The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1918-03-01
CHAPTER xV-Continued.


IL
But he was not yet dead. Again he
aimed and fired, the bullet splintering
the gunwale of the canoe close by
Baynes' face. Baynes fired again as
bis canoe drifted further downstream,
and Malbihn answered from the shore,
where he lay in a pool of his own
blood.
And thus, doggedly, the two wounded
men continued to carry on their weird
duel until the winding African river
had carried the Hon. Morrison Baynes
out of sight around q wooded point.
Meriem had traversed half the
length of the village street when
score of white-robed negroes and half
castles leaped out upon her from the
dark interiors of the surrounding huts.
She tried to flee, but heavy hands
seized her, and when she turned at last
to plead with them her eyes fell upon
the face Of q tall, grim old man glarlng
down upon her from the folds of his
burnoose.
At sight of him she staggered back
In shocked and terrified surprise. 1t
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 Meriem
making for the village. The fellow had
called the sheiks 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 at last the woman had
walked into the trap he had set for
her and he had recognized her as the
same little girl he had brutalized and
maltreated years before his gratifica-
ton had been huge. Now he lost no
time in establishing the old relations
of 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
childhood, and the first face upon
which she set her eyes as she was
driven through the gates into the
strong stockade was that Of the tooth
less, hideous Nahum, her one time
nurse. 1t was as though all the years
that had intervened were but dream.
the fact that she had grown in stature
she might well have believed it so.
For q time the inhabitants of the
sheik's village who had not been upon
the march with him amused them
selves by inspecting the strangely clad
white girl whom some of them had
known as little child.
Among the Arabs who had come in
her absence was a tall young fellow
of twenty, a handsome, sinister look
ing youth, who stared at her in open
admiration until the sheik came and
ordered him away, and Abdul Kamak
went, scowIing.
At last, their curiosity satisfied, Me-
riem was left alone. AS of old, she
was permitted the freedom of the viii
iage, 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 sheik, and so, as had been
her want in the sad days of her child
hood, she skunk down to an unfrequent-
ed corner of the inclosure where she
had often played at housekeeping with
her beloved Geeka.
Meriem pressed her hand above her
heart and stified sigh, and as she did
so she felt the hard outlines of the
photographs she had hidden there as
she skunk from Malbihn's tent. Now
she drew it forth and commenced to
re-examine it more carefully than she
had had time to do before.
As she sat gazing at the picture she
suddenly became aware that she was
not alone that some one was standing
close behind her, some one who haC
approached her noiselessly. Guiltily
she thrust the picture back into hel
waist. A hand fell upon her shoulder
She was sure that it was the Sheik
and she awaited in dumb terror the
blow that she knew would immediate
ly follow.
No blow came, and she looked up
ward over her shoulder-into the eye:
of Abdul Kamak, the young Arab.
"I saw" he said, "the picture tha
YOU have just hidden. 1t is you wher
YOU were q child a very young child
May 7 see it AGAIN."
Meriem drew away from him.
81 will give it back" he said. ::
have heard of you, and I know tha
you have no love for the sheik, you
father. Neither have I. 1 will no
betray you. Let me see the picture.
She drew the photograph from it
hiding place and handed it to him.
He turned the picture over, and a
his eyes fell upon the old newspape
cutting they went wide. He coul'
read French-with difficulty, it is true
but he could read it. He had been t
Paris. He had spent six months ther
on exhibition with troop Of his des
ert fellows.
Slowly, laboriously, he read the vel
lOWcO CuttlIlS. Ills SSCo NCIC iio AOdS
er wide. Instead, they narrowed t
two Sits of cunning. When he ha'
done he looked at the girl.
"You have read tlis?" he asked.
"T have not had the opportunity,
she replied.
A. wonderful idea had sprung to Ah
duI Kamaks mind. 1t was an ide
that might be furthered If the gir
were kept in ignorance of the content
of that newspaper cutting. 1t woul
certainly be doomed should she lear
its contents.
'Meriem,'' he whispered, never III
til today have my eyes beheld you
vet at once they told my heart that
must ever be your servant. You d
not know me, but / ask that you trus
me. | can help you. You hate tn
sheik, So do I. Let me take yO