Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-27

villages would pay tribute to him, and
he could even have as many as n dozen
wives. With that thought. however,
came n mental picture of Naratu, the
black termagant who ruled him with
an iron hand. Usanga made a wry
face and tried to forget the extra dozen
wives, but the lure of the idea remained
with him, and appealed so strongly
that he presently found himself rea :
soning most logically that god would
not be much of a god with less than
twenty four wives.
He fingered the instruments and the
control, half hoping and half fearing
that he would alight upon the combi-
nation that would put the machine in
flight. Often had he watched the
British airmen soaring above the Ger
man lines, and it looked so simple that
he was quite sure he could do it him =
self if there was somebody who could
but once show him how. There was,
of course, always the hope that the
white man who came in the machine
and who escaped from Numabo's vii
lage might fall into Usanga's hands,
and then, indeed, would he be able to
learn how to fly. 1t was in this hope
that Csanga spent so much time in
the vicinity of the plane, reasoning that
turn in search of it.
At last he was rewarded, for upon
this very day after he had quit the ma =
chine and entered the jungle with his
warriors, he heard voices to the north,
and when he and his men had hidden
in the dense foliage upon either side of
the trail, Usanga was presently filled
with elatiOn by the appearance of the
British officer and the white girl whom
the black sergeant had coveted, and
who had escaped him. The negro could
scarce retain a shout of elation, for be
had not hoped that fate would be sc
kind as to throw these two whom hi
most desired into his power at the same
time.
. AS the two came down the trail, al
unconscious of impending danger, thu
man was explaining that they mus
| be very close to the point at which til,
plane had landed. Their entire atten
| ton was centered on the trail directl.
ahead of them as they momentaril,
expected it to break into the meadow
landA where they were sure they woult
see the plane that would spell life ant
liberty for them.
The trail was broad, and they wer
walking side by side, SO that at a sharl
turn the parklike clearing was reveale,
lines of the machine they sought. Ex
clamations of reliefAand delight brOk
from their lips--and at the same in
stant USanga and his black warrior
rose from the bushes all about them
The girl was almost crushed by ter
ror and disappointment. To have bee
thus close to safety, and then to hav
all hope snatched from one by crue
stroke of fate seemed uncomfortable lie. Th
man was disappointed, too, but NOR
was he angry. He noted the remnant
of the uniforms upon the blacks, an
Immediately he demanded to know
where were their officers.
''They cannot understand you sal
the girl, and so in the bastard tongu
that is the medium of communicable
between the Germans and the blacks q
their colony, she repeated the whit
mans question.
Usanga grinned. You know wher
they are, white woman, he replied
They are dead, and # this whit
man does not do as l tell him, he to
will be dead" -,
What do you. want of him?" aske
the girl. -. =
like bird" replied Usanga,
Bertha Kircher looked her astonish
} ment, but repeated the demand to til
lieutenant.
The Englishman meditated for a mo
ment. "He wants TO Learn to fly, dos
hep be repeated, ASK hf II he wi
: give Us suS fFeedop' 4 teach him
|. "si the - - shs ,r<u.s q ussns,