The daily sentinel., 1914-05-20


her in bewildered amazement. Again the hand
touched her arm.
The native stood beside her, evidently much
bolder than his fellows. Lucille could scarcely
repress a smile as she caught the incredulity on
the mans face he looked at his hand. evil
IDENTIFY expecting the white of her flesh to rub off.
Already her brain working at lightning
speed The reason for the fear and astonshment
that possessed her captors was obvious. They
had never before seen white woman. And the
girl was thinking how she might use this thing
which must appear miracle them.
CHAPTER X.
A ChieCs Daughter.
SHE was white
Lucille found time even in her strange
predieament to wonder at the way the most
natural thing could turn itself her advantage.
She could feel the hesitation of the natives who
had come upon her unexpectedly, knew that
they were prepared to regard this phenomenon
from any angle, that they might fear her, rever-
ence her. hate her, love her. So she stayed close
to the chief the who had touched her arm
An old man he was from the heavy wrinkles
that crtss-crossed his face but his naked torso
was magnifceutly muscular, his carriage that of
man to whom obedience always comes. There
was something very splendid about his steady,
black eyes-narrowed bit though to hint of
Mongolian origin--about the thin nostrilled nose,
the full lips.
All through the night the march continued.
lucille shuddered as, from the black Businesses
of the semi jungle that hedged them in the glow
of yellow eyes CLEANED Fire balls they might
have been, steady and silent the animals
who watched the procession, but the pat of
stealthy feet. the crunch of broken twigs, an
occasional growl cry told her what they
Her feeling that this forced march might
have some other object than merely getting back
to village made doubly strong by noticing
the masterful manner in which the leader
bated any desire for rest on the part of the
natives. He himself led the way, finding hidden
paths though by intuition, forcing his way
through creepers that grew thicky at times
they seemed to form a solid wall.
1t well into the day when their party
met by native coming from the opposite
direction. Lucille attracted by the rapid
conversation he held with the Chief, noticing the
perturbation which showed strongly the
old mans face when he turned away and
doubled his pace. 1t well nigh impossible
for her to keep up now. Worn out by exposure
and this tramp through the jungle there seemed
times when she could drag herself along,
when the tired muscles kinked and refused to
work
Then quite unexpectedly through q wall of
ing upon which the beat iercely few old
squatted before the openings to the hun
dred or huts that filed the open space set
down here in the midst of tho Jungle. Many
children played about, dressed only In tho gar
ments of their birth Here and there dogs
prowled, silently nosing into the huts, Sinking
furtively about the edge of the clearing The
leader of the party lifted his hand in signal for
a halt, his splendid body fexed.
From a hut, many times the size of any other
and set at the extreme head of the clearing fac
ing down the double would officer
scan his files of men, came n droning sound, the
low pitched wailing of many womens voices,
varying in its dreary monotone. A ter
rible sound It was, sorrowful, dirgeike In
stinctvey Lucille lifted her eyes to those of the
Chief, her finger tips brushing against his bare
forearm sympatheticaly.
swift CLEAN crossed his stern face. At
few sharp words the party disbanded disappear
.1g in the huts. At his nod she followed his
swift stride toward the great hut from which the
sound came.
Even she followed the man, she marvelled
at the implicit confidence that seemed to have
become part of her since trusting herself to
his escort. In Of her she would
have known it for instructive liking. The In
terror of the hut crowded with women the
atmosphere close as to fairly drive her back
toward the tiny door through which she had
tered. Above the squatting. wailing women tow
cred the splendid figure of the old chief There
slight droop to his shoulders now fall
ing away about the muscles of his face And to
the ears of the girl, dominating the dirge-like
wall came simple note that told her the story
In its entirety even as it struck to her woman's
heart, arousing every atom of tenderness there
the crying of a child
Impulsivey she brushed through the women.
STOPPING the pallet of rushes where the
patient lay. Even with the emaciation which her
illness had caused despite the blaze of deirium
in the widencd eyes. the black splotches Of fever
in the cheeks, Lucille would have known tho girl
for the daughter OF the old man. As abe turned
to look at the Chief the pity of ignorance rushed
upon her, and she rose and grasped both his
hands in her own. unconscious of the mortified
looks bestowed upon her by the women
BY signs she made il clear to the old man
that the hut must be cleared before anything
could be done to assist his daughter. It was
difficult. communicating with him. but her obyi-
Gus sympathy and understanding seemed to
make the task easier. Gradually II dawned upon
her that this was custom of his people which
required vast faith to go against. She watched
him eagerly, her very heart crying out for the
sick child whose last chance for recovery was
being stolen by this crowd of women. using up
all the oxygen In the when it was the
most necessary thing for her recovery.
The Chief made his decision quickly. With
little cry of delight quickly suppressed. she
realized that the mystery of her colorng had
made such impression upon him that he was
willing to follow her instructions to the letter.
With the same dignity he had used in forcing his
men to double their pace through the jungle he OBJ
served the womens protests and drove them from
the hut, leaving the opening wide.
Lucille opened her mouth, laving her throat
with the Intoxicating air that drove out the