The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-10-30

wrong frame or mind. ] don't
want to be bothered with having
to follow and bring you back.
Walk about the camp If you need
exercise"
Lynn dashed out in a sudden
flare Of anger. Bandit Stealer Of
womenI You'll pay for this!"
He usually laughed at her
RACES. This time they were both
on edge and he answered her In
kind. Ta paying now If you only
knew. I don't like this any better
than you do" He turned again to
Bula.
Lynn went straight up the hill
back Of the camp. It was the foot
Of a series of ridges that rose
eventually to a divide and then
sloped down to the Great Wall
and the Yellow River.
eff only I could hy!" she cried
aloud. She felt almost angry and
desperate enough to flap her arms
and try should she find a suitable
cliff from which to take of.
Why" she asked herself, why
should Hedging birds have powers
that / do not?"
She went along the crest of the
hill for a distance always keeping
in sight of the camp. She neither
wanted Temu DARN following her
nor thinking her so stupid as to
try to escape on foot. Finally, she
stood still to view a distant snow
capped mountain that rising mists
revealed beyond the western
plain. It reminded her Of her own
Sierras at home; yet not, she
noticed. with a feeling Of longing
and homesickneSs. Tn at life
seemed the dream now and this
the reality. Her hand caresSed the
charm box at her throat. Surely,
something bigger than any of the
visible powers around her was
leading her-but where?
Presently on her ears fell a
sound that she took at first for the
beat of drums. Then it changed to
slightly diSsonant roar that soon
became more regular.
"a motorl" she cried. IAN au-
tomobile!" An instant later she
Spied the car in the canyon be-
yond the ridge on which she
stood. She turned and looked
back at the camp. The sound, she
suspected, would not be heard
from there. If only she could in
tercept the car as it toiled up the
trackless gorge!
She began to run. waving her
beret. The driver apparently saw
her for he stopped the motor. She
fairly coasted down a sandy slip
to meet him. He had stepped out
of the car, a tall man in khaki
and a StetSon hat-a white man.
'1'm an American. Are you?"
she demanded breathleSsly.
He stared at her for a moment
in unbelieving silence. San Amer
icani And what on earth are you
doing here?" His accent answered
her question; he, too, was Amer
lean.
Il was carried off by a band Of
natives she explained. They
let me take a walk alone this
morning and ] saw you. Take me
away quickly. Their camp is in
the plain beyond this hill"
Just a minute. don't want to
get in trouble with the local tent
jewellers. / must work this region
all summer. What"
my captors aren't local peo-
pie" she INTERRUPTED. THEY'RE a
caravan of heavily armed men
from across the desert. II you
would save me. we must 60 at
once. They are ruthless; they viii
stop at nothing"
He turned d ecisively and
opened the car door. Jump in"
1t was an ancient touring car
with camp equipment in the tom
neau. The engine started reluc-
family. The driver backed to a
spot where he could turn around
and follow the road he had come.
Lynn'S last glimpse of the place
from which she had first seen her
reScuer revealed the fact that she
had not yet been followed. She
settled down in her seat.
This is miraculous" she said.
1--WE thought of all kinds of
schemes for escaping. And, here
without any scheming at all. you
come along and rescue me-"
Her companion gave her a
quick. sidelong glance. 81 am
Frederick Wallace, a plant hunt
er. have headquarters and q
wife in Lanfou on the Yellow
River, where we will arrive some
time before dark-if we don't
break an axle" he stammered, as
they bounded over an outcrop Of
rock in a narrow curve Of the
draw that soon widened eventu-
ally to the top of the divide.
His eyes, she noticed. had that
look of innocence seen in the eyes
of little babies or scholarly men.
Such characteristic seemed
hardly compatible with his ad-
venturous occupation. NOW tell
me your story" he said.
Her storyI
81 hardly know how to begin"
Lynn faltered. She found in her.
self a strange loyalty and a strong
reluctance to say anything that
would harm Sherlock and Temu
DARN. as il, in truth, they were
her people as they claimed to be.
Too. the facts were so incredi.
bic! Perhaps not too incredible
for Asia where anything can hap
pen. But what was to be gained
by the telling? II the story were
believed, it would cause Temu
more trouble than anybody else.
The Prince. she surmised, would
slip out Of the responsibility in
some way.
| She determined to say as little
as she could. and that nothing she