Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-08
The SONOF TARZAN

the very doorway his heavy hand fell upon
her shoulder and dragged her back
wheeling upon him with the fury OF a
wounded lioness, Merem grasped the long
revolver by the barrel swung II high above
her head and crashed II down full In NAL.
bihn's face
With an oath Of pain and rage the man
staggered backward, releasing his hold
upon her; and then sank unconscious to the
ground Without backward look Meriem
turned and fled irto the open.
Several of the blacks saw her and tried
to intercept her fight, but the menace of
the harmless weapon kept them at a dis.
tance.
And so she won beyond the encircling
bona and disappeared into the Jungle to
the south.
Straight into the branches of a tree she
went, true to the arboreal instincts Of the
little Mangani she had been; and here she
stripped Off her riding skirt, her shoes and
her stockings, for she knew that she had
before her a journey and a flight which
would not brook the burden of these gar.
ments.
Her riding breeches and Jacket would
have to serve as protection from cold and
thorns, nor would they hamper her over.
much but skirt and shoes were lmpos.
sible among the trees.
She had not gone far before she com.
menced to realize how slight were her
'hances for survival without means of de.
Tense or a weapon to bring down meat.
Why had she not thought to strip the cart.
ridge belt from Malbihns waist before she
rad left his tent? with cartridges for the
revolver she might hope to bag small game
md to protect herself from all but the
most ferocious of the enemies that would
beset her way to the beloved hearthstone
4 Bwana and My Dear.
With the thought came determination to
ieturn and obtain the coveted ammunition.
She realized that she was taking great
chances of recapture: but without means
of defense and of obtaining meat she felt
that she could never hope to reach safety.
And SO she turned her face back toward the
camp from which she had but just escaped.
She thought Malbihn dead, so terrific a
blow had she dealt him; and she hoped to
And an opportunity afte,. dark to enter the
camp and search his tent for the cartridge
belt; but scarcely had she found hiding
place in a great tree at the edge of the
bona, where she could watch without dan
ger of being discovered than she saw the
Swede emerge from his tent. wiping blood
from his face, and hurting volley of oaths
and questions at his terrified followers.
Shortly after the entire camp set forth
In search of her, and when Merem was
positive that all were gone she descended
from her hiding place and ran quickly
across the clearing to Malbihn's tent A
hasty survey of the interior revealed no
ammunltion, Dut In one corner was a DoX
in which were packed the Swede's personal
belongings that he had sent along by his
headman to this westerly camp.
Meriem seized upon the receptacle as the
possible container of extra ammunition.
Quickly she loosed the cords that held the
canvas covering about the box, and a mo-
ment later had raised the lid and was rum
maging through the heterogeneous accumu-
lation Of odds and ends within
There were letters and papers and cut
tings from old newspapers, and among other
things the photograph of little girl upon
the back of which was pasted a clipping
from Paris daily-a clipping that she
had no time to read yellowed and dim
med by age and handling. But something
about the photograph OF the little girl,
which was also reproduced In the news.
paper clipping. held her attention.
Where had she seen that picture before? i?
And then. quite suddenly, 1t came to her
that this was a picture of herself. taken
years and years before!
Where had 1t been taken? How had 1t
come into the possession of this MANI Why
had it been reproduced in a newspaper?