Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-10-29

completely through the body OF the I'M
conscious victim. And then the Killer
paused. He leaned forward little to
get better view of the target.
He lowered his spear cautiously that
1t might make no noise by scraping
against foliage or branches. Quietly
he crouched In comfortable position
along IA great limb. and there he lay
with wide eyes, looking down In won
! der upon the creature he had crept
upon to kill--lOOking down upon lit
tie girl. little nut brown maiden.
Korak wondered what the girl would
do were he to drop suddenly from the
tree to her side. Most likely she would
scream and run away. Then would
come the men Of the village with
spears and guns and set upon him.
They would either kill him or drive
him away.
A lump rose in the boys throat. He
craved the cOmpanionship Of his own
kind. though he hardly realized how
greatly. lie would have liked to slip
down beside her, though he knew from
the words he had overheard that she
spoke a language with which he was
unfamiliar
At last he hit upon plan. He
would attract her attention and reas-
sure her by smiling greeting from a
greater distance. Silently he wormed
his way back into the tree. 1t was his
intention to hail her from beyond the
palisade. giving her the feeling Of Sc
curity which ne imagined the stout
barricade would afford.
He had scarcely left his position in
the tree when his attention was at
tracted by considerable noise upon
the opposite side of the village. BY
moving a little he could see the gate
ut the far end Of the main street.
A number of men. women and chill
dren were running toward it, 1t swung
open, revealing the head Of caravan
upon the opposite side. 1t trooped in
mOtly Observation-Disclosures slaves anC
dark hued Arabs Of the northern DIES
erts; cursing camel drivers urging on
their vicious charges; overburdened
donkeys, waving sadly pendulous ears
while they endured with stole patience
the brutalltles of their masters; goats,
sheep and horses.
Into the village they all trooped be-
hind tall, sour old man, who rode,
without greetings to those who shrank
from his path, directly to a lnrge goat.
skin tent in the center of the village.
Here he spoke to a wrinkled black
nag.
korak from his vantage point could
see ii all. He saw the old man asking
questions of the black woman, and
then he saw the latter point in the
direction of the tree beneath which
the little girl played.
A grim smile curved the thin. cruel
lips of the Arab. The child eSsayed
to crawl away, but before she could
get out of reach the old man kicked
her brutally, sending her sprawling
upon the grass. Then he followed her
up to seize and strike her as was his
custom.
Above them in the tree beast
crouched where moment before had
been a boy---a beast with dilatlng nos
trils and barred fangs--a beast that
trembled with rage.
The shclk was STOPPING to reach
for the girl when the Killer dropped
to the ground at his side. His spear
was still in his left hand but he had
forgotten it, Instead his right fist was
clinched, and the sheik took a back
ward step astonished by the sudden
naturalization of this strange appari-
ton apparently out of clear sky, the
heavy fist landed full upon his mouth,
backed by the weight Of the young
giant and the terrific power of his
more than human muscles.
Bleeding and senseless, the sheik
sank to earth. korak turned toward
the child. She had regnined her feet
and stood, wide eyed and frightened,
looking first up into his face and then
horror struck at the recumbent figure
of the sheik. In an involuntary ges-
ture of protection the Killer threw an
arm about the girls shoulders aud
stood waiting for the Arab to regain
consciousness. For moment they re-
manned thus then the girl spoke.
when he regnins his senses he will
kill me- she said In Arabic.
Korak could not understand her. He
shook his head, speaking TO her first
In English and then In the language Of
the apes. But neither of these were
ineligible to her.
She leaned forward and touched the
hilt of the long knife that the Arab
wore. Then she raised her clasped
hand above her head and drove an I'M
aginary blade into her breast above
her heart.
Korak understood The old man
would kill her.
The girl came TO his side again and
stood there trembling. She did not
fear him. Why should she2 He had
saved her from a terrible beating at
the hands of the sheik. Never In her
inelnory had another so befriended her.
She looked up into his face. II was