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The girl shook her head. "It is useless," she said. "He would not understand and if

he did understand, he would not trust you. The blacks are so unprincipled

themselves that they can imagine no such thing as principle or honor in others,

and especially do these blacks distrust an Englishman whom the Germans have

taught them to believe are the most treacherous and degraded of people. No, it is

better thus. I am sorry that you cannot go with us, for if he goes high enough my

death will be much easier than that which probably awaits you."

Usanga had been continually interrupting their brief conversation in an attempt

to compel the girl to translate it to him, for he feared that they were concocting

some plan to thwart him, and to quiet and appease him, she told him that the

Englishman was merely bidding her farewell and wishing her good luck. Suddenly

she turned to the black. "Will you do something for me?" she asked. "If I go

willingly with you?"

What is it you want?" he inquired.

"Tell your men to free the white man after we are gone. He can never catch us.

That is all I ask of you. If you will grant him his freedom and his life, I will go

willingly with you.

"You will go with me anyway," growled Usanga. "It is nothing to me whether you

go willingly or not. I am going to be a great king and you will do whatever I tell

you to do."

He had in mind that he would start properly with this woman. There should be

no repetition of his harrowing experience with Naratu. This wife and the twenty-

four others should be carefully selected and well trained. Hereafter Usanga would

be master in his own house.

Bertha Kircher saw that it was useless to appeal to the brute and so she held her

peace though she was filled with sorrow in contemplating the fate that awaited

the young officer, scarce more than a boy, who had impulsively revealed his love

for her.

At Usanga's order one of the blacks lifted her from the ground and carried her to

the machine, and after Usanga had clambered aboard, they lifted her up and he

reached down and drew her into the fuselage where he removed the thongs from

her wrists and strapped her into her seat and then took his own directly ahead of

her.

The girl turned her eyes toward the Englishman. She was very pale but her lips

smiled bravely.

127

Tarzan the Untamed