The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1914-02-13

She drew it out. holding it in the
palm of her hand for moment with
tear blurred eyes bent upon it. Then
she raised it to her lips and, crushing
it there. buried her face in the soft
ferns. sobbing.
"BeaSt?" she murmured. ..Then
heaven make me a beast. for. man or
beast. am yours"
She dld not see Clayton again that
day. Esmeralda brought her supper to
her. and she sent word to her father
that she was suffering from the reac-
ton following her adventure.
The next morning Clayton left early
with the relief expedition in search of
Lieutenant d'Arnot There were 200
armed men this time. with ten officers
and two surgeons and provisions for
a week.
They carried bedding and hammocks,
the latter for transporting their sick
and wounded
1t was determined and angry COM
pany-a punitive expedition as we'll as
one of relief. They reached the scene
of the skirmiSh of the previous expedi-
ton shortly after noon. for they were
now travelling a known trail. and no
time was lost in exploring.
From there on the elephant trail led
straight to Mbonga'S village. 1t was
but 2 O'Clock when the head of the col
umn halted upon the edge of the clear
ing.
In a few minutes the village street
was filed with armed men fighting in
an inextricable tangle. The revolvers.
carbines and cutlasses Of the French
men crumpled the native spearmen
and struck down the black archcrs
with their bolts half drawn.
Soon the battle turned to wild rout
and then to grim massacre. for the
French sailors had seen bits of DAT
not's uniform upon several of the black
warriors who opposed them.
They spared the children and those
of the women whom they were not
forced to kill in self defense, but when
at length they stopped, painting, blood
covered and sweating, it was because
there lived to oppose them no single
warrior Of all the savage village OF
Mbonga.
Carefully they ransacked every hut
and corner of the village. but no sign
Of D'ArnOt could they find. They
questioned the prisoners by signs
Only excited gestures and expressions
of fear could they obtain in response
to their inquiries concerning their fel-
low.
At length all hope left them. and
they prepared to camp for the night
within the village.
The prisoners were herded into three
huts. where they were heavily guard
ed. Sentries were posted at the barred
gates, and finally the village was wrap
ped in the silence of slumber except
for the wailing of the native women
for their dead.
The next morning they set out upor
the return march. Their original inten
ton had been to burn the village. but
this idea was abandoned. and the pris
oners were left behind. weeping and
moaning. but with roofs to cover then
and a palisade for refuge from the
beasts of the jungle.
Slowly the expedition retraced it
steps of the preceding day. Ten load
ed hammocks retarded its pace. II
eight Of them lay the more seriously
wounded. while two swung beneath
the weight Of the dead.
Clayton and Lieutenant Charpentiel
brought up the rear of the column. the
Englishman silent in respect for the
others grief. for D'Arnot and Charpen
tier had been inseparable since boy
hood.
1t was quite late when they reached
the cabin by the beach. The dead ant
wounded men were tenderly placed II
boats and rowed silently toward thu
cruiser.
Clayton, exhausted from his five
days Of laborious marching through
the jungle and from the effects of hii
two battles with blacks. turned to
ward the cabin to seek mOuthful Of
food and then the comparative ease Of
his bed of grasses after two nights IL
the jungle.
By the cabin door stood Jane Porter
1.-The poor ieutenant?" she asked
did you find no trace Of him?''
1--WE were too late. Miss Porter" b
replied sadly.
Tell me-what had happened? sh'
asked
II cannot. Miss Porter. 1t is too hor-
rible."
She thought of what Clayton hat
said Of the forest mans probable rela
tionship to this tribe.
To him, too. suddenly came tn
thought Of the forest man. The strang
jealousy he had felt two days befor'
swept over him once more.
In sudden brutality that was unlik'
him he blurted out:
when your forest god left you h'
was doubtless hurrying to the feast"
He was sorry ere the words wer'
spoken, though he did not know how
cruelty they had cut the girl. His re
greet was for his baseless disloyalty t,