Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-07-14

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His Eyes Fell Upon tho Empty Cot
Across the Room.
made him lonelier than ever to feel
that he could travel for miles without
| encounteTing a single danger.
Far behind him along the trail of the
! Arabs came q dozen white men and
| half a hundred savage Waziu warriors.
Not an hour after Barney Custer dis
covered NUS absence a native runner
had come hurrylng in from the north
to beg Lord Greystoke's help IN pursu-
ing and furnishing a band Of Arab slave
and ivory raiders who were laying
waste the villages, numbering the old
men and the children and carrying the
young men and women into slavery.
While Greystoke was questioning the
fellow he let drop the fact that among
the other prisoners of the Arabs was a
young white woman.
Instantly commodon reigued upon
the Greystoke ranch. White men were
jumping into field khaki, looking to
the firearms aud ammunition, lest their
black body servants should have neg
lected some essential Stable boys were
saddling the horses.
The sleek ebOn warriors Of UzirI
were greasiug their black hides. ad-
justing barbaric war bonnets, streak
ing faces. breasts and limbs with ocher,
vermiIion or CHASTITY blush white and
looking to slim shield, poisoned arrow
and formidable spear.
For a time the fugitive was forgot
ten, but as the march proceeded they
came upon certain reminders that re-
called him to their minds ana indicated
that he was far IN advance of them
upon the tran Of the Arabs.
The first sign of him was the car
cass of Il bull buffalo. Straight through
the heart was the great hole that they
now knew was made by the passage Of
the ancient stone tipped spear. Strips
had been knife cut from the sides, and
the belly was torn as though by q wild
beast
Brown stopped to examine the ground
about the bull. When he Strengthened
up he looked at Greystoke and laughed
Didn't ! understand you to say that
he must have killed the dog2" he ask
ed. Look here. They ate side by
side from the body of their kin"
For three weeks now Victoria Custer
had been a prisoner Of Sheik Ibn As
wad, but other than the ordinary hard
ships Of African travel she had expert
enced nothing OF which she might com
plain
She had even been permitted to ride
upon one Of the few donkeys that still
survived. and her food was as good as
that Of Ibn Aswad himself, for the
canny old sheik knew that the better
the condition of his prisoner the better
the price she would bring at the court
of the sultan of Fulad.
Abul Mukarram, Ibn Aswad's right
hand man, staggering young Arab
from the rim OF the Sahara, had cast
eovetous eyes upon the beautiful pris-
oner, but the old shiek delivered him
self OF a peremptory no" when his
lieutenant preached proposal to him
Then Abul Mukarram, baked in his
passing desire, found the thing grow
ing upon him until the idea Of possess !
ing the girl became a veritable obses- !
sion with him.
Vie % q. from necessity had picked
up enough Of the language of the sons /
OF the 8asert 70 be able 10 converse /
with them, and Abul Mukarram OFTEN /
rode at her side, feasting his eyes upon /
her face and figure the while ne at !
tempted to ingratiate himself into her !
esteem bv accounts of his prOwess, /
but when at last he spoke Of love the /
girl turned her flushed and angry face /
away from him and, refining In her
donkey. refused to ride farther beside !
him.
Ibn Aswad from afar witnessed the /
alteration. and when he rode to Vic /
toria's side and learned the truth OF /
the matter he berated Abul Mukarram /
roundly. ordering him to the rear OF /
the column and placed another Arab /
ever the prisoner.
Thereafter the yenoueus looks which !
the discredited Abul cast upon Vic"
toria oftentimes caused her TO shud- /
der. for she knew that she had made |
a cruel and implaeabie enemy OF the
man.
Ibn Aswad had given her but a hint
Of the fate which awaited her. yet IL
had been sufficient To warn her that
death were better than the thing she