Meriem, dazed by the unexpected sight of Korak whom she hadlong given up as dead, permitted herself to be led awayby Baynes. Among the tents he guided her safely to thepalisade, and there, following Korak's instructions, theEnglishman pitched a noose over the top of one of theupright logs that formed the barrier. With difficulty hereached the top and then lowered his hand to assist Meriemto his side.

"Come!" he whispered. "We must hurry." And then, asthough she had awakened from a sleep, Meriem came to herself.Back there, fighting her enemies, alone, was Korak--her Korak.Her place was by his side, fighting with him and for him. She glanced up at Baynes.

"Go!" she called. "Make your way back to Bwana and bring help. My place is here. You can do no good remaining. Get awaywhile you can and bring the Big Bwana back with you."

Silently the Hon. Morison Baynes slid to the ground insidethe palisade to Meriem's side.

"It was only for you that I left him," he said, nodding towardthe tents they had just left. "I knew that he could hold themlonger than I and give you a chance to escape that I might not beable to have given you. It was I though who should have remained. I heard you call him Korak and so I know now who he is. He befriended you. I would have wronged you. No--don't interrupt. I'm going to tell you the truth now and let you know just whata beast I have been. I planned to take you to London, as you know;but I did not plan to marry you. Yes, shrink from me--I deserve it.I deserve your contempt and loathing; but I didn't know then whatlove was. Since I have learned that I have learned somethingelse--what a cad and what a coward I have been all my life. I looked down upon those whom I considered my social inferiors. I did not think you good enough to bear my name. Since Hansontricked me and took you for himself I have been through hell;but it has made a man of me, though too late. Now I can come toyou with an offer of honest love, which will realize the honor ofhaving such as you share my name with me."

For a moment Meriem was silent, buried in thought. Her firstquestion seemed irrelevant.

"How did you happen to be in this village?" she asked.

He told her all that had transpired since the black had toldhim of Hanson's duplicity.

"You say that you are a coward," she said, "and yet you havedone all this to save me? The courage that it must have taken totell me the things that you told me but a moment since, whilecourage of a different sort, proves that you are no moral coward,and the other proves that you are not a physical coward. I couldnot love a coward."

"You mean that you love me?" he gasped in astonishment, takinga step toward her as though to gather her into his arms; butshe placed her hand against him and pushed him gently away,as much as to say, not yet. What she did mean she scarcely knew. She thought that she loved him, of that there can be no question;nor did she think that love for this young Englishman wasdisloyalty to Korak, for her love for Korak was undiminished--thelove of a sister for an indulgent brother. As they stoodthere for the moment of their conversation the sounds of tumultin the village subsided.

"They have killed him," whispered Meriem.

The statement brought Baynes to a realization of the cause oftheir return.

"Wait here," he said. "I will go and see. If he is dead wecan do him no good. If he lives I will do my best to free him."

"We will go together," replied Meriem. "Come!" And she ledthe way back toward the tent in which they last had seen Korak. As they went they were often forced to throw themselves to theground in the shadow of a tent or hut, for people were passinghurriedly to and fro now--the whole village was aroused andmoving about. The return to the tent of Ali ben Kadin tookmuch longer than had their swift flight to the palisade. Cautiously they crept to the slit that Korak's knife had made inthe rear wall. Meriem peered within--the rear apartment was empty.She crawled through the aperture, Baynes at her heels, and thensilently crossed the space to the rugs that partitioned the tentinto two rooms. Parting the hangings Meriem looked into thefront room. It, too, was deserted. She crossed to the door ofthe tent and looked out. Then she gave a little gasp of horror. Baynes at her shoulder looked past her to the sight that hadstartled her, and he, too, exclaimed; but his was an oath of anger.

A hundred feet away they saw Korak bound to a stake--thebrush piled about him already alight. The Englishman pushedMeriem to one side and started to run for the doomed man.What he could do in the face of scores of hostile blacks andArabs he did not stop to consider. At the same instant Tantorbroke through the palisade and charged the group. In the faceof the maddened beast the crowd turned and fled, carryingBaynes backward with them. In a moment it was all over, andthe elephant had disappeared with his prize; but pandemoniumreigned throughout the village. Men, women and children ranhelter skelter for safety. Curs fled, yelping. The horses andcamels and donkeys, terrorized by the trumpeting of the pachyderm,kicked and pulled at their tethers. A dozen or more broke loose,and it was the galloping of these past him that brought a suddenidea into Baynes' head. He turned to search for Meriem only tofind her at his elbow.

"The horses!" he cried. "If we can get a couple of them!"

Filled with the idea Meriem led him to the far end of the village.

"Loosen two of them," she said, "and lead them back into theshadows behind those huts. I know where there are saddles.I will bring them and the bridles," and before he could stopher she was gone.

Baynes quickly untied two of the restive animals and led themto the point designated by Meriem. Here he waited impatientlyfor what seemed an hour; but was, in reality, but a few minutes.Then he saw the girl approaching beneath the burden of two saddles. Quickly they placed these upon the horses. They could see by thelight of the torture fire that still burned that the blacks andArabs were recovering from their panic. Men were running aboutgathering in the loose stock, and two or three were alreadyleading their captives back to the end of the village whereMeriem and Baynes were busy with the trappings of their mounts.

Now the girl flung herself into the saddle.

"Hurry!" she whispered. "We shall have to run for it. Ride through the gap that Tantor made," and as she saw Baynesswing his leg over the back of his horse, she shook the reinsfree over her mount's neck. With a lunge, the nervous beastleaped forward. The shortest path led straight through thecenter of the village, and this Meriem took. Baynes was closebehind her, their horses running at full speed.

So sudden and impetuous was their dash for escape that itcarried them half-way across the village before the surprisedinhabitants were aware of what was happening. Then an Arabrecognized them, and, with a cry of alarm, raised his rifleand fired. The shot was a signal for a volley, and amid therattle of musketry Meriem and Baynes leaped their flying mountsthrough the breach in the palisade and were gone up the well-worntrail toward the north.

And Korak?

Tantor carried him deep into the jungle, nor paused until nosound from the distant village reached his keen ears. Then helaid his burden gently down. Korak struggled to free himselffrom his bonds, but even his great strength was unable to copewith the many strands of hard-knotted cord that bound him.While he lay there, working and resting by turns, the elephantstood guard above him, nor was there jungle enemy with thehardihood to tempt the sudden death that lay in that mighty bulk.

Dawn came, and still Korak was no nearer freedom than before. He commenced to believe that he should die there of thirstand starvation with plenty all about him, for he knew thatTantor could not unloose the knots that held him.

And while he struggled through the night with his bonds, Baynesand Meriem were riding rapidly northward along the river. The girl had assured Baynes that Korak was safe in the junglewith Tantor. It had not occurred to her that the ape-manmight not be able to burst his bonds. Baynes had been woundedby a shot from the rifle of one of the Arabs, and the girl wantedto get him back to Bwana's home, where he could be properlycared for.

"Then," she said, "I shall get Bwana to come with me andsearch for Korak. He must come and live with us."

All night they rode, and the day was still young when they camesuddenly upon a party hurrying southward. It was Bwana himselfand his sleek, black warriors. At sight of Baynes the bigEnglishman's brows contracted in a scowl; but he waited to hearMeriem's story before giving vent to the long anger in his breast. When she had finished he seemed to have forgotten Baynes. His thoughts were occupied with another subject.

"You say that you found Korak?" he asked. "You really saw him?"

"Yes," replied Meriem; "as plainly as I see you, and I wantyou 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, should you say?"

"I should say he was an Englishman, about my own age,"replied Baynes; "though he might be older. He is remarkablymuscled, and exceedingly tanned."

"His eyes and hair, did you notice them?" Bwana spokerapidly, almost excitedly. It was Meriem who answered him.

"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 goinginto the jungle."

"Let me go with you, Bwana," cried Meriem. "You are going tosearch for Korak. Let me go, 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 commencethe return journey to the farm. Meriem slowly mounted the tiredArab that had brought her from the village of The Sheik. A litterwas rigged for the now feverish Baynes, and the little cavalcadewas soon slowly winding off along the river trail.

Bwana stood watching them until they were out of sight. Not once had Meriem turned her eyes backward. She rode withbowed head and drooping shoulders. Bwana sighed. He lovedthe little Arab girl as he might have loved an own daughter. He realized that Baynes had redeemed himself, and so he couldinterpose no objections now if Meriem really loved the man;but, somehow, some way, Bwana could not convince himself thatthe Hon. Morison was worthy of his little Meriem. Slowly heturned toward a nearby tree. Leaping upward he caught alower branch and drew himself up among the branches. His movements were cat-like and agile. High into the treeshe made his way and there commenced to divest himself ofhis clothing. From the game bag slung across one shoulder hedrew a long strip of doe-skin, a neatly coiled rope, and awicked looking knife. The doe-skin, he fashioned into a loincloth, the rope he looped over one shoulder, and the knife hethrust into the belt formed by his gee string.

When he stood erect, his head thrown back and his great chestexpanded a grim smile touched his lips for a moment. His nostrilsdilated as he sniffed the jungle odors. His gray eyes narrowed. He crouched and leaped to a lower limb and was away through thetrees toward the southeast, bearing away from the river. He movedswiftly, stopping only occasionally to raise his voice in a weirdand piercing scream, and to listen for a moment after for a reply.

He had traveled thus for several hours when, ahead of himand a little to his left, he heard, far off in the jungle, a faintresponse--the cry of a bull ape answering his cry. His nervestingled and his eyes lighted as the sound fell upon his ears.Again he voiced his hideous call, and sped forward in thenew direction.

Korak, finally becoming convinced that he must die if heremained where he was, waiting for the succor that could notcome, spoke to Tantor in the strange tongue that the greatbeast understood. He commanded the elephant to lift him andcarry him toward the northeast. There, recently, Korak had seenboth white men and black. If he could come upon one of the latterit would be a simple matter to command Tantor to capture thefellow, and then Korak could get him to release him from the stake.It was worth trying at least--better than lying there in the jungleuntil he died. As Tantor bore him along through the forestKorak called aloud now and then in the hope of attracting Akut'sband of anthropoids, whose wanderings often brought them intotheir neighborhood. Akut, he thought, might possibly be ableto negotiate the knots--he had done so upon that other occasionwhen the Russian had bound Korak years before; and Akut, tothe south of him, heard his calls faintly, and came. There wasanother who heard them, too.

After Bwana had left his party, sending them back toward thefarm, 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 decision. She called theheadman to her side.

"I am going back with Bwana," she announced.

The black shook his head. "No!" he announced. "Bwana says Itake 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 betterwatch her. Meriem half smiled. Presently her horse passedbeneath a low-hanging branch, and the black headman foundhimself gazing at the girl's empty saddle. He ran forward tothe tree into which she had disappeared. He could see nothingof her. He called; but there was no response, unless it mighthave been a low, taunting laugh far to the right. He sent hismen into the jungle to search for her; but they came backempty handed. After a while he resumed his march toward thefarm, for Baynes, by this time, was delirious with fever.

Meriem raced straight back toward the point she imaginedTantor would make for--a point where she knew the elephantsoften gathered deep in the forest due east of The Sheik's village.She moved silently and swiftly. From her mind she had expungedall thoughts other than that she must reach Korak and bring himback with her. It was her place to do that. Then, too, hadcome the tantalizing fear that all might not be well with him. She upbraided herself for not thinking of that before--of lettingher desire to get the wounded Morison back to the bungalow blindher to the possibilities of Korak's need for her. She had beentraveling rapidly for several hours without rest when she heardahead of her the familiar cry of a great ape calling to his kind.

She did not reply, only increased her speed until she almost flew. Now there came to her sensitive nostrils the scent of Tantorand she knew that she was on the right trail and close to himshe sought. She did not call out because she wished to surprisehim, and presently she did, breaking into sight of them as thegreat elephant shuffled ahead balancing the man and the heavystake upon his head, holding them there with his upcurled trunk.

"Korak!" cried Meriem from the foliage above him.

Instantly the bull swung about, lowered his burden to theground and, trumpeting savagely, prepared to defend his comrade. The ape-man, recognizing the girl's voice, felt a sudden lumpin his throat.

"Meriem!" he called back to her.

Happily the girl clambered to the ground and ran forward torelease Korak; but Tantor lowered his head ominously andtrumpeted a warning.

"Go back! Go back!" cried Korak. "He will kill you."

Meriem paused. "Tantor!" she called to the huge brute."Don't you remember me? I am little Meriem. I used to rideon your broad back;" but the bull only rumbled in his throatand shook his tusks in angry defiance. Then Korak tried toplacate him. Tried to order him away, that the girl mightapproach and release him; but Tantor would not go. He saw inevery human being other than Korak an enemy. He thought thegirl bent upon harming his friend and he would take no chances.For an hour the girl and the man tried to find some meanswhereby they might circumvent the beast's ill directedguardianship, but all to no avail; Tantor stood his groundin grim determination to let no one approach Korak.

Presently the man hit upon a scheme. "Pretend to go away,"he called to the girl. "Keep down wind from us so that Tantorwon't get your scent, then follow us. After a while I'll havehim put me down, and find some pretext for sending him away. While he is gone you can slip up and cut my bonds--have youa knife?"

"Yes, I have a knife," she replied. "I'll go now--I think we maybe able to fool him; but don't be too sure--Tantor invented cunning."

Korak smiled, for he knew that the girl was right. Presently shehad disappeared. The elephant listened, and raised his trunkto catch her scent. Korak commanded him to raise him to hishead once more and proceed upon their way. After a moment'shesitation he did as he was bid. It was then that Korak heardthe distant call of an ape.

"Akut!" he thought. "Good! Tantor knew Akut well. He wouldlet him approach." Raising his voice Korak replied to the callof the ape; but he let Tantor move off with him through thejungle; it would do no harm to try the other plan. They hadcome to a clearing and plainly Korak smelled water. Here wasa good place and a good excuse. He ordered Tantor to lay himdown, and go and fetch him water in his trunk. The big beastdeposited him upon the grass in the center of the clearing, thenhe stood with cocked ears and attentive trunk, searching for theslightest indication of danger--there seemed to be none and hemoved away in the direction of the little brook that Korak knewwas some two or three hundred yards away. The ape-man couldscarce help smiling as he thought how cleverly he had trickedhis friend; but well as he knew Tantor he little guessed the guileof his cunning brain. The animal ambled off across the clearingand disappeared in the jungle beyond in the direction of thestream; but scarce had his great bulk been screened by the densefoliage than he wheeled about and came cautiously back to theedge of the clearing where he could see without being seen.Tantor, by nature, is suspicious. Now he still feared the returnof the she Tarmangani who had attempted to attack his Korak.He would just stand there for a moment and assure himself thatall was well before he continued on toward the water. Ah! Itwas well that he did! There she was now dropping from thebranches of a tree across the clearing and running swiftly towardthe ape-man. Tantor waited. He would let her reach Korak beforehe charged--that would ensure that she had no chance of escape. His little eyes blazed savagely. His tail was elevated stiffly. He could scarce restrain a desire to trumpet forth his rageto the world. Meriem was almost at Korak's side when Tantorsaw the long knife in her hand, and then he broke forth from thejungle, bellowing horribly, and charged down upon the frail girl.