The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-12-13
v.
The Sheik's DAUGHTER.

Two SWedes. Carl Jensen ana sven
Malbihn, after conducting several myS
terious expeditions tar TO the south OF
the Sahara, turned their attention te
the more profitable business OF ivory
poaching.
In a great district they were already
known for their relentless cruelty anc
then greed for ivory. The natives
feared and hated them. The Europear
governments in whose possessions the!
worked had long sought them but
working their way slowly out of TIT
north, they had learned many thingi
IN the no mans land south OF the Sa
hara, which gave them immunity iron
capture through easy avenues OF IS
cape that were unknown 10 those Wht
pursued them
Their raids were sudden and swift
They seized IVORY and retreated init
the ~trackless wastes Of the north be
fore the guardians OF the territor!
they raped could be made aware o
their presence. RelentlesSly the,
slaughtered elephants themselves a.
well as stealing ivory from the ma
lives. Their following consisted OF I
hundred renegade Arabs and ueg7
slaves. a fierce band OF curthroats.
Remember them, Carl Jensen AM
Sven Malbihn, yellow bearded Swedisl
giants. for you shall meet them latei
In the heart Of the jungle. hidde
away upon the banks Of q small une1
piored tributary of q large river that
efHities .nto thr Atlantic lot 50 far
from the equator. lay a small heavily
%palisaded village. Twenty palm
matched. beehive huts sheltered its
black population, while half a dozen
goatskin tents in the enter Of the
who found shelter here. while by trad
Ing and raiding they collected the a r
goes which their ships Of the desert
bore ~northward twice each year 10 the
market al T~imbuktu.
Playing before one of the Arab tents
was a little girl Of ten, a black haired,
black eyed little girl, who n her
nut brown skin and graceful carriage
looked every inch a daughter Of the
desert. Her little fingers were busily
engaged in fashioning a skirt Of grass
es for a much disheveled doll which a
kindly disposed slave had made for
her a year OF two before.
The head Of the doll was rudely
Clipped from ivory, while the body
was a rat skin stuffed with grass. The
arms and legs were bits Of wood, per-
forated at one end and sewn TO the
rat skin torso.
The doll was quite hideous and alto
gether disreputable and soiled, but
Meriem thought it the most beautiful
and adorable thing in the whole world,
which is not 50 strange In view Of the
fact that IL was the only object within
that world upon which she could be-
stow her condolences and her love.
Every u else with whom Meriem
came In contact was, almost without
exception, either Indifferent TO her or
cruel. There was the old black bag
"ho oOhcu dllci h'i, lOi SAdibpiC,
Nahum, toothless, filthy and Ill tenn
pered.
She lost no opportunity to cuff the
little girl or even infiict minor tortures
upon her. And there was the sheik,
her father. She feared him more than
she did Nahum. He often scolded her
for nothing, quite h~abitually terminate
Ing his TRADES by cruelty beating her
until her little body was black and
blue.
Little Meriem could scarce recall
any other existence than that of the
stern cruelty Of the sheik and Nahum.
Dimly In the back of her childish
memory there lurked a blurred recOl-
lection OF q gentle mother. But Me
riem was not sure but that even this
was a dream picture induced by her
own desire for the caresses she never
received.
Suddenly there arose sounds Of al
tercation beyond the village gates
Meriem listened. With the curiosity OF
childhood she would have liked to rue
down there and learn what 1t was thai
caused the men to talk s loudly. 9th
ers Of the villagers were already troop
ing In the direction of the noise.
But Meriem did not dare. The sheik
would be there, doubtless, and IL ht
saw her II would be but another OD