not hurt me,&rdquo; cried the boy. &ldquo;We are friends, and
before, he was my father&rsquo;s friend. They knew one another in the jungle.
My father is Lord Greystoke. He does not know that I have come here. My mother
forbid my coming; but I wished to see Ajax, and I will pay you if you will let
me come here often and see him.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
At the mention of the boy&rsquo;s identity Paulvitch&rsquo;s eyes narrowed.
Since he had first seen Tarzan again from the wings of the theater there had
been forming in his deadened brain the beginnings of a desire for revenge. It
is a characteristic of the weak and criminal to attribute to others the
misfortunes that are the result of their own wickedness, and so now it was that
Alexis Paulvitch was slowly recalling the events of his past life and as he did
so laying at the door of the man whom he and Rokoff had so assiduously
attempted to ruin and murder all the misfortunes that had befallen him in the
failure of their various schemes against their intended victim.
</p>

<p>
He saw at first no way in which he could, with safety to himself, wreak
vengeance upon Tarzan through the medium of Tarzan&rsquo;s son; but that great
possibilities for revenge lay in the boy was apparent to him, and so he
determined to cultivate the lad in the hope that fate would play into his hands
in some way in the future. He told the boy all that he knew of his
father&rsquo;s past life in the jungle and when he found that the boy had been
kept in ignorance of all these things for so many years, and that he had been
forbidden visiting the zoological gardens; that he had had to bind and gag his
tutor to find an opportunity to come to the music hall and see Ajax, he guessed
immediately the nature of the great fear that lay in the hearts of the
boy&rsquo;s parents&mdash;that he might crave the jungle as his father had
craved it.
</p>

<p>
And so Paulvitch encouraged the boy to come and see him often, and always he
played upon the lad&rsquo;s craving for tales of the savage world with which
Paulvitch was all too familiar. He left him alone with Akut much, and it was
not long until he was surprised to learn that the boy could make the great
beast understand him&mdash;that he had actually learned many of the words of
the primitive language of the anthropoids.
</p>

<p>
During this period Tarzan came several times to visit Paulvitch. He seemed
anxious to purchase Ajax, and at last he told the man frankly that he was
prompted not only by a desire upon his part to return the beast to the liberty
of his native jungle; but also because his wife feared that in some way her son
might learn the whereabouts of the ape and through his attachment for the beast
become imbued with the roving instinct which, as Tarzan explained to Paulvitch,
had so influenced his own life.
</p>

<p>
The Russian could scarce repress a smile as he listened to Lord
Greystoke&rsquo;s words, since scarce a half hour had passed since the time the
future Lord Greystoke had been sitting upon the disordered bed jabbering away
to Ajax with all the fluency of a born ape.
</p>

<p>
It was during this interview that a plan occurred to Paulvitch, and as a result
of it he agreed to accept a certain fabulous sum for the ape, and upon receipt
of the money to deliver the beast to a vessel that was sailing south from Dover
for Africa two days later. He had a double purpose in accepting Clayton&rsquo;s
offer. Primarily, the money consideration influenced him strongly, as the ape
was no longer a source of revenue to him, having consistently refused to
perform upon the stage after having discovered Tarzan. It was as though the
beast had suffered himself to be brought from his jungle home and exhibited
before thousands of curious spectators for the sole purpose of searching out
his long lost friend and master, and, having found him, considered further
mingling with the common herd of humans unnecessary. However that may be, the
fact remained that no amount of persuasion could influence him even to show
himself upon the music hall stage, and upon the single occasion that the
trainer attempted force the results were such that the unfortunate man
considered himself lucky to have escaped with his life. All that saved him was
the accidental presence of Jack Clayton, who had been permitted to visit the
animal in the dressing room reserved for him at the music hall, and had
immediately interfered when he saw that the savage beast meant serious
mischief.
</p>

<p>
And after the money consideration, strong in the heart of the Russian was the
desire for revenge, which had been growing with constant brooding over the
failures and miseries of his life, which he attributed to Tarzan; the latest,
and by no means the least, of which was Ajax&rsquo;s refusal to longer earn
money for him. The ape&rsquo;s refusal he traced directly to Tarzan, finally
convincing himself that the ape man had instructed the great anthropoid to
refuse to go upon the stage.
</p>

<p>
Paulvitch&rsquo;s naturally malign disposition was aggravated by the weakening
and warping of his mental and physical faculties through torture and privation.
From cold, calculating, highly intelligent perversity it had deteriorated into
the indiscriminating, dangerous menace of the mentally defective. His plan,
however, was sufficiently cunning to at least cast a doubt upon the assertion
that his mentality was wandering. It assured him first of the competence which
Lord Greystoke had promised to pay him for the deportation of the ape, and then
of revenge upon his benefactor through the son he idolized. That part of his
scheme was crude and brutal&mdash;it lacked the refinement of torture that had
marked the master strokes of the Paulvitch of old, when he had worked with that
virtuoso of villainy, Nikolas Rokoff&mdash;but it at least assured Paulvitch of
immunity from responsibility, placing that upon the ape, who would thus also be
punished for his refusal longer to support the Russian.
</p>

<p>
Everything played with fiendish unanimity into Paulvitch&rsquo;s hands. As
chance would have it, Tarzan&rsquo;s son overheard his father relating to the
boy&rsquo;s mother the steps he was taking to return Akut safely to his jungle
home, and having overheard he begged them to bring the ape home that he might
have him for a play-fellow. Tarzan would not have been averse to this plan; but
Lady Greystoke was horrified at the very thought of it. Jack pleaded with his
mother; but all unavailingly. She was obdurate, and at last the lad appeared to
acquiesce in his mother&rsquo;s decision that the ape must be returned to
Africa and the boy to school, from which he had been absent on vacation.
</p>

<p>
He did not attempt to visit Paulvitch&rsquo;s room again that day, but instead
busied himself in other ways. He had always been well supplied with money, so
that when necessity demanded he had no difficulty in collecting several hundred
pounds. Some of this money he invested in various strange purchases which he
managed to smuggle into the house, undetected, when he returned late in the
afternoon.
</p>

<p>
The next morning, after giving his father time to precede him and conclude his
business with Paulvitch, the lad hastened to the Russian&rsquo;s room. Knowing
nothing of the man&rsquo;s true character the boy dared not take him fully into
his confidence for fear that the old fellow would not only refuse to aid him,
but would report the whole affair to his father. Instead, he simply asked
permission to take Ajax to Dover. He explained that it would relieve the old
man of a tiresome journey, as well as placing a number of pounds in his pocket,
for the lad purposed paying the Russian well.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You see,&rdquo; he went on, &ldquo;there will be no danger of detection
since I am supposed to be leaving on an afternoon train for school. Instead I
will come here after they have left me on board the train. Then I can take Ajax
to Dover, you see, and arrive at school only a day late. No one will be the
wiser, no harm will be done, and I shall have had an extra day with Ajax before
I lose him forever.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The plan fitted perfectly with that which Paulvitch had in mind. Had he known
what further the boy contemplated he would doubtless have entirely abandoned
his own scheme of revenge and aided the boy whole heartedly in the consummation
of the lad&rsquo;s, which would have been better for Paulvitch, could he have
but read the future but a few short hours ahead.
</p>

<p>
That afternoon Lord and Lady Greystoke bid their son good-bye and saw him
safely settled in a first-class compartment of the railway carriage that would
set him down at school in a few hours. No sooner had they left him, however,
than he gathered his bags together, descended from the compartment and sought a
cab stand outside the station. Here he engaged a cabby to take him to the
Russian&rsquo;s address. It was dusk when he arrived. He found Paulvitch
awaiting him. The man was pacing the floor nervously. The ape was tied with a
stout cord to the bed. It was the first time that Jack had ever seen Ajax thus
secured. He looked questioningly at Paulvitch. The man, mumbling, explained
that he believed the animal had guessed that he was to be sent away and he
feared he would attempt to escape.
</p>

<p>
Paulvitch carried another piece of cord in his hand. There was a noose in one
end of it which he was continually playing with. He walked back and forth, up
and down the room. His pock-marked features were working horribly as he talked
silent to himself. The boy had never seen him thus&mdash;it made him uneasy. At
last Paulvitch stopped on the opposite side of the room, far from the ape.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come here,&rdquo; he said to the lad. &ldquo;I will show you how to
secure the ape should he show signs of rebellion during the trip.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The lad laughed. &ldquo;It will not be necessary,&rdquo; he replied.
&ldquo;Ajax will do whatever I tell him to do.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The old man stamped his foot angrily. &ldquo;Come here, as I tell you,&rdquo;
he repeated. &ldquo;If you do not do as I say you shall not accompany the ape
to Dover&mdash;I will take no chances upon his escaping.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Still smiling, the lad crossed the room and stood before the Russ.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Turn around, with your back toward me,&rdquo; directed the latter,
&ldquo;that I may show you how to bind him quickly.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The boy did as he was bid, placing his hands behind him when Paulvitch told him
to do so. Instantly the old man slipped the running noose over one of the
lad&rsquo;s wrists, took a couple of half hitches about his other wrist, and
knotted the cord.
</p>

<p>
The moment that the boy was secured the attitude of the man changed. With an
angry oath he wheeled his prisoner about, tripped him and hurled him violently
to the floor, leaping upon his breast as he fell. From the bed the ape growled
and struggled with his bonds. The boy did not cry out&mdash;a trait inherited
from his savage sire whom long years in the jungle following the death of his
foster mother, Kala the great ape, had taught that there was none to come to
the succor of the fallen.
</p>

<p>
Paulvitch&rsquo;s fingers sought the lad&rsquo;s throat. He grinned down
horribly into the face of his victim.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Your father ruined me,&rdquo; he mumbled. &ldquo;This will pay him. He
will think that the ape did it. I will tell him that the ape did it. That I
left him alone for a few minutes, and that you sneaked in and the ape killed
you. I will throw your body upon the bed after I have choked the life from you,
and when I bring your father he will see the ape squatting over it,&rdquo; and
the twisted fiend cackled in gloating laughter. His fingers closed upon the
boy&rsquo;s throat.
</p>

<p>
Behind them the growling of the maddened beast reverberated against the walls
of the little room. The boy paled, but no other sign of fear or panic showed
upon his countenance. He was the son of Tarzan. The fingers tightened their
grip upon his throat. It was with difficulty that he breathed, gaspingly. The
ape lunged against the stout cord that held him. Turning, he wrapped the cord
about his hands, as a man might have done, and surged heavily backward. The
great muscles stood out beneath his shaggy hide. There was a rending as of
splintered wood&mdash;the cord held, but a portion of the footboard of the bed
came away.
</p>

<p>
At the sound Paulvitch looked up. His hideous face went white with
terror&mdash;the ape was free.
</p>

<p>
With a single bound the creature was upon him. The man shrieked. The brute
wrenched him from the body of the boy. Great fingers sunk into the man&rsquo;s
flesh. Yellow fangs gaped close to his throat&mdash;he struggled,
futilely&mdash;and when they closed, the soul of Alexis Paulvitch passed into
the keeping of the demons who had long been awaiting it.
</p>

<p>
The boy struggled to his feet, assisted by Akut. For two hours under the
instructions of the former the ape worked upon the knots that secured his
friend&rsquo;s wrists. Finally they gave up their secret, and the boy was free.
Then he opened one of his bags and drew forth some garments. His plans had been
well made. He did not consult the beast, which did all that he directed.
Together they slunk from the house, but no casual observer might have noted
that one of them was an ape.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap04"></a>IV.</h2>

<p>
The killing of the friendless old Russian, Michael Sabrov, by his great trained
ape, was a matter for newspaper comment for a few days. Lord Greystoke read of
it, and while taking special precautions not to permit his name to become
connected with the affair, kept himself well posted as to the police search for
the anthropoid.
</p>

<p>
As was true of the general public, his chief interest in the matter centered
about the mysterious disappearance of the slayer. Or at least this was true
until he learned, several days subsequent to the tragedy, that his son Jack had
not reported at the public school en route for which they had seen him safely
ensconced in a railway carriage. Even then the father did not connect the
disappearance of his son with the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the
ape. Nor was it until a month later that careful investigation revealed the
fact that the boy had left the train before it pulled out of the station at
London, and the cab driver had been found who had driven him to the address of
the old Russian, that Tarzan of the Apes realized that Akut had in some way
been connected with the disappearance of the boy.
</p>

<p>
Beyond the moment that the cab driver had deposited his fare beside the curb in
front of the house in which the Russian had been quartered there was no clue.
No one had seen either the boy or the ape from that instant&mdash;at least no
one who still lived. The proprietor of the house identified the picture of the
lad as that of one who had been a frequent visitor in the room of the old man.
Aside from this he knew nothing. And there, at the door of a grimy, old
building in the slums of London, the searchers came to a blank
wall&mdash;baffled.
</p>

<p>
The day following the death of Alexis Paulvitch a youth accompanying his
invalid grandmother, boarded a steamer at Dover. The old lady was heavily
veiled, and so weakened by age and sickness that she had to be wheeled aboard
the vessel in an invalid chair.
</p>

<p>
The boy would permit none but himself to wheel her, and with his own hands
assisted her from the chair to the interior of their stateroom&mdash;and that
was the last that was seen of the old lady by the ship&rsquo;s company until
the pair disembarked. The boy even insisted upon doing the work of their cabin
steward, since, as he explained, his grandmother was suffering from a nervous
disposition that made the presence of strangers extremely distasteful to her.
</p>

<p>
Outside the cabin&mdash;and none there was aboard who knew what he did in the
cabin&mdash;the lad was just as any other healthy, normal English boy might
have been. He mingled with his fellow passengers, became a prime favorite with
the officers, and struck up numerous friendships among the common sailors. He
was generous and unaffected, yet carried an air of dignity and strength of
character that inspired his many new friends with admiration as well as
affection for him.
</p>

<p>
Among the passengers there was an American named Condon, a noted blackleg and
crook who was &ldquo;wanted&rdquo; in a half dozen of the larger cities of the
United States. He had paid little attention to the boy until on one occasion he
had seen him accidentally display a roll of bank notes. From then on Condon
cultivated the youthful Briton. He learned, easily, that the boy was traveling
alone with his invalid grandmother, and that their destination was a small port
on the west coast of Africa, a little below the equator; that their name was
Billings, and that they had no friends in the little settlement for which they
were bound. Upon the point of their purpose in visiting the place Condon found
the boy reticent, and so he did not push the matter&mdash;he had learned all
that he cared to know as it was.
</p>

<p>
Several times Condon attempted to draw the lad into a card game; but his victim
was not interested, and the black looks of several of the other men passengers
decided the American to find other means of transferring the boy&rsquo;s bank
roll to his own pocket.
</p>

<p>
At last came the day that the steamer dropped anchor in the lee of a wooded
promontory where a score or more of sheet-iron shacks making an unsightly blot
upon the fair face of nature proclaimed the fact that civilization had set its
heel. Straggling upon the outskirts were the thatched huts of natives,
picturesque in their primeval savagery, harmonizing with the background of
tropical jungle and accentuating the squalid hideousness of the white
man&rsquo;s pioneer architecture.
</p>

<p>
The boy, leaning over the rail, was looking far beyond the man-made town deep
into the God-made jungle. A little shiver of anticipation tingled his spine,
and then, quite without volition, he found himself gazing into the loving eyes
of his mother and the strong face of the father which mirrored, beneath its
masculine strength, a love no less than the mother&rsquo;s eyes proclaimed. He
felt himself weakening in his resolve. Nearby one of the ship&rsquo;s officers
was shouting orders to a flotilla of native boats that was approaching to
lighter the consignment of the steamer&rsquo;s cargo destined for this tiny
post.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;When does the next steamer for England touch here?&rdquo; the boy asked.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The Emanuel ought to be along most any time now,&rdquo; replied the
officer. &ldquo;I figgered we&rsquo;d find her here,&rdquo; and he went on with
his bellowing remarks to the dusty horde drawing close to the steamer&rsquo;s
side.
</p>

<p>
The task of lowering the boy&rsquo;s grandmother over the side to a waiting
canoe was rather difficult. The lad insisted on being always at her side, and
when at last she was safely ensconced in the bottom of the craft that was to
bear them shoreward her grandson dropped catlike after her. So interested was
he in seeing her comfortably disposed that he failed to notice the little
package that had worked from his pocket as he assisted in lowering the sling
that contained the old woman over the steamer&rsquo;s side, nor did he notice
it even as it slipped out entirely and dropped into the sea.
</p>

<p>
Scarcely had the boat containing the boy and the old woman started for the
shore than Condon hailed a canoe upon the other side of the ship, and after
bargaining with its owner finally lowered his baggage and himself aboard. Once
ashore he kept out of sight of the two-story atrocity that bore the legend
&ldquo;Hotel&rdquo; to lure unsuspecting wayfarers to its multitudinous
discomforts. It was quite dark before he ventured to enter and arrange for
accommodations.
</p>

<p>
In a back room upon the second floor the lad was explaining, not without
considerable difficulty, to his grandmother that he had decided to return to
England upon the next steamer. He was endeavoring to make it plain to the old
lady that she might remain in Africa if she wished but that for his part his
conscience demanded that he return to his father and mother, who doubtless were
even now suffering untold sorrow because of his absence; from which it may be
assumed that his parents had not been acquainted with the plans that he and the
old lady had made for their adventure into African wilds.
</p>

<p>
Having come to a decision the lad felt a sense of relief from the worry that
had haunted him for many sleepless nights. When he closed his eyes in sleep it
was to dream of a happy reunion with those at home. And as he dreamed, Fate,
cruel and inexorable, crept stealthily upon him through the dark corridor of
the squalid building in which he slept&mdash;Fate in the form of the American
crook, Condon.
</p>

<p>
Cautiously the man approached the door of the lad&rsquo;s room. There he
crouched listening until assured by the regular breathing of those within that
both slept. Quietly he inserted a slim, skeleton key in the lock of the door.
With deft fingers, long accustomed to the silent manipulation of the bars and
bolts that guarded other men&rsquo;s property, Condon turned the key and the
knob simultaneously. Gentle pressure upon the door swung it slowly inward upon
its hinges. The man entered the room, closing the door behind him. The moon was
temporarily overcast by heavy clouds. The interior of the apartment was
shrouded in gloom. Condon groped his way toward the bed. In the far corner of
the room something moved&mdash;moved with a silent stealthiness which
transcended even the trained silence of the burglar. Condon heard nothing. His
attention was riveted upon the bed in which he thought to find a young boy and
his helpless, invalid grandmother.
</p>

<p>
The American sought only the bank roll. If he could possess himself of this
without detection, well and good; but were he to meet resistance he was
prepared for that too. The lad&rsquo;s clothes lay across a chair beside the
bed. The American&rsquo;s fingers felt swiftly through them&mdash;the pockets
contained no roll of crisp, new notes. Doubtless they were beneath the pillows
of the bed. He stepped closer toward the sleeper; his hand was already half way
beneath the pillow when the thick cloud that had obscured the moon rolled aside
and the room was flooded with light. At the same instant the boy opened his
eyes and looked straight into those of Condon. The man was suddenly conscious
that the boy was alone in the bed. Then he clutched for his victim&rsquo;s
throat. As the lad rose to meet him Condon heard a low growl at his back, then
he felt his wrists seized by the boy, and realized that beneath those tapering,
white fingers played muscles of steel.
</p>

<p>
He felt other hands at his throat, rough hairy hands that reached over his
shoulders from behind. He cast a terrified glance backward, and the hairs of
his head stiffened at the sight his eyes revealed, for grasping him from the
rear was a huge, man-like ape. The bared fighting fangs of the anthropoid were
close to his throat. The lad pinioned his wrists. Neither uttered a sound.
Where was the grandmother? Condon&rsquo;s eyes swept the room in a single
all-inclusive glance. His eyes bulged in horror at the realization of the truth
which that glance revealed. In the power of what creatures of hideous mystery
had he placed himself! Frantically he fought to beat off the lad that he might
turn upon the fearsome thing at his back. Freeing one hand he struck a savage
blow at the lad&rsquo;s face. His act seemed to unloose a thousand devils in
the hairy creature clinging to his throat. Condon heard a low and savage snarl.
It was the last thing that the American ever heard in this life. Then he was
dragged backward upon the floor, a heavy body fell upon him, powerful teeth
fastened themselves in his jugular, his head whirled in the sudden blackness
which rims eternity&mdash;a moment later the ape rose from his prostrate form;
but Condon did not know&mdash;he was quite dead.
</p>

<p>
The lad, horrified, sprang from the bed to lean over the body of the man. He
knew that Akut had killed in his defense, as he had killed Michael Sabrov; but
here, in savage Africa, far from home and friends what would they do to him and
his faithful ape? The lad knew that the penalty of murder was death. He even
knew that an accomplice might suffer the death penalty with the principal. Who
was there who would plead for them? All would be against them. It was little
more than a half-civilized community, and the chances were that they would drag
Akut and him forth in the morning and hang them both to the nearest
tree&mdash;he had read of such things being done in America, and Africa was
worse even and wilder than the great West of his mother&rsquo;s native land.
Yes, they would both be hanged in the morning!
</p>

<p>
Was there no escape? He thought in silence for a few moments, and then, with an
exclamation of relief, he struck his palms together and turned toward his
clothing upon the chair. Money would do anything! Money would save him and
Akut! He felt for the bank roll in the pocket in which he had been accustomed
to carry it. It was not there! Slowly at first and at last frantically he
searched through the remaining pockets of his clothing. Then he dropped upon
his hands and knees and examined the floor. Lighting the lamp he moved the bed
to one side and, inch by inch, he felt over the entire floor. Beside the body
of Condon he hesitated, but at last he nerved himself to touch it. Rolling it
over he sought beneath it for the money. Nor was it there. He guessed that
Condon had entered their room to rob; but he did not believe that the man had
had time to possess himself of the money; however, as it was nowhere else, it
must be upon the body of the dead man. Again and again he went over the room,
only to return each time to the corpse; but no where could he find the money.
</p>

<p>
He was half-frantic with despair. What were they to do? In the morning they
would be discovered and killed. For all his inherited size and strength he was,
after all, only a little boy&mdash;a frightened, homesick little
boy&mdash;reasoning faultily from the meager experience of childhood. He could
think of but a single glaring fact&mdash;they had killed a fellow man, and they
were among savage strangers, thirsting for the blood of the first victim whom
fate cast into their clutches. This much he had gleaned from penny-dreadfuls.
</p>

<p>
And they must have money!
</p>

<p>
Again he approached the corpse. This time resolutely. The ape squatted in a
corner watching his young companion. The youth commenced to remove the
American&rsquo;s clothing piece by piece, and, piece by piece, he examined each
garment minutely. Even to the shoes he searched with painstaking care, and when
the last article had been removed and scrutinized he dropped back upon the bed
with dilated eyes that saw nothing in the present&mdash;only a grim tableau of
the future in which two forms swung silently from the limb of a great tree.
</p>

<p>
How long he sat thus he did not know; but finally he was aroused by a noise
coming from the floor below. Springing quickly to his feet he blew out the
lamp, and crossing the floor silently locked the door. Then he turned toward
the ape, his mind made up.
</p>

<p>
Last evening he had been determined to start for home at the first opportunity,
to beg the forgiveness of his parents for this mad adventure. Now he knew that
he might never return to them. The blood of a fellow man was upon his
hands&mdash;in his morbid reflections he had long since ceased to attribute the
death of Condon to the ape. The hysteria of panic had fastened the guilt upon
himself. With money he might have bought justice; but penniless!&mdash;ah, what
hope could there be for strangers without money here?
</p>

<p>
But what had become of the money? He tried to recall when last he had seen it.
He could not, nor, could he, would he have been able to account for its
disappearance, for he had been entirely unconscious of the falling of the
little package from his pocket into the sea as he clambered over the
ship&rsquo;s side into the waiting canoe that bore him to shore.
</p>

<p>
Now he turned toward Akut. &ldquo;Come!&rdquo; he said, in the language of the
great apes.
</p>

<p>
Forgetful of the fact that he wore only a thin pajama suit he led the way to
the open window. Thrusting his head out he listened attentively. A single tree
grew a few feet from the window. Nimbly the lad sprang to its bole, clinging
cat-like for an instant before he clambered quietly to the ground below. Close
behind him came the great ape. Two hundred yards away a spur of the jungle ran
close to the straggling town. Toward this the lad led the way. None saw them,
and a moment later the jungle swallowed them, and John Clayton, future Lord
Greystoke, passed from the eyes and the knowledge of men.
</p>

<p>
It was late the following morning that a native houseman knocked upon the door
of the room that had been assigned to Mrs. Billings and her grandson. Receiving
no response he inserted his pass key in the lock, only to discover that another
key was already there, but from the inside. He reported the fact to Herr Skopf,
the proprietor, who at once made his way to the second floor where he, too,
pounded vigorously upon the door. Receiving no reply he bent to the key hole in
an attempt to look through into the room beyond. In so doing, being portly, he
lost his balance, which necessitated putting a palm to the floor to maintain
his equilibrium. As he did so he felt something soft and thick and wet beneath
his fingers. He raised his open palm before his eyes in the dim light of the
corridor and peered at it. Then he gave a little shudder, for even in the
semi-darkness he saw a dark red stain upon his hand. Leaping to his feet he
hurled his shoulder against the door. Herr Skopf is a heavy man&mdash;or at
least he was then&mdash;I have not seen him for several years. The frail door
collapsed beneath his weight, and Herr Skopf stumbled precipitately into the
room beyond.
</p>

<p>
Before him lay the greatest mystery of his life. Upon the floor at his feet was
the dead body of a strange man. The neck was broken and the jugular severed as
by the fangs of a wild beast. The body was entirely naked, the clothing being
strewn about the corpse. The old lady and her grandson were gone. The window
was open. They must have disappeared through the window for the door had been
locked from the inside.
</p>

<p>
But how could the boy have carried his invalid grandmother from a second story
window to the ground? It was preposterous. Again Herr Skopf searched the small
room. He noticed that the bed was pulled well away from the wall&mdash;why? He
looked beneath it again for the third or fourth time. The two were gone, and
yet his judgment told him that the old lady could not have gone without porters
to carry her down as they had carried her up the previous day.
</p>

<p>
Further search deepened the mystery. All the clothing of the two was still in
the room&mdash;if they had gone then they must have gone naked or in their
night clothes. Herr Skopf shook his head; then he scratched it. He was baffled.
He had never heard of Sherlock Holmes or he would have lost no time in invoking
the aid of that celebrated sleuth, for here was a real mystery: An old
woman&mdash;an invalid who had to be carried from the ship to her room in the
hotel&mdash;and a handsome lad, her grandson, had entered a room on the second
floor of his hostelry the day before. They had had their evening meal served in
their room&mdash;that was the last that had been seen of them. At nine the
following morning the corpse of a strange man had been the sole occupant of
that room. No boat had left the harbor in the meantime&mdash;there was not a
railroad within hundreds of miles&mdash;there was no other white settlement
that the two could reach under several days of arduous marching accompanied by
a well-equipped <i>safari</i>. They had simply vanished into thin air, for the
native he had sent to inspect the ground beneath the open window had just
returned to report that there was no sign of a footstep there, and what sort of
creatures were they who could have dropped that distance to the soft turf
without leaving spoor? Herr Skopf shuddered. Yes, it was a great
mystery&mdash;there was something uncanny about the whole thing&mdash;he hated
to think about it, and he dreaded the coming of night.
</p>

<p>
It was a great mystery to Herr Skopf&mdash;and, doubtless, still is.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap05"></a>V.</h2>

<p>
Captain Armand Jacot of the Foreign Legion sat upon an outspread saddle blanket
at the foot of a stunted palm tree. His broad shoulders and his close-cropped
head rested in luxurious ease against the rough bole of the palm. His long legs
were stretched straight before him overlapping the meager blanket, his spurs
buried in the sandy soil of the little desert oasis. The captain was taking his
ease after a long day of weary riding across the shifting sands of the desert.
</p>

<p>
Lazily he puffed upon his cigarette and watched his orderly who was preparing
his evening meal. Captain Armand Jacot was well satisfied with himself and the
world. A little to his right rose the noisy activity of his troop of sun-tanned
veterans, released for the time from the irksome trammels of discipline,
relaxing tired muscles, laughing, joking, and smoking as they, too, prepared to
eat after a twelve-hour fast. Among them, silent and taciturn, squatted five
white-robed Arabs, securely bound and under heavy guard.
</p>

<p>
It was the sight of these that filled Captain Armand Jacot with the pleasurable
satisfaction of a duty well-performed. For a long, hot, gaunt month he and his
little troop had scoured the places of the desert waste in search of a band of
marauders to the sin-stained account of which were charged innumerable thefts
of camels, horses, and goats, as well as murders enough to have sent the whole
unsavory gang to the guillotine several times over.
</p>

<p>
A week before, he had come upon them. In the ensuing battle he had lost two of
his own men, but the punishment inflicted upon the marauders had been severe
almost to extinction. A half dozen, perhaps, had escaped; but the balance, with
the exception of the five prisoners, had expiated their crimes before the
nickel jacketed bullets of the legionaries. And, best of all, the ring leader,
Achmet ben Houdin, was among the prisoners.
</p>

<p>
From the prisoners Captain Jacot permitted his mind to traverse the remaining
miles of sand to the little garrison post where, upon the morrow, he should
find awaiting him with eager welcome his wife and little daughter. His eyes
softened to the memory of them, as they always did. Even now he could see the
beauty of the mother reflected in the childish lines of little Jeanne&rsquo;s
face, and both those faces would be smiling up into his as he swung from his
tired mount late the following afternoon. Already he could feel a soft cheek
pressed close to each of his&mdash;velvet against leather.
</p>

<p>
His reverie was broken in upon by the voice of a sentry summoning a
non-commissioned officer. Captain Jacot raised his eyes. The sun had not yet
set; but the shadows of the few trees huddled about the water hole and of his
men and their horses stretched far away into the east across the now golden
sand. The sentry was pointing in this direction, and the corporal, through
narrowed lids, was searching the distance. Captain Jacot rose to his feet. He
was not a man content to see through the eyes of others. He must see for
himself. Usually he saw things long before others were aware that there was
anything to see&mdash;a trait that had won for him the sobriquet of Hawk. Now
he saw, just beyond the long shadows, a dozen specks rising and falling among
the sands. They disappeared and reappeared, but always they grew larger. Jacot
recognized them immediately. They were horsemen&mdash;horsemen of the desert.
Already a sergeant was running toward him. The entire camp was straining its
eyes into the distance. Jacot gave a few terse orders to the sergeant who
saluted, turned upon his heel and returned to the men. Here he gathered a dozen
who saddled their horses, mounted and rode out to meet the strangers. The
remaining men disposed themselves in readiness for instant action. It was not
entirely beyond the range of possibilities that the horsemen riding thus
swiftly toward the camp might be friends of the prisoners bent upon the release
of their kinsmen by a sudden attack. Jacot doubted this, however, since the
strangers were evidently making no attempt to conceal their presence. They were
galloping rapidly toward the camp in plain view of all. There might be
treachery lurking beneath their fair appearance; but none who knew The Hawk
would be so gullible as to hope to trap him thus.
</p>

<p>
The sergeant with his detail met the Arabs two hundred yards from the camp.
Jacot could see him in conversation with a tall, white-robed
figure&mdash;evidently the leader of the band. Presently the sergeant and this
Arab rode side by side toward camp. Jacot awaited them. The two reined in and
dismounted before him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Sheik Amor ben Khatour,&rdquo; announced the sergeant by way of
introduction.
</p>

<p>
Captain Jacot eyed the newcomer. He was acquainted with nearly every principal
Arab within a radius of several hundred miles. This man he never had seen. He
was a tall, weather beaten, sour looking man of sixty or more. His eyes were
narrow and evil. Captain Jacot did not relish his appearance.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Well?&rdquo; he asked, tentatively.
</p>

<p>
The Arab came directly to the point.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Achmet ben Houdin is my sister&rsquo;s son,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If
you will give him into my keeping I will see that he sins no more against the
laws of the French.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Jacot shook his head. &ldquo;That cannot be,&rdquo; he replied. &ldquo;I must
take him back with me. He will be properly and fairly tried by a civil court.
If he is innocent he will be released.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;And if he is not innocent?&rdquo; asked the Arab.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He is charged with many murders. For any one of these, if he is proved
guilty, he will have to die.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The Arab&rsquo;s left hand was hidden beneath his burnous. Now he withdrew it
disclosing a large goatskin purse, bulging and heavy with coins. He opened the
mouth of the purse and let a handful of the contents trickle into the palm of
his right hand&mdash;all were pieces of good French gold. From the size of the
purse and its bulging proportions Captain Jacot concluded that it must contain
a small fortune. Sheik Amor ben Khatour dropped the spilled gold pieces one by
one back into the purse. Jacot was eyeing him narrowly. They were alone. The
sergeant, having introduced the visitor, had withdrawn to some little
distance&mdash;his back was toward them. Now the sheik, having returned all the
gold pieces, held the bulging purse outward upon his open palm toward Captain
Jacot.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Achmet ben Houdin, my sister&rsquo;s son, MIGHT escape tonight,&rdquo;
he said. &ldquo;Eh?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Captain Armand Jacot flushed to the roots of his close-cropped hair. Then he
went very white and took a half-step toward the Arab. His fists were clenched.
Suddenly he thought better of whatever impulse was moving him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Sergeant!&rdquo; he called. The non-commissioned officer hurried toward
him, saluting as his heels clicked together before his superior.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Take this black dog back to his people,&rdquo; he ordered. &ldquo;See
that they leave at once. Shoot the first man who comes within range of camp
tonight.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Sheik Amor ben Khatour drew himself up to his full height. His evil eyes
narrowed. He raised the bag of gold level with the eyes of the French officer.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You will pay more than this for the life of Achmet ben Houdin, my
sister&rsquo;s son,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And as much again for the name that
you have called me and a hundred fold in sorrow in the bargain.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Get out of here!&rdquo; growled Captain Armand Jacot, &ldquo;before I
kick you out.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
All of this happened some three years before the opening of this tale. The
trail of Achmet ben Houdin and his accomplices is a matter of record&mdash;you
may verify it if you care to. He met the death he deserved, and he met it with
the stoicism of the Arab.
</p>

<p>
A month later little Jeanne Jacot, the seven-year-old daughter of Captain
Armand Jacot, mysteriously disappeared. Neither the wealth of her father and
mother, or all the powerful resources of the great republic were able to wrest
the secret of her whereabouts from the inscrutable desert that had swallowed
her and her abductor.
</p>

<p>
A reward of such enormous proportions was offered that many adventurers were
attracted to the hunt. This was no case for the modern detective of
civilization, yet several of these threw themselves into the search&mdash;the
bones of some are already bleaching beneath the African sun upon the silent
sands of the Sahara.
</p>

<p>
Two Swedes, Carl Jenssen and Sven Malbihn, after three years of following false
leads at last gave up the search far to the south of the Sahara to turn their
attention to the more profitable business of ivory poaching. In a great
district they were already known for their relentless cruelty and their greed
for ivory. The natives feared and hated them. The European governments in whose
possessions they worked had long sought them; but, working their way slowly out
of the north they had learned many things in the no-man&rsquo;s-land south of
the Sahara which gave them immunity from capture through easy avenues of escape
that were unknown to those who pursued them. Their raids were sudden and swift.
They seized ivory and retreated into the trackless wastes of the north before
the guardians of the territory they raped could be made aware of their
presence. Relentlessly they slaughtered elephants themselves as well as
stealing ivory from the natives. Their following consisted of a hundred or more
renegade Arabs and Negro slaves&mdash;a fierce, relentless band of cut-throats.
Remember them&mdash;Carl Jenssen and Sven Malbihn, yellow-bearded, Swedish
giants&mdash;for you will meet them later.
</p>

<p class="p2">
In the heart of the jungle, hidden away upon the banks of a small unexplored
tributary of a large river that empties into the Atlantic not so far from the
equator, lay a small, heavily palisaded village. Twenty palm-thatched, beehive
huts sheltered its black population, while a half-dozen goat skin tents in the
center of the clearing housed the score of Arabs who found shelter here while,
by trading and raiding, they collected the cargoes which their ships of the
desert bore northward twice each year to the market of Timbuktu.
</p>

<p>
Playing before one of the Arab tents was a little girl of ten&mdash;a
black-haired, black-eyed little girl who, with her nut-brown skin and graceful
carriage looked every inch a daughter of the desert. Her little fingers were
busily engaged in fashioning a skirt of grasses for a much-disheveled doll
which a kindly disposed slave had made for her a year or two before. The head
of the doll was rudely chipped from ivory, while the body was a rat skin
stuffed with grass. The arms and legs were bits of wood, perforated at one end
and sewn to the rat skin torso. The doll was quite hideous and altogether
disreputable and soiled, but Meriem thought it the most beautiful and adorable
thing in the whole world, which is not so strange in view of the fact that it
was the only object within that world upon which she might bestow her
confidence and her love.
</p>

<p>
Everyone else with whom Meriem came in contact was, almost without exception,
either indifferent to her or cruel. There was, for example, the old black hag
who looked after her, Mabunu&mdash;toothless, filthy and ill tempered. She lost
no opportunity to cuff the little girl, or even inflict minor tortures upon
her, such as pinching, or, as she had twice done, searing the tender flesh with
hot coals. And there was The Sheik, her father. She feared him more than she
did Mabunu. He often scolded her for nothing, quite habitually terminating his
tirades by cruelly beating her, until her little body was black and blue.
</p>

<p>
But when she was alone she was happy, playing with Geeka, or decking her hair
with wild flowers, or making ropes of grasses. She was always busy and always
singing&mdash;when they left her alone. No amount of cruelty appeared
sufficient to crush the innate happiness and sweetness from her full little
heart. Only when The Sheik was near was she quiet and subdued. Him she feared
with a fear that was at times almost hysterical terror. She feared the gloomy
jungle too&mdash;the cruel jungle that surrounded the little village with
chattering monkeys and screaming birds by day and the roaring and coughing and
moaning of the carnivora by night. Yes, she feared the jungle; but so much more
did she fear The Sheik that many times it was in her childish head to run away,
out into the terrible jungle forever rather than longer to face the ever
present terror of her father.
</p>

<p>
As she sat there this day before The Sheik&rsquo;s goatskin tent, fashioning a
skirt of grasses for Geeka, The Sheik appeared suddenly approaching. Instantly
the look of happiness faded from the child&rsquo;s face. She shrunk aside in an
attempt to scramble from the path of the leathern-faced old Arab; but she was
not quick enough. With a brutal kick the man sent her sprawling upon her face,
where she lay quite still, tearless but trembling. Then, with an oath at her,
the man passed into the tent. The old, black hag shook with appreciative
laughter, disclosing an occasional and lonesome yellow fang.
</p>

<p>
When she was sure The Sheik had gone, the little girl crawled to the shady side
of the tent, where she lay quite still, hugging Geeka close to her breast, her
little form racked at long intervals with choking sobs. She dared not cry
aloud, since that would have brought The Sheik upon her again. The anguish in
her little heart was not alone the anguish of physical pain; but that
infinitely more pathetic anguish&mdash;of love denied a childish heart that
yearns for love.
</p>

<p>
Little Meriem could scarce recall any other existence than that of the stern
cruelty of The Sheik and Mabunu. Dimly, in the back of her childish memory
there lurked a blurred recollection of a gentle mother; but Meriem was not sure
but that even this was but a dream picture induced by her own desire for the
caresses she never received, but which she lavished upon the much loved Geeka.
Never was such a spoiled child as Geeka. Its little mother, far from fashioning
her own conduct after the example set her by her father and nurse, went to the
extreme of indulgence. Geeka was kissed a thousand times a day. There was play
in which Geeka was naughty; but the little mother never punished. Instead, she
caressed and fondled; her attitude influenced solely by her own pathetic desire
for love.
</p>

<p>
Now, as she pressed Geeka close to her, her sobs lessened gradually, until she
was able to control her voice, and pour out her misery into the ivory ear of
her only confidante.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Geeka loves Meriem,&rdquo; she whispered. &ldquo;Why does The Sheik, my
father, not love me, too? Am I so naughty? I try to be good; but I never know
why he strikes me, so I cannot tell what I have done which displeases him. Just
now he kicked me and hurt me so, Geeka; but I was only sitting before the tent
making a skirt for you. That must be wicked, or he would not have kicked me for
it. But why is it wicked, Geeka? Oh dear! I do not know, I do not know. I wish,
Geeka, that I were dead. Yesterday the hunters brought in the body of <i>El
Adrea</i>. <i>El Adrea</i> was quite dead. No more will he slink silently upon
his unsuspecting prey. No more will his great head and his maned shoulders
strike terror to the hearts of the grass eaters at the drinking ford by night.
No more will his thundering roar shake the ground. <i>El Adrea</i> is dead.
They beat his body terribly when it was brought into the village; but <i>El
Adrea</i> did not mind. He did not feel the blows, for he was dead. When I am
dead, Geeka, neither shall I feel the blows of Mabunu, or the kicks of The
Sheik, my father. Then shall I be happy. Oh, Geeka, how I wish that I were
dead!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
If Geeka contemplated a remonstrance it was cut short by sounds of altercation
beyond the village gates. Meriem listened. With the curiosity of childhood she
would have liked to have run down there and learn what it was that caused the
men to talk so loudly. Others of the village were already trooping in the
direction of the noise. But Meriem did not dare. The Sheik would be there,
doubtless, and if he saw her it would be but another opportunity to abuse her,
so Meriem lay still and listened.
</p>

<p>
Presently she heard the crowd moving up the street toward The Sheik&rsquo;s
tent. Cautiously she stuck her little head around the edge of the tent. She
could not resist the temptation, for the sameness of the village life was
monotonous, and she craved diversion. What she saw was two
strangers&mdash;white men. They were alone, but as they approached she learned
from the talk of the natives that surrounded them that they possessed a
considerable following that was camped outside the village. They were coming to
palaver with The Sheik.
</p>

<p>
The old Arab met them at the entrance to his tent. His eyes narrowed wickedly
when they had appraised the newcomers. They stopped before him, exchanging
greetings. They had come to trade for ivory they said. The Sheik grunted. He
had no ivory. Meriem gasped. She knew that in a near-by hut the great tusks
were piled almost to the roof. She poked her little head further forward to get
a better view of the strangers. How white their skins! How yellow their great
beards!
</p>

<p>
Suddenly one of them turned his eyes in her direction. She tried to dodge back
out of sight, for she feared all men; but he saw her. Meriem noticed the look
of almost shocked surprise that crossed his face. The Sheik saw it too, and
guessed the cause of it.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I have no ivory,&rdquo; he repeated. &ldquo;I do not wish to trade. Go
away. Go now.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
He stepped from his tent and almost pushed the strangers about in the direction
of the gates. They demurred, and then The Sheik threatened. It would have been
suicide to have disobeyed, so the two men turned and left the village, making
their way immediately to their own camp.
</p>

<p>
The Sheik returned to his tent; but he did not enter it. Instead he walked to
the side where little Meriem lay close to the goat skin wall, very frightened.
The Sheik stooped and clutched her by the arm. Viciously he jerked her to her
feet, dragged her to the entrance of the tent, and shoved her viciously within.
Following her he again seized her, beating her ruthlessly.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Stay within!&rdquo; he growled. &ldquo;Never let the strangers see thy
face. Next time you show yourself to strangers I shall kill you!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
With a final vicious cuff he knocked the child into a far corner of the tent,
where she lay stifling her moans, while The Sheik paced to and fro muttering to
himself. At the entrance sat Mabunu, muttering and chuckling.
</p>

<p>
In the camp of the strangers one was speaking rapidly to the other.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;There is no doubt of it, Malbihn,&rdquo; he was saying. &ldquo;Not the
slightest; but why the old scoundrel hasn&rsquo;t claimed the reward long since
is what puzzles me.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;There are some things dearer to an Arab, Jenssen, than money,&rdquo;
returned the first speaker&mdash;&ldquo;revenge is one of them.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Anyhow it will not harm to try the power of gold,&rdquo; replied
Jenssen.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn shrugged.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Not on The Sheik,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We might try it on one of his
people; but The Sheik will not part with his revenge for gold. To offer it to
him would only confirm his suspicions that we must have awakened when we were
talking to him before his tent. If we got away with our lives, then, we should
be fortunate.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Well, try bribery, then,&rdquo; assented Jenssen.
</p>

<p>
But bribery failed&mdash;grewsomely. The tool they selected after a stay of
several days in their camp outside the village was a tall, old headman of The
Sheik&rsquo;s native contingent. He fell to the lure of the shining metal, for
he had lived upon the coast and knew the power of gold. He promised to bring
them what they craved, late that night.
</p>

<p>
Immediately after dark the two white men commenced to make arrangements to
break camp. By midnight all was prepared. The porters lay beside their loads,
ready to swing them aloft at a moment&rsquo;s notice. The armed <i>askaris</i>
loitered between the balance of the <i>safari</i> and the Arab village, ready
to form a rear guard for the retreat that was to begin the moment that the head
man brought that which the white masters awaited.
</p>

<p>
Presently there came the sound of footsteps along the path from the village.
Instantly the <i>askaris</i> and the whites were on the alert. More than a
single man was approaching. Jenssen stepped forward and challenged the
newcomers in a low whisper.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Who comes?&rdquo; he queried.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Mbeeda,&rdquo; came the reply.
</p>

<p>
Mbeeda was the name of the traitorous head man. Jenssen was satisfied, though
he wondered why Mbeeda had brought others with him. Presently he understood.
The thing they fetched lay upon a litter borne by two men. Jenssen cursed
beneath his breath. Could the fool be bringing them a corpse? They had paid for
a living prize!
</p>

<p>
The bearers came to a halt before the white men.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;This has your gold purchased,&rdquo; said one of the two. They set the
litter down, turned and vanished into the darkness toward the village. Malbihn
looked at Jenssen, a crooked smile twisting his lips. The thing upon the litter
was covered with a piece of cloth.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Well?&rdquo; queried the latter. &ldquo;Raise the covering and see what
you have bought. Much money shall we realize on a corpse&mdash;especially after
the six months beneath the burning sun that will be consumed in carrying it to
its destination!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The fool should have known that we desired her alive,&rdquo; grumbled
Malbihn, grasping a corner of the cloth and jerking the cover from the thing
that lay upon the litter.
</p>

<p>
At sight of what lay beneath both men stepped back&mdash;involuntary oaths upon
their lips&mdash;for there before them lay the dead body of Mbeeda, the
faithless head man.
</p>

<p>
Five minutes later the <i>safari</i> of Jenssen and Malbihn was forcing its way
rapidly toward the west, nervous askaris guarding the rear from the attack they
momentarily expected.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap06"></a>VI.</h2>

<p>
His first night in the jungle was one which the son of Tarzan held longest in
his memory. No savage carnivora menaced him. There was never a sign of hideous
barbarian. Or, if there were, the boy&rsquo;s troubled mind took no cognizance
of them. His conscience was harassed by the thought of his mother&rsquo;s
suffering. Self-blame plunged him into the depths of misery. The killing of the
American caused him little or no remorse. The fellow had earned his fate.
Jack&rsquo;s regret on this score was due mainly to the effect which the death
of Condon had had upon his own plans. Now he could not return directly to his
parents as he had planned. Fear of the primitive, borderland law, of which he
had read highly colored, imaginary tales, had thrust him into the jungle a
fugitive. He dared not return to the coast at this point&mdash;not that he was
so greatly influenced through personal fear as from a desire to shield his
father and mother from further sorrow and from the shame of having their
honored name dragged through the sordid degradation of a murder trial.
</p>

<p>
With returning day the boy&rsquo;s spirits rose. With the rising sun rose new
hope within his breast. He would return to civilization by another way. None
would guess that he had been connected with the killing of the stranger in the
little out-of-the-way trading post upon a remote shore.
</p>

<p>
Crouched close to the great ape in the crotch of a tree the boy had shivered
through an almost sleepless night. His light pajamas had been but little
protection from the chill dampness of the jungle, and only that side of him
which was pressed against the warm body of his shaggy companion approximated to
comfort. And so he welcomed the rising sun with its promise of warmth as well
as light&mdash;the blessed sun, dispeller of physical and mental ills.
</p>

<p>
He shook Akut into wakefulness.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I am cold and hungry. We will search for
food, out there in the sunlight,&rdquo; and he pointed to an open plain, dotted
with stunted trees and strewn with jagged rock.
</p>

<p>
The boy slid to the ground as he spoke, but the ape first looked carefully
about, sniffing the morning air. Then, satisfied that no danger lurked near, he
descended slowly to the ground beside the boy.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Numa, and Sabor his mate, feast upon those who descend first and look
afterward, while those who look first and descend afterward live to feast
themselves.&rdquo; Thus the old ape imparted to the son of Tarzan the
boy&rsquo;s first lesson in jungle lore. Side by side they set off across the
rough plain, for the boy wished first to be warm. The ape showed him the best
places to dig for rodents and worms; but the lad only gagged at the thought of
devouring the repulsive things. Some eggs they found, and these he sucked raw,
as also he ate roots and tubers which Akut unearthed. Beyond the plain and
across a low bluff they came upon water&mdash;brackish, ill-smelling stuff in a
shallow water hole, the sides and bottom of which were trampled by the feet of
many beasts. A herd of zebra galloped away as they approached.
</p>

<p>
The lad was too thirsty by now to cavil at anything even remotely resembling
water, so he drank his fill while Akut stood with raised head, alert for any
danger. Before the ape drank he cautioned the boy to be watchful; but as he
drank he raised his head from time to time to cast a quick glance toward a
clump of bushes a hundred yards away upon the opposite side of the water hole.
When he had done he rose and spoke to the boy, in the language that was their
common heritage&mdash;the tongue of the great apes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;There is no danger near?&rdquo; he asked.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;None,&rdquo; replied the boy. &ldquo;I saw nothing move while you
drank.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Your eyes will help you but little in the jungle,&rdquo; said the ape.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Here, if you would live, you must depend upon your ears and your nose
but most upon your nose. When we came down to drink I knew that no danger
lurked near upon this side of the water hole, for else the zebras would have
discovered it and fled before we came; but upon the other side toward which the
wind blows danger might lie concealed. We could not smell it for its scent is
being blown in the other direction, and so I bent my ears and eyes down wind
where my nose cannot travel.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;And you found&mdash;nothing?&rdquo; asked the lad, with a laugh.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I found Numa crouching in that clump of bushes where the tall grasses
grow,&rdquo; and Akut pointed.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;A lion?&rdquo; exclaimed the boy. &ldquo;How do you know? I can see
nothing.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Numa is there, though,&rdquo; replied the great ape. &ldquo;First I
heard him sigh. To you the sigh of Numa may sound no different from the other
noises which the wind makes among the grasses and the trees; but later you must
learn to know the sigh of Numa. Then I watched and at last I saw the tall
grasses moving at one point to a force other than the force of the wind. See,
they are spread there upon either side of Numa&rsquo;s great body, and as he
breathes&mdash;you see? You see the little motion at either side that is not
caused by the wind&mdash;the motion that none of the other grasses have?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The boy strained his eyes&mdash;better eyes than the ordinary boy
inherits&mdash;and at last he gave a little exclamation of discovery.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I see. He lies there,&rdquo; and he pointed.
&ldquo;His head is toward us. Is he watching us?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Numa is watching us,&rdquo; replied Akut, &ldquo;but we are in little
danger, unless we approach too close, for he is lying upon his kill. His belly
is almost full, or we should hear him crunching the bones. He is watching us in
silence merely from curiosity. Presently he will resume his feeding or he will
rise and come down to the water for a drink. As he neither fears or desires us
he will not try to hide his presence from us; but now is an excellent time to
learn to know Numa, for you must learn to know him well if you would live long
in the jungle. Where the great apes are many Numa leaves us alone. Our fangs
are long and strong, and we can fight; but when we are alone and he is hungry
we are no match for him. Come, we will circle him and catch his scent. The
sooner you learn to know it the better; but keep close to the trees, as we go
around him, for Numa often does that which he is least expected to do. And keep
your ears and your eyes and your nose open. Remember always that there may be
an enemy behind every bush, in every tree and amongst every clump of jungle
grass. While you are avoiding Numa do not run into the jaws of Sabor, his mate.
Follow me,&rdquo; and Akut set off in a wide circle about the water hole and
the crouching lion.
</p>

<p>
The boy followed close upon his heels, his every sense upon the alert, his
nerves keyed to the highest pitch of excitement. This was life! For the instant
he forgot his resolutions of a few minutes past to hasten to the coast at some
other point than that at which he had landed and make his way immediately back
to London. He thought now only of the savage joy of living, and of pitting
one&rsquo;s wits and prowess against the wiles and might of the savage jungle
brood which haunted the broad plains and the gloomy forest aisles of the great,
untamed continent. He knew no fear. His father had had none to transmit to him;
but honor and conscience he did have and these were to trouble him many times
as they battled with his inherent love of freedom for possession of his soul.
</p>

<p>
They had passed but a short distance to the rear of Numa when the boy caught
the unpleasant odor of the carnivore. His face lighted with a smile. Something
told him that he would have known that scent among a myriad of others even if
Akut had not told him that a lion lay near. There was a strange
familiarity&mdash;a weird familiarity in it that made the short hairs rise at
the nape of his neck, and brought his upper lip into an involuntary snarl that
bared his fighting fangs. There was a sense of stretching of the skin about his
ears, for all the world as though those members were flattening back against
his skull in preparation for deadly combat. His skin tingled. He was aglow with
a pleasurable sensation that he never before had known. He was, upon the
instant, another creature&mdash;wary, alert, ready. Thus did the scent of Numa,
the lion, transform the boy into a beast.
</p>

<p>
He had never seen a lion&mdash;his mother had gone to great pains to prevent
it. But he had devoured countless pictures of them, and now he was ravenous to
feast his eyes upon the king of beasts in the flesh. As he trailed Akut he kept
an eye cocked over one shoulder, rearward, in the hope that Numa might rise
from his kill and reveal himself. Thus it happened that he dropped some little
way behind Akut, and the next he knew he was recalled suddenly to a
contemplation of other matters than the hidden Numa by a shrill scream of
warning from the Ape. Turning his eyes quickly in the direction of his
companion, the boy saw that, standing in the path directly before him, which
sent tremors of excitement racing along every nerve of his body. With body
half-merging from a clump of bushes in which she must have lain hidden stood a
sleek and beautiful lioness. Her yellow-green eyes were round and staring,
boring straight into the eyes of the boy. Not ten paces separated them. Twenty
paces behind the lioness stood the great ape, bellowing instructions to the boy
and hurling taunts at the lioness in an evident effort to attract her attention
from the lad while he gained the shelter of a near-by tree.
</p>

<p>
But Sabor was not to be diverted. She had her eyes upon the lad. He stood
between her and her mate, between her and the kill. It was suspicious. Probably
he had ulterior designs upon her lord and master or upon the fruits of their
hunting. A lioness is short tempered. Akut&rsquo;s bellowing annoyed her. She
uttered a little rumbling growl, taking a step toward the boy.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The tree!&rdquo; screamed Akut.
</p>

<p>
The boy turned and fled, and at the same instant the lioness charged. The tree
was but a few paces away. A limb hung ten feet from the ground, and as the boy
leaped for it the lioness leaped for him. Like a monkey he pulled himself up
and to one side. A great forepaw caught him a glancing blow at the
hips&mdash;just grazing him. One curved talon hooked itself into the waist band
of his pajama trousers, ripping them from him as the lioness sped by.
Half-naked the lad drew himself to safety as the beast turned and leaped for
him once more.
</p>

<p>
Akut, from a near-by tree, jabbered and scolded, calling the lioness all manner
of foul names. The boy, patterning his conduct after that of his preceptor,
unstoppered the vials of his invective upon the head of the enemy, until in
realization of the futility of words as weapons he bethought himself of
something heavier to hurl. There was nothing but dead twigs and branches at
hand, but these he flung at the upturned, snarling face of Sabor just as his
father had before him twenty years ago, when as a boy he too had taunted and
tantalized the great cats of the jungle.
</p>

<p>
The lioness fretted about the bole of the tree for a short time; but finally,
either realizing the uselessness of her vigil, or prompted by the pangs of
hunger, she stalked majestically away and disappeared in the brush that hid her
lord, who had not once shown himself during the altercation.
</p>

<p>
Freed from their retreats Akut and the boy came to the ground, to take up their
interrupted journey once more. The old ape scolded the lad for his
carelessness.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Had you not been so intent upon the lion behind you you might have
discovered the lioness much sooner than you did.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;But you passed right by her without seeing her,&rdquo; retorted the boy.
</p>

<p>
Akut was chagrined.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It is thus,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;that jungle folk die. We go
cautiously for a lifetime, and then, just for an instant, we forget,
and&mdash;&rdquo; he ground his teeth in mimicry of the crunching of great jaws
in flesh. &ldquo;It is a lesson,&rdquo; he resumed. &ldquo;You have learned
that you may not for too long keep your eyes and your ears and your nose all
bent in the same direction.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
That night the son of Tarzan was colder than he ever had been in all his life.
The pajama trousers had not been heavy; but they had been much heavier than
nothing. And the next day he roasted in the hot sun, for again their way led
much across wide and treeless plains.
</p>

<p>
It was still in the boy&rsquo;s mind to travel to the south, and circle back to
the coast in search of another outpost of civilization. He had said nothing of
this plan to Akut, for he knew that the old ape would look with displeasure
upon any suggestion that savored of separation.
</p>

<p>
For a month the two wandered on, the boy learning rapidly the laws of the
jungle; his muscles adapting themselves to the new mode of life that had been
thrust upon them. The thews of the sire had been transmitted to the
son&mdash;it needed only the hardening of use to develop them. The lad found
that it came quite naturally to him to swing through the trees. Even at great
heights he never felt the slightest dizziness, and when he had caught the knack
of the swing and the release, he could hurl himself through space from branch
to branch with even greater agility than the heavier Akut.
</p>

<p>
And with exposure came a toughening and hardening of his smooth, white skin,
browning now beneath the sun and wind. He had removed his pajama jacket one day
to bathe in a little stream that was too small to harbor crocodiles, and while
he and Akut had been disporting themselves in the cool waters a monkey had
dropped down from the over hanging trees, snatched up the boy&rsquo;s single
remaining article of civilized garmenture, and scampered away with it.
</p>

<p>
For a time Jack was angry; but when he had been without the jacket for a short
while he began to realize that being half-clothed is infinitely more
uncomfortable than being entirely naked. Soon he did not miss his clothing in
the least, and from that he came to revel in the freedom of his unhampered
state. Occasionally a smile would cross his face as he tried to imagine the
surprise of his schoolmates could they but see him now. They would envy him.
Yes, how they would envy him. He felt sorry for them at such times, and again
as he thought of them amid luxuries and comforts of their English homes, happy
with their fathers and mothers, a most uncomfortable lump would arise into the
boy&rsquo;s throat, and he would see a vision of his mother&rsquo;s face
through a blur of mist that came unbidden to his eyes. Then it was that he
urged Akut onward, for now they were headed westward toward the coast. The old
ape thought that they were searching for a tribe of his own kind, nor did the
boy disabuse his mind of this belief. It would do to tell Akut of his real
plans when they had come within sight of civilization.
</p>

<p>
One day as they were moving slowly along beside a river they came unexpectedly
upon a native village. Some children were playing beside the water. The
boy&rsquo;s heart leaped within his breast at sight of them&mdash;for over a
month he had seen no human being. What if these were naked savages? What if
their skins were black? Were they not creatures fashioned in the mold of their
Maker, as was he? They were his brothers and sisters! He started toward them.
With a low warning Akut laid a hand upon his arm to hold him back. The boy
shook himself free, and with a shout of greeting ran forward toward the ebon
players.
</p>

<p>
The sound of his voice brought every head erect. Wide eyes viewed him for an
instant, and then, with screams of terror, the children turned and fled toward
the village. At their heels ran their mothers, and from the village gate, in
response to the alarm, came a score of warriors, hastily snatched spears and
shields ready in their hands.
</p>

<p>
At sight of the consternation he had wrought the boy halted. The glad smile
faded from his face as with wild shouts and menacing gestures the warriors ran
toward him. Akut was calling to him from behind to turn and flee, telling him
that the blacks would kill him. For a moment he stood watching them coming,
then he raised his hand with the palm toward them in signal for them to halt,
calling out at the same time that he came as a friend&mdash;that he had only
wanted to play with their children. Of course they did not understand a word
that he addressed to them, and their answer was what any naked creature who had
run suddenly out of the jungle upon their women and children might have
expected&mdash;a shower of spears. The missiles struck all about the boy, but
none touched him. Again his spine tingled and the short hairs lifted at the
nape of his neck and along the top of his scalp. His eyes narrowed. Sudden
hatred flared in them to wither the expression of glad friendliness that had
lighted them but an instant before. With a low snarl, quite similar to that of
a baffled beast, he turned and ran into the jungle. There was Akut awaiting him
in a tree. The ape urged him to hasten in flight, for the wise old anthropoid
knew that they two, naked and unarmed, were no match for the sinewy black
warriors who would doubtless make some sort of search for them through the
jungle.
</p>

<p>
But a new power moved the son of Tarzan. He had come with a boy&rsquo;s glad
and open heart to offer his friendship to these people who were human beings
like himself. He had been met with suspicion and spears. They had not even
listened to him. Rage and hatred consumed him. When Akut urged speed he held
back. He wanted to fight, yet his reason made it all too plain that it would be
but a foolish sacrifice of his life to meet these armed men with his naked
hands and his teeth&mdash;already the boy thought of his teeth, of his fighting
fangs, when possibility of combat loomed close.
</p>

<p>
Moving slowly through the trees he kept his eyes over his shoulder, though he
no longer neglected the possibilities of other dangers which might lurk on
either hand or ahead&mdash;his experience with the lioness did not need a
repetition to insure the permanency of the lesson it had taught. Behind he
could hear the savages advancing with shouts and cries. He lagged further
behind until the pursuers were in sight. They did not see him, for they were
not looking among the branches of the trees for human quarry. The lad kept just
ahead of them. For a mile perhaps they continued the search, and then they
turned back toward the village. Here was the boy&rsquo;s opportunity, that for
which he had been waiting, while the hot blood of revenge coursed through his
veins until he saw his pursuers through a scarlet haze.
</p>

<p>
When they turned back he turned and followed them. Akut was no longer in sight.
Thinking that the boy followed he had gone on further ahead. He had no wish to
tempt fate within range of those deadly spears. Slinking silently from tree to
tree the boy dogged the footsteps of the returning warriors. At last one
dropped behind his fellows as they followed a narrow path toward the village. A
grim smile lit the lad&rsquo;s face. Swiftly he hurried forward until he moved
almost above the unconscious black&mdash;stalking him as Sheeta, the panther,
stalked his prey, as the boy had seen Sheeta do on many occasions.
</p>

<p>
Suddenly and silently he leaped forward and downward upon the broad shoulders
of his prey. In the instant of contact his fingers sought and found the
man&rsquo;s throat. The weight of the boy&rsquo;s body hurled the black heavily
to the ground, the knees in his back knocking the breath from him as he struck.
Then a set of strong, white teeth fastened themselves in his neck, and muscular
fingers closed tighter upon his wind-pipe. For a time the warrior struggled
frantically, throwing himself about in an effort to dislodge his antagonist;
but all the while he was weakening and all the while the grim and silent thing
he could not see clung tenaciously to him, and dragged him slowly into the bush
to one side of the trail.
</p>

<p>
Hidden there at last, safe from the prying eyes of searchers, should they miss
their fellow and return for him, the lad choked the life from the body of his
victim. At last he knew by the sudden struggle, followed by limp relaxation,
that the warrior was dead. Then a strange desire seized him. His whole being
quivered and thrilled. Involuntarily he leaped to his feet and placed one foot
upon the body of his kill. His chest expanded. He raised his face toward the
heavens and opened his mouth to voice a strange, weird cry that seemed
screaming within him for outward expression, but no sound passed his
lips&mdash;he just stood there for a full minute, his face turned toward the
sky, his breast heaving to the pent emotion, like an animate statue of
vengeance.
</p>

<p>
The silence which marked the first great kill of the son of Tarzan was to
typify all his future kills, just as the hideous victory cry of the bull ape
had marked the kills of his mighty sire.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap07"></a>VII.</h2>

<p>
Akut, discovering that the boy was not close behind him, turned back to search
for him. He had gone but a short distance in return when he was brought to a
sudden and startled halt by sight of a strange figure moving through the trees
toward him. It was the boy, yet could it be? In his hand was a long spear, down
his back hung an oblong shield such as the black warriors who had attacked them
had worn, and upon ankle and arm were bands of iron and brass, while a loin
cloth was twisted about the youth&rsquo;s middle. A knife was thrust through
its folds.
</p>

<p>
When the boy saw the ape he hastened forward to exhibit his trophies. Proudly
he called attention to each of his newly won possessions. Boastfully he
recounted the details of his exploit.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;With my bare hands and my teeth I killed him,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I
would have made friends with them but they chose to be my enemies. And now that
I have a spear I shall show Numa, too, what it means to have me for a foe. Only
the white men and the great apes, Akut, are our friends. Them we shall seek,
all others must we avoid or kill. This have I learned of the jungle.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
They made a detour about the hostile village, and resumed their journey toward
the coast. The boy took much pride in his new weapons and ornaments. He
practiced continually with the spear, throwing it at some object ahead hour by
hour as they traveled their loitering way, until he gained a proficiency such
as only youthful muscles may attain to speedily. All the while his training
went on under the guidance of Akut. No longer was there a single jungle spoor
but was an open book to the keen eyes of the lad, and those other indefinite
spoor that elude the senses of civilized man and are only partially appreciable
to his savage cousin came to be familiar friends of the eager boy. He could
differentiate the innumerable species of the herbivora by scent, and he could
tell, too, whether an animal was approaching or departing merely by the waxing
or waning strength of its effluvium. Nor did he need the evidence of his eyes
to tell him whether there were two lions or four up wind,&mdash;a hundred yards
away or half a mile.
</p>

<p>
Much of this had Akut taught him, but far more was instinctive
knowledge&mdash;a species of strange intuition inherited from his father. He
had come to love the jungle life. The constant battle of wits and senses
against the many deadly foes that lurked by day and by night along the pathway
of the wary and the unwary appealed to the spirit of adventure which breathes
strong in the heart of every red-blooded son of primordial Adam. Yet, though he
loved it, he had not let his selfish desires outweigh the sense of duty that
had brought him to a realization of the moral wrong which lay beneath the
adventurous escapade that had brought him to Africa. His love of father and
mother was strong within him, too strong to permit unalloyed happiness which
was undoubtedly causing them days of sorrow. And so he held tight to his
determination to find a port upon the coast where he might communicate with
them and receive funds for his return to London. There he felt sure that he
could now persuade his parents to let him spend at least a portion of his time
upon those African estates which from little careless remarks dropped at home
he knew his father possessed. That would be something, better at least than a
lifetime of the cramped and cloying restrictions of civilization.
</p>

<p>
And so he was rather contented than otherwise as he made his way in the
direction of the coast, for while he enjoyed the liberty and the savage
pleasures of the wild his conscience was at the same time clear, for he knew
that he was doing all that lay in his power to return to his parents. He rather
looked forward, too, to meeting white men again&mdash;creatures of his own
kind&mdash;for there had been many occasions upon which he had longed for other
companionship than that of the old ape. The affair with the blacks still
rankled in his heart. He had approached them in such innocent good fellowship
and with such childlike assurance of a hospitable welcome that the reception
which had been accorded him had proved a shock to his boyish ideals. He no
longer looked upon the black man as his brother; but rather as only another of
the innumerable foes of the bloodthirsty jungle&mdash;a beast of prey which
walked upon two feet instead of four.
</p>

<p>
But if the blacks were his enemies there were those in the world who were not.
There were those who always would welcome him with open arms; who would accept
him as a friend and brother, and with whom he might find sanctuary from every
enemy. Yes, there were always white men. Somewhere along the coast or even in
the depths of the jungle itself there were white men. To them he would be a
welcome visitor. They would befriend him. And there were also the great
apes&mdash;the friends of his father and of Akut. How glad they would be to
receive the son of Tarzan of the Apes! He hoped that he could come upon them
before he found a trading post upon the coast. He wanted to be able to tell his
father that he had known his old friends of the jungle, that he had hunted with
them, that he had joined with them in their savage life, and their fierce,
primeval ceremonies&mdash;the strange ceremonies of which Akut had tried to
tell him. It cheered him immensely to dwell upon these happy meetings. Often he
rehearsed the long speech which he would make to the apes, in which he would
tell them of the life of their former king since he had left them.
</p>

<p>
At other times he would play at meeting with white men. Then he would enjoy
their consternation at sight of a naked white boy trapped in the war togs of a
black warrior and roaming the jungle with only a great ape as his companion.
</p>

<p>
And so the days passed, and with the traveling and the hunting and the climbing
the boy&rsquo;s muscles developed and his agility increased until even
phlegmatic Akut marvelled at the prowess of his pupil. And the boy, realizing
his great strength and revelling in it, became careless. He strode through the
jungle, his proud head erect, defying danger. Where Akut took to the trees at
the first scent of Numa, the lad laughed in the face of the king of beasts and
walked boldly past him. Good fortune was with him for a long time. The lions he
met were well-fed, perhaps, or the very boldness of the strange creature which
invaded their domain so filled them with surprise that thoughts of attack were
banished from their minds as they stood, round-eyed, watching his approach and
his departure. Whatever the cause, however, the fact remains that on many
occasions the boy passed within a few paces of some great lion without arousing
more than a warning growl.
</p>

<p>
But no two lions are necessarily alike in character or temper. They differ as
greatly as do individuals of the human family. Because ten lions act similarly
under similar conditions one cannot say that the eleventh lion will do
likewise&mdash;the chances are that he will not. The lion is a creature of high
nervous development. He thinks, therefore he reasons. Having a nervous system
and brains he is the possessor of temperament, which is affected variously by
extraneous causes. One day the boy met the eleventh lion. The former was
walking across a small plain upon which grew little clumps of bushes. Akut was
a few yards to the left of the lad who was the first to discover the presence
of Numa.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Run, Akut,&rdquo; called the boy, laughing. &ldquo;Numa lies hid in the
bushes to my right. Take to the trees. Akut! I, the son of Tarzan, will protect
you,&rdquo; and the boy, laughing, kept straight along his way which led close
beside the brush in which Numa lay concealed.
</p>

<p>
The ape shouted to him to come away, but the lad only flourished his spear and
executed an improvised war dance to show his contempt for the king of beasts.
Closer and closer to the dread destroyer he came, until, with a sudden, angry
growl, the lion rose from his bed not ten paces from the youth. A huge fellow
he was, this lord of the jungle and the desert. A shaggy mane clothed his
shoulders. Cruel fangs armed his great jaws. His yellow-green eyes blazed with
hatred and challenge.
</p>

<p>
The boy, with his pitifully inadequate spear ready in his hand, realized
quickly that this lion was different from the others he had met; but he had
gone too far now to retreat. The nearest tree lay several yards to his
left&mdash;the lion could be upon him before he had covered half the distance,
and that the beast intended to charge none could doubt who looked upon him now.
Beyond the lion was a thorn tree&mdash;only a few feet beyond him. It was the
nearest sanctuary but Numa stood between it and his prey.
</p>

<p>
The feel of the long spear shaft in his hand and the sight of the tree beyond
the lion gave the lad an idea&mdash;a preposterous idea&mdash;a ridiculous,
forlorn hope of an idea; but there was no time now to weigh chances&mdash;there
was but a single chance, and that was the thorn tree. If the lion charged it
would be too late&mdash;the lad must charge first, and to the astonishment of
Akut and none the less of Numa, the boy leaped swiftly toward the beast. Just
for a second was the lion motionless with surprise and in that second Jack
Clayton put to the crucial test an accomplishment which he had practiced at
school.
</p>

<p>
Straight for the savage brute he ran, his spear held butt foremost across his
body. Akut shrieked in terror and amazement. The lion stood with wide, round
eyes awaiting the attack, ready to rear upon his hind feet and receive this
rash creature with blows that could crush the skull of a buffalo.
</p>

<p>
Just in front of the lion the boy placed the butt of his spear upon the ground,
gave a mighty spring, and, before the bewildered beast could guess the trick
that had been played upon him, sailed over the lion&rsquo;s head into the
rending embrace of the thorn tree&mdash;safe but lacerated.
</p>

<p>
Akut had never before seen a pole-vault. Now he leaped up and down within the
safety of his own tree, screaming taunts and boasts at the discomfited Numa,
while the boy, torn and bleeding, sought some position in his thorny retreat in
which he might find the least agony. He had saved his life; but at considerable
cost in suffering. It seemed to him that the lion would never leave, and it was
a full hour before the angry brute gave up his vigil and strode majestically
away across the plain. When he was at a safe distance the boy extricated
himself from the thorn tree; but not without inflicting new wounds upon his
already tortured flesh.
</p>

<p>
It was many days before the outward evidence of the lesson he had learned had
left him; while the impression upon his mind was one that was to remain with
him for life. Never again did he uselessly tempt fate.
</p>

<p>
He took long chances often in his after life; but only when the taking of
chances might further the attainment of some cherished end&mdash;and, always
thereafter, he practiced pole-vaulting.
</p>

<p>
For several days the boy and the ape lay up while the former recovered from the
painful wounds inflicted by the sharp thorns. The great anthropoid licked the
wounds of his human friend, nor, aside from this, did they receive other
treatment, but they soon healed, for healthy flesh quickly replaces itself.
</p>

<p>
When the lad felt fit again the two continued their journey toward the coast,
and once more the boy&rsquo;s mind was filled with pleasurable anticipation.
</p>

<p>
And at last the much dreamed of moment came. They were passing through a
tangled forest when the boy&rsquo;s sharp eyes discovered from the lower
branches through which he was traveling an old but well-marked spoor&mdash;a
spoor that set his heart to leaping&mdash;the spoor of man, of white men, for
among the prints of naked feet were the well defined outlines of European made
boots. The trail, which marked the passage of a good-sized company, pointed
north at right angles to the course the boy and the ape were taking toward the
coast.
</p>

<p>
Doubtless these white men knew the nearest coast settlement. They might even be
headed for it now. At any rate it would be worth while overtaking them if even
only for the pleasure of meeting again creatures of his own kind. The lad was
all excitement; palpitant with eagerness to be off in pursuit. Akut demurred.
He wanted nothing of men. To him the lad was a fellow ape, for he was the son
of the king of apes. He tried to dissuade the boy, telling him that soon they
should come upon a tribe of their own folk where some day when he was older the
boy should be king as his father had before him. But Jack was obdurate. He
insisted that he wanted to see white men again. He wanted to send a message to
his parents. Akut listened and as he listened the intuition of the beast
suggested the truth to him&mdash;the boy was planning to return to his own
kind.
</p>

<p>
The thought filled the old ape with sorrow. He loved the boy as he had loved
the father, with the loyalty and faithfulness of a hound for its master. In his
ape brain and his ape heart he had nursed the hope that he and the lad would
never be separated. He saw all his fondly cherished plans fading away, and yet
he remained loyal to the lad and to his wishes. Though disconsolate he gave in
to the boy&rsquo;s determination to pursue the <i>safari</i> of the white men,
accompanying him upon what he believed would be their last journey together.
</p>

<p>
The spoor was but a couple of days old when the two discovered it, which meant
that the slow-moving caravan was but a few hours distant from them whose
trained and agile muscles could carry their bodies swiftly through the branches
above the tangled undergrowth which had impeded the progress of the laden
carriers of the white men.
</p>

<p>
The boy was in the lead, excitement and anticipation carrying him ahead of his
companion to whom the attainment of their goal meant only sorrow. And it was
the boy who first saw the rear guard of the caravan and the white men he had
been so anxious to overtake.
</p>

<p>
Stumbling along the tangled trail of those ahead a dozen heavily laden blacks
who, from fatigue or sickness, had dropped behind were being prodded by the
black soldiers of the rear guard, kicked when they fell, and then roughly
jerked to their feet and hustled onward. On either side walked a giant white
man, heavy blonde beards almost obliterating their countenances. The
boy&rsquo;s lips formed a glad cry of salutation as his eyes first discovered
the whites&mdash;a cry that was never uttered, for almost immediately he
witnessed that which turned his happiness to anger as he saw that both the
white men were wielding heavy whips brutally upon the naked backs of the poor
devils staggering along beneath loads that would have overtaxed the strength
and endurance of strong men at the beginning of a new day.
</p>

<p>
Every now and then the rear guard and the white men cast apprehensive glances
rearward as though momentarily expecting the materialization of some long
expected danger from that quarter. The boy had paused after his first sight of
the caravan, and now was following slowly in the wake of the sordid, brutal
spectacle. Presently Akut came up with him. To the beast there was less of
horror in the sight than to the lad, yet even the great ape growled beneath his
breath at useless torture being inflicted upon the helpless slaves. He looked
at the boy. Now that he had caught up with the creatures of his own kind, why
was it that he did not rush forward and greet them? He put the question to his
companion.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;They are fiends,&rdquo; muttered the boy. &ldquo;I would not travel with
such as they, for if I did I should set upon them and kill them the first time
they beat their people as they are beating them now; but,&rdquo; he added,
after a moment&rsquo;s thought, &ldquo;I can ask them the whereabouts of the
nearest port, and then, Akut, we can leave them.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The ape made no reply, and the boy swung to the ground and started at a brisk
walk toward the <i>safari</i>. He was a hundred yards away, perhaps, when one
of the whites caught sight of him. The man gave a shout of alarm, instantly
levelling his rifle upon the boy and firing. The bullet struck just in front of
its mark, scattering turf and fallen leaves against the lad&rsquo;s legs. A
second later the other white and the black soldiers of the rear guard were
firing hysterically at the boy.
</p>

<p>
Jack leaped behind a tree, unhit. Days of panic ridden flight through the
jungle had filled Carl Jenssen and Sven Malbihn with jangling nerves and their
native boys with unreasoning terror. Every new note from behind sounded to
their frightened ears the coming of The Sheik and his bloodthirsty entourage.
They were in a blue funk, and the sight of the naked white warrior stepping
silently out of the jungle through which they had just passed had been
sufficient shock to let loose in action all the pent nerve energy of Malbihn,
who had been the first to see the strange apparition. And Malbihn&rsquo;s shout
and shot had set the others going.
</p>

<p>
When their nervous energy had spent itself and they came to take stock of what
they had been fighting it developed that Malbihn alone had seen anything
clearly. Several of the blacks averred that they too had obtained a good view
of the creature but their descriptions of it varied so greatly that Jenssen,
who had seen nothing himself, was inclined to be a trifle skeptical. One of the
blacks insisted that the thing had been eleven feet tall, with a man&rsquo;s
body and the head of an elephant. Another had seen THREE immense Arabs with
huge, black beards; but when, after conquering their nervousness, the rear
guard advanced upon the enemy&rsquo;s position to investigate they found
nothing, for Akut and the boy had retreated out of range of the unfriendly
guns.
</p>

<p>
Jack was disheartened and sad. He had not entirely recovered from the
depressing effect of the unfriendly reception he had received at the hands of
the blacks, and now he had found an even more hostile one accorded him by men
of his own color.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The lesser beasts flee from me in terror,&rdquo; he murmured, half to
himself, &ldquo;the greater beasts are ready to tear me to pieces at sight.
Black men would kill me with their spears or arrows. And now white men, men of
my own kind, have fired upon me and driven me away. Are all the creatures of
the world my enemies? Has the son of Tarzan no friend other than Akut?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The old ape drew closer to the boy.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;There are the great apes,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They only will be the
friends of Akut&rsquo;s friend. Only the great apes will welcome the son of
Tarzan. You have seen that men want nothing of you. Let us go now and continue
our search for the great apes&mdash;our people.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The language of the great apes is a combination of monosyllabic gutturals,
amplified by gestures and signs. It may not be literally translated into human
speech; but as near as may be this is what Akut said to the boy.
</p>

<p>
The two proceeded in silence for some time after Akut had spoken. The boy was
immersed in deep thought&mdash;bitter thoughts in which hatred and revenge
predominated. Finally he spoke: &ldquo;Very well, Akut,&rdquo; he said,
&ldquo;we will find our friends, the great apes.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The anthropoid was overjoyed; but he gave no outward demonstration of his
pleasure. A low grunt was his only response, and a moment later he had leaped
nimbly upon a small and unwary rodent that had been surprised at a fatal
distance from its burrow. Tearing the unhappy creature in two Akut handed the
lion&rsquo;s share to the lad.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap08"></a>VIII.</h2>

<p>
A year had passed since the two Swedes had been driven in terror from the
savage country where The Sheik held sway. Little Meriem still played with
Geeka, lavishing all her childish love upon the now almost hopeless ruin of
what had never, even in its palmiest days, possessed even a slight degree of
loveliness. But to Meriem, Geeka was all that was sweet and adorable. She
carried to the deaf ears of the battered ivory head all her sorrows all her
hopes and all her ambitions, for even in the face of hopelessness, in the
clutches of the dread authority from which there was no escape, little Meriem
yet cherished hopes and ambitions. It is true that her ambitions were rather
nebulous in form, consisting chiefly of a desire to escape with Geeka to some
remote and unknown spot where there were no Sheiks, no Mabunus&mdash;where
<i>El Adrea</i> could find no entrance, and where she might play all day
surrounded only by flowers and birds and the harmless little monkeys playing in
the tree tops.
</p>

<p>
The Sheik had been away for a long time, conducting a caravan of ivory, skins,
and rubber far into the north. The interim had been one of great peace for
Meriem. It is true that Mabunu had still been with her, to pinch or beat her as
the mood seized the villainous old hag; but Mabunu was only one. When The Sheik
was there also there were two of them, and The Sheik was stronger and more
brutal even than Mabunu. Little Meriem often wondered why the grim old man
hated her so. It is true that he was cruel and unjust to all with whom he came
in contact, but to Meriem he reserved his greatest cruelties, his most studied
injustices.
</p>

<p>
Today Meriem was squatting at the foot of a large tree which grew inside the
palisade close to the edge of the village. She was fashioning a tent of leaves
for Geeka. Before the tent were some pieces of wood and small leaves and a few
stones. These were the household utensils. Geeka was cooking dinner. As the
little girl played she prattled continuously to her companion, propped in a
sitting position with a couple of twigs. She was totally absorbed in the
domestic duties of Geeka&mdash;so much so that she did not note the gentle
swaying of the branches of the tree above her as they bent to the body of the
creature that had entered them stealthily from the jungle.
</p>

<p>
In happy ignorance the little girl played on, while from above two steady eyes
looked down upon her&mdash;unblinking, unwavering. There was none other than
the little girl in this part of the village, which had been almost deserted
since The Sheik had left long months before upon his journey toward the north.
</p>

<p>
And out in the jungle, an hour&rsquo;s march from the village, The Sheik was
leading his returning caravan homeward.
</p>

<p class="p2">
A year had passed since the white men had fired upon the lad and driven him
back into the jungle to take up his search for the only remaining creatures to
whom he might look for companionship&mdash;the great apes. For months the two
had wandered eastward, deeper and deeper into the jungle. The year had done
much for the boy&mdash;turning his already mighty muscles to thews of steel,
developing his woodcraft to a point where it verged upon the uncanny,
perfecting his arboreal instincts, and training him in the use of both natural
and artificial weapons.
</p>

<p>
He had become at last a creature of marvelous physical powers and mental
cunning. He was still but a boy, yet so great was his strength that the
powerful anthropoid with which he often engaged in mimic battle was no match
for him. Akut had taught him to fight as the bull ape fights, nor ever was
there a teacher better fitted to instruct in the savage warfare of primordial
man, or a pupil better equipped to profit by the lessons of a master.
</p>

<p>
As the two searched for a band of the almost extinct species of ape to which
Akut belonged they lived upon the best the jungle afforded. Antelope and zebra
fell to the boy&rsquo;s spear, or were dragged down by the two powerful beasts
of prey who leaped upon them from some overhanging limb or from the ambush of
the undergrowth beside the trail to the water hole or the ford.
</p>

<p>
The pelt of a leopard covered the nakedness of the youth; but the wearing of it
had not been dictated by any prompting of modesty. With the rifle shots of the
white men showering about him he had reverted to the savagery of the beast that
is inherent in each of us, but that flamed more strongly in this boy whose
father had been raised a beast of prey. He wore his leopard skin at first in
response to a desire to parade a trophy of his prowess, for he had slain the
leopard with his knife in a hand-to-hand combat. He saw that the skin was
beautiful, which appealed to his barbaric sense of ornamentation, and when it
stiffened and later commenced to decompose because of his having no knowledge
of how to cure or tan it was with sorrow and regret that he discarded it.
Later, when he chanced upon a lone, black warrior wearing the counterpart of
it, soft and clinging and beautiful from proper curing, it required but an
instant to leap from above upon the shoulders of the unsuspecting black, sink a
keen blade into his heart and possess the rightly preserved hide.
</p>

<p>
There were no after-qualms of conscience. In the jungle might is right, nor
does it take long to inculcate this axiom in the mind of a jungle dweller,
regardless of what his past training may have been. That the black would have
killed him had he had the chance the boy knew full well. Neither he nor the
black were any more sacred than the lion, or the buffalo, the zebra or the
deer, or any other of the countless creatures who roamed, or slunk, or flew, or
wriggled through the dark mazes of the forest. Each had but a single life,
which was sought by many. The greater number of enemies slain the better chance
to prolong that life. So the boy smiled and donned the finery of the
vanquished, and went his way with Akut, searching, always searching for the
elusive anthropoids who were to welcome them with open arms. And at last they
found them. Deep in the jungle, buried far from sight of man, they came upon
such another little natural arena as had witnessed the wild ceremony of the
Dum-Dum in which the boy&rsquo;s father had taken part long years before.
</p>

<p>
First, at a great distance, they heard the beating of the drum of the great
apes. They were sleeping in the safety of a huge tree when the booming sound
smote upon their ears. Both awoke at once. Akut was the first to interpret the
strange cadence.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The great apes!&rdquo; he growled. &ldquo;They dance the Dum-Dum. Come,
Korak, son of Tarzan, let us go to our people.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Months before Akut had given the boy a name of his own choosing, since he could
not master the man given name of Jack. Korak is as near as it may be
interpreted into human speech. In the language of the apes it means Killer. Now
the Killer rose upon the branch of the great tree where he had been sleeping
with his back braced against the stem. He stretched his lithe young muscles,
the moonlight filtering through the foliage from above dappling his brown skin
with little patches of light.
</p>

<p>
The ape, too, stood up, half squatting after the manner of his kind. Low growls
rumbled from the bottom of his deep chest&mdash;growls of excited anticipation.
The boy growled in harmony with the ape. Then the anthropoid slid softly to the
ground. Close by, in the direction of the booming drum, lay a clearing which
they must cross. The moon flooded it with silvery light. Half-erect, the great
ape shuffled into the full glare of the moon. At his side, swinging gracefully
along in marked contrast to the awkwardness of his companion, strode the boy,
the dark, shaggy coat of the one brushing against the smooth, clear hide of the
other. The lad was humming now, a music hall air that had found its way to the
forms of the great English public school that was to see him no more. He was
happy and expectant. The moment he had looked forward to for so long was about
to be realized. He was coming into his own. He was coming home. As the months
had dragged or flown along, retarded or spurred on as privation or adventure
predominated, thoughts of his own home, while oft recurring, had become less
vivid. The old life had grown to seem more like a dream than a reality, and the
balking of his determination to reach the coast and return to London had
finally thrown the hope of realization so remotely into the future that it too
now seemed little more than a pleasant but hopeless dream.
</p>

<p>
Now all thoughts of London and civilization were crowded so far into the
background of his brain that they might as well have been non-existent. Except
for form and mental development he was as much an ape as the great, fierce
creature at his side.
</p>

<p>
In the exuberance of his joy he slapped his companion roughly on the side of
the head. Half in anger, half in play the anthropoid turned upon him, his fangs
bared and glistening. Long, hairy arms reached out to seize him, and, as they
had done a thousand times before, the two clinched in mimic battle, rolling
upon the sward, striking, growling and biting, though never closing their teeth
in more than a rough pinch. It was wondrous practice for them both. The boy
brought into play wrestling tricks that he had learned at school, and many of
these Akut learned to use and to foil. And from the ape the boy learned the
methods that had been handed down to Akut from some common ancestor of them
both, who had roamed the teeming earth when ferns were trees and crocodiles
were birds.
</p>

<p>
But there was one art the boy possessed which Akut could not master, though he
did achieve fair proficiency in it for an ape&mdash;boxing. To have his
bull-like charges stopped and crumpled with a suddenly planted fist upon the
end of his snout, or a painful jolt in the short ribs, always surprised Akut.
It angered him too, and at such times his mighty jaws came nearer to closing in
the soft flesh of his friend than at any other, for he was still an ape, with
an ape&rsquo;s short temper and brutal instincts; but the difficulty was in
catching his tormentor while his rage lasted, for when he lost his head and
rushed madly into close quarters with the boy he discovered that the stinging
hail of blows released upon him always found their mark and effectually stopped
him&mdash;effectually and painfully. Then he would withdraw growling viciously,
backing away with grinning jaws distended, to sulk for an hour or so.
</p>

<p>
Tonight they did not box. Just for a moment or two they wrestled playfully,
until the scent of Sheeta, the panther, brought them to their feet, alert and
wary. The great cat was passing through the jungle in front of them. For a
moment it paused, listening. The boy and the ape growled menacingly in chorus
and the carnivore moved on.
</p>

<p>
Then the two took up their journey toward the sound of the Dum-Dum. Louder and
louder came the beating of the drum. Now, at last, they could hear the growling
of the dancing apes, and strong to their nostrils came the scent of their kind.
The lad trembled with excitement. The hair down Akut&rsquo;s spine
stiffened&mdash;the symptoms of happiness and anger are often similar.
</p>

<p>
Silently they crept through the jungle as they neared the meeting place of the
apes. Now they were in the trees, worming their way forward, alert for
sentinels. Presently through a break in the foliage the scene burst upon the
eager eyes of the boy. To Akut it was a familiar one; but to Korak it was all
new. His nerves tingled at the savage sight. The great bulls were dancing in
the moonlight, leaping in an irregular circle about the flat-topped earthen
drum about which three old females sat beating its resounding top with sticks
worn smooth by long years of use.
</p>

<p>
Akut, knowing the temper and customs of his kind, was too wise to make their
presence known until the frenzy of the dance had passed. After the drum was
quiet and the bellies of the tribe well-filled he would hail them. Then would
come a parley, after which he and Korak would be accepted into membership by
the community. There might be those who would object; but such could be
overcome by brute force, of which he and the lad had an ample surplus. For
weeks, possibly months, their presence might cause ever decreasing suspicion
among others of the tribe; but eventually they would become as born brothers to
these strange apes.
</p>

<p>
He hoped that they had been among those who had known Tarzan, for that would
help in the introduction of the lad and in the consummation of Akut&rsquo;s
dearest wish, that Korak should become king of the apes. It was with
difficulty, however, that Akut kept the boy from rushing into the midst of the
dancing anthropoids&mdash;an act that would have meant the instant
extermination of them both, since the hysterical frenzy into which the great
apes work themselves during the performance of their strange rites is of such a
nature that even the most ferocious of the carnivora give them a wide berth at
such times.
</p>

<p>
As the moon declined slowly toward the lofty, foliaged horizon of the
amphitheater the booming of the drum decreased and lessened were the exertions
of the dancers, until, at last, the final note was struck and the huge beasts
turned to fall upon the feast they had dragged hither for the orgy.
</p>

<p>
From what he had seen and heard Akut was able to explain to Korak that the
rites proclaimed the choosing of a new king, and he pointed out to the boy the
massive figure of the shaggy monarch, come into his kingship, no doubt, as many
human rulers have come into theirs&mdash;by the murder of his predecessor.
</p>

<p>
When the apes had filled their bellies and many of them had sought the bases of
the trees to curl up in sleep Akut plucked Korak by the arm.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come,&rdquo; he whispered. &ldquo;Come slowly. Follow me. Do as Akut
does.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Then he advanced slowly through the trees until he stood upon a bough
overhanging one side of the amphitheater. Here he stood in silence for a
moment. Then he uttered a low growl. Instantly a score of apes leaped to their
feet. Their savage little eyes sped quickly around the periphery of the
clearing. The king ape was the first to see the two figures upon the branch. He
gave voice to an ominous growl. Then he took a few lumbering steps in the
direction of the intruders. His hair was bristling. His legs were stiff,
imparting a halting, jerky motion to his gait. Behind him pressed a number of
bulls.
</p>

<p>
He stopped just a little before he came beneath the two&mdash;just far enough
to be beyond their spring. Wary king! Here he stood rocking himself to and fro
upon his short legs, baring his fangs in hideous grinnings, rumbling out an
ever increasing volume of growls, which were slowly but steadily increasing to
the proportions of roars. Akut knew that he was planning an attack upon them.
The old ape did not wish to fight. He had come with the boy to cast his lot
with the tribe.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am Akut,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This is Korak. Korak is the son of
Tarzan who was king of the apes. I, too, was king of the apes who dwelt in the
midst of the great waters. We have come to hunt with you, to fight with you. We
are great hunters. We are mighty fighters. Let us come in peace.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The king ceased his rocking. He eyed the pair from beneath his beetling brows.
His bloodshot eyes were savage and crafty. His kingship was very new and he was
jealous of it. He feared the encroachments of two strange apes. The sleek,
brown, hairless body of the lad spelled &ldquo;man,&rdquo; and man he feared
and hated.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Go away!&rdquo; he growled. &ldquo;Go away, or I will kill you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The eager lad, standing behind the great Akut, had been pulsing with
anticipation and happiness. He wanted to leap down among these hairy monsters
and show them that he was their friend, that he was one of them. He had
expected that they would receive him with open arms, and now the words of the
king ape filled him with indignation and sorrow. The blacks had set upon him
and driven him away. Then he had turned to the white men&mdash;to those of his
own kind&mdash;only to hear the ping of bullets where he had expected words of
cordial welcome. The great apes had remained his final hope. To them he looked
for the companionship man had denied him. Suddenly rage overwhelmed him.
</p>

<p>
The king ape was almost directly beneath him. The others were formed in a half
circle several yards behind the king. They were watching events interestedly.
Before Akut could guess his intention, or prevent, the boy leaped to the ground
directly in the path of the king, who had now succeeded in stimulating himself
to a frenzy of fury.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am Korak!&rdquo; shouted the boy. &ldquo;I am the Killer. I came to
live among you as a friend. You want to drive me away. Very well, then, I shall
go; but before I go I shall show you that the son of Tarzan is your master, as
his father was before him&mdash;that he is not afraid of your king or
you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
For an instant the king ape had stood motionless with surprise. He had expected
no such rash action upon the part of either of the intruders. Akut was equally
surprised. Now he shouted excitedly for Korak to come back, for he knew that in
the sacred arena the other bulls might be expected to come to the assistance of
their king against an outsider, though there was small likelihood that the king
would need assistance. Once those mighty jaws closed upon the boy&rsquo;s soft
neck the end would come quickly. To leap to his rescue would mean death for
Akut, too; but the brave old ape never hesitated. Bristling and growling, he
dropped to the sward just as the king ape charged.
</p>

<p>
The beast&rsquo;s hands clutched for their hold as the animal sprang upon the
lad. The fierce jaws were wide distended to bury the yellow fangs deeply in the
brown hide. Korak, too, leaped forward to meet the attack; but leaped
crouching, beneath the outstretched arms. At the instant of contact the lad
pivoted on one foot, and with all the weight of his body and the strength of
his trained muscles drove a clenched fist into the bull&rsquo;s stomach. With a
gasping shriek the king ape collapsed, clutching futilely for the agile, naked
creature nimbly sidestepping from his grasp.
</p>

<p>
Howls of rage and dismay broke from the bull apes behind the fallen king, as
with murder in their savage little hearts they rushed forward upon Korak and
Akut; but the old ape was too wise to court any such unequal encounter. To have
counseled the boy to retreat now would have been futile, and Akut knew it. To
delay even a second in argument would have sealed the death warrants of them
both. There was but a single hope and Akut seized it. Grasping the lad around
the waist he lifted him bodily from the ground, and turning ran swiftly toward
another tree which swung low branches above the arena. Close upon their heels
swarmed the hideous mob; but Akut, old though he was and burdened by the weight
of the struggling Korak, was still fleeter than his pursuers.
</p>

<p>
With a bound he grasped a low limb, and with the agility of a little monkey
swung himself and the boy to temporary safety. Nor did he hesitate even here;
but raced on through the jungle night, bearing his burden to safety. For a time
the bulls pursued; but presently, as the swifter outdistanced the slower and
found themselves separated from their fellows they abandoned the chase,
standing roaring and screaming until the jungle reverberated to their hideous
noises. Then they turned and retraced their way to the amphitheater.
</p>

<p>
When Akut felt assured that they were no longer pursued he stopped and released
Korak. The boy was furious.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Why did you drag me away?&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;I would have taught
them! I would have taught them all! Now they will think that I am afraid of
them.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What they think cannot harm you,&rdquo; said Akut. &ldquo;You are alive.
If I had not brought you away you would be dead now and so would I. Do you not
know that even Numa slinks from the path of the great apes when there are many
of them and they are mad?&rdquo;
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap09"></a>IX.</h2>

<p>
It was an unhappy Korak who wandered aimlessly through the jungle the day
following his inhospitable reception by the great apes. His heart was heavy
from disappointment. Unsatisfied vengeance smoldered in his breast. He looked
with hatred upon the denizens of his jungle world, baring his fighting fangs
and growling at those that came within radius of his senses. The mark of his
father&rsquo;s early life was strong upon him and enhanced by months of
association with beasts, from whom the imitative faculty of youth had absorbed
a countless number of little mannerisms of the predatory creatures of the wild.
</p>

<p>
He bared his fangs now as naturally and upon as slight provocation as Sheeta,
the panther, bared his. He growled as ferociously as Akut himself. When he came
suddenly upon another beast his quick crouch bore a strange resemblance to the
arching of a cat&rsquo;s back. Korak, the killer, was looking for trouble. In
his heart of hearts he hoped to meet the king ape who had driven him from the
amphitheater. To this end he insisted upon remaining in the vicinity; but the
exigencies of the perpetual search for food led them several miles further away
during day.
</p>

<p>
They were moving slowly down wind, and warily because the advantage was with
whatever beast might chance to be hunting ahead of them, where their
scent-spoor was being borne by the light breeze. Suddenly the two halted
simultaneously. Two heads were cocked upon one side. Like creatures hewn from
solid rock they stood immovable, listening. Not a muscle quivered. For several
seconds they remained thus, then Korak advanced cautiously a few yards and
leaped nimbly into a tree. Akut followed close upon his heels. Neither had made
a noise that would have been appreciable to human ears at a dozen paces.
</p>

<p>
Stopping often to listen they crept forward through the trees. That both were
greatly puzzled was apparent from the questioning looks they cast at one
another from time to time. Finally the lad caught a glimpse of a palisade a
hundred yards ahead, and beyond it the tops of some goatskin tents and a number
of thatched huts. His lip upcurled in a savage snarl. Blacks! How he hated
them. He signed to Akut to remain where he was while he advanced to
reconnoiter.
</p>

<p>
Woe betide the unfortunate villager whom The Killer came upon now. Slinking
through the lower branches of the trees, leaping lightly from one jungle giant
to its neighbor where the distance was not too great, or swinging from one hand
hold to another Korak came silently toward the village. He heard a voice beyond
the palisade and toward that he made his way. A great tree overhung the
enclosure at the very point from which the voice came. Into this Korak crept.
His spear was ready in his hand. His ears told him of the proximity of a human
being. All that his eyes required was a single glance to show him his target.
Then, lightning like, the missile would fly to its goal. With raised spear he
crept among the branches of the tree glaring narrowly downward in search of the
owner of the voice which rose to him from below.
</p>

<p>
At last he saw a human back. The spear hand flew to the limit of the throwing
position to gather the force that would send the iron shod missile completely
through the body of the unconscious victim. And then The Killer paused. He
leaned forward a little to get a better view of the target. Was it to insure
more perfect aim, or had there been that in the graceful lines and the childish
curves of the little body below him that had held in check the spirit of murder
running riot in his veins?
</p>

<p>
He lowered his spear cautiously that it might make no noise by scraping against
foliage or branches. Quietly he crouched in a comfortable position along a
great limb and there he lay with wide eyes looking down in wonder upon the
creature he had crept upon to kill&mdash;looking down upon a little girl, a
little nut brown maiden. The snarl had gone from his lip. His only expression
was one of interested attention&mdash;he was trying to discover what the girl
was doing. Suddenly a broad grin overspread his face, for a turn of the
girl&rsquo;s body had revealed Geeka of the ivory head and the rat skin
torso&mdash;Geeka of the splinter limbs and the disreputable appearance. The
little girl raised the marred face to hers and rocking herself backward and
forward crooned a plaintive Arab lullaby to the doll. A softer light entered
the eyes of The Killer. For a long hour that passed very quickly to him Korak
lay with gaze riveted upon the playing child. Not once had he had a view of the
girl&rsquo;s full face. For the most part he saw only a mass of wavy, black
hair, one brown little shoulder exposed upon the side from where her single
robe was caught beneath her arm, and a shapely knee protruding from beneath her
garment as she sat cross legged upon the ground. A tilt of the head as she
emphasized some maternal admonition to the passive Geeka revealed occasionally
a rounded cheek or a piquant little chin. Now she was shaking a slim finger at
Geeka, reprovingly, and again she crushed to her heart this only object upon
which she might lavish the untold wealth of her childish affections.
</p>

<p>
Korak, momentarily forgetful of his bloody mission, permitted the fingers of
his spear hand to relax a little their grasp upon the shaft of his formidable
weapon. It slipped, almost falling; but the occurrence recalled The Killer to
himself. It reminded him of his purpose in slinking stealthily upon the owner
of the voice that had attracted his vengeful attention. He glanced at the
spear, with its well-worn grip and cruel, barbed head. Then he let his eyes
wander again to the dainty form below him. In imagination he saw the heavy
weapon shooting downward. He saw it pierce the tender flesh, driving its way
deep into the yielding body. He saw the ridiculous doll drop from its
owner&rsquo;s arms to lie sprawled and pathetic beside the quivering body of
the little girl. The Killer shuddered, scowling at the inanimate iron and wood
of the spear as though they constituted a sentient being endowed with a
malignant mind.
</p>

<p>
Korak wondered what the girl would do were he to drop suddenly from the tree to
her side. Most likely she would scream and run away. Then would come the men of
the village with spears and guns and set upon him. They would either kill him
or drive him away. A lump rose in the boy&rsquo;s throat. He craved the
companionship of his own kind, though he scarce realized how greatly. He would
have liked to slip down beside the little girl and talk with her, though he
knew from the words he had overheard that she spoke a language with which he
was unfamiliar. They could have talked by signs a little. That would have been
better than nothing. Too, he would have been glad to see her face. What he had
glimpsed assured him that she was pretty; but her strongest appeal to him lay
in the affectionate nature revealed by her gentle mothering of the grotesque
doll.
</p>

<p>
At last he hit upon a plan. He would attract her attention, and reassure her by
a smiling greeting from a greater distance. Silently he wormed his way back
into the tree. It was his intention to hail her from beyond the palisade,
giving her the feeling of security which he imagined the stout barricade would
afford.
</p>

<p>
He had scarcely left his position in the tree when his attention was attracted
by a considerable noise upon the opposite side of the village. By moving a
little he could see the gate at the far end of the main street. A number of
men, women and children were running toward it. It swung open, revealing the
head of a caravan upon the opposite side. In trooped the motley
organization&mdash;black slaves and dark hued Arabs of the northern deserts;
cursing camel drivers urging on their vicious charges; overburdened donkeys,
waving sadly pendulous ears while they endured with stoic patience the
brutalities of their masters; goats, sheep and horses. Into the village they
all trooped behind a tall, sour, old man, who rode without greetings to those
who shrunk from his path directly to a large goatskin tent in the center of the
village. Here he spoke to a wrinkled hag.
</p>

<p>
Korak, from his vantage spot, could see it all. He saw the old man asking
questions of the black woman, and then he saw the latter point toward a
secluded corner of the village which was hidden from the main street by the
tents of the Arabs and the huts of the natives in the direction of the tree
beneath which the little girl played. This was doubtless her father, thought
Korak. He had been away and his first thought upon returning was of his little
daughter. How glad she would be to see him! How she would run and throw herself
into his arms, to be crushed to his breast and covered with his kisses. Korak
sighed. He thought of his own father and mother far away in London.
</p>

<p>
He returned to his place in the tree above the girl. If he couldn&rsquo;t have
happiness of this sort himself he wanted to enjoy the happiness of others.
Possibly if he made himself known to the old man he might be permitted to come
to the village occasionally as a friend. It would be worth trying. He would
wait until the old Arab had greeted his daughter, then he would make his
presence known with signs of peace.
</p>

<p>
The Arab was striding softly toward the girl. In a moment he would be beside
her, and then how surprised and delighted she would be! Korak&rsquo;s eyes
sparkled in anticipation&mdash;and now the old man stood behind the little
girl. His stern old face was still unrelaxed. The child was yet unconscious of
his presence. She prattled on to the unresponsive Geeka. Then the old man
coughed. With a start the child glanced quickly up over her shoulder. Korak
could see her full face now. It was very beautiful in its sweet and innocent
childishness&mdash;all soft and lovely curves. He could see her great, dark
eyes. He looked for the happy love light that would follow recognition; but it
did not come. Instead, terror, stark, paralyzing terror, was mirrored in her
eyes, in the expression of her mouth, in the tense, cowering attitude of her
body. A grim smile curved the thin, cruel lip of the Arab. The child essayed to
crawl away; but before she could get out of his reach the old man kicked her
brutally, sending her sprawling upon the grass. Then he followed her up to
seize and strike her as was his custom.
</p>

<p>
Above them, in the tree, a beast crouched where a moment before had been a
boy&mdash;a beast with dilating nostrils and bared fangs&mdash;a beast that
trembled with rage.
</p>

<p>
The Sheik was stooping to reach for the girl when The Killer dropped to the
ground at his side. His spear was still in his left hand but he had forgotten
it. Instead his right fist was clenched and as The Sheik took a backward step,
astonished by the sudden materialization of this strange apparition apparently
out of clear air, the heavy fist landed full upon his mouth backed by the
weight of the young giant and the terrific power of his more than human
muscles.
</p>

<p>
Bleeding and senseless The Sheik sank to earth. Korak turned toward the child.
She had regained her feet and stood wide eyed and frightened, looking first
into his face and then, horror struck, at the recumbent figure of The Sheik. In
an involuntary gesture of protection The Killer threw an arm about the
girl&rsquo;s shoulders and stood waiting for the Arab to regain consciousness.
For a moment they remained thus, when the girl spoke.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;When he regains his senses he will kill me,&rdquo; she said, in Arabic.
</p>

<p>
Korak could not understand her. He shook his head, speaking to her first in
English and then in the language of the great apes; but neither of these was
intelligible to her. She leaned forward and touched the hilt of the long knife
that the Arab wore. Then she raised her clasped hand above her head and drove
an imaginary blade into her breast above her heart. Korak understood. The old
man would kill her. The girl came to his side again and stood there trembling.
She did not fear him. Why should she? He had saved her from a terrible beating
at the hands of The Sheik. Never, in her memory, had another so befriended her.
She looked up into his face. It was a boyish, handsome face, nut-brown like her
own. She admired the spotted leopard skin that circled his lithe body from one
shoulder to his knees. The metal anklets and armlets adorning him aroused her
envy. Always had she coveted something of the kind; but never had The Sheik
permitted her more than the single cotton garment that barely sufficed to cover
her nakedness. No furs or silks or jewelry had there ever been for little
Meriem.
</p>

<p>
And Korak looked at the girl. He had always held girls in a species of
contempt. Boys who associated with them were, in his estimation, mollycoddles.
He wondered what he should do. Could he leave her here to be abused, possibly
murdered, by the villainous old Arab? No! But, on the other hand, could he take
her into the jungle with him? What could he accomplish burdened by a weak and
frightened girl? She would scream at her own shadow when the moon came out upon
the jungle night and the great beasts roamed, moaning and roaring, through the
darkness.
</p>

<p>
He stood for several minutes buried in thought. The girl watched his face,
wondering what was passing in his mind. She, too, was thinking of the future.
She feared to remain and suffer the vengeance of The Sheik. There was no one in
all the world to whom she might turn, other than this half-naked stranger who
had dropped miraculously from the clouds to save her from one of The
Sheik&rsquo;s accustomed beatings. Would her new friend leave her now?
Wistfully she gazed at his intent face. She moved a little closer to him,
laying a slim, brown hand upon his arm. The contact awakened the lad from his
absorption. He looked down at her, and then his arm went about her shoulder
once more, for he saw tears upon her lashes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The jungle is kinder than man. You shall
live in the jungle and Korak and Akut will protect you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
She did not understand his words, but the pressure of his arm drawing her away
from the prostrate Arab and the tents was quite intelligible. One little arm
crept about his waist and together they walked toward the palisade. Beneath the
great tree that had harbored Korak while he watched the girl at play he lifted
her in his arms and throwing her lightly across his shoulder leaped nimbly into
the lower branches. Her arms were about his neck and from one little hand Geeka
dangled down his straight young back.
</p>

<p>
And so Meriem entered the jungle with Korak, trusting, in her childish
innocence, the stranger who had befriended her, and perhaps influenced in her
belief in him by that strange intuitive power possessed by woman. She had no
conception of what the future might hold. She did not know, nor could she have
guessed the manner of life led by her protector. Possibly she pictured a
distant village similar to that of The Sheik in which lived other white men
like the stranger. That she was to be taken into the savage, primeval life of a
jungle beast could not have occurred to her. Had it, her little heart would
have palpitated with fear. Often had she wished to run away from the cruelties
of The Sheik and Mabunu; but the dangers of the jungle always had deterred her.
</p>

<p>
The two had gone but a short distance from the village when the girl spied the
huge proportions of the great Akut. With a half-stifled scream she clung more
closely to Korak, and pointed fearfully toward the ape.
</p>

<p>
Akut, thinking that The Killer was returning with a prisoner, came growling
toward them&mdash;a little girl aroused no more sympathy in the beast&rsquo;s
heart than would a full-grown bull ape. She was a stranger and therefore to be
killed. He bared his yellow fangs as he approached, and to his surprise The
Killer bared his likewise, but he bared them at Akut, and snarled menacingly.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Ah,&rdquo; thought Akut, &ldquo;The Killer has taken a mate,&rdquo; and
so, obedient to the tribal laws of his kind, he left them alone, becoming
suddenly absorbed in a fuzzy caterpillar of peculiarly succulent appearance.
The larva disposed of, he glanced from the corner of an eye at Korak. The youth
had deposited his burden upon a large limb, where she clung desperately to keep
from falling.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;She will accompany us,&rdquo; said Korak to Akut, jerking a thumb in the
direction of the girl. &ldquo;Do not harm her. We will protect her.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Akut shrugged. To be burdened by the young of man was in no way to his liking.
He could see from her evident fright at her position on the branch, and from
the terrified glances she cast in his direction that she was hopelessly unfit.
By all the ethics of Akut&rsquo;s training and inheritance the unfit should be
eliminated; but if The Killer wished this there was nothing to be done about it
but to tolerate her. Akut certainly didn&rsquo;t want her&mdash;of that he was
quite positive. Her skin was too smooth and hairless. Quite snake-like, in
fact, and her face was most unattractive. Not at all like that of a certain
lovely she he had particularly noticed among the apes in the amphitheater the
previous night. Ah, there was true feminine beauty for one!&mdash;a great,
generous mouth; lovely, yellow fangs, and the cutest, softest side whiskers!
Akut sighed. Then he rose, expanded his great chest and strutted back and forth
along a substantial branch, for even a puny thing like this she of
Korak&rsquo;s might admire his fine coat and his graceful carriage.
</p>

<p>
But poor little Meriem only shrank closer to Korak and almost wished that she
were back in the village of The Sheik where the terrors of existence were of
human origin, and so more or less familiar. The hideous ape frightened her. He
was so large and so ferocious in appearance. His actions she could only
interpret as a menace, for how could she guess that he was parading to excite
admiration? Nor could she know of the bond of fellowship which existed between
this great brute and the godlike youth who had rescued her from the Sheik.
</p>

<p>
Meriem spent an evening and a night of unmitigated terror. Korak and Akut led
her along dizzy ways as they searched for food. Once they hid her in the
branches of a tree while they stalked a near-by buck. Even her natural terror
of being left alone in the awful jungle was submerged in a greater horror as
she saw the man and the beast spring simultaneously upon their prey and drag it
down, as she saw the handsome face of her preserver contorted in a bestial
snarl; as she saw his strong, white teeth buried in the soft flesh of the kill.
</p>

<p>
When he came back to her blood smeared his face and hands and breast and she
shrank from him as he offered her a huge hunk of hot, raw meat. He was
evidently much disturbed by her refusal to eat, and when, a moment later, he
scampered away into the forest to return with fruit for her she was once more
forced to alter her estimation of him. This time she did not shrink, but
acknowledged his gift with a smile that, had she known it, was more than ample
payment to the affection starved boy.
</p>

<p>
The sleeping problem vexed Korak. He knew that the girl could not balance
herself in safety in a tree crotch while she slept, nor would it be safe to
permit her to sleep upon the ground open to the attacks of prowling beasts of
prey. There was but a single solution that presented itself&mdash;he must hold
her in his arms all night. And that he did, with Akut braced upon one side of
her and he upon the other, so that she was warmed by the bodies of them both.
</p>

<p>
She did not sleep much until the night was half spent; but at last Nature
overcame her terrors of the black abyss beneath and the hairy body of the wild
beast at her side, and she fell into a deep slumber which outlasted the
darkness. When she opened her eyes the sun was well up. At first she could not
believe in the reality of her position. Her head had rolled from Korak&rsquo;s
shoulder so that her eyes were directed upon the hairy back of the ape. At
sight of it she shrank away. Then she realized that someone was holding her,
and turning her head she saw the smiling eyes of the youth regarding her. When
he smiled she could not fear him, and now she shrank closer against him in
natural revulsion toward the rough coat of the brute upon her other side.
</p>

<p>
Korak spoke to her in the language of the apes; but she shook her head, and
spoke to him in the language of the Arab, which was as unintelligible to him as
was ape speech to her. Akut sat up and looked at them. He could understand what
Korak said but the girl made only foolish noises that were entirely
unintelligible and ridiculous. Akut could not understand what Korak saw in her
to attract him. He looked at her long and steadily, appraising her carefully,
then he scratched his head, rose and shook himself.
</p>

<p>
His movement gave the girl a little start&mdash;she had forgotten Akut for the
moment. Again she shrank from him. The beast saw that she feared him, and being
a brute enjoyed the evidence of the terror his brutishness inspired. Crouching,
he extended his huge hand stealthily toward her, as though to seize her. She
shrank still further away. Akut&rsquo;s eyes were busy drinking in the humor of
the situation&mdash;he did not see the narrowing eyes of the boy upon him, nor
the shortening neck as the broad shoulders rose in a characteristic attitude of
preparation for attack. As the ape&rsquo;s fingers were about to close upon the
girl&rsquo;s arm the youth rose suddenly with a short, vicious growl. A
clenched fist flew before Meriem&rsquo;s eyes to land full upon the snout of
the astonished Akut. With an explosive bellow the anthropoid reeled backward
and tumbled from the tree.
</p>

<p>
Korak stood glaring down upon him when a sudden swish in the bushes close by
attracted his attention. The girl too was looking down; but she saw nothing but
the angry ape scrambling to his feet. Then, like a bolt from a cross bow, a
mass of spotted, yellow fur shot into view straight for Akut&rsquo;s back. It
was Sheeta, the leopard.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap10"></a>X.</h2>

<p>
As the leopard leaped for the great ape Meriem gasped in surprise and
horror&mdash;not for the impending fate of the anthropoid, but at the act of
the youth who but an instant before had angrily struck his strange companion;
for scarce had the carnivore burst into view than with drawn knife the youth
had leaped far out above him, so that as Sheeta was almost in the act of
sinking fangs and talons in Akut&rsquo;s broad back The Killer landed full upon
the leopard&rsquo;s shoulders.
</p>

<p>
The cat halted in mid air, missed the ape by but a hair&rsquo;s breadth, and
with horrid snarlings rolled over upon its back, clutching and clawing in an
effort to reach and dislodge the antagonist biting at its neck and knifing it
in the side.
</p>

<p>
Akut, startled by the sudden rush from his rear, and following hoary instinct,
was in the tree beside the girl with an agility little short of marvelous in so
heavy a beast. But the moment that he turned to see what was going on below him
brought him as quickly to the ground again. Personal differences were quickly
forgotten in the danger which menaced his human companion, nor was he a whit
less eager to jeopardize his own safety in the service of his friend than Korak
had been to succor him.
</p>

<p>
The result was that Sheeta presently found two ferocious creatures tearing him
to ribbons. Shrieking, snarling and growling, the three rolled hither and
thither among the underbrush, while with staring eyes the sole spectator of the
battle royal crouched trembling in the tree above them hugging Geeka
frantically to her breast.
</p>

<p>
It was the boy&rsquo;s knife which eventually decided the battle, and as the
fierce feline shuddered convulsively and rolled over upon its side the youth
and the ape rose and faced one another across the prostrate carcass. Korak
jerked his head in the direction of the little girl in the tree.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Leave her alone,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;she is mine.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Akut grunted, blinked his blood-shot eyes, and turned toward the body of
Sheeta. Standing erect upon it he threw out his great chest, raised his face
toward the heavens and gave voice to so horrid a scream that once again the
little girl shuddered and shrank. It was the victory cry of the bull ape that
has made a kill. The boy only looked on for a moment in silence; then he leaped
into the tree again to the girl&rsquo;s side. Akut presently rejoined them. For
a few minutes he busied himself licking his wounds, then he wandered off to
hunt his breakfast.
</p>

<p>
For many months the strange life of the three went on unmarked by any unusual
occurrences. At least without any occurrences that seemed unusual to the youth
or the ape; but to the little girl it was a constant nightmare of horrors for
days and weeks, until she too became accustomed to gazing into the eyeless
sockets of death and to the feel of the icy wind of his shroud-like mantle.
Slowly she learned the rudiments of the only common medium of thought exchange
which her companions possessed&mdash;the language of the great apes. More
quickly she perfected herself in jungle craft, so that the time soon came when
she was an important factor in the chase, watching while the others slept, or
helping them to trace the spoor of whatever prey they might be stalking. Akut
accepted her on a footing which bordered upon equality when it was necessary
for them to come into close contact; but for the most part he avoided her. The
youth always was kind to her, and if there were many occasions upon which he
felt the burden of her presence he hid it from her. Finding that the night damp
and chill caused her discomfort and even suffering, Korak constructed a tight
little shelter high among the swaying branches of a giant tree. Here little
Meriem slept in comparative warmth and safety, while The Killer and the ape
perched upon near-by branches, the former always before the entrance to the
lofty domicile, where he best could guard its inmate from the dangers of
arboreal enemies. They were too high to feel much fear of Sheeta; but there was
always Histah, the snake, to strike terror to one&rsquo;s soul, and the great
baboons who lived near-by, and who, while never attacking always bared their
fangs and barked at any of the trio when they passed near them.
</p>

<p>
After the construction of the shelter the activities of the three became
localized. They ranged less widely, for there was always the necessity of
returning to their own tree at nightfall. A river flowed near by. Game and
fruit were plentiful, as were fish also. Existence had settled down to the
daily humdrum of the wild&mdash;the search for food and the sleeping upon full
bellies. They looked no further ahead than today. If the youth thought of his
past and of those who longed for him in the distant metropolis it was in a
detached and impersonal sort of way as though that other life belonged to
another creature than himself. He had given up hope of returning to
civilization, for since his various rebuffs at the hands of those to whom he
had looked for friendship he had wandered so far inland as to realize that he
was completely lost in the mazes of the jungle.
</p>

<p>
Then, too, since the coming of Meriem he had found in her that one thing which
he had most missed before in his savage, jungle life&mdash;human companionship.
In his friendship for her there was appreciable no trace of sex influence of
which he was cognizant. They were friends&mdash;companions&mdash;that was all.
Both might have been boys, except for the half tender and always masterful
manifestation of the protective instinct which was apparent in Korak&rsquo;s
attitude.
</p>

<p>
The little girl idolized him as she might have idolized an indulgent brother
had she had one. Love was a thing unknown to either; but as the youth neared
manhood it was inevitable that it should come to him as it did to every other
savage, jungle male.
</p>

<p>
As Meriem became proficient in their common language the pleasures of their
companionship grew correspondingly, for now they could converse and aided by
the mental powers of their human heritage they amplified the restricted
vocabulary of the apes until talking was transformed from a task into an
enjoyable pastime. When Korak hunted, Meriem usually accompanied him, for she
had learned the fine art of silence, when silence was desirable. She could pass
through the branches of the great trees now with all the agility and stealth of
The Killer himself. Great heights no longer appalled her. She swung from limb
to limb, or she raced through the mighty branches, surefooted, lithe, and
fearless. Korak was very proud of her, and even old Akut grunted in approval
where before he had growled in contempt.
</p>

<p>
A distant village of blacks had furnished her with a mantle of fur and
feathers, with copper ornaments, and weapons, for Korak would not permit her to
go unarmed, or unversed in the use of the weapons he stole for her. A leather
thong over one shoulder supported the ever present Geeka who was still the
recipient of her most sacred confidences. A light spear and a long knife were
her weapons of offense or defense. Her body, rounding into the fulness of an
early maturity, followed the lines of a Greek goddess; but there the similarity
ceased, for her face was beautiful.
</p>

<p>
As she grew more accustomed to the jungle and the ways of its wild denizens
fear left her. As time wore on she even hunted alone when Korak and Akut were
prowling at a great distance, as they were sometimes forced to do when game was
scarce in their immediate vicinity. Upon these occasions she usually confined
her endeavors to the smaller animals though sometimes she brought down a deer,
and once even Horta, the boar&mdash;a great tusker that even Sheeta might have
thought twice before attacking.
</p>

<p>
In their stamping grounds in the jungle the three were familiar figures. The
little monkeys knew them well, often coming close to chatter and frolic about
them. When Akut was by, the small folk kept their distance, but with Korak they
were less shy and when both the males were gone they would come close to
Meriem, tugging at her ornaments or playing with Geeka, who was a never ending
source of amusement to them. The girl played with them and fed them, and when
she was alone they helped her to pass the long hours until Korak&rsquo;s
return.
</p>

<p>
Nor were they worthless as friends. In the hunt they helped her locate her
quarry. Often they would come racing through the trees to her side to announce
the near presence of antelope or giraffe, or with excited warnings of the
proximity of Sheeta or Numa. Luscious, sun-kissed fruits which hung far out
upon the frail bough of the jungle&rsquo;s waving crest were brought to her by
these tiny, nimble allies. Sometimes they played tricks upon her; but she was
always kind and gentle with them and in their wild, half-human way they were
kind to her and affectionate. Their language being similar to that of the great
apes Meriem could converse with them though the poverty of their vocabulary
rendered these exchanges anything but feasts of reason. For familiar objects
they had names, as well as for those conditions which induced pain or pleasure,
joy, sorrow, or rage. These root words were so similar to those in use among
the great anthropoids as to suggest that the language of the Manus was the
mother tongue. At best it lent itself to but material and sordid exchange.
Dreams, aspirations, hopes, the past, the future held no place in the
conversation of Manu, the monkey. All was of the present&mdash;particularly of
filling his belly and catching lice.
</p>

<p>
Poor food was this to nourish the mental appetite of a girl just upon the brink
of womanhood. And so, finding Manu only amusing as an occasional playfellow or
pet, Meriem poured out her sweetest soul thoughts into the deaf ears of
Geeka&rsquo;s ivory head. To Geeka she spoke in Arabic, knowing that Geeka,
being but a doll, could not understand the language of Korak and Akut, and that
the language of Korak and Akut being that of male apes contained nothing of
interest to an Arab doll.
</p>

<p>
Geeka had undergone a transformation since her little mother had left the
village of The Sheik. Her garmenture now reflected in miniature that of Meriem.
A tiny bit of leopard skin covered her ratskin torso from shoulder to splinter
knee. A band of braided grasses about her brow held in place a few gaudy
feathers from the parakeet, while other bits of grass were fashioned into
imitations of arm and leg ornaments of metal. Geeka was a perfect little
savage; but at heart she was unchanged, being the same omnivorous listener as
of yore. An excellent trait in Geeka was that she never interrupted in order to
talk about herself. Today was no exception. She had been listening attentively
to Meriem for an hour, propped against the bole of a tree while her lithe,
young mistress stretched catlike and luxurious along a swaying branch before
her.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Little Geeka,&rdquo; said Meriem, &ldquo;our Korak has been gone for a
long time today. We miss him, little Geeka, do we not? It is dull and lonesome
in the great jungle when our Korak is away. What will he bring us this time,
eh? Another shining band of metal for Meriem&rsquo;s ankle? Or a soft, doeskin
loin cloth from the body of a black she? He tells me that it is harder to get
the possessions of the shes, for he will not kill them as he does the males,
and they fight savagely when he leaps upon them to wrest their ornaments from
them. Then come the males with spears and arrows and Korak takes to the trees.
Sometimes he takes the she with him and high among the branches divests her of
the things he wishes to bring home to Meriem. He says that the blacks fear him
now, and at first sight of him the women and children run shrieking to their
huts; but he follows them within, and it is not often that he returns without
arrows for himself and a present for Meriem. Korak is mighty among the jungle
people&mdash;our Korak, Geeka&mdash;no, <i>my</i> Korak!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem&rsquo;s conversation was interrupted by the sudden plunge of an excited
little monkey that landed upon her shoulders in a flying leap from a
neighboring tree.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Climb!&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;Climb! The Mangani are coming.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem glanced lazily over her shoulder at the excited disturber of her peace.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Climb, yourself, little Manu,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The only Mangani
in our jungle are Korak and Akut. It is they you have seen returning from the
hunt. Some day you will see your own shadow, little Manu, and then you will be
frightened to death.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
But the monkey only screamed his warning more lustily before he raced upward
toward the safety of the high terrace where Mangani, the great ape, could not
follow. Presently Meriem heard the sound of approaching bodies swinging through
the trees. She listened attentively. There were two and they were great
apes&mdash;Korak and Akut. To her Korak was an ape&mdash;a Mangani, for as such
the three always described themselves. Man was an enemy, so they did not think
of themselves as belonging any longer to the same genus. Tarmangani, or great
white ape, which described the white man in their language, did not fit them
all. Gomangani&mdash;great black ape, or Negro&mdash;described none of them so
they called themselves plain Mangani.
</p>

<p>
Meriem decided that she would feign slumber and play a joke on Korak. So she
lay very still with eyes tightly closed. She heard the two approaching closer
and closer. They were in the adjoining tree now and must have discovered her,
for they had halted. Why were they so quiet? Why did not Korak call out his
customary greeting? The quietness was ominous. It was followed presently by a
very stealthy sound&mdash;one of them was creeping upon her. Was Korak planning
a joke upon his own account? Well, she would fool him. Cautiously she opened
her eyes the tiniest bit, and as she did so her heart stood still. Creeping
silently toward her was a huge bull ape that she never before had seen. Behind
him was another like him.
</p>

<p>
With the agility of a squirrel Meriem was upon her feet and at the same instant
the great bull lunged for her. Leaping from limb to limb the girl fled through
the jungle while close behind her came the two great apes. Above them raced a
bevy of screaming, chattering monkeys, hurling taunts and insults at the
Mangani, and encouragement and advice to the girl.
</p>

<p>
From tree to tree swung Meriem working ever upward toward the smaller branches
which would not bear the weight of her pursuers. Faster and faster came the
bull apes after her. The clutching fingers of the foremost were almost upon her
again and again, but she eluded them by sudden bursts of speed or reckless
chances as she threw herself across dizzy spaces.
</p>

<p>
Slowly she was gaining her way to the greater heights where safety lay, when,
after a particularly daring leap, the swaying branch she grasped bent low
beneath her weight, nor whipped upward again as it should have done. Even
before the rending sound which followed Meriem knew that she had misjudged the
strength of the limb. It gave slowly at first. Then there was a ripping as it
parted from the trunk. Releasing her hold Meriem dropped among the foliage
beneath, clutching for a new support. She found it a dozen feet below the
broken limb. She had fallen thus many times before, so that she had no
particular terror of a fall&mdash;it was the delay which appalled her most, and
rightly, for scarce had she scrambled to a place of safety than the body of the
huge ape dropped at her side and a great, hairy arm went about her waist.
</p>

<p>
Almost at once the other ape reached his companion&rsquo;s side. He made a
lunge at Meriem; but her captor swung her to one side, bared his fighting fangs
and growled ominously. Meriem struggled to escape. She struck at the hairy
breast and bearded cheek. She fastened her strong, white teeth in one shaggy
forearm. The ape cuffed her viciously across the face, then he had to turn his
attention to his fellow who quite evidently desired the prize for his own.
</p>

<p>
The captor could not fight to advantage upon the swaying bough, burdened as he
was by a squirming, struggling captive, so he dropped quickly to the ground
beneath. The other followed him, and here they fought, occasionally abandoning
their duel to pursue and recapture the girl who took every advantage of her
captors&rsquo; preoccupation in battle to break away in attempted escape; but
always they overtook her, and first one and then the other possessed her as
they struggled to tear one another to pieces for the prize.
</p>

<p>
Often the girl came in for many blows that were intended for a hairy foe, and
once she was felled, lying unconscious while the apes, relieved of the
distraction of detaining her by force, tore into one another in fierce and
terrible combat.
</p>

<p>
Above them screamed the little monkeys, racing hither and thither in a frenzy
of hysterical excitement. Back and forth over the battle field flew countless
birds of gorgeous plumage, squawking their hoarse cries of rage and defiance.
In the distance a lion roared.
</p>

<p>
The larger bull was slowly tearing his antagonist to pieces. They rolled upon
the ground biting and striking. Again, erect upon their hind legs they pulled
and tugged like human wrestlers; but always the giant fangs found their bloody
part to play until both combatants and the ground about them were red with
gore.
</p>

<p>
Meriem, through it all, lay still and unconscious upon the ground. At last one
found a permanent hold upon the jugular of the other and thus they went down
for the last time. For several minutes they lay with scarce a struggle. It was
the larger bull who arose alone from the last embrace. He shook himself. A deep
growl rumbled from his hairy throat. He waddled back and forth between the body
of the girl and that of his vanquished foe. Then he stood upon the latter and
gave tongue to his hideous challenge. The little monkeys broke, screaming, in
all directions as the terrifying noise broke upon their ears. The gorgeous
birds took wing and fled. Once again the lion roared, this time at a greater
distance.
</p>

<p>
The great ape waddled once more to the girl&rsquo;s side. He turned her over
upon her back, and stooping commenced to sniff and listen about her face and
breast. She lived. The monkeys were returning. They came in swarms, and from
above hurled down insults upon the victor.
</p>

<p>
The ape showed his displeasure by baring his teeth and growling up at them.
Then he stooped and lifting the girl to his shoulder waddled off through the
jungle. In his wake followed the angry mob.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap11"></a>XI.</h2>

<p>
Korak, returning from the hunt, heard the jabbering of the excited monkeys. He
knew that something was seriously amiss. Histah, the snake, had doubtless
coiled his slimy folds about some careless Manu. The youth hastened ahead. The
monkeys were Meriem&rsquo;s friends. He would help them if he could. He
traveled rapidly along the middle terrace. In the tree by Meriem&rsquo;s
shelter he deposited his trophies of the hunt and called aloud to her. There
was no answer. He dropped quickly to a lower level. She might be hiding from
him.
</p>

<p>
Upon a great branch where Meriem often swung at indolent ease he saw Geeka
propped against the tree&rsquo;s great bole. What could it mean? Meriem had
never left Geeka thus alone before. Korak picked up the doll and tucked it in
his belt. He called again, more loudly; but no Meriem answered his summons. In
the distance the jabbering of the excited Manus was growing less distinct.
</p>

<p>
Could their excitement be in any way connected with Meriem&rsquo;s
disappearance? The bare thought was enough. Without waiting for Akut who was
coming slowly along some distance in his rear, Korak swung rapidly in the
direction of the chattering mob. But a few minutes sufficed to overtake the
rearmost. At sight of him they fell to screaming and pointing downward ahead of
them, and a moment later Korak came within sight of the cause of their rage.
</p>

<p>
The youth&rsquo;s heart stood still in terror as he saw the limp body of the
girl across the hairy shoulders of a great ape. That she was dead he did not
doubt, and in that instant there arose within him a something which he did not
try to interpret nor could have had he tried; but all at once the whole world
seemed centered in that tender, graceful body, that frail little body, hanging
so pitifully limp and helpless across the bulging shoulders of the brute.
</p>

<p>
He knew then that little Meriem was his world&mdash;his sun, his moon, his
stars&mdash;with her going had gone all light and warmth and happiness. A groan
escaped his lips, and after that a series of hideous roars, more bestial than
the beasts&rsquo;, as he dropped plummet-like in mad descent toward the
perpetrator of this hideous crime.
</p>

<p>
The bull ape turned at the first note of this new and menacing voice, and as he
turned a new flame was added to the rage and hatred of The Killer, for he saw
that the creature before him was none other than the king ape which had driven
him away from the great anthropoids to whom he had looked for friendship and
asylum.
</p>

<p>
Dropping the body of the girl to the ground the bull turned to battle anew for
possession of his expensive prize; but this time he looked for an easy
conquest. He too recognized Korak. Had he not chased him away from the
amphitheater without even having to lay a fang or paw upon him? With lowered
head and bulging shoulders he rushed headlong for the smooth-skinned creature
who was daring to question his right to his prey.
</p>

<p>
They met head on like two charging bulls, to go down together tearing and
striking. Korak forgot his knife. Rage and bloodlust such as his could be
satisfied only by the feel of hot flesh between rending fangs, by the gush of
new life blood against his bare skin, for, though he did not realize it, Korak,
The Killer, was fighting for something more compelling than hate or
revenge&mdash;he was a great male fighting another male for a she of his own
kind.
</p>

<p>
So impetuous was the attack of the man-ape that he found his hold before the
anthropoid could prevent him&mdash;a savage hold, with strong jaws closed upon
a pulsing jugular, and there he clung, with closed eyes, while his fingers
sought another hold upon the shaggy throat.
</p>

<p>
It was then that Meriem opened her eyes. At the sight before her they went
wide.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Korak!&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;Korak! My Korak! I knew that you would
come. Kill him, Korak! Kill him!&rdquo; And with flashing eyes and heaving
bosom the girl, coming to her feet, ran to Korak&rsquo;s side to encourage him.
Nearby lay The Killer&rsquo;s spear, where he had flung it as he charged the
ape. The girl saw it and snatched it up. No faintness overcame her in the face
of this battle primeval at her feet. For her there was no hysterical reaction
from the nerve strain of her own personal encounter with the bull. She was
excited; but cool and entirely unafraid. Her Korak was battling with another
Mangani that would have stolen her; but she did not seek the safety of an
overhanging bough there to watch the battle from afar, as would a she Mangani.
Instead she placed the point of Korak&rsquo;s spear against the bull
ape&rsquo;s side and plunged the sharp point deep into the savage heart. Korak
had not needed her aid, for the great bull had been already as good as dead,
with the blood gushing from his torn jugular; but Korak rose smiling with a
word of approbation for his helper.
</p>

<p>
How tall and fine she was! Had she changed suddenly within the few hours of his
absence, or had his battle with the ape affected his vision? He might have been
looking at Meriem through new eyes for the many startling and wonderful
surprises his gaze revealed. How long it had been since he had found her in her
father&rsquo;s village, a little Arab girl, he did not know, for time is of no
import in the jungle and so he had kept no track of the passing days. But he
realized, as he looked upon her now, that she was no longer such a little girl
as he had first seen playing with Geeka beneath the great tree just within the
palisade. The change must have been very gradual to have eluded his notice
until now. And what was it that had caused him to realize it so suddenly? His
gaze wandered from the girl to the body of the dead bull. For the first time
there flashed to his understanding the explanation of the reason for the
girl&rsquo;s attempted abduction. Korak&rsquo;s eyes went wide and then they
closed to narrow slits of rage as he stood glaring down upon the abysmal brute
at his feet. When next his glance rose to Meriem&rsquo;s face a slow flush
suffused his own. Now, indeed, was he looking upon her through new
eyes&mdash;the eyes of a man looking upon a maid.
</p>

<p>
Akut had come up just as Meriem had speared Korak&rsquo;s antagonist. The
exultation of the old ape was keen. He strutted, stiff-legged and truculent
about the body of the fallen enemy. He growled and upcurved his long, flexible
lip. His hair bristled. He was paying no attention to Meriem and Korak. Back in
the uttermost recesses of his little brain something was
stirring&mdash;something which the sight and smell of the great bull had
aroused. The outward manifestation of the germinating idea was one of bestial
rage; but the inner sensations were pleasurable in the extreme. The scent of
the great bull and the sight of his huge and hairy figure had wakened in the
heart of Akut a longing for the companionship of his own kind. So Korak was not
alone undergoing a change.
</p>

<p>
And Meriem? She was a woman. It is woman&rsquo;s divine right to love. Always
she had loved Korak. He was her big brother. Meriem alone underwent no change.
She was still happy in the companionship of her Korak. She still loved
him&mdash;as a sister loves an indulgent brother&mdash;and she was very, very
proud of him. In all the jungle there was no other creature so strong, so
handsome, or so brave.
</p>

<p>
Korak came close to her. There was a new light in his eyes as she looked up
into them; but she did not understand it. She did not realize how close they
were to maturity, nor aught of all the difference in their lives the look in
Korak&rsquo;s eyes might mean.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Meriem,&rdquo; he whispered and his voice was husky as he laid a brown
hand upon her bare shoulder. &ldquo;Meriem!&rdquo; Suddenly he crushed her to
him. She looked up into his face, laughing, and then he bent and kissed her
full upon the mouth. Even then she did not understand. She did not recall ever
having been kissed before. It was very nice. Meriem liked it. She thought it
was Korak&rsquo;s way of showing how glad he was that the great ape had not
succeeded in running away with her. She was glad too, so she put her arms about
The Killer&rsquo;s neck and kissed him again and again. Then, discovering the
doll in his belt she transferred it to her own possession, kissing it as she
had kissed Korak.
</p>

<p>
Korak wanted her to say something. He wanted to tell her how he loved her; but
the emotion of his love choked him and the vocabulary of the Mangani was
limited.
</p>

<p>
There came a sudden interruption. It was from Akut&mdash;a sudden, low growl,
no louder than those he had been giving vent to the while he pranced about the
dead bull, nor half so loud in fact; but of a timbre that bore straight to the
perceptive faculties of the jungle beast ingrained in Korak. It was a warning.
Korak looked quickly up from the glorious vision of the sweet face so close to
his. Now his other faculties awoke. His ears, his nostrils were on the alert.
Something was coming!
</p>

<p>
The Killer moved to Akut&rsquo;s side. Meriem was just behind them. The three
stood like carved statues gazing into the leafy tangle of the jungle. The noise
that had attracted their attention increased, and presently a great ape broke
through the underbrush a few paces from where they stood. The beast halted at
sight of them. He gave a warning grunt back over his shoulder, and a moment
later coming cautiously another bull appeared. He was followed by
others&mdash;both bulls and females with young, until two score hairy monsters
stood glaring at the three. It was the tribe of the dead king ape. Akut was the
first to speak. He pointed to the body of the dead bull.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Korak, mighty fighter, has killed your king,&rdquo; he grunted.
&ldquo;There is none greater in all the jungle than Korak, son of Tarzan. Now
Korak is king. What bull is greater than Korak?&rdquo; It was a challenge to
any bull who might care to question Korak&rsquo;s right to the kingship. The
apes jabbered and chattered and growled among themselves for a time. At last a
young bull came slowly forward rocking upon his short legs, bristling,
growling, terrible.
</p>

<p>
The beast was enormous, and in the full prime of his strength. He belonged to
that almost extinct species for which white men have long sought upon the
information of the natives of the more inaccessible jungles. Even the natives
seldom see these great, hairy, primordial men.
</p>

<p>
Korak advanced to meet the monster. He, too, was growling. In his mind a plan
was revolving. To close with this powerful, untired brute after having just
passed through a terrific battle with another of his kind would have been to
tempt defeat. He must find an easier way to victory. Crouching, he prepared to
meet the charge which he knew would soon come, nor did he have long to wait.
His antagonist paused only for sufficient time to permit him to recount for the
edification of the audience and the confounding of Korak a brief résumé of his
former victories, of his prowess, and of what he was about to do to this puny
Tarmangani. Then he charged.
</p>

<p>
With clutching fingers and wide opened jaws he came down upon the waiting Korak
with the speed of an express train. Korak did not move until the great arms
swung to embrace him, then he dropped low beneath them, swung a terrific right
to the side of the beast&rsquo;s jaw as he side-stepped his rushing body, and
swinging quickly about stood ready over the fallen ape where he sprawled upon
the ground.
</p>

<p>
It was a surprised anthropoid that attempted to scramble to its feet. Froth
flecked its hideous lips. Red were the little eyes. Blood curdling roars
tumbled from the deep chest. But it did not reach its feet. The Killer stood
waiting above it, and the moment that the hairy chin came upon the proper level
another blow that would have felled an ox sent the ape over backward.
</p>

<p>
Again and again the beast struggled to arise, but each time the mighty
Tarmangani stood waiting with ready fist and pile driver blow to bowl him over.
Weaker and weaker became the efforts of the bull. Blood smeared his face and
breast. A red stream trickled from nose and mouth. The crowd that had cheered
him on at first with savage yells, now jeered him&mdash;their approbation was
for the Tarmangani.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Kagoda?&rdquo; inquired Korak, as he sent the bull down once more.
</p>

<p>
Again the stubborn bull essayed to scramble to his feet. Again The Killer
struck him a terrific blow. Again he put the question, kagoda&mdash;have you
had enough?
</p>

<p>
For a moment the bull lay motionless. Then from between battered lips came the
single word: &ldquo;<i>Kagoda!</i>&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Then rise and go back among your people,&rdquo; said Korak. &ldquo;I do
not wish to be king among people who once drove me from them. Keep your own
ways, and we will keep ours. When we meet we may be friends, but we shall not
live together.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
An old bull came slowly toward The Killer.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You have killed our king,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You have defeated him
who would have been king. You could have killed him had you wished. What shall
we do for a king?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Korak turned toward Akut.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;There is your king,&rdquo; he said. But Akut did not want to be
separated from Korak, although he was anxious enough to remain with his own
kind. He wanted Korak to remain, too. He said as much.
</p>

<p>
The youth was thinking of Meriem&mdash;of what would be best and safest for
her. If Akut went away with the apes there would be but one to watch over and
protect her. On the other hand were they to join the tribe he would never feel
safe to leave Meriem behind when he went out to hunt, for the passions of the
ape-folk are not ever well controlled. Even a female might develop an insane
hatred for the slender white girl and kill her during Korak&rsquo;s absence.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We will live near you,&rdquo; he said, at last. &ldquo;When you change
your hunting ground we will change ours, Meriem and I, and so remain near you;
but we shall not dwell among you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Akut raised objections to this plan. He did not wish to be separated from
Korak. At first he refused to leave his human friend for the companionship of
his own kind; but when he saw the last of the tribe wandering off into the
jungle again and his glance rested upon the lithe figure of the dead
king&rsquo;s young mate as she cast admiring glances at her lord&rsquo;s
successor the call of blood would not be denied. With a farewell glance toward
his beloved Korak he turned and followed the she ape into the labyrinthine
mazes of the wood.
</p>

<p class="p2">
After Korak had left the village of the blacks following his last thieving
expedition, the screams of his victim and those of the other women and children
had brought the warriors in from the forest and the river. Great was the
excitement and hot was the rage of the men when they learned that the white
devil had again entered their homes, frightened their women and stolen arrows
and ornaments and food.
</p>

<p>
Even their superstitious fear of this weird creature who hunted with a huge
bull ape was overcome in their desire to wreak vengeance upon him and rid
themselves for good and all of the menace of his presence in the jungle.
</p>

<p>
And so it was that a score of the fleetest and most doughty warriors of the
tribe set out in pursuit of Korak and Akut but a few minutes after they had
left the scene of The Killer&rsquo;s many depredations.
</p>

<p>
The youth and the ape had traveled slowly and with no precautions against a
successful pursuit. Nor was their attitude of careless indifference to the
blacks at all remarkable. So many similar raids had gone unpunished that the
two had come to look upon the Negroes with contempt. The return journey led
them straight up wind. The result being that the scent of their pursuers was
borne away from them, so they proceeded upon their way in total ignorance of
the fact that tireless trackers but little less expert in the mysteries of
woodcraft than themselves were dogging their trail with savage insistence.
</p>

<p>
The little party of warriors was led by Kovudoo, the chief; a middle-aged
savage of exceptional cunning and bravery. It was he who first came within
sight of the quarry which they had followed for hours by the mysterious methods
of their almost uncanny powers of observation, intuition, and even scent.
</p>

<p>
Kovudoo and his men came upon Korak, Akut and Meriem after the killing of the
king ape, the noise of the combat having led them at last straight to their
quarry. The sight of the slender white girl had amazed the savage chief and
held him gazing at the trio for a moment before ordering his warriors to rush
out upon their prey. In that moment it was that the great apes came and again
the blacks remained awestruck witnesses to the palaver, and the battle between
Korak and the young bull.
</p>

<p>
But now the apes had gone, and the white youth and the white maid stood alone
in the jungle. One of Kovudoo&rsquo;s men leaned close to the ear of his chief.
&ldquo;Look!&rdquo; he whispered, and pointed to something that dangled at the
girl&rsquo;s side. &ldquo;When my brother and I were slaves in the village of
The Sheik my brother made that thing for The Sheik&rsquo;s little
daughter&mdash;she played with it always and called it after my brother, whose
name is Geeka. Just before we escaped some one came and struck down The Sheik,
stealing his daughter away. If this is she The Sheik will pay you well for her
return.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Korak&rsquo;s arm had again gone around the shoulders of Meriem. Love raced hot
through his young veins. Civilization was but a half-remembered
state&mdash;London as remote as ancient Rome. In all the world there were but
they two&mdash;Korak, The Killer, and Meriem, his mate. Again he drew her close
to him and covered her willing lips with his hot kisses. And then from behind
him broke a hideous bedlam of savage war cries and a score of shrieking blacks
were upon them.
</p>

<p>
Korak turned to give battle. Meriem with her own light spear stood by his side.
An avalanche of barbed missiles flew about them. One pierced Korak&rsquo;s
shoulder, another his leg, and he went down.
</p>

<p>
Meriem was unscathed for the blacks had intentionally spared her. Now they
rushed forward to finish Korak and make good the girl&rsquo;s capture; but as
they came there came also from another point in the jungle the great Akut and
at his heels the huge bulls of his new kingdom.
</p>

<p>
Snarling and roaring they rushed upon the black warriors when they saw the
mischief they had already wrought. Kovudoo, realizing the danger of coming to
close quarters with these mighty ape-men, seized Meriem and called upon his
warriors to retreat. For a time the apes followed them, and several of the
blacks were badly mauled and one killed before they succeeded in escaping. Nor
would they have gotten off thus easily had Akut not been more concerned with
the condition of the wounded Korak than with the fate of the girl upon whom he
had always looked as more or less of an interloper and an unquestioned burden.
</p>

<p>
Korak lay bleeding and unconscious when Akut reached his side. The great ape
tore the heavy spears from his flesh, licked the wounds and then carried his
friend to the lofty shelter that Korak had constructed for Meriem. Further than
this the brute could do nothing. Nature must accomplish the rest unaided or
Korak must die.
</p>

<p>
He did not die, however. For days he lay helpless with fever, while Akut and
the apes hunted close by that they might protect him from such birds and beasts
as might reach his lofty retreat. Occasionally Akut brought him juicy fruits
which helped to slake his thirst and allay his fever, and little by little his
powerful constitution overcame the effects of the spear thrusts. The wounds
healed and his strength returned. All during his rational moments as he had
lain upon the soft furs which lined Meriem&rsquo;s nest he had suffered more
acutely from fears for Meriem than from the pain of his own wounds. For her he
must live. For her he must regain his strength that he might set out in search
of her. What had the blacks done to her? Did she still live, or had they
sacrificed her to their lust for torture and human flesh? Korak almost trembled
with terror as the most hideous possibilities of the girl&rsquo;s fate
suggested themselves to him out of his knowledge of the customs of
Kovudoo&rsquo;s tribe.
</p>

<p>
The days dragged their weary lengths along, but at last he had sufficiently
regained his strength to crawl from the shelter and make his way unaided to the
ground. Now he lived more upon raw meat, for which he was entirely dependent on
Akut&rsquo;s skill and generosity. With the meat diet his strength returned
more rapidly, and at last he felt that he was fit to undertake the journey to
the village of the blacks.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap12"></a>XII.</h2>

<p>
Two tall, bearded white men moved cautiously through the jungle from their camp
beside a wide river. They were Carl Jenssen and Sven Malbihn, but little
altered in appearance since the day, years before, that they and their
<i>safari</i> had been so badly frightened by Korak and Akut as the former
sought haven with them.
</p>

<p>
Every year had they come into the jungle to trade with the natives, or to rob
them; to hunt and trap; or to guide other white men in the land they knew so
well. Always since their experience with The Sheik had they operated at a safe
distance from his territory.
</p>

<p>
Now they were closer to his village than they had been for years, yet safe
enough from discovery owing to the uninhabited nature of the intervening jungle
and the fear and enmity of Kovudoo&rsquo;s people for The Sheik, who, in time
past, had raided and all but exterminated the tribe.
</p>

<p>
This year they had come to trap live specimens for a European zoological
garden, and today they were approaching a trap which they had set in the hope
of capturing a specimen of the large baboons that frequented the neighborhood.
As they approached the trap they became aware from the noises emanating from
its vicinity that their efforts had been crowned with success. The barking and
screaming of hundreds of baboons could mean naught else than that one or more
of their number had fallen a victim to the allurements of the bait.
</p>

<p>
The extreme caution of the two men was prompted by former experiences with the
intelligent and doglike creatures with which they had to deal. More than one
trapper has lost his life in battle with enraged baboons who will hesitate to
attack nothing upon one occasion, while upon another a single gun shot will
disperse hundreds of them.
</p>

<p>
Heretofore the Swedes had always watched near-by their trap, for as a rule only
the stronger bulls are thus caught, since in their greediness they prevent the
weaker from approaching the covered bait, and when once within the ordinary
rude trap woven on the spot of interlaced branches they are able, with the aid
of their friends upon the outside, to demolish their prison and escape. But in
this instance the trappers had utilized a special steel cage which could
withstand all the strength and cunning of a baboon. It was only necessary,
therefore, to drive away the herd which they knew were surrounding the prison
and wait for their boys who were even now following them to the trap.
</p>

<p>
As they came within sight of the spot they found conditions precisely as they
had expected. A large male was battering frantically against the steel wires of
the cage that held him captive. Upon the outside several hundred other baboons
were tearing and tugging in his aid, and all were roaring and jabbering and
barking at the top of their lungs.
</p>

<p>
But what neither the Swedes nor the baboons saw was the half-naked figure of a
youth hidden in the foliage of a nearby tree. He had come upon the scene at
almost the same instant as Jenssen and Malbihn, and was watching the activities
of the baboons with every mark of interest.
</p>

<p>
Korak&rsquo;s relations with the baboons had never been over friendly. A
species of armed toleration had marked their occasional meetings. The baboons
and Akut had walked stiff legged and growling past one another, while Korak had
maintained a bared fang neutrality. So now he was not greatly disturbed by the
predicament of their king. Curiosity prompted him to tarry a moment, and in
that moment his quick eyes caught the unfamiliar coloration of the clothing of
the two Swedes behind a bush not far from him. Now he was all alertness. Who
were these interlopers? What was their business in the jungle of the Mangani?
Korak slunk noiselessly around them to a point where he might get their scent
as well as a better view of them, and scarce had he done so when he recognized
them&mdash;they were the men who had fired upon him years before. His eyes
blazed. He could feel the hairs upon his scalp stiffen at the roots. He watched
them with the intentness of a panther about to spring upon its prey.
</p>

<p>
He saw them rise and, shouting, attempt to frighten away the baboons as they
approached the cage. Then one of them raised his rifle and fired into the midst
of the surprised and angry herd. For an instant Korak thought that the baboons
were about to charge, but two more shots from the rifles of the white men sent
them scampering into the trees. Then the two Europeans advanced upon the cage.
Korak thought that they were going to kill the king. He cared nothing for the
king but he cared less for the two white men. The king had never attempted to
kill him&mdash;the white men had. The king was a denizen of his own beloved
jungle&mdash;the white men were aliens. His loyalty therefore was to the baboon
against the human. He could speak the language of the baboon&mdash;it was
identical to that of the great apes. Across the clearing he saw the jabbering
horde watching.
</p>

<p>
Raising his voice he shouted to them. The white men turned at the sound of this
new factor behind them. They thought it was another baboon that had circled
them; but though they searched the trees with their eyes they saw nothing of
the now silent figure hidden by the foliage. Again Korak shouted.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am The Killer,&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;These men are my enemies and
yours. I will help you free your king. Run out upon the strangers when you see
me do so, and together we will drive them away and free your king.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
And from the baboons came a great chorus: &ldquo;We will do what you say,
Korak.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Dropping from his tree Korak ran toward the two Swedes, and at the same instant
three hundred baboons followed his example. At sight of the strange apparition
of the half-naked white warrior rushing upon them with uplifted spear Jenssen
and Malbihn raised their rifles and fired at Korak; but in the excitement both
missed and a moment later the baboons were upon them. Now their only hope of
safety lay in escape, and dodging here and there, fighting off the great beasts
that leaped upon their backs, they ran into the jungle. Even then they would
have died but for the coming of their men whom they met a couple of hundred
yards from the cage.
</p>

<p>
Once the white men had turned in flight Korak gave them no further attention,
turning instead to the imprisoned baboon. The fastenings of the door that had
eluded the mental powers of the baboons, yielded their secret immediately to
the human intelligence of The Killer, and a moment later the king baboon
stepped forth to liberty. He wasted no breath in thanks to Korak, nor did the
young man expect thanks. He knew that none of the baboons would ever forget his
service, though as a matter of fact he did not care if they did. What he had
done had been prompted by a desire to be revenged upon the two white men. The
baboons could never be of service to him. Now they were racing in the direction
of the battle that was being waged between their fellows and the followers of
the two Swedes, and as the din of battle subsided in the distance, Korak turned
and resumed his journey toward the village of Kovudoo.
</p>

<p>
On the way he came upon a herd of elephants standing in an open forest glade.
Here the trees were too far apart to permit Korak to travel through the
branches&mdash;a trail he much preferred not only because of its freedom from
dense underbrush and the wider field of vision it gave him but from pride in
his arboreal ability. It was exhilarating to swing from tree to tree; to test
the prowess of his mighty muscles; to reap the pleasurable fruits of his hard
won agility. Korak joyed in the thrills of the highflung upper terraces of the
great forest, where, unhampered and unhindered, he might laugh down upon the
great brutes who must keep forever to the darkness and the gloom of the musty
soil.
</p>

<p>
But here, in this open glade where Tantor flapped his giant ears and swayed his
huge bulk from side to side, the ape-man must pass along the surface of the
ground&mdash;a pygmy amongst giants. A great bull raised his trunk to rattle a
low warning as he sensed the coming of an intruder. His weak eyes roved hither
and thither but it was his keen scent and acute hearing which first located the
ape-man. The herd moved restlessly, prepared for fight, for the old bull had
caught the scent of man.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Peace, Tantor,&rdquo; called The Killer. &ldquo;It is I, Korak,
Tarmangani.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The bull lowered his trunk and the herd resumed their interrupted meditations.
Korak passed within a foot of the great bull. A sinuous trunk undulated toward
him, touching his brown hide in a half caress. Korak slapped the great shoulder
affectionately as he went by. For years he had been upon good terms with Tantor
and his people. Of all the jungle folk he loved best the mighty
pachyderm&mdash;the most peaceful and at the same time the most terrible of
them all. The gentle gazelle feared him not, yet Numa, lord of the jungle, gave
him a wide berth. Among the younger bulls, the cows and the calves Korak wound
his way. Now and then another trunk would run out to touch him, and once a
playful calf grasped his legs and upset him.
</p>

<p>
The afternoon was almost spent when Korak arrived at the village of Kovudoo.
There were many natives lolling in shady spots beside the conical huts or
beneath the branches of the several trees which had been left standing within
the enclosure. Warriors were in evidence upon hand. It was not a good time for
a lone enemy to prosecute a search through the village. Korak determined to
await the coming of darkness. He was a match for many warriors; but he could
not, unaided, overcome an entire tribe&mdash;not even for his beloved Meriem.
While he waited among the branches and foliage of a near-by tree he searched
the village constantly with his keen eyes, and twice he circled it, sniffing
the vagrant breezes which puffed erratically from first one point of the
compass and then another. Among the various stenches peculiar to a native
village the ape-man&rsquo;s sensitive nostrils were finally rewarded by
cognizance of the delicate aroma which marked the presence of her he sought.
Meriem was there&mdash;in one of those huts! But which one he could not know
without closer investigation, and so he waited, with the dogged patience of a
beast of prey, until night had fallen.
</p>

<p>
The camp fires of the blacks dotted the gloom with little points of light,
casting their feeble rays in tiny circles of luminosity that brought into
glistening relief the naked bodies of those who lay or squatted about them. It
was then that Korak slid silently from the tree that had hidden him and dropped
lightly to the ground within the enclosure.
</p>

<p>
Keeping well in the shadows of the huts he commenced a systematic search of the
village&mdash;ears, eyes and nose constantly upon the alert for the first
intimation of the near presence of Meriem. His progress must of necessity be
slow since not even the keen-eared curs of the savages must guess the presence
of a stranger within the gates. How close he came to a detection on several
occasions The Killer well knew from the restless whining of several of them.
</p>

<p>
It was not until he reached the back of a hut at the head of the wide village
street that Korak caught again, plainly, the scent of Meriem. With nose close
to the thatched wall Korak sniffed eagerly about the structure&mdash;tense and
palpitant as a hunting hound. Toward the front and the door he made his way
when once his nose had assured him that Meriem lay within; but as he rounded
the side and came within view of the entrance he saw a burly Negro armed with a
long spear squatting at the portal of the girl&rsquo;s prison. The
fellow&rsquo;s back was toward him, his figure outlined against the glow of
cooking fires further down the street. He was alone. The nearest of his fellows
were beside a fire sixty or seventy feet beyond. To enter the hut Korak must
either silence the sentry or pass him unnoticed. The danger in the
accomplishment of the former alternative lay in the practical certainty of
alarming the warriors near by and bringing them and the balance of the village
down upon him. To achieve the latter appeared practically impossible. To you or
me it would have been impossible; but Korak, The Killer, was not as you or I.
</p>

<p>
There was a good twelve inches of space between the broad back of the black and
the frame of the doorway. Could Korak pass through behind the savage warrior
without detection? The light that fell upon the glistening ebony of the
sentry&rsquo;s black skin fell also upon the light brown of Korak&rsquo;s.
Should one of the many further down the street chance to look long in this
direction they must surely note the tall, light-colored, moving figure; but
Korak depended upon their interest in their own gossip to hold their attention
fast where it already lay, and upon the firelight near them to prevent them
seeing too plainly at a distance into the darkness at the village end where his
work lay.
</p>

<p>
Flattened against the side of the hut, yet not arousing a single warning rustle
from its dried thatching, The Killer came closer and closer to the watcher. Now
he was at his shoulder. Now he had wormed his sinuous way behind him. He could
feel the heat of the naked body against his knees. He could hear the man
breathe. He marveled that the dull-witted creature had not long since been
alarmed; but the fellow sat there as ignorant of the presence of another as
though that other had not existed.
</p>

<p>
Korak moved scarcely more than an inch at a time, then he would stand
motionless for a moment. Thus was he worming his way behind the guard when the
latter straightened up, opened his cavernous mouth in a wide yawn, and
stretched his arms above his head. Korak stood rigid as stone. Another step and
he would be within the hut. The black lowered his arms and relaxed. Behind him
was the frame work of the doorway. Often before had it supported his sleepy
head, and now he leaned back to enjoy the forbidden pleasure of a cat nap.
</p>

<p>
But instead of the door frame his head and shoulders came in contact with the
warm flesh of a pair of living legs. The exclamation of surprise that almost
burst from his lips was throttled in his throat by steel-thewed fingers that
closed about his windpipe with the suddenness of thought. The black struggled
to arise&mdash;to turn upon the creature that had seized him&mdash;to wriggle
from its hold; but all to no purpose. As he had been held in a mighty vise of
iron he could not move. He could not scream. Those awful fingers at his throat
but closed more and more tightly. His eyes bulged from their sockets. His face
turned an ashy blue. Presently he relaxed once more&mdash;this time in the
final dissolution from which there is no quickening. Korak propped the dead
body against the door frame. There it sat, lifelike in the gloom. Then the
ape-man turned and glided into the Stygian darkness of the hut&rsquo;s
interior.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Meriem!&rdquo; he whispered.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Korak! My Korak!&rdquo; came an answering cry, subdued by fear of
alarming her captors, and half stifled by a sob of joyful welcome.
</p>

<p>
The youth knelt and cut the bonds that held the girl&rsquo;s wrists and ankles.
A moment later he had lifted her to her feet, and grasping her by the hand led
her towards the entrance. Outside the grim sentinel of death kept his grisly
vigil. Sniffing at his dead feet whined a mangy native cur. At sight of the two
emerging from the hut the beast gave an ugly snarl and an instant later as it
caught the scent of the strange white man it raised a series of excited yelps.
Instantly the warriors at the near-by fire were attracted. They turned their
heads in the direction of the commotion. It was impossible that they should
fail to see the white skins of the fugitives.
</p>

<p>
Korak slunk quickly into the shadows at the hut&rsquo;s side, drawing Meriem
with him; but he was too late. The blacks had seen enough to arouse their
suspicions and a dozen of them were now running to investigate. The yapping cur
was still at Korak&rsquo;s heels leading the searchers unerringly in pursuit.
The youth struck viciously at the brute with his long spear; but, long
accustomed to dodging blows, the wily creature made a most uncertain target.
</p>

<p>
Other blacks had been alarmed by the running and shouting of their companions
and now the entire population of the village was swarming up the street to
assist in the search. Their first discovery was the dead body of the sentry,
and a moment later one of the bravest of them had entered the hut and
discovered the absence of the prisoner. These startling announcements filled
the blacks with a combination of terror and rage; but, seeing no foe in
evidence they were enabled to permit their rage to get the better of their
terror, and so the leaders, pushed on by those behind them, ran rapidly around
the hut in the direction of the yapping of the mangy cur. Here they found a
single white warrior making away with their captive, and recognizing him as the
author of numerous raids and indignities and believing that they had him
cornered and at a disadvantage, they charged savagely upon him.
</p>

<p>
Korak, seeing that they were discovered, lifted Meriem to his shoulders and ran
for the tree which would give them egress from the village. He was handicapped
in his flight by the weight of the girl whose legs would but scarce bear her
weight, to say nothing of maintaining her in rapid flight, for the tightly
drawn bonds that had been about her ankles for so long had stopped circulation
and partially paralyzed her extremities.
</p>

<p>
Had this not been the case the escape of the two would have been a feat of
little moment, since Meriem was scarcely a whit less agile than Korak, and
fully as much at home in the trees as he. But with the girl on his shoulder
Korak could not both run and fight to advantage, and the result was that before
he had covered half the distance to the tree a score of native curs attracted
by the yelping of their mate and the yells and shouts of their masters had
closed in upon the fleeing white man, snapping at his legs and at last
succeeding in tripping him. As he went down the hyena-like brutes were upon
him, and as he struggled to his feet the blacks closed in.
</p>

<p>
A couple of them seized the clawing, biting Meriem, and subdued her&mdash;a
blow upon the head was sufficient. For the ape-man they found more drastic
measures would be necessary.
</p>

<p>
Weighted down as he was by dogs and warriors he still managed to struggle to
his feet. To right and left he swung crushing blows to the faces of his human
antagonists&mdash;to the dogs he paid not the slightest attention other than to
seize the more persistent and wring their necks with a single quick movement of
the wrist.
</p>

<p>
A knob stick aimed at him by an ebon Hercules he caught and wrested from his
antagonist, and then the blacks experienced to the full the possibilities for
punishment that lay within those smooth flowing muscles beneath the velvet
brown skin of the strange, white giant. He rushed among them with all the force
and ferocity of a bull elephant gone mad. Hither and thither he charged
striking down the few who had the temerity to stand against him, and it was
evident that unless a chance spear thrust brought him down he would rout the
entire village and regain his prize. But old Kovudoo was not to be so easily
robbed of the ransom which the girl represented, and seeing that their attack
which had up to now resulted in a series of individual combats with the white
warrior, he called his tribesmen off, and forming them in a compact body about
the girl and the two who watched over her bid them do nothing more than repel
the assaults of the ape-man.
</p>

<p>
Again and again Korak rushed against this human barricade bristling with spear
points. Again and again he was repulsed, often with severe wounds to caution
him to greater wariness. From head to foot he was red with his own blood, and
at last, weakening from the loss of it, he came to the bitter realization that
alone he could do no more to succor his Meriem.
</p>

<p>
Presently an idea flashed through his brain. He called aloud to the girl. She
had regained consciousness now and replied.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Korak goes,&rdquo; he shouted; &ldquo;but he will return and take you
from the Gomangani. Good-bye, my Meriem. Korak will come for you again.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Good-bye!&rdquo; cried the girl. &ldquo;Meriem will look for you until
you come.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Like a flash, and before they could know his intention or prevent him, Korak
wheeled, raced across the village and with a single leap disappeared into the
foliage of the great tree that was his highroad to the village of Kovudoo. A
shower of spears followed him, but their only harvest was a taunting laugh
flung back from out the darkness of the jungle.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap13"></a>XIII.</h2>

<p>
Meriem, again bound and under heavy guard in Kovudoo&rsquo;s own hut, saw the
night pass and the new day come without bringing the momentarily looked for
return of Korak. She had no doubt but that he would come back and less still
that he would easily free her from her captivity. To her Korak was little short
of omnipotent. He embodied for her all that was finest and strongest and best
in her savage world. She gloried in his prowess and worshipped him for the
tender thoughtfulness that always had marked his treatment of her. No other
within the ken of her memory had ever accorded her the love and gentleness that
was his daily offering to her. Most of the gentler attributes of his early
childhood had long since been forgotten in the fierce battle for existence
which the customs of the mysterious jungle had forced upon him. He was more
often savage and bloodthirsty than tender and kindly. His other friends of the
wild looked for no gentle tokens of his affection. That he would hunt with them
and fight for them was sufficient. If he growled and showed his fighting fangs
when they trespassed upon his inalienable rights to the fruits of his kills
they felt no anger toward him&mdash;only greater respect for the efficient and
the fit&mdash;for him who could not only kill but protect the flesh of his
kill.
</p>

<p>
But toward Meriem he always had shown more of his human side. He killed
primarily for her. It was to the feet of Meriem that he brought the fruits of
his labors. It was for Meriem more than for himself that he squatted beside his
flesh and growled ominously at whosoever dared sniff too closely to it. When he
was cold in the dark days of rain, or thirsty in a prolonged drouth, his
discomfort engendered first of all thoughts of Meriem&rsquo;s
welfare&mdash;after she had been made warm, after her thirst had been slaked,
then he turned to the affair of ministering to his own wants.
</p>

<p>
The softest skins fell gracefully from the graceful shoulders of his Meriem.
The sweetest-scented grasses lined her bower where other soft, furry pelts made
hers the downiest couch in all the jungle.
</p>

<p>
What wonder then that Meriem loved her Korak? But she loved him as a little
sister might love a big brother who was very good to her. As yet she knew
naught of the love of a maid for a man.
</p>

<p>
So now as she lay waiting for him she dreamed of him and of all that he meant
to her. She compared him with The Sheik, her father, and at thought of the
stern, grizzled, old Arab she shuddered. Even the savage blacks had been less
harsh to her than he. Not understanding their tongue she could not guess what
purpose they had in keeping her a prisoner. She knew that man ate man, and she
had expected to be eaten; but she had been with them for some time now and no
harm had befallen her. She did not know that a runner had been dispatched to
the distant village of The Sheik to barter with him for a ransom. She did not
know, nor did Kovudoo, that the runner had never reached his
destination&mdash;that he had fallen in with the <i>safari</i> of Jenssen and
Malbihn and with the talkativeness of a native to other natives had unfolded
his whole mission to the black servants of the two Swedes. These had not been
long in retailing the matter to their masters, and the result was that when the
runner left their camp to continue his journey he had scarce passed from sight
before there came the report of a rifle and he rolled lifeless into the
underbrush with a bullet in his back.
</p>

<p>
A few moments later Malbihn strolled back into the encampment, where he went to
some pains to let it be known that he had had a shot at a fine buck and missed.
The Swedes knew that their men hated them, and that an overt act against
Kovudoo would quickly be carried to the chief at the first opportunity. Nor
were they sufficiently strong in either guns or loyal followers to risk
antagonizing the wily old chief.
</p>

<p>
Following this episode came the encounter with the baboons and the strange,
white savage who had allied himself with the beasts against the humans. Only by
dint of masterful maneuvering and the expenditure of much power had the Swedes
been able to repulse the infuriated apes, and even for hours afterward their
camp was constantly besieged by hundreds of snarling, screaming devils.
</p>

<p>
The Swedes, rifles in hand, repelled numerous savage charges which lacked only
efficient leadership to have rendered them as effective in results as they were
terrifying in appearance. Time and time again the two men thought they saw the
smooth-skinned body of the wild ape-man moving among the baboons in the forest,
and the belief that he might head a charge upon them proved most disquieting.
They would have given much for a clean shot at him, for to him they attributed
the loss of their specimen and the ugly attitude of the baboons toward them.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The fellow must be the same we fired on several years ago,&rdquo; said
Malbihn. &ldquo;That time he was accompanied by a gorilla. Did you get a good
look at him, Carl?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Jenssen. &ldquo;He was not five paces from me when I
fired at him. He appears to be an intelligent looking European&mdash;and not
much more than a lad. There is nothing of the imbecile or degenerate in his
features or expression, as is usually true in similar cases, where some lunatic
escapes into the woods and by living in filth and nakedness wins the title of
wild man among the peasants of the neighborhood. No, this fellow is of
different stuff&mdash;and so infinitely more to be feared. As much as I should
like a shot at him I hope he stays away. Should he ever deliberately lead a
charge against us I wouldn&rsquo;t give much for our chances if we happened to
fail to bag him at the first rush.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
But the white giant did not appear again to lead the baboons against them, and
finally the angry brutes themselves wandered off into the jungle leaving the
frightened <i>safari</i> in peace.
</p>

<p>
The next day the Swedes set out for Kovudoo&rsquo;s village bent on securing
possession of the person of the white girl whom Kovudoo&rsquo;s runner had told
them lay captive in the chief&rsquo;s village. How they were to accomplish
their end they did not know. Force was out of the question, though they would
not have hesitated to use it had they possessed it. In former years they had
marched rough shod over enormous areas, taking toll by brute force even when
kindliness or diplomacy would have accomplished more; but now they were in bad
straits&mdash;so bad that they had shown their true colors scarce twice in a
year and then only when they came upon an isolated village, weak in numbers and
poor in courage.
</p>

<p>
Kovudoo was not as these, and though his village was in a way remote from the
more populous district to the north his power was such that he maintained an
acknowledged suzerainty over the thin thread of villages which connected him
with the savage lords to the north. To have antagonized him would have spelled
ruin for the Swedes. It would have meant that they might never reach
civilization by the northern route. To the west, the village of The Sheik lay
directly in their path, barring them effectually. To the east the trail was
unknown to them, and to the south there was no trail. So the two Swedes
approached the village of Kovudoo with friendly words upon their tongues and
deep craft in their hearts.
</p>

<p>
Their plans were well made. There was no mention of the white
prisoner&mdash;they chose to pretend that they were not aware that Kovudoo had
a white prisoner. They exchanged gifts with the old chief, haggling with his
plenipotentiaries over the value of what they were to receive for what they
gave, as is customary and proper when one has no ulterior motives. Unwarranted
generosity would have aroused suspicion.
</p>

<p>
During the palaver which followed they retailed the gossip of the villages
through which they had passed, receiving in exchange such news as Kovudoo
possessed. The palaver was long and tiresome, as these native ceremonies always
are to Europeans. Kovudoo made no mention of his prisoner and from his generous
offers of guides and presents seemed anxious to assure himself of the speedy
departure of his guests. It was Malbihn who, quite casually, near the close of
their talk, mentioned the fact that The Sheik was dead. Kovudoo evinced
interest and surprise.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You did not know it?&rdquo; asked Malbihn. &ldquo;That is strange. It
was during the last moon. He fell from his horse when the beast stepped in a
hole. The horse fell upon him. When his men came up The Sheik was quite
dead.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Kovudoo scratched his head. He was much disappointed. No Sheik meant no ransom
for the white girl. Now she was worthless, unless he utilized her for a feast
or&mdash;a mate. The latter thought aroused him. He spat at a small beetle
crawling through the dust before him. He eyed Malbihn appraisingly. These white
men were peculiar. They traveled far from their own villages without women. Yet
he knew they cared for women. But how much did they care for them?&mdash;that
was the question that disturbed Kovudoo.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I know where there is a white girl,&rdquo; he said, unexpectedly.
&ldquo;If you wish to buy her she may be had cheap.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Malbihn shrugged. &ldquo;We have troubles enough, Kovudoo,&rdquo; he said,
&ldquo;without burdening ourselves with an old she-hyena, and as for paying for
one&mdash;&rdquo; Malbihn snapped his fingers in derision.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;She is young,&rdquo; said Kovudoo, &ldquo;and good looking.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The Swedes laughed. &ldquo;There are no good looking white women in the jungle,
Kovudoo,&rdquo; said Jenssen. &ldquo;You should be ashamed to try to make fun
of old friends.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Kovudoo sprang to his feet. &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I will show you
that she is all I say.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Malbihn and Jenssen rose to follow him and as they did so their eyes met, and
Malbihn slowly drooped one of his lids in a sly wink. Together they followed
Kovudoo toward his hut. In the dim interior they discerned the figure of a
woman lying bound upon a sleeping mat.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn took a single glance and turned away. &ldquo;She must be a thousand
years old, Kovudoo,&rdquo; he said, as he left the hut.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;She is young,&rdquo; cried the savage. &ldquo;It is dark in here. You
cannot see. Wait, I will have her brought out into the sunlight,&rdquo; and he
commanded the two warriors who watched the girl to cut the bonds from her
ankles and lead her forth for inspection.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn and Jenssen evinced no eagerness, though both were fairly bursting with
it&mdash;not to see the girl but to obtain possession of her. They cared not if
she had the face of a marmoset, or the figure of pot-bellied Kovudoo himself.
All that they wished to know was that she was the girl who had been stolen from
The Sheik several years before. They thought that they would recognize her for
such if she was indeed the same, but even so the testimony of the runner
Kovudoo had sent to The Sheik was such as to assure them that the girl was the
one they had once before attempted to abduct.
</p>

<p>
As Meriem was brought forth from the darkness of the hut&rsquo;s interior the
two men turned with every appearance of disinterestedness to glance at her. It
was with difficulty that Malbihn suppressed an ejaculation of astonishment. The
girl&rsquo;s beauty fairly took his breath from him; but instantly he recovered
his poise and turned to Kovudoo.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Well?&rdquo; he said to the old chief.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Is she not both young and good looking?&rdquo; asked Kovudoo.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;She is not old,&rdquo; replied Malbihn; &ldquo;but even so she will be a
burden. We did not come from the north after wives&mdash;there are more than
enough there for us.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem stood looking straight at the white men. She expected nothing from
them&mdash;they were to her as much enemies as the black men. She hated and
feared them all. Malbihn spoke to her in Arabic.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We are friends,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Would you like to have us take
you away from here?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Slowly and dimly as though from a great distance recollection of the once
familiar tongue returned to her.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I should like to go free,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;and go back to
Korak.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You would like to go with us?&rdquo; persisted Malbihn.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;No,&rdquo; said Meriem.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn turned to Kovudoo. &ldquo;She does not wish to go with us,&rdquo; he
said.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You are men,&rdquo; returned the black. &ldquo;Can you not take her by
force?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It would only add to our troubles,&rdquo; replied the Swede. &ldquo;No,
Kovudoo, we do not wish her; though, if you wish to be rid of her, we will take
her away because of our friendship for you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Now Kovudoo knew that he had made a sale. They wanted her. So he commenced to
bargain, and in the end the person of Meriem passed from the possession of the
black chieftain into that of the two Swedes in consideration of six yards of
Amerikan, three empty brass cartridge shells and a shiny, new jack knife from
New Jersey. And all but Meriem were more than pleased with the bargain.
</p>

<p>
Kovudoo stipulated but a single condition and that was that the Europeans were
to leave his village and take the girl with them as early the next morning as
they could get started. After the sale was consummated he did not hesitate to
explain his reasons for this demand. He told them of the strenuous attempt of
the girl&rsquo;s savage mate to rescue her, and suggested that the sooner they
got her out of the country the more likely they were to retain possession of
her.
</p>

<p>
Meriem was again bound and placed under guard, but this time in the tent of the
Swedes. Malbihn talked to her, trying to persuade her to accompany them
willingly. He told her that they would return her to her own village; but when
he discovered that she would rather die than go back to the old sheik, he
assured her that they would not take her there, nor, as a matter of fact, had
they had an intention of so doing. As he talked with the girl the Swede feasted
his eyes upon the beautiful lines of her face and figure. She had grown tall
and straight and slender toward maturity since he had seen her in The
Sheik&rsquo;s village on that long gone day. For years she had represented to
him a certain fabulous reward. In his thoughts she had been but the
personification of the pleasures and luxuries that many francs would purchase.
Now as she stood before him pulsing with life and loveliness she suggested
other seductive and alluring possibilities. He came closer to her and laid his
hand upon her. The girl shrank from him. He seized her and she struck him
heavily in the mouth as he sought to kiss her. Then Jenssen entered the tent.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Malbihn!&rdquo; he almost shouted. &ldquo;You fool!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Sven Malbihn released his hold upon the girl and turned toward his companion.
His face was red with mortification.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What the devil are you trying to do?&rdquo; growled Jenssen.
&ldquo;Would you throw away every chance for the reward? If we maltreat her we
not only couldn&rsquo;t collect a sou, but they&rsquo;d send us to prison for
our pains. I thought you had more sense, Malbihn.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a wooden man,&rdquo; growled Malbihn.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You&rsquo;d better be,&rdquo; rejoined Jenssen, &ldquo;at least until we
have delivered her over in safety and collected what will be coming to
us.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Oh, hell,&rdquo; cried Malbihn. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s the use?
They&rsquo;ll be glad enough to have her back, and by the time we get there
with her she&rsquo;ll be only too glad to keep her mouth shut. Why not?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Because I say not,&rdquo; growled Jenssen. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always let
you boss things, Sven; but here&rsquo;s a case where what I say has got to
go&mdash;because I&rsquo;m right and you&rsquo;re wrong, and we both know
it.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re getting damned virtuous all of a sudden,&rdquo; growled
Malbihn. &ldquo;Perhaps you think I have forgotten about the inn keeper&rsquo;s
daughter, and little Celella, and that nigger at&mdash;&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Shut up!&rdquo; snapped Jenssen. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a matter of
virtue and you are as well aware of that as I. I don&rsquo;t want to quarrel
with you, but so help me God, Sven, you&rsquo;re not going to harm this girl if
I have to kill you to prevent it. I&rsquo;ve suffered and slaved and been
nearly killed forty times in the last nine or ten years trying to accomplish
what luck has thrown at our feet at last, and now I&rsquo;m not going to be
robbed of the fruits of success because you happen to be more of a beast than a
man. Again I warn you, Sven&mdash;&rdquo; and he tapped the revolver that swung
in its holster at his hip.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn gave his friend an ugly look, shrugged his shoulders, and left the
tent. Jenssen turned to Meriem.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;If he bothers you again, call me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I shall always
be near.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The girl had not understood the conversation that had been carried on by her
two owners, for it had been in Swedish; but what Jenssen had just said to her
in Arabic she understood and from it grasped an excellent idea of what had
passed between the two. The expressions upon their faces, their gestures, and
Jenssen&rsquo;s final tapping of his revolver before Malbihn had left the tent
had all been eloquent of the seriousness of their altercation. Now, toward
Jenssen she looked for friendship, and with the innocence of youth she threw
herself upon his mercy, begging him to set her free, that she might return to
Korak and her jungle life; but she was doomed to another disappointment, for
the man only laughed at her roughly and told her that if she tried to escape
she would be punished by the very thing that he had just saved her from.
</p>

<p>
All that night she lay listening for a signal from Korak. All about the jungle
life moved through the darkness. To her sensitive ears came sounds that the
others in the camp could not hear&mdash;sounds that she interpreted as we might
interpret the speech of a friend, but not once came a single note that
reflected the presence of Korak. But she knew that he would come. Nothing short
of death itself could prevent her Korak from returning for her. What delayed
him though?
</p>

<p>
When morning came again and the night had brought no succoring Korak,
Meriem&rsquo;s faith and loyalty were still unshaken though misgivings began to
assail her as to the safety of her friend. It seemed unbelievable that serious
mishap could have overtaken her wonderful Korak who daily passed unscathed
through all the terrors of the jungle. Yet morning came, the morning meal was
eaten, the camp broken and the disreputable <i>safari</i> of the Swedes was on
the move northward with still no sign of the rescue the girl momentarily
expected.
</p>

<p>
All that day they marched, and the next and the next, nor did Korak even so
much as show himself to the patient little waiter moving, silently and stately,
beside her hard captors.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn remained scowling and angry. He replied to Jenssen&rsquo;s friendly
advances in curt monosyllables. To Meriem he did not speak, but on several
occasions she discovered him glaring at her from beneath half closed
lids&mdash;greedily. The look sent a shudder through her. She hugged Geeka
closer to her breast and doubly regretted the knife that they had taken from
her when she was captured by Kovudoo.
</p>

<p>
It was on the fourth day that Meriem began definitely to give up hope.
Something had happened to Korak. She knew it. He would never come now, and
these men would take her far away. Presently they would kill her. She would
never see her Korak again.
</p>

<p>
On this day the Swedes rested, for they had marched rapidly and their men were
tired. Malbihn and Jenssen had gone from camp to hunt, taking different
directions. They had been gone about an hour when the door of Meriem&rsquo;s
tent was lifted and Malbihn entered. The look of a beast was on his face.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap14"></a>XIV.</h2>

<p>
With wide eyes fixed upon him, like a trapped creature horrified beneath the
mesmeric gaze of a great serpent, the girl watched the approach of the man. Her
hands were free, the Swedes having secured her with a length of ancient slave
chain fastened at one end to an iron collar padlocked about her neck and at the
other to a long stake driven deep into the ground.
</p>

<p>
Slowly Meriem shrank inch by inch toward the opposite end of the tent. Malbihn
followed her. His hands were extended and his fingers
half-opened&mdash;claw-like&mdash;to seize her. His lips were parted, and his
breath came quickly, pantingly.
</p>

<p>
The girl recalled Jenssen&rsquo;s instructions to call him should Malbihn
molest her; but Jenssen had gone into the jungle to hunt. Malbihn had chosen
his time well. Yet she screamed, loud and shrill, once, twice, a third time,
before Malbihn could leap across the tent and throttle her alarming cries with
his brute fingers. Then she fought him, as any jungle she might fight, with
tooth and nail. The man found her no easy prey. In that slender, young body,
beneath the rounded curves and the fine, soft skin, lay the muscles of a young
lioness. But Malbihn was no weakling. His character and appearance were brutal,
nor did they belie his brawn. He was of giant stature and of giant strength.
Slowly he forced the girl back upon the ground, striking her in the face when
she hurt him badly either with teeth or nails. Meriem struck back, but she was
growing weaker from the choking fingers at her throat.
</p>

<p>
Out in the jungle Jenssen had brought down two bucks. His hunting had not
carried him far afield, nor was he prone to permit it to do so. He was
suspicious of Malbihn. The very fact that his companion had refused to
accompany him and elected instead to hunt alone in another direction would not,
under ordinary circumstances, have seemed fraught with sinister suggestion; but
Jenssen knew Malbihn well, and so, having secured meat, he turned immediately
back toward camp, while his boys brought in his kill.
</p>

<p>
He had covered about half the return journey when a scream came faintly to his
ears from the direction of camp. He halted to listen. It was repeated twice.
Then silence. With a muttered curse Jenssen broke into a rapid run. He wondered
if he would be too late. What a fool Malbihn was indeed to thus chance
jeopardizing a fortune!
</p>

<p>
Further away from camp than Jenssen and upon the opposite side another heard
Meriem&rsquo;s screams&mdash;a stranger who was not even aware of the proximity
of white men other than himself&mdash;a hunter with a handful of sleek, black
warriors. He, too, listened intently for a moment. That the voice was that of a
woman in distress he could not doubt, and so he also hastened at a run in the
direction of the affrighted voice; but he was much further away than Jenssen so
that the latter reached the tent first. What the Swede found there roused no
pity within his calloused heart, only anger against his fellow scoundrel.
Meriem was still fighting off her attacker. Malbihn still was showering blows
upon her. Jenssen, streaming foul curses upon his erstwhile friend, burst into
the tent. Malbihn, interrupted, dropped his victim and turned to meet
Jenssen&rsquo;s infuriated charge. He whipped a revolver from his hip. Jenssen,
anticipating the lightning move of the other&rsquo;s hand, drew almost
simultaneously, and both men fired at once. Jenssen was still moving toward
Malbihn at the time, but at the flash of the explosion he stopped. His revolver
dropped from nerveless fingers. For a moment he staggered drunkenly.
Deliberately Malbihn put two more bullets into his friend&rsquo;s body at close
range. Even in the midst of the excitement and her terror Meriem found herself
wondering at the tenacity of life which the hit man displayed. His eyes were
closed, his head dropped forward upon his breast, his hands hung limply before
him. Yet still he stood there upon his feet, though he reeled horribly. It was
not until the third bullet had found its mark within his body that he lunged
forward upon his face. Then Malbihn approached him, and with an oath kicked him
viciously. Then he returned once more to Meriem. Again he seized her, and at
the same instant the flaps of the tent opened silently and a tall white man
stood in the aperture. Neither Meriem or Malbihn saw the newcomer. The
latter&rsquo;s back was toward him while his body hid the stranger from
Meriem&rsquo;s eyes.
</p>

<p>
He crossed the tent quickly, stepping over Jenssen&rsquo;s body. The first
intimation Malbihn had that he was not to carry out his design without further
interruption was a heavy hand upon his shoulder. He wheeled to face an utter
stranger&mdash;a tall, black-haired, gray-eyed stranger clad in khaki and pith
helmet. Malbihn reached for his gun again, but another hand had been quicker
than his and he saw the weapon tossed to the ground at the side of the
tent&mdash;out of reach.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What is the meaning of this?&rdquo; the stranger addressed his question
to Meriem in a tongue she did not understand. She shook her head and spoke in
Arabic. Instantly the man changed his question to that language.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;These men are taking me away from Korak,&rdquo; explained the girl.
&ldquo;This one would have harmed me. The other, whom he had just killed, tried
to stop him. They were both very bad men; but this one is the worse. If my
Korak were here he would kill him. I suppose you are like them, so you will not
kill him.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The stranger smiled. &ldquo;He deserves killing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There
is no doubt of that. Once I should have killed him; but not now. I will see,
though, that he does not bother you any more.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
He was holding Malbihn in a grasp the giant Swede could not break, though he
struggled to do so, and he was holding him as easily as Malbihn might have held
a little child, yet Malbihn was a huge man, mightily thewed. The Swede began to
rage and curse. He struck at his captor, only to be twisted about and held at
arm&rsquo;s length. Then he shouted to his boys to come and kill the stranger.
In response a dozen strange blacks entered the tent. They, too, were powerful,
clean-limbed men, not at all like the mangy crew that followed the Swedes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We have had enough foolishness,&rdquo; said the stranger to Malbihn.
&ldquo;You deserve death, but I am not the law. I know now who you are. I have
heard of you before. You and your friend here bear a most unsavory reputation.
We do not want you in our country. I shall let you go this time; but should you
ever return I shall take the law into my own hands. You understand?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Malbihn blustered and threatened, finishing by applying a most uncomplimentary
name to his captor. For this he received a shaking that rattled his teeth.
Those who know say that the most painful punishment that can be inflicted upon
an adult male, short of injuring him, is a good, old fashioned shaking. Malbihn
received such a shaking.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Now get out,&rdquo; said the stranger, &ldquo;and next time you see me
remember who I am,&rdquo; and he spoke a name in the Swede&rsquo;s ear&mdash;a
name that more effectually subdued the scoundrel than many beatings&mdash;then
he gave him a push that carried him bodily through the tent doorway to sprawl
upon the turf beyond.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Now,&rdquo; he said, turning toward Meriem, &ldquo;who has the key to
this thing about your neck?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The girl pointed to Jenssen&rsquo;s body. &ldquo;He carried it always,&rdquo;
she said.
</p>

<p>
The stranger searched the clothing on the corpse until he came upon the key. A
moment more Meriem was free.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Will you let me go back to my Korak?&rdquo; she asked.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I will see that you are returned to your people,&rdquo; he replied.
&ldquo;Who are they and where is their village?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
He had been eyeing her strange, barbaric garmenture wonderingly. From her
speech she was evidently an Arab girl; but he had never before seen one thus
clothed.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Who are your people? Who is Korak?&rdquo; he asked again.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Korak! Why Korak is an ape. I have no other people. Korak and I live in
the jungle alone since A&rsquo;ht went to be king of the apes.&rdquo; She had
always thus pronounced Akut&rsquo;s name, for so it had sounded to her when
first she came with Korak and the ape. &ldquo;Korak could have been kind, but
he would not.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
A questioning expression entered the stranger&rsquo;s eyes. He looked at the
girl closely.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;So Korak is an ape?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And what, pray, are
you?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am Meriem. I, also, am an ape.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;M-m,&rdquo; was the stranger&rsquo;s only oral comment upon this
startling announcement; but what he thought might have been partially
interpreted through the pitying light that entered his eyes. He approached the
girl and started to lay his hand upon her forehead. She drew back with a savage
little growl. A smile touched his lips.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You need not fear me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I shall not harm you. I
only wish to discover if you have fever&mdash;if you are entirely well. If you
are we will set forth in search of Korak.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem looked straight into the keen gray eyes. She must have found there an
unquestionable assurance of the honorableness of their owner, for she permitted
him to lay his palm upon her forehead and feel her pulse. Apparently she had no
fever.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;How long have you been an ape?&rdquo; asked the man.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Since I was a little girl, many, many years ago, and Korak came and took
me from my father who was beating me. Since then I have lived in the trees with
Korak and A&rsquo;ht.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Where in the jungle lives Korak?&rdquo; asked the stranger.
</p>

<p>
Meriem pointed with a sweep of her hand that took in, generously, half the
continent of Africa.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Could you find your way back to him?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I do not know,&rdquo; she replied; &ldquo;but he will find his way to
me.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Then I have a plan,&rdquo; said the stranger. &ldquo;I live but a few
marches from here. I shall take you home where my wife will look after you and
care for you until we can find Korak or Korak finds us. If he could find you
here he can find you at my village. Is it not so?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem thought that it was so; but she did not like the idea of not starting
immediately back to meet Korak. On the other hand the man had no intention of
permitting this poor, insane child to wander further amidst the dangers of the
jungle. From whence she had come, or what she had undergone he could not guess,
but that her Korak and their life among the apes was but a figment of a
disordered mind he could not doubt. He knew the jungle well, and he knew that
men have lived alone and naked among the savage beasts for years; but a frail
and slender girl! No, it was not possible.
</p>

<p>
Together they went outside. Malbihn&rsquo;s boys were striking camp in
preparation for a hasty departure. The stranger&rsquo;s blacks were conversing
with them. Malbihn stood at a distance, angry and glowering. The stranger
approached one of his own men.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Find out where they got this girl,&rdquo; he commanded.
</p>

<p>
The Negro thus addressed questioned one of Malbihn&rsquo;s followers. Presently
he returned to his master.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;They bought her from old Kovudoo,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That is all
that this fellow will tell me. He pretends that he knows nothing more, and I
guess that he does not. These two white men were very bad men. They did many
things that their boys knew not the meanings of. It would be well, Bwana, to
kill the other.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I wish that I might; but a new law is come into this part of the jungle.
It is not as it was in the old days, Muviri,&rdquo; replied the master.
</p>

<p>
The stranger remained until Malbihn and his <i>safari</i> had disappeared into
the jungle toward the north. Meriem, trustful now, stood at his side, Geeka
clutched in one slim, brown hand. They talked together, the man wondering at
the faltering Arabic of the girl, but attributing it finally to her defective
mentality. Could he have known that years had elapsed since she had used it
until she was taken by the Swedes he would not have wondered that she had half
forgotten it. There was yet another reason why the language of The Sheik had
thus readily eluded her; but of that reason she herself could not have guessed
the truth any better than could the man.
</p>

<p>
He tried to persuade her to return with him to his &ldquo;village&rdquo; as he
called it, or <i>douar</i>, in Arabic; but she was insistent upon searching
immediately for Korak. As a last resort he determined to take her with him by
force rather than sacrifice her life to the insane hallucination which haunted
her; but, being a wise man, he determined to humor her first and then attempt
to lead her as he would have her go. So when they took up their march it was in
the direction of the south, though his own ranch lay almost due east.
</p>

<p>
By degrees he turned the direction of their way more and more eastward, and
greatly was he pleased to note that the girl failed to discover that any change
was being made. Little by little she became more trusting. At first she had had
but her intuition to guide her belief that this big Tarmangani meant her no
harm, but as the days passed and she saw that his kindness and consideration
never faltered she came to compare him with Korak, and to be very fond of him;
but never did her loyalty to her apeman flag.
</p>

<p>
On the fifth day they came suddenly upon a great plain and from the edge of the
forest the girl saw in the distance fenced fields and many buildings. At the
sight she drew back in astonishment.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Where are we?&rdquo; she asked, pointing.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We could not find Korak,&rdquo; replied the man, &ldquo;and as our way
led near my <i>douar</i> I have brought you here to wait and rest with my wife
until my men can find your ape, or he finds you. It is better thus, little one.
You will be safer with us, and you will be happier.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am afraid, Bwana,&rdquo; said the girl. &ldquo;In thy <i>douar</i>
they will beat me as did The Sheik, my father. Let me go back into the jungle.
There Korak will find me. He would not think to look for me in the <i>douar</i>
of a white man.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;No one will beat you, child,&rdquo; replied the man. &ldquo;I have not
done so, have I? Well, here all belong to me. They will treat you well. Here no
one is beaten. My wife will be very good to you, and at last Korak will come,
for I shall send men to search for him.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The girl shook her head. &ldquo;They could not bring him, for he would kill
them, as all men have tried to kill him. I am afraid. Let me go, Bwana.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You do not know the way to your own country. You would be lost. The
leopards or the lions would get you the first night, and after all you would
not find your Korak. It is better that you stay with us. Did I not save you
from the bad man? Do you not owe me something for that? Well, then remain with
us for a few weeks at least until we can determine what is best for you. You
are only a little girl&mdash;it would be wicked to permit you to go alone into
the jungle.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem laughed. &ldquo;The jungle,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;is my father and my
mother. It has been kinder to me than have men. I am not afraid of the jungle.
Nor am I afraid of the leopard or the lion. When my time comes I shall die. It
may be that a leopard or a lion shall kill me, or it may be a tiny bug no
bigger than the end of my littlest finger. When the lion leaps upon me, or the
little bug stings me I shall be afraid&mdash;oh, then I shall be terribly
afraid, I know; but life would be very miserable indeed were I to spend it in
terror of the thing that has not yet happened. If it be the lion my terror
shall be short of life; but if it be the little bug I may suffer for days
before I die. And so I fear the lion least of all. He is great and noisy. I can
hear him, or see him, or smell him in time to escape; but any moment I may
place a hand or foot on the little bug, and never know that he is there until I
feel his deadly sting. No, I do not fear the jungle. I love it. I should rather
die than leave it forever; but your <i>douar</i> is close beside the jungle.
You have been good to me. I will do as you wish, and remain here for a while to
wait the coming of my Korak.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Good!&rdquo; said the man, and he led the way down toward the
flower-covered bungalow behind which lay the barns and out-houses of a
well-ordered African farm.
</p>

<p>
As they came nearer a dozen dogs ran barking toward them&mdash;gaunt wolf
hounds, a huge great Dane, a nimble-footed collie and a number of yapping,
quarrelsome fox terriers. At first their appearance was savage and unfriendly
in the extreme; but once they recognized the foremost black warriors, and the
white man behind them their attitude underwent a remarkable change. The collie
and the fox terriers became frantic with delirious joy, and while the wolf
hounds and the great Dane were not a whit less delighted at the return of their
master their greetings were of a more dignified nature. Each in turn sniffed at
Meriem who displayed not the slightest fear of any of them.
</p>

<p>
The wolf hounds bristled and growled at the scent of wild beasts that clung to
her garment; but when she laid her hand upon their heads and her soft voice
murmured caressingly they half-closed their eyes, lifting their upper lips in
contented canine smiles. The man was watching them and he too smiled, for it
was seldom that these savage brutes took thus kindly to strangers. It was as
though in some subtile way the girl had breathed a message of kindred savagery
to their savage hearts.
</p>

<p>
With her slim fingers grasping the collar of a wolf hound upon either side of
her Meriem walked on toward the bungalow upon the porch of which a woman
dressed in white waved a welcome to her returning lord. There was more fear in
the girl&rsquo;s eyes now than there had been in the presence of strange men or
savage beasts. She hesitated, turning an appealing glance toward the man.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;This is my wife,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;She will be glad to welcome
you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The woman came down the path to meet them. The man kissed her, and turning
toward Meriem introduced them, speaking in the Arab tongue the girl understood.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;This is Meriem, my dear,&rdquo; he said, and he told the story of the
jungle waif in so far as he knew it.
</p>

<p>
Meriem saw that the woman was beautiful. She saw that sweetness and goodness
were stamped indelibly upon her countenance. She no longer feared her, and when
her brief story had been narrated and the woman came and put her arms about her
and kissed her and called her &ldquo;poor little darling&rdquo; something
snapped in Meriem&rsquo;s little heart. She buried her face on the bosom of
this new friend in whose voice was the mother tone that Meriem had not heard
for so many years that she had forgotten its very existence. She buried her
face on the kindly bosom and wept as she had not wept before in all her
life&mdash;tears of relief and joy that she could not fathom.
</p>

<p>
And so came Meriem, the savage little Mangani, out of her beloved jungle into
the midst of a home of culture and refinement. Already &ldquo;Bwana&rdquo; and
&ldquo;My Dear,&rdquo; as she first heard them called and continued to call
them, were as father and mother to her. Once her savage fears allayed, she went
to the opposite extreme of trustfulness and love. Now she was willing to wait
here until they found Korak, or Korak found her. She did not give up that
thought&mdash;Korak, her Korak always was first.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap15"></a>XV.</h2>

<p>
And out in the jungle, far away, Korak, covered with wounds, stiff with clotted
blood, burning with rage and sorrow, swung back upon the trail of the great
baboons. He had not found them where he had last seen them, nor in any of their
usual haunts; but he sought them along the well-marked spoor they had left
behind them, and at last he overtook them. When first he came upon them they
were moving slowly but steadily southward in one of those periodic migrations
the reasons for which the baboon himself is best able to explain. At sight of
the white warrior who came upon them from down wind the herd halted in response
to the warning cry of the sentinel that had discovered him. There was much
growling and muttering; much stiff-legged circling on the part of the bulls.
The mothers, in nervous, high pitched tones, called their young to their sides,
and with them moved to safety behind their lords and masters.
</p>

<p>
Korak called aloud to the king, who, at the familiar voice, advanced slowly,
warily, and still stiff-legged. He must have the confirmatory evidence of his
nose before venturing to rely too implicitly upon the testimony of his ears and
eyes. Korak stood perfectly still. To have advanced then might have
precipitated an immediate attack, or, as easily, a panic of flight. Wild beasts
are creatures of nerves. It is a relatively simple thing to throw them into a
species of hysteria which may induce either a mania for murder, or symptoms of
apparent abject cowardice&mdash;it is a question, however, if a wild animal
ever is actually a coward.
</p>

<p>
The king baboon approached Korak. He walked around him in an ever decreasing
circle&mdash;growling, grunting, sniffing. Korak spoke to him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am Korak,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I opened the cage that held you. I
saved you from the Tarmangani. I am Korak, The Killer. I am your friend.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Huh,&rdquo; grunted the king. &ldquo;Yes, you are Korak. My ears told me
that you were Korak. My eyes told me that you were Korak. Now my nose tells me
that you are Korak. My nose is never wrong. I am your friend. Come, we shall
hunt together.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Korak cannot hunt now,&rdquo; replied the ape-man. &ldquo;The Gomangani
have stolen Meriem. They have tied her in their village. They will not let her
go. Korak, alone, was unable to set her free. Korak set you free. Now will you
bring your people and set Korak&rsquo;s Meriem free?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The Gomangani have many sharp sticks which they throw. They pierce the
bodies of my people. They kill us. The gomangani are bad people. They will kill
us all if we enter their village.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The Tarmangani have sticks that make a loud noise and kill at a great
distance,&rdquo; replied Korak. &ldquo;They had these when Korak set you free
from their trap. If Korak had run away from them you would now be a prisoner
among the Tarmangani.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The baboon scratched his head. In a rough circle about him and the ape-man
squatted the bulls of his herd. They blinked their eyes, shouldered one another
about for more advantageous positions, scratched in the rotting vegetation upon
the chance of unearthing a toothsome worm, or sat listlessly eyeing their king
and the strange Mangani, who called himself thus but who more closely resembled
the hated Tarmangani. The king looked at some of the older of his subjects, as
though inviting suggestion.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We are too few,&rdquo; grunted one.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;There are the baboons of the hill country,&rdquo; suggested another.
&ldquo;They are as many as the leaves of the forest. They, too, hate the
Gomangani. They love to fight. They are very savage. Let us ask them to
accompany us. Then can we kill all the Gomangani in the jungle.&rdquo; He rose
and growled horribly, bristling his stiff hair.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;That is the way to talk,&rdquo; cried The Killer, &ldquo;but we do not
need the baboons of the hill country. We are enough. It will take a long time
to fetch them. Meriem may be dead and eaten before we could free her. Let us
set out at once for the village of the Gomangani. If we travel very fast it
will not take long to reach it. Then, all at the same time, we can charge into
the village, growling and barking. The Gomangani will be very frightened and
will run away. While they are gone we can seize Meriem and carry her off. We do
not have to kill or be killed&mdash;all that Korak wishes is his Meriem.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We are too few,&rdquo; croaked the old ape again.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes, we are too few,&rdquo; echoed others.
</p>

<p>
Korak could not persuade them. They would help him, gladly; but they must do it
in their own way and that meant enlisting the services of their kinsmen and
allies of the hill country. So Korak was forced to give in. All he could do for
the present was to urge them to haste, and at his suggestion the king baboon
with a dozen of his mightiest bulls agreed to go to the hill country with
Korak, leaving the balance of the herd behind.
</p>

<p>
Once enlisted in the adventure the baboons became quite enthusiastic about it.
The delegation set off immediately. They traveled swiftly; but the ape-man
found no difficulty in keeping up with them. They made a tremendous racket as
they passed through the trees in an endeavor to suggest to enemies in their
front that a great herd was approaching, for when the baboons travel in large
numbers there is no jungle creature who cares to molest them. When the nature
of the country required much travel upon the level, and the distance between
trees was great, they moved silently, knowing that the lion and the leopard
would not be fooled by noise when they could see plainly for themselves that
only a handful of baboons were on the trail.
</p>

<p>
For two days the party raced through the savage country, passing out of the
dense jungle into an open plain, and across this to timbered mountain slopes.
Here Korak never before had been. It was a new country to him and the change
from the monotony of the circumscribed view in the jungle was pleasing. But he
had little desire to enjoy the beauties of nature at this time. Meriem, his
Meriem was in danger. Until she was freed and returned to him he had little
thought for aught else.
</p>

<p>
Once in the forest that clothed the mountain slopes the baboons advanced more
slowly. Constantly they gave tongue to a plaintive note of calling. Then would
follow silence while they listened. At last, faintly from the distance straight
ahead came an answer.
</p>

<p>
The baboons continued to travel in the direction of the voices that floated
through the forest to them in the intervals of their own silence. Thus, calling
and listening, they came closer to their kinsmen, who, it was evident to Korak,
were coming to meet them in great numbers; but when, at last, the baboons of
the hill country came in view the ape-man was staggered at the reality that
broke upon his vision.
</p>

<p>
What appeared a solid wall of huge baboons rose from the ground through the
branches of the trees to the loftiest terrace to which they dared entrust their
weight. Slowly they were approaching, voicing their weird, plaintive call, and
behind them, as far as Korak&rsquo;s eyes could pierce the verdure, rose solid
walls of their fellows treading close upon their heels. There were thousands of
them. The ape-man could not but think of the fate of his little party should
some untoward incident arouse even momentarily the rage of fear of a single one
of all these thousands.
</p>

<p>
But nothing such befell. The two kings approached one another, as was their
custom, with much sniffing and bristling. They satisfied themselves of each
other&rsquo;s identity. Then each scratched the other&rsquo;s back. After a
moment they spoke together. Korak&rsquo;s friend explained the nature of their
visit, and for the first time Korak showed himself. He had been hiding behind a
bush. The excitement among the hill baboons was intense at sight of him. For a
moment Korak feared that he should be torn to pieces; but his fear was for
Meriem. Should he die there would be none to succor her.
</p>

<p>
The two kings, however, managed to quiet the multitude, and Korak was permitted
to approach. Slowly the hill baboons came closer to him. They sniffed at him
from every angle. When he spoke to them in their own tongue they were filled
with wonder and delight. They talked to him and listened while he spoke. He
told them of Meriem, and of their life in the jungle where they were the
friends of all the ape folk from little Manu to Mangani, the great ape.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The Gomangani, who are keeping Meriem from me, are no friends of
yours,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They kill you. The baboons of the low country are
too few to go against them. They tell me that you are very many and very
brave&mdash;that your numbers are as the numbers of the grasses upon the plains
or the leaves within the forest, and that even Tantor, the elephant, fears you,
so brave you are. They told me that you would be happy to accompany us to the
village of the Gomangani and punish these bad people while I, Korak, The
Killer, carry away my Meriem.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The king ape puffed out his chest and strutted about very stiff-legged indeed.
So also did many of the other great bulls of his nation. They were pleased and
flattered by the words of the strange Tarmangani, who called himself Mangani
and spoke the language of the hairy progenitors of man.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said one, &ldquo;we of the hill country are mighty fighters.
Tantor fears us. Numa fears us. Sheeta fears us. The Gomangani of the hill
country are glad to pass us by in peace. I, for one, will come with you to the
village of the Gomangani of the low places. I am the king&rsquo;s first
he-child. Alone can I kill all the Gomangani of the low country,&rdquo; and he
swelled his chest and strutted proudly back and forth, until the itching back
of a comrade commanded his industrious attention.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am Goob,&rdquo; cried another. &ldquo;My fighting fangs are long. They
are sharp. They are strong. Into the soft flesh of many a Gomangani have they
been buried. Alone I slew the sister of Sheeta. Goob will go to the low country
with you and kill so many of the Gomangani that there will be none left to
count the dead,&rdquo; and then he, too, strutted and pranced before the
admiring eyes of the shes and the young.
</p>

<p>
Korak looked at the king, questioningly.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Your bulls are very brave,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;but braver than any is
the king.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Thus addressed, the shaggy bull, still in his prime&mdash;else he had been no
longer king&mdash;growled ferociously. The forest echoed to his lusty
challenges. The little baboons clutched fearfully at their mothers&rsquo; hairy
necks. The bulls, electrified, leaped high in air and took up the roaring
challenge of their king. The din was terrific.
</p>

<p>
Korak came close to the king and shouted in his ear, &ldquo;Come.&rdquo; Then
he started off through the forest toward the plain that they must cross on
their long journey back to the village of Kovudoo, the Gomangani. The king,
still roaring and shrieking, wheeled and followed him. In their wake came the
handful of low country baboons and the thousands of the hill clan&mdash;savage,
wiry, dog-like creatures, athirst for blood.
</p>

<p>
And so they came, upon the second day, to the village of Kovudoo. It was
mid-afternoon. The village was sunk in the quiet of the great equatorial
sun-heat. The mighty herd traveled quietly now. Beneath the thousands of padded
feet the forest gave forth no greater sound than might have been produced by
the increased soughing of a stronger breeze through the leafy branches of the
trees.
</p>

<p>
Korak and the two kings were in the lead. Close beside the village they halted
until the stragglers had closed up. Now utter silence reigned. Korak, creeping
stealthily, entered the tree that overhung the palisade. He glanced behind him.
The pack were close upon his heels. The time had come. He had warned them
continuously during the long march that no harm must befall the white she who
lay a prisoner within the village. All others were their legitimate prey. Then,
raising his face toward the sky, he gave voice to a single cry. It was the
signal.
</p>

<p>
In response three thousand hairy bulls leaped screaming and barking into the
village of the terrified blacks. Warriors poured from every hut. Mothers
gathered their babies in their arms and fled toward the gates as they saw the
horrid horde pouring into the village street. Kovudoo marshaled his fighting
men about him and, leaping and yelling to arouse their courage, offered a
bristling, spear tipped front to the charging horde.
</p>

<p>
Korak, as he had led the march, led the charge. The blacks were struck with
horror and dismay at the sight of this white-skinned youth at the head of a
pack of hideous baboons. For an instant they held their ground, hurling their
spears once at the advancing multitude; but before they could fit arrows to
their bows they wavered, gave, and turned in terrified rout. Into their ranks,
upon their backs, sinking strong fangs into the muscles of their necks sprang
the baboons and first among them, most ferocious, most blood-thirsty, most
terrible was Korak, The Killer.
</p>

<p>
At the village gates, through which the blacks poured in panic, Korak left them
to the tender mercies of his allies and turned himself eagerly toward the hut
in which Meriem had been a prisoner. It was empty. One after another the filthy
interiors revealed the same disheartening fact&mdash;Meriem was in none of
them. That she had not been taken by the blacks in their flight from the
village Korak knew for he had watched carefully for a glimpse of her among the
fugitives.
</p>

<p>
To the mind of the ape-man, knowing as he did the proclivities of the savages,
there was but a single explanation&mdash;Meriem had been killed and eaten. With
the conviction that Meriem was dead there surged through Korak&rsquo;s brain a
wave of blood red rage against those he believed to be her murderer. In the
distance he could hear the snarling of the baboons mixed with the screams of
their victims, and towards this he made his way. When he came upon them the
baboons had commenced to tire of the sport of battle, and the blacks in a
little knot were making a new stand, using their knob sticks effectively upon
the few bulls who still persisted in attacking them.
</p>

<p>
Among these broke Korak from the branches of a tree above them&mdash;swift,
relentless, terrible, he hurled himself upon the savage warriors of Kovudoo.
Blind fury possessed him. Too, it protected him by its very ferocity. Like a
wounded lioness he was here, there, everywhere, striking terrific blows with
hard fists and with the precision and timeliness of the trained fighter. Again
and again he buried his teeth in the flesh of a foeman. He was upon one and
gone again to another before an effective blow could be dealt him. Yet, though
great was the weight of his execution in determining the result of the combat,
it was outweighed by the terror which he inspired in the simple, superstitious
minds of his foeman. To them this white warrior, who consorted with the great
apes and the fierce baboons, who growled and snarled and snapped like a beast,
was not human. He was a demon of the forest&mdash;a fearsome god of evil whom
they had offended, and who had come out of his lair deep in the jungle to
punish them. And because of this belief there were many who offered but little
defense, feeling as they did the futility of pitting their puny mortal strength
against that of a deity.
</p>

<p>
Those who could fled, until at last there were no more to pay the penalty for a
deed, which, while not beyond them, they were, nevertheless, not guilty of.
Panting and bloody, Korak paused for want of further victims. The baboons
gathered about him, sated themselves with blood and battle. They lolled upon
the ground, fagged.
</p>

<p>
In the distance Kovudoo was gathering his scattered tribesmen, and taking
account of injuries and losses. His people were panic stricken. Nothing could
prevail upon them to remain longer in this country. They would not even return
to the village for their belongings. Instead they insisted upon continuing
their flight until they had put many miles between themselves and the stamping
ground of the demon who had so bitterly attacked them. And thus it befell that
Korak drove from their homes the only people who might have aided him in a
search for Meriem, and cut off the only connecting link between him and her
from whomsoever might come in search of him from the <i>douar</i> of the kindly
Bwana who had befriended his little jungle sweetheart.
</p>

<p>
It was a sour and savage Korak who bade farewell to his baboon allies upon the
following morning. They wished him to accompany him; but the ape-man had no
heart for the society of any. Jungle life had encouraged taciturnity in him.
His sorrow had deepened this to a sullen moroseness that could not brook even
the savage companionship of the ill-natured baboons.
</p>

<p>
Brooding and despondent he took his solitary way into the deepest jungle. He
moved along the ground when he knew that Numa was abroad and hungry. He took to
the same trees that harbored Sheeta, the panther. He courted death in a hundred
ways and a hundred forms. His mind was ever occupied with reminiscences of
Meriem and the happy years that they had spent together. He realized now to the
full what she had meant to him. The sweet face, the tanned, supple, little
body, the bright smile that always had welcomed his return from the hunt
haunted him continually.
</p>

<p>
Inaction soon threatened him with madness. He must be on the go. He must fill
his days with labor and excitement that he might forget&mdash;that night might
find him so exhausted that he should sleep in blessed unconsciousness of his
misery until a new day had come.
</p>

<p>
Had he guessed that by any possibility Meriem might still live he would at
least have had hope. His days could have been devoted to searching for her; but
he implicitly believed that she was dead.
</p>

<p>
For a long year he led his solitary, roaming life. Occasionally he fell in with
Akut and his tribe, hunting with them for a day or two; or he might travel to
the hill country where the baboons had come to accept him as a matter of
course; but most of all was he with Tantor, the elephant&mdash;the great gray
battle ship of the jungle&mdash;the super-dreadnaught of his savage world.
</p>

<p>
The peaceful quiet of the monster bulls, the watchful solicitude of the mother
cows, the awkward playfulness of the calves rested, interested, and amused
Korak. The life of the huge beasts took his mind, temporarily from his own
grief. He came to love them as he loved not even the great apes, and there was
one gigantic tusker in particular of which he was very fond&mdash;the lord of
the herd&mdash;a savage beast that was wont to charge a stranger upon the
slightest provocation, or upon no provocation whatsoever. And to Korak this
mountain of destruction was docile and affectionate as a lap dog.
</p>

<p>
He came when Korak called. He wound his trunk about the ape-man&rsquo;s body
and lifted him to his broad neck in response to a gesture, and there would
Korak lie at full length kicking his toes affectionately into the thick hide
and brushing the flies from about the tender ears of his colossal chum with a
leafy branch torn from a nearby tree by Tantor for the purpose.
</p>

<p>
And all the while Meriem was scarce a hundred miles away.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap16"></a>XVI.</h2>

<p>
To Meriem, in her new home, the days passed quickly. At first she was all
anxiety to be off into the jungle searching for her Korak. Bwana, as she
insisted upon calling her benefactor, dissuaded her from making the attempt at
once by dispatching a head man with a party of blacks to Kovudoo&rsquo;s
village with instructions to learn from the old savage how he came into
possession of the white girl and as much of her antecedents as might be culled
from the black chieftain. Bwana particularly charged his head man with the duty
of questioning Kovudoo relative to the strange character whom the girl called
Korak, and of searching for the ape-man if he found the slightest evidence upon
which to ground a belief in the existence of such an individual. Bwana was more
than fully convinced that Korak was a creature of the girl&rsquo;s disordered
imagination. He believed that the terrors and hardships she had undergone
during captivity among the blacks and her frightful experience with the two
Swedes had unbalanced her mind but as the days passed and he became better
acquainted with her and able to observe her under the ordinary conditions of
the quiet of his African home he was forced to admit that her strange tale
puzzled him not a little, for there was no other evidence whatever that Meriem
was not in full possession of her normal faculties.
</p>

<p>
The white man&rsquo;s wife, whom Meriem had christened &ldquo;My Dear&rdquo;
from having first heard her thus addressed by Bwana, took not only a deep
interest in the little jungle waif because of her forlorn and friendless state,
but grew to love her as well for her sunny disposition and natural charm of
temperament. And Meriem, similarly impressed by little attributes in the
gentle, cultured woman, reciprocated the other&rsquo;s regard and affection.
</p>

<p>
And so the days flew by while Meriem waited the return of the head man and his
party from the country of Kovudoo. They were short days, for into them were
crowded many hours of insidious instruction of the unlettered child by the
lonely woman. She commenced at once to teach the girl English without forcing
it upon her as a task. She varied the instruction with lessons in sewing and
deportment, nor once did she let Meriem guess that it was not all play. Nor was
this difficult, since the girl was avid to learn. Then there were pretty
dresses to be made to take the place of the single leopard skin and in this she
found the child as responsive and enthusiastic as any civilized miss of her
acquaintance.
</p>

<p>
A month passed before the head man returned&mdash;a month that had transformed
the savage, half-naked little tarmangani into a daintily frocked girl of at
least outward civilization. Meriem had progressed rapidly with the intricacies
of the English language, for Bwana and My Dear had persistently refused to
speak Arabic from the time they had decided that Meriem must learn English,
which had been a day or two after her introduction into their home.
</p>

<p>
The report of the head man plunged Meriem into a period of despondency, for he
had found the village of Kovudoo deserted nor, search as he would, could he
discover a single native anywhere in the vicinity. For some time he had camped
near the village, spending the days in a systematic search of the environs for
traces of Meriem&rsquo;s Korak; but in this quest, too, had he failed. He had
seen neither apes nor ape-man. Meriem at first insisted upon setting forth
herself in search of Korak, but Bwana prevailed upon her to wait. He would go
himself, he assured her, as soon as he could find the time, and at last Meriem
consented to abide by his wishes; but it was months before she ceased to mourn
almost hourly for her Korak.
</p>

<p>
My Dear grieved with the grieving girl and did her best to comfort and cheer
her. She told her that if Korak lived he would find her; but all the time she
believed that Korak had never existed beyond the child&rsquo;s dreams. She
planned amusements to distract Meriem&rsquo;s attention from her sorrow, and
she instituted a well-designed campaign to impress upon the child the
desirability of civilized life and customs. Nor was this difficult, as she was
soon to learn, for it rapidly became evident that beneath the uncouth savagery
of the girl was a bed rock of innate refinement&mdash;a nicety of taste and
predilection that quite equaled that of her instructor.
</p>

<p>
My Dear was delighted. She was lonely and childless, and so she lavished upon
this little stranger all the mother love that would have gone to her own had
she had one. The result was that by the end of the first year none might have
guessed that Meriem ever had existed beyond the lap of culture and luxury.
</p>

<p>
She was sixteen now, though she easily might have passed for nineteen, and she
was very good to look upon, with her black hair and her tanned skin and all the
freshness and purity of health and innocence. Yet she still nursed her secret
sorrow, though she no longer mentioned it to My Dear. Scarce an hour passed
that did not bring its recollection of Korak, and its poignant yearning to see
him again.
</p>

<p>
Meriem spoke English fluently now, and read and wrote it as well. One day My
Dear spoke jokingly to her in French and to her surprise Meriem replied in the
same tongue&mdash;slowly, it is true, and haltingly; but none the less in
excellent French, such, though, as a little child might use. Thereafter they
spoke a little French each day, and My Dear often marveled that the girl
learned this language with a facility that was at times almost uncanny. At
first Meriem had puckered her narrow, arched, little eye brows as though trying
to force recollection of something all but forgotten which the new words
suggested, and then, to her own astonishment as well as to that of her teacher
she had used other French words than those in the lessons&mdash;used them
properly and with a pronunciation that the English woman knew was more perfect
than her own; but Meriem could neither read nor write what she spoke so well,
and as My Dear considered a knowledge of correct English of the first
importance, other than conversational French was postponed for a later day.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You doubtless heard French spoken at times in your father&rsquo;s
<i>douar</i>,&rdquo; suggested My Dear, as the most reasonable explanation.
</p>

<p>
Meriem shook her head.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It may be,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;but I do not recall ever having seen
a Frenchman in my father&rsquo;s company&mdash;he hated them and would have
nothing whatever to do with them, and I am quite sure that I never heard any of
these words before, yet at the same time I find them all familiar. I cannot
understand it.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Neither can I,&rdquo; agreed My Dear.
</p>

<p>
It was about this time that a runner brought a letter that, when she learned
the contents, filled Meriem with excitement. Visitors were coming! A number of
English ladies and gentlemen had accepted My Dear&rsquo;s invitation to spend a
month of hunting and exploring with them. Meriem was all expectancy. What would
these strangers be like? Would they be as nice to her as had Bwana and My Dear,
or would they be like the other white folk she had known&mdash;cruel and
relentless. My Dear assured her that they all were gentle folk and that she
would find them kind, considerate and honorable.
</p>

<p>
To My Dear&rsquo;s surprise there was none of the shyness of the wild creature
in Meriem&rsquo;s anticipation of the visit of strangers.
</p>

<p>
She looked forward to their coming with curiosity and with a certain
pleasurable anticipation when once she was assured that they would not bite
her. In fact she appeared no different than would any pretty young miss who had
learned of the expected coming of company.
</p>

<p>
Korak&rsquo;s image was still often in her thoughts, but it aroused now a less
well-defined sense of bereavement. A quiet sadness pervaded Meriem when she
thought of him; but the poignant grief of her loss when it was young no longer
goaded her to desperation. Yet she was still loyal to him. She still hoped that
some day he would find her, nor did she doubt for a moment but that he was
searching for her if he still lived. It was this last suggestion that caused
her the greatest perturbation. Korak might be dead. It scarce seemed possible
that one so well-equipped to meet the emergencies of jungle life should have
succumbed so young; yet when she had last seen him he had been beset by a horde
of armed warriors, and should he have returned to the village again, as she
well knew he must have, he may have been killed. Even her Korak could not,
single handed, slay an entire tribe.
</p>

<p>
At last the visitors arrived. There were three men and two women&mdash;the
wives of the two older men. The youngest member of the party was Hon. Morison
Baynes, a young man of considerable wealth who, having exhausted all the
possibilities for pleasure offered by the capitals of Europe, had gladly seized
upon this opportunity to turn to another continent for excitement and
adventure.
</p>

<p>
He looked upon all things un-European as rather more than less impossible,
still he was not at all averse to enjoying the novelty of unaccustomed places,
and making the most of strangers indigenous thereto, however unspeakable they
might have seemed to him at home. In manner he was suave and courteous to
all&mdash;if possible a trifle more punctilious toward those he considered of
meaner clay than toward the few he mentally admitted to equality.
</p>

<p>
Nature had favored him with a splendid physique and a handsome face, and also
with sufficient good judgment to appreciate that while he might enjoy the
contemplation of his superiority to the masses, there was little likelihood of
the masses being equally entranced by the same cause. And so he easily
maintained the reputation of being a most democratic and likeable fellow, and
indeed he was likable. Just a shade of his egotism was occasionally
apparent&mdash;never sufficient to become a burden to his associates. And this,
briefly, was the Hon. Morison Baynes of luxurious European civilization. What
would be the Hon. Morison Baynes of central Africa it were difficult to guess.
</p>

<p>
Meriem, at first, was shy and reserved in the presence of the strangers. Her
benefactors had seen fit to ignore mention of her strange past, and so she
passed as their ward whose antecedents not having been mentioned were not to be
inquired into. The guests found her sweet and unassuming, laughing, vivacious
and a never exhausted storehouse of quaint and interesting jungle lore.
</p>

<p>
She had ridden much during her year with Bwana and My Dear. She knew each
favorite clump of concealing reeds along the river that the buffalo loved best.
She knew a dozen places where lions laired, and every drinking hole in the
drier country twenty-five miles back from the river. With unerring precision
that was almost uncanny she could track the largest or the smallest beast to
his hiding place. But the thing that baffled them all was her instant
consciousness of the presence of carnivora that others, exerting their
faculties to the utmost, could neither see nor hear.
</p>

<p>
The Hon. Morison Baynes found Meriem a most beautiful and charming companion.
He was delighted with her from the first. Particularly so, it is possible,
because he had not thought to find companionship of this sort upon the African
estate of his London friends. They were together a great deal as they were the
only unmarried couple in the little company. Meriem, entirely unaccustomed to
the companionship of such as Baynes, was fascinated by him. His tales of the
great, gay cities with which he was familiar filled her with admiration and
with wonder. If the Hon. Morison always shone to advantage in these narratives
Meriem saw in that fact but a most natural consequence to his presence upon the
scene of his story&mdash;wherever Morison might be he must be a hero; so
thought the girl.
</p>

<p>
With the actual presence and companionship of the young Englishman the image of
Korak became less real. Where before it had been an actuality to her she now
realized that Korak was but a memory. To that memory she still was loyal; but
what weight has a memory in the presence of a fascinating reality?
</p>

<p>
Meriem had never accompanied the men upon a hunt since the arrival of the
guests. She never had cared particularly for the sport of killing. The tracking
she enjoyed; but the mere killing for the sake of killing she could not find
pleasure in&mdash;little savage that she had been, and still, to some measure,
was. When Bwana had gone forth to shoot for meat she had always been his
enthusiastic companion; but with the coming of the London guests the hunting
had deteriorated into mere killing. Slaughter the host would not permit; yet
the purpose of the hunts were for heads and skins and not for food. So Meriem
remained behind and spent her days either with My Dear upon the shaded
verandah, or riding her favorite pony across the plains or to the forest edge.
Here she would leave him untethered while she took to the trees for the
moment&rsquo;s unalloyed pleasures of a return to the wild, free existence of
her earlier childhood.
</p>

<p>
Then would come again visions of Korak, and, tired at last of leaping and
swinging through the trees, she would stretch herself comfortably upon a branch
and dream. And presently, as today, she found the features of Korak slowly
dissolve and merge into those of another, and the figure of a tanned,
half-naked tarmangani become a khaki clothed Englishman astride a hunting pony.
</p>

<p>
And while she dreamed there came to her ears from a distance, faintly, the
terrified bleating of a kid. Meriem was instantly alert. You or I, even had we
been able to hear the pitiful wail at so great distance, could not have
interpreted it; but to Meriem it meant a species of terror that afflicts the
ruminant when a carnivore is near and escape impossible.
</p>

<p>
It had been both a pleasure and a sport of Korak&rsquo;s to rob Numa of his
prey whenever possible, and Meriem too had often joyed in the thrill of
snatching some dainty morsel almost from the very jaws of the king of beasts.
Now, at the sound of the kid&rsquo;s bleat, all the well remembered thrills
recurred. Instantly she was all excitement to play again the game of hide and
seek with death.
</p>

<p>
Quickly she loosened her riding skirt and tossed it aside&mdash;it was a heavy
handicap to successful travel in the trees. Her boots and stockings followed
the skirt, for the bare sole of the human foot does not slip upon dry or even
wet bark as does the hard leather of a boot. She would have liked to discard
her riding breeches also, but the motherly admonitions of My Dear had convinced
Meriem that it was not good form to go naked through the world.
</p>

<p>
At her hip hung a hunting knife. Her rifle was still in its boot at her
pony&rsquo;s withers. Her revolver she had not brought.
</p>

<p>
The kid was still bleating as Meriem started rapidly in its direction, which
she knew was straight toward a certain water hole which had once been famous as
a rendezvous for lions. Of late there had been no evidence of carnivora in the
neighborhood of this drinking place; but Meriem was positive that the bleating
of the kid was due to the presence of either lion or panther.
</p>

<p>
But she would soon know, for she was rapidly approaching the terrified animal.
She wondered as she hastened onward that the sounds continued to come from the
same point. Why did the kid not run away? And then she came in sight of the
little animal and knew. The kid was tethered to a stake beside the waterhole.
</p>

<p>
Meriem paused in the branches of a near-by tree and scanned the surrounding
clearing with quick, penetrating eyes. Where was the hunter? Bwana and his
people did not hunt thus. Who could have tethered this poor little beast as a
lure to Numa? Bwana never countenanced such acts in his country and his word
was law among those who hunted within a radius of many miles of his estate.
</p>

<p>
Some wandering savages, doubtless, thought Meriem; but where were they? Not
even her keen eyes could discover them. And where was Numa? Why had he not long
since sprung upon this delicious and defenseless morsel? That he was close by
was attested by the pitiful crying of the kid. Ah! Now she saw him. He was
lying close in a clump of brush a few yards to her right. The kid was down wind
from him and getting the full benefit of his terrorizing scent, which did not
reach Meriem.
</p>

<p>
To circle to the opposite side of the clearing where the trees approached
closer to the kid. To leap quickly to the little animal&rsquo;s side and cut
the tether that held him would be the work of but a moment. In that moment Numa
might charge, and then there would be scarce time to regain the safety of the
trees, yet it might be done. Meriem had escaped from closer quarters than that
many times before.
</p>

<p>
The doubt that gave her momentary pause was caused by fear of the unseen
hunters more than by fear of Numa. If they were stranger blacks the spears that
they held in readiness for Numa might as readily be loosed upon whomever dared
release their bait as upon the prey they sought thus to trap. Again the kid
struggled to be free. Again his piteous wail touched the tender heart strings
of the girl. Tossing discretion aside, she commenced to circle the clearing.
Only from Numa did she attempt to conceal her presence. At last she reached the
opposite trees. An instant she paused to look toward the great lion, and at the
same moment she saw the huge beast rise slowly to his full height. A low roar
betokened that he was ready.
</p>

<p>
Meriem loosened her knife and leaped to the ground. A quick run brought her to
the side of the kid. Numa saw her. He lashed his tail against his tawny sides.
He roared terribly; but, for an instant, he remained where he
stood&mdash;surprised into inaction, doubtless, by the strange apparition that
had sprung so unexpectedly from the jungle.
</p>

<p>
Other eyes were upon Meriem, too&mdash;eyes in which were no less surprise than
that reflected in the yellow-green orbs of the carnivore. A white man, hiding
in a thorn <i>boma</i>, half rose as the young girl leaped into the clearing
and dashed toward the kid. He saw Numa hesitate. He raised his rifle and
covered the beast&rsquo;s breast. The girl reached the kid&rsquo;s side. Her
knife flashed, and the little prisoner was free. With a parting bleat it dashed
off into the jungle. Then the girl turned to retreat toward the safety of the
tree from which she had dropped so suddenly and unexpectedly into the surprised
view of the lion, the kid and the man.
</p>

<p>
As she turned the girl&rsquo;s face was turned toward the hunter. His eyes went
wide as he saw her features. He gave a little gasp of surprise; but now the
lion demanded all his attention&mdash;the baffled, angry beast was charging.
His breast was still covered by the motionless rifle. The man could have fired
and stopped the charge at once; but for some reason, since he had seen the
girl&rsquo;s face, he hesitated. Could it be that he did not care to save her?
Or, did he prefer, if possible, to remain unseen by her? It must have been the
latter cause which kept the trigger finger of the steady hand from exerting the
little pressure that would have brought the great beast to at least a temporary
pause.
</p>

<p>
Like an eagle the man watched the race for life the girl was making. A second
or two measured the time which the whole exciting event consumed from the
moment that the lion broke into his charge. Nor once did the rifle sights fail
to cover the broad breast of the tawny sire as the lion&rsquo;s course took him
a little to the man&rsquo;s left. Once, at the very last moment, when escape
seemed impossible, the hunter&rsquo;s finger tightened ever so little upon the
trigger, but almost coincidentally the girl leaped for an over hanging branch
and seized it. The lion leaped too; but the nimble Meriem had swung herself
beyond his reach without a second or an inch to spare.
</p>

<p>
The man breathed a sigh of relief as he lowered his rifle. He saw the girl
fling a grimace at the angry, roaring, maneater beneath her, and then,
laughing, speed away into the forest. For an hour the lion remained about the
water hole. A hundred times could the hunter have bagged his prey. Why did he
fail to do so? Was he afraid that the shot might attract the girl and cause her
to return?
</p>

<p>
At last Numa, still roaring angrily, strode majestically into the jungle. The
hunter crawled from his <i>boma</i>, and half an hour later was entering a
little camp snugly hidden in the forest. A handful of black followers greeted
his return with sullen indifference. He was a great bearded man, a huge,
yellow-bearded giant, when he entered his tent. Half an hour later he emerged
smooth shaven.
</p>

<p>
His blacks looked at him in astonishment.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Would you know me?&rdquo; he asked.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The hyena that bore you would not know you, Bwana,&rdquo; replied one.
</p>

<p>
The man aimed a heavy fist at the black&rsquo;s face; but long experience in
dodging similar blows saved the presumptuous one.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap17"></a>XVII.</h2>

<p>
Meriem returned slowly toward the tree in which she had left her skirt, her
shoes and her stockings. She was singing blithely; but her song came to a
sudden stop when she came within sight of the tree, for there, disporting
themselves with glee and pulling and hauling upon her belongings, were a number
of baboons. When they saw her they showed no signs of terror. Instead they
bared their fangs and growled at her. What was there to fear in a single
she-Tarmangani? Nothing, absolutely nothing.
</p>

<p>
In the open plain beyond the forest the hunters were returning from the
day&rsquo;s sport. They were widely separated, hoping to raise a wandering lion
on the homeward journey across the plain. The Hon. Morison Baynes rode closest
to the forest. As his eyes wandered back and forth across the undulating, shrub
sprinkled ground they fell upon the form of a creature close beside the thick
jungle where it terminated abruptly at the plain&rsquo;s edge.
</p>

<p>
He reined his mount in the direction of his discovery. It was yet too far away
for his untrained eyes to recognize it; but as he came closer he saw that it
was a horse, and was about to resume the original direction of his way when he
thought that he discerned a saddle upon the beast&rsquo;s back. He rode a
little closer. Yes, the animal was saddled. The Hon. Morison approached yet
nearer, and as he did so his eyes expressed a pleasurable emotion of
anticipation, for they had now recognized the pony as the special favorite of
Meriem.
</p>

<p>
He galloped to the animal&rsquo;s side. Meriem must be within the wood. The man
shuddered a little at the thought of an unprotected girl alone in the jungle
that was still, to him, a fearful place of terrors and stealthily stalking
death. He dismounted and left his horse beside Meriem&rsquo;s. On foot he
entered the jungle. He knew that she was probably safe enough and he wished to
surprise her by coming suddenly upon her.
</p>

<p>
He had gone but a short distance into the wood when he heard a great jabbering
in a near-by tree. Coming closer he saw a band of baboons snarling over
something. Looking intently he saw that one of them held a woman&rsquo;s riding
skirt and that others had boots and stockings. His heart almost ceased to beat
as he quite naturally placed the most direful explanation upon the scene. The
baboons had killed Meriem and stripped this clothing from her body. Morison
shuddered.
</p>

<p>
He was about to call aloud in the hope that after all the girl still lived when
he saw her in a tree close beside that was occupied by the baboons, and now he
saw that they were snarling and jabbering at her. To his amazement he saw the
girl swing, ape-like, into the tree below the huge beasts. He saw her pause
upon a branch a few feet from the nearest baboon. He was about to raise his
rifle and put a bullet through the hideous creature that seemed about to leap
upon her when he heard the girl speak. He almost dropped his rifle from
surprise as a strange jabbering, identical with that of the apes, broke from
Meriem&rsquo;s lips.
</p>

<p>
The baboons stopped their snarling and listened. It was quite evident that they
were as much surprised as the Hon. Morison Baynes. Slowly and one by one they
approached the girl. She gave not the slightest evidence of fear of them. They
quite surrounded her now so that Baynes could not have fired without
endangering the girl&rsquo;s life; but he no longer desired to fire. He was
consumed with curiosity.
</p>

<p>
For several minutes the girl carried on what could be nothing less than a
conversation with the baboons, and then with seeming alacrity every article of
her apparel in their possession was handed over to her. The baboons still
crowded eagerly about her as she donned them. They chattered to her and she
chattered back. The Hon. Morison Baynes sat down at the foot of a tree and
mopped his perspiring brow. Then he rose and made his way back to his mount.
</p>

<p>
When Meriem emerged from the forest a few minutes later she found him there,
and he eyed her with wide eyes in which were both wonder and a sort of terror.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I saw your horse here,&rdquo; he explained, &ldquo;and thought that I
would wait and ride home with you&mdash;you do not mind?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Of course not,&rdquo; she replied. &ldquo;It will be lovely.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
As they made their way stirrup to stirrup across the plain the Hon. Morison
caught himself many times watching the girl&rsquo;s regular profile and
wondering if his eyes had deceived him or if, in truth, he really had seen this
lovely creature consorting with grotesque baboons and conversing with them as
fluently as she conversed with him. The thing was uncanny&mdash;impossible; yet
he had seen it with his own eyes.
</p>

<p>
And as he watched her another thought persisted in obtruding itself into his
mind. She was most beautiful and very desirable; but what did he know of her?
Was she not altogether impossible? Was the scene that he had but just witnessed
not sufficient proof of her impossibility? A woman who climbed trees and
conversed with the baboons of the jungle! It was quite horrible!
</p>

<p>
Again the Hon. Morison mopped his brow. Meriem glanced toward him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You are warm,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Now that the sun is setting I find
it quite cool. Why do you perspire now?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
He had not intended to let her know that he had seen her with the baboons; but
quite suddenly, before he realized what he was saying, he had blurted it out.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I perspire from emotion,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I went into the jungle
when I discovered your pony. I wanted to surprise you; but it was I who was
surprised. I saw you in the trees with the baboons.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes?&rdquo; she said quite unemotionally, as though it was a matter of
little moment that a young girl should be upon intimate terms with savage
jungle beasts.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It was horrible!&rdquo; ejaculated the Hon. Morison.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Horrible?&rdquo; repeated Meriem, puckering her brows in bewilderment.
&ldquo;What was horrible about it? They are my friends. Is it horrible to talk
with one&rsquo;s friends?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You were really talking with them, then?&rdquo; cried the Hon. Morison.
&ldquo;You understood them and they understood you?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Certainly.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;But they are hideous creatures&mdash;degraded beasts of a lower order.
How could you speak the language of beasts?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;They are not hideous, and they are not degraded,&rdquo; replied Meriem.
&ldquo;Friends are never that. I lived among them for years before Bwana found
me and brought me here. I scarce knew any other tongue than that of the
mangani. Should I refuse to know them now simply because I happen, for the
present, to live among humans?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;For the present!&rdquo; ejaculated the Hon. Morison. &ldquo;You cannot
mean that you expect to return to live among them? Come, come, what foolishness
are we talking! The very idea! You are spoofing me, Miss Meriem. You have been
kind to these baboons here and they know you and do not molest you; but that
you once lived among them&mdash;no, that is preposterous.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;But I did, though,&rdquo; insisted the girl, seeing the real horror that
the man felt in the presence of such an idea reflected in his tone and manner,
and rather enjoying baiting him still further. &ldquo;Yes, I lived, almost
naked, among the great apes and the lesser apes. I dwelt among the branches of
the trees. I pounced upon the smaller prey and devoured it&mdash;raw. With
Korak and A&rsquo;ht I hunted the antelope and the boar, and I sat upon a tree
limb and made faces at Numa, the lion, and threw sticks at him and annoyed him
until he roared so terribly in his rage that the earth shook.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;And Korak built me a lair high among the branches of a mighty tree. He
brought me fruits and flesh. He fought for me and was kind to me&mdash;until I
came to Bwana and My Dear I do not recall that any other than Korak was ever
kind to me.&rdquo; There was a wistful note in the girl&rsquo;s voice now and
she had forgotten that she was bantering the Hon. Morison. She was thinking of
Korak. She had not thought of him a great deal of late.
</p>

<p>
For a time both were silently absorbed in their own reflections as they rode on
toward the bungalow of their host. The girl was thinking of a god-like figure,
a leopard skin half concealing his smooth, brown hide as he leaped nimbly
through the trees to lay an offering of food before her on his return from a
successful hunt. Behind him, shaggy and powerful, swung a huge anthropoid ape,
while she, Meriem, laughing and shouting her welcome, swung upon a swaying limb
before the entrance to her sylvan bower. It was a pretty picture as she
recalled it. The other side seldom obtruded itself upon her memory&mdash;the
long, black nights&mdash;the chill, terrible jungle nights&mdash;the cold and
damp and discomfort of the rainy season&mdash;the hideous mouthings of the
savage carnivora as they prowled through the Stygian darkness beneath&mdash;the
constant menace of Sheeta, the panther, and Histah, the snake&mdash;the
stinging insects&mdash;the loathesome vermin. For, in truth, all these had been
outweighed by the happiness of the sunny days, the freedom of it all, and,
most, the companionship of Korak.
</p>

<p>
The man&rsquo;s thoughts were rather jumbled. He had suddenly realized that he
had come mighty near falling in love with this girl of whom he had known
nothing up to the previous moment when she had voluntarily revealed a portion
of her past to him. The more he thought upon the matter the more evident it
became to him that he had given her his love&mdash;that he had been upon the
verge of offering her his honorable name. He trembled a little at the
narrowness of his escape. Yet, he still loved her. There was no objection to
that according to the ethics of the Hon. Morison Baynes and his kind. She was a
meaner clay than he. He could no more have taken her in marriage than he could
have taken one of her baboon friends, nor would she, of course, expect such an
offer from him. To have his love would be sufficient honor for her&mdash;his
name he would, naturally, bestow upon one in his own elevated social sphere.
</p>

<p>
A girl who had consorted with apes, who, according to her own admission, had
lived almost naked among them, could have no considerable sense of the finer
qualities of virtue. The love that he would offer her, then, would, far from
offending her, probably cover all that she might desire or expect.
</p>

<p>
The more the Hon. Morison Baynes thought upon the subject the more fully
convinced he became that he was contemplating a most chivalrous and unselfish
act. Europeans will better understand his point of view than Americans, poor,
benighted provincials, who are denied a true appreciation of caste and of the
fact that &ldquo;the king can do no wrong.&rdquo; He did not even have to argue
the point that she would be much happier amidst the luxuries of a London
apartment, fortified as she would be by both his love and his bank account,
than lawfully wed to such a one as her social position warranted. There was one
question however, which he wished to have definitely answered before he
committed himself even to the program he was considering.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Who were Korak and A&rsquo;ht?&rdquo; he asked.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;A&rsquo;ht was a Mangani,&rdquo; replied Meriem, &ldquo;and Korak a
Tarmangani.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;And what, pray, might a Mangani be, and a Tarmangani?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The girl laughed.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You are a Tarmangani,&rdquo; she replied. &ldquo;The Mangani are covered
with hair&mdash;you would call them apes.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Then Korak was a white man?&rdquo; he asked.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;And he was&mdash;ah&mdash;your&mdash;er&mdash;your&mdash;?&rdquo; He
paused, for he found it rather difficult to go on with that line of questioning
while the girl&rsquo;s clear, beautiful eyes were looking straight into his.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;My what?&rdquo; insisted Meriem, far too unsophisticated in her
unspoiled innocence to guess what the Hon. Morison was driving at.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Why&mdash;ah&mdash;your brother?&rdquo; he stumbled.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;No, Korak was not my brother,&rdquo; she replied.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Was he your husband, then?&rdquo; he finally blurted.
</p>

<p>
Far from taking offense, Meriem broke into a merry laugh.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;My husband!&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;Why how old do you think I am? I am
too young to have a husband. I had never thought of such a thing. Korak
was&mdash;why&mdash;,&rdquo; and now she hesitated, too, for she never before
had attempted to analyse the relationship that existed between herself and
Korak&mdash;&ldquo;why, Korak was just Korak,&rdquo; and again she broke into a
gay laugh as she realized the illuminating quality of her description.
</p>

<p>
Looking at her and listening to her the man beside her could not believe that
depravity of any sort or degree entered into the girl&rsquo;s nature, yet he
wanted to believe that she had not been virtuous, for otherwise his task was
less a sinecure&mdash;the Hon. Morison was not entirely without conscience.
</p>

<p>
For several days the Hon. Morison made no appreciable progress toward the
consummation of his scheme. Sometimes he almost abandoned it for he found
himself time and again wondering how slight might be the provocation necessary
to trick him into making a bona-fide offer of marriage to Meriem if he
permitted himself to fall more deeply in love with her, and it was difficult to
see her daily and not love her. There was a quality about her which, all
unknown to the Hon. Morison, was making his task an extremely difficult
one&mdash;it was that quality of innate goodness and cleanness which is a good
girl&rsquo;s stoutest bulwark and protection&mdash;an impregnable barrier that
only degeneracy has the effrontery to assail. The Hon. Morison Baynes would
never be considered a degenerate.
</p>

<p>
He was sitting with Meriem upon the verandah one evening after the others had
retired. Earlier they had been playing tennis&mdash;a game in which the Hon.
Morison shone to advantage, as, in truth, he did in most all manly sports. He
was telling Meriem stories of London and Paris, of balls and banquets, of the
wonderful women and their wonderful gowns, of the pleasures and pastimes of the
rich and powerful. The Hon. Morison was a past master in the art of insidious
boasting. His egotism was never flagrant or tiresome&mdash;he was never crude
in it, for crudeness was a plebeianism that the Hon. Morison studiously
avoided, yet the impression derived by a listener to the Hon. Morison was one
that was not at all calculated to detract from the glory of the house of
Baynes, or from that of its representative.
</p>

<p>
Meriem was entranced. His tales were like fairy stories to this little jungle
maid. The Hon. Morison loomed large and wonderful and magnificent in her
mind&rsquo;s eye. He fascinated her, and when he drew closer to her after a
short silence and took her hand she thrilled as one might thrill beneath the
touch of a deity&mdash;a thrill of exaltation not unmixed with fear.
</p>

<p>
He bent his lips close to her ear.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Meriem!&rdquo; he whispered. &ldquo;My little Meriem! May I hope to have
the right to call you &lsquo;my little Meriem&rsquo;?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The girl turned wide eyes upward to his face; but it was in shadow. She
trembled but she did not draw away. The man put an arm about her and drew her
closer.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I love you!&rdquo; he whispered.
</p>

<p>
She did not reply. She did not know what to say. She knew nothing of love. She
had never given it a thought; but she did know that it was very nice to be
loved, whatever it meant. It was nice to have people kind to one. She had known
so little of kindness or affection.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Tell me,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;that you return my love.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
His lips came steadily closer to hers. They had almost touched when a vision of
Korak sprang like a miracle before her eyes. She saw Korak&rsquo;s face close
to hers, she felt his lips hot against hers, and then for the first time in her
life she guessed what love meant. She drew away, gently.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am not sure,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;that I love you. Let us wait.
There is plenty of time. I am too young to marry yet, and I am not sure that I
should be happy in London or Paris&mdash;they rather frighten me.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
How easily and naturally she had connected his avowal of love with the idea of
marriage! The Hon. Morison was perfectly sure that he had not mentioned
marriage&mdash;he had been particularly careful not to do so. And then she was
not sure that she loved him! That, too, came rather in the nature of a shock to
his vanity. It seemed incredible that this little barbarian should have any
doubts whatever as to the desirability of the Hon. Morison Baynes.
</p>

<p>
The first flush of passion cooled, the Hon. Morison was enabled to reason more
logically. The start had been all wrong. It would be better now to wait and
prepare her mind gradually for the only proposition which his exalted estate
would permit him to offer her. He would go slow. He glanced down at the
girl&rsquo;s profile. It was bathed in the silvery light of the great tropic
moon. The Hon. Morison Baynes wondered if it were to be so easy a matter to
&ldquo;go slow.&rdquo; She was most alluring.
</p>

<p>
Meriem rose. The vision of Korak was still before her.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Good night,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It is almost too beautiful to
leave,&rdquo; she waved her hand in a comprehensive gesture which took in the
starry heavens, the great moon, the broad, silvered plain, and the dense
shadows in the distance, that marked the jungle. &ldquo;Oh, how I love
it!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You would love London more,&rdquo; he said earnestly. &ldquo;And London
would love you. You would be a famous beauty in any capital of Europe. You
would have the world at your feet, Meriem.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Good night!&rdquo; she repeated, and left him.
</p>

<p>
The Hon. Morison selected a cigarette from his crested case, lighted it, blew a
thin line of blue smoke toward the moon, and smiled.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap18"></a>XVIII.</h2>

<p>
Meriem and Bwana were sitting on the verandah together the following day when a
horseman appeared in the distance riding across the plain toward the bungalow.
Bwana shaded his eyes with his hand and gazed out toward the oncoming rider. He
was puzzled. Strangers were few in Central Africa. Even the blacks for a
distance of many miles in every direction were well known to him. No white man
came within a hundred miles that word of his coming did not reach Bwana long
before the stranger. His every move was reported to the big Bwana&mdash;just
what animals he killed and how many of each species, how he killed them, too,
for Bwana would not permit the use of prussic acid or strychnine; and how he
treated his &ldquo;boys.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Several European sportsmen had been turned back to the coast by the big
Englishman&rsquo;s orders because of unwarranted cruelty to their black
followers, and one, whose name had long been heralded in civilized communities
as that of a great sportsman, was driven from Africa with orders never to
return when Bwana found that his big bag of fourteen lions had been made by the
diligent use of poisoned bait.
</p>

<p>
The result was that all good sportsmen and all the natives loved and respected
him. His word was law where there had never been law before. There was scarce a
head man from coast to coast who would not heed the big Bwana&rsquo;s commands
in preference to those of the hunters who employed them, and so it was easy to
turn back any undesirable stranger&mdash;Bwana had simply to threaten to order
his boys to desert him.
</p>

<p>
But there was evidently one who had slipped into the country unheralded. Bwana
could not imagine who the approaching horseman might be. After the manner of
frontier hospitality the globe round he met the newcomer at the gate, welcoming
him even before he had dismounted. He saw a tall, well knit man of thirty or
over, blonde of hair and smooth shaven. There was a tantalizing familiarity
about him that convinced Bwana that he should be able to call the visitor by
name, yet he was unable to do so. The newcomer was evidently of Scandinavian
origin&mdash;both his appearance and accent denoted that. His manner was rough
but open. He made a good impression upon the Englishman, who was wont to accept
strangers in this wild and savage country at their own valuation, asking no
questions and assuming the best of them until they proved themselves
undeserving of his friendship and hospitality.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It is rather unusual that a white man comes unheralded,&rdquo; he said,
as they walked together toward the field into which he had suggested that the
traveler might turn his pony. &ldquo;My friends, the natives, keep us rather
well-posted.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It is probably due to the fact that I came from the south,&rdquo;
explained the stranger, &ldquo;that you did not hear of my coming. I have seen
no village for several marches.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;No, there are none to the south of us for many miles,&rdquo; replied
Bwana. &ldquo;Since Kovudoo deserted his country I rather doubt that one could
find a native in that direction under two or three hundred miles.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Bwana was wondering how a lone white man could have made his way through the
savage, unhospitable miles that lay toward the south. As though guessing what
must be passing through the other&rsquo;s mind, the stranger vouchsafed an
explanation.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I came down from the north to do a little trading and hunting,&rdquo; he
said, &ldquo;and got way off the beaten track. My head man, who was the only
member of the <i>safari</i> who had ever before been in the country, took sick
and died. We could find no natives to guide us, and so I simply swung back
straight north. We have been living on the fruits of our guns for over a month.
Didn&rsquo;t have an idea there was a white man within a thousand miles of us
when we camped last night by a water hole at the edge of the plain. This
morning I started out to hunt and saw the smoke from your chimney, so I sent my
gun bearer back to camp with the good news and rode straight over here myself.
Of course I&rsquo;ve heard of you&mdash;everybody who comes into Central Africa
does&mdash;and I&rsquo;d be mighty glad of permission to rest up and hunt
around here for a couple of weeks.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Certainly,&rdquo; replied Bwana. &ldquo;Move your camp up close to the
river below my boys&rsquo; camp and make yourself at home.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
They had reached the verandah now and Bwana was introducing the stranger to
Meriem and My Dear, who had just come from the bungalow&rsquo;s interior.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;This is Mr. Hanson,&rdquo; he said, using the name the man had given
him. &ldquo;He is a trader who has lost his way in the jungle to the
south.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
My Dear and Meriem bowed their acknowledgments of the introduction. The man
seemed rather ill at ease in their presence. His host attributed this to the
fact that his guest was unaccustomed to the society of cultured women, and so
found a pretext to quickly extricate him from his seemingly unpleasant position
and lead him away to his study and the brandy and soda which were evidently
much less embarrassing to Mr. Hanson.
</p>

<p>
When the two had left them Meriem turned toward My Dear.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It is odd,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;but I could almost swear that I had
known Mr. Hanson in the past. It is odd, but quite impossible,&rdquo; and she
gave the matter no further thought.
</p>

<p>
Hanson did not accept Bwana&rsquo;s invitation to move his camp closer to the
bungalow. He said his boys were inclined to be quarrelsome, and so were better
off at a distance; and he, himself, was around but little, and then always
avoided coming into contact with the ladies. A fact which naturally aroused
only laughing comment on the rough trader&rsquo;s bashfulness. He accompanied
the men on several hunting trips where they found him perfectly at home and
well versed in all the finer points of big game hunting. Of an evening he often
spent much time with the white foreman of the big farm, evidently finding in
the society of this rougher man more common interests than the cultured guests
of Bwana possessed for him. So it came that his was a familiar figure about the
premises by night. He came and went as he saw fit, often wandering along in the
great flower garden that was the especial pride and joy of My Dear and Meriem.
The first time that he had been surprised there he apologized gruffly,
explaining that he had always been fond of the good old blooms of northern
Europe which My Dear had so successfully transplanted in African soil.
</p>

<p>
Was it, though, the ever beautiful blossoms of hollyhocks and phlox that drew
him to the perfumed air of the garden, or that other infinitely more beautiful
flower who wandered often among the blooms beneath the great moon&mdash;the
black-haired, suntanned Meriem?
</p>

<p>
For three weeks Hanson had remained. During this time he said that his boys
were resting and gaining strength after their terrible ordeals in the untracked
jungle to the south; but he had not been as idle as he appeared to have been.
He divided his small following into two parties, entrusting the leadership of
each to men whom he believed that he could trust. To them he explained his
plans and the rich reward that they would win from him if they carried his
designs to a successful conclusion. One party he moved very slowly northward
along the trail that connects with the great caravan routes entering the Sahara
from the south. The other he ordered straight westward with orders to halt and
go into permanent camp just beyond the great river which marks the natural
boundary of the country that the big Bwana rightfully considers almost his own.
</p>

<p>
To his host he explained that he was moving his <i>safari</i> slowly toward the
north&mdash;he said nothing of the party moving westward. Then, one day, he
announced that half his boys had deserted, for a hunting party from the
bungalow had come across his northerly camp and he feared that they might have
noticed the reduced numbers of his following.
</p>

<p>
And thus matters stood when, one hot night, Meriem, unable to sleep, rose and
wandered out into the garden. The Hon. Morison had been urging his suit once
more that evening, and the girl&rsquo;s mind was in such a turmoil that she had
been unable to sleep.
</p>

<p>
The wide heavens about her seemed to promise a greater freedom from doubt and
questioning. Baynes had urged her to tell him that she loved him. A dozen times
she thought that she might honestly give him the answer that he demanded. Korak
fast was becoming but a memory. That he was dead she had come to believe, since
otherwise he would have sought her out. She did not know that he had even
better reason to believe her dead, and that it was because of that belief he
had made no effort to find her after his raid upon the village of Kovudoo.
</p>

<p>
Behind a great flowering shrub Hanson lay gazing at the stars and waiting. He
had lain thus and there many nights before. For what was he waiting, or for
whom? He heard the girl approaching, and half raised himself to his elbow. A
dozen paces away, the reins looped over a fence post, stood his pony.
</p>

<p>
Meriem, walking slowly, approached the bush behind which the waiter lay. Hanson
drew a large bandanna handkerchief from his pocket and rose stealthily to his
knees. A pony neighed down at the corrals. Far out across the plain a lion
roared. Hanson changed his position until he squatted upon both feet, ready to
come erect quickly.
</p>

<p>
Again the pony neighed&mdash;this time closer. There was the sound of his body
brushing against shrubbery. Hanson heard and wondered how the animal had gotten
from the corral, for it was evident that he was already in the garden. The man
turned his head in the direction of the beast. What he saw sent him to the
ground, huddled close beneath the shrubbery&mdash;a man was coming, leading two
ponies.
</p>

<p>
Meriem heard now and stopped to look and listen. A moment later the Hon.
Morison Baynes drew near, the two saddled mounts at his heels.
</p>

<p>
Meriem looked up at him in surprise. The Hon. Morison grinned sheepishly.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t sleep,&rdquo; he explained, &ldquo;and was going for a
bit of a ride when I chanced to see you out here, and I thought you&rsquo;d
like to join me. Ripping good sport, you know, night riding. Come on.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem laughed. The adventure appealed to her.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;All right,&rdquo; she said.
</p>

<p>
Hanson swore beneath his breath. The two led their horses from the garden to
the gate and through it. There they discovered Hanson&rsquo;s mount.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Why here&rsquo;s the trader&rsquo;s pony,&rdquo; remarked Baynes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s probably down visiting with the foreman,&rdquo; said Meriem.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Pretty late for him, isn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo; remarked the Hon. Morison.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d hate to have to ride back through that jungle at night to his
camp.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
As though to give weight to his apprehensions the distant lion roared again.
The Hon. Morison shivered and glanced at the girl to note the effect of the
uncanny sound upon her. She appeared not to have noticed it.
</p>

<p>
A moment later the two had mounted and were moving slowly across the
moon-bathed plain. The girl turned her pony&rsquo;s head straight toward the
jungle. It was in the direction of the roaring of the hungry lion.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Hadn&rsquo;t we better steer clear of that fellow?&rdquo; suggested the
Hon. Morison. &ldquo;I guess you didn&rsquo;t hear him.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes, I heard him,&rdquo; laughed Meriem. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s ride over
and call on him.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The Hon. Morison laughed uneasily. He didn&rsquo;t care to appear at a
disadvantage before this girl, nor did he care, either, to approach a hungry
lion too closely at night. He carried his rifle in his saddle boot; but
moonlight is an uncertain light to shoot by, nor ever had he faced a lion
alone&mdash;even by day. The thought gave him a distinct nausea. The beast
ceased his roaring now. They heard him no more and the Hon. Morison gained
courage accordingly. They were riding down wind toward the jungle. The lion lay
in a little swale to their right. He was old. For two nights he had not fed,
for no longer was his charge as swift or his spring as mighty as in the days of
his prime when he spread terror among the creatures of his wild domain. For two
nights and days he had gone empty, and for long time before that he had fed
only upon carrion. He was old; but he was yet a terrible engine of destruction.
</p>

<p>
At the edge of the forest the Hon. Morison drew rein. He had no desire to go
further. Numa, silent upon his padded feet, crept into the jungle beyond them.
The wind, now, was blowing gently between him and his intended prey. He had
come a long way in search of man, for even in his youth he had tasted human
flesh and while it was poor stuff by comparison with eland and zebra it was
less difficult to kill. In Numa&rsquo;s estimation man was a slow-witted,
slow-footed creature which commanded no respect unless accompanied by the acrid
odor which spelled to the monarch&rsquo;s sensitive nostrils the great noise
and the blinding flash of an express rifle.
</p>

<p>
He caught the dangerous scent tonight; but he was ravenous to madness. He would
face a dozen rifles, if necessary, to fill his empty belly. He circled about
into the forest that he might again be down wind from his victims, for should
they get his scent he could not hope to overtake them. Numa was famished; but
he was old and crafty.
</p>

<p>
Deep in the jungle another caught faintly the scent of man and of Numa both. He
raised his head and sniffed. He cocked it upon one side and listened.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come on,&rdquo; said Meriem, &ldquo;let&rsquo;s ride in a way&mdash;the
forest is wonderful at night. It is open enough to permit us to ride.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The Hon. Morison hesitated. He shrank from revealing his fear in the presence
of the girl. A braver man, sure of his own position, would have had the courage
to have refused uselessly to expose the girl to danger. He would not have
thought of himself at all; but the egotism of the Hon. Morison required that he
think always of self first. He had planned the ride to get Meriem away from the
bungalow. He wanted to talk to her alone and far enough away so should she take
offense at his purposed suggestion he would have time in which to attempt to
right himself in her eyes before they reached home. He had little doubt, of
course, but that he should succeed; but it is to his credit that he did have
some slight doubts.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You needn&rsquo;t be afraid of the lion,&rdquo; said Meriem, noting his
slight hesitancy. &ldquo;There hasn&rsquo;t been a man eater around here for
two years, Bwana says, and the game is so plentiful that there is no necessity
to drive Numa to human flesh. Then, he has been so often hunted that he rather
keeps out of man&rsquo;s way.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Oh, I&rsquo;m not afraid of lions,&rdquo; replied the Hon. Morison.
&ldquo;I was just thinking what a beastly uncomfortable place a forest is to
ride in. What with the underbrush and the low branches and all that, you know,
it&rsquo;s not exactly cut out for pleasure riding.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s go a-foot then,&rdquo; suggested Meriem, and started to
dismount.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Oh, no,&rdquo; cried the Hon. Morison, aghast at this suggestion.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s ride,&rdquo; and he reined his pony into the dark shadows of
the wood. Behind him came Meriem and in front, prowling ahead waiting a
favorable opportunity, skulked Numa, the lion.
</p>

<p>
Out upon the plain a lone horseman muttered a low curse as he saw the two
disappear from sight. It was Hanson. He had followed them from the bungalow.
Their way led in the direction of his camp, so he had a ready and plausible
excuse should they discover him; but they had not seen him for they had not
turned their eyes behind.
</p>

<p>
Now he turned directly toward the spot at which they had entered the jungle. He
no longer cared whether he was observed or not. There were two reasons for his
indifference. The first was that he saw in Baynes&rsquo; act a counterpart of
his own planned abduction of the girl. In some way he might turn the thing to
his own purposes. At least he would keep in touch with them and make sure that
Baynes did not get her. His other reason was based on his knowledge of an event
that had transpired at his camp the previous night&mdash;an event which he had
not mentioned at the bungalow for fear of drawing undesired attention to his
movements and bringing the blacks of the big Bwana into dangerous intercourse
with his own boys. He had told at the bungalow that half his men had deserted.
That story might be quickly disproved should his boys and Bwana&rsquo;s grow
confidential.
</p>

<p>
The event that he had failed to mention and which now urged him hurriedly after
the girl and her escort had occurred during his absence early the preceding
evening. His men had been sitting around their camp fire, entirely encircled by
a high, thorn <i>boma</i>, when, without the slightest warning, a huge lion had
leaped amongst them and seized one of their number. It had been solely due to
the loyalty and courage of his comrades that his life had been saved, and then
only after a battle royal with the hunger-enraged beast had they been able to
drive him off with burning brands, spears, and rifles.
</p>

<p>
From this Hanson knew that a man eater had wandered into the district or been
developed by the aging of one of the many lions who ranged the plains and hills
by night, or lay up in the cool wood by day. He had heard the roaring of a
hungry lion not half an hour before, and there was little doubt in his mind but
that the man eater was stalking Meriem and Baynes. He cursed the Englishman for
a fool, and spurred rapidly after them.
</p>

<p>
Meriem and Baynes had drawn up in a small, natural clearing. A hundred yards
beyond them Numa lay crouching in the underbrush, his yellow-green eyes fixed
upon his prey, the tip of his sinuous tail jerking spasmodically. He was
measuring the distance between him and them. He was wondering if he dared
venture a charge, or should he wait yet a little longer in the hope that they
might ride straight into his jaws. He was very hungry; but also was he very
crafty. He could not chance losing his meat by a hasty and ill-considered rush.
Had he waited the night before until the blacks slept he would not have been
forced to go hungry for another twenty-four hours.
</p>

<p>
Behind him the other that had caught his scent and that of man together came to
a sitting posture upon the branch of a tree in which he had reposed himself for
slumber. Beneath him a lumbering gray hulk swayed to and fro in the darkness.
The beast in the tree uttered a low guttural and dropped to the back of the
gray mass. He whispered a word in one of the great ears and Tantor, the
elephant, raised his trunk aloft, swinging it high and low to catch the scent
that the word had warned him of. There was another whispered word&mdash;was it
a command?&mdash;and the lumbering beast wheeled into an awkward, yet silent
shuffle, in the direction of Numa, the lion, and the stranger Tarmangani his
rider had scented.
</p>

<p>
Onward they went, the scent of the lion and his prey becoming stronger and
stronger. Numa was becoming impatient. How much longer must he wait for his
meat to come his way? He lashed his tail viciously now. He almost growled. All
unconscious of their danger the man and the girl sat talking in the little
clearing.
</p>

<p>
Their horses were pressed side by side. Baynes had found Meriem&rsquo;s hand
and was pressing it as he poured words of love into her ear, and Meriem was
listening.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come to London with me,&rdquo; urged the Hon. Morison. &ldquo;I can
gather a <i>safari</i> and we can be a whole day upon the way to the coast
before they guess that we have gone.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Why must we go that way?&rdquo; asked the girl. &ldquo;Bwana and My Dear
would not object to our marriage.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I cannot marry you just yet,&rdquo; explained the Hon. Morison,
&ldquo;there are some formalities to be attended to first&mdash;you do not
understand. It will be all right. We will go to London. I cannot wait. If you
love me you will come. What of the apes you lived with? Did they bother about
marriage? They love as we love. Had you stayed among them you would have mated
as they mate. It is the law of nature&mdash;no man-made law can abrogate the
laws of God. What difference does it make if we love one another? What do we
care for anyone in the world besides ourselves? I would give my life for
you&mdash;will you give nothing for me?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You love me?&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;You will marry me when we have
reached London?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I swear it,&rdquo; he cried.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I will go with you,&rdquo; she whispered, &ldquo;though I do not
understand why it is necessary.&rdquo; She leaned toward him and he took her in
his arms and bent to press his lips to hers.
</p>

<p>
At the same instant the head of a huge tusker poked through the trees that
fringed the clearing. The Hon. Morison and Meriem, with eyes and ears for one
another alone, did not see or hear; but Numa did. The man upon Tantor&rsquo;s
broad head saw the girl in the man&rsquo;s arms. It was Korak; but in the trim
figure of the neatly garbed girl he did not recognize his Meriem. He only saw a
Tarmangani with his she. And then Numa charged.
</p>

<p>
With a frightful roar, fearful lest Tantor had come to frighten away his prey,
the great beast leaped from his hiding place. The earth trembled to his mighty
voice. The ponies stood for an instant transfixed with terror. The Hon. Morison
Baynes went white and cold. The lion was charging toward them full in the
brilliant light of the magnificent moon. The muscles of the Hon. Morison no
longer obeyed his will&mdash;they flexed to the urge of a greater
power&mdash;the power of Nature&rsquo;s first law. They drove his spurred heels
deep into his pony&rsquo;s flanks, they bore the rein against the brute&rsquo;s
neck that wheeled him with an impetuous drive toward the plain and safety.
</p>

<p>
The girl&rsquo;s pony, squealing in terror, reared and plunged upon the heels
of his mate. The lion was close upon him. Only the girl was cool&mdash;the girl
and the half-naked savage who bestrode the neck of his mighty mount and grinned
at the exciting spectacle chance had staked for his enjoyment.
</p>

<p>
To Korak here were but two strange Tarmangani pursued by Numa, who was empty.
It was Numa&rsquo;s right to prey; but one was a she. Korak felt an intuitive
urge to rush to her protection. Why, he could not guess. All Tarmangani were
enemies now. He had lived too long a beast to feel strongly the humanitarian
impulses that were inherent in him&mdash;yet feel them he did, for the girl at
least.
</p>

<p>
He urged Tantor forward. He raised his heavy spear and hurled it at the flying
target of the lion&rsquo;s body. The girl&rsquo;s pony had reached the trees
upon the opposite side of the clearing. Here he would become easy prey to the
swiftly moving lion; but Numa, infuriated, preferred the woman upon his back.
It was for her he leaped.
</p>

<p>
Korak gave an exclamation of astonishment and approval as Numa landed upon the
pony&rsquo;s rump and at the same instant the girl swung free of her mount to
the branches of a tree above her.
</p>

<p>
Korak&rsquo;s spear struck Numa in the shoulder, knocking him from his
precarious hold upon the frantically plunging horse. Freed of the weight of
both girl and lion the pony raced ahead toward safety. Numa tore and struck at
the missile in his shoulder but could not dislodge it. Then he resumed the
chase.
</p>

<p>
Korak guided Tantor into the seclusion of the jungle. He did not wish to be
seen, nor had he.
</p>

<p>
Hanson had almost reached the wood when he heard the lion&rsquo;s terrific
roars, and knew that the charge had come. An instant later the Hon. Morison
broke upon his vision, racing like mad for safety. The man lay flat upon his
pony&rsquo;s back hugging the animal&rsquo;s neck tightly with both arms and
digging the spurs into his sides. An instant later the second pony
appeared&mdash;riderless.
</p>

<p>
Hanson groaned as he guessed what had happened out of sight in the jungle. With
an oath he spurred on in the hope of driving the lion from his prey&mdash;his
rifle was ready in his hand. And then the lion came into view behind the
girl&rsquo;s pony. Hanson could not understand. He knew that if Numa had
succeeded in seizing the girl he would not have continued in pursuit of the
others.
</p>

<p>
He drew in his own mount, took quick aim and fired. The lion stopped in his
tracks, turned and bit at his side, then rolled over dead. Hanson rode on into
the forest, calling aloud to the girl.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Here I am,&rdquo; came a quick response from the foliage of the trees
just ahead. &ldquo;Did you hit him?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Hanson. &ldquo;Where are you? You had a mighty
narrow escape. It will teach you to keep out of the jungle at night.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Together they returned to the plain where they found the Hon. Morison riding
slowly back toward them. He explained that his pony had bolted and that he had
had hard work stopping him at all. Hanson grinned, for he recalled the pounding
heels that he had seen driving sharp spurs into the flanks of Baynes&rsquo;
mount; but he said nothing of what he had seen. He took Meriem up behind him
and the three rode in silence toward the bungalow.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap19"></a>XIX.</h2>

<p>
Behind them Korak emerged from the jungle and recovered his spear from
Numa&rsquo;s side. He still was smiling. He had enjoyed the spectacle
exceedingly. There was one thing that troubled him&mdash;the agility with which
the she had clambered from her pony&rsquo;s back into the safety of the tree
<i>above</i> her. That was more like mangani&mdash;more like his lost Meriem.
He sighed. His lost Meriem! His little, dead Meriem! He wondered if this she
stranger resembled his Meriem in other ways. A great longing to see her
overwhelmed him. He looked after the three figures moving steadily across the
plain. He wondered where might lie their destination. A desire to follow them
came over him, but he only stood there watching until they had disappeared in
the distance. The sight of the civilized girl and the dapper, khaki clad
Englishman had aroused in Korak memories long dormant.
</p>

<p>
Once he had dreamed of returning to the world of such as these; but with the
death of Meriem hope and ambition seemed to have deserted him. He cared now
only to pass the remainder of his life in solitude, as far from man as
possible. With a sigh he turned slowly back into the jungle.
</p>

<p>
Tantor, nervous by nature, had been far from reassured by close proximity to
the three strange whites, and with the report of Hanson&rsquo;s rifle had
turned and ambled away at his long, swinging shuffle. He was nowhere in sight
when Korak returned to look for him. The ape-man, however, was little concerned
by the absence of his friend. Tantor had a habit of wandering off unexpectedly.
For a month they might not see one another, for Korak seldom took the trouble
to follow the great pachyderm, nor did he upon this occasion. Instead he found
a comfortable perch in a large tree and was soon asleep.
</p>

<p>
At the bungalow Bwana had met the returning adventurers on the verandah. In a
moment of wakefulness he had heard the report of Hanson&rsquo;s rifle far out
across the plain, and wondered what it might mean. Presently it had occurred to
him that the man whom he considered in the light of a guest might have met with
an accident on his way back to camp, so he had arisen and gone to his
foreman&rsquo;s quarters where he had learned that Hanson had been there
earlier in the evening but had departed several hours before. Returning from
the foreman&rsquo;s quarters Bwana had noticed that the corral gate was open
and further investigation revealed the fact that Meriem&rsquo;s pony was gone
and also the one most often used by Baynes. Instantly Bwana assumed that the
shot had been fired by Hon. Morison, and had again aroused his foreman and was
making preparations to set forth in investigation when he had seen the party
approaching across the plain.
</p>

<p>
Explanation on the part of the Englishman met a rather chilly reception from
his host. Meriem was silent. She saw that Bwana was angry with her. It was the
first time and she was heart broken.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Go to your room, Meriem,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;and Baynes, if you will
step into my study, I&rsquo;d like to have a word with you in a moment.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
He stepped toward Hanson as the others turned to obey him. There was something
about Bwana even in his gentlest moods that commanded instant obedience.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;How did you happen to be with them, Hanson?&rdquo; he asked.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d been sitting in the garden,&rdquo; replied the trader,
&ldquo;after leaving Jervis&rsquo; quarters. I have a habit of doing that as
your lady probably knows. Tonight I fell asleep behind a bush, and was awakened
by them two spooning. I couldn&rsquo;t hear what they said, but presently
Baynes brings two ponies and they ride off. I didn&rsquo;t like to interfere
for it wasn&rsquo;t any of my business, but I knew they hadn&rsquo;t ought to
be ridin&rsquo; about that time of night, leastways not the girl&mdash;it
wasn&rsquo;t right and it wasn&rsquo;t safe. So I follows them and it&rsquo;s
just as well I did. Baynes was gettin&rsquo; away from the lion as fast as he
could, leavin&rsquo; the girl to take care of herself, when I got a lucky shot
into the beast&rsquo;s shoulder that fixed him.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Hanson paused. Both men were silent for a time. Presently the trader coughed in
an embarrassed manner as though there was something on his mind he felt in duty
bound to say, but hated to.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What is it, Hanson?&rdquo; asked Bwana. &ldquo;You were about to say
something weren&rsquo;t you?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Well, you see it&rsquo;s like this,&rdquo; ventured Hanson.
&ldquo;Bein&rsquo; around here evenings a good deal I&rsquo;ve seen them two
together a lot, and, beggin&rsquo; your pardon, sir, but I don&rsquo;t think
Mr. Baynes means the girl any good. I&rsquo;ve overheard enough to make me
think he&rsquo;s tryin&rsquo; to get her to run off with him.&rdquo; Hanson, to
fit his own ends, hit nearer the truth than he knew. He was afraid that Baynes
would interfere with his own plans, and he had hit upon a scheme to both
utilize the young Englishman and get rid of him at the same time.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;And I thought,&rdquo; continued the trader, &ldquo;that inasmuch as
I&rsquo;m about due to move you might like to suggest to Mr. Baynes that he go
with me. I&rsquo;d be willin&rsquo; to take him north to the caravan trails as
a favor to you, sir.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Bwana stood in deep thought for a moment. Presently he looked up.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Of course, Hanson, Mr. Baynes is my guest,&rdquo; he said, a grim
twinkle in his eye. &ldquo;Really I cannot accuse him of planning to run away
with Meriem on the evidence that we have, and as he is my guest I should hate
to be so discourteous as to ask him to leave; but, if I recall his words
correctly, it seems to me that he has spoken of returning home, and I am sure
that nothing would delight him more than going north with you&mdash;you say you
start tomorrow? I think Mr. Baynes will accompany you. Drop over in the
morning, if you please, and now good night, and thank you for keeping a
watchful eye on Meriem.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Hanson hid a grin as he turned and sought his saddle. Bwana stepped from the
verandah to his study, where he found the Hon. Morison pacing back and forth,
evidently very ill at ease.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Baynes,&rdquo; said Bwana, coming directly to the point, &ldquo;Hanson
is leaving for the north tomorrow. He has taken a great fancy to you, and just
asked me to say to you that he&rsquo;d be glad to have you accompany him. Good
night, Baynes.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
At Bwana&rsquo;s suggestion Meriem kept to her room the following morning until
after the Hon. Morison Baynes had departed. Hanson had come for him
early&mdash;in fact he had remained all night with the foreman, Jervis, that
they might get an early start.
</p>

<p>
The farewell exchanges between the Hon. Morison and his host were of the most
formal type, and when at last the guest rode away Bwana breathed a sigh of
relief. It had been an unpleasant duty and he was glad that it was over; but he
did not regret his action. He had not been blind to Baynes&rsquo; infatuation
for Meriem, and knowing the young man&rsquo;s pride in caste he had never for a
moment believed that his guest would offer his name to this nameless Arab girl,
for, extremely light in color though she was for a full blood Arab, Bwana
believed her to be such.
</p>

<p>
He did not mention the subject again to Meriem, and in this he made a mistake,
for the young girl, while realizing the debt of gratitude she owed Bwana and My
Dear, was both proud and sensitive, so that Bwana&rsquo;s action in sending
Baynes away and giving her no opportunity to explain or defend hurt and
mortified her. Also it did much toward making a martyr of Baynes in her eyes
and arousing in her breast a keen feeling of loyalty toward him.
</p>

<p>
What she had half-mistaken for love before, she now wholly mistook for love.
Bwana and My Dear might have told her much of the social barriers that they
only too well knew Baynes must feel existed between Meriem and himself, but
they hesitated to wound her. It would have been better had they inflicted this
lesser sorrow, and saved the child the misery that was to follow because of her
ignorance.
</p>

<p>
As Hanson and Baynes rode toward the former&rsquo;s camp the Englishman
maintained a morose silence. The other was attempting to formulate an opening
that would lead naturally to the proposition he had in mind. He rode a neck
behind his companion, grinning as he noted the sullen scowl upon the
other&rsquo;s patrician face.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Rather rough on you, wasn&rsquo;t he?&rdquo; he ventured at last,
jerking his head back in the direction of the bungalow as Baynes turned his
eyes upon him at the remark. &ldquo;He thinks a lot of the girl,&rdquo;
continued Hanson, &ldquo;and don&rsquo;t want nobody to marry her and take her
away; but it looks to me as though he was doin&rsquo; her more harm than good
in sendin&rsquo; you away. She ought to marry some time, and she couldn&rsquo;t
do better than a fine young gentleman like you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Baynes, who had at first felt inclined to take offense at the mention of his
private affairs by this common fellow, was mollified by Hanson&rsquo;s final
remark, and immediately commenced to see in him a man of fine discrimination.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a darned bounder,&rdquo; grumbled the Hon. Morison;
&ldquo;but I&rsquo;ll get even with him. He may be the whole thing in Central
Africa but I&rsquo;m as big as he is in London, and he&rsquo;ll find it out
when he comes home.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;If I was you,&rdquo; said Hanson, &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t let any man
keep me from gettin&rsquo; the girl I want. Between you and me I ain&rsquo;t
got no use for him either, and if I can help you any way just call on
me.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s mighty good of you, Hanson,&rdquo; replied Baynes, warming up
a bit; &ldquo;but what can a fellow do here in this God-forsaken hole?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I know what I&rsquo;d do,&rdquo; said Hanson. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d take the
girl along with me. If she loves you she&rsquo;ll go, all right.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It can&rsquo;t be done,&rdquo; said Baynes. &ldquo;He bosses this whole
blooming country for miles around. He&rsquo;d be sure to catch us.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;No, he wouldn&rsquo;t, not with me running things,&rdquo; said Hanson.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been trading and hunting here for ten years and I know as
much about the country as he does. If you want to take the girl along
I&rsquo;ll help you, and I&rsquo;ll guarantee that there won&rsquo;t nobody
catch up with us before we reach the coast. I&rsquo;ll tell you what, you write
her a note and I&rsquo;ll get it to her by my head man. Ask her to meet you to
say goodbye&mdash;she won&rsquo;t refuse that. In the meantime we can be
movin&rsquo; camp a little further north all the time and you can make
arrangements with her to be all ready on a certain night. Tell her I&rsquo;ll
meet her then while you wait for us in camp. That&rsquo;ll be better for I know
the country well and can cover it quicker than you. You can take care of the
<i>safari</i> and be movin&rsquo; along slow toward the north and the girl and
I&rsquo;ll catch up to you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;But suppose she won&rsquo;t come?&rdquo; suggested Baynes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Then make another date for a last good-bye,&rdquo; said Hanson,
&ldquo;and instead of you I&rsquo;ll be there and I&rsquo;ll bring her along
anyway. She&rsquo;ll have to come, and after it&rsquo;s all over she
won&rsquo;t feel so bad about it&mdash;especially after livin&rsquo; with you
for two months while we&rsquo;re makin&rsquo; the coast.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
A shocked and angry protest rose to Baynes&rsquo; lips; but he did not utter
it, for almost simultaneously came the realization that this was practically
the same thing he had been planning upon himself. It had sounded brutal and
criminal from the lips of the rough trader; but nevertheless the young
Englishman saw that with Hanson&rsquo;s help and his knowledge of African
travel the possibilities of success would be much greater than as though the
Hon. Morison were to attempt the thing single handed. And so he nodded a glum
assent.
</p>

<p>
The balance of the long ride to Hanson&rsquo;s northerly camp was made in
silence, for both men were occupied with their own thoughts, most of which were
far from being either complimentary or loyal to the other. As they rode through
the wood the sounds of their careless passage came to the ears of another
jungle wayfarer. The Killer had determined to come back to the place where he
had seen the white girl who took to the trees with the ability of long
habitude. There was a compelling something in the recollection of her that drew
him irresistibly toward her. He wished to see her by the light of day, to see
her features, to see the color of her eyes and hair. It seemed to him that she
must bear a strong resemblance to his lost Meriem, and yet he knew that the
chances were that she did not. The fleeting glimpse that he had had of her in
the moonlight as she swung from the back of her plunging pony into the branches
of the tree above her had shown him a girl of about the same height as his
Meriem; but of a more rounded and developed femininity.
</p>

<p>
Now he was moving lazily back in the direction of the spot where he had seen
the girl when the sounds of the approaching horsemen came to his sharp ears. He
moved stealthily through the branches until he came within sight of the riders.
The younger man he instantly recognized as the same he had seen with his arms
about the girl in the moonlit glade just the instant before Numa charged. The
other he did not recognize though there was a familiarity about his carriage
and figure that puzzled Korak.
</p>

<p>
The ape-man decided that to find the girl again he would but have to keep in
touch with the young Englishman, and so he fell in behind the pair, following
them to Hanson&rsquo;s camp. Here the Hon. Morison penned a brief note, which
Hanson gave into the keeping of one of his boys who started off forthwith
toward the south.
</p>

<p>
Korak remained in the vicinity of the camp, keeping a careful watch upon the
Englishman. He had half expected to find the girl at the destination of the two
riders and had been disappointed when no sign of her materialized about the
camp.
</p>

<p>
Baynes was restless, pacing back and forth beneath the trees when he should
have been resting against the forced marches of the coming flight. Hanson lay
in his hammock and smoked. They spoke but little. Korak lay stretched upon a
branch among the dense foliage above them. Thus passed the balance of the
afternoon. Korak became hungry and thirsty. He doubted that either of the men
would leave camp now before morning, so he withdrew, but toward the south, for
there it seemed most likely the girl still was.
</p>

<p>
In the garden beside the bungalow Meriem wandered thoughtfully in the
moonlight. She still smarted from Bwana&rsquo;s, to her, unjust treatment of
the Hon. Morison Baynes. Nothing had been explained to her, for both Bwana and
My Dear had wished to spare her the mortification and sorrow of the true
explanation of Baynes&rsquo; proposal. They knew, as Meriem did not, that the
man had no intention of marrying her, else he would have come directly to
Bwana, knowing full well that no objection would be interposed if Meriem really
cared for him.
</p>

<p>
Meriem loved them both and was grateful to them for all that they had done for
her; but deep in her little heart surged the savage love of liberty that her
years of untrammeled freedom in the jungle had made part and parcel of her
being. Now, for the first time since she had come to them, Meriem felt like a
prisoner in the bungalow of Bwana and My Dear.
</p>

<p>
Like a caged tigress the girl paced the length of the enclosure. Once she
paused near the outer fence, her head upon one side&mdash;listening. What was
it she had heard? The pad of naked human feet just beyond the garden. She
listened for a moment. The sound was not repeated. Then she resumed her
restless walking. Down to the opposite end of the garden she passed, turned and
retraced her steps toward the upper end. Upon the sward near the bushes that
hid the fence, full in the glare of the moonlight, lay a white envelope that
had not been there when she had turned almost upon the very spot a moment
before.
</p>

<p>
Meriem stopped short in her tracks, listening again, and sniffing&mdash;more
than ever the tigress; alert, ready. Beyond the bushes a naked black runner
squatted, peering through the foliage. He saw her take a step closer to the
letter. She had seen it. He rose quietly and following the shadows of the
bushes that ran down to the corral was soon gone from sight.
</p>

<p>
Meriem&rsquo;s trained ears heard his every move. She made no attempt to seek
closer knowledge of his identity. Already she had guessed that he was a
messenger from the Hon. Morison. She stooped and picked up the envelope.
Tearing it open she easily read the contents by the moon&rsquo;s brilliant
light. It was, as she had guessed, from Baynes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I cannot go without seeing you again,&rdquo; it read. &ldquo;Come to the
clearing early tomorrow morning and say good-bye to me. Come alone.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
There was a little more&mdash;words that made her heart beat faster and a happy
flush mount her cheek.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap20"></a>XX.</h2>

<p>
It was still dark when the Hon. Morison Baynes set forth for the trysting
place. He insisted upon having a guide, saying that he was not sure that he
could find his way back to the little clearing. As a matter of fact the thought
of that lonely ride through the darkness before the sun rose had been too much
for his courage, and he craved company. A black, therefore, preceded him on
foot. Behind and above him came Korak, whom the noise in the camp had awakened.
</p>

<p>
It was nine o&rsquo;clock before Baynes drew rein in the clearing. Meriem had
not yet arrived. The black lay down to rest. Baynes lolled in his saddle. Korak
stretched himself comfortably upon a lofty limb, where he could watch those
beneath him without being seen.
</p>

<p>
An hour passed. Baynes gave evidence of nervousness. Korak had already guessed
that the young Englishman had come here to meet another, nor was he at all in
doubt as to the identity of that other. The Killer was perfectly satisfied that
he was soon again to see the nimble she who had so forcefully reminded him of
Meriem.
</p>

<p>
Presently the sound of an approaching horse came to Korak&rsquo;s ears. She was
coming! She had almost reached the clearing before Baynes became aware of her
presence, and then as he looked up, the foliage parted to the head and
shoulders of her mount and Meriem rode into view. Baynes spurred to meet her.
Korak looked searchingly down upon her, mentally anathematizing the
broad-brimmed hat that hid her features from his eyes. She was abreast the
Englishman now. Korak saw the man take both her hands and draw her close to his
breast. He saw the man&rsquo;s face concealed for a moment beneath the same
broad brim that hid the girl&rsquo;s. He could imagine their lips meeting, and
a twinge of sorrow and sweet recollection combined to close his eyes for an
instant in that involuntary muscular act with which we attempt to shut out from
the mind&rsquo;s eye harrowing reflections.
</p>

<p>
When he looked again they had drawn apart and were conversing earnestly. Korak
could see the man urging something. It was equally evident that the girl was
holding back. There were many of her gestures, and the way in which she tossed
her head up and to the right, tip-tilting her chin, that reminded Korak still
more strongly of Meriem. And then the conversation was over and the man took
the girl in his arms again to kiss her good-bye. She turned and rode toward the
point from which she had come. The man sat on his horse watching her. At the
edge of the jungle she turned to wave him a final farewell.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Tonight!&rdquo; she cried, throwing back her head as she called the
words to him across the little distance which separated them&mdash;throwing
back her head and revealing her face for the first time to the eyes of The
Killer in the tree above. Korak started as though pierced through the heart
with an arrow. He trembled and shook like a leaf. He closed his eyes, pressing
his palms across them, and then he opened them again and looked but the girl
was gone&mdash;only the waving foliage of the jungle&rsquo;s rim marked where
she had disappeared. It was impossible! It could not be true! And yet, with his
own eyes he had seen his Meriem&mdash;older a little, with figure more rounded
by nearer maturity, and subtly changed in other ways; more beautiful than ever,
yet still his little Meriem. Yes, he had seen the dead alive again; he had seen
his Meriem in the flesh. She lived! She had not died! He had seen her&mdash;he
had seen his Meriem&mdash;IN THE ARMS OF ANOTHER MAN! And that man sat below
him now, within easy reach. Korak, The Killer, fondled his heavy spear. He
played with the grass rope dangling from his gee-string. He stroked the hunting
knife at his hip. And the man beneath him called to his drowsy guide, bent the
rein to his pony&rsquo;s neck and moved off toward the north. Still sat Korak,
The Killer, alone among the trees. Now his hands hung idly at his sides. His
weapons and what he had intended were forgotten for the moment. Korak was
thinking. He had noted that subtle change in Meriem. When last he had seen her
she had been his little, half-naked Mangani&mdash;wild, savage, and uncouth.
She had not seemed uncouth to him then; but now, in the change that had come
over her, he knew that such she had been; yet no more uncouth than he, and he
was still uncouth.
</p>

<p>
In her had taken place the change. In her he had just seen a sweet and lovely
flower of refinement and civilization, and he shuddered as he recalled the fate
that he himself had planned for her&mdash;to be the mate of an ape-man, his
mate, in the savage jungle. Then he had seen no wrong in it, for he had loved
her, and the way he had planned had been the way of the jungle which they two
had chosen as their home; but now, after having seen the Meriem of civilized
attire, he realized the hideousness of his once cherished plan, and he thanked
God that chance and the blacks of Kovudoo had thwarted him.
</p>

<p>
Yet he still loved her, and jealousy seared his soul as he recalled the sight
of her in the arms of the dapper young Englishman. What were his intentions
toward her? Did he really love her? How could one not love her? And she loved
him, of that Korak had had ample proof. Had she not loved him she would not
have accepted his kisses. His Meriem loved another! For a long time he let that
awful truth sink deep, and from it he tried to reason out his future plan of
action. In his heart was a great desire to follow the man and slay him; but
ever there rose in his consciousness the thought: She loves him. Could he slay
the creature Meriem loved? Sadly he shook his head. No, he could not. Then came
a partial decision to follow Meriem and speak with her. He half started, and
then glanced down at his nakedness and was ashamed. He, the son of a British
peer, had thus thrown away his life, had thus degraded himself to the level of
a beast that he was ashamed to go to the woman he loved and lay his love at her
feet. He was ashamed to go to the little Arab maid who had been his jungle
playmate, for what had he to offer her?
</p>

<p>
For years circumstances had prevented a return to his father and mother, and at
last pride had stepped in and expunged from his mind the last vestige of any
intention to return. In a spirit of boyish adventure he had cast his lot with
the jungle ape. The killing of the crook in the coast inn had filled his
childish mind with terror of the law, and driven him deeper into the wilds. The
rebuffs that he had met at the hands of men, both black and white, had had
their effect upon his mind while yet it was in a formative state, and easily
influenced.
</p>

<p>
He had come to believe that the hand of man was against him, and then he had
found in Meriem the only human association he required or craved. When she had
been snatched from him his sorrow had been so deep that the thought of ever
mingling again with human beings grew still more unutterably distasteful.
Finally and for all time, he thought, the die was cast. Of his own volition he
had become a beast, a beast he had lived, a beast he would die.
</p>

<p>
Now that it was too late, he regretted it. For now Meriem, still living, had
been revealed to him in a guise of progress and advancement that had carried
her completely out of his life. Death itself could not have further removed her
from him. In her new world she loved a man of her own kind. And Korak knew that
it was right. She was not for him&mdash;not for the naked, savage ape. No, she
was not for him; but he still was hers. If he could not have her and happiness,
he would at least do all that lay in his power to assure happiness to her. He
would follow the young Englishman. In the first place he would know that he
meant Meriem no harm, and after that, though jealousy wrenched his heart, he
would watch over the man Meriem loved, for Meriem&rsquo;s sake; but God help
that man if he thought to wrong her!
</p>

<p>
Slowly he aroused himself. He stood erect and stretched his great frame, the
muscles of his arms gliding sinuously beneath his tanned skin as he bent his
clenched fists behind his head. A movement on the ground beneath caught his
eye. An antelope was entering the clearing. Immediately Korak became aware that
he was empty&mdash;again he was a beast. For a moment love had lifted him to
sublime heights of honor and renunciation.
</p>

<p>
The antelope was crossing the clearing. Korak dropped to the ground upon the
opposite side of the tree, and so lightly that not even the sensitive ears of
the antelope apprehended his presence. He uncoiled his grass rope&mdash;it was
the latest addition to his armament, yet he was proficient with it. Often he
traveled with nothing more than his knife and his rope&mdash;they were light
and easy to carry. His spear and bow and arrows were cumbersome and he usually
kept one or all of them hidden away in a private cache.
</p>

<p>
Now he held a single coil of the long rope in his right hand, and the balance
in his left. The antelope was but a few paces from him. Silently Korak leaped
from his hiding place swinging the rope free from the entangling shrubbery. The
antelope sprang away almost instantly; but instantly, too, the coiled rope,
with its sliding noose, flew through the air above him. With unerring precision
it settled about the creature&rsquo;s neck. There was a quick wrist movement of
the thrower, the noose tightened. The Killer braced himself with the rope
across his hip, and as the antelope tautened the singing strands in a last
frantic bound for liberty he was thrown over upon his back.
</p>

<p>
Then, instead of approaching the fallen animal as a roper of the western plains
might do, Korak dragged his captive to himself, pulling him in hand over hand,
and when he was within reach leaping upon him even as Sheeta the panther might
have done, and burying his teeth in the animal&rsquo;s neck while he found its
heart with the point of his hunting knife. Recoiling his rope, he cut a few
generous strips from his kill and took to the trees again, where he ate in
peace. Later he swung off in the direction of a nearby water hole, and then he
slept.
</p>

<p>
In his mind, of course, was the suggestion of another meeting between Meriem
and the young Englishman that had been borne to him by the girl&rsquo;s
parting: &ldquo;Tonight!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
He had not followed Meriem because he knew from the direction from which she
had come and in which she returned that wheresoever she had found an asylum it
lay out across the plains and not wishing to be discovered by the girl he had
not cared to venture into the open after her. It would do as well to keep in
touch with the young man, and that was precisely what he intended doing.
</p>

<p>
To you or me the possibility of locating the Hon. Morison in the jungle after
having permitted him to get such a considerable start might have seemed remote;
but to Korak it was not at all so. He guessed that the white man would return
to his camp; but should he have done otherwise it would be a simple matter to
The Killer to trail a mounted man accompanied by another on foot. Days might
pass and still such a spoor would be sufficiently plain to lead Korak
unfalteringly to its end; while a matter of a few hours only left it as clear
to him as though the makers themselves were still in plain sight.
</p>

<p>
And so it came that a few minutes after the Hon. Morison Baynes entered the
camp to be greeted by Hanson, Korak slipped noiselessly into a near-by tree.
There he lay until late afternoon and still the young Englishman made no move
to leave camp. Korak wondered if Meriem were coming there. A little later
Hanson and one of his black boys rode out of camp. Korak merely noted the fact.
He was not particularly interested in what any other member of the company than
the young Englishman did.
</p>

<p>
Darkness came and still the young man remained. He ate his evening meal,
afterward smoking numerous cigarettes. Presently he began to pace back and
forth before his tent. He kept his boy busy replenishing the fire. A lion
coughed and he went into his tent to reappear with an express rifle. Again he
admonished the boy to throw more brush upon the fire. Korak saw that he was
nervous and afraid, and his lip curled in a sneer of contempt.
</p>

<p>
Was this the creature who had supplanted him in the heart of his Meriem? Was
this a man, who trembled when Numa coughed? How could such as he protect Meriem
from the countless dangers of the jungle? Ah, but he would not have to. They
would live in the safety of European civilization, where men in uniforms were
hired to protect them. What need had a European of prowess to protect his mate?
Again the sneer curled Korak&rsquo;s lip.
</p>

<p>
Hanson and his boy had ridden directly to the clearing. It was already dark
when they arrived. Leaving the boy there Hanson rode to the edge of the plain,
leading the boy&rsquo;s horse. There he waited. It was nine o&rsquo;clock
before he saw a solitary figure galloping toward him from the direction of the
bungalow. A few moments later Meriem drew in her mount beside him. She was
nervous and flushed. When she recognized Hanson she drew back, startled.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Mr. Baynes&rsquo; horse fell on him and sprained his ankle,&rdquo;
Hanson hastened to explain. &ldquo;He couldn&rsquo;t very well come so he sent
me to meet you and bring you to camp.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The girl could not see in the darkness the gloating, triumphant expression on
the speaker&rsquo;s face.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We had better hurry,&rdquo; continued Hanson, &ldquo;for we&rsquo;ll
have to move along pretty fast if we don&rsquo;t want to be overtaken.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Is he hurt badly?&rdquo; asked Meriem.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Only a little sprain,&rdquo; replied Hanson. &ldquo;He can ride all
right; but we both thought he&rsquo;d better lie up tonight, and rest, for
he&rsquo;ll have plenty hard riding in the next few weeks.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; agreed the girl.
</p>

<p>
Hanson swung his pony about and Meriem followed him. They rode north along the
edge of the jungle for a mile and then turned straight into it toward the west.
Meriem, following, payed little attention to directions. She did not know
exactly where Hanson&rsquo;s camp lay and so she did not guess that he was not
leading her toward it. All night they rode, straight toward the west. When
morning came, Hanson permitted a short halt for breakfast, which he had
provided in well-filled saddle bags before leaving his camp. Then they pushed
on again, nor did they halt a second time until in the heat of the day he
stopped and motioned the girl to dismount.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We will sleep here for a time and let the ponies graze,&rdquo; he said.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I had no idea the camp was so far away,&rdquo; said Meriem.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I left orders that they were to move on at day break,&rdquo; explained
the trader, &ldquo;so that we could get a good start. I knew that you and I
could easily overtake a laden <i>safari</i>. It may not be until tomorrow that
we&rsquo;ll catch up with them.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
But though they traveled part of the night and all the following day no sign of
the <i>safari</i> appeared ahead of them. Meriem, an adept in jungle craft,
knew that none had passed ahead of them for many days. Occasionally she saw
indications of an old spoor, a very old spoor, of many men. For the most part
they followed this well-marked trail along elephant paths and through park-like
groves. It was an ideal trail for rapid traveling.
</p>

<p>
Meriem at last became suspicious. Gradually the attitude of the man at her side
had begun to change. Often she surprised him devouring her with his eyes.
Steadily the former sensation of previous acquaintanceship urged itself upon
her. Somewhere, sometime before she had known this man. It was evident that he
had not shaved for several days. A blonde stubble had commenced to cover his
neck and cheeks and chin, and with it the assurance that he was no stranger
continued to grow upon the girl.
</p>

<p>
It was not until the second day, however, that Meriem rebelled. She drew in her
pony at last and voiced her doubts. Hanson assured her that the camp was but a
few miles further on.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We should have overtaken them yesterday,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They
must have marched much faster than I had believed possible.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;They have not marched here at all,&rdquo; said Meriem. &ldquo;The spoor
that we have been following is weeks old.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Hanson laughed.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Oh, that&rsquo;s it, is it?&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;Why didn&rsquo;t you
say so before? I could have easily explained. We are not coming by the same
route; but we&rsquo;ll pick up their trail sometime today, even if we
don&rsquo;t overtake them.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Now, at last, Meriem knew the man was lying to her. What a fool he must be to
think that anyone could believe such a ridiculous explanation? Who was so
stupid as to believe that they could have expected to overtake another party,
and he had certainly assured her that momentarily he expected to do so, when
that party&rsquo;s route was not to meet theirs for several miles yet?
</p>

<p>
She kept her own counsel however, planning to escape at the first opportunity
when she might have a sufficient start of her captor, as she now considered
him, to give her some assurance of outdistancing him. She watched his face
continually when she could without being observed. Tantalizingly the placing of
his familiar features persisted in eluding her. Where had she known him? Under
what conditions had they met before she had seen him about the farm of Bwana?
She ran over in her mind all the few white men she ever had known. There were
some who had come to her father&rsquo;s <i>douar</i> in the jungle. Few it is
true, but there had been some. Ah, now she had it! She had seen him there! She
almost seized upon his identity and then in an instant, it had slipped from her
again.
</p>

<p>
It was mid afternoon when they suddenly broke out of the jungle upon the banks
of a broad and placid river. Beyond, upon the opposite shore, Meriem described
a camp surrounded by a high, thorn <i>boma</i>.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Here we are at last,&rdquo; said Hanson. He drew his revolver and fired
in the air. Instantly the camp across the river was astir. Black men ran down
the river&rsquo;s bank. Hanson hailed them. But there was no sign of the Hon.
Morison Baynes.
</p>

<p>
In accordance with their master&rsquo;s instructions the blacks manned a canoe
and rowed across. Hanson placed Meriem in the little craft and entered it
himself, leaving two boys to watch the horses, which the canoe was to return
for and swim across to the camp side of the river.
</p>

<p>
Once in the camp Meriem asked for Baynes. For the moment her fears had been
allayed by the sight of the camp, which she had come to look upon as more or
less a myth. Hanson pointed toward the single tent that stood in the center of
the enclosure.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;There,&rdquo; he said, and preceded her toward it. At the entrance he
held the flap aside and motioned her within. Meriem entered and looked about.
The tent was empty. She turned toward Hanson. There was a broad grin on his
face.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Where is Mr. Baynes?&rdquo; she demanded.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He ain&rsquo;t here,&rdquo; replied Hanson. &ldquo;Leastwise I
don&rsquo;t see him, do you? But I&rsquo;m here, and I&rsquo;m a damned sight
better man than that thing ever was. You don&rsquo;t need him no more&mdash;you
got me,&rdquo; and he laughed uproariously and reached for her.
</p>

<p>
Meriem struggled to free herself. Hanson encircled her arms and body in his
powerful grip and bore her slowly backward toward the pile of blankets at the
far end of the tent. His face was bent close to hers. His eyes were narrowed to
two slits of heat and passion and desire. Meriem was looking full into his face
as she fought for freedom when there came over her a sudden recollection of a
similar scene in which she had been a participant and with it full recognition
of her assailant. He was the Swede Malbihn who had attacked her once before,
who had shot his companion who would have saved her, and from whom she had been
rescued by Bwana. His smooth face had deceived her; but now with the growing
beard and the similarity of conditions recognition came swift and sure.
</p>

<p>
But today there would be no Bwana to save her.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap21"></a>XXI.</h2>

<p>
The black boy whom Malbihn had left awaiting him in the clearing with
instructions to remain until he returned sat crouched at the foot of a tree for
an hour when he was suddenly startled by the coughing grunt of a lion behind
him. With celerity born of the fear of death the boy clambered into the
branches of the tree, and a moment later the king of beasts entered the
clearing and approached the carcass of an antelope which, until now, the boy
had not seen.
</p>

<p>
Until daylight the beast fed, while the black clung, sleepless, to his perch,
wondering what had become of his master and the two ponies. He had been with
Malbihn for a year, and so was fairly conversant with the character of the
white. His knowledge presently led him to believe that he had been purposely
abandoned. Like the balance of Malbihn&rsquo;s followers, this boy hated his
master cordially&mdash;fear being the only bond that held him to the white man.
His present uncomfortable predicament but added fuel to the fires of his
hatred.
</p>

<p>
As the sun rose the lion withdrew into the jungle and the black descended from
his tree and started upon his long journey back to camp. In his primitive brain
revolved various fiendish plans for a revenge that he would not have the
courage to put into effect when the test came and he stood face to face with
one of the dominant race.
</p>

<p>
A mile from the clearing he came upon the spoor of two ponies crossing his path
at right angles. A cunning look entered the black&rsquo;s eyes. He laughed
uproariously and slapped his thighs.
</p>

<p>
Negroes are tireless gossipers, which, of course, is but a roundabout way of
saying that they are human. Malbihn&rsquo;s boys had been no exception to the
rule and as many of them had been with him at various times during the past ten
years there was little about his acts and life in the African wilds that was
not known directly or by hearsay to them all.
</p>

<p>
And so, knowing his master and many of his past deeds, knowing, too, a great
deal about the plans of Malbihn and Baynes that had been overheard by himself,
or other servants; and knowing well from the gossip of the head-men that half
of Malbihn&rsquo;s party lay in camp by the great river far to the west, it was
not difficult for the boy to put two and two together and arrive at four as the
sum&mdash;the four being represented by a firm conviction that his master had
deceived the other white man and taken the latter&rsquo;s woman to his western
camp, leaving the other to suffer capture and punishment at the hands of the
Big Bwana whom all feared. Again the boy bared his rows of big, white teeth and
laughed aloud. Then he resumed his northward way, traveling at a dogged trot
that ate up the miles with marvelous rapidity.
</p>

<p>
In the Swede&rsquo;s camp the Hon. Morison had spent an almost sleepless night
of nervous apprehension and doubts and fears. Toward morning he had slept,
utterly exhausted. It was the headman who awoke him shortly after sun rise to
remind him that they must at once take up their northward journey. Baynes hung
back. He wanted to wait for &ldquo;Hanson&rdquo; and Meriem. The headman urged
upon him the danger that lay in loitering. The fellow knew his master&rsquo;s
plans sufficiently well to understand that he had done something to arouse the
ire of the Big Bwana and that it would fare ill with them all if they were
overtaken in Big Bwana&rsquo;s country. At the suggestion Baynes took alarm.
</p>

<p>
What if the Big Bwana, as the head-man called him, had surprised
&ldquo;Hanson&rdquo; in his nefarious work. Would he not guess the truth and
possibly be already on the march to overtake and punish him? Baynes had heard
much of his host&rsquo;s summary method of dealing out punishment to
malefactors great and small who transgressed the laws or customs of his savage
little world which lay beyond the outer ramparts of what men are pleased to
call frontiers. In this savage world where there was no law the Big Bwana was
law unto himself and all who dwelt about him. It was even rumored that he had
extracted the death penalty from a white man who had maltreated a native girl.
</p>

<p>
Baynes shuddered at the recollection of this piece of gossip as he wondered
what his host would exact of the man who had attempted to steal his young,
white ward. The thought brought him to his feet.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; he said, nervously, &ldquo;we must get away from here at
once. Do you know the trail to the north?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The head-man did, and he lost no time in getting the <i>safari</i> upon the
march.
</p>

<p>
It was noon when a tired and sweat-covered runner overtook the trudging little
column. The man was greeted with shouts of welcome from his fellows, to whom he
imparted all that he knew and guessed of the actions of their master, so that
the entire <i>safari</i> was aware of matters before Baynes, who marched close
to the head of the column, was reached and acquainted with the facts and the
imaginings of the black boy whom Malbihn had deserted in the clearing the night
before.
</p>

<p>
When the Hon. Morison had listened to all that the boy had to say and realized
that the trader had used him as a tool whereby he himself might get Meriem into
his possession, his blood ran hot with rage and he trembled with apprehension
for the girl&rsquo;s safety.
</p>

<p>
That another contemplated no worse a deed than he had contemplated in no way
palliated the hideousness of the other&rsquo;s offense. At first it did not
occur to him that he would have wronged Meriem no less than he believed
&ldquo;Hanson&rdquo; contemplated wronging her. Now his rage was more the rage
of a man beaten at his own game and robbed of the prize that he had thought
already his.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Do you know where your master has gone?&rdquo; he asked the black.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes, Bwana,&rdquo; replied the boy. &ldquo;He has gone to the other camp
beside the big <i>afi</i> that flows far toward the setting sun.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Can you take me to him?&rdquo; demanded Baynes.
</p>

<p>
The boy nodded affirmatively. Here he saw a method of revenging himself upon
his hated Bwana and at the same time of escaping the wrath of the Big Bwana
whom all were positive would first follow after the northerly <i>safari</i>.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Can you and I, alone, reach his camp?&rdquo; asked the Hon. Morison.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes, Bwana,&rdquo; assured the black.
</p>

<p>
Baynes turned toward the head-man. He was conversant with
&ldquo;Hanson&rsquo;s&rdquo; plans now. He understood why he had wished to move
the northern camp as far as possible toward the northern boundary of the Big
Bwana&rsquo;s country&mdash;it would give him far more time to make his escape
toward the West Coast while the Big Bwana was chasing the northern contingent.
Well, he would utilize the man&rsquo;s plans to his own end. He, too, must keep
out of the clutches of his host.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You may take the men north as fast as possible,&rdquo; he said to the
head-man. &ldquo;I shall return and attempt to lead the Big Bwana to the
west.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The Negro assented with a grunt. He had no desire to follow this strange white
man who was afraid at night; he had less to remain at the tender mercies of the
Big Bwana&rsquo;s lusty warriors, between whom and his people there was
long-standing blood feud; and he was more than delighted, into the bargain, for
a legitimate excuse for deserting his much hated Swede master. He knew a way to
the north and his own country that the white men did not know&mdash;a short cut
across an arid plateau where lay water holes of which the white hunters and
explorers that had passed from time to time the fringe of the dry country had
never dreamed. He might even elude the Big Bwana should he follow them, and
with this thought uppermost in his mind he gathered the remnants of
Malbihn&rsquo;s <i>safari</i> into a semblance of order and moved off toward
the north. And toward the southwest the black boy led the Hon. Morison Baynes
into the jungles.
</p>

<p>
Korak had waited about the camp, watching the Hon. Morison until the
<i>safari</i> had started north. Then, assured that the young Englishman was
going in the wrong direction to meet Meriem he had abandoned him and returned
slowly to the point where he had seen the girl, for whom his heart yearned, in
the arms of another.
</p>

<p>
So great had been his happiness at seeing Meriem alive that, for the instant,
no thought of jealousy had entered his mind. Later these thoughts had
come&mdash;dark, bloody thoughts that would have made the flesh of the Hon.
Morison creep could he have guessed that they were revolving in the brain of a
savage creature creeping stealthily among the branches of the forest giant
beneath which he waited the coming of &ldquo;Hanson&rdquo; and the girl.
</p>

<p>
And with passing of the hours had come subdued reflection in which he had
weighed himself against the trimly clad English gentleman and&mdash;found that
he was wanting. What had he to offer her by comparison with that which the
other man might offer? What was his &ldquo;mess of pottage&rdquo; to the
birthright that the other had preserved? How could he dare go, naked and
unkempt, to that fair thing who had once been his jungle-fellow and propose the
thing that had been in his mind when first the realization of his love had
swept over him? He shuddered as he thought of the irreparable wrong that his
love would have done the innocent child but for the chance that had snatched
her from him before it was too late. Doubtless she knew now the horror that had
been in his mind. Doubtless she hated and loathed him as he hated and loathed
himself when he let his mind dwell upon it. He had lost her. No more surely had
she been lost when he thought her dead than she was in reality now that he had
seen her living&mdash;living in the guise of a refinement that had transfigured
and sanctified her.
</p>

<p>
He had loved her before, now he worshipped her. He knew that he might never
possess her now, but at least he might see her. From a distance he might look
upon her. Perhaps he might serve her; but never must she guess that he had
found her or that he lived.
</p>

<p>
He wondered if she ever thought of him&mdash;if the happy days that they had
spent together never recurred to her mind. It seemed unbelievable that such
could be the case, and yet, too, it seemed almost equally unbelievable that
this beautiful girl was the same disheveled, half naked, little sprite who
skipped nimbly among the branches of the trees as they ran and played in the
lazy, happy days of the past. It could not be that her memory held more of the
past than did her new appearance.
</p>

<p>
It was a sad Korak who ranged the jungle near the plain&rsquo;s edge waiting
for the coming of his Meriem&mdash;the Meriem who never came.
</p>

<p>
But there came another&mdash;a tall, broad-shouldered man in khaki at the head
of a swarthy crew of ebon warriors. The man&rsquo;s face was set in hard, stern
lines and the marks of sorrow were writ deep about his mouth and eyes&mdash;so
deep that the set expression of rage upon his features could not obliterate
them.
</p>

<p>
Korak saw the man pass beneath him where he hid in the great tree that had
harbored him before upon the edge of that fateful little clearing. He saw him
come and he set rigid and frozen and suffering above him. He saw him search the
ground with his keen eyes, and he only sat there watching with eyes that glazed
from the intensity of his gaze. He saw him sign to his men that he had come
upon that which he sought and he saw him pass out of sight toward the north,
and still Korak sat like a graven image, with a heart that bled in dumb misery.
An hour later Korak moved slowly away, back into the jungle toward the west. He
went listlessly, with bent head and stooped shoulders, like an old man who bore
upon his back the weight of a great sorrow.
</p>

<p>
Baynes, following his black guide, battled his way through the dense
underbrush, riding stooped low over his horse&rsquo;s neck, or often he
dismounted where the low branches swept too close to earth to permit him to
remain in the saddle. The black was taking him the shortest way, which was no
way at all for a horseman, and after the first day&rsquo;s march the young
Englishman was forced to abandon his mount, and follow his nimble guide
entirely on foot.
</p>

<p>
During the long hours of marching the Hon. Morison had much time to devote to
thought, and as he pictured the probable fate of Meriem at the hands of the
Swede his rage against the man became the greater. But presently there came to
him a realization of the fact that his own base plans had led the girl into
this terrible predicament, and that even had she escaped &ldquo;Hanson&rdquo;
she would have found but little better deserts awaiting her with him.
</p>

<p>
There came too, the realization that Meriem was infinitely more precious to him
than he had imagined. For the first time he commenced to compare her with other
women of his acquaintance&mdash;women of birth and position&mdash;and almost to
his surprise&mdash;he discovered that the young Arab girl suffered less than
they by the comparison. And then from hating &ldquo;Hanson&rdquo; he came to
look upon himself with hate and loathing&mdash;to see himself and his
perfidious act in all their contemptible hideousness.
</p>

<p>
Thus, in the crucible of shame amidst the white heat of naked truths, the
passion that the man had felt for the girl he had considered his social
inferior was transmuted into love. And as he staggered on there burned within
him beside his newborn love another great passion&mdash;the passion of hate
urging him on to the consummation of revenge.
</p>

<p>
A creature of ease and luxury, he had never been subjected to the hardships and
tortures which now were his constant companionship, yet, his clothing torn, his
flesh scratched and bleeding, he urged the black to greater speed, though with
every dozen steps he himself fell from exhaustion.
</p>

<p>
It was revenge which kept him going&mdash;that and a feeling that in his
suffering he was partially expiating the great wrong he had done the girl he
loved&mdash;for hope of saving her from the fate into which he had trapped her
had never existed. &ldquo;Too late! Too late!&rdquo; was the dismal
accompaniment of thought to which he marched. &ldquo;Too late! Too late to
save; but not too late to avenge!&rdquo; That kept him up.
</p>

<p>
Only when it became too dark to see would he permit of a halt. A dozen times in
the afternoon he had threatened the black with instant death when the tired
guide insisted upon resting. The fellow was terrified. He could not understand
the remarkable change that had so suddenly come over the white man who had been
afraid in the dark the night before. He would have deserted this terrifying
master had he had the opportunity; but Baynes guessed that some such thought
might be in the other&rsquo;s mind, and so gave the fellow none. He kept close
to him by day and slept touching him at night in the rude thorn <i>boma</i>
they constructed as a slight protection against prowling carnivora.
</p>

<p>
That the Hon. Morison could sleep at all in the midst of the savage jungle was
sufficient indication that he had changed considerably in the past twenty-four
hours, and that he could lie close beside a none-too-fragrant black man spoke
of possibilities for democracy within him yet all undreamed of.
</p>

<p>
Morning found him stiff and lame and sore, but none the less determined to push
on in pursuit of &ldquo;Hanson&rdquo; as rapidly as possible. With his rifle he
brought down a buck at a ford in a small stream shortly after they broke camp,
breakfastless. Begrudgingly he permitted a halt while they cooked and ate, and
then on again through the wilderness of trees and vines and underbrush.
</p>

<p>
And in the meantime Korak wandered slowly westward, coming upon the trail of
Tantor, the elephant, whom he overtook browsing in the deep shade of the
jungle. The ape-man, lonely and sorrowing, was glad of the companionship of his
huge friend. Affectionately the sinuous trunk encircled him, and he was swung
to the mighty back where so often before he had lolled and dreamed the long
afternoon away.
</p>

<p>
Far to the north the Big Bwana and his black warriors clung tenaciously to the
trail of the fleeing <i>safari</i> that was luring them further and further
from the girl they sought to save, while back at the bungalow the woman who had
loved Meriem as though she had been her own waited impatiently and in sorrow
for the return of the rescuing party and the girl she was positive her
invincible lord and master would bring back with him.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap22"></a>XXII.</h2>

<p>
As Meriem struggled with Malbihn, her hands pinioned to her sides by his brawny
grip, hope died within her. She did not utter a sound for she knew that there
was none to come to her assistance, and, too, the jungle training of her
earlier life had taught her the futility of appeals for succor in the savage
world of her up-bringing.
</p>

<p>
But as she fought to free herself one hand came in contact with the butt of
Malbihn&rsquo;s revolver where it rested in the holster at his hip. Slowly he
was dragging her toward the blankets, and slowly her fingers encircled the
coveted prize and drew it from its resting place.
</p>

<p>
Then, as Malbihn stood at the edge of the disordered pile of blankets, Meriem
suddenly ceased to draw away from him, and as quickly hurled her weight against
him with the result that he was thrown backward, his feet stumbled against the
bedding and he was hurled to his back. Instinctively his hands flew out to save
himself and at the same instant Meriem leveled the revolver at his breast and
pulled the trigger.
</p>

<p>
But the hammer fell futilely upon an empty shell, and Malbihn was again upon
his feet clutching at her. For a moment she eluded him, and ran toward the
entrance to the tent, but at the very doorway his heavy hand fell upon her
shoulder and dragged her back. Wheeling upon him with the fury of a wounded
lioness Meriem grasped the long revolver by the barrel, swung it high above her
head and crashed it down full in Malbihn&rsquo;s face.
</p>

<p>
With an oath of pain and rage the man staggered backward, releasing his hold
upon her and then sank unconscious to the ground. Without a backward look
Meriem turned and fled into the open. Several of the blacks saw her and tried
to intercept her flight, but the menace of the empty weapon kept them at a
distance. And so she won beyond the encircling <i>boma</i> and disappeared into
the jungle to the south.
</p>

<p>
Straight into the branches of a tree she went, true to the arboreal instincts
of the little mangani she had been, and here she stripped off her riding skirt,
her shoes and her stockings, for she knew that she had before her a journey and
a flight which would not brook the burden of these garments. Her riding
breeches and jacket would have to serve as protection from cold and thorns, nor
would they hamper her over much; but a skirt and shoes were impossible among
the trees.
</p>

<p>
She had not gone far before she commenced to realize how slight were her
chances for survival without means of defense or a weapon to bring down meat.
Why had she not thought to strip the cartridge belt from Malbihn&rsquo;s waist
before she had left his tent! With cartridges for the revolver she might hope
to bag small game, and to protect herself from all but the most ferocious of
the enemies that would beset her way back to the beloved hearthstone of Bwana
and My Dear.
</p>

<p>
With the thought came determination to return and obtain the coveted
ammunition. She realized that she was taking great chances of recapture; but
without means of defense and of obtaining meat she felt that she could never
hope to reach safety. And so she turned her face back toward the camp from
which she had but just escaped.
</p>

<p>
She thought Malbihn dead, so terrific a blow had she dealt him, and she hoped
to find an opportunity after dark to enter the camp and search his tent for the
cartridge belt; but scarcely had she found a hiding place in a great tree at
the edge of the <i>boma</i> where she could watch without danger of being
discovered, when she saw the Swede emerge from his tent, wiping blood from his
face, and hurling a volley of oaths and questions at his terrified followers.
</p>

<p>
Shortly after the entire camp set forth in search of her and when Meriem was
positive that all were gone she descended from her hiding place and ran quickly
across the clearing to Malbihn&rsquo;s tent. A hasty survey of the interior
revealed no ammunition; but in one corner was a box in which were packed the
Swede&rsquo;s personal belongings that he had sent along by his headman to this
westerly camp.
</p>

<p>
Meriem seized the receptacle as the possible container of extra ammunition.
Quickly she loosed the cords that held the canvas covering about the box, and a
moment later had raised the lid and was rummaging through the heterogeneous
accumulation of odds and ends within. There were letters and papers and
cuttings from old newspapers, and among other things the photograph of a little
girl upon the back of which was pasted a cutting from a Paris daily&mdash;a
cutting that she could not read, yellowed and dimmed by age and
handling&mdash;but something about the photograph of the little girl which was
also reproduced in the newspaper cutting held her attention. Where had she seen
that picture before? And then, quite suddenly, it came to her that this was a
picture of herself as she had been years and years before.
</p>

<p>
Where had it been taken? How had it come into the possession of this man? Why
had it been reproduced in a newspaper? What was the story that the faded type
told of it?
</p>

<p>
Meriem was baffled by the puzzle that her search for ammunition had revealed.
She stood gazing at the faded photograph for a time and then bethought herself
of the ammunition for which she had come. Turning again to the box she rummaged
to the bottom and there in a corner she came upon a little box of cartridges. A
single glance assured her that they were intended for the weapon she had thrust
inside the band of her riding breeches, and slipping them into her pocket she
turned once more for an examination of the baffling likeness of herself that
she held in her hand.
</p>

<p>
As she stood thus in vain endeavor to fathom this inexplicable mystery the
sound of voices broke upon her ears. Instantly she was all alert. They were
coming closer! A second later she recognized the lurid profanity of the Swede.
Malbihn, her persecutor, was returning! Meriem ran quickly to the opening of
the tent and looked out. It was too late! She was fairly cornered! The white
man and three of his black henchmen were coming straight across the clearing
toward the tent. What was she to do? She slipped the photograph into her waist.
Quickly she slipped a cartridge into each of the chambers of the revolver. Then
she backed toward the end of the tent, keeping the entrance covered by her
weapon. The man stopped outside, and Meriem could hear Malbihn profanely
issuing instructions. He was a long time about it, and while he talked in his
bellowing, brutish voice, the girl sought some avenue of escape. Stooping, she
raised the bottom of the canvas and looked beneath and beyond. There was no one
in sight upon that side. Throwing herself upon her stomach she wormed beneath
the tent wall just as Malbihn, with a final word to his men, entered the tent.
</p>

<p>
Meriem heard him cross the floor, and then she rose and, stooping low, ran to a
native hut directly behind. Once inside this she turned and glanced back. There
was no one in sight. She had not been seen. And now from Malbihn&rsquo;s tent
she heard a great cursing. The Swede had discovered the rifling of his box. He
was shouting to his men, and as she heard them reply Meriem darted from the hut
and ran toward the edge of the <i>boma</i> furthest from Malbihn&rsquo;s tent.
Overhanging the <i>boma</i> at this point was a tree that had been too large,
in the eyes of the rest-loving blacks, to cut down. So they had terminated the
<i>boma</i> just short of it. Meriem was thankful for whatever circumstance had
resulted in the leaving of that particular tree where it was, since it gave her
the much-needed avenue of escape which she might not otherwise have had.
</p>

<p>
From her hiding place she saw Malbihn again enter the jungle, this time leaving
a guard of three of his boys in the camp. He went toward the south, and after
he had disappeared, Meriem skirted the outside of the enclosure and made her
way to the river. Here lay the canoes that had been used in bringing the party
from the opposite shore. They were unwieldy things for a lone girl to handle,
but there was no other way and she must cross the river.
</p>

<p>
The landing place was in full view of the guard at the camp. To risk the
crossing under their eyes would have meant undoubted capture. Her only hope lay
in waiting until darkness had fallen, unless some fortuitous circumstance
should arise before. For an hour she lay watching the guard, one of whom seemed
always in a position where he would immediately discover her should she attempt
to launch one of the canoes.
</p>

<p>
Presently Malbihn appeared, coming out of the jungle, hot and puffing. He ran
immediately to the river where the canoes lay and counted them. It was evident
that it had suddenly occurred to him that the girl must cross here if she
wished to return to her protectors. The expression of relief on his face when
he found that none of the canoes was gone was ample evidence of what was
passing in his mind. He turned and spoke hurriedly to the head man who had
followed him out of the jungle and with whom were several other blacks.
</p>

<p>
Following Malbihn&rsquo;s instructions they launched all the canoes but one.
Malbihn called to the guards in the camp and a moment later the entire party
had entered the boats and were paddling up stream.
</p>

<p>
Meriem watched them until a bend in the river directly above the camp hid them
from her sight. They were gone! She was alone, and they had left a canoe in
which lay a paddle! She could scarce believe the good fortune that had come to
her. To delay now would be suicidal to her hopes. Quickly she ran from her
hiding place and dropped to the ground. A dozen yards lay between her and the
canoe.
</p>

<p>
Up stream, beyond the bend, Malbihn ordered his canoes in to shore. He landed
with his head man and crossed the little point slowly in search of a spot where
he might watch the canoe he had left at the landing place. He was smiling in
anticipation of the almost certain success of his stratagem&mdash;sooner or
later the girl would come back and attempt to cross the river in one of their
canoes. It might be that the idea would not occur to her for some time. They
might have to wait a day, or two days; but that she would come if she lived or
was not captured by the men he had scouting the jungle for her Malbihn was
sure. That she would come so soon, however, he had not guessed, and so when he
topped the point and came again within sight of the river he saw that which
drew an angry oath from his lips&mdash;his quarry already was half way across
the river.
</p>

<p>
Turning, he ran rapidly back to his boats, the head man at his heels. Throwing
themselves in, Malbihn urged his paddlers to their most powerful efforts. The
canoes shot out into the stream and down with the current toward the fleeing
quarry. She had almost completed the crossing when they came in sight of her.
At the same instant she saw them, and redoubled her efforts to reach the
opposite shore before they should overtake her. Two minutes&rsquo; start of
them was all Meriem cared for. Once in the trees she knew that she could
outdistance and elude them. Her hopes were high&mdash;they could not overtake
her now&mdash;she had had too good a start of them.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn, urging his men onward with a stream of hideous oaths and blows from
his fists, realized that the girl was again slipping from his clutches. The
leading canoe, in the bow of which he stood, was yet a hundred yards behind the
fleeing Meriem when she ran the point of her craft beneath the overhanging
trees on the shore of safety.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn screamed to her to halt. He seemed to have gone mad with rage at the
realization that he could not overtake her, and then he threw his rifle to his
shoulder, aimed carefully at the slim figure scrambling into the trees, and
fired.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn was an excellent shot. His misses at so short a distance were
practically non-existent, nor would he have missed this time but for an
accident occurring at the very instant that his finger tightened upon the
trigger&mdash;an accident to which Meriem owed her life&mdash;the providential
presence of a water-logged tree trunk, one end of which was embedded in the mud
of the river bottom and the other end of which floated just beneath the surface
where the prow of Malbihn&rsquo;s canoe ran upon it as he fired. The slight
deviation of the boat&rsquo;s direction was sufficient to throw the muzzle of
the rifle out of aim. The bullet whizzed harmlessly by Meriem&rsquo;s head and
an instant later she had disappeared into the foliage of the tree.
</p>

<p>
There was a smile on her lips as she dropped to the ground to cross a little
clearing where once had stood a native village surrounded by its fields. The
ruined huts still stood in crumbling decay. The rank vegetation of the jungle
overgrew the cultivated ground. Small trees already had sprung up in what had
been the village street; but desolation and loneliness hung like a pall above
the scene. To Meriem, however, it presented but a place denuded of large trees
which she must cross quickly to regain the jungle upon the opposite side before
Malbihn should have landed.
</p>

<p>
The deserted huts were, to her, all the better because they were
deserted&mdash;she did not see the keen eyes watching her from a dozen points,
from tumbling doorways, from behind tottering granaries. In utter
unconsciousness of impending danger she started up the village street because
it offered the clearest pathway to the jungle.
</p>

<p>
A mile away toward the east, fighting his way through the jungle along the
trail taken by Malbihn when he had brought Meriem to his camp, a man in torn
khaki&mdash;filthy, haggard, unkempt&mdash;came to a sudden stop as the report
of Malbihn&rsquo;s rifle resounded faintly through the tangled forest. The
black man just ahead of him stopped, too.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We are almost there, Bwana,&rdquo; he said. There was awe and respect in
his tone and manner.
</p>

<p>
The white man nodded and motioned his ebon guide forward once more. It was the
Hon. Morison Baynes&mdash;the fastidious&mdash;the exquisite. His face and
hands were scratched and smeared with dried blood from the wounds he had come
by in thorn and thicket. His clothes were tatters. But through the blood and
the dirt and the rags a new Baynes shone forth&mdash;a handsomer Baynes than
the dandy and the fop of yore.
</p>

<p>
In the heart and soul of every son of woman lies the germ of manhood and honor.
Remorse for a scurvy act, and an honorable desire to right the wrong he had
done the woman he now knew he really loved had excited these germs to rapid
growth in Morison Baynes&mdash;and the metamorphosis had taken place.
</p>

<p>
Onward the two stumbled toward the point from which the single rifle shot had
come. The black was unarmed&mdash;Baynes, fearing his loyalty had not dared
trust him even to carry the rifle which the white man would have been glad to
be relieved of many times upon the long march; but now that they were
approaching their goal, and knowing as he did that hatred of Malbihn burned hot
in the black man&rsquo;s brain, Baynes handed him the rifle, for he guessed
that there would be fighting&mdash;he intended that there should, for he had
come to avenge. Himself, an excellent revolver shot, would depend upon the
smaller weapon at his side.
</p>

<p>
As the two forged ahead toward their goal they were startled by a volley of
shots ahead of them. Then came a few scattering reports, some savage yells, and
silence. Baynes was frantic in his endeavors to advance more rapidly, but there
the jungle seemed a thousand times more tangled than before. A dozen times he
tripped and fell. Twice the black followed a blind trail and they were forced
to retrace their steps; but at last they came out into a little clearing near
the big <i>afi</i>&mdash;a clearing that once held a thriving village, but lay
somber and desolate in decay and ruin.
</p>

<p>
In the jungle vegetation that overgrew what had once been the main village
street lay the body of a black man, pierced through the heart with a bullet,
and still warm. Baynes and his companion looked about in all directions; but no
sign of living being could they discover. They stood in silence listening
intently.
</p>

<p>
What was that! Voices and the dip of paddles out upon the river?
</p>

<p>
Baynes ran across the dead village toward the fringe of jungle upon the
river&rsquo;s brim. The black was at his side. Together they forced their way
through the screening foliage until they could obtain a view of the river, and
there, almost to the other shore, they saw Malbihn&rsquo;s canoes making
rapidly for camp. The black recognized his companions immediately.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;How can we cross?&rdquo; asked Baynes.
</p>

<p>
The black shook his head. There was no canoe and the crocodiles made it
equivalent to suicide to enter the water in an attempt to swim across. Just
then the fellow chanced to glance downward. Beneath him, wedged among the
branches of a tree, lay the canoe in which Meriem had escaped. The Negro
grasped Baynes&rsquo; arm and pointed toward his find. The Hon. Morison could
scarce repress a shout of exultation. Quickly the two slid down the drooping
branches into the boat. The black seized the paddle and Baynes shoved them out
from beneath the tree. A second later the canoe shot out upon the bosom of the
river and headed toward the opposite shore and the camp of the Swede. Baynes
squatted in the bow, straining his eyes after the men pulling the other canoes
upon the bank across from him. He saw Malbihn step from the bow of the foremost
of the little craft. He saw him turn and glance back across the river. He could
see his start of surprise as his eyes fell upon the pursuing canoe, and called
the attention of his followers to it.
</p>

<p>
Then he stood waiting, for there was but one canoe and two men&mdash;little
danger to him and his followers in that. Malbihn was puzzled. Who was this
white man? He did not recognize him though Baynes&rsquo; canoe was now in mid
stream and the features of both its occupants plainly discernible to those on
shore. One of Malbihn&rsquo;s blacks it was who first recognized his fellow
black in the person of Baynes&rsquo; companion. Then Malbihn guessed who the
white man must be, though he could scarce believe his own reasoning. It seemed
beyond the pale of wildest conjecture to suppose that the Hon. Morison Baynes
had followed him through the jungle with but a single companion&mdash;and yet
it was true. Beneath the dirt and dishevelment he recognized him at last, and
in the necessity of admitting that it was he, Malbihn was forced to recognize
the incentive that had driven Baynes, the weakling and coward, through the
savage jungle upon his trail.
</p>

<p>
The man had come to demand an accounting and to avenge. It seemed incredible,
and yet there could be no other explanation. Malbihn shrugged. Well, others had
sought Malbihn for similar reasons in the course of a long and checkered
career. He fingered his rifle, and waited.
</p>

<p>
Now the canoe was within easy speaking distance of the shore.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What do you want?&rdquo; yelled Malbihn, raising his weapon
threateningly.
</p>

<p>
The Hon. Morison Baynes leaped to his feet.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You, damn you!&rdquo; he shouted, whipping out his revolver and firing
almost simultaneously with the Swede.
</p>

<p>
As the two reports rang out Malbihn dropped his rifle, clutched frantically at
his breast, staggered, fell first to his knees and then lunged upon his face.
Baynes stiffened. His head flew back spasmodically. For an instant he stood
thus, and then crumpled very gently into the bottom of the boat.
</p>

<p>
The black paddler was at a loss as to what to do. If Malbihn really were dead
he could continue on to join his fellows without fear; but should the Swede
only be wounded he would be safer upon the far shore. Therefore he hesitated,
holding the canoe in mid stream. He had come to have considerable respect for
his new master and was not unmoved by his death. As he sat gazing at the
crumpled body in the bow of the boat he saw it move. Very feebly the man
essayed to turn over. He still lived. The black moved forward and lifted him to
a sitting position. He was standing in front of him, his paddle in one hand,
asking Baynes where he was hit when there was another shot from shore and the
Negro pitched head-long overboard, his paddle still clutched in his dead
fingers&mdash;shot through the forehead.
</p>

<p>
Baynes turned weakly in the direction of the shore to see Malbihn drawn up upon
his elbows levelling his rifle at him. The Englishman slid to the bottom of the
canoe as a bullet whizzed above him. Malbihn, sore hit, took longer in aiming,
nor was his aim as sure as formerly. With difficulty Baynes turned himself over
on his belly and grasping his revolver in his right hand drew himself up until
he could look over the edge of the canoe.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn saw him instantly and fired; but Baynes did not flinch or duck. With
painstaking care he aimed at the target upon the shore from which he now was
drifting with the current. His finger closed upon the trigger&mdash;there was a
flash and a report, and Malbihn&rsquo;s giant frame jerked to the impact of
another bullet.
</p>

<p>
But he was not yet dead. Again he aimed and fired, the bullet splintering the
gunwale of the canoe close by Baynes&rsquo; face. Baynes fired again as his
canoe drifted further down stream and Malbihn answered from the shore where he
lay in a pool of his own blood. And thus, doggedly, the two wounded men
continued to carry on their weird duel until the winding African river had
carried the Hon. Morison Baynes out of sight around a wooded point.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap23"></a>XXIII.</h2>

<p>
Meriem had traversed half the length of the village street when a score of
white-robed Negroes and half-castes leaped out upon her from the dark interiors
of surrounding huts. She turned to flee, but heavy hands seized her, and when
she turned at last to plead with them her eyes fell upon the face of a tall,
grim, old man glaring down upon her from beneath the folds of his burnous.
</p>

<p>
At sight of him she staggered back in shocked and terrified surprise. It was
The Sheik!
</p>

<p>
Instantly all the old fears and terrors of her childhood returned upon her. She
stood trembling before this horrible old man, as a murderer before the judge
about to pass sentence of death upon him. She knew that The Sheik recognized
her. The years and the changed raiment had not altered her so much but what one
who had known her features so well in childhood would know her now.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;So you have come back to your people, eh?&rdquo; snarled The Sheik.
&ldquo;Come back begging for food and protection, eh?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Let me go,&rdquo; cried the girl. &ldquo;I ask nothing of you, but that
you let me go back to the Big Bwana.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The Big Bwana?&rdquo; almost screamed The Sheik, and then followed a
stream of profane, Arabic invective against the white man whom all the
transgressors of the jungle feared and hated. &ldquo;You would go back to the
Big Bwana, would you? So that is where you have been since you ran away from
me, is it? And who comes now across the river after you&mdash;the Big
Bwana?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The Swede whom you once chased away from your country when he and his
companion conspired with Nbeeda to steal me from you,&rdquo; replied Meriem.
</p>

<p>
The Sheik&rsquo;s eyes blazed, and he called his men to approach the shore and
hide among the bushes that they might ambush and annihilate Malbihn and his
party; but Malbihn already had landed and crawling through the fringe of jungle
was at that very moment looking with wide and incredulous eyes upon the scene
being enacted in the street of the deserted village. He recognized The Sheik
the moment his eyes fell upon him. There were two men in the world that Malbihn
feared as he feared the devil. One was the Big Bwana and the other The Sheik. A
single glance he took at that gaunt, familiar figure and then he turned tail
and scurried back to his canoe calling his followers after him. And so it
happened that the party was well out in the stream before The Sheik reached the
shore, and after a volley and a few parting shots that were returned from the
canoes the Arab called his men off and securing his prisoner set off toward the
South.
</p>

<p>
One of the bullets from Malbihn&rsquo;s force had struck a black standing in
the village street where he had been left with another to guard Meriem, and his
companions had left him where he had fallen, after appropriating his apparel
and belongings. His was the body that Baynes had discovered when he had entered
the village.
</p>

<p>
The Sheik and his party had been marching southward along the river when one of
them, dropping out of line to fetch water, had seen Meriem paddling desperately
from the opposite shore. The fellow had called The Sheik&rsquo;s attention to
the strange sight&mdash;a white woman alone in Central Africa and the old Arab
had hidden his men in the deserted village to capture her when she landed, for
thoughts of ransom were always in the mind of The Sheik. More than once before
had glittering gold filtered through his fingers from a similar source. It was
easy money and The Sheik had none too much easy money since the Big Bwana had
so circumscribed the limits of his ancient domain that he dared not even steal
ivory from natives within two hundred miles of the Big Bwana&rsquo;s
<i>douar</i>. And when at last the woman had walked into the trap he had set
for her and he had recognized her as the same little girl he had brutalized and
mal-treated years before his gratification had been huge. Now he lost no time
in establishing the old relations of father and daughter that had existed
between them in the past. At the first opportunity he struck her a heavy blow
across the face. He forced her to walk when he might have dismounted one of his
men instead, or had her carried on a horse&rsquo;s rump. He seemed to revel in
the discovery of new methods for torturing or humiliating her, and among all
his followers she found no single one to offer her sympathy, or who dared
defend her, even had they had the desire to do so.
</p>

<p>
A two days&rsquo; march brought them at last to the familiar scenes of her
childhood, and the first face upon which she set her eyes as she was driven
through the gates into the strong stockade was that of the toothless, hideous
Mabunu, her one time nurse. It was as though all the years that had intervened
were but a dream. Had it not been for her clothing and the fact that she had
grown in stature she might well have believed it so. All was there as she had
left it&mdash;the new faces which supplanted some of the old were of the same
bestial, degraded type. There were a few young Arabs who had joined The Sheik
since she had been away. Otherwise all was the same&mdash;all but one. Geeka
was not there, and she found herself missing Geeka as though the ivory-headed
one had been a flesh and blood intimate and friend. She missed her ragged
little confidante, into whose deaf ears she had been wont to pour her many
miseries and her occasional joys&mdash;Geeka, of the splinter limbs and the
ratskin torso&mdash;Geeka the disreputable&mdash;Geeka the beloved.
</p>

<p>
For a time the inhabitants of The Sheik&rsquo;s village who had not been upon
the march with him amused themselves by inspecting the strangely clad white
girl, whom some of them had known as a little child. Mabunu pretended great joy
at her return, baring her toothless gums in a hideous grimace that was intended
to be indicative of rejoicing. But Meriem could but shudder as she recalled the
cruelties of this terrible old hag in the years gone by.
</p>

<p>
Among the Arabs who had come in her absence was a tall young fellow of
twenty&mdash;a handsome, sinister looking youth&mdash;who stared at her in open
admiration until The Sheik came and ordered him away, and Abdul Kamak went,
scowling.
</p>

<p>
At last, their curiosity satisfied, Meriem was alone. As of old, she was
permitted the freedom of the village, for the stockade was high and strong and
the only gates were well-guarded by day and by night; but as of old she cared
not for the companionship of the cruel Arabs and the degraded blacks who formed
the following of The Sheik, and so, as had been her wont in the sad days of her
childhood, she slunk down to an unfrequented corner of the enclosure where she
had often played at house-keeping with her beloved Geeka beneath the spreading
branches of the great tree that had overhung the palisade; but now the tree was
gone, and Meriem guessed the reason. It was from this tree that Korak had
descended and struck down The Sheik the day that he had rescued her from the
life of misery and torture that had been her lot for so long that she could
remember no other.
</p>

<p>
There were low bushes growing within the stockade, however, and in the shade of
these Meriem sat down to think. A little glow of happiness warmed her heart as
she recalled her first meeting with Korak and then the long years that he had
cared for and protected her with the solicitude and purity of an elder brother.
For months Korak had not so occupied her thoughts as he did today. He seemed
closer and dearer now than ever he had before, and she wondered that her heart
had drifted so far from loyalty to his memory. And then came the image of the
Hon. Morison, the exquisite, and Meriem was troubled. Did she really love the
flawless young Englishman? She thought of the glories of London, of which he
had told her in such glowing language. She tried to picture herself admired and
honored in the midst of the gayest society of the great capital. The pictures
she drew were the pictures that the Hon. Morison had drawn for her. They were
alluring pictures, but through them all the brawny, half-naked figure of the
giant Adonis of the jungle persisted in obtruding itself.
</p>

<p>
Meriem pressed her hand above her heart as she stifled a sigh, and as she did
so she felt the hard outlines of the photograph she had hidden there as she
slunk from Malbihn&rsquo;s tent. Now she drew it forth and commenced to
re-examine it more carefully than she had had time to do before. She was sure
that the baby face was hers. She studied every detail of the picture. Half
hidden in the lace of the dainty dress rested a chain and locket. Meriem
puckered her brows. What tantalizing half-memories it awakened! Could this
flower of evident civilization be the little Arab Meriem, daughter of The
Sheik? It was impossible, and yet that locket? Meriem knew it. She could not
refute the conviction of her memory. She had seen that locket before and it had
been hers. What strange mystery lay buried in her past?
</p>

<p>
As she sat gazing at the picture she suddenly became aware that she was not
alone&mdash;that someone was standing close behind her&mdash;some one who had
approached her noiselessly. Guiltily she thrust the picture back into her
waist. A hand fell upon her shoulder. She was sure that it was The Sheik and
she awaited in dumb terror the blow that she knew would follow.
</p>

<p>
No blow came and she looked upward over her shoulder&mdash;into the eyes of
Abdul Kamak, the young Arab.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I saw,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;the picture that you have just hidden. It
is you when you were a child&mdash;a very young child. May I see it
again?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem drew away from him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I will give it back,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have heard of you and I
know that you have no love for The Sheik, your father. Neither have I. I will
not betray you. Let me see the picture.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Friendless among cruel enemies, Meriem clutched at the straw that Abdul Kamak
held out to her. Perhaps in him she might find the friend she needed. Anyway he
had seen the picture and if he was not a friend he could tell The Sheik about
it and it would be taken away from her. So she might as well grant his request
and hope that he had spoken fairly, and would deal fairly. She drew the
photograph from its hiding place and handed it to him.
</p>

<p>
Abdul Kamak examined it carefully, comparing it, feature by feature with the
girl sitting on the ground looking up into his face. Slowly he nodded his head.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;it is you, but where was it taken? How does
it happen that The Sheik&rsquo;s daughter is clothed in the garments of the
unbeliever?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I do not know,&rdquo; replied Meriem. &ldquo;I never saw the picture
until a couple of days ago, when I found it in the tent of the Swede,
Malbihn.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Abdul Kamak raised his eyebrows. He turned the picture over and as his eyes
fell upon the old newspaper cutting they went wide. He could read French, with
difficulty, it is true; but he could read it. He had been to Paris. He had
spent six months there with a troupe of his desert fellows, upon exhibition,
and he had improved his time, learning many of the customs, some of the
language, and most of the vices of his conquerors. Now he put his learning to
use. Slowly, laboriously he read the yellowed cutting. His eyes were no longer
wide. Instead they narrowed to two slits of cunning. When he had done he looked
at the girl.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You have read this?&rdquo; he asked.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It is French,&rdquo; she replied, &ldquo;and I do not read
French.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Abdul Kamak stood long in silence looking at the girl. She was very beautiful.
He desired her, as had many other men who had seen her. At last he dropped to
one knee beside her.
</p>

<p>
A wonderful idea had sprung to Abdul Kamak&rsquo;s mind. It was an idea that
might be furthered if the girl were kept in ignorance of the contents of that
newspaper cutting. It would certainly be doomed should she learn its contents.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Meriem,&rdquo; he whispered, &ldquo;never until today have my eyes
beheld you, yet at once they told my heart that it must ever be your servant.
You do not know me, but I ask that you trust me. I can help you. You hate The
Sheik&mdash;so do I. Let me take you away from him. Come with me, and we will
go back to the great desert where my father is a sheik mightier than is yours.
Will you come?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem sat in silence. She hated to wound the only one who had offered her
protection and friendship; but she did not want Abdul Kamak&rsquo;s love.
Deceived by her silence the man seized her and strained her to him; but Meriem
struggled to free herself.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I do not love you,&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;Oh, please do not make me
hate you. You are the only one who has shown kindness toward me, and I want to
like you, but I cannot love you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Abdul Kamak drew himself to his full height.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You will learn to love me,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;for I shall take you
whether you will or no. You hate The Sheik and so you will not tell him, for if
you do I will tell him of the picture. I hate The Sheik, and&mdash;&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You hate The Sheik?&rdquo; came a grim voice from behind them.
</p>

<p>
Both turned to see The Sheik standing a few paces from them. Abdul still held
the picture in his hand. Now he thrust it within his burnous.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I hate the Sheik,&rdquo; and as he spoke he
sprang toward the older man, felled him with a blow and dashed on across the
village to the line where his horse was picketed, saddled and ready, for Abdul
Kamak had been about to ride forth to hunt when he had seen the stranger girl
alone by the bushes.
</p>

<p>
Leaping into the saddle Abdul Kamak dashed for the village gates. The Sheik,
momentarily stunned by the blow that had felled him, now staggered to his feet,
shouting lustily to his followers to stop the escaped Arab. A dozen blacks
leaped forward to intercept the horseman, only to be ridden down or brushed
aside by the muzzle of Abdul Kamak&rsquo;s long musket, which he lashed from
side to side about him as he spurred on toward the gate. But here he must
surely be intercepted. Already the two blacks stationed there were pushing the
unwieldy portals to. Up flew the barrel of the fugitive&rsquo;s weapon. With
reins flying loose and his horse at a mad gallop the son of the desert fired
once&mdash;twice; and both the keepers of the gate dropped in their tracks.
With a wild whoop of exultation, twirling his musket high above his head and
turning in his saddle to laugh back into the faces of his pursuers Abdul Kamak
dashed out of the village of The Sheik and was swallowed up by the jungle.
</p>

<p>
Foaming with rage The Sheik ordered immediate pursuit, and then strode rapidly
back to where Meriem sat huddled by the bushes where he had left her.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The picture!&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;What picture did the dog speak of?
Where is it? Give it to me at once!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;He took it,&rdquo; replied Meriem, dully.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What was it?&rdquo; again demanded The Sheik, seizing the girl roughly
by the hair and dragging her to her feet, where he shook her venomously.
&ldquo;What was it a picture of?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Of me,&rdquo; said Meriem, &ldquo;when I was a little girl. I stole it
from Malbihn, the Swede&mdash;it had printing on the back cut from an old
newspaper.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The Sheik went white with rage.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What said the printing?&rdquo; he asked in a voice so low that she but
barely caught his words.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I do not know. It was in French and I cannot read French.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The Sheik seemed relieved. He almost smiled, nor did he again strike Meriem
before he turned and strode away with the parting admonition that she speak
never again to any other than Mabunu and himself. And along the caravan trail
galloped Abdul Kamak toward the north.
</p>

<p class="p2">
As his canoe drifted out of sight and range of the wounded Swede the Hon.
Morison sank weakly to its bottom where he lay for long hours in partial
stupor.
</p>

<p>
It was night before he fully regained consciousness. And then he lay for a long
time looking up at the stars and trying to recollect where he was, what
accounted for the gently rocking motion of the thing upon which he lay, and why
the position of the stars changed so rapidly and miraculously. For a while he
thought he was dreaming, but when he would have moved to shake sleep from him
the pain of his wound recalled to him the events that had led up to his present
position. Then it was that he realized that he was floating down a great
African river in a native canoe&mdash;alone, wounded, and lost.
</p>

<p>
Painfully he dragged himself to a sitting position. He noticed that the wound
pained him less than he had imagined it would. He felt of it gingerly&mdash;it
had ceased to bleed. Possibly it was but a flesh wound after all, and nothing
serious. If it totally incapacitated him even for a few days it would mean
death, for by that time he would be too weakened by hunger and pain to provide
food for himself.
</p>

<p>
From his own troubles his mind turned to Meriem&rsquo;s. That she had been with
the Swede at the time he had attempted to reach the fellow&rsquo;s camp he
naturally believed; but he wondered what would become of her now. Even if
Hanson died of his wounds would Meriem be any better off? She was in the power
of equally villainous men&mdash;brutal savages of the lowest order. Baynes
buried his face in his hands and rocked back and forth as the hideous picture
of her fate burned itself into his consciousness. And it was he who had brought
this fate upon her! His wicked desire had snatched a pure and innocent girl
from the protection of those who loved her to hurl her into the clutches of the
bestial Swede and his outcast following! And not until it had become too late
had he realized the magnitude of the crime he himself had planned and
contemplated. Not until it had become too late had he realized that greater
than his desire, greater than his lust, greater than any passion he had ever
felt before was the newborn love that burned within his breast for the girl he
would have ruined.
</p>

<p>
The Hon. Morison Baynes did not fully realize the change that had taken place
within him. Had one suggested that he ever had been aught than the soul of
honor and chivalry he would have taken umbrage forthwith. He knew that he had
done a vile thing when he had plotted to carry Meriem away to London, yet he
excused it on the ground of his great passion for the girl having temporarily
warped his moral standards by the intensity of its heat. But, as a matter of
fact, a new Baynes had been born. Never again could this man be bent to
dishonor by the intensity of a desire. His moral fiber had been strengthened by
the mental suffering he had endured. His mind and his soul had been purged by
sorrow and remorse.
</p>

<p>
His one thought now was to atone&mdash;win to Meriem&rsquo;s side and lay down
his life, if necessary, in her protection. His eyes sought the length of the
canoe in search of the paddle, for a determination had galvanized him to
immediate action despite his weakness and his wound. But the paddle was gone.
He turned his eyes toward the shore. Dimly through the darkness of a moonless
night he saw the awful blackness of the jungle, yet it touched no responsive
chord of terror within him now as it had done in the past. He did not even
wonder that he was unafraid, for his mind was entirely occupied with thoughts
of another&rsquo;s danger.
</p>

<p>
Drawing himself to his knees he leaned over the edge of the canoe and commenced
to paddle vigorously with his open palm. Though it tired and hurt him he kept
assiduously at his self imposed labor for hours. Little by little the drifting
canoe moved nearer and nearer the shore. The Hon. Morison could hear a lion
roaring directly opposite him and so close that he felt he must be almost to
the shore. He drew his rifle closer to his side; but he did not cease to
paddle.
</p>

<p>
After what seemed to the tired man an eternity of time he felt the brush of
branches against the canoe and heard the swirl of the water about them. A
moment later he reached out and clutched a leafy limb. Again the lion
roared&mdash;very near it seemed now, and Baynes wondered if the brute could
have been following along the shore waiting for him to land.
</p>

<p>
He tested the strength of the limb to which he clung. It seemed strong enough
to support a dozen men. Then he reached down and lifted his rifle from the
bottom of the canoe, slipping the sling over his shoulder. Again he tested the
branch, and then reaching upward as far as he could for a safe hold he drew
himself painfully and slowly upward until his feet swung clear of the canoe,
which, released, floated silently from beneath him to be lost forever in the
blackness of the dark shadows down stream.
</p>

<p>
He had burned his bridges behind him. He must either climb aloft or drop back
into the river; but there had been no other way. He struggled to raise one leg
over the limb, but found himself scarce equal to the effort, for he was very
weak. For a time he hung there feeling his strength ebbing. He knew that he
must gain the branch above at once or it would be too late.
</p>

<p>
Suddenly the lion roared almost in his ear. Baynes glanced up. He saw two spots
of flame a short distance from and above him. The lion was standing on the bank
of the river glaring at him, and&mdash;waiting for him. Well, thought the Hon.
Morison, let him wait. Lions can&rsquo;t climb trees, and if I get into this
one I shall be safe enough from him.
</p>

<p>
The young Englishman&rsquo;s feet hung almost to the surface of the
water&mdash;closer than he knew, for all was pitch dark below as above him.
Presently he heard a slight commotion in the river beneath him and something
banged against one of his feet, followed almost instantly by a sound that he
felt he could not have mistaken&mdash;the click of great jaws snapping
together.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;By George!&rdquo; exclaimed the Hon. Morison, aloud. &ldquo;The beggar
nearly got me,&rdquo; and immediately he struggled again to climb higher and to
comparative safety; but with that final effort he knew that it was futile. Hope
that had survived persistently until now began to wane. He felt his tired,
numbed fingers slipping from their hold&mdash;he was dropping back into the
river&mdash;into the jaws of the frightful death that awaited him there.
</p>

<p>
And then he heard the leaves above him rustle to the movement of a creature
among them. The branch to which he clung bent beneath an added weight&mdash;and
no light weight, from the way it sagged; but still Baynes clung
desperately&mdash;he would not give up voluntarily either to the death above or
the death below.
</p>

<p>
He felt a soft, warm pad upon the fingers of one of his hands where they
circled the branch to which he clung, and then something reached down out of
the blackness above and dragged him up among the branches of the tree.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap24"></a>XXIV.</h2>

<p>
Sometimes lolling upon Tantor&rsquo;s back, sometimes roaming the jungle in
solitude, Korak made his way slowly toward the West and South. He made but a
few miles a day, for he had a whole lifetime before him and no place in
particular to go. Possibly he would have moved more rapidly but for the thought
which continually haunted him that each mile he traversed carried him further
and further away from Meriem&mdash;no longer his Meriem, as of yore, it is
true! but still as dear to him as ever.
</p>

<p>
Thus he came upon the trail of The Sheik&rsquo;s band as it traveled down river
from the point where The Sheik had captured Meriem to his own stockaded
village. Korak pretty well knew who it was that had passed, for there were few
in the great jungle with whom he was not familiar, though it had been years
since he had come this far north. He had no particular business, however, with
the old Sheik and so he did not propose following him&mdash;the further from
men he could stay the better pleased he would be&mdash;he wished that he might
never see a human face again. Men always brought him sorrow and misery.
</p>

<p>
The river suggested fishing and so he dawdled upon its shores, catching fish
after a fashion of his own devising and eating them raw. When night came he
curled up in a great tree beside the stream&mdash;the one from which he had
been fishing during the afternoon&mdash;and was soon asleep. Numa, roaring
beneath him, awoke him. He was about to call out in anger to his noisy neighbor
when something else caught his attention. He listened. Was there something in
the tree beside himself? Yes, he heard the noise of something below him trying
to clamber upward. Presently he heard the click of a crocodile&rsquo;s jaws in
the waters beneath, and then, low but distinct: &ldquo;By George! The beggar
nearly got me.&rdquo; The voice was familiar.
</p>

<p>
Korak glanced downward toward the speaker. Outlined against the faint
luminosity of the water he saw the figure of a man clinging to a lower branch
of the tree. Silently and swiftly the ape-man clambered downward. He felt a
hand beneath his foot. He reached down and clutched the figure beneath him and
dragged it up among the branches. It struggled weakly and struck at him; but
Korak paid no more attention than Tantor to an ant. He lugged his burden to the
higher safety and greater comfort of a broad crotch, and there he propped it in
a sitting position against the bole of the tree. Numa still was roaring beneath
them, doubtless in anger that he had been robbed of his prey. Korak shouted
down at him, calling him, in the language of the great apes, &ldquo;Old
green-eyed eater of carrion,&rdquo; &ldquo;Brother of Dango,&rdquo; the hyena,
and other choice appellations of jungle opprobrium.
</p>

<p>
The Hon. Morison Baynes, listening, felt assured that a gorilla had seized upon
him. He felt for his revolver, and as he was drawing it stealthily from its
holster a voice asked in perfectly good English, &ldquo;Who are you?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Baynes started so that he nearly fell from the branch.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;My God!&rdquo; he exclaimed. &ldquo;Are you a man?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What did you think I was?&rdquo; asked Korak.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;A gorilla,&rdquo; replied Baynes, honestly.
</p>

<p>
Korak laughed.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Who are you?&rdquo; he repeated.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an Englishman by the name of Baynes; but who the devil are
you?&rdquo; asked the Hon. Morison.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;They call me The Killer,&rdquo; replied Korak, giving the English
translation of the name that Akut had given him. And then after a pause during
which the Hon. Morison attempted to pierce the darkness and catch a glimpse of
the features of the strange being into whose hands he had fallen, &ldquo;You
are the same whom I saw kissing the girl at the edge of the great plain to the
East, that time that the lion charged you?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Baynes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What are you doing here?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The girl was stolen&mdash;I am trying to rescue her.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Stolen!&rdquo; The word was shot out like a bullet from a gun.
&ldquo;Who stole her?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The Swede trader, Hanson,&rdquo; replied Baynes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Where is he?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Baynes related to Korak all that had transpired since he had come upon
Hanson&rsquo;s camp. Before he was done the first gray dawn had relieved the
darkness. Korak made the Englishman comfortable in the tree. He filled his
canteen from the river and fetched him fruits to eat. Then he bid him good-bye.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am going to the Swede&rsquo;s camp,&rdquo; he announced. &ldquo;I will
bring the girl back to you here.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I shall go, too, then,&rdquo; insisted Baynes. &ldquo;It is my right and
my duty, for she was to have become my wife.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Korak winced. &ldquo;You are wounded. You could not make the trip,&rdquo; he
said. &ldquo;I can go much faster alone.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Go, then,&rdquo; replied Baynes; &ldquo;but I shall follow. It is my
right and duty.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;As you will,&rdquo; replied Korak, with a shrug. If the man wanted to be
killed it was none of his affair. He wanted to kill him himself, but for
Meriem&rsquo;s sake he would not. If she loved him then he must do what he
could to preserve him, but he could not prevent his following him, more than to
advise him against it, and this he did, earnestly.
</p>

<p>
And so Korak set out rapidly toward the North, and limping slowly and painfully
along, soon far to the rear, came the tired and wounded Baynes. Korak had
reached the river bank opposite Malbihn&rsquo;s camp before Baynes had covered
two miles. Late in the afternoon the Englishman was still plodding wearily
along, forced to stop often for rest when he heard the sound of the galloping
feet of a horse behind him. Instinctively he drew into the concealing foliage
of the underbrush and a moment later a white-robed Arab dashed by. Baynes did
not hail the rider. He had heard of the nature of the Arabs who penetrate thus
far to the South, and what he had heard had convinced him that a snake or a
panther would as quickly befriend him as one of these villainous renegades from
the Northland.
</p>

<p>
When Abdul Kamak had passed out of sight toward the North Baynes resumed his
weary march. A half hour later he was again surprised by the unmistakable sound
of galloping horses. This time there were many. Once more he sought a hiding
place; but it chanced that he was crossing a clearing which offered little
opportunity for concealment. He broke into a slow trot&mdash;the best that he
could do in his weakened condition; but it did not suffice to carry him to
safety and before he reached the opposite side of the clearing a band of
white-robed horsemen dashed into view behind him.
</p>

<p>
At sight of him they shouted in Arabic, which, of course, he could not
understand, and then they closed about him, threatening and angry. Their
questions were unintelligible to him, and no more could they interpret his
English. At last, evidently out of patience, the leader ordered two of his men
to seize him, which they lost no time in doing. They disarmed him and ordered
him to climb to the rump of one of the horses, and then the two who had been
detailed to guard him turned and rode back toward the South, while the others
continued their pursuit of Abdul Kamak.
</p>

<p>
As Korak came out upon the bank of the river across from which he could see the
camp of Malbihn he was at a loss as to how he was to cross. He could see men
moving about among the huts inside the <i>boma</i>&mdash;evidently Hanson was
still there. Korak did not know the true identity of Meriem&rsquo;s abductor.
</p>

<p>
How was he to cross. Not even he would dare the perils of the
river&mdash;almost certain death. For a moment he thought, then wheeled and
sped away into the jungle, uttering a peculiar cry, shrill and piercing. Now
and again he would halt to listen as though for an answer to his weird call,
then on again, deeper and deeper into the wood.
</p>

<p>
At last his listening ears were rewarded by the sound they craved&mdash;the
trumpeting of a bull elephant, and a few moments later Korak broke through the
trees into the presence of Tantor, standing with upraised trunk, waving his
great ears.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Quick, Tantor!&rdquo; shouted the ape-man, and the beast swung him to
his head. &ldquo;Hurry!&rdquo; and the mighty pachyderm lumbered off through
the jungle, guided by kicking of naked heels against the sides of his head.
</p>

<p>
Toward the northwest Korak guided his huge mount, until they came out upon the
river a mile or more above the Swede&rsquo;s camp, at a point where Korak knew
that there was an elephant ford. Never pausing the ape-man urged the beast into
the river, and with trunk held high Tantor forged steadily toward the opposite
bank. Once an unwary crocodile attacked him but the sinuous trunk dove beneath
the surface and grasping the amphibian about the middle dragged it to light and
hurled it a hundred feet down stream. And so, in safety, they made the opposite
shore, Korak perched high and dry above the turgid flood.
</p>

<p>
Then back toward the South Tantor moved, steadily, relentlessly, and with a
swinging gait which took no heed of any obstacle other than the larger jungle
trees. At times Korak was forced to abandon the broad head and take to the
trees above, so close the branches raked the back of the elephant; but at last
they came to the edge of the clearing where lay the camp of the renegade Swede,
nor even then did they hesitate or halt. The gate lay upon the east side of the
camp, facing the river. Tantor and Korak approached from the north. There was
no gate there; but what cared Tantor or Korak for gates.
</p>

<p>
At a word from the ape man and raising his tender trunk high above the thorns
Tantor breasted the <i>boma</i>, walking through it as though it had not
existed. A dozen blacks squatted before their huts looked up at the noise of
his approach. With sudden howls of terror and amazement they leaped to their
feet and fled for the open gates. Tantor would have pursued. He hated man, and
he thought that Korak had come to hunt these; but the ape man held him back,
guiding him toward a large, canvas tent that rose in the center of the
clearing&mdash;there should be the girl and her abductor.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn lay in a hammock beneath canopy before his tent. His wounds were
painful and he had lost much blood. He was very weak. He looked up in surprise
as he heard the screams of his men and saw them running toward the gate. And
then from around the corner of his tent loomed a huge bulk, and Tantor, the
great tusker, towered above him. Malbihn&rsquo;s boy, feeling neither affection
nor loyalty for his master, broke and ran at the first glimpse of the beast,
and Malbihn was left alone and helpless.
</p>

<p>
The elephant stopped a couple of paces from the wounded man&rsquo;s hammock.
Malbihn cowered, moaning. He was too weak to escape. He could only lie there
with staring eyes gazing in horror into the blood rimmed, angry little orbs
fixed upon him, and await his death.
</p>

<p>
Then, to his astonishment, a man slid to the ground from the elephant&rsquo;s
back. Almost at once Malbihn recognized the strange figure as that of the
creature who consorted with apes and baboons&mdash;the white warrior of the
jungle who had freed the king baboon and led the whole angry horde of hairy
devils upon him and Jenssen. Malbihn cowered still lower.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Where is the girl?&rdquo; demanded Korak, in English.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What girl?&rdquo; asked Malbihn. &ldquo;There is no girl here&mdash;only
the women of my boys. Is it one of them you want?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The white girl,&rdquo; replied Korak. &ldquo;Do not lie to me&mdash;you
lured her from her friends. You have her. Where is she?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It was not I,&rdquo; cried Malbihn. &ldquo;It was an Englishman who
hired me to steal her. He wished to take her to London with him. She was
willing to go. His name is Baynes. Go to him, if you want to know where the
girl is.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I have just come from him,&rdquo; said Korak. &ldquo;He sent me to you.
The girl is not with him. Now stop your lying and tell me the truth. Where is
she?&rdquo; Korak took a threatening step toward the Swede.
</p>

<p>
Malbihn shrank from the anger in the other&rsquo;s face.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I will tell you,&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;Do not harm me and I will tell
you all that I know. I had the girl here; but it was Baynes who persuaded her
to leave her friends&mdash;he had promised to marry her. He does not know who
she is; but I do, and I know that there is a great reward for whoever takes her
back to her people. It was the only reward I wanted. But she escaped and
crossed the river in one of my canoes. I followed her, but The Sheik was there,
God knows how, and he captured her and attacked me and drove me back. Then came
Baynes, angry because he had lost the girl, and shot me. If you want her, go to
The Sheik and ask him for her&mdash;she has passed as his daughter since
childhood.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;She is not The Sheik&rsquo;s daughter?&rdquo; asked Korak.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;She is not,&rdquo; replied Malbihn.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Who is she then?&rdquo; asked Korak.
</p>

<p>
Here Malbihn saw his chance. Possibly he could make use of his knowledge after
all&mdash;it might even buy back his life for him. He was not so credulous as
to believe that this savage ape-man would have any compunctions about slaying
him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;When you find her I will tell you,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;if you will
promise to spare my life and divide the reward with me. If you kill me you will
never know, for only The Sheik knows and he will never tell. The girl herself
is ignorant of her origin.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;If you have told me the truth I will spare you,&rdquo; said Korak.
&ldquo;I shall go now to The Sheik&rsquo;s village and if the girl is not there
I shall return and slay you. As for the other information you have, if the girl
wants it when we have found her we will find a way to purchase it from
you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The look in the Killer&rsquo;s eyes and his emphasis of the word
&ldquo;purchase&rdquo; were none too reassuring to Malbihn. Evidently, unless
he found means to escape, this devil would have both his secret and his life
before he was done with him. He wished he would be gone and take his evil-eyed
companion away with him. The swaying bulk towering high above him, and the ugly
little eyes of the elephant watching his every move made Malbihn nervous.
</p>

<p>
Korak stepped into the Swede&rsquo;s tent to assure himself that Meriem was not
hid there. As he disappeared from view Tantor, his eyes still fixed upon
Malbihn, took a step nearer the man. An elephant&rsquo;s eyesight is none too
good; but the great tusker evidently had harbored suspicions of this
yellow-bearded white man from the first. Now he advanced his snake-like trunk
toward the Swede, who shrank still deeper into his hammock.
</p>

<p>
The sensitive member felt and smelled back and forth along the body of the
terrified Malbihn. Tantor uttered a low, rumbling sound. His little eyes
blazed. At last he had recognized the creature who had killed his mate long
years before. Tantor, the elephant, never forgets and never forgives. Malbihn
saw in the demoniacal visage above him the murderous purpose of the beast. He
shrieked aloud to Korak. &ldquo;Help! Help! The devil is going to kill
me!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Korak ran from the tent just in time to see the enraged elephant&rsquo;s trunk
encircle the beast&rsquo;s victim, and then hammock, canopy and man were swung
high over Tantor&rsquo;s head. Korak leaped before the animal, commanding him
to put down his prey unharmed; but as well might he have ordered the eternal
river to reverse its course. Tantor wheeled around like a cat, hurled Malbihn
to the earth and kneeled upon him with the quickness of a cat. Then he gored
the prostrate thing through and through with his mighty tusks, trumpeting and
roaring in his rage, and at last, convinced that no slightest spark of life
remained in the crushed and lacerated flesh, he lifted the shapeless clay that
had been Sven Malbihn far aloft and hurled the bloody mass, still entangled in
canopy and hammock, over the <i>boma</i> and out into the jungle.
</p>

<p>
Korak stood looking sorrowfully on at the tragedy he gladly would have averted.
He had no love for the Swede, in fact only hatred; but he would have preserved
the man for the sake of the secret he possessed. Now that secret was gone
forever unless The Sheik could be made to divulge it; but in that possibility
Korak placed little faith.
</p>

<p>
The ape-man, as unafraid of the mighty Tantor as though he had not just
witnessed his shocking murder of a human being, signalled the beast to approach
and lift him to its head, and Tantor came as he was bid, docile as a kitten,
and hoisted The Killer tenderly aloft.
</p>

<p>
From the safety of their hiding places in the jungle Malbihn&rsquo;s boys had
witnessed the killing of their master, and now, with wide, frightened eyes,
they saw the strange white warrior, mounted upon the head of his ferocious
charger, disappear into the jungle at the point from which he had emerged upon
their terrified vision.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap25"></a>XXV.</h2>

<p>
The Sheik glowered at the prisoner which his two men brought back to him from
the North. He had sent the party after Abdul Kamak, and he was wroth that
instead of his erstwhile lieutenant they had sent back a wounded and useless
Englishman. Why had they not dispatched him where they had found him? He was
some penniless beggar of a trader who had wandered from his own district and
became lost. He was worthless. The Sheik scowled terribly upon him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Who are you?&rdquo; he asked in French.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am the Hon. Morison Baynes of London,&rdquo; replied his prisoner.
</p>

<p>
The title sounded promising, and at once the wily old robber had visions of
ransom. His intentions, if not his attitude toward the prisoner underwent a
change&mdash;he would investigate further.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What were you doing poaching in my country?&rdquo; growled he.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I was not aware that you owned Africa,&rdquo; replied the Hon. Morison.
&ldquo;I was searching for a young woman who had been abducted from the home of
a friend. The abductor wounded me and I drifted down river in a canoe&mdash;I
was on my way back to his camp when your men seized me.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;A young woman?&rdquo; asked The Sheik. &ldquo;Is that she?&rdquo; and he
pointed to his left over toward a clump of bushes near the stockade.
</p>

<p>
Baynes looked in the direction indicated and his eyes went wide, for there,
sitting cross-legged upon the ground, her back toward them, was Meriem.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Meriem!&rdquo; he shouted, starting toward her; but one of his guards
grasped his arm and jerked him back. The girl leaped to her feet and turned
toward him as she heard her name.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Morison!&rdquo; she cried.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Be still, and stay where you are,&rdquo; snapped The Sheik, and then to
Baynes. &ldquo;So you are the dog of a Christian who stole my daughter from
me?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Your daughter?&rdquo; ejaculated Baynes. &ldquo;She is your
daughter?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;She is my daughter,&rdquo; growled the Arab, &ldquo;and she is not for
any unbeliever. You have earned death, Englishman, but if you can pay for your
life I will give it to you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Baynes&rsquo; eyes were still wide at the unexpected sight of Meriem here in
the camp of the Arab when he had thought her in Hanson&rsquo;s power. What had
happened? How had she escaped the Swede? Had the Arab taken her by force from
him, or had she escaped and come voluntarily back to the protection of the man
who called her &ldquo;daughter&rdquo;? He would have given much for a word with
her. If she was safe here he might only harm her by antagonizing the Arab in an
attempt to take her away and return her to her English friends. No longer did
the Hon. Morison harbor thoughts of luring the girl to London.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Well?&rdquo; asked The Sheik.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Oh,&rdquo; exclaimed Baynes; &ldquo;I beg your pardon&mdash;I was
thinking of something else. Why yes, of course, glad to pay, I&rsquo;m sure.
How much do you think I&rsquo;m worth?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The Sheik named a sum that was rather less exorbitant than the Hon. Morison had
anticipated. The latter nodded his head in token of his entire willingness to
pay. He would have promised a sum far beyond his resources just as readily, for
he had no intention of paying anything&mdash;his one reason for seeming to
comply with The Sheik&rsquo;s demands was that the wait for the coming of the
ransom money would give him the time and the opportunity to free Meriem if he
found that she wished to be freed. The Arab&rsquo;s statement that he was her
father naturally raised the question in the Hon. Morison&rsquo;s mind as to
precisely what the girl&rsquo;s attitude toward escape might be. It seemed, of
course, preposterous that this fair and beautiful young woman should prefer to
remain in the filthy <i>douar</i> of an illiterate old Arab rather than return
to the comforts, luxuries, and congenial associations of the hospitable African
bungalow from which the Hon. Morison had tricked her. The man flushed at the
thought of his duplicity which these recollections aroused&mdash;thoughts which
were interrupted by The Sheik, who instructed the Hon. Morison to write a
letter to the British consul at Algiers, dictating the exact phraseology of it
with a fluency that indicated to his captive that this was not the first time
the old rascal had had occasion to negotiate with English relatives for the
ransom of a kinsman. Baynes demurred when he saw that the letter was addressed
to the consul at Algiers, saying that it would require the better part of a
year to get the money back to him; but The Sheik would not listen to
Baynes&rsquo; plan to send a messenger directly to the nearest coast town, and
from there communicate with the nearest cable station, sending the Hon.
Morison&rsquo;s request for funds straight to his own solicitors. No, The Sheik
was cautious and wary. He knew his own plan had worked well in the past. In the
other were too many untried elements. He was in no hurry for the money&mdash;he
could wait a year, or two years if necessary; but it should not require over
six months. He turned to one of the Arabs who had been standing behind him and
gave the fellow instructions in relation to the prisoner.
</p>

<p>
Baynes could not understand the words, spoken in Arabic, but the jerk of the
thumb toward him showed that he was the subject of conversation. The Arab
addressed by The Sheik bowed to his master and beckoned Baynes to follow him.
The Englishman looked toward The Sheik for confirmation. The latter nodded
impatiently, and the Hon. Morison rose and followed his guide toward a native
hut which lay close beside one of the outside goatskin tents. In the dark,
stifling interior his guard led him, then stepped to the doorway and called to
a couple of black boys squatting before their own huts. They came promptly and
in accordance with the Arab&rsquo;s instructions bound Baynes&rsquo; wrists and
ankles securely. The Englishman objected strenuously; but as neither the blacks
nor the Arab could understand a word he said his pleas were wasted. Having
bound him they left the hut. The Hon. Morison lay for a long time contemplating
the frightful future which awaited him during the long months which must
intervene before his friends learned of his predicament and could get succor to
him. Now he hoped that they would send the ransom&mdash;he would gladly pay all
that he was worth to be out of this hole. At first it had been his intention to
cable his solicitors to send no money but to communicate with the British West
African authorities and have an expedition sent to his aid.
</p>

<p>
His patrician nose wrinkled in disgust as his nostrils were assailed by the
awful stench of the hut. The nasty grasses upon which he lay exuded the
effluvium of sweaty bodies, of decayed animal matter and of offal. But worse
was yet to come. He had lain in the uncomfortable position in which they had
thrown him but for a few minutes when he became distinctly conscious of an
acute itching sensation upon his hands, his neck and scalp. He wriggled to a
sitting posture horrified and disgusted. The itching rapidly extended to other
parts of his body&mdash;it was torture, and his hands were bound securely at
his back!
</p>

<p>
He tugged and pulled at his bonds until he was exhausted; but not entirely
without hope, for he was sure that he was working enough slack out of the knot
to eventually permit of his withdrawing one of his hands. Night came. They
brought him neither food nor drink. He wondered if they expected him to live on
nothing for a year. The bites of the vermin grew less annoying though not less
numerous. The Hon. Morison saw a ray of hope in this indication of future
immunity through inoculation. He still worked weakly at his bonds, and then the
rats came. If the vermin were disgusting the rats were terrifying. They
scurried over his body, squealing and fighting. Finally one commenced to chew
at one of his ears. With an oath, the Hon. Morison struggled to a sitting
posture. The rats retreated. He worked his legs beneath him and came to his
knees, and then, by superhuman effort, rose to his feet. There he stood,
reeling drunkenly, dripping with cold sweat.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;God!&rdquo; he muttered, &ldquo;what have I done to
deserve&mdash;&rdquo; He paused. What had he done? He thought of the girl in
another tent in that accursed village. He was getting his deserts. He set his
jaws firmly with the realization. He would never complain again! At that moment
he became aware of voices raised angrily in the goatskin tent close beside the
hut in which he lay. One of them was a woman&rsquo;s. Could it be
Meriem&rsquo;s? The language was probably Arabic&mdash;he could not understand
a word of it; but the tones were hers.
</p>

<p>
He tried to think of some way of attracting her attention to his near presence.
If she could remove his bonds they might escape together&mdash;if she wished to
escape. That thought bothered him. He was not sure of her status in the
village. If she were the petted child of the powerful Sheik then she would
probably not care to escape. He must know, definitely.
</p>

<p>
At the bungalow he had often heard Meriem sing God Save the King, as My Dear
accompanied her on the piano. Raising his voice he now hummed the tune.
Immediately he heard Meriem&rsquo;s voice from the tent. She spoke rapidly.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Good bye, Morison,&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;If God is good I shall be
dead before morning, for if I still live I shall be worse than dead after
tonight.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Then he heard an angry exclamation in a man&rsquo;s voice, followed by the
sounds of a scuffle. Baynes went white with horror. He struggled frantically
again with his bonds. They were giving. A moment later one hand was free. It
was but the work of an instant then to loose the other. Stooping, he untied the
rope from his ankles, then he straightened and started for the hut doorway bent
on reaching Meriem&rsquo;s side. As he stepped out into the night the figure of
a huge black rose and barred his progress.
</p>

<p class="p2">
When speed was required of him Korak depended upon no other muscles than his
own, and so it was that the moment Tantor had landed him safely upon the same
side of the river as lay the village of The Sheik, the ape-man deserted his
bulky comrade and took to the trees in a rapid race toward the south and the
spot where the Swede had told him Meriem might be. It was dark when he came to
the palisade, strengthened considerably since the day that he had rescued
Meriem from her pitiful life within its cruel confines. No longer did the giant
tree spread its branches above the wooden rampart; but ordinary man-made
defenses were scarce considered obstacles by Korak. Loosening the rope at his
waist he tossed the noose over one of the sharpened posts that composed the
palisade. A moment later his eyes were above the level of the obstacle taking
in all within their range beyond. There was no one in sight close by, and Korak
drew himself to the top and dropped lightly to the ground within the enclosure.
</p>

<p>
Then he commenced his stealthy search of the village. First toward the Arab
tents he made his way, sniffing and listening. He passed behind them searching
for some sign of Meriem. Not even the wild Arab curs heard his passage, so
silently he went&mdash;a shadow passing through shadows. The odor of tobacco
told him that the Arabs were smoking before their tents. The sound of laughter
fell upon his ears, and then from the opposite side of the village came the
notes of a once familiar tune: God Save the King. Korak halted in perplexity.
Who might it be&mdash;the tones were those of a man. He recalled the young
Englishman he had left on the river trail and who had disappeared before he
returned. A moment later there came to him a woman&rsquo;s voice in
reply&mdash;it was Meriem&rsquo;s, and The Killer, quickened into action, slunk
rapidly in the direction of these two voices.
</p>

<p>
The evening meal over Meriem had gone to her pallet in the women&rsquo;s
quarters of The Sheik&rsquo;s tent, a little corner screened off in the rear by
a couple of priceless Persian rugs to form a partition. In these quarters she
had dwelt with Mabunu alone, for The Sheik had no wives. Nor were conditions
altered now after the years of her absence&mdash;she and Mabunu were alone in
the women&rsquo;s quarters.
</p>

<p>
Presently The Sheik came and parted the rugs. He glared through the dim light
of the interior.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Meriem!&rdquo; he called. &ldquo;Come hither.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The girl arose and came into the front of the tent. There the light of a fire
illuminated the interior. She saw Ali ben Kadin, The Sheik&rsquo;s half
brother, squatted upon a rug, smoking. The Sheik was standing. The Sheik and
Ali ben Kadin had had the same father, but Ali ben Kadin&rsquo;s mother had
been a slave&mdash;a West Coast Negress. Ali ben Kadin was old and hideous and
almost black. His nose and part of one cheek were eaten away by disease. He
looked up and grinned as Meriem entered.
</p>

<p>
The Sheik jerked his thumb toward Ali ben Kadin and addressed Meriem.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am getting old,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I shall not live much longer.
Therefore I have given you to Ali ben Kadin, my brother.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
That was all. Ali ben Kadin rose and came toward her. Meriem shrank back,
horrified. The man seized her wrist.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come!&rdquo; he commanded, and dragged her from The Sheik&rsquo;s tent
and to his own.
</p>

<p>
After they had gone The Sheik chuckled. &ldquo;When I send her north in a few
months,&rdquo; he soliloquized, &ldquo;they will know the reward for slaying
the son of the sister of Amor ben Khatour.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
And in Ali ben Kadin&rsquo;s tent Meriem pleaded and threatened, but all to no
avail. The hideous old halfcaste spoke soft words at first, but when Meriem
loosed upon him the vials of her horror and loathing he became enraged, and
rushing upon her seized her in his arms. Twice she tore away from him, and in
one of the intervals during which she managed to elude him she heard
Baynes&rsquo; voice humming the tune that she knew was meant for her ears. At
her reply Ali ben Kadin rushed upon her once again. This time he dragged her
back into the rear apartment of his tent where three Negresses looked up in
stolid indifference to the tragedy being enacted before them.
</p>

<p>
As the Hon. Morison saw his way blocked by the huge frame of the giant black
his disappointment and rage filled him with a bestial fury that transformed him
into a savage beast. With an oath he leaped upon the man before him, the
momentum of his body hurling the black to the ground. There they fought, the
black to draw his knife, the white to choke the life from the black.
</p>

<p>
Baynes&rsquo; fingers shut off the cry for help that the other would have been
glad to voice; but presently the Negro succeeded in drawing his weapon and an
instant later Baynes felt the sharp steel in his shoulder. Again and again the
weapon fell. The white man removed one hand from its choking grip upon the
black throat. He felt around upon the ground beside him searching for some
missile, and at last his fingers touched a stone and closed upon it. Raising it
above his antagonist&rsquo;s head the Hon. Morison drove home a terrific blow.
Instantly the black relaxed&mdash;stunned. Twice more Baynes struck him. Then
he leaped to his feet and ran for the goat skin tent from which he had heard
the voice of Meriem in distress.
</p>

<p>
But before him was another. Naked but for his leopard skin and his loin cloth,
Korak, The Killer, slunk into the shadows at the back of Ali ben Kadin&rsquo;s
tent. The half-caste had just dragged Meriem into the rear chamber as
Korak&rsquo;s sharp knife slit a six foot opening in the tent wall, and Korak,
tall and mighty, sprang through upon the astonished visions of the inmates.
</p>

<p>
Meriem saw and recognized him the instant that he entered the apartment. Her
heart leaped in pride and joy at the sight of the noble figure for which it had
hungered for so long.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Korak!&rdquo; she cried.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Meriem!&rdquo; He uttered the single word as he hurled himself upon the
astonished Ali ben Kadin. The three Negresses leaped from their sleeping mats,
screaming. Meriem tried to prevent them from escaping; but before she could
succeed the terrified blacks had darted through the hole in the tent wall made
by Korak&rsquo;s knife, and were gone screaming through the village.
</p>

<p>
The Killer&rsquo;s fingers closed once upon the throat of the hideous Ali. Once
his knife plunged into the putrid heart&mdash;and Ali ben Kadin lay dead upon
the floor of his tent. Korak turned toward Meriem and at the same moment a
bloody and disheveled apparition leaped into the apartment.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Morison!&rdquo; cried the girl.
</p>

<p>
Korak turned and looked at the new comer. He had been about to take Meriem in
his arms, forgetful of all that might have transpired since last he had seen
her. Then the coming of the young Englishman recalled the scene he had
witnessed in the little clearing, and a wave of misery swept over the ape man.
</p>

<p>
Already from without came the sounds of the alarm that the three Negresses had
started. Men were running toward the tent of Ali ben Kadin. There was no time
to be lost.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Quick!&rdquo; cried Korak, turning toward Baynes, who had scarce yet
realized whether he was facing a friend or foe. &ldquo;Take her to the
palisade, following the rear of the tents. Here is my rope. With it you can
scale the wall and make your escape.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;But you, Korak?&rdquo; cried Meriem.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I will remain,&rdquo; replied the ape-man. &ldquo;I have business with
The Sheik.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem would have demurred, but The Killer seized them both by the shoulders
and hustled them through the slit wall and out into the shadows beyond.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Now run for it,&rdquo; he admonished, and turned to meet and hold those
who were pouring into the tent from the front.
</p>

<p>
The ape-man fought well&mdash;fought as he had never fought before; but the
odds were too great for victory, though he won that which he most
craved&mdash;time for the Englishman to escape with Meriem. Then he was
overwhelmed by numbers, and a few minutes later, bound and guarded, he was
carried to The Sheik&rsquo;s tent.
</p>

<p>
The old men eyed him in silence for a long time. He was trying to fix in his
own mind some form of torture that would gratify his rage and hatred toward
this creature who twice had been the means of his losing possession of Meriem.
The killing of Ali ben Kadin caused him little anger&mdash;always had he hated
the hideous son of his father&rsquo;s hideous slave. The blow that this naked
white warrior had once struck him added fuel to his rage. He could think of
nothing adequate to the creature&rsquo;s offense.
</p>

<p>
And as he sat there looking upon Korak the silence was broken by the trumpeting
of an elephant in the jungle beyond the palisade. A half smile touched
Korak&rsquo;s lips. He turned his head a trifle in the direction from which the
sound had come and then there broke from his lips, a low, weird call. One of
the blacks guarding him struck him across the mouth with the haft of his spear;
but none there knew the significance of his cry.
</p>

<p>
In the jungle Tantor cocked his ears as the sound of Korak&rsquo;s voice fell
upon them. He approached the palisade and lifting his trunk above it, sniffed.
Then he placed his head against the wooden logs and pushed; but the palisade
was strong and only gave a little to the pressure.
</p>

<p>
In The Sheik&rsquo;s tent The Sheik rose at last, and, pointing toward the
bound captive, turned to one of his lieutenants.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Burn him,&rdquo; he commanded. &ldquo;At once. The stake is set.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The guard pushed Korak from The Sheik&rsquo;s presence. They dragged him to the
open space in the center of the village, where a high stake was set in the
ground. It had not been intended for burnings, but offered a convenient place
to tie up refractory slaves that they might be beaten&mdash;ofttimes until
death relieved their agonies.
</p>

<p>
To this stake they bound Korak. Then they brought brush and piled about him,
and The Sheik came and stood by that he might watch the agonies of his victim.
But Korak did not wince even after they had fetched a brand and the flames had
shot up among the dry tinder.
</p>

<p>
Once, then, he raised his voice in the low call that he had given in The
Sheik&rsquo;s tent, and now, from beyond the palisade, came again the
trumpeting of an elephant.
</p>

<p>
Old Tantor had been pushing at the palisade in vain. The sound of Korak&rsquo;s
voice calling him, and the scent of man, his enemy, filled the great beast with
rage and resentment against the dumb barrier that held him back. He wheeled and
shuffled back a dozen paces, then he turned, lifted his trunk and gave voice to
a mighty roaring, trumpet-call of anger, lowered his head and charged like a
huge battering ram of flesh and bone and muscle straight for the mighty
barrier.
</p>

<p>
The palisade sagged and splintered to the impact, and through the breach rushed
the infuriated bull. Korak heard the sounds that the others heard, and he
interpreted them as the others did not. The flames were creeping closer to him
when one of the blacks, hearing a noise behind him turned to see the enormous
bulk of Tantor lumbering toward them. The man screamed and fled, and then the
bull elephant was among them tossing Negroes and Arabs to right and left as he
tore through the flames he feared to the side of the comrade he loved.
</p>

<p>
The Sheik, calling orders to his followers, ran to his tent to get his rifle.
Tantor wrapped his trunk about the body of Korak and the stake to which it was
bound, and tore it from the ground. The flames were searing his sensitive
hide&mdash;sensitive for all its thickness&mdash;so that in his frenzy to both
rescue his friend and escape the hated fire he had all but crushed the life
from the ape-man.
</p>

<p>
Lifting his burden high above his head the giant beast wheeled and raced for
the breach that he had just made in the palisade. The Sheik, rifle in hand,
rushed from his tent directly into the path of the maddened brute. He raised
his weapon and fired once, the bullet missed its mark, and Tantor was upon him,
crushing him beneath those gigantic feet as he raced over him as you and I
might crush out the life of an ant that chanced to be in our pathway.
</p>

<p>
And then, bearing his burden carefully, Tantor, the elephant, entered the
blackness of the jungle.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap26"></a>XXVI.</h2>

<p>
Meriem, dazed by the unexpected sight of Korak whom she had long given up as
dead, permitted herself to be led away by Baynes. Among the tents he guided her
safely to the palisade, and there, following Korak&rsquo;s instructions, the
Englishman pitched a noose over the top of one of the upright logs that formed
the barrier. With difficulty he reached the top and then lowered his hand to
assist Meriem to his side.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Come!&rdquo; he whispered. &ldquo;We must hurry.&rdquo; And then, as
though she had awakened from a sleep, Meriem came to herself. Back there,
fighting her enemies, alone, was Korak&mdash;her Korak. Her place was by his
side, fighting with him and for him. She glanced up at Baynes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Go!&rdquo; she called. &ldquo;Make your way back to Bwana and bring
help. My place is here. You can do no good remaining. Get away while you can
and bring the Big Bwana back with you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Silently the Hon. Morison Baynes slid to the ground inside the palisade to
Meriem&rsquo;s side.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It was only for you that I left him,&rdquo; he said, nodding toward the
tents they had just left. &ldquo;I knew that he could hold them longer than I
and give you a chance to escape that I might not be able to have given you. It
was I though who should have remained. I heard you call him Korak and so I know
now who he is. He befriended you. I would have wronged you.
No&mdash;don&rsquo;t interrupt. I&rsquo;m going to tell you the truth now and
let you know just what a beast I have been. I planned to take you to London, as
you know; but I did not plan to marry you. Yes, shrink from me&mdash;I deserve
it. I deserve your contempt and loathing; but I didn&rsquo;t know then what
love was. Since I have learned that I have learned something else&mdash;what a
cad and what a coward I have been all my life. I looked down upon those whom I
considered my social inferiors. I did not think you good enough to bear my
name. Since Hanson tricked me and took you for himself I have been through
hell; but it has made a man of me, though too late. Now I can come to you with
an offer of honest love, which will realize the honor of having such as you
share my name with me.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
For a moment Meriem was silent, buried in thought. Her first question seemed
irrelevant.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;How did you happen to be in this village?&rdquo; she asked.
</p>

<p>
He told her all that had transpired since the black had told him of
Hanson&rsquo;s duplicity.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You say that you are a coward,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;and yet you have
done all this to save me? The courage that it must have taken to tell me the
things that you told me but a moment since, while courage of a different sort,
proves that you are no moral coward, and the other proves that you are not a
physical coward. I could not love a coward.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You mean that you love me?&rdquo; he gasped in astonishment, taking a
step toward her as though to gather her into his arms; but she placed her hand
against him and pushed him gently away, as much as to say, not yet. What she
did mean she scarcely knew. She thought that she loved him, of that there can
be no question; nor did she think that love for this young Englishman was
disloyalty to Korak, for her love for Korak was undiminished&mdash;the love of
a sister for an indulgent brother. As they stood there for the moment of their
conversation the sounds of tumult in the village subsided.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;They have killed him,&rdquo; whispered Meriem.
</p>

<p>
The statement brought Baynes to a realization of the cause of their return.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Wait here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I will go and see. If he is dead we
can do him no good. If he lives I will do my best to free him.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;We will go together,&rdquo; replied Meriem. &ldquo;Come!&rdquo; And she
led the way back toward the tent in which they last had seen Korak. As they
went they were often forced to throw themselves to the ground in the shadow of
a tent or hut, for people were passing hurriedly to and fro now&mdash;the whole
village was aroused and moving about. The return to the tent of Ali ben Kadin
took much longer than had their swift flight to the palisade. Cautiously they
crept to the slit that Korak&rsquo;s knife had made in the rear wall. Meriem
peered within&mdash;the rear apartment was empty. She crawled through the
aperture, Baynes at her heels, and then silently crossed the space to the rugs
that partitioned the tent into two rooms. Parting the hangings Meriem looked
into the front room. It, too, was deserted. She crossed to the door of the tent
and looked out. Then she gave a little gasp of horror. Baynes at her shoulder
looked past her to the sight that had startled her, and he, too, exclaimed; but
his was an oath of anger.
</p>

<p>
A hundred feet away they saw Korak bound to a stake&mdash;the brush piled about
him already alight. The Englishman pushed Meriem to one side and started to run
for the doomed man. What he could do in the face of scores of hostile blacks
and Arabs he did not stop to consider. At the same instant Tantor broke through
the palisade and charged the group. In the face of the maddened beast the crowd
turned and fled, carrying Baynes backward with them. In a moment it was all
over, and the elephant had disappeared with his prize; but pandemonium reigned
throughout the village. Men, women and children ran helter skelter for safety.
Curs fled, yelping. The horses and camels and donkeys, terrorized by the
trumpeting of the pachyderm, kicked and pulled at their tethers. A dozen or
more broke loose, and it was the galloping of these past him that brought a
sudden idea into Baynes&rsquo; head. He turned to search for Meriem only to
find her at his elbow.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The horses!&rdquo; he cried. &ldquo;If we can get a couple of
them!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Filled with the idea Meriem led him to the far end of the village.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Loosen two of them,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;and lead them back into the
shadows behind those huts. I know where there are saddles. I will bring them
and the bridles,&rdquo; and before he could stop her she was gone.
</p>

<p>
Baynes quickly untied two of the restive animals and led them to the point
designated by Meriem. Here he waited impatiently for what seemed an hour; but
was, in reality, but a few minutes. Then he saw the girl approaching beneath
the burden of two saddles. Quickly they placed these upon the horses. They
could see by the light of the torture fire that still burned that the blacks
and Arabs were recovering from their panic. Men were running about gathering in
the loose stock, and two or three were already leading their captives back to
the end of the village where Meriem and Baynes were busy with the trappings of
their mounts.
</p>

<p>
Now the girl flung herself into the saddle.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Hurry!&rdquo; she whispered. &ldquo;We shall have to run for it. Ride
through the gap that Tantor made,&rdquo; and as she saw Baynes swing his leg
over the back of his horse, she shook the reins free over her mount&rsquo;s
neck. With a lunge, the nervous beast leaped forward. The shortest path led
straight through the center of the village, and this Meriem took. Baynes was
close behind her, their horses running at full speed.
</p>

<p>
So sudden and impetuous was their dash for escape that it carried them half-way
across the village before the surprised inhabitants were aware of what was
happening. Then an Arab recognized them, and, with a cry of alarm, raised his
rifle and fired. The shot was a signal for a volley, and amid the rattle of
musketry Meriem and Baynes leaped their flying mounts through the breach in the
palisade and were gone up the well-worn trail toward the north.
</p>

<p>
And Korak?
</p>

<p>
Tantor carried him deep into the jungle, nor paused until no sound from the
distant village reached his keen ears. Then he laid his burden gently down.
Korak struggled to free himself from his bonds, but even his great strength was
unable to cope with the many strands of hard-knotted cord that bound him. While
he lay there, working and resting by turns, the elephant stood guard above him,
nor was there jungle enemy with the hardihood to tempt the sudden death that
lay in that mighty bulk.
</p>

<p>
Dawn came, and still Korak was no nearer freedom than before. He commenced to
believe that he should die there of thirst and starvation with plenty all about
him, for he knew that Tantor could not unloose the knots that held him.
</p>

<p>
And while he struggled through the night with his bonds, Baynes and Meriem were
riding rapidly northward along the river. The girl had assured Baynes that
Korak was safe in the jungle with Tantor. It had not occurred to her that the
ape-man might not be able to burst his bonds. Baynes had been wounded by a shot
from the rifle of one of the Arabs, and the girl wanted to get him back to
Bwana&rsquo;s home, where he could be properly cared for.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Then,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I shall get Bwana to come with me and
search for Korak. He must come and live with us.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
All night they rode, and the day was still young when they came suddenly upon a
party hurrying southward. It was Bwana himself and his sleek, black warriors.
At sight of Baynes the big Englishman&rsquo;s brows contracted in a scowl; but
he waited to hear Meriem&rsquo;s story before giving vent to the long anger in
his breast. When she had finished he seemed to have forgotten Baynes. His
thoughts were occupied with another subject.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You say that you found Korak?&rdquo; he asked. &ldquo;You really saw
him?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; replied Meriem; &ldquo;as plainly as I see you, and I want
you to come with me, Bwana, and help me find him again.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Did you see him?&rdquo; He turned toward the Hon. Morison.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; replied Baynes; &ldquo;very plainly.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What sort of appearing man is he?&rdquo; continued Bwana. &ldquo;About
how old, should you say?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I should say he was an Englishman, about my own age,&rdquo; replied
Baynes; &ldquo;though he might be older. He is remarkably muscled, and
exceedingly tanned.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;His eyes and hair, did you notice them?&rdquo; Bwana spoke rapidly,
almost excitedly. It was Meriem who answered him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Korak&rsquo;s hair is black and his eyes are gray,&rdquo; she said.
</p>

<p>
Bwana turned to his headman.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Take Miss Meriem and Mr. Baynes home,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I am going
into the jungle.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Let me go with you, Bwana,&rdquo; cried Meriem. &ldquo;You are going to
search for Korak. Let me go, too.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Bwana turned sadly but firmly upon the girl.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Your place,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;is beside the man you love.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Then he motioned to his head-man to take his horse and commence the return
journey to the farm. Meriem slowly mounted the tired Arab that had brought her
from the village of The Sheik. A litter was rigged for the now feverish Baynes,
and the little cavalcade was soon slowly winding off along the river trail.
</p>

<p>
Bwana stood watching them until they were out of sight. Not once had Meriem
turned her eyes backward. She rode with bowed head and drooping shoulders.
Bwana sighed. He loved the little Arab girl as he might have loved an own
daughter. He realized that Baynes had redeemed himself, and so he could
interpose no objections now if Meriem really loved the man; but, somehow, some
way, Bwana could not convince himself that the Hon. Morison was worthy of his
little Meriem. Slowly he turned toward a nearby tree. Leaping upward he caught
a lower branch and drew himself up among the branches. His movements were
cat-like and agile. High into the trees he made his way and there commenced to
divest himself of his clothing. From the game bag slung across one shoulder he
drew a long strip of doe-skin, a neatly coiled rope, and a wicked looking
knife. The doe-skin, he fashioned into a loin cloth, the rope he looped over
one shoulder, and the knife he thrust into the belt formed by his gee string.
</p>

<p>
When he stood erect, his head thrown back and his great chest expanded a grim
smile touched his lips for a moment. His nostrils dilated as he sniffed the
jungle odors. His gray eyes narrowed. He crouched and leaped to a lower limb
and was away through the trees toward the southeast, bearing away from the
river. He moved swiftly, stopping only occasionally to raise his voice in a
weird and piercing scream, and to listen for a moment after for a reply.
</p>

<p>
He had traveled thus for several hours when, ahead of him and a little to his
left, he heard, far off in the jungle, a faint response&mdash;the cry of a bull
ape answering his cry. His nerves tingled and his eyes lighted as the sound
fell upon his ears. Again he voiced his hideous call, and sped forward in the
new direction.
</p>

<p>
Korak, finally becoming convinced that he must die if he remained where he was,
waiting for the succor that could not come, spoke to Tantor in the strange
tongue that the great beast understood. He commanded the elephant to lift him
and carry him toward the northeast. There, recently, Korak had seen both white
men and black. If he could come upon one of the latter it would be a simple
matter to command Tantor to capture the fellow, and then Korak could get him to
release him from the stake. It was worth trying at least&mdash;better than
lying there in the jungle until he died. As Tantor bore him along through the
forest Korak called aloud now and then in the hope of attracting Akut&rsquo;s
band of anthropoids, whose wanderings often brought them into their
neighborhood. Akut, he thought, might possibly be able to negotiate the
knots&mdash;he had done so upon that other occasion when the Russian had bound
Korak years before; and Akut, to the south of him, heard his calls faintly, and
came. There was another who heard them, too.
</p>

<p>
After Bwana had left his party, sending them back toward the farm, Meriem had
ridden for a short distance with bowed head. What thoughts passed through that
active brain who may say? Presently she seemed to come to a decision. She
called the headman to her side.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am going back with Bwana,&rdquo; she announced.
</p>

<p>
The black shook his head. &ldquo;No!&rdquo; he announced. &ldquo;Bwana says I
take you home. So I take you home.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You refuse to let me go?&rdquo; asked the girl.
</p>

<p>
The black nodded, and fell to the rear where he might better watch her. Meriem
half smiled. Presently her horse passed beneath a low-hanging branch, and the
black headman found himself gazing at the girl&rsquo;s empty saddle. He ran
forward to the tree into which she had disappeared. He could see nothing of
her. He called; but there was no response, unless it might have been a low,
taunting laugh far to the right. He sent his men into the jungle to search for
her; but they came back empty handed. After a while he resumed his march toward
the farm, for Baynes, by this time, was delirious with fever.
</p>

<p>
Meriem raced straight back toward the point she imagined Tantor would make
for&mdash;a point where she knew the elephants often gathered deep in the
forest due east of The Sheik&rsquo;s village. She moved silently and swiftly.
From her mind she had expunged all thoughts other than that she must reach
Korak and bring him back with her. It was her place to do that. Then, too, had
come the tantalizing fear that all might not be well with him. She upbraided
herself for not thinking of that before&mdash;of letting her desire to get the
wounded Morison back to the bungalow blind her to the possibilities of
Korak&rsquo;s need for her. She had been traveling rapidly for several hours
without rest when she heard ahead of her the familiar cry of a great ape
calling to his kind.
</p>

<p>
She did not reply, only increased her speed until she almost flew. Now there
came to her sensitive nostrils the scent of Tantor and she knew that she was on
the right trail and close to him she sought. She did not call out because she
wished to surprise him, and presently she did, breaking into sight of them as
the great elephant shuffled ahead balancing the man and the heavy stake upon
his head, holding them there with his upcurled trunk.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Korak!&rdquo; cried Meriem from the foliage above him.
</p>

<p>
Instantly the bull swung about, lowered his burden to the ground and,
trumpeting savagely, prepared to defend his comrade. The ape-man, recognizing
the girl&rsquo;s voice, felt a sudden lump in his throat.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Meriem!&rdquo; he called back to her.
</p>

<p>
Happily the girl clambered to the ground and ran forward to release Korak; but
Tantor lowered his head ominously and trumpeted a warning.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Go back! Go back!&rdquo; cried Korak. &ldquo;He will kill you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Meriem paused. &ldquo;Tantor!&rdquo; she called to the huge brute.
&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you remember me? I am little Meriem. I used to ride on your
broad back;&rdquo; but the bull only rumbled in his throat and shook his tusks
in angry defiance. Then Korak tried to placate him. Tried to order him away,
that the girl might approach and release him; but Tantor would not go. He saw
in every human being other than Korak an enemy. He thought the girl bent upon
harming his friend and he would take no chances. For an hour the girl and the
man tried to find some means whereby they might circumvent the beast&rsquo;s
ill directed guardianship, but all to no avail; Tantor stood his ground in grim
determination to let no one approach Korak.
</p>

<p>
Presently the man hit upon a scheme. &ldquo;Pretend to go away,&rdquo; he
called to the girl. &ldquo;Keep down wind from us so that Tantor won&rsquo;t
get your scent, then follow us. After a while I&rsquo;ll have him put me down,
and find some pretext for sending him away. While he is gone you can slip up
and cut my bonds&mdash;have you a knife?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes, I have a knife,&rdquo; she replied. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll go
now&mdash;I think we may be able to fool him; but don&rsquo;t be too
sure&mdash;Tantor invented cunning.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Korak smiled, for he knew that the girl was right. Presently she had
disappeared. The elephant listened, and raised his trunk to catch her scent.
Korak commanded him to raise him to his head once more and proceed upon their
way. After a moment&rsquo;s hesitation he did as he was bid. It was then that
Korak heard the distant call of an ape.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Akut!&rdquo; he thought. &ldquo;Good! Tantor knew Akut well. He would
let him approach.&rdquo; Raising his voice Korak replied to the call of the
ape; but he let Tantor move off with him through the jungle; it would do no
harm to try the other plan. They had come to a clearing and plainly Korak
smelled water. Here was a good place and a good excuse. He ordered Tantor to
lay him down, and go and fetch him water in his trunk. The big beast deposited
him upon the grass in the center of the clearing, then he stood with cocked
ears and attentive trunk, searching for the slightest indication of
danger&mdash;there seemed to be none and he moved away in the direction of the
little brook that Korak knew was some two or three hundred yards away. The
ape-man could scarce help smiling as he thought how cleverly he had tricked his
friend; but well as he knew Tantor he little guessed the guile of his cunning
brain. The animal ambled off across the clearing and disappeared in the jungle
beyond in the direction of the stream; but scarce had his great bulk been
screened by the dense foliage than he wheeled about and came cautiously back to
the edge of the clearing where he could see without being seen. Tantor, by
nature, is suspicious. Now he still feared the return of the she Tarmangani who
had attempted to attack his Korak. He would just stand there for a moment and
assure himself that all was well before he continued on toward the water. Ah!
It was well that he did! There she was now dropping from the branches of a tree
across the clearing and running swiftly toward the ape-man. Tantor waited. He
would let her reach Korak before he charged&mdash;that would ensure that she
had no chance of escape. His little eyes blazed savagely. His tail was elevated
stiffly. He could scarce restrain a desire to trumpet forth his rage to the
world. Meriem was almost at Korak&rsquo;s side when Tantor saw the long knife
in her hand, and then he broke forth from the jungle, bellowing horribly, and
charged down upon the frail girl.
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div class="chapter">

<h2><a name="chap27"></a>XXVII.</h2>

<p>
Korak screamed commands to his huge protector, in an effort to halt him; but
all to no avail. Meriem raced toward the bordering trees with all the speed
that lay in her swift, little feet; but Tantor, for all his huge bulk, drove
down upon her with the rapidity of an express train.
</p>

<p>
Korak lay where he could see the whole frightful tragedy. The cold sweat broke
out upon his body. His heart seemed to have stopped its beating. Meriem might
reach the trees before Tantor overtook her, but even her agility would not
carry her beyond the reach of that relentless trunk&mdash;she would be dragged
down and tossed. Korak could picture the whole frightful scene. Then Tantor
would follow her up, goring the frail, little body with his relentless tusks,
or trampling it into an unrecognizable mass beneath his ponderous feet.
</p>

<p>
He was almost upon her now. Korak wanted to close his eyes, but could not. His
throat was dry and parched. Never in all his savage existence had he suffered
such blighting terror&mdash;never before had he known what terror meant. A
dozen more strides and the brute would seize her. What was that? Korak&rsquo;s
eyes started from their sockets. A strange figure had leaped from the tree the
shade of which Meriem already had reached&mdash;leaped beyond the girl straight
into the path of the charging elephant. It was a naked white giant. Across his
shoulder a coil of rope was looped. In the band of his gee string was a hunting
knife. Otherwise he was unarmed. With naked hands he faced the maddening
Tantor. A sharp command broke from the stranger&rsquo;s lips&mdash;the great
beast halted in his tracks&mdash;and Meriem swung herself upward into the tree
to safety. Korak breathed a sigh of relief not unmixed with wonder. He fastened
his eyes upon the face of Meriem&rsquo;s deliverer and as recognition slowly
filtered into his understanding they went wide in incredulity and surprise.
</p>

<p>
Tantor, still rumbling angrily, stood swaying to and fro close before the giant
white man. Then the latter stepped straight beneath the upraised trunk and
spoke a low word of command. The great beast ceased his muttering. The savage
light died from his eyes, and as the stranger stepped forward toward Korak,
Tantor trailed docilely at his heels.
</p>

<p>
Meriem was watching, too, and wondering. Suddenly the man turned toward her as
though recollecting her presence after a moment of forgetfulness. &ldquo;Come!
Meriem,&rdquo; he called, and then she recognized him with a startled:
&ldquo;Bwana!&rdquo; Quickly the girl dropped from the tree and ran to his
side. Tantor cocked a questioning eye at the white giant, but receiving a
warning word let Meriem approach. Together the two walked to where Korak lay,
his eyes wide with wonder and filled with a pathetic appeal for forgiveness,
and, mayhap, a glad thankfulness for the miracle that had brought these two of
all others to his side.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Jack!&rdquo; cried the white giant, kneeling at the ape-man&rsquo;s
side.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Father!&rdquo; came chokingly from The Killer&rsquo;s lips. &ldquo;Thank
God that it was you. No one else in all the jungle could have stopped
Tantor.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Quickly the man cut the bonds that held Korak, and as the youth leaped to his
feet and threw his arms about his father, the older man turned toward Meriem.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I thought,&rdquo; he said, sternly, &ldquo;that I told you to return to
the farm.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Korak was looking at them wonderingly. In his heart was a great yearning to
take the girl in his arms; but in time he remembered the other&mdash;the dapper
young English gentleman&mdash;and that he was but a savage, uncouth ape-man.
</p>

<p>
Meriem looked up pleadingly into Bwana&rsquo;s eyes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You told me,&rdquo; she said, in a very small voice, &ldquo;that my
place was beside the man I loved,&rdquo; and she turned her eyes toward Korak
all filled with the wonderful light that no other man had yet seen in them, and
that none other ever would.
</p>

<p>
The Killer started toward her with outstretched arms; but suddenly he fell upon
one knee before her, instead, and lifting her hand to his lips kissed it more
reverently than he could have kissed the hand of his country&rsquo;s queen.
</p>

<p>
A rumble from Tantor brought the three, all jungle bred, to instant alertness.
Tantor was looking toward the trees behind them, and as their eyes followed his
gaze the head and shoulders of a great ape appeared amidst the foliage. For a
moment the creature eyed them, and then from its throat rose a loud scream of
recognition and of joy, and a moment later the beast had leaped to the ground,
followed by a score of bulls like himself, and was waddling toward them,
shouting in the primordial tongue of the anthropoid:
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Tarzan has returned! Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
It was Akut, and instantly he commenced leaping and bounding about the trio,
uttering hideous shrieks and mouthings that to any other human beings might
have indicated the most ferocious rage; but these three knew that the king of
the apes was doing homage to a king greater than himself. In his wake leaped
his shaggy bulls, vying with one another as to which could spring the highest
and which utter the most uncanny sounds.
</p>

<p>
Korak laid his hand affectionately upon his father&rsquo;s shoulder.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;There is but one Tarzan,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There can never be
another.&rdquo;
</p>

<p class="p2">
Two days later the three dropped from the trees on the edge of the plain across
which they could see the smoke rising from the bungalow and the cook house
chimneys. Tarzan of the Apes had regained his civilized clothing from the tree
where he had hidden it, and as Korak refused to enter the presence of his
mother in the savage half-raiment that he had worn so long and as Meriem would
not leave him, for fear, as she explained, that he would change his mind and
run off into the jungle again, the father went on ahead to the bungalow for
horses and clothes.
</p>

<p>
My Dear met him at the gate, her eyes filled with questioning and sorrow, for
she saw that Meriem was not with him.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Where is she?&rdquo; she asked, her voice trembling. &ldquo;Muviri told
me that she disobeyed your instructions and ran off into the jungle after you
had left them. Oh, John, I cannot bear to lose her, too!&rdquo; And Lady
Greystoke broke down and wept, as she pillowed her head upon the broad breast
where so often before she had found comfort in the great tragedies of her life.
</p>

<p>
Lord Greystoke raised her head and looked down into her eyes, his own smiling
and filled with the light of happiness.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What is it, John?&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;You have good news&mdash;do
not keep me waiting for it.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I want to be quite sure that you can stand hearing the best news that
ever came to either of us,&rdquo; he said.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Joy never kills,&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;You have
found&mdash;her?&rdquo; She could not bring herself to hope for the impossible.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Yes, Jane,&rdquo; he said, and his voice was husky with emotion;
&ldquo;I have found her, and&mdash;HIM!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Where is he? Where are they?&rdquo; she demanded.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Out there at the edge of the jungle. He wouldn&rsquo;t come to you in
his savage leopard skin and his nakedness&mdash;he sent me to fetch him
civilized clothing.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
She clapped her hands in ecstasy, and turned to run toward the bungalow.
&ldquo;Wait!&rdquo; she cried over her shoulder. &ldquo;I have all his little
suits&mdash;I have saved them all. I will bring one to you.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
Tarzan laughed and called to her to stop.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;The only clothing on the place that will fit him,&rdquo; he said,
&ldquo;is mine&mdash;if it isn&rsquo;t too small for him&mdash;your little boy
has grown, Jane.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
She laughed, too; she felt like laughing at everything, or at nothing. The
world was all love and happiness and joy once more&mdash;the world that had
been shrouded in the gloom of her great sorrow for so many years. So great was
her joy that for the moment she forgot the sad message that awaited Meriem. She
called to Tarzan after he had ridden away to prepare her for it, but he did not
hear and rode on without knowing himself what the event was to which his wife
referred.
</p>

<p>
And so, an hour later, Korak, The Killer, rode home to his mother&mdash;the
mother whose image had never faded in his boyish heart&mdash;and found in her
arms and her eyes the love and forgiveness that he plead for.
</p>

<p>
And then the mother turned toward Meriem, an expression of pitying sorrow
erasing the happiness from her eyes.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;My little girl,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;in the midst of our happiness a
great sorrow awaits you&mdash;Mr. Baynes did not survive his wound.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
The expression of sorrow in Meriem&rsquo;s eyes expressed only what she
sincerely felt; but it was not the sorrow of a woman bereft of her best
beloved.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I am sorry,&rdquo; she said, quite simply. &ldquo;He would have done me
a great wrong; but he amply atoned before he died. Once I thought that I loved
him. At first it was only fascination for a type that was new to me&mdash;then
it was respect for a brave man who had the moral courage to admit a sin and the
physical courage to face death to right the wrong he had committed. But it was
not love. I did not know what love was until I knew that Korak lived,&rdquo;
and she turned toward The Killer with a smile.
</p>

<p>
Lady Greystoke looked quickly up into the eyes of her son&mdash;the son who one
day would be Lord Greystoke. No thought of the difference in the stations of
the girl and her boy entered her mind. To her Meriem was fit for a king. She
only wanted to know that Jack loved the little Arab waif. The look in his eyes
answered the question in her heart, and she threw her arms about them both and
kissed them each a dozen times.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Now,&rdquo; she cried, &ldquo;I shall really have a daughter!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
It was several weary marches to the nearest mission; but they only waited at
the farm a few days for rest and preparation for the great event before setting
out upon the journey, and after the marriage ceremony had been performed they
kept on to the coast to take passage for England. Those days were the most
wonderful of Meriem&rsquo;s life. She had not dreamed even vaguely of the
marvels that civilization held in store for her. The great ocean and the
commodious steamship filled her with awe. The noise, and bustle and confusion
of the English railway station frightened her.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;If there was a good-sized tree at hand,&rdquo; she confided to Korak,
&ldquo;I know that I should run to the very top of it in terror of my
life.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;And make faces and throw twigs at the engine?&rdquo; he laughed back.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Poor old Numa,&rdquo; sighed the girl. &ldquo;What will he do without
us?&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Oh, there are others to tease him, my little Mangani,&rdquo; assured
Korak.
</p>

<p>
The Greystoke town house quite took Meriem&rsquo;s breath away; but when
strangers were about none might guess that she had not been to the manner born.
</p>

<p>
They had been home but a week when Lord Greystoke received a message from his
friend of many years, D&rsquo;Arnot.
</p>

<p>
It was in the form of a letter of introduction brought by one General Armand
Jacot. Lord Greystoke recalled the name, as who familiar with modern French
history would not, for Jacot was in reality the Prince de Cadrenet&mdash;that
intense republican who refused to use, even by courtesy, a title that had
belonged to his family for four hundred years.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;There is no place for princes in a republic,&rdquo; he was wont to say.
</p>

<p>
Lord Greystoke received the hawk-nosed, gray mustached soldier in his library,
and after a dozen words the two men had formed a mutual esteem that was to
endure through life.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I have come to you,&rdquo; explained General Jacot, &ldquo;because our
dear Admiral tells me that there is no one in all the world who is more
intimately acquainted with Central Africa than you.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Let me tell you my story from the beginning. Many years ago my little
daughter was stolen, presumably by Arabs, while I was serving with the Foreign
Legion in Algeria. We did all that love and money and even government resources
could do to discover her; but all to no avail. Her picture was published in the
leading papers of every large city in the world, yet never did we find a man or
woman who ever had seen her since the day she mysteriously disappeared.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;A week since there came to me in Paris a swarthy Arab, who called
himself Abdul Kamak. He said that he had found my daughter and could lead me to
her. I took him at once to Admiral d&rsquo;Arnot, whom I knew had traveled some
in Central Africa. The man&rsquo;s story led the Admiral to believe that the
place where the white girl the Arab supposed to be my daughter was held in
captivity was not far from your African estates, and he advised that I come at
once and call upon you&mdash;that you would know if such a girl were in your
neighborhood.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;What proof did the Arab bring that she was your daughter?&rdquo; asked
Lord Greystoke.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;None,&rdquo; replied the other. &ldquo;That is why we thought best to
consult you before organizing an expedition. The fellow had only an old
photograph of her on the back of which was pasted a newspaper cutting
describing her and offering a reward. We feared that having found this
somewhere it had aroused his cupidity and led him to believe that in some way
he could obtain the reward, possibly by foisting upon us a white girl on the
chance that so many years had elapsed that we would not be able to recognize an
imposter as such.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Have you the photograph with you?&rdquo; asked Lord Greystoke.
</p>

<p>
The General drew an envelope from his pocket, took a yellowed photograph from
it and handed it to the Englishman.
</p>

<p>
Tears dimmed the old warrior&rsquo;s eyes as they fell again upon the pictured
features of his lost daughter.
</p>

<p>
Lord Greystoke examined the photograph for a moment. A queer expression entered
his eyes. He touched a bell at his elbow, and an instant later a footman
entered.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Ask my son&rsquo;s wife if she will be so good as to come to the
library,&rdquo; he directed.
</p>

<p>
The two men sat in silence. General Jacot was too well bred to show in any way
the chagrin and disappointment he felt in the summary manner in which Lord
Greystoke had dismissed the subject of his call. As soon as the young lady had
come and he had been presented he would make his departure. A moment later
Meriem entered.
</p>

<p>
Lord Greystoke and General Jacot rose and faced her. The Englishman spoke no
word of introduction&mdash;he wanted to mark the effect of the first sight of
the girl&rsquo;s face on the Frenchman, for he had a theory&mdash;a heaven-born
theory that had leaped into his mind the moment his eyes had rested on the baby
face of Jeanne Jacot.
</p>

<p>
General Jacot took one look at Meriem, then he turned toward Lord Greystoke.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;How long have you known it?&rdquo; he asked, a trifle accusingly.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;Since you showed me that photograph a moment ago,&rdquo; replied the
Englishman.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;It is she,&rdquo; said Jacot, shaking with suppressed emotion;
&ldquo;but she does not recognize me&mdash;of course she could not.&rdquo; Then
he turned to Meriem. &ldquo;My child,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I am
your&mdash;&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
But she interrupted him with a quick, glad cry, as she ran toward him with
outstretched arms.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;I know you! I know you!&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;Oh, now I
remember,&rdquo; and the old man folded her in his arms.
</p>

<p>
Jack Clayton and his mother were summoned, and when the story had been told
them they were only glad that little Meriem had found a father and a mother.
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;And really you didn&rsquo;t marry an Arab waif after all,&rdquo; said
Meriem. &ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t it fine!&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;You are fine,&rdquo; replied The Killer. &ldquo;I married my little
Meriem, and I don&rsquo;t care, for my part, whether she is an Arab, or just a
little Tarmangani.&rdquo;
</p>

<p>
&ldquo;She is neither, my son,&rdquo; said General Armand Jacot. &ldquo;She is
a princess in her own right.&rdquo;
</p>

</div><!--end chapter-->

<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SON OF TARZAN ***</div>

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