fW'A".' J-M. . ' - r ""V !"i is 1 ELLUCID l J4SequenoM fKe Eexrfk'sCore" PROLOGUE SEVERAL years had elapsed slnco I had found the opportunity to do any big. ame hunting; but at last I had my plana almost perfected for a return to my old umplng grounds In northern Africa, where in other days I had had excellent sport In JJureult of the king of beasts. The dato of my departure had been set; I was to leave In two weeks. No schoolboy counting tho lagging hours that must pass Store tho beginning of 'long vacation" re ?Veed him to tho delirious Joys of tho sum. Mtt camp could have been filled with Kjeater impatience or keener anticipation. -?And then came a letter that started mo L Africa, twelve days ahead of my ached ft '"Often am I In receipt of letters from strangers who havo found something In a itory of mine to commend or to condemn. Mr Interest In this department of my cor respondence Is ever fresh. I opened this eaftlcular letter with all tho zest of pleas arable anticipation with which I had opened a many others. Tho postmark, "ALGIERS" had aroused my Interest and curiosity, capo elilly at this time, since It was Algiers that was presently to witness tho termina tion of my coming sea voyago In search f snort and adventure Beforo tho reading of that letter was eompleted lions and Hon hunting had fled my thoughts, and I was In a state of ex citement bordering upon frenzy. I. . well, read It yourself, and see If tou too, do not find food for frantic con lecture, for tantalizing doubts, and for a great hope. Here it Is: "Edgar Rico Burroughs, Esq., "Oak Park, 111. m... eir t think that I have run across tee of the most remarkable coincidences In modern'llteraturo. But let mo start at tho "I am, by profession, a wanderer upon the faco of the earth. I have no trade nor ... ntfc.r nrr.linfl.tlon. &T. "My father bequeathed me a conpetency : SVmma remoter ancestor a lust to roam. I L.hav combined the two and Invested mem carefully ana wunout cn-is.i.... "For tho past year I havo been purchas ing adventure In North Africa. Several months ago I came upon some back num fcers of tho Evening) Ledger In the read ing room of a club hero in Algiers. "I became interested in your story, At the Earth's Core.' not so much because of. the probability of the tale as of a feat and abiding wonder that people should bo paid real money for writing such Impossible trash. You will pardon my candor, but it Is necessary that you understand my men tal attltudo toward this particular i story that you may credit that which oHowi. "Shortly thereafter I started for the Sa hara in caich ot a rather rare species of antelope that Is to be found only occasion ally within a limited area at a certain sea Ion of the year. My chaso led me far from the haunts of civilized man. "It was a fruitless search, however, in to far as antolopo Is concerned; but one night as I lay courting sleep at tho edge of I lit lo cluster of date palms that ground ;- --i wn in tho midst of tho arid, " . ... ... iAnmA rnn- Xs of a strange sound coming apparently .... T Euuueni "'"v --:- ' ' from tho earth ccneatn in -. "It was an intermittent ticking! "No reptile or insect with which I familiar reproduces any such notes. I am lay . for an hour listening uiiuuj. ,,. nt 'At last my curiosity got the better ot me. I arose, lighted my lamp and com menced to investigate. .th.fl My bedding lay. upon a jte directly upon tho warm sand. The noise appeared to be coming from beneath th rug. I raised it, and found nothing-yet, at Intervals, the sound continued. "I dug Into tho sand with tho point of my huntlng-knlfc. A few "ches )elow mo aurfaco of tho sana i encuumc.v """ tubstanco that had the feel of wood be , neath tho sharp steel. "Excavating about it. I unearthed a small wooden box. From this receptacle Issued the strange sound that I had heard. "How did It come here? "What did It contain? ' "In attempting to lift it from Its hurylng . place I discovered that It seemed to he held fast by means of a very small lnBU1,aied ., cable running 'farther Into tho sand be- fieath it. . .. ,UiB- ' "My first Impulse was to drag thetnhiB " loose by main strength; but. fortunately. I v , thought; better of this and fell to examining ' the box. 1 soon saw that it was covered - by a hinged lid, which was held closed by ' a simple screw-hook and eye. "It took but a moment to loosen tnis .a ..i.. th. w when, to my utter as tonishment. I discovered an ordinary tele- ? graph instrument clicking away witnm. ., .1 "-what in the world,' thought I, Is this 'J thing doing here?' . 'j "That it was a Ftencn rnmui.y """ ' i Kent was my first guess; hut really thero $1 eidn't seem much likelihood that this was '? V the correct explanation, when one took into 1 Account tho loneliness and remoteness of ".the spot. , . , .- "As I sat gazing at my remarkable find. .. Which was ticking and clicking away there 'i in the silence of tho desert nlgnt. trying w Kit eonvev soma message which I was unable to interpret, my eyes fell upon a bit or taper lying In tho bottom of the box beside ,v the instrument. I nicked it up nnu ex- ?. amlned it. TTnon it wero written but two , 1 Utters: V k U. 1. ' 5. "Thev meant nothlnir to me men. - if baffled, ... "(Once, in an interval of silence upon the PMt of the receiving instrument. I movea the sendlng-key up and down a few times. instantly tho receiving mediums" -"-tnenced to work frantically. "I tried to recall something of tho Morse : a Code, with which I had played as a little .'Ltoy but time had obliterated it from my I? memory. I became almost frantic as i iet D my lmnnlnntlon run riot among the pos- ilbllitles for. which thl clicking Instrument aught stand. ... "Somo noor devil at the unKliown oincr nd might bo in dire need of succor. The ery franticness of. the Instrument's wild clashing betokened something of the Kina. "And thero sat I, powerless to Interpret, nd so powerless to help! "it was then that the inspiration Cfiiuo . In a flash there leaped to my mind the closing paragraphs of tho story I haa "ad In the club at Algiers: m.. .i.- - ........ Ha unmowYiprA UDOn m the bosom of the broad Sahara, at the ends ot two" tiny wires, hidden beneatn a loai talrn?' The idea seemed preposterous, hxpe- tience and intelligence combined to assure ' that there could be no slightest grain A A-.... .. ..... , .... ...tf1 --- 0-iriun or possiDimy in your .. -i 'U Was fiction nure and simple. ",. "And yet where were the other ends of those wires? , J. "AVhat was this Instrument ticking away In the great Sahara but a travesty i'Pon the possible? f V "Would I have I believed In It had V not f! ll wh my own eyes? L "And the Inlfcals P. I, upon the slip of pl! David's Initials were these David lMi X n smiled at my Imaginings. I ridlcuiea JMnmtrt on that there was an inner and that these wires led downward &y Edcfea Rice BurroucfKs end know that the Instrument had been dls covered, in tho morning, after carefully returning the box to Us hole and covering . v.n mini kiho, x canea my servants uuoui me, snatched a hurried breakfast. ...uu..iv:u ,y norse, ana started upon a forced march for Algiers. .n"1i0.7,v1d hcro ioi&Y- ln writing you this letter I feel that I am making a fool of myself. "There is no David Innes. .. "" J-"a" ne iieauurul. There is no world within a world. Pellucldar Is but a realm of your imag ination nothing more. "But "The Incident ot the finding of that buried telegraph instrument linnn th. Innnlu C- hara is little short ot uncanny, ln view of your story of the adventures of David Innes. "I have called It one of tho most remark ablo coincidences In modern fiction. I called it nterature before, but again pardon my candor your story Is not. "And now why am I writing you? "Heaven knows, unless it is that tho persistent clicking of that unfathomable enigma out thero In tho vast silences of tho Sahara has so wrought upon my nerves that reason refuses longer to function saneiy. "I cannot hear it now, yet I know that far away to tho south, all alone beneath the sands, it is still pounding out its vain, frantic appeal. "It Is maddentngt "It Is your fault I want you to release me from It. "Cable me at once, at my expense, .that there was no basis of fact for your story, 'At the Earth's Core.' "Very respectfully yours, "COGDON NESTOR. " and Club, "Algiers." Ten minutes after reading this letter I had cabled Mr. Nestor as follows: "Story true. Await mo Algiers." As fast as train and boat would carry me, I sped toward my destination. For all thoso dragging days my mind was a whirl of mad conjecture, of frantic hope, of numb ing fear. The finding of tho telegraph instrument practically assured me that David Innos had driven Ferry's Iron Molo back through the earth's crust to tho burled world of Pcllucldar; but what adventures had be fallen him since his return? Had he found Dlan tho Beautiful, his half-savago mate, safe among his friends, or had Hooja the Sly One succeeded ln his nefarious schemes to abduct her7 Did Abner Perry, the lovable old Inven tor and paleontologist, still live? Had the federated tribes of Pellucldar succeeded ln overthrowing tho mighty Ma liars, tho dominant raco of reptilian mon Bters, and their fierce, gorlllallke soldiery, the savago Sagoths? I must admit that I was In a state bor dering upon nervous prostration when I entered tho and Club, ln Al giers, and Inquired .for Mr. Nestor. A moment later I was ushered Into his pres ence, to find myself clasping handi with tho sort of chap that the world holds onlj too few of. He was a tall, smooth-faced man of about thirty, clean-cut, straight, and strong, and weather-tanned to the hue of a desert Arab. I liked him Immensely from tho first, and I hope that after our threo months together ln the desert country three months not entirely lacking In adventure ho found that a man may be a writer ot "impossible trash" and yet have somo re deeming qualities. The day following my arrival at Algiers Ve left for the south, Nestor having made all arrangements ln advance, guessing, as he naturally did, that I could bo coming to Africa for but a slnglo purpose to hasten at once to the burled telegraph instrument and wrest its secret from It. In addition to our native servants, wo took along an English telegraph operator named Frank Downes. Nothing of interost enlivened our Journey by rail and caravan till we camo to the cluster ot dato palms about the ancient well upon the rim of tho Sahara. It was the very spot at which I first had seen David Innes. If ho had ever raised a cairn abovo tho telegraph intrument no sign of it remained now. Had It not been for the chance that caused Cogdon Nestor to throw down his sleeping rug airecuy over tho hidden Instrument, it might still be clicking there unheard and this story still unwritten. "When we reached tho spot and unearthed the little box the instrument was quiet, nor did repeated attempts upon the part of our telegrapher succeed in winning a response from tho other end of the line. After several days of futile endeavor to raiso Pcllucldar, we had begun to despair. I was as positive that the other end of that little cable protruded through the sur face of the Inner world as I am that I sit hcro today In my study when about mid night of tho fourth day I was awakened by the sound of tho instrument. Leaping to my feet I grasped Downes roughly by the neck and dragged him out of his blankets. Ho didn't need to be told what caused my excitement, for the instant ho was awako he, too, heard the long-hoped-for click, and with ,a whoop of delight pounced upon the instrument. Nestor was on i" " -- -- -as I. The three of us huddled about that Ay 1181 Hap Httlo box as If our lives depended upon the messago It had for us. Downes Interrupted tho clicking with his sending key. Tho nolso of the receiver stopped Instantly. "Ask who It Is, Downes," I directed. Ho did so, and whlto we awaited the Eng lishman's translation of tho reply, I doubt If either Nestor or I breathed. "Ho says ho's David Innes," said Downes. "Ho wants to know who wo are." "Tell him," said I, "and that we want to know how ho Is and all that has be fallen him since I last saw him." For two months I talked with David Innes almost every day, nnd as Downes translated, cither Nestor or I took notes. From these, arranged ln chronological or der, I havo set down the following account of tho further adventures of David Innes at tho earth's core, virtually In his own words : CHAPTER I Lost on Pellucidar THE Arabs, of whom I wrote you at the end of my last letter (Innes began), and whom I thought to be enemies .intent only upon murdering me, proved to be exceed ingly friendly they were searching for tho very band of marauders that had threat ened my existence. Tho huge rhamphoryn- chusllko rcptllo that I had brought back with mo from tho lnnor world the ugly Mahar that Hooja the Sly One had substi tuted for my dear Dlan at the moment of my departure filled them with wonder and with awe. Nor less so did the mighty subterranean prospector which had carried mo to Eel lucldar and back again, and which lay out ln the desert about two miles from my camp. With their help I managed to get the un wieldy tons of Its great bulk Into a vertical position tho noso deep In a hole we had dug ln tho sand and tho rest of it supported by tho trunks of dato palms cut for tho purpose. It was a mighty engineering Job, with only wild Arabs and their wilder mounts to do the work of an electric crane but finally It was completed, and I was ready for departure. For some time I hesitated to take tho Mahar back with me. She had been docile and quiet ever since she had discovered her self virtually a prisoner aboard the Iron Mole. It had been, of course, impossible for me to communicate with her since she had no nudltory organs and I no knowledge of her fourth-dimension, sixth-sense method of communication. Naturally I am kind-hcavted, nnd so I found It beyond mo to leave even this hate ful and repulsive thing alone in a strange and hostilo world. Tiro result was that when I entered tho Iron Molo I took her with me. That she knew that wo wero about to return to Pollucldar was evident, for Im mediately her manner changed from that of habitual gloom that had pervaded her to an almost human expression of contentment and delight. Our trip through tho earth's crust was but a repetition of my two former Journeys between tho Inner and the outer worlds. This time, however, I Imaglno that we must ha maintained a more nearly perpendicu lar course, for wo accomplished tho Jour ney In a few minutes' less time than upon the occasion of my first Journey through tho fie-hundred-m!!o crust. Just a trifle less than seenty-two hours after our de parture Into the sands of the Sahara we broke through the surface of Pellucldar. Fortune onco again favored mo by the slightest of margins, for when I opened the door in the prospector'3 outer Jacket I saw that wo had missed coming up through the bottom of an ocean by but a few hundred yards, Th aspect of the surrounding country was entirely unfamiliar to me I had no conception of precisely fSk where I was upon the 124.ooo.ooo square mllc3 ot Pellucidar's vast land surface. The perpetual midday sun poured down Its torrid rays from zenith, as It has dono since the beginning of Pel lucldarlan time as It would contlnuo to do to the end of it. Ucfore me. across the wide sea, the weird, hori zonless seascape folded gently up wnrrl to meet tho sky until it lost N Itself to iew in the azure depths of distance far above the level of my eyes. How strange it lookedl How vastly different from tho flat and puny area nl the circumscribed viBlon of the 'dweller upon the outer crust! I was lost. Thougn J. wanaeren ceaselessly throughout a lifetime, I might never discover the whereabouts of my former friends of this strange and savage world. Never again might I see dear old Perry, nor Ghak the Hairy One, nor Dacor the Strong One, nor that other infinitely precious one my sweet and noblo mate, Dlan the Beautiful. But even so I was glad to tread once more the surface of Pellucldar. Mysterious nnd terrible, grotesque and savage though she was in many of her aspects, I could not but love her. Her very BMti-ery appealed to mo. for It was the oavagery of un spoiled Nature. The magnificence ot her troplo beauties enthralled me. Her mighty land WIU&X& sS-h 7 ffl 1 JJmy's. oOLB areas breated unfettered freedom. B . TjaRaSfilfeailB'l!. k yZ? J f J y) Ll Her untracked oceans, whispering of vlr- tMmtSttKtlr?gUjmtm0 X ''I Y fj VVJbmyMd IbbI gin wonders unsullied by the eye of man, Wl WyT Jtf4'-JPf(! M A lVm'WjmirjttKj ' !vLH beckoned mo out upon their restless bosoms. WiLHHK w -- -n&Ssvm 0 ' it fflh JMMliDU0 'VLbh Not for an Instant did I regret the world Mfll aWfr II 0&X ' ff ill HjKftkjVTzAr- 2w WvjbI of my nativity. I was In Pellucldar. I was 'll i W H If I fflSbfii. fll7iisjyZ7s teZflfePV wrnaH homo. And I was content l II I J V K5yl I'mw j4yyyyA yrrZZOJZf&i. ' .3aH As I stood dreaming beside tho giant .', TJ yw sJ20j&642(4 y m ' f ,i3 MBHCSam f ' HH thing that had brought me safely through t. ; -jl VS I irSZrfxjSjJL ,. ttr I .6 'y-'m i I HbbScSbW i' H the earth's crust, my traveling companion, ....- "Li'itirL ZtW I yX ZdBWH ? I flat TaKtatJ V0HPlvi!BV 1U),'H the hideous Mahar. emerged from tho inte- . Vi '; H'X . yjnrs T&T&G '' Mm'Ji bLbB TSW iSL, 7 'S rlor of tho prospector and stood beside me. '. , "i'YJi'A 'rf I pjWUr " AA.' Sf'St''" '- 1 1' PHR A lil'j'.'afci 9 For a long time sho remained motionless. ; ,.-1 Vr.''tfVxVw' VrfC ' r.-ir'JrS)f'Wt." ' MaXfff vKi l ttkk?tZsM A' MB RTiat thoughts were passing through '.V5Vfll s'l-jPiX- 'A'-J'r:' Wl 3 YSflft RnB5f Jai the convolutions of her reptilian brain? ?'''!"&''y.Ji'--&yM '' '' ' A. wKhKiMf VIA z3k ' j lvT'tV.?WM A TM She was a member of tho dominant race .' V"ulL',Jr flj? '"4rl ''' 'FjJSBPfK jfc ?S . lfl I taJB"1" W- 4 lfl of Pellucldar. By a strange freak of ovo- ' 'jft?'tyvM f'-,&x-iPfMtffi' !' ' -'"-v3&r IvW . YZjmL Ql "1m lutlon her kind had first developed tho pow- irM:LA''iJSai 'Yr,iM9SlK' I V J " SZk' faa3-' ;i'iVaa"'rMr -JW ers of reason In that world of anomalies. 'y itwSM,r iv V l' 'J V I! tfS. rft-tftSj fJlS' Jff?T"-t,g. $M lower order. As Porry had discovered ; ..'. -A&A'AJh-tefX'TM'i AfsJ1' Ul'; fX"1- ' fS:';': J. ' '; ltk ' IB among tho writings of her kind In tho bur- l? vkVVv..'"-'-;.'! MbJfr. -JUte "Mp... Tfh' l"-'?" v .ii,1"-' fflR led city of Phutra, It was still an open .;$nUVc:VVj.jk' lfVm': Si'STurmk "Hl question among the Mahars as to whether . 2'r,-jA; rL-''$J?'fA',Ji WiiljSfl SmSo-''W a -'t'&rjKNl'--, . jJtCLCT f'J-iKlSaEH5i 'vffl man possessed means of Intelligent com- I'f-il'JSM ,. Nk -!'YiWfv "'tK?1 Km'-mtSSr7 ' mH munlcatlon or tho powers of reason. ifx'fj3!f9 SMt9SSBm'Sr V2 JaBSSfBSmk $8 Her kind believed that In tho center of ?l$:ti:''&-ii: JffizKmMz S"&S&Ls M all-pcrvadlng solidity thero was a single, '.ibf,?:., Xvjjffi0 l -J$X ZOL vast, spherical cavity, which was Pellucldar. -itlyS-tSf SffljS&ttY&VPW MKni5-,s VTM M This cavity had been left there for the solo C:tiflW&mry JS&MIW KMJ Mk purposo of providing a place for the crea- ,-:;Vttfk'lSMta JZ&fctK W jOrm tlon and propagation ot tho Mahar race. SS'CBr jSM A . ,? 1 att09fek": JliJGlS?v xCtHKeKavv 2elBMSaVQ!lJflBA'aK2&KpK2a!!?2b i'.ja: ' 'W-'JM "' 'SZiiJl I r'j?OT lv5Tvw iyaSaBSafSraBBBMPBMB ' 1 1 h tfcc "I' ; Everything within It had been put thero for tho uses of tho Mahar. I wondered what this particular Mahar might think now. I found pleasure ln speculating upon Just what the effect had been upon her of passing through tho earth's crust and coming out into a world that one of even less intelligence than tho great Mahars could easily see was a different world from her own Pel lucldar. What had she thought of the outer world's tiny sun'.' What ha1 been the effect upon her of the clear moon and myriad stara of tho clear African nights? How had she explained them? With what sensations of awe must she first have watched the sun mov ing slowly across tho heavens to dis appear at last beneath the western horizon, leaving In his wake that which tho Mahar had never beforo witnessed tho darkness of night? i. ujjun x-enuciaar there Is no night. The ounionary sun hangs forever In the center of the Pellucldarlan sky Then. too. she must have been Im pressed by the wondrous mechanism of the prospector which hnd bored Its way from it i . world nn1 back again. And that It had been driven by a rational being must also hae occurred to her. Too, she had seen mo conversing with other men upon tho earth's surface Sho had seen tho arrival of tho caravan of oooks and arms nnd ammunition and the balance of the heterogeneous collection which I had crammed Into the cabin of the Iron Mole for transportation to Pellucldar. Sho had seen all these evidences of a civilization and brain power transcending In scientific achievement anything her race hud produced ; nor onco had she seen a creature pf her own kind. There could have been but a single de duction in the mind of the Mahar there were other worlds than Pellucldart and the gllak was a rational being. Now the creature at my side was creep ing slowly toward the nearby sea. At my hip hung a long-barreled slr-shooter somehow I had been unable to find tho same sensation of security in the new fangled automatics that had been perfected since my first departure from the outer world and ln my hand was a heavy ex press rifle. I could have 'shot tho Mahar with ease, for I knew intuitively that she was escap ing but I did not. I felt that if she could return to her own kind with tho story of her adventures the position of the human race within Pellucldar would be advanced Immensely at a slnglo stride, for nt onco man would take his proper place In the considerations of tho reptilla. At the edge of the eea the creature paused and looked back at me. Then she slid sinuously into tho surf. For several minutes I saw no more ot her as she luxuriated In the cool depths. Then a hundred yards from shore she rose and there for another short while she floated upon tho surface. Finally sho spread her giant wings, flapped them vigorously a score of times and roso above the blue sea. A single time she circled far aloft and then straight as an arrow she sped away. I watched her until the distant haze en veloped her and she had disappeared. I was alone. My first concern was to discover where within Pellucldar I might be and in, what direction lay the land ot the Sarlans Where Ghak the Hairy One ruled. But how was I to guess ln which direc tion lay Sari? ...... And If I set out to search what then? Could I find my way back to the pros pector with Its priceless freight of books, firearms, ammunition, scientific instru ments, and still more books Its great library of reference works upon every con ceivable branch of applied sciences? And If I could not, of what value was all this vast storehouse ot potential civil ization and progress to be to the world of my adaption? Upon the other hand, If I remained here alone with It. what could I accomplish single-handed? Nothing. But where there was no east, no west, no north, no south, no stars, no moon, and only a stationary midday sun, how was I to find my way back to this spot should I ever get out of sight of It? I didn't know. For a long time I stood burled in deep thought, when it occurred to me to try out one ot the compasses I had brought ana I.r.w.ln If It remained steadily fixed mnv - - . ..i v X tSrAl LsiiiM nmr,m ril vMI mr I t prospector Influenced that the needle might not bo by Its great bulk of Iron and steel, I turned tho delicate Instrument about in every direction. Always and steadily tho needle remained tigidly fixed upon n point straight out to sea. apparently pointing toward a largo Island tome ten or twenty miles distant. This then should bo north. I drew my notebook from my pocket and made a careful topographical sketch of the locality within the range of my vision. Duo north lay tho island, far out upon tho shimmering tea. Tho spot I had chosen for my observa tions was the top of a largo, flat boulder which rose six or eight feet above the turf. This spot I called Greenwich. The boulder was tho Royal Observatory. I had made a start! I cannot tell you what a senso of relief was imparted to mo by tho simple fact that thero was at least ono spot within Pellucldar with a familiar namo and a place upon a map. It was with nlmost childish joy that I mado a Httlo circle In my notebook and traced tho word Greenwich besldo it. Now I felt I might start out upon my search with somo assurance of finding my way hack again to tho prospector. I decided that at first I would travel directly south In tho hope that I might In that direction find some familiar land mark. It was as good n direction as any. This much at least might bo bald of It. Among tho many other things I had brought from tho outer world were a num ber of pedometers. I slipped three of these into my pockets with the idea that I might arrive at a moro or less accurato mean from the registrations of them nlL On my map I would register so many paces south, so many east, so many west, and so on. When I was ready to return I would then do so by any route that I might choose. " I also strapped a considerable quantity of ammunition across my shoulders, pock eted some matches, and hooked an alum inum trypan and a small stow kettle of the same metal to my belt. I was ready ready to go forth and ex plore a world! Ready to search a land area of 124,110,000 square miles for my friends my Incomparable mate and good old Porry ! And so, after locking the door In the outer shell ot tho prospector, I set out upon my quest. Due south I traveled, across lovely valtcys thick-dotted with grazing herds. Througli dense primoval forests I forced my way and up the elopes of mighty moun tains searching for a pass to their farther sides. Ibex and musk-sheep fell before my good old revolver, so that I lacked not for food In tho higher altitudes. Tho forests and tho plains gave plentifully of fruits and wild birds, antelope, aurochscn and elk. Occasionally, for tho larger game ani mals nnd tho glgantlo beasts of prey, I used my exprebs rifle, but for the most part tho revolver filled all my needs. There were times, too, when faced by a mighty cave bear, a saber-toothed tiger, or huge fells spelaea, black-maned and tor rlblo, evon my powerful rlflo seemed piti fully Inadequate but fortune favored me so that I passed unscathed through ad ventures that even the recollection of causes the short hairs to bristle at the nape of my neck. How long I wandered toward tho south I do not know, for shortly nfter I left the prospector something went wrong with my watoh and I was again at the mercy of the baffling tlmelessness ot Pellucldar, forging steadily ahead beneath the great, motion less sun which hangs eternally at noon. I ate many times, however, so that days must have elapsed, possibly months, with no familiar landscape rewarding my eager oyes. I saw no men nor signs ot men. xsor is this strange, for Pellucldar, ln its land area, is Immense, while the human race there is very young and consequently far from numerous. Doubtless upon that long search, mine was the first human foot to touch the soil In many places mine the first human eye to rest upon K gorgeous wonders of the landscape ' x. It was a staggering thought. I qould nni hut dwell upon it often as I made my lonely way through this virgin world. Then. quite suaaeniy, one any i owppeu uui ui the peace of manless prlmallty Into the presence of man and peace was gone. H happened thus; I had been following a ravine downward out ot a chain of lofty hills and had paused at Its mouth to view the lovely little valley that lay before me. A one erne wan ian- sled wood, while straight ahead a river wound peacefully along parallel to the cllffa In which the hllla termlaated at the valley's If I had not looked upon similar landscapes countless times, a sound of shouting broke from the direction of tho woods. That tho harsh, discordant notes rose from tho throats of men I could not doubt. I slipped behind a large boulder near the mouth of the ravine and waited. I could hear the crashing of underbrush ln the for est and I guessed that whoever came came quickly pursued nnd pursuers, doubtless. In a short time some hunted animal would break Into view and a moment later a scoro of half-naked savages would como leaping after with spears or clubs or great stone knives. I had seen the thing so many times dur ing my life within Pellucldar that I felt that I could anticipate to a nicety precisely what I was about to witness. I hoped that the hunters would prove friendly and be able to direct me toward Sari. Even as I was thinking theso thoughts the quarry emerged from tjie forest. But It was no terrified four-footed beast In stead, what I saw was an old man a ter rified old man! Staggering feebly and hopelessly from what must have been some very terrible fato, if ono could Judge from the horrified expressions ho continually cast behind him toward the wood, he came stumbling on In my direction. Ho had covered but a short distance from tho forest when I beheld the first of his pursuers a Sagoth, ono of thoso grim and tcrrlblo gorilla men who guard tho mighty Mahars in their burled cities, farlng'forth from time to time upon slave-raiding or punltlvo expeditions against the human race ot Pellucldar, of whom tho dominant race of tho inner world think as we think of the bison or the wild sheep of our own world. Close behind the foremost Sagoth camo others until a full dozen raced, shouting, after tho terror-stricken old man. They would be upon him shortly, that was plain. Ono of them was rapidly overhauling him, his back-thrown spear-arm testifying to his purpose. And then, quite with the suddenness of an unexpected blow, I realized a past fa miliarity with tho gait and carriage of the fugitive. Simultaneously there swept over me the staggering fact that tho old man was Perry 1 That he was about to dto before my very cyos with no hope that I could reach him In time to avert the awful catas trophe for to me it meant a real catas trophe I Perry was my best friend. Dlan, of course, I looked upon as more than friend. She was my mate a part of me. I had entirely forgotten the rifle In my hand and tho revolvers at my belt; one does not readily synchronize his thoughts with the stono age and the twentieth cen tury simultaneously. Now from past habit I still thought ln the stone age, and ln my thoughts ot tho stone age there were no thoughts of fire arms. The fellow was almost upon Perry when the feel of the gun in my hand awoke me from the lethargy of terror that had gripped me. From behind my boulder I threw up the heavy express rifle a mighty engine of destruction that might bring down a cave bear or a mammoth at a single snot and let drive at the Sagoth's broad, hairy breast ' At the sound of tho shot ho stopped stock still. His snear dropped from his hand. Then he lunged forward upon his face. The effect upon the others was little less remarkable. Perry alone could have pos sibly guessed the meaning of the loud re port or explained its connection with the sudden collapse of the Sagoth. The other gorilla mert halted for but an Instant. Then with renewed shrieks of rage they sprang forward to finish Perry. At tho same time I stepped from behind my boulder, drawing one of my revolvers that I might conserve the more precious ammunition of the express rifle. Quickly I fired again with the lesser weapon. Then it was that all eyes were directed toward me. Another Sagoth fell to the bullet from the revolver; but It did not stop his companions. They were out for revenge as well as blood now, and they meant to have both. As I ran forward toward Perry I fired four more shots, dropping three of our an tagonists. Then at last' the remaining seven wavered. It was too -much for them, this roaring death that leaped. Invisible, upon them from a great distance. As they hesitated I reached Perry1 stde, I have never seen such an expression upon, any man's face as that upon Perry'a when he recognised me. I have no woraa wnere wlth to describe It. .There w net ttaa to talk then feared fiweWacNt thrust tne icBorrTwri-w mm fired tha.laat aaoiMi Tkl'lMMKW .jTk9 Vi i ably as much by the noise ot the guns j bv their effects. Thev never reached V Halfway the three that remained tuxneaV and fled, and wo let them go. Tho last we saw of them they were qi nppearlng into the tangled undergrowth tho forest. And then Perry turned ai threw his arms about my neck. and. bu Ing his old face upon my shoulder, wept inie a cnua. a!yt nil A TWTM 11 1I1I MUU Mi sl Traveling With Terrorsfi 'ITTE MADE camp there beside the peaoa-! ful river. There Perry told me all tnai had befallen him since I had departed tofS the outer crust It seemed that Hooja had made It ap that I had Intentionally left Dlanbealn and that I did not purpose ever return!! to Rellucldar. He told them that I of another world and that I had tired A" tills and of its Inhabitants. To Dlan he had explained, that I ha4va. . " mate in the world -to which I was return ing ; that I had never Intended taking Dll the Beautiful back with me; and that"shv had seen -the last of me. "r3 Shortly afterward Dlan had dlsappeare'' from tho camp, nor had Perry seen or heard aught of her since. v He had no conception ot the time tha.. A. had elapsed since I had departed, ;but? guessed that many years had dragged the Blow way Into the past llooja, too, had disappeared very so after Dlan had left The Sarlans, und Ghak tho Hairy One, and the Amozlteav, under Dacor the Strong One, Dlaa''-; brother, had fallen out over my supn defection, for Ghak would not believe that-.S I had thus treacherously deceived ana-.oe-... . it . senea nun. jti i-n The result had been that these two POW. erful tribes had fallen upon one another with tho new weapons that Perry and I h4' taught them to make and to use. Oth tribes of the new federation took sides ' the original disputants or set up petty; lutlons of their own. ?ii The result was the total demolition or i work we had so wen started. , m Taxing aavaniago oi uio irmai war. Mahars had gathered their Sagoths ln to and fallen upon one tribe after another,! rapid succession, wreaking awful have among them and reducing 'them for most part to as pitiaDie a state ot terror- itm that from which we had raised them. , Alone of all the once-mighty federatloaj the Sarlans and the Amozltes. with a, other tribes, continued to maintain th defiance ot the Mahars; but these trtk were still divided among inem&eives,i had It seemed at all probable to ferry ww he had last been among tjiem that any (j tempt at reamalgamatlon would oe maa. "And thus, your majesty, ne towivbm "has faded back into the oblivion ot, stnnn Aen our wondrous dream and will it has gone the First Empire of Pellucldar. Wo both had to smile at me use oi rnvni title, vet I was. Indeed, sun nunr nf pcllucldar." and some day I me to rebuild what the vile act of the treachJNl ous Hooja had torn down. 'tlu?M But first I would una my empress. tt,a .hx was worth forty empires.. &J "Have you no c'.ue as to the whereaMl m l mt T .lnJ t , "None whatever," replied Perry. ,'-.! in searcn 01 ncr w- -. v 'K9 in wVitnh von discovered roe. ancM which. David, you saved me. , frys "I knew perfectly well that you haa : Intentionally desertea eiuier .uin or, . -io t cniesaed that In some way , th. hiv fine was at tho bottom ot tha i ter, and I determined to go to Arao,.wl I Euessea mat uiau uium w... ..;.. , ....i f V..I- brother, and do myutmaj icVi.v.. -- ... J.,.hi h.r Tlahr 1 convince nor, .. .....-.. -: "j fitmn One. that we had all beenMH of a treacherous plot to which you,, "Dacor, I am sure, -wante,totbe'tll Just ut so greatwere nii'iiwwi over the disappearance or nwswwr i ild not listen io reason, fcutocept- . im. anii.tlm mralnflaMI only turn to Pellucldar couhiPVye t Int.ntlnnn. t f i rl ilf "Then came a ewnajenfjrWB tribe, aent, I anvaura.-s n- Tfnl. TT mn tunui the Jum methat I Wftr.i,tra V ' io escape """'""" -Jt, v. f. v L. ' CONTiNVW :.im -A -if,;, . mertira.cruM-OiViB , - an-unvarym oi. i rn-anww ". atlir.'Ml' lovtlr ,' . . MlmLM. AMI ,-0 ' -".' ' .v.
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