The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-11-21


As the two reports rang out Malbihn
dropped his rifle. clutched frantically
! at his breast. staggered. fell, first to
his knees and then !unged upon his
! face. Baynes stifrpne,L His head flew
| back systematically. For an instant
he stood thus and then crumpled very
gently into the bottom Of the boat.
Baynes turned weakly in the direc-
ton of the shore. to see Malbihn drawn
up upon his elbows, ieveling his rifle
ut him. The E.nglishman slid to the
bottom of the canoe as a bullet whiz-
zed above him. Malbihn. sore hit, took
longer in aiming. nor was his aim as
sure as formerly.
With difficulty Baynes turned him.
self over ON his stomach and, grasping
his revolver In his right. hand, drew
himself up until he could look over
the edge Of the canoe.
Malbihn saw him instantly and fred,
but Baynes did not finch or duck.
With painstaking care he aimed at the
target upon the shore. away from
which he now was drifting with the
current. His finger closed upon the
trigger. There was a fash. a report.
and Maibihn's giant frame jerkeS 70
the impact OF another bullet.
But he was not yet dead. Again he
aimed and fired, the bullet splinterins
the gunwale Of the canoe close by
Baynes' face. Haynes fired again ~
his canoe drifted further downstream,
and Malbihn answered from the shore.
where he lay in pool Of his OVID
blood.
And thus. dOggedly. the two wounded
men continued to carry on their weird
duel until the winding African river
had carried the Hon. Morrison haynes
out of sight around wooded point.
Mertem had traversed half the
length Of the village street when
score of white-rObed negroes and half
castles leaped out upon her from the
dark interiors Of the surrounding huts.
She tried to flee, but heavy hands
seized her. and when she turned ut last
to plead with them her eyes fell upon
the face Of tall, grim old man glaring
down upon her from the folds Of his
burnOOSe
AT sight Of him she staggered back
in shocked and terrified surprise. 1t
was the sheik!
The sheik and his party had been
marching southwark along the river
when one Of them. dropping out Of
line to fetch water, had seen Meriem
making for the village. The fellow had
called the sheik's attention to the
strange sight-a white woman alone In
central Africa-and the old Arab had
hidden his men in the deserted village
to capture her.
And when at last the woman had
her and he had recognized her as the
same little girl he had brutalized and
maltreated years before his gratifica-
ton had been huge. Now he lost no
time in establishing the old relations
Of father and daughter that had ex-
a two days march brought them at
last to the familiar scenes of her
and the first face upon
which she set her eyes as She was
driven through the gates into the
strong stOckade was that of the tooth
less, hldeous Nahum. her one time
nurse. 1t was as though all the years
that had interviewed We're but dream.
Had it not been for her clothing and
the fact that she had grown in stature
she might well have believed it so.
For time the inhabitants Of the
sheik's village who had not been upon +
the march with him amused them
selves by inspecting the strangely clad
white girl whom some of them had !
known as Il little child.
Among the Arabs who had come in |
her absence was tall young fellow !
Of twenty, a handsome, sinister look /
ing youth, who stared at her in open /
until the sheik came and
ordered him away, and Abdul Kamak !
went, scowling.
At last. their curiosity satisfied. Me- |,
riem was left alone. AS Of old, she
was permitted the freedom Of the viii
age. for the stOckade was high and |
strong and the only gates were well
guarded by day and night But. az Of
Did. she cared not for the companion
ship Of the cruel Arabs and the de-
graded blacks who formed the follow
Ing Of the sheik. and 50. as had been
her want In the sad days Of her child
hood, she skunk down to an unfreQuent-
ed corner OF the Enclosure where she
had often played at housekeeping with
her beloved Geeka.
Merieim pressed her hand above her
heart and stifed a sigh, and AS she did
30 she felt the hard outlines Of the
she had hidden there Nv
she skunk from Malbihn's tent. Now
she drew it forth and commenced to
1t more carefully than she
bad had time to do before.
As she sat gazing at the picture she