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

days they camped there, and constantly
during daylight hours Usanga COM
PEELED the Englishman to instruct him
in flying.
Smith Oldwick, in recalling the long
months of arduous training he had un-
dergone himself before he had been
considered sufficiently adept to be con-
sidered finished tiier, smiled at the
conceit of the ignorant African who
was already demanding that he be per-
mitted to make fight alone.
''If it was not for losing the ma
chine" the Englishman explained to
the girl, I'D let the bounder take it
up and break his fool neck, as he
would do inside of two minutes"
He succeeded in persuading Usanga
to bide his time for a few more days of
instruction, but in the suspicious mind
of the negro there was a growing con-
viction that the white mans advice
was prompted by some tilterior motive
probably the white man hoped to
escape with the machine by night. So
in the mind of the black there formed
a determination that night to outwit
the white man. At last a plan came to
him almost with the force of blow.
IWTHEN morning dawned, Usanga
w could scarcely await an opportun-
ity to put his scheme into execution,
and the moment he had eaten, he called
several of his warriors aside and talked
with them for some moments.
Almost Immediately after the ser
geant finished giving his instructions,
a number of warriors approached the
! Englishman, while three went directly
to the girl.
Without word of explanation the
warriors seized the young officer and
threw him to the ground upon his face.
For a moment he struggled to free
himself, and succeeded in landing a
few heavy blows among his assailants.
but he was too greatly outnumbered,
and soon found himself bound hand
and foot. When they had finally se-
cured him to their satisfaction, they
rolled him over on his side, and then it
was he saw that Bertha Kircher had
been similarly trussed.
Smith Oldwick lay in such a posi-
tlon that he could see nearly the entire
expanse of meadow and the airplane a
short distance away. Usanga was
talking to the girl, who was shaking
her head in vehement negatives.
''He is going to take me away in
i the plane" the girl called back. "He
is going to take me further inland to
another country, where he says that
he will be king and l am to be one
of his wives" And then to the Eng
lishman's surprise she turned smil-
ing face toward him. "But there is nc
danger" she continued, ''for we shall
both be dead within a few minutes.
Just give him time enough to get the
machine under way, and if he can rise
a hundred feet from the ground l shall
never need fear him more
"God!" cried the man. lis there
no way you can dissuade him? Prom
Use him nything-anything that you
want. l have money, more money
than that poor fool could imagine in
the whole world, With it Me can buy
anything that money can buy, fint
clothes and food and women, all the
women he wants. Tell him this, anC
tell him that If he will spare you give
my word that i will fetch it all tc
him"
The girl shook her head. "It is use
less, she said 'He would not under
stand, and il he did understand, hi
wouldn't trust you. No; it is bettel
thus. ] am sorry you cannot go witt
us, for II he goes high enough M
death will be much easier than wha
probably awaits you"
At Dsangas order one of the black
lifted her from the ground and carried
her to the machine and after psangs
had elambered aboard, they lifted be
Iun, And be reached down and dftsr. be-
into .hc npselege. Uheze 10 ttWoQ<