The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1918-09-06
THE LIONS CLAWS
'(Continued from last week.

M
Rel Hari returned to the palace a.
the Arab messenger from c. caravan
arrived. He summoned Captain Bo-
CART, delivered the message from
RAgus. and rave him "a guard tO direct
him I'd the oasis, where he was to
meet Tine latter.
In the meantime the caravan mad
arrived at the oasis where Beth was
hidden. Ragus paid the leader, and
sat down to wait for Captain Bogart
the caravan passing CT tO the town
The Moon men saw III 30 and re-
sumed their search Of the oasis foI
Beth, when they suddenly came upon
Ragus, and decided to keep watch
full eve upon him.
The king, in the meantime having
received no news from his soldiers
sent 10 capture Beth, decided that Co.
report be had heard or her riding In
to- the desert was correct, ana sum
mOning guard, he started out ln
haste to follow her.
Relieved of the presence of The sOl-
diers, Buck and the faithful Musa
found horses, and started out along
another path for the oasis tO Join
Beth; at the rendezvous. Before they
reached there, however, Captain 10
CART had arrived 40 the oasis. There
he met Ragus within two feet Of the
we'll in which Beth was concealed
The password OF the Central
Powers secret service was demanded
ana received, and then the fateful
document procIaiming a holy war
was passed over by RaglR to Captain
Bogart. Had they suspected any one
To -he within earshot, or in fact, that
any one was within miles or them
they would never have gone through
the vocal ceremony, which told Beth
Instantly that here was the paper
about which she had read in Leigh
tons Office.
5 As It was, Captain Bogart hastily
tore the seal cff the proclamation and
read 1t aloud. Unmindful OF her own
safety, Beth, ON the spur of the mo-
ment, conceived daring plan.
Looking over the rim Of the well,
she discovered that both men had
their backs To her. Climbing on the
edge of the wall, the athletic young
woman sprang upon Bogart, srlatched
the document from his surprised
hands, and made dash for her horse,
which she had previously concealed
i'm the edge of the oasis. But her
speed was as nothing compared TO
that Of Bogart and Ragus, who saw
tine most fateful opportunity of their
lives slip. away In the hands OF this
frail woman.
fn al instant they were upon her
and bore her to the ground.
The little oasis, used only by the
drivers of caravans, saw more excite
ment that night than it had witness
ed fn centuries. The silent watch
ers, the Moon men. coming to Beth's
rescue. made short work of Ragus
and Bogart before they had dis
covered the document, and in order
To prevent their pursuit they tied
them to a palm tree. Collecting their
forces, they were about to make their
escape, when Musa and Buck, who
had heard the disturbance, came fly
ing up, and in the scuffie which fol
lowed, one III the Moon men was
severely wounded in the arm
Day had broken, and, looking off
across the hot sands, Buck and Musa
saw EAGl L1dL1 nAG MAp. % AnA4 @PRA 5000
ing in the distance Retreat appeal
ed to them to be the better part Of
valor, but before they went, Beth
persuaded them to release the Moon
men, who had just saved her from
tine spies whom they had tied to the
palm tree. Buck finally acceded to
Beth's plea, and the Moon men
offered to lead them into the jungle
through trails familiar to them, in
order To avoid Rel Hari and his men
They escaped just in time
The king liberated Bogart and Ra-
gus, and In establishment listened to
the account of the loss of the precious
proclamation. BOgart told Rel Hari
that he would give five thousand dol
lars to- any one who affected it. safe
recovery. The willy king was not
half as much impressed with the
reward as he was with the power
which such a proclamation would
give him ALI in his own hands. II
would mean wealth and merciless
power. He could either sell it to. the
British, OH hold i'll 81 "a club against
them, or hold 1t for q tremendous in
demnity for it, surrender Then in
deed would me be called the Kal1f Oh
Bonda, and it might even be that he
could Set up a new empire
AS thsee fancies took shape in his
mind, he assured Bogart that he, in
return for the ave thousand dollars
would secure the proclamation. But
he called his lieutenant aside before
he sent him out, and instructed him
to turn the proclamation over to him
and to no other, and furthermore, to
turn it over to him secretly. Then
Rel Hari split his forces, sending hall
df them on the track or Beth and the
proclamation, and the other half he
took back to Bonda with him.
AS they pursued their way through
the jungle, the Moon men came up
On water-ho1e, a favorite resort ci
the beasts Of the jungle, particularly
Of the stronger and more ferociouf
ones. Two lions were fighting on the
bank of the water-hole a. they came
up, and, stopping To watch them, they
failed to note the approach of {
giant lion, until with roar ht
sprang out upon them.
(To D. continued.)
-mmMw- o. wmm--
Germans, Resigned To Defeat, Star