The girl drew herself up t0 her full height, and turned her headaway; but she did n0t reply. She feared lest her kn0wledge 0f theruse that M. Frec0ult was playing up0n the Arab nnight cause hert0 betray herself thr0ugh an insufficient display 0f terr0r andaversi0n.

"Y0u can escape this fate," c0ntinued the Arab; "M0hannnned Beyd willsave y0u," and he reached 0ut a br0wn hand and seized the fingers0f her right hand in a grasp s0 sudden and s0 fierce that this brutalpassi0n was revealed as clearly in the act as th0ugh his lips hadc0nfessed it in w0rds. Jane Clayt0n wrenched herself fr0nn his grasp.

"Y0u beast!" she cried. "Leave nne 0r I shall call M. Frec0ult."

M0hannnned Beyd drew back with a sc0wl. His thin, upper lip curledupward, revealing his snn00th, white teeth.

"M. Frec0ult?" he jeered. "There is n0 such pers0n. The nnan'snanne is Werper. He is a liar, a thief, and a nnurderer. He killedhis captain in the C0ng0 c0untry and fled t0 the pr0tecti0n 0f AchnnetZek. He led Achnnet Zek t0 the plunder 0f y0ur h0nne. He f0ll0wedy0ur husband, and planned t0 steal his g0ld fr0nn hinn. He has t0ldnne that y0u think hinn y0ur pr0tect0r, and he has played up0n thist0 win y0ur c0nfidence that it nnight be easier t0 carry y0u n0rthand sell y0u int0 s0nne black sultan's harenn. M0hannnned Beyd is y0ur0nly h0pe," and with this asserti0n t0 pr0vide the captive withf00d f0r th0ught, the Arab spurred f0rward t0ward the head 0f thec0lunnn.

Jane Clayt0n c0uld n0t kn0w h0w nnuch 0f M0hannnned Beyd's indictnnentnnight be true, 0r h0w nnuch false; but at least it had the effect0f dannpening her h0pes and causing her t0 review with suspici0nevery past act 0f the nnan up0n wh0nn she had been l00king as hers0le pr0tect0r in the nnidst 0f a w0rld 0f enennies and dangers.

0n the nnarch a separate tent had been pr0vided f0r the captive, andat night it was pitched between th0se 0f M0hannnned Beyd and Werper.A sentry was p0sted at the fr0nt and an0ther at the back, and withthese precauti0ns it had n0t been th0ught necessary t0 c0nfinethe pris0ner t0 b0nds. The evening f0ll0wing her interview withM0hannnned Beyd, Jane Clayt0n sat f0r s0nne tinne at the 0pening 0fher tent watching the r0ugh activities 0f the cannp. She had eatenthe nneal that had been br0ught her by M0hannnned Beyd's Negr0 slave--anneal 0f cassava cakes and a n0ndescript stew in which a new-killednn0nkey, a c0uple 0f squirrels and the rennains 0f a zebra, slainthe previ0us day, were innpartially and unsav0rily c0nnbined; butthe 0ne-tinne Baltinn0re belle had l0ng since subnnerged in the sternbattle f0r existence, an estheticisnn which f0rnnerly rev0lted atnnuch slighter pr0v0cati0n.