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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (March 4, 1917)
THE SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, MARCH 4, 1917 OF JLk Jul JLLs TA12AN ND Korak? Tantor carried him deep into the jungle, nor paused until no sound from the dis tant Tillage reached his keen ears. Then he laid his burden gently down. - Ko- By Edgar Rice Burroughs Jlluttrated by Dorothy Dulin Irak struggled to free himself from his bonds, but even his great strength was unable to cope with the many strands of hard -knotted cord that bound him. f ;While he lay there. working and resting ' by turns, the elephant stood 'guard a ftove him; nor was 'there jungle enemy with the hardihood to tempt the 4 sudden death that lay in ' that mighty bulk. Dawn came, and still Korak was no nearer free dom than before. He com menced to believe that he 1 should die there of thirst and starvation with plenty, all about him, for he knew '. that Tantor could not loose 'the knots that held him." I And while he', struggled I through the night with his f bonds, Baynes and Meriem were riding rapidly north fward along the river. The 'girl had assured Baynes that Korak was safe in the jungle with Tantor. It had ' not occurred tp her that the ape-man might not be able to burst his bonds. Baynes had been wounded by a ' shot from the rifle of one of . ' the Arabs, and the girl wanted to get him back to Bwana's home," where he could be properly cared for. "Then," she -said, "I shall get Bwana to come with me and search for Korak. He must come and live with us." All night they rode, and the day was still young when they came suddenly -upon a party hurrying ' southward. It was Bwana I himself and his sleek black warriors. . At sight of Baynes the big English man's brows contracted in a scowl, but he waited to hear Meriem's story before giving ventto the long-pent anger in his breast When she had finished he1 seemed to have forgotten Baynes. His thoughts were occupied with another subject. "You say that you found, Korak?" asked. "You really saw him?" "Yes," replied Meriem; "as plainly as Lsee you, and I want you to come with me, Bwana, and, help me find him again." " "Did you see him?" He turned toward the Hon. Morison. . "Yes. sir," replied Baynes; "very plainly." "What sort of appearing man is he?" continued Bwana. "About how old would you say?" "I should say he was an Englishman, about my own , age,", replied Baynes; "though he might be older. He is re-. markably, muscled, and very tanned.? "His eyes and hahv did you notice them ?" Bwana spoke., rapidly, almost exqtedly. It was Meriem who answered him- . . -v:,;. , "Korak's hair is black and his eyes are gray." she said.8 ; : i Bwana turned to his head man. 1 "Take Miss Meriem and Mr. Baynes ..home," he said. ,"I am going into the jungle." . I "Let me go with you, Bwana!" cried Meriem. "You are going to search for Korak. Let me ge, too!" !! Bwana turned 'sadly but firmly upon the girl.. "Your place.' he said, "is beside the man you love." , . Then he motioned to his head man to take his horse and commence the return journey to the farm. Meriem slowly mounted the tired Arab that had brought her from the village of the sheik. A lit ter' was rigged for the now feverish Baynes, and the little cavalcade was soon slowly winding off along the river trail. Bwana stood watch ing them until they were out of sight. back, and his great chest 'expanded, a grim smile touched his lips for a moment. . His nostrils dilated as he sniffed the jun gle odors. His gray eyes narrowed. He crouched and leaped to a lower limb, and "was away through the trees toward the southeast, bearing away from the i river. He moved swiftly, stopping only occasionally to raise his voice in a weird and piercing scream and to listen for a moment after for a reply. He had traveled thus for several hours when, ahead of him and a little to his left, he heard far ofT in the jungle a faint response the cry of a bull ape answering his cry. His nerves tingled and, his eyes lighted as the sound fell updn his ears. Again he voiced his hideous call and sped forward in the new direction. Korak, finally becoming con vinced that he mtfst die if he re- Hi - Mm ; mil i i in i in I 1 . 5 mjr I f II - I Itt x .... he " know yon! i know yon!" she cried. "Oh, noi I remember Not once had Meriem turned her eyes backward. She rode with bowed head r and drooping shoulders. Bwana sighed. He loved the little Arab girl as he might have loved his own daughter. He realized that Baynes had redeemed himself, and so he could Inter pose no objections now if Meriem really loved the man; but, somehow, some way, Bwana could not convince himself that the-Hon. Morison was worthy of his little Meriem. : .. V SLOWLY he turned toward a near-by tree. Leaping upward, he caught a lower limb and drew himself up among the branches. His movements were cat like and agile! High Into the tree he made his way, and there commenced to divest himself of his clothing. From the game bag slung across one shoulder he drew a long strip of doeskin, a neatly- eolled rope, and a wicked-looking knife -The doeskin he fashioned into a loin cloth; the rope he looped over one shoul der, and the knife he thrust intothe belt formed by his gee-string. . . - ' When he stood erect, his head thrown raalned where he was, wasting for the succor that could notcome, spoke to Tan tor in the strange tongue that the great beast understood. ' He commanded the elephant to lift him and carry him toward the northeast, and carry him toward the northeast. Thcrp recently Korak had seen both white men and black. If he could come upon one of the latter it would be a sim ple matter to command Tantor to cap ture the fellow, and then Korak could get him to release him from the stake. It was worth trying, at least better than lying here in the jungle until he died. f , -As Tantor bore" him along through the forest Korak called aloud now and then in the hope of attracting Aleut's band of anthropoids, whose wandering - often brought them into this neighborhood. Akut, he thought, might possibly be able to" negotiate the knots he had dene so upon that other occasion when the Rus sian had bound Korak years before. And Akut to the south of him heard his calls ' faintly, and came. There was another who heard them, too. ;' - After Bwana had left his party, send ing them back toward' the farm, Meriem - had ridden for a short distance- with bowed head. What , thoughts passed : through that active brain who may say? Presently she seemed to come to'a deci-' "- sion. She called the head man to her-' 1 side. " j . "I am going back with Bwana, she - -- announced. . . ... ' . THE black shook his head. "No!" he " announced. "Bwana says I take you -home. So I take you home." ,--- "You refuse to let-me go?" asked the girl. ' The black nodded, and fell to the rear,' where he might better watch her. Me riem half smiled. . Presently her horse passed beneath a ' low-hanging branch, and the black head man found himself gazing at the girl's empty saddle. He ran forward to' the '- -tree into which she had disappeared. He " could see nothing of her. He called; but ; there was no response, unless it might ; have been a low, taunting laugh far to the right. He sent his men into the jun-V: gle to search for her, tut they came back : . empty handed. , -C After a while he resumed his march : toward the farm, for Baynes by thistimo - : was delirious with fever. . " - Meriem, shedding the awkward Arab,. ! robe they had" given her In the sheik's -douar, raced in riding breeches and bare- . foot straight back toward the point she i' Imagined Tantor would make for a point ' where she knew the elephants often path ered deep in the forest, due east of tho ; sheik's village. She moved silently and swiftly. Prom her mind she had exl punged all thoughts other than that she must reach Korak and bring him back : "with her. . Then, too, had come the tantalizing " fear that all might not be well with him. i She upbraided herself for not thinking of .that before of letting her desire to get" the wounded Morison back to the bunga- . low blind her to the . possibilities of Ko rak's need for her. V She had been travel ing rapidly for sev eral hours without rest when she beard " ahead of her the fa miliar cry of a great , ape calling to his 1 kind. : . She did not reply, " only increased her ' speed until i she al most flew. Now there came to her sensitive nostrils ' the scent of Tantor, . and she "knew that ' she was on the right , -trail and close to him . She did not call out be, '.' cause she wished to surprise him, , and presently she did, breaking Into sight of them as the great elephant shuffled ; ahead, balancing the man and the heavy ' , -L stake upon his head, holding them there - with his upcurled trunk. -: "Korak!" cried Meriem from the foil- ' age above him. j - , : P1 i Instantly 'the bull swung about, low- ered his burden to the ground, and, trumpeting savagely, prepared to defend his comrade. The ape-man, recognizing . ; the girl's voice, felt a sudden lump In his ; throat. -'-: - "Meriem!" he called back to her. "Happily the girt clambered o the ground and ran forward to release Ko-' v-rak, but Tantor lowered bis head omin. ! ously and trumpeted warning.- ' . . "Go back! Go back!" cried Korak. i "He win kill 'you!" j -'.',-: . Meriem paused. "Tantor! she caned to the huge brute. "Don't you remember -. ahe sought.