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Now, as she pressed Geeka close to her, her sobs lessened gradually, until she was able to control her voice, and pour out her misery into the ivory ear of her only confidante. "Geeka loves Meriem," she whispered. "Why does The Sheik, my father, not love me, too? Am I so naughty? I try to be good; but I never know why he strikes me, so I cannot tell what I have done which displeases him.
Then, assured that the young Englishman was going in the wrong direction to meet Meriem he had abandoned him and returned slowly to the point where he had seen the girl, for whom his heart yearned, in the arms of another. So great had been his happiness at seeing Meriem alive that, for the instant, no thought of jealousy had entered his mind.
"Korak's hair is black and his eyes are gray," she said. Bwana turned to his headman. "Take Miss Meriem and Mr. Baynes home," he said. "I am going into the jungle." "Let me go with you, Bwana," cried Meriem. "You are going to search for Korak. Let me go, too." Bwana turned sadly but firmly upon the girl. "Your place," he said, "is beside the man you love."
"Really I cannot accuse him of planning to run away with Meriem on the evidence that we have, and as he is my guest I should hate to be so discourteous as to ask him to leave; but, if I recall his words correctly, it seems to me that he has spoken of returning home, and I am sure that nothing would delight him more than going north with you you say you start tomorrow? I think Mr.
Baynes at her shoulder looked past her to the sight that had startled her, and he, too, exclaimed; but his was an oath of anger. A hundred feet away they saw Korak bound to a stake the brush piled about him already alight. The Englishman pushed Meriem to one side and started to run for the doomed man. What he could do in the face of scores of hostile blacks and Arabs he did not stop to consider.
A blonde stubble had commenced to cover his neck and cheeks and chin, and with it the assurance that he was no stranger continued to grow upon the girl. It was not until the second day, however, that Meriem rebelled. She drew in her pony at last and voiced her doubts. Hanson assured her that the camp was but a few miles further on. "We should have overtaken them yesterday," he said.
His misses at so short a distance were practically non-existent, nor would he have missed this time but for an accident occurring at the very instant that his finger tightened upon the trigger an accident to which Meriem owed her life the providential presence of a water-logged tree trunk, one end of which was embedded in the mud of the river bottom and the other end of which floated just beneath the surface where the prow of Malbihn's canoe ran upon it as he fired.
Instinctively his hands flew out to save himself and at the same instant Meriem leveled the revolver at his breast and pulled the trigger. But the hammer fell futilely upon an empty shell, and Malbihn was again upon his feet clutching at her. For a moment she eluded him, and ran toward the entrance to the tent, but at the very doorway his heavy hand fell upon her shoulder and dragged her back.
The hideous ape frightened her. He was so large and so ferocious in appearance. His actions she could only interpret as a menace, for how could she guess that he was parading to excite admiration? Nor could she know of the bond of fellowship which existed between this great brute and the godlike youth who had rescued her from the Sheik. Meriem spent an evening and a night of unmitigated terror.
The sweetest-scented grasses lined her bower where other soft, furry pelts made hers the downiest couch in all the jungle. What wonder then that Meriem loved her Korak? But she loved him as a little sister might love a big brother who was very good to her. As yet she knew naught of the love of a maid for a man. So now as she lay waiting for him she dreamed of him and of all that he meant to her.
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