Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-12

men moving about among the huts inside
the boma-evidently Hanson was still
there Korak did not know the true identity
Of Meriem's abductor
How was he to cross? Not even he
would dare the perils of the river-almost
certain death. For a moment he thought,
then wheeled and sped away into the jun
gle, uttering peculiar cry, shrill and
piercing. Now and again he would halt
to listen as though for an answer TO his
weird CALL then on again, deeper and deep
er into the wood
AT last his listening ears were rewarded
by the sound they craved--the trumpeting
of bull elephant and a few moments
later Korak broke through the trees into
the presence of Tantor, standing with up
raised trunk, waving his great ears
quick, Tantor!" shouted the apeman.
and the beast swung lhim to his head
'Hurry!" and the mighty pachyderm lum-
bered of through the jungle, guided by
kicking of naked heels against the sides
Of his head.
Toward the northwest Korak guided his
huge mount, until they came out upon the
river a mile or more above the Swede's
camp, at a point where Korak knew that
there was an elephant ford Never paus-
ing, the apeman urged the beast into the
river, and with trunk held high, Tantor
forged steadily toward the opposite bank
Once an unwary crocodile attacked him.
but the sinuous trunk dived beneath the
surface and graspng the amphbian about
the middle, dragged 1t to light and hurled
It hundred feet down stream. And so.
in safety, they made the opposite shore
Korak perched high and dry above the
turgd flood.
Then back toward the south Tantor
moved, steadily, relentessly, and with a
swinging gait which took no heed of any
obstacle other than the larger jungle trees
At times Korat was forced to abandon the
broad head and take to the trees above.
SO close the branches ralSed the back of
the elephant; but at last they came to the
edge of the clearing where lay the camp
or the renegade Swede
Nor even then did they hesitate or halt.
The gate lay upon the east side of the
| camp. facing the river. Tantor and Korak
approached from the north There was no
gate there: but what cared Tantor or Ko-
rak for gates?
At n word from the apeman, and raising
his tender trunk high above the thorns
Tantor breasted the bona, walking through
1t as though It had not existed. a dozen
blacks squattinR before their huts looked
up at the noise of his approach With
sudden howls of terror and amaze. they
leaped to their feet and fed for the open
| gates
Tantor would have pursued. He hated
man, and he thought that KoraS had come
| back guiding him toward n large canvas
| tent that rose in the centre of the clearing.
There should be the girl and her abductor.
Malbihn lay in hammock beneath n
| canopy before his tent His wounds were
| painful, and he had lost much blood. He
was very weak. He looked up in surprise
as he heard the screams of his men and
saw them running toward the gate.
And then, from around the corner of
his tent loomed a huge bulk. and Tantor
the great tusker, lowered above him.
| Malbihns boy, feeling neither affection
nor loyalty for his master, broke and ran
at the first glimpse of the beast, and Nal
| bihn was left alone and helpless. The
elephant stopped n couple of PAGES from
| the wounded mans hammock. Malbihn
covered moaning, He was too weak to
| escape He could only lie there with
staring eyes gazing in horror into the
blood-rimmed, angry little orbs fixed upon
him. and await his death
Then, to his astonshiment a man slid
to the ground from the elephants back
Almost at once Malbihn recognized the
strange figure as that of the creature who
consorted with apes and baboons-the