did.

Darkness came and still the young man remained. He ate his evening
meal, afterward smoking numerous cigarettes. Presently he began to
pace back and forth before his tent. He kept his boy busy replenishing
the fire. A lion coughed and he went into his tent to reappear with an
express rifle. Again he admonished the boy to throw more brush upon
the fire. Korak saw that he was nervous and afraid, and his lip curled
in a sneer of contempt.

Was this the creature who had supplanted him in the heart of his
Meriem? Was this a man, who trembled when Numa coughed? How could
such as he protect Meriem from the countless dangers of the jungle?
Ah, but he would not have to. They would live in the safety of
European civilization, where men in uniforms were hired to protect
them. What need had a European of prowess to protect his mate? Again
the sneer curled Korak's lip.

Hanson and his boy had ridden directly to the clearing. It was already
dark when they arrived. Leaving the boy there Hanson rode to the edge
of the plain, leading the boy's horse. There he waited. It was nine
o'clock before he saw a solitary figure galloping toward him from the
direction of the bungalow. A few moments later Meriem drew in her
mount beside him. She was nervous and flushed. When she recognized
Hanson she drew back, startled.

"Mr. Baynes' horse fell on him and sprained his ankle," Hanson hastened
to explain. "He couldn't very well come so he sent me to meet you and
bring you to camp."

The girl could not see in the darkness the gloating, triumphant
expression on the speaker's face.

"We had better hurry," continued Hanson, "for we'll have to move along
pretty fast if we don't want to be overtaken."

"Is he hurt badly?" asked Meriem.

"Only a little sprain," replied Hanson. "He can ride all right; but we
both thought he'd better lie up tonight, and rest, for he'll have
plenty hard riding in the next few weeks."

"Yes," agreed the girl.

Hanson swung his pony about and Meriem followed him. They rode north
along the edge of the jungle for a mile and then turned straight into
it toward the west. Meriem, following, payed little attention to
directions. She did not know exactly where Hanson's camp lay and so
she did not guess that he was not leading her toward it. All night
they rode, straight toward the west. When morning came, Hanson
permitted a short halt for breakfast, which he had provided in
well-filled sadd