Evening star., 1922-12-15
A Son Of the Sahara
=. A Modern Story Of the Desert
CHAPTER I.
tcopyrEht, 1s22. by the M.c.ul.y Co.

4
In the days when France was pur-
suing vigorous forward policy in
Africa. policy started by Gen. Faid-
herbe. and carried on by subsequent
governors, one Of the bravest among
her pioneer soldiers was Col. Raoul
| lie Breton.
He was a big. handsome man with
q swarthy complexion. coal-black
| hair and dark. ficry eyes, by nature
| impetuous and reckless. With q trio
| OF white ~sereeants and hundred
Senegalese soldiers he would at
| no man with ten times his following
| would have attempted.
But there came day when even
his luck failed.
He left st. Louis. in Senegal. and
! went upward to the northeast. in
Sahara. From that expedition. however.
he never returned. The government at
| St. Louis assumed that he and his lit
| tie pioneer force had been wiped out
| by some hostile negro king or Arab
| chief. It was but one Of the tragedies
attached to extending a nations ter
! ritory.
When Raoul Le Breton went on
that Nl-fated expedition he did what
| no man should have. done who at
tempts to explore the back Of beyond
! with an Indifferent force.
He took bis wife with him.
There was some excuse for this
piece Of folly. He was newly mar
| ried. He adored his wife. and she
| worshiped him and refused to let him
60 unless she went also.
She was barely half his age; girl
| whom he had met and married In
Paris during his last leave.
Col LIE Breton journeyed for weeks
! through an arid country. an almost
| trackless expanse Of poor grass and
| stunted scrub, until he reached the
edge Of the Sahara.
Annette Le Breton enjoyed ner M
| travels. She did not mind the life
in tents. the rough jolting OF her
| camel. the poor food. the heat. the
flies: she minded nothing 30 long as
| she was with her husband. He was
women had found to their cost:
light lover until Annette had come
into his life and captured his stray
| ing heart once and for ALL
On the edge OF tho Sahara LIE
Breton met q man who, on the sur
more quickly than the majority Of
negro kings and Arab chiefs he had
come in contact with the advantages
attached to being under the shadow
Of the French flag.
It would be difficult to say where the
Sultan Casim Ammeh came from: He
appeared one afternoon riding like a
lnadman out Of the blazing distance; a
picturesque figure in his flowing white
burnoose. sitting on his black stallion
like centaur
He was q young man. perhaps about
twenty-four. OF medium height. lean
and 1.-THE and brown. with fierce black
eyes and a cruel mouth: the heredi-
tary ruler Of that portion OF the Sa-
harc. His capital was a walled city
an, European. In his way he was
man OF great wealth. and he added
to that wealth by frequent maraud-
ing expeditions and slave dealing.
With q slight smile he listened to
all the Frenchman had to say. Al
ready he had heard Of France
ward-and he wondered whether he
was strong enough to oppose It. or
whether the wiser plan might not be
just to rest secure under the shadow
Of its distant wing and under Its pro-
lection continue his wild. naraudins
AS he sat with Col. lie Breton in
the latter's tent, something happened
which caused the Sultan Casim AM
meh to make UP his mind very
quickly.
open nap of the tent an endless, roll
sng expanse OF sand showed. with here
and there q knot OF coarse. twisted
grass, q dwarfed shrub or a hare OF
red-fiowered. distorted cacti. The
French officers camp was pitched by
where q spring bubbled among brown
rocks. bringing an abundance Of grass
and herbs where horses and camels
browsed.
AZ the two men sat talking, a soft
vo.es said IN, uneIpscsedly; I!s 1e r.. vou n.a
Ali q. once 4 girl had appeared IN
the entrance Of the tent. She was
small and slim. with two thick platts
knees: a beautiful girl of about
eighteen. with wide gray eyes and q
creamy white skin.
Her voice brought Le Breton to his
"What is it. Anne,te?' he asked.
said. the bushes mounting to her
cheeks.
The Sultan Casim Ammeh got to
his feet also. Not out OF any sense
Of Difference: he had mono where wom-
en- were concerned. but drawn there
0s You 1as Is.S n.sds's mind sh | What you say in
front Of this man." her husband re-
fnsrked: "He doesn't understand .
'I'il tell you later: Raoul. when
there's nobody here" She wopld
forward and. in Arabic. introduced
"e Annetts IN tie bowed to tho lean. 1.-THE
brown man in the white burnoose. and
her eyes dropped under the force ad-
miration in his.
Tho sultan looked at her. all the
time wondering why the white man
was such q fool as to let this price,
less pearl, this jewel among women.
70 unveiled. and allow the eyes OF
strange men to rest upon her with
desire and longing.
Annette said she was pleased to
meet him. . message her husband
translated. and which brought fierce
smile to the young sultan's face and
made the wild desire In his savage
heart suddenly blossom into plans.
So she. this houri from para paradise: use:
flower from a far land! But not SO
pleased as he was to meet her.
And her husband let her say such
things to strange men! What a fool
the man was! Not worthy Of this
houri! He could not appreciate the
he da w.ss she No. hi. as ne
Casim Ammeh despised Col. Le
Breton utterly.
As soon as the introduction was
over Annette would have gone.
"Don't run away. my pet" her hug
band said fondly. II shall soon have
finished"
But the. girl. went. anxious to get
Al her with such covetous desire and
smouiderins passion in his flsrce
When she had gone the two men
neated themselves again. But the
sultan gave no thought to tho ousi-
A0cS ... = had iidSt