ape answering his cry. His nerves tingled and his eyes
lighted as the sound fell upon his ears. Again he voiced his hideous
call, and sped forward in the new direction.

Korak, finally becoming convinced that he must die if he remained where
he was, waiting for the succor that could not come, spoke to Tantor in
the strange tongue that the great beast understood. He commanded the
elephant to lift him and carry him toward the northeast. There,
recently, Korak had seen both white men and black. If he could come
upon one of the latter it would be a simple matter to command Tantor to
capture the fellow, and then Korak could get him to release him from
the stake. It was worth trying at least--better than lying there in
the jungle until he died. As Tantor bore him along through the forest
Korak called aloud now and then in the hope of attracting Akut's band
of anthropoids, whose wanderings often brought them into their
neighborhood. Akut, he thought, might possibly be able to negotiate
the knots--he had done so upon that other occasion when the Russian had
bound Korak years before; and Akut, to the south of him, heard his
calls faintly, and came. There was another who heard them, too.

After Bwana had left his party, sending them back toward the farm,
Meriem had ridden for a short distance with bowed head. What thoughts
passed through that active brain who may say? Presently she seemed to
come to a decision. She called the headman to her side.

"I am going back with Bwana," she announced.

The black shook his head. "No!" he announced. "Bwana says I take you
home. So I take you home."

"You refuse to let me go?" asked the girl.

The black nodded, and fell to the rear where he might better watch her.
Meriem half smiled. Presently her horse passed beneath a low-hanging
branch, and the black headman found himself gazing at the girl's empty
saddle. He ran forward to the tree into which she had disappeared. He
could see nothing of her. He called; but there was no response, unless
it might have been a low, taunting laugh far to the right. He sent his
men into the jungle to search for her; but they came back empty handed.
After a while he resumed his march toward the farm, for Baynes, by this
time, was delirious with fever.

Meriem raced straight back toward the point she imagined Tantor would
make for--a point where she knew the elephants often gathered deep in
the forest due east of The Sheik's village.