Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-08-02

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For time the fugitive was forgot.
ten. but as the march proceeded they
came upon certain reminders that ~
called him to their minds and indicated
that he was far In advance Of them
upon the trail Of the Arabs.
The first sign Of him was the car
cass Of 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 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 dog?" he ask
| ed. 'Look here. They ate side by
side from the body Of their kill"
For three weeks now Victoria Custer
had been prisoner of Sheik Ibn AS
wad, but other than tho 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 Mt the court
Of the sultan OF Fulad.
| Abul Mukarram, Ibn Aswad's right
hand man, swaggering young Arab
from the rim Of the Sahara, had cast
covetous eyes upon the beautiful pris-
oner, but the old shiek delivered him
self Of peremptory mo" when his
lieutenant preached a 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 veritable obses.
SION with him.
Victoria, from necessity, had pickee
up enough Of the language Of the sons
Of the desert to be able to converse
With them, and Abul Mukarram often
rode at her side, feastng his eyes upon
her face and figure the while he at
tempted to insratate himself into her
esteem by 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
over the prisoner.
Thereafter the venomous hooks which
the discredited Abul cast upon Vic
toria oftentimes caused her to shud-
der. for she knew that she had made
a cruel and implacable enemy Of tho
man. I
Ibn Aswad had given her but hint
Of the fate which awaited har. yet It
had been sudicient to warn her that
death were better than the thing she
was being dragged through the jungles
/ TO suffer.
Every waking minute her mind was
occupied with plans for escape, yet not
ono presented itself which did not OF.
fer insuperable obstacles. i
Even had she been able to leave the
camp undetected, how long could she
hope to survive in the jungle7 And
| should BY some miracle her life be
I spared even for months, Of what avail
would that be? She could no more
have retraced her way 20 Lord Grey
stokes ranch than she could have laid.
q true course upon the trackiess ocean.
The horrors Of the march that pass.
ed daily In hideous review before her.
left her dck and disguised Tho cruea
" beaten slaves who carried the great
burdens Of ivory, tents and peovasione
brought tears to her eyes.
The brutal massacres that followed
tho forcible entrance into each sue
ceeding village wrupg her heart and
reused her shame for these beasts In
human form who urged on their saw
age and cowardly Manyuema canni-
balls to commit nameless excuses
against the covering prisoners that fell
into their hands.
But at last they came to q village
where victory failed to rush forward
and fall into their arms. Instead,
they were met with sullen resistance
Ferocious, painted devils fought them
stubbornly every inch Of the way, until
Ibn Aswad decided to make detour
and pass round the village rather than
sacrifice more Of his followers.
In the confusion Of the fight and the
near retreat which followed Abul Mu-
karram found tho opportunity he had
been awaiting. The prisoners, includ-
ing the white girl. were being pushed
ahead OF the retreating raiders. while
the Arabs and Manyuema brought mp
the rear. lighting OF the pursuing sav.
ages.
Now Abul Mukarram knew way 10
the northland that two might travsrss
with ease and over which one could
fairly ny, but which was Impossible
for slave caravan because It passed
through the territory Of the English
II the girl would accompany him
willingly, well and good-H not then
he would go alone, but not before he
should b revenged upon her.
He left tho firing line. therefore, and
pushed his way through the terror