Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-26
CHAPTER v.
The Sheik'a Qauahter.

Inc SHSiNe OAuOVtSVs
Two Swedes. Carl Jensen and Sven
uslbihn, after conducting several nys-
,srious expeditions far TO the south of
,b. Sahara, turned their attention to
,be more profitable business Of ivory
poaehing.
In a great district they were already
known tor their relentless cruelty and
their greed for ivory. The natives
feared and Lated them. The European
governments n whose possessions they
worked had long sought them; but,
working their say slowly out OF the
north. they had leyned many things
i. the no mans lana south Of the Sa-
nara, which gave Them immunity from
csn,ure through easy avenues of es-
,.ne that were unknowh to those who
pursued them.
Their raids were sudden and swift.
They seized ivory and retreated into
the trackless wastes OF the north be-
fore the guardians Of the territory
,hey raped could be made aware Of
,aeir presence. Relentlessly they
slaughtered elephants themselves as
well 40 stealing ivory from the ma.
lives, Their following consisted Of
hundred renegade Arabs and negro
Iaves. q fierce band Of cutthroats.
Remember them. Carl Jensen and
Sven Malbihn. yellow bearded Swedish
GIANTS. for you shall meet them later
In the heart of the Jungle, hidden
away upon the banks Of q small une1
p.ored tributary Of large river that
empties into the Atlantic not so far
from the equator. lay a small heavily
lpalisaded village. Twenty palm
matched, beehive huts sheltered its
black population, while half a dozen
goatskin tents In the center Of the
clearing housed the score Of Arabs
who found shelter here, while by trad
ing and raiding they collected the car
gees which their ships of the desert
bore northward twice each year to the
market at Timbuktu.
Playing before one Of the Arab tents
was little girl Of ten, a black haired,
black eyed little girl. who with her
nut brown skin and graceful carriage
looked every inch daughter of the
, desert. Her little fingers were busily
engaged in fashioning a skirt of grass
Is for much disheveled doll which a
kindly disposed slave had made for
her year or two before.
The head Of the doll was rudely
clipped from ivory, while the body
was 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 dsreputable and soiled, but
Mcrem thought it the most beautiful
and adorable thing In the whole world
which is not SO strange in view of tht
fact that it was the only object within
that world upon which she could be
stow her condolences and her love.
Every one else with whom Merien
came in contact was. almost withou
exception. either Indifferent To her o
cruel. There was the Old black hal
who looked after her. example
Nahum, toothless. filth. Ill ten
pered.
She lost no opportunity to cuff tn
litAc girl or even inflict minor torture
upon her And there was the sheii'
her father. She feared him more tina
she did Nahum. He often scOlded he
for nothing. qniie habitnally terminal
Ing his TRADES by cruelty beating he
until her little body was black az
blue.
Little Meriem could scarce recal
any other existence than that of til
stern cruelty of the sheik and Mabunt
Dimly In the back Of her childis
memory there lurked blurred reco
lection Of gentle mother. But MI
rpm was NOT SIRE hut TINT even thi