Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-17
THE SON OF TARTAN

watched his orderly. who was nrenarirc h,.
eNening meal Captain Armand Jacot .vva g
wen satisfied with himself and tbo world
nttle to his right rose the noisy actiyitv
vi nis troop OF sun-tanned veterans. re-
,,oIs soI tne time from the irksome tram
,, oI olscipline relaxing tired muscles
laughing, Joking and smoking as thev too
prepared to eat after 12-hour Fast
among them, silent and taciturn. SQUAT
teu flve white-robed Arabs, securely bound
and under heavy guard
II was the sight of these that ei,oa c.,-
tain Jacot with the pleasurabie satisFactian
OIL DUTY well performed For long, hot
gaunt month he and his little troon had
secuted the waste places of the desert in
search of band of marauders tn the ain
STAINED account of whom were charged in
Vulnerable thefts of camels, horses and
goats, as we'll as murders enough TO have
sent the whole unsevory gang to the gull
lotine several times over
week before he had come upon them
In the ensuing battle he had lost two Of
MS own men; but the punishment inflicted
upon the marauders had been severe al.
most to extinction. A half Dozen perhaps
mad escaped; but the remainder, with the
exception Of the five prisoners, had eN-
plated their crimes before the bullets of the
legionalres.
And best of ALL the ring-leader, Achmet
ben Houdin, was among the prisoners.
From the prisoners Captain Jacot per-
mitted his mind to traverse the remaining
miles of sand to the little garrison post
where, upon the morrow, he should find
awaiting him with eager welcome his wife
and little daughter
His eyes softened to the memory of them
as they always did. Even now he could
see the beauty of the mother reflected in
the childish lines of little Jeannes face, and
both those faces would be smiling up into
his as he swung from his tired mount late
the following afternoon. Already he could
feel soft cheek pressed close to each of
hts-velvet against leather.
His reverie was broken in upon by the
voice Of q sentry sunmoning noncomms-
stoned officer. Captain Jacot raised his
eyes. The sun had not yet set but the
shadows of the few trees huddled about the
water hole and of his men and their horses
stretched far away into the east across
the now golden sand.
The sentry was pointing in this direction
and the corporal, through narrowed lips,
was searching the distance.
Captain Jacot rose to his feet. He was
not a man content to see through the eyes
of others He must see for himself.
Usually he saw things long before others
were aware that there was anything to
sea trait that had won for him the
sobriquet of Hawk. Now he saw, just be-
yond the long shadows, a dozen specks ris-
ing and falling among the sands. They dis
appeared anu iSdBpShiSu' W. Sh''NSS N''~S
grew larger.
Jacot recognised them Immediately. They
were horsemen-horsemen of the desert.
Already sergeant was running toward
him. The entire camp was straining its
eyes into the distance.
Jacot gave a few terse orders to the
sergeant, who saluted, turned upon his heel
and returned to the men. Here he gath
cred a dozen who saddled their horses.
mounted and rode out to meet the
strangers
The remaining men disposed themselves
in readiness for instant action. 1t was not
entirely beyond the range of possibilities
that the horsemen riding thus swiftly
toward the camp might be friends of the
prisoners bent upon the release OF their
kinsmen by sudden attack.
Jacot doubted this. however. since the
strangers were evidently making no at
tempt to conceal their presence They were
galloping rapidly toward the camp in plain
view of all There might be treachery lurk-
ing beneath their fair appearance but none
who knew the Hawk would be so gullible
as to hope to trap him thus.
The sergeant with his detail met the
Arabs two hundred yards from the camp.
Jacot could see him in conversation with
n tall white-rohed figure-eYidently the
leader of the band.
Presently the sergeant and this Arab rode
side by side toward camp. Jacot awaited
them. The two refined in and dismounted
before him.
CONCLUDED MONDAY