e holster at his hip.
Slowly he was dragging her toward the blankets, and slowly her fingers
encircled the coveted prize and drew it from its resting place.

Then, as Malbihn stood at the edge of the disordered pile of blankets,
Meriem suddenly ceased to draw away from him, and as quickly hurled her
weight against him with the result that he was thrown backward, his
feet stumbled against the bedding and he was hurled to his back.
Instinctively his hands flew out to save himself and at the same
instant Meriem leveled the revolver at his breast and pulled the
trigger.

But the hammer fell futilely upon an empty shell, and Malbihn was again
upon his feet clutching at her. For a moment she eluded him, and ran
toward the entrance to the tent, but at the very doorway his heavy hand
fell upon her shoulder and dragged her back. Wheeling upon him with
the fury of a wounded lioness Meriem grasped the long revolver by the
barrel, swung it high above her head and crashed it down full in
Malbihn's face.

With an oath of pain and rage the man staggered backward, releasing his
hold upon her and then sank unconscious to the ground. Without a
backward look Meriem turned and fled into the open. Several of the
blacks saw her and tried to intercept her flight, but the menace of the
empty weapon kept them at a distance. And so she won beyond the
encircling boma and disappeared into the jungle to the south.

Straight into the branches of a tree she went, true to the arboreal
instincts of the little mangani she had been, and here she stripped off
her riding skirt, her shoes and her stockings, for she knew that she
had before her a journey and a flight which would not brook the burden
of these garments. Her riding breeches and jacket would have to serve
as protection from cold and thorns, nor would they hamper her over
much; but a skirt and shoes were impossible among the trees.

She had not gone far before she commenced to realize how slight were
her chances for survival without means of defense or a weapon to bring
down meat. Why had she not thought to strip the cartridge belt from
Malbihn's waist before she had left his tent! With cartridges for the
revolver she might hope to bag small game, and to protect herself from
all but the most ferocious of the enemies that would beset her way back
to the beloved hearthstone of Bwana and My Dear.

With the thought came determination to return and obtain the coveted
ammunition. She re