Part 18 (1/2)
”Oh, no,” cried the Hon Morison, aghast at this suggestion ”Let's ride,” and he reined his pony into the dark shadows of the wood Behind hi a favorable opportunity, skulked Numa, the lion
Out upon the plain a lone horseht It was Hanson He had followed thealow Their way led in the direction of his camp, so he had a ready and plausible excuse should they discover him; but they had not seen him for they had not turned their eyes behind
Now he turned directly toward the spot at which they had entered the jungle He no longer cared whether he was observed or not There were two reasons for his indifference The first was that he saw in Baynes' act a counterpart of his own planned abduction of the girl In so to his own purposes At least he would keep in touch with theet her His other reason was based on his knowledge of an event that had transpired at his caht-an event which he had notundesired attention to his erous intercourse with his own boys He had told at the bungalow that half his ht be quickly disproved should his boys and Bwana's grow confidential
The event that he had failed to irl and her escort had occurred during his absence early the preceding evening Hisaround their cah, thorn boe lion had leaped ast them and seized one of their nue of his comrades that his life had been saved, and then only after a battle royal with the hunger-enraged beast had they been able to drive hi brands, spears, and rifles
From this Hanson knew that a man eater had wandered into the district or been developed by the aging of one of the ht, or lay up in the cool wood by day He had heard the roaring of a hungry lion not half an hour before, and there was little doubt in hisMerielishman for a fool, and spurred rapidly after them
Merie A hundred yards beyond thereen eyes fixed upon his prey, the tip of his sinuous tail jerking spas the distance between hie, or should he wait yet a little longer in the hope that they ry; but also was he very crafty He could not chance losing his ht before until the blacks slept he would not have been forced to go hungry for another twenty-four hours
Behind hiether ca posture upon the branch of a tree in which he had reposed hiray hulk swayed to and fro in the darkness The beast in the tree uttered a low guttural and dropped to the back of the gray reat ears and Tantor, the elephant, raised his trunk aloft, swinging it high and low to catch the scent that the word had warned him of There was another whispered as it a co beast wheeled into an aard, yet silent shuffle, in the direction of Nuani his rider had scented
Onward they went, the scent of the lion and his prey beco ier must he wait for his meat to corowled All unconscious of their danger the
Their horses were pressed side by side Baynes had found Merie it as he poured words of love into her ear, and Merieed the Hon Morison ”I can gather a safari and we can be a whole day upon the way to the coast before they guess that we have gone”
”Why irl ”Bwana and My Dear would not object to our e”
”I cannot marry you just yet,” explained the Hon Morison, ”there are some formalities to be attended to first-you do not understand It will be all right We will go to London I cannot wait If you love me you will come What of the apes you lived with? Did they bother aboutthem you would have mated as they ate the laws of God What difference does it make if we love one another? What do we care for anyone in the world besides ourselves? I would givefor me?”
”You love me?” she said ”You will marry me e have reached London?”
”I swear it,” he cried
”I will go with you,” she whispered, ”though I do not understand why it is necessary” She leaned toward him and he took her in his arms and bent to press his lips to hers
At the sah the trees that fringed the clearing The Hon Morison and Meriem, with eyes and ears for one another alone, did not see or hear; but Nuirl in the ure of the neatly garbed girl he did not recognize his Merieed
With a frightful roar, fearful lest Tantor had coreat beast leaped frohty voice The ponies stood for an instant transfixed with terror The Hon Morison Baynes hite and cold The lion was charging toward thenificent er obeyed his will-they flexed to the urge of a greater power-the power of Nature's first law They drove his spurred heels deep into his pony's flanks, they bore the rein against the brute's neck that wheeled him with an iirl's pony, squealing in terror, reared and plunged upon the heels of his irl was cool-the girl and the half-naked savage who bestrode the neck of hisspectacle chance had staked for his enjoyani pursued by Nuht to prey; but one was a she Korak felt an intuitive urge to rush to her protection Why, he could not guess All Tar a beast to feel strongly the humanitarian impulses that were inherent in hied Tantor forward He raised his heavy spear and hurled it at the flying target of the lion's body The girl's pony had reached the trees upon the opposite side of the clearing Here he would beco lion; but Numa, infuriated, preferred the woave an exclamation of astonishment and approval as Nuirl swung free of her mount to the branches of a tree above her
Korak's spear struck Nu hi horse Freed of the weight of both girl and lion the pony raced ahead toward safety Numa tore and struck at the e it Then he resuuided Tantor into the seclusion of the jungle He did not wish to be seen, nor had he
Hanson had almost reached the hen he heard the lion's terrific roars, and knew that the charge had come An instant later the Hon Morison broke upon his vision, racing likethe ani the spurs into his sides An instant later the second pony appeared-riderless