He ran immediately to the river where the canoes lay and counted
them. It was evident that it had suddenly occurred to him that
the girl must cross here if she wished to return to her protectors.
The expression of relief on his face when he found that none of
the canoes was gone was ample evidence of what was passing in his
mind. He turned and spoke hurriedly to the head man who had followed
him out of the jungle and with whom were several other blacks.
Following Malbihn's instructions they launched all the canoes but
one. Malbihn called to the guards in the camp and a moment later
the entire party had entered the boats and were paddling up stream.
Meriem watched them until a bend in the river directly above the
camp hid them from her sight. They were gone! She was alone,
and they had left a canoe in which lay a paddle! She could scarce
believe the good fortune that had come to her. To delay now would
be suicidal to her hopes. Quickly she ran from her hiding place
and dropped to the ground. A dozen yards lay between her and the
canoe.
Up stream, beyond the bend, Malbihn ordered his canoes in to shore.
Pages:
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384