Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-12-26
Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co.
CHAPTER VIII.
korak and Meriem.


TO the youth or the ape-but to the
little girl 1t was a constant nightmare
of horrors for days and weeks until
she, too, became accustomed to gazing
into the eyeless sockets of death and
to the feel of the icy wind of his
shroudlike mantle.
Slowly she learned the rudiments of
the only common medium of thought
exchange which her companions pos
sessed--the language of tho great apes.
More quickly she perfected herself in
jungle craft, so that the time soon
came when she was an important fac
tor in the chase, watching while the
others slept or helping them to trace
the spoor of whatever prey they might
be stalking.
Akut accepted her on a footing
which oOrdered upon equality when it
was necessary for them TO come into
close contact, but for the most part
he avoided her. The youth always was
kind to her. and if there were INA ny
occasions upon which he felt the bur
den of hei presence he hid 1t from her.
Finding that the night damp and
chill caused her discomfort and even
suffering. Korak constructed a tight
little shelter high among the swaying
branches of a giant tree. Here little
Meriem slept In comparative warmth
and safety. while the Killer and the
ape perched upon nearby branches, the
former always before the entrance to
the lofty domiclle, where he best could
guard its inmate from the dangers of
arboreal enemies.
After the construction of the shelter
the activities of the three became To-
Called. They ranged less widely, for
there was always the necessity of re-
turning to their own tree at nightfall.
A river flowed near by. Game and
fruit were plentiful, as were fish also.
Existence had settled down to the daily
humdrum of the wild-the search for
food and the sleeping upon full bellies.
They looked no further ahead than
today.
IF the youth thought of mis- past and
of those who longed for him in the
tached and impersonal sort of way, as
though that other life belonged to an
other creature than himself. He had
given up hope of returning to civiliZa-
ton, for, since his various rebuffs at
the hands of those to whom he had
looked for friendship, he had wan
dered so far inland as to realize that
To- in Hn Of
the jungle.
Then, too, since the coming of Me
riem he had found in her that one
thing which he had most missed be-
fore in his savage jungle life-human
companionship.
The little girl idolized him, as she
might have idollzed an indulgent
brother had she had one. Love was
thing unknown to either. But as the
youth neared manhood ii was inevi-
table that it should come to him, as 1t
did to every other savage jungle male.
AS Meriem became proficient In their
common language the pleasures of
their companionship grew correspond
ingly, for now they could converse,
and, aided by the mental powers of
their human heritage. they amplified
the restricted vocabulary of the apes
until talking was transformed from
task into an enjoyable pastlme.
When Korak hunted Meriem usually
accompanied him, for she had learned
the fine art of silence when silence
was desirable. She could pass through
the branches of the great trees now
with all the agility and stealth of the
Killer himself. Great heights no long
er appalled, her. She swung from limb
TO limb, or she raced through the
mighty branches. sure footed, 1.-the and
fearless. Korak was very proud of
her, and even old Akut grunted in ap-
prevail where before he had growled
in contempt.
A distant village of blacks had fur
nished her with a mantle of fur and
feathers, with copper ornaments and
weapons, for Korak would not permit
her to go unarmed or unversed in the
use of the weapons he stole for her.
A light spear and n long knife were
her weapons of offense or defense.
Her body, rounding into the fulness
of an early maturity, followed the
lines of a Greek goddess, but there the
similarity ceased. for her face was
beautiful.
As she grew more accustomed to the
Jungle and the ways of its wild deni-
zens, fear left her AS time wore on
she even hunted alone when Korak
and Akut were prowling at a great
distance, as they were sometimes
forced to do when game was scarce In
their immediate vicinity. Upon these
occasions she usually confined her en-
deavors to the smaller animals, though
sometimes she brought down q deer
and once even Horta, the boar, a great
tusker that might have made even
Sheeta think twice before attacking
him.
After Korak had left the village of
the blacks following his last thieving
expedition the screams of women and
children had brought the warriors in
from the forest and the river. Great
was the excitement and hot was the
rage of the men when they learned
that the white devil had again entered
their homes, frightened their women
and stolen arrows and ornaments and
food.
Even their superstitious fear Of this
weird creature who hunted with
huge bull ape was overcome In their