With wide eyes fixed upon him, like a trapped creaturehorrified beneath the mesmeric gaze of a great serpent,the girl watched the approach of the man. Her hands were free,the Swedes having secured her with a length of ancient slavechain fastened at one end to an iron collar padlocked about herneck and at the other to a long stake driven deep into the ground.

Slowly Meriem shrank inch by inch toward the opposite end ofthe tent. Malbihn followed her. His hands were extended andhis fingers half-opened--claw-like--to seize her. His lips wereparted, and his breath came quickly, pantingly.

The girl recalled Jenssen's instructions to call him shouldMalbihn molest her; but Jenssen had gone into the jungle to hunt. Malbihn had chosen his time well. Yet she screamed, loud andshrill, once, twice, a third time, before Malbihn could leapacross the tent and throttle her alarming cries with hisbrute fingers. Then she fought him, as any jungle she might fight,with tooth and nail. The man found her no easy prey. In thatslender, young body, beneath the rounded curves and the fine,soft skin, lay the muscles of a young lioness. But Malbihn wasno weakling. His character and appearance were brutal, nor didthey belie his brawn. He was of giant stature and of giant strength. Slowly he forced the girl back upon the ground, striking her inthe face when she hurt him badly either with teeth or nails. Meriem struck back, but she was growing weaker from the chokingfingers at her throat.

Out in the jungle Jenssen had brought down two bucks. His huntinghad not carried him far afield, nor was he prone to permit it todo so. He was suspicious of Malbihn. The very fact that hiscompanion had refused to accompany him and elected instead to huntalone in another direction would not, under ordinary circumstances,have seemed fraught with sinister suggestion; but Jenssen knewMalbihn well, and so, having secured meat, he turned immediatelyback toward camp, while his boys brought in his kill.

He had covered about half the return journey when a screamcame faintly to his ears from the direction of camp. He haltedto listen. It was repeated twice. Then silence. With a mutteredcurse Jenssen broke into a rapid run. He wondered if he wouldbe too late. What a fool Malbihn was indeed to thus chancejeopardizing a fortune!

Further away from camp than Jenssen and upon the oppositeside another heard Meriem's screams--a stranger who was noteven aware of the proximity of white men other than himself--a hunter with a handful of sleek, black warriors. He, too,listened intently for a moment. That the voice was that of a womanin distress he could not doubt, and so he also hastened at a runin the direction of the affrighted voice; but he was much furtheraway than Jenssen so that the latter reached the tent first. What the Swede found there roused no pity within his calloused heart,only anger against his fellow scoundrel. Meriem was still fightingoff her attacker. Malbihn still was showering blows upon her. Jenssen, streaming foul curses upon his erstwhile friend,burst into the tent. Malbihn, interrupted, dropped his victimand turned to meet Jenssen's infuriated charge. He whipped arevolver from his hip. Jenssen, anticipating the lightning moveof the other's hand, drew almost simultaneously, and both menfired at once. Jenssen was still moving toward Malbihn at thetime, but at the flash of the explosion he stopped. His revolverdropped from nerveless fingers. For a moment he staggered drunkenly.Deliberately Malbihn put two more bullets into his friend's bodyat close range. Even in the midst of the excitement and herterror Meriem found herself wondering at the tenacity of lifewhich the hit man displayed. His eyes were closed, his headdropped forward upon his breast, his hands hung limply before him. Yet still he stood there upon his feet, though he reeled horribly. It was not until the third bullet had found its mark within hisbody that he lunged forward upon his face. Then Malbihnapproached him, and with an oath kicked him viciously. Then hereturned once more to Meriem. Again he seized her, and at thesame instant the flaps of the tent opened silently and a tallwhite man stood in the aperture. Neither Meriem or Malbihnsaw the newcomer. The latter's back was toward him while hisbody hid the stranger from Meriem's eyes.

He crossed the tent quickly, stepping over Jenssen's body. The first intimation Malbihn had that he was not to carry outhis design without further interruption was a heavy hand uponhis shoulder. He wheeled to face an utter stranger--a tall,black-haired, gray-eyed stranger clad in khaki and pith helmet. Malbihn reached for his gun again, but another hand had beenquicker than his and he saw the weapon tossed to the ground atthe side of the tent--out of reach.

"What is the meaning of this?" the stranger addressed hisquestion to Meriem in a tongue she did not understand. She shookher head and spoke in Arabic. Instantly the man changed hisquestion to that language.

"These men are taking me away from Korak," explained the girl. "This one would have harmed me. The other, whom he had justkilled, tried to stop him. They were both very bad men; butthis one is the worse. If my Korak were here he would kill him. I suppose you are like them, so you will not kill him."

The stranger smiled. "He deserves killing?" he said. "There isno doubt of that. Once I should have killed him; but not now.I will see, though, that he does not bother you any more."

He was holding Malbihn in a grasp the giant Swede could notbreak, though he struggled to do so, and he was holding him aseasily as Malbihn might have held a little child, yet Malbihn wasa huge man, mightily thewed. The Swede began to rage and curse. He struck at his captor, only to be twisted about and held atarm's length. Then he shouted to his boys to come and killthe stranger. In response a dozen strange blacks entered the tent.They, too, were powerful, clean-limbed men, not at all like themangy crew that followed the Swedes.

"We have had enough foolishness," said the stranger to Malbihn. "You deserve death, but I am not the law. I know now whoyou are. I have heard of you before. You and your friendhere bear a most unsavory reputation. We do not want you inour country. I shall let you go this time; but should you everreturn I shall take the law into my own hands. You understand?"

Malbihn blustered and threatened, finishing by applying amost uncomplimentary name to his captor. For this he receiveda shaking that rattled his teeth. Those who know say that themost painful punishment that can be inflicted upon an adultmale, short of injuring him, is a good, old fashioned shaking.Malbihn received such a shaking.

"Now get out," said the stranger, "and next time you see meremember who I am," and he spoke a name in the Swede'sear--a name that more effectually subdued the scoundrel thanmany beatings--then he gave him a push that carried him bodilythrough the tent doorway to sprawl upon the turf beyond.

"Now," he said, turning toward Meriem, "who has the keyto this thing about your neck?"

The girl pointed to Jenssen's body. "He carried it always,"she said.

The stranger searched the clothing on the corpse until he cameupon the key. A moment more Meriem was free.

"Will you let me go back to my Korak?" she asked.

"I will see that you are returned to your people," he replied."Who are they and where is their village?"

He had been eyeing her strange, barbaric garmenture wonderingly. From her speech she was evidently an Arab girl; but he hadnever before seen one thus clothed.

"Who are your people? Who is Korak?" he asked again.

"Korak! Why Korak is an ape. I have no other people. Korak andI live in the jungle alone since A'ht went to be king of the apes." She had always thus pronounced Akut's name, for so it had soundedto her when first she came with Korak and the ape. "Korak couldhave been kind, but he would not."

A questioning expression entered the stranger's eyes. He lookedat the girl closely.

"So Korak is an ape?" he said. "And what, pray, are you?"

"I am Meriem. I, also, am an ape."

"M-m," was the stranger's only oral comment upon this startlingannouncement; but what he thought might have been partiallyinterpreted through the pitying light that entered his eyes. He approached the girl and started to lay his hand uponher forehead. She drew back with a savage little growl. A smile touched his lips.

"You need not fear me," he said. "I shall not harm you. I onlywish to discover if you have fever--if you are entirely well.If you are we will set forth in search of Korak."

Meriem looked straight into the keen gray eyes. She musthave found there an unquestionable assurance of the honorablenessof their owner, for she permitted him to lay his palm upon herforehead and feel her pulse. Apparently she had no fever.

"How long have you been an ape?" asked the man.

"Since I was a little girl, many, many years ago, and Korakcame and took me from my father who was beating me. Since thenI have lived in the trees with Korak and A'ht."

"Where in the jungle lives Korak?" asked the stranger.

Meriem pointed with a sweep of her hand that took in, generously,half the continent of Africa.

"Could you find your way back to him?"

"I do not know," she replied; "but he will find his way to me."

"Then I have a plan," said the stranger. "I live but a fewmarches from here. I shall take you home where my wife willlook after you and care for you until we can find Korak or Korakfinds us. If he could find you here he can find you at my village.Is it not so?"

Meriem thought that it was so; but she did not like the ideaof not starting immediately back to meet Korak. On the otherhand the man had no intention of permitting this poor, insanechild to wander further amidst the dangers of the jungle. From whence she had come, or what she had undergone he could notguess, but that her Korak and their life among the apes was buta figment of a disordered mind he could not doubt. He knewthe jungle well, and he knew that men have lived alone andnaked among the savage beasts for years; but a frail andslender girl! No, it was not possible.

Together they went outside. Malbihn's boys were striking campin preparation for a hasty departure. The stranger's blackswere conversing with them. Malbihn stood at a distance, angryand glowering. The stranger approached one of his own men.

"Find out where they got this girl," he commanded.

The Negro thus addressed questioned one of Malbihn's followers. Presently he returned to his master.

"They bought her from old Kovudoo," he said. "That is all thatthis fellow will tell me. He pretends that he knows nothingmore, and I guess that he does not. These two white men werevery bad men. They did many things that their boys knew notthe meanings of. It would be well, Bwana, to kill the other."

"I wish that I might; but a new law is come into this partof the jungle. It is not as it was in the old days, Muviri,"replied the master.

The stranger remained until Malbihn and his safari haddisappeared into the jungle toward the north. Meriem, trustfulnow, stood at his side, Geeka clutched in one slim, brown hand. They talked together, the man wondering at the faltering Arabicof the girl, but attributing it finally to her defective mentality. Could he have known that years had elapsed since she had used ituntil she was taken by the Swedes he would not have wondered thatshe had half forgotten it. There was yet another reason why thelanguage of The Sheik had thus readily eluded her; but of thatreason she herself could not have guessed the truth any betterthan could the man.

He tried to persuade her to return with him to his "village"as he called it, or douar, in Arabic; but she was insistent uponsearching immediately for Korak. As a last resort he determinedto take her with him by force rather than sacrifice her life to theinsane hallucination which haunted her; but, being a wise man,he determined to humor her first and then attempt to lead her ashe would have her go. So when they took up their march it wasin the direction of the south, though his own ranch lay almostdue east.

By degrees he turned the direction of their way more and moreeastward, and greatly was he pleased to note that the girl failedto discover that any change was being made. Little by little shebecame more trusting. At first she had had but her intuition toguide her belief that this big Tarmangani meant her no harm, butas the days passed and she saw that his kindness and considerationnever faltered she came to compare him with Korak, and to be veryfond of him; but never did her loyalty to her apeman flag.

On the fifth day they came suddenly upon a great plain andfrom the edge of the forest the girl saw in the distance fencedfields and many buildings. At the sight she drew back in astonishment.

"Where are we?" she asked, pointing.

"We could not find Korak," replied the man, "and as our way lednear my douar I have brought you here to wait and restwith my wife until my men can find your ape, or he finds you.It is better thus, little one. You will be safer with us, andyou will be happier."

"I am afraid, Bwana," said the girl. "In thy douar theywill beat me as did The Sheik, my father. Let me go back intothe jungle. There Korak will find me. He would not think to lookfor me in the douar of a white man."

"No one will beat you, child," replied the man. "I have notdone so, have I? Well, here all belong to me. They will treatyou well. Here no one is beaten. My wife will be very good toyou, and at last Korak will come, for I shall send men to searchfor him."

The girl shook her head. "They could not bring him, for hewould kill them, as all men have tried to kill him. I am afraid.Let me go, Bwana."

"You do not know the way to your own country. You wouldbe lost. The leopards or the lions would get you the first night,and after all you would not find your Korak. It is better that youstay with us. Did I not save you from the bad man? Do you notowe me something for that? Well, then remain with us for a fewweeks at least until we can determine what is best for you. You are only a little girl--it would be wicked to permit you togo alone into the jungle."

Meriem laughed. "The jungle," she said, "is my father andmy mother. It has been kinder to me than have men. I am notafraid of the jungle. Nor am I afraid of the leopard or the lion.When my time comes I shall die. It may be that a leopard or alion shall kill me, or it may be a tiny bug no bigger than the endof my littlest finger. When the lion leaps upon me, or the littlebug stings me I shall be afraid--oh, then I shall be terriblyafraid, I know; but life would be very miserable indeed were Ito spend it in terror of the thing that has not yet happened. If itbe the lion my terror shall be short of life; but if it be the littlebug I may suffer for days before I die. And so I fear the lionleast of all. He is great and noisy. I can hear him, or see him,or smell him in time to escape; but any moment I may place ahand or foot on the little bug, and never know that he is thereuntil I feel his deadly sting. No, I do not fear the jungle. I love it. I should rather die than leave it forever; but yourdouar is close beside the jungle. You have been good to me. I will do as you wish, and remain here for a while to wait thecoming of my Korak."

"Good!" said the man, and he led the way down toward theflower-covered bungalow behind which lay the barns and out-houses of a well-ordered African farm.

As they came nearer a dozen dogs ran barking toward them--gaunt wolf hounds, a huge great Dane, a nimble-footed collieand a number of yapping, quarrelsome fox terriers. At firsttheir appearance was savage and unfriendly in the extreme; butonce they recognized the foremost black warriors, and the whiteman behind them their attitude underwent a remarkable change. The collie and the fox terriers became frantic with deliriousjoy, and while the wolf hounds and the great Dane were not a whitless delighted at the return of their master their greetings wereof a more dignified nature. Each in turn sniffed at Meriem whodisplayed not the slightest fear of any of them.

The wolf hounds bristled and growled at the scent of wildbeasts that clung to her garment; but when she laid her handupon their heads and her soft voice murmured caressingly theyhalf-closed their eyes, lifting their upper lips in contentedcanine smiles. The man was watching them and he too smiled, for itwas seldom that these savage brutes took thus kindly to strangers. It was as though in some subtile way the girl had breathed amessage of kindred savagery to their savage hearts.

With her slim fingers grasping the collar of a wolf hound uponeither side of her Meriem walked on toward the bungalow uponthe porch of which a woman dressed in white waved a welcometo her returning lord. There was more fear in the girl's eyes nowthan there had been in the presence of strange men or savage beasts. She hesitated, turning an appealing glance toward the man.

"This is my wife," he said. "She will be glad to welcome you."

The woman came down the path to meet them. The man kissed her,and turning toward Meriem introduced them, speaking in the Arabtongue the girl understood.

"This is Meriem, my dear," he said, and he told the story ofthe jungle waif in so far as he knew it.

Meriem saw that the woman was beautiful. She saw that sweetnessand goodness were stamped indelibly upon her countenance. She nolonger feared her, and when her brief story had been narrated andthe woman came and put her arms about her and kissed her and calledher "poor little darling" something snapped in Meriem's little heart. She buried her face on the bosom of this new friend in whose voicewas the mother tone that Meriem had not heard for so many yearsthat she had forgotten its very existence. She buried her faceon the kindly bosom and wept as she had not wept before in all herlife--tears of relief and joy that she could not fathom.

And so came Meriem, the savage little Mangani, out of her belovedjungle into the midst of a home of culture and refinement. Already "Bwana" and "My Dear," as she first heard them calledand continued to call them, were as father and mother to her. Once her savage fears allayed, she went to the opposite extremeof trustfulness and love. Now she was willing to wait here untilthey found Korak, or Korak found her. She did not give up thatthought--Korak, her Korak always was first.