Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-07-17
CHA ER 4.
The Death Dance.

was gaining rapidly upon
80 those with whom Nat-uI trav-
eled
The experience Of his other life as
sured bim that she must be prison
or, yet at the same time he realized
thar such might not be the case at all.
for had he not thought Of her Il pris-
ouer among rhe others who had held
him prisoner, only to learn that one Of
them claimed her as u sister,
It all seemed very strange 10 M. 1t
was quite beyond MIN Nat-uI could
not be the sister Of Custer, and yet he
had seen her apparently happy and
cODteuted IA the society Of these
strangers. ana Custer unquestionably
appeared 10 feel for her the solicitude
OF a brother
Curtiss, It was evident. loved Nat-ul
that much he had cleaned from con
yersatons be had overheard between
him and Custer How the man could
have become so well acquainted with
Nat-ul between the two days that had
elapsed since Nh had set forth from
the caves beside the restless sea to
hunt down 90 and the morning that
he had awakened following the mighty
shaking Of the world was quite as
much "A mystery as was the remarkable
changes that had taken place in the
aspect Of the world during the same
brief period.
M had given much thought 10 these
miraculous happenings. with the result
that be had about convinced himself
that he must have slept much longer
than he had believed. but that hun
dred thousand years had rolled their
slow and weary progress above his I'M
conscious head could not, Of course.
hive occurred to him. even as the re
hottest Of possibilities.
He had also weighed the sneering
words or Curt ISIS, and with them the
attitude OF the strangers with whom
be had been thrown. He had quickly
appreciated the fact TINT their man
ners aud customs were as far removed
from bis as they were from those Of
the beasts of the jungle.
He had seen that mis- own ways were
more III accordance with the ways Of
the black and half naked natives whom
the whites looked upon as SO much
even eat at the same table with them.
He had noted the fact that the
blacks treated the other whites with a
marked respect which they did not ax-
tend TO M. and being no fool. M had
come 10 the conclusion that the whites
themselves looked upon him as an in
ferior, even before Curtss' words CON
yinced him Of the truth OF his suspi- /
cions.
Evidently. though his skin was
white, he was now in some subtle way
different from the other whites. Pos I
s1bly it was in the matter Of raiment /
He had tried to wear the strange /
body coverings they had given him. /
but they were cumbersome and IN
comfortable, and. though he " as SCI (
dem warm enough now, he had never. /
theless been glad when the opportuni- /
~ came TO discard the hamperiBg and /
unaccust0med clothing.
These thoughts suggested the posi- /
bility that If Nst-ul had found recog- /
milton among the strangers upon an
equal footing with them that she, too.
might have those attributes Of superi
ority which the strangers claimed, and
IL such was the fact 1t became evident
that she would consider Nu from the
viewpoint of her new friends-as an
inferior
Such reveries made M very sad, for
ne loved Nat-ul just as you or I would
ieve-just SIS normal white men have
always loved-wtth q devotion that
placed the object Of his affection upon
q pedestal. before which he was hap
by to bow down and worship. His
passion was not of the brute type of
the inferior races, which oftentines
solemnizes the marriage ceremony with
a cudgel and ever places the woman
in the position OF an inferior and
chsttel.
Even as M pondered the puzzling
questions which confronted I'm his
eyes and ears were alert as re sped
along the now fresh trail or the cara
van
Every indication pointed the recent
passing of many men. and the uoglo-
dyte was positive that he could be but
a few hours behind his quarry.
few miles east Of him the rescue
party from the Greystoke ranch were
pushing rapidly ahead upon a different
trail, with view 10 heading or the
Arabs.
Ibn Aswad had taken a circuitous
route in order that he might pass
round the country Of the Waziri. and
with his slow moving slave caravan /
be had now reached a point but
few days journey IN q direct line from
the ranch. The lightly equipped pur-
'uers, having knowledge Of the route
AIKEN by the Arabs from the messen-
ser who had come 70 seek their assist Q
Ince, had not been compelfed TO follow q
he spoor OF their quarry. but instead I
lad marched straight across country
n direct line for q point which they :
believed would bring them ahead OF Q
he caravan.
Thus it was that M and Terkoz c
nd the party OF whites and Waziri
rom the ranch were closing In upon E
bn Aswad from opposite directions ST
But M was not destined to follow q
he trail OF the raiders 10 where they :
-fff l..