ey cared not if she had the face of a marmoset, or the figure of
pot-bellied Kovudoo himself. All that they wished to know was that she
was the girl who had been stolen from The Sheik several years before.
They thought that they would recognize her for such if she was indeed
the same, but even so the testimony of the runner Kovudoo had sent to
The Sheik was such as to assure them that the girl was the one they had
once before attempted to abduct.

As Meriem was brought forth from the darkness of the hut's interior the
two men turned with every appearance of disinterestedness to glance at
her. It was with difficulty that Malbihn suppressed an ejaculation of
astonishment. The girl's beauty fairly took his breath from him; but
instantly he recovered his poise and turned to Kovudoo.

"Well?" he said to the old chief.

"Is she not both young and good looking?" asked Kovudoo.

"She is not old," replied Malbihn; "but even so she will be a burden.
We did not come from the north after wives--there are more than enough
there for us."

Meriem stood looking straight at the white men. She expected nothing
from them--they were to her as much enemies as the black men. She
hated and feared them all. Malbihn spoke to her in Arabic.

"We are friends," he said. "Would you like to have us take you away
from here?"

Slowly and dimly as though from a great distance recollection of the
once familiar tongue returned to her.

"I should like to go free," she said, "and go back to Korak."

"You would like to go with us?" persisted Malbihn.

"No," said Meriem.

Malbihn turned to Kovudoo. "She does not wish to go with us," he said.

"You are men," returned the black. "Can you not take her by force?"

"It would only add to our troubles," replied the Swede. "No, Kovudoo,
we do not wish her; though, if you wish to be rid of her, we will take
her away because of our friendship for you."

Now Kovudoo knew that he had made a sale. They wanted her. So he
commenced to bargain, and in the end the person of Meriem passed from
the possession of the black chieftain into that of the two Swedes in
consideration of six yards of Amerikan, three empty brass cartridge
shells and a shiny, new jack knife from New Jersey. And all but Meriem
were more than pleased with the bargain.

Kovudoo stipulated but a single condition and that was that the
Europeans were to leave his village and take the girl with them as
early the next morning as th