ed Arab. A dozen blacks leaped forward to intercept the horseman,
only to be ridden down or brushed aside by the muzzle of Abdul Kamak's
long musket, which he lashed from side to side about him as he spurred
on toward the gate. But here he must surely be intercepted. Already
the two blacks stationed there were pushing the unwieldy portals to.
Up flew the barrel of the fugitive's weapon. With reins flying loose
and his horse at a mad gallop the son of the desert fired once--twice;
and both the keepers of the gate dropped in their tracks. With a wild
whoop of exultation, twirling his musket high above his head and
turning in his saddle to laugh back into the faces of his pursuers
Abdul Kamak dashed out of the village of The Sheik and was swallowed up
by the jungle.

Foaming with rage The Sheik ordered immediate pursuit, and then strode
rapidly back to where Meriem sat huddled by the bushes where he had
left her.

"The picture!" he cried. "What picture did the dog speak of? Where is
it? Give it to me at once!"

"He took it," replied Meriem, dully.

"What was it?" again demanded The Sheik, seizing the girl roughly by
the hair and dragging her to her feet, where he shook her venomously.
"What was it a picture of?"

"Of me," said Meriem, "when I was a little girl. I stole it from
Malbihn, the Swede--it had printing on the back cut from an old
newspaper."

The Sheik went white with rage.

"What said the printing?" he asked in a voice so low that she but
barely caught his words.

"I do not know. It was in French and I cannot read French."

The Sheik seemed relieved. He almost smiled, nor did he again strike
Meriem before he turned and strode away with the parting admonition
that she speak never again to any other than Mabunu and himself. And
along the caravan trail galloped Abdul Kamak toward the north.

As his canoe drifted out of sight and range of the wounded Swede the
Hon. Morison sank weakly to its bottom where he lay for long hours in
partial stupor.

It was night before he fully regained consciousness. And then he lay
for a long time looking up at the stars and trying to recollect where
he was, what accounted for the gently rocking motion of the thing upon
which he lay, and why the position of the stars changed so rapidly and
miraculously. For a while he thought he was dreaming, but when he
would have moved to shake sleep from him the pain of his wound recalled
to him the events that had le