overy. It was yet too
far away for his untrained eyes to recognize it; but as he came closer
he saw that it was a horse, and was about to resume the original
direction of his way when he thought that he discerned a saddle upon
the beast's back. He rode a little closer. Yes, the animal was
saddled. The Hon. Morison approached yet nearer, and as he did so his
eyes expressed a pleasurable emotion of anticipation, for they had now
recognized the pony as the special favorite of Meriem.

He galloped to the animal's side. Meriem must be within the wood. The
man shuddered a little at the thought of an unprotected girl alone in
the jungle that was still, to him, a fearful place of terrors and
stealthily stalking death. He dismounted and left his horse beside
Meriem's. On foot he entered the jungle. He knew that she was
probably safe enough and he wished to surprise her by coming suddenly
upon her.

He had gone but a short distance into the wood when he heard a great
jabbering in a near-by tree. Coming closer he saw a band of baboons
snarling over something. Looking intently he saw that one of them held
a woman's riding skirt and that others had boots and stockings. His
heart almost ceased to beat as he quite naturally placed the most
direful explanation upon the scene. The baboons had killed Meriem and
stripped this clothing from her body. Morison shuddered.

He was about to call aloud in the hope that after all the girl still
lived when he saw her in a tree close beside that was occupied by the
baboons, and now he saw that they were snarling and jabbering at her.
To his amazement he saw the girl swing, ape-like, into the tree below
the huge beasts. He saw her pause upon a branch a few feet from the
nearest baboon. He was about to raise his rifle and put a bullet
through the hideous creature that seemed about to leap upon her when he
heard the girl speak. He almost dropped his rifle from surprise as a
strange jabbering, identical with that of the apes, broke from Meriem's
lips.

The baboons stopped their snarling and listened. It was quite evident
that they were as much surprised as the Hon. Morison Baynes. Slowly
and one by one they approached the girl. She gave not the slightest
evidence of fear of them. They quite surrounded her now so that Baynes
could not have fired without endangering the girl's life; but he no
longer desired to fire. He was consumed with curiosity.

For several minutes the girl