Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-02-09

tally the globe round. he met the new .
conner at the gate. welcoming him even
before he had dism0unted. He saw
tall, well-knit man Of thirty or more,
blond Of hair and smooth-shaven.
There was q tantalizing familiarity
about him that convinced Bwana that
he should be able to call the visitor By
name, yet he was unable to do so.
Bwana was wondering how a lone
white man could have made his way
through the savage, unhospitable miles
that lay toward the south. As though
guessing what must be passing through
the Others mind, the stranger vouch.
safed an explanation.
II came down from the north to do
little trading and hunting" he said,
'and got way of the beaten track. My
head man, who was the only member
of the safari who had ever before been
In the country, took sick and died. We
could dnd NO natives to guide us, and
% simply swung back straight north.
We have been living on the fruits OF
cur guns for over 4 month.
Didn't have an idea there was q
white man within a thousand miles Of
10 when We camped last night by q
water hole at the edge Of the plain.
This morning started out to hunt and
saw the smoke from your chimney, so
I sent my gun bearer back to camp
with the good news and rode straight
over here myself. OF course I've heard
Of you-everybody who comes into cen.
tral Africa does--and I'd be mighty
glad Of permission to rest mp and hunt
around here for couple Of weeks"
Certainly" replied Bwana. snake
yourself at home"
They had reached the veranda now,
and Bwana was introducing the stran.
ger to Aeriem and My Dear, who had
Just come from the bungalows interi-
Or.
This 10 Mr.. Hanson" he said, using
the name the man had given him. He
10 q trader who has lost his way in the
jungle to the SOUTH"
My Dear and Meriem bowed their
acknowledgements Of the Introduction.
The man seemed rather i'll at ease In
their presence. His host attributed this
to the fact that his guest was unaccus-
toned to he society Of cultured wo-
men, and so found a pretext to extri.
cate him quickly from his seemingly
unpleasant position and lead him away
to his study and the brandy and soda,
which were evidently much less EN-
barrassing to Mr.. Hanson.
When the two had left them Meriem
turned toward Ny Dear.
1T Is odd" she said. "but I could
almost swear that 1 had known Mr.,
Hanson in the past. 1t is ode, but
quite impossible" and she gave the
matter no further thought.
For three weeks Hanson had re.
manned. During this time he said that
! his boys were resting and gaining
strength after their terrible. ordeals in
the untracked jungles to the south. but
he had not been as idle as he appeared
to have been. He divided his small
following into two parts, intrustine
the leadership Of each to men whom
he believed he could trust.
One party he moved very slowly
northward along the trail that connects
with the great caravan routes entering
the Sahara from the south. The other
he ordered straight westward with or
ders to halt and go into permanen,
camp just beyond the great river which
marks the natural boundary Of the
country that the big Bwana rightfully
considers almost his own.
To his host he explained that he wal
moving his safari slowly toward the
north-he said nothing of the party
moving westward. Then one day hi
announced that half his boys had de
serted, for a hunting party from the
bungalow had come across his north
erly camp, and he feared that they
might have noticed the reduced mum
bers of his following.
And thus matters stood when one
hot night Meriem, unable to sleep, ROSE
and wandered out into the garden. The
! Hon. Morrison had been urging his sui
once more that evening, and the grill
mind was In such turmoil that She
had been unable to sleep.
The wide heavens above her seemed
to promise a greater freedom from
doubt and questioning. Baynes hat
urged her to tell him that she loved
| him. A dozen times she thought thai
she might honestly give him the an
swer that he demanded.
Korak was fast becoming but mem
DRY. That he was dead she had CONF
to believe since otherwise he woult
have sought her out. She did no
know that he had even better reason
! to believe her dead and that 1t was be
cause of that belief he had made NJ
effort to find her after his raid upoI
the village of Kovudoo.
Behind a great Towering shrub Han
SON lay gazing at the stars and wait
ing. >He had lain thus and there man!
nights before. For what was he walt
iug or for whom? He heard the CIR
approaching and half raised himself t
his elbow. A dozen PAGES away, tn
reins looped over fence post, stool
his pony.
Meriem, walking slowly, approaches
the bush behind which the waiter lay
Hanson drew a large bandanna hand
kerchief from his pocket and ros
steaithily to his knees. A pony neighe'