Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-08-08
Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co.
CHAPTER VII.
korak and Meriem.

for many months the strange HE
of the three went on unmarked by any
unusual occurrenceS-at least without
any occurrences that seemed unusual
to the youth or the ape-but to the
little girl ii was constant nightmare
of horrors for days and weeks until
she, too, became accustomed to gazing
into the eyeless sockets of death and
to the feel of the icy wind OF his
shroudlike mantle.
Slowly she learned the rudiments Of
the only common medium Of thought
exchange which her companions pos
sessed-the language of the great apes.
More quickly she perfected herself In
jungle craft, so that the time soon
came when she was an important fac
tor in the chase, watching while the
others slept or helping them to trace
the spoor of whatever prey they might
be stalking.
Akut accepted her on footing
which bordered upon equality when 1t
was necessary for them to come into
close contact, but for the most part
he avoided her. The youth always was
kind to her, and If there were many
occasions upon which he felt the bur
den of her presence he hid 1t from her.
Finding that the night damp and
chill caused her discomfort and even
suffering, Korak constructed tight
little shelter high among the swaying
branches of giant tree. Here little
Meriem slept In comparative warmth
and safety, while the Killer and the
ape perched upon nearby branches, the
former always before the entrance to
the lofty domicile, where he best could
guard its inmate from the dangers of
arboreal enemies.
After the construction Of the shelter
the activities of the three became To-
Called. They ranged less widely, for
there was always the necessity Of re-
turning to their own tree at nightfall.
A river flowed near by. Game and
fruit were plentiful. as were fish also.
Existence had settled down to the daily
humdrum of the wild-the search for
food and the sleeping upon full bellies.
They looked no further ahead than
today.
If the youth thought Of his past and
of those who longed for him In the
distant metropolis 1t was in q de-
tached and impersonal sort of way, as
though that other life belonged to an
other creature than himself. He had
given up hope of returning to civilian
ton, for, since his various rebuffs at
| the hands of those to whom he had
looked for friendship, he had wan
dered SO far inland as to realize that
he was completely lost in the mazes OF
the jungle.
| Then, too, since the coming Of Me
riem he had found in her that one
thing which he had most missed be
fore in his savage jungle life-humar
companionship.
The little girl idolized him, as she
might have idolized an indulgen
brother had she had one. Love was ,
thing unknown TO either. But as thu
youth neared manhood 1t was inevl
table that 1t should come to him, as l
did to every other savage jungle male
As Meriem became proficient in thei
common language the pleasures o
their companionship grew correspond
ingly, for now they could converse
and, aided by the mental powers
their human heritage, they amplifie'
the restricted vocabulary Of the ape
until talking was transformed from
task into an enjoyable pastime.
When Korak hunted Meriem usual
ACCOMPANIED him, for she had learne
the fine art OF silence when silenc
was desirable. She could pass throug
the branches of the great trees nov
with all the agility and stealth of tn
Killer himself. Great heights no Ions
er appalled, her. She swung from lin
to limb, or she raced through tn
mighty branches, sure footed, 1.-THE an
fearless. Korak was very proud {
: her. and even old Akut grunted in al
i prevail where before he had growle
, in contempt.
A distant village of blacks had flu
nished her with a mantle of fur an
feathers, with copper ornaments an
weapons, for Korak would not perm
her to 60 unarmed or IMMERSED in tt
: use of the weapons he stole for he
) A light spear and long knife wei
| her weapons of offense or defense.
Her body, rounding into the fulne
of an early maturity, followed Il
lines of Greek goddess, but there Il
: similarity ceased, for her face WI
t beautiful.
/. As she grew more accustomed to Il
o Jungle and the ways Of its wild der
/. zens, fear left her. AS time wore
she even hunted alone when kori
A and Akut were prowling at a gre
q distance. us they were sometim
forced to do when game was scarce
their immediate vicinity. Upon the
), occasions she usually confined her {
deayors to the smaller animals, thou
= sometimes she brought down de
and once even Horta. the boar, a gre
. tusker that might have made ey
u Sheeta think twice before attack
him.
After Korak had left the village
i the blacks following his last thievi
expedition the screams of women q