The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-11-10

Malbihn and Jensen, two Swede rcne-
gades and traders try vainy, for neree-
nary reasons to get possession of Httla
girl. IeIiem. held by an Ara she.k.
Jacl. learns jungle lore from Al -
Jack comes across the swede. safart.
but is repulsad. fisheartened, he takes
! all the more 10 jungle life. From q tree
! he Snins Meriein.
CHAPTER VII.
Il Rescue.
! A year had passed since the two
! SWedos had been driven in terror from
I the savage country where the sheik
held sway. Little Meriem still played
with her doll Geeka, lavishing all her
childish love upon the now almost
hopeless ruin q what had never, even
/ in its palniest days, possessed even q
slight degree of loneliness.
The sheik had been away for long
time, conducting caravan Of ivory,
skins and rubber far into the north.
The interim had been one of great
peace for Meriem. 1t is true that Ma
bunu had still been with her, to pinch
or beat her as the mood seized the vii
famous old hag, but Nahum was only
one. When the sheik was there also
there were two of them, and the sheik
was stronger and more brutal even
than Nahum.
Little Meriem often wondered why
the grim old man hated her so. It is
true that he was cruel and unjust to
all with whom he came in contact, but
to Meriem he reserved his greatest
cruelties, his most studied injustices.
AS the little girl played she pratt
tied continuously to her companion,
propped in q sitting position with a
couple Of twigs. She was totally alb
sorbed in Geeha-so much so that she
did not note the gentle swaying of the
branches of the tree above her as they
bent to the body Of creature that had
entered them stealthily from the jun
gle.
In happy ignorance the little girl
played on, while from above two steady
eyes looked down upon her. unblink-
ing, unwavering. There was none 9TH
er than the little girl in this part of
the village, which had been almost de-
serted since the sheik had left long
months before upon his journey to-
ward the north.
And out in the jungle, an hours
march from the village, the shcik was
leading his returning caravan home
ward.
A year had passed since the white
men had fred upon the lad and driven
him back into the jungle to take up
his search for the only remaining crea-
lures to whom he might look for con-
paniOnship-the great apes. For
months the two had wandered east
ward, deeper and deeper into the jun
gle.
The year had done much for the boy
turning his already mighty muscles
to thews Of steel, developing his wood
craft to point where it verged upon
the uncanny, perfecting his arboreal
Instincts and training him in the use
of both natural and artificial weapons
OF Ofense and defense.
He had become at last creature of
marvellous physical powers and mental
cunning. He was still but boy, yet
SO great was his strength that the
powerful anthropoid with which he
often engaged in mimic battles was
no match for him. Akut had taught
him to fight as the bull ape fights, nor
ever was there teacher better fitted
to Instruct in the savage warfare Of
primordial man or a pupil better
equipped to profit by the lessons of a
master.
As the two searched for a band Of
the almost extinct species Of ape to
which Akut belonged they lived upon
the best the jungle afforded. Antelope
and zebra fell to the boys spear or
were dragged down by the two power
full beasts of prey, who leaped upon
them from some Overhanging limb or
from the ambush of the underground |
beside the trail to the water hole or
the ford.
Akut and Jack, now called Korak in
the ape language, were moving slowly |
down the wind, and warily, because /
the advantage was with whatever
beast might chance to be hunting
ahead of them. where their scent spoor
was being borne by the light breeze.
the two halted Simultaneous
~. Two heads were cooked upon one
side. Like creatures hewn from solid
rock they stood iE1movable, listening.
Not muscle quivered.
For several seconds they remained
thus. Then Korak advanced cautiously
4 few yards and leaped nimbly into
4 tree Akut followed close unOn his