Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-27
CHAPTER XIV
RWnna,a Hnmn


MYTH wide eyes fixed upon him, like
Wv trapped creature Mortified beneath the
mesmeric gaze of n great serpent, the girl
watched the approach of the man. Her
hands were free, the Swedes having secured
her with length of ancient slave.chain
fastened at one end TO an iron collar pad
locked about her neck and the other to
long stake driven deep into the ground
Slowly Meriem shrank. inch by inch, to-
ward the opposite end of the tent. Malbihn
Iollowed her, His hands were extended and
his fingers half opened--clawlike--- seize
her His lips we're parted, and his breath
came quickly. pantlngly.
The girl recalled Jenssen's instructions to
call him should Malbihn molest her; but
Jensen had gone into the Jungle to hunt.
Malbihn had chosen his time well.
Yet she screamed loud and shrili once
twice, third time, before Malbihn could
leap across the tent and throttle her alarm
ing cries with his brute fingers. Then she
fought him, as any Jungle she-thlng might
light, with tooth and nail
The man found her no easy prey, In
that slender young body, beneath the
rounded curves and the fine, soft skin, lay
the muscles OF young lioness.
But Malbihn was no weakling His char.
acter and appearance were brutal, nor did
they belle his brawn. He was Of giant
stature and of giant strength. Slowly he
ing her in the face when she hurt him
badly either with teeth or nails. Meriem
struck BACK, but she was growing weaker
from the choking fingers at her throat
Out in the jungle Jensen had brought
down two bucks. His hunting had not car.
ried him far aheld, nor was he prone to
permit 1t to do 30. He was suspicious of
Malbihn. The very fact that his companion
had refused to accompany him and elected
instead to hunt alone in another direction
mot III.
have seemed fraught with sinister sugges,
tion; but Jensen knew Malbihn well, and
so. having secured meat, he turned imme-
diately back toward camp, while his boys
brought i'm his kill.
He had covered about half the return
journey when scream came family to his
cars from the direction or camp. He halted
to listen. 1t was repeated twice. Then
silence.
With muttered curse Jensen broke into
rapid run. He wondered IL he would be
too late. What fool Malbihn was, indeed
thus to chance jeopardizing a fortune!
Further away from camp than Jensen
and upon the opposite side, another heard
Meriem's screams-a stranger, who was
not even aware of the proximity of white
men other than himself-a hunter with a
handful of sleek, black warriors.
He too. listened intently for moment
That the voice was that OF a woman In
distress he could not doubt. and so he also
hastened at a run In the direction of the
affrighted voice; but he was much further
away than Jensen, so that the latter reach
ed the tent first.
What the Swede found there reused no
pity within his calloused heart. only anger
against his fellow scoundrel Merem was
still fighting off her attacker. Malbihn still
was showering blows upon her.
Jensen. streaming foul curses upon his
erstwhle friend, burst into the tent. NAL
bihn, interrupted, dropped his victim and
turned to meet Jenssen's infuriated charge.
He whipped a revolver from his hip.
Jensen, anticipating the lightning move OF
the others hand drew almost simultane-
ously, and both men fired at once.
Jensen was still moving toward NAL
bihn at the time. but at the flash of the
explosion he stopped. HIS revolver dropped
from nerveless fingers For n moment he'
staggered drunkenly Deliberately Malbihn
put two more bullets into his friends body
at close range.
Even in the midst of the excitement and
her terror Meriem found herself wondering
at the tenacity of life which the hit man
displayed. His eyes were closed. his head
dropped forward upon his breast his hands
hung Imply before him. Yet still he stood
there upon his feet. though he reeled hor-
ribly.
It was not until the third bullet had
found its mark within his body that he
lunged forward upon his face Then NAL
bhn approached him, and with an oath
kicked him viciously. Then he returned
once more to Merem
Again he seized her, and at the same
instant the flaps of the tent opened silently
and tall white man stood in the aperture.
Neither Meriem or Malbihn saw the new
conner The latters back was toward him.
while his body hid the stranger from Mer-
iem's eyes.
He crossed the tent quickly, stepping
over Jenssens body. The first intimation
Malbihn had that he was not to carry out
his design without further interruption was
a heavy hand upon his shoulder.
CONTINUED MONDAY