Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-19
By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
Author of the Tarzan Tales
cnArTER xxv1II-tcontlnuedl

CHAPTER xxvIII-tContlnued).
"CtHETK AMOR BEN KHAToUR," an
- nounced the sergeant by way Of intro
duction.
Captain Jacot eyed the newcomer. He
was acquainted with nearly every principal
Arab within a radius Of several hundred
miles. This man he had never seen He
was tall weatherbeaten, sour-lookng man
OF 60 or more. His eyes were narrow and
evil Captain Jacot did not relish his APP
pearance.
"Well?" he asked tentatively.
The Arab came directly to the point.
"Achmet ben Houdin is my sisters son.
he said. IF you will give him into my
Keeping I will see that he sins no more
against the laws Of the French"
Jacot shook his head. That cannot be"
he replied. ~ must take him back with me
He will be properly and fairly tried by
| civil court. II he is innocent he will be
released"
"And if he Ia not innocentY" asked the
Arab.
"tte is charged with many murders. For
any one Of these. II he is proved guilty. he
will have TO die"
The Arabs left hand was hidden beneath
his burnoose. Now he withdrew It, dis
closing n large Eoatskn purse. bulglng and
heavy with coins. lie opened the mouth
Of the purse and let handful Of the con-
tents trickle into the palm of his right
hand-all were pieces of good French gold
From the size OF the purse and It's bulging
proportions Captain Jacot concluded that II
must contain n small fortune
Sheik Armor ben Khatour dropped the
spilled gold pieces one by one back into the
purse, He drew the tie-strings tight. All
the time he was silent
JaCot was cycling him narrowly. They
were alone. The sergeant having intro
duced the visitor. had withdrawn to some
little distance-hs back was toward them.
Now the shelk, having returned all the
gold pieces held the bulging purse out.
ward upon his open palm toward Captain
Jacot
"Acmet ben Houdin, my sisters son.
might escape tonight" he said. "Eh?"
Captain Armand Jacot flushed to the
roots of his close-cropped hair, Then he
went very white and took n half step
toward the Arab His fists were clenched
Suddenly he thought better of whatever
impulse was moving him.
Sergeant :" he called The non-commis-
stoned officer hurried toward him, saluting
as his heels clicked together before his
superior,
Take this black dog back to his people,"
he ordered. See that they leave at once
Shoot the first man who comes within range
of camp tonight"
SheilS Amor ben Khatour drew himself
up to his full height. His evil eyes mar
rowed. He raised the bag of gold level
with the eyes Of the French officer.
You will pay more than this for the
life of Achmet ben Houdin. my sisters
son." he snarled. And as much again for
the name that YOU have called me. and Il
hundredfold in sorrow into the bargain -
Get out of here" growled Captain Ar
mand Jacot, before ] kick you out :"
All of this happened some six years be-
fore the opening of this tale, The trial of
Achmet ben Houdin and his accomplices is
matter of record-you may verify 1t if
you care to. He met the death he deserved,
and he met II with the stolcism OF the
Arab.
a month later little Jeanne Jacot, the
4-year-old daughter of Captain Armand
Jacot, mysteriously disappeared
Neither the wealth of her father and
mother nor all the powerful resources OF
the great republic were able to wrest the
secret of her whereabouts from the in
scrutable desert that had swallowed her
and her abductor.
A reward OF such enormous proportions
was offered that many adventurers were
attracted to the hunt, among them Jensen
and Malbihn. This was no case for the
| modern detective of civilization. yet several
of these threw themselves into the search
the bones of some are bleaching beneath
the African sun upon the silent sands of
the Sahara.