The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1918-02-08
entirely well. If you are we will set
forth in search of Korak."
CHAPTER X.
Korak's Vengeance.

Meriem looked straight into the Keen
gray eyes. She must have found there
an unquestiOnable assurance OF the
honorableness of their owner, for size
permitted him to lay his palm upon
her forehead and feel her pulse. APP
parently she had no fever.
"How long have you been an apeF"
asked the man. ~,
"Since / was a little girl, many,
many years ago, and Korak came and
took me from my father, who was
beating me. Since then / have lived
in the trees with Korak and A'ht."
"Where in the jungle lives Korak?'
asked the stranger.
Meriem pointed with sweep of her
hand that took in, generously, half the
continent of Africa.
I "Could you find your way back to
II do not know" she replied, "but
he will find his way to me-"
''Then have plan," said the stran-
ger. II live but q few marches from
here. 1 shall take you home, where
my wife will look after you and care
| for you until we can find Korak or
Korak finds us. If he could find you
here, he can find you at my village.
Is it not soY'
:; Meriem thought that 1t was So but
she did not like the idea of not start
ing Immediately back to meet Korak.
T On the other hand, the man had no
intention Of permitting this poor, In
/ sane child to wander further amid the
| dangers of the jungle. Whence she
/ had come or what she had undergone
| he could not guess, but that her Korak
and their life among the apes was but
a Pigment of disordered MIND ne
could not doubt.
He knew the jungle well, and he
knew that men had lived alone and
naked among the savage beasts for
years, but a frail and slender girl
No, 1t was not possible.
Together they went outside. NAL
bihn's boys were striking camp In
preparation for hasty departure. The
strangers blacks were conversing with
them. Malbihn stood ut a distance,
angry and glowering.
The stranger approached one of his
own men.
"Find out where they got this girl"
he commanded.
The negro thus addressed questioned,
one of Malbihn's followers. Presently
he returned to his master.
"They bought her from old Kovu-
doo," he said. "That is all that this
fellow will tell me. He pretends that
he knows nothing more, and think
| that he does not. These two white
men were very bad men. They did
many things that their boys knew not
the meanings Of 1t would be well,
Bwana, to kill the other" t
IT wish that might, but new law
Is come into this part Of the Jungle.
1t is not as 1t was in the old day, Mu-
viri," replied the master.
The stranger remained until Malbihn
and his safari had disappeared into
the Jungle toward the north. Meriem
| trustful now, stood at his, side, Geeka
clutched in one slim, brown hand.
They talked together, the man won
dering at the faltering Arabic of the
girl, but attributing it finally to her
defective mentality. Could he. have
| known that years had elapsed since
she had used 1t until she was taken
by the Swedes, he would not have
wondered that she had half forgot
ten 1t.
There was yet another reason why
the language of the sheik had thus
readily eluded her, but of that reason
she herself could not have guessed the
truth any better than could the man.
He tried to persuade her to return
with him to his "village," as he called
II. or "douar" in Arabic, but she was
insistent upon searching Immediately
for Korak. As last resort he deter
mined to take her with him by force
rather than sacrifice her life to the In
sane haIlucination which haunted her
But. being a wise man, he determined
To humor her first and then attempt to
lead her as he would have her go.
So when they took up their march
It was in the direction Of the south,
though his own ranch lay almost due
east.
Rv degrees he turned the direction |
of their way more and more eastward,
and greatly was he pleased 10 note
that the girl failed TO discover that |
apy change was being made