Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1914-1915, 1915-01-21
XVII.
Left In the Jungle.

CHAPTER XVII.
Left In tho Jungle.
~LOWLY Jane turned and walk
ed back to the cabin. She tried
~ to imagine her wood god by lie"
side in the saloon Of m ocean
liner. She saw him eating with his
hands, tearing his food like Il beast Of
prey and wiping his greasy fingers
upon his thighs. She shuddered.
She saw him as she introduced him
to her friends-uncouth, illiteratp. d
boor-and she WINGED.
She had reached her room nov. :fH!
as she sat upon the edge of her bed Of
ferns and grasses, with one hand rest
ing upon her rising and falling l'o:os'.
she felt the hard outlines OF the maE',
locket beneath her waist.
She drew it out. holding it in The
palm Of her hand for Il momcn With
tear blurred eyes bent upon it. 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 OF
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-
tion 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
q week.
They carried bedding and hammocks,
the latter for transporting their sick
and wounded.
1t was a 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 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 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 D'Ar-
pot'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
VI 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 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 upon
the return march. Their original inteD.
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 palisade for refuge from the
beasts Of the jungle.
Slowly the expedition retraced Its
steps of the preceding day. Ten load.
e eight Of them lay the more seriously
e 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
0 tier had been ~inseparable since boy.
hood.
J 1t was quite late when they reached
' the cabin by the beach. The dead and
wounded men were tenderly placed ir
boats and rowed silently toward the
cruiser.
. Clayton, exhausted from his Eve
days Of iaborious marching through
u the jungle and from the effects Of his