Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-11-24

ed FranticaiIy at His Breast.
back across the river lie could SEQ
Ills start of surprise rs his eyes fell
upon the pursuing canoe and called the
attention of his followers to 1t.
Now the canoe was within easy
speaking distance of the shore
What do you wantf" yelled Nal.
hihn. raising his weapon overwhelmingly.
The Hon. Morrison Rnyncs lcapcd to
his feet.
lyon. hang YOU" he .lnutcd. whip
ping out his revolver ana firing almost
simultaneously with the Swcdc
AS the two .clOr;& Yang ont MaIbihu
dropped his rifle. ,lutchcd fIunticnlly
NJ his breast. staggered. fen. first t.
his knees and then ljngcd upon his
race haynes Stiir"ncd. His head flew
back SphSmodicnny For an instant
ne stood thus and th1u rYumplcd worry
gently into tn" nOttom or the boat
HayncS turned wcniiy IN :hr dircc
ZION OF the shore. TO see Na,hiE.. draw,
~ upon his elbows. tpvc::n" his :.iir ~
iIin 2hr En@liShman slid Ia the bo, &.
ON at the came" rs II hn.'"t whizXrd
"huN" him Ma'h'hr. sore hit. took
'n"rr IN riniil,".. por was his aim as
,''rr Nv iuvmr"ly
With "til'"r!y haynes turned him
n"!! "N"c ."u his betty and. erasmus:
MS revolver in his ri"h; hand. drew
lim$cif NJ uni. he could look aver
ihr rd:.r ~ the .:suur.
Mahlhn SIM nim INSTANTLY and tired
nut HnynrS did not ilich or duck
with pain$taktn" care lie aimed ut the
fargri upon the shore, away from
Ntt'h h" now WAS drifting with the
nrrrni Ills finger closed upon the
ringer There was II flash. II report.
tnd Malhhn'$ giant flame icrkrd 10
he impact Of another bullet
But he WAS not yet dead. Again hr
aimed and fred. the bullet Splintrrin.:
the gunWalp ni the canoe close bN
haynes face, RayucS fired again rs
his canoe driftcd farther downstream
and Malbihn answered from the shore.
where he lay in n pool of his own
,iiood.
And thus, doggedly. the two wounded
men continued to carry on their weird
duel until the winding African river
had carried the Hon. Morrison BnyncS
out OF sight around II wooded point.
Meriem had traversed half the
length OF the village street when u
score OF white robcd negroes and half
castles lcapcd out upon her from the
dark interiors of the Surroundin. huts
She tried to tee. hut heavy hands sciZ
cd her, and when she turned ut last to
plead with them her eyes fell upon the
face OF n tall. grim old man glarin.
down upon her from the folds of his
burnoosc.
At sight OF him she staggered back
In shocked and terrified surprise. It
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 Mcriem
making for the village. The fellow had
called the shcik'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 Mt last the woman had
walked into the trap he had set for
her and he had recognized her rs the
same little girl he had brutaizcd and
maltreatcd years before his eratifica-
ton had been huge Now he lost no
time In cStabliShin. the old relations
or father and daughter that had ex
listed between them in the past
a two days march brought them at
last to the Familiar scenes OF her child
hood, and the first face upon which she
set her eyes us she WAS driven through
the gates tnIo The strong stockade was
that OF the toothless. hideous Nahum.
her one time nurse. 1t was as though
all the years that had interviewed were
but dream. Had 1t not been for her
clothing and the fact that she had
grown in stature she might well have
believed 1t so.
For time the inhabitants Of the
sheiE's village who had not been upon
the march with him amused them.
selves by inspecting the strangely clad
white girl whom some or them had
known rs little child.
Among the Arabs who had come IN
her absence was a tall young fellow OF
twenty. a handsome sinister looking
youth, who stared at her IN open ad-
miration until the shcik came and or.
dercd 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 tho viii
lage, for the stockade was high and
strong and the only gates were well
guarded by day and night. But, as of
old, she cared not for the companion.
ship OF the cruel Arabs and the de.
graded blacks who formed the follow.
ing of the sheils. and so, as had been
her wont In the sad days Of her child.
hood, she SUNK down to an unfrcqucnt.
cd corner OF the Enclosure where she
had often played at housekeeping with
her beloved Geck0.
Mcriem pressed her hand above her
heart and stillcd n sigh, and as she did
so she felt the hard outlines Of the pho.
tograph she had hidden there as she
SUNK from Malbihn's tent Now she