The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-06-11

10 Imagine her WOOD god by ner
side in the saloon of IN ocean
liner. She saw him eating with his
hands, tearing his food like a beast Of
prey and wlping his greasy fingers
upon his thighs. She shuddered.
She saw him as she introduced him
10 her friends-uncouth, illiterate, n
hoor-and she WINGED.
She had reached her room now. and
as b sat upon the edge of her bed of
ferns and grasses, with one hand rest
ing upon her rising and falling bosom,
she felt the hard outlines of the mans
locket beneath her waist.
She drew 1t out, holding ii In the
palm of her hand for a moment with
tear blurred eyes bent upon 1t. Then
she raised it to her lips and. crushing
1t there, buried her face in the soft
ferns, sobbing.
"BeaSt?' she murmured. Then
heaven make me a beast, for, man or
beast. l am yours"
She did 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
n week.
They carried bedding and hammocks,
the latter for transporting their sick
and wounded.
1t was n determined and angry COM
pany-a punitive expedition as well as
n 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 . 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
I'LL lucAll ltdDlc luIlklt. LIZ tcNOdNtLc,
carbines and cutlasses OF the French
men crumpled the native spearmen
and struck down the black archers
with their bolts half drawn.
Soon the battle turned to a 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, 1t was because
there lived to oppose them NJ 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 fell
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 ut 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 upon
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 them
and a pa.isade for refuge from the
beasts OF the jungle.
Slowly the expedition retraced It's
steps Of the preceding day. Ten load
ed hammocks retarded its pace. In
eight OF them lay the more seriously
wounded. while two swung beneath
the weight Of the dead.
Clayton and Lieutenant Charpentier
brought up the ear 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 and
wounded men were tenderly placed In
boats and rowed silently toward the
cruiser.
Clayton, exhausted from his five
days Of laborious marching through
the Jungle and from the effects Of his
two battles with blacks, turned to-
ward the cabin to seek a mouthful OF
food and then the comparative ease Of
his bed Of grasses after two nights in
the jungle.
By the cabin door stood Jane Porter.
"The poor ~lieutenant?" she asked.
did you find no trace of him."
1--WE were too late. Miss Porter" he
replied sadly.
Tell me-what had happened?" she
asked.
II cannot, Miss Porter. 1t is too hor-
rible."
She thought Of what Clayton had
said Of the forest mans probable rela-
tiOnship to this tribe.
To him, too. suddenly came the
thought Of the forest man. The strange
jealousy he had felt two days before
swept over him once more.
In sudden brutality that was unlike