into her tent and sought the pile of unclean blankets which
were her bed. Throwing herself face downward upon them she sobbed
forth her misery until kindly sleep brought her, at least temporary,
relief.

And while she slept a figure stole from the tent that stood to the
right of hers. It approached the sentry before the doorway and
whispered a few words in the man's ear. The latter nodded, and strode
off through the darkness in the direction of his own blankets. The
figure passed to the rear of Jane Clayton's tent and spoke again to the
sentry there, and this man also left, following in the trail of the
first.

Then he who had sent them away stole silently to the tent flap and
untying the fastenings entered with the noiselessness of a disembodied
spirit.

21

The Flight to the Jungle

Sleepless upon his blankets, Albert Werper let his evil mind dwell upon
the charms of the woman in the nearby tent. He had noted Mohammed
Beyd's sudden interest in the girl, and judging the man by his own
standards, had guessed at the basis of the Arab's sudden change of
attitude toward the prisoner.

And as he let his imaginings run riot they aroused within him a bestial
jealousy of Mohammed Beyd, and a great fear that the other might
encompass his base designs upon the defenseless girl. By a strange
process of reasoning, Werper, whose designs were identical with the
Arab's, pictured himself as Jane Clayton's protector, and presently
convinced himself that the attentions which might seem hideous to her
if proffered by Mohammed Beyd, would be welcomed from Albert Werper.

Her husband was dead, and Werper fancied that he could replace in the
girl's heart the position which had been vacated by the act of the grim
reaper. He could offer Jane Clayton marriage--a thing which Mohammed
Beyd would not offer, and which the girl would spurn from him with as
deep disgust as she would his unholy lust.

It was not long before the Belgian had succeeded in convincing himself
that the captive not only had every reason for having conceived
sentiments of love for him; but that she had by various feminine
methods acknowledged her new-born affection.

And then a sudden resolution possessed him. He threw the blankets from
him and rose to his feet. Pulling on his boots and buckling his
cartridge belt and revolver about his hips he stepped to the flap of
his tent and looked out. There was no sentry before the entrance to
the prison