FRIENDSHIP AND TREACHERY
The Sari proved a most craft. She might have done well upon a park if safely anchored, but upon the of a she left much to be desired.
Sailing with the wind she did her best; but in or when close-hauled she terribly, as a man might have she would. We couldn't keep miles of our course, and our progress was slow.
Instead of making for the of Anoroc, we to the right, until it that we should have to pass the two right-hand and attempt to return toward Anoroc from the opposite side.
As we the Perry was overcome by their beauty. When we were directly two of them he into raptures; I him.
The of the that almost to the water's and the colors of the that the green a most spectacle.
Perry was right in the of a on the of the peaceful of the when a out from the nearest island. There were a dozen in it; it was by a second and third.
Of we couldn't know the of the strangers, but we well them.
Perry wanted to man the and try to away from them, but I soon him that any speed of which the Sari was would be too slow to the swift, though awkward, of the Mezops.
I waited until they were close to me, and then I them. I told them that we were friends of the Mezops, and that we were upon a visit to Ja of Anoroc, to which they that they were at with Ja, and that if we would wait a minute they'd us and our to the azdyryths.
I them that they would the of it if they didn't us alone, but they only in and toward us. It was that they were by the and of our craft, but as these know no they were not at all awed.
Seeing that they were to give battle, I over the rail of the Sari and the battle-squadron of the Emperor of Pellucidar into action for the time in the history of a world. In other and words, I my at the nearest canoe.
The was magical. A rose from his knees, his aloft, into for an instant, and then overboard.
The others paddling, and, with wide eyes, looked at me and then at the sea-things which for the of their comrade. To them it must have a that I should be able to at thrice the range of the most powerful javelin-thrower and with a loud noise and a of one of their number with an missile.
But only for an were they with wonder. Then, with shouts, they once more to their and toward us.
Again and again I fired. At each a to the of the or overboard.
When the of the touched the of the Sari it only and men. The other two were rapidly, so I my attention toward them.
I think that they must have been to have some doubts—those wild, naked, red warriors—for when the man in the second boat, the others stopped and to among themselves.
The third up alongside the second and its joined in the conference. Taking of the in the battle, I called out to the to return to their shore.
"I have no with you," I cried, and then I told them who I was and added that if they would live in peace they must sooner or later join with me.
"Go now to your people," I them, "and tell them that you have David I, Emperor of the Federated Kingdoms of Pellucidar, and that single-handed he has overcome you, just as he the Mahars and the Sagoths and any other of Pellucidar who the peace and of his empire."
Slowly they the of their toward land. It was that they were impressed; yet that they were to give up without my to was also apparent, for some of their number to be the others to a of the conflict.
However, at last they slowly away, and the Sari, which had not her snail-like speed this, her engagement, upon her slow, way.
Presently Perry his up through the and me.
"Have the departed?" he asked. "Have you killed them all?"
"Those I failed to kill have departed, Perry," I replied.
He came out on and, over the side, the a with its and freight. Farther his to the boats.
"David," said he at last, "this is a occasion. It is a great day in the of Pellucidar. We have a victory.
"Your majesty's has a of the enemy thrice its own size, by ten times as many men. Let us give thanks."
I a at Perry's use of the "we," yet I was to the with him as I shall always be to with the dear old fellow.
Perry is the only male I have I respect and love. He was not for fighting; but I think that if the occasion should where it necessary he would give his life for me—yes, I KNOW it.
It took us a long time to work around the and in close to Anoroc. In the we took on our map, and by means of the and a little we set the we had left and the three with accuracy.
Crossed marked the spot where the great of a world had taken place. In a note-book we down, as had been our custom, that would be of value later.
Opposite Anoroc we came to close to shore. I from my previous with the of the that I my way to the tree-village of the Mezop chieftain, Ja; so we the Sari, our at to the attention of the natives.
After some ten had been at a of copper-colored appeared upon the shore. They us for a moment and then I them, the of my old friend Ja.
They did not reply at once, but with their together in and discussion. Continually they their toward our craft. It was that they were puzzled by our as well as unable to the of the loud that had their attention to us. At last one of the us.
"Who are you who Ja?" he asked. "What would you of our chief?"
"We are friends," I replied. "I am David. Tell Ja that David, life he once saved from a sithic, has come again to visit him.
"If you will send out a we will come ashore. We cannot our great closer in."
Again they talked for a time. Then two of them entered a that from its hiding-place in the and toward us.
They were of manhood. Perry had a of this red close to before. In fact, the men in the we had left after the and the who were toward their were the he had seen. He had been by their physical and the promise of which their well-shaped gave.
The two who now out us into their with courtesy. To my relative to Ja they that he had not been in the village when our were heard, but that had been sent out after him and that he was already upon his way to the coast.
One of the men me from the occasion of my visit to the island; he was agree-able the moment that he came close to me. He said that Ja would be to welcome me, and that all the of Anoroc of me by repute, and had from their that if any of them should come upon me to me every and attention.
Upon we were with equal honor. While we with our friends a tall from the jungle.
It was Ja. As his upon me his with pleasure. He came to me after the manner of his tribe.
Toward Perry he was hospitable. The old man in love with the as as had I. Ja us along the maze-like to his village, where he gave over one of the tree-houses for our use.
Perry was much in the habitation, which nothing so much as a wasp's around the of a tree well above the ground.
After we had and rested Ja came to see us with a number of his men. They to my story, which a of the events leading to the of the kingdoms, the with the Mahars, my to the world, and my return to Pellucidar and search for Sari and my mate.
Ja told me that the Mezops had something of the and had been much in it. He had gone so as to send a party of toward Sari to the reports, and to for the entrance of Anoroc into the in case it appeared that there was any truth in the that one of the of the was the of the Mahars.
The had met with a party of Sagoths. As there had been a the Mahars and the Mezops for many generations, they with these of the reptiles, from they learned that the had gone to pieces. So the party returned to Anoroc.
When I Ja our map and its purpose to him, he was much interested. The of Anoroc, the Mountains of the Clouds, the river, and the of were all familiar to him.
He the position of the sea and close it, the city of Phutra, where one of the powerful Mahar nations had its seat. He us where Sari should be and his own coast-line as north and south as it was to him.
His to the map us that Greenwich upon the of this same sea, and that it might be by water more easily than by the of the or the approach through Phutra, which almost directly in line Anoroc and Greenwich to the northwest.
If Sari upon the same water then the shore-line must toward the of Greenwich—an which, by the way, we later to be true. Also, Sari was upon a at the southern end of a of the Great Ocean.
The which Ja gave to Amoz puzzled us, for it it north of Greenwich, in mid-ocean. As Ja had been so and only of Amoz through hearsay, we that he must be mistaken; but he was not. Amoz directly north of Greenwich across the mouth of the same as that upon which Sari is.
The of direction and of these Pellucidarians is little of uncanny, as I have had occasion to in the past. You may take one of them to the ends of his world, to places of which he has heard, yet without sun or moon or to him, without map or compass, he will travel for home in the direction.
Mountains, rivers, and may have to be gone around, but once his of direction fail him—the is supreme.
In the same way they the of any place to which they have been, and know that of many of which they have only from others who have visited them.
In short, each Pellucidarian is a walking of his own and of much of the country thereto. It always proved of the to Perry and me; we were to our map, for we at least were not with the instinct.
After long it was that, in order to matters, Perry should return to the with a party of Mezops and the I had from the world. Ja and his were much by our firearms, and were also to with sails.
As we had arms at the and also books on boat-building we that it might prove an excellent idea to start these naturally people upon the of a well of sailing-vessels. I was sure that with plans to go by Perry the of an flotilla.
I him, however, not to be too ambitious, and to about and for a while and a small sailing-boats that be by four or five men.
I was to to Sari, and while my search for Dian attempt at the same time the of the federation. Perry was going as as possible by water, with the that the entire might be in that manner, which proved to be the fact.
With a of Mezops as I started for Sari. In order to avoid the range of the Mountains of the Clouds we took a that passed a little way south of Phutra. We had four times and slept once, and were, as my told me, not from the great Mahar city, when we were by a of Sagoths.
They did not attack us, to the peace which the Mahars and the Mezops, but I see that they looked upon me with suspicion. My friends told them that I was a from a country, and as we had planned against such a I of the language which the beings of Pellucidar in with the gorilla-like of the Mahars.
I noticed, and not without misgivings, that the leader of the Sagoths me with an that recognition. I was sure that he had me the period of my in Phutra and that he was trying to my identity.
It me not a little. I was when we them and upon our journey.
Several times the next I of the of being by eyes, but I did not speak of my to my companions. Later I had to my reticence, for—
Well, this is how it happened:
We had killed an and after our I had to sleep. The Pellucidarians, who if to sleep, joined me in this instance, for we had had a very trying along the northern of the Mountains of the Clouds, and now with their with meat they for slumber.
When I it was with a start to a of Sagoths me. They my arms and legs, and later my my back. Then they let me up.
I saw my companions; the where they had slept, to death without a at self-defense.
I was furious. I the Sagoth leader with all of reprisals; but when he me speak the language that is the medium of his and the of the world he only grinned, as much as to say, "I so!"
They had not taken my or away from me they did not know what they were; but my I had lost. They left it where it had me.
So low in the of are they, that they had not in this object to it along with them.
I from the direction of our that they were taking me to Phutra. Once there I did not need much of an to picture what my would be. It was the and a wild or for me—unless the Mahars elected to take me to the pits.
In that case my end would be no more certain, though more and painful, for in the I should be to vivisection. From what I had once of their methods in the of Phutra I them to be the opposite of merciful, in the I should be by some beast.
Arrived at the city, I was taken a Mahar. When the had the report of the Sagoth its cold with and as they were upon me.
I then that my identity had been guessed. With a of that I had by a of the of Pellucidar, the Mahar me away, guarded, through the main of the city to one of the buildings.
Here we were into a great where presently many Mahars gathered.
In they conversed, for they have no speech since they are without nerves. Their method of Perry has to the of a into a fourth dimension, where it to the of their audience.
Be that as it may, however, it was that I was the of discussion, and from the looks upon me not a particularly subject.
How long I waited for their I do not know, but it must have been a very long time. Finally one of the Sagoths me. He was acting as for his masters.
"The Mahars will your life," he said, "and you on one condition."
"And what is that condition?" I asked, though I its terms.
"That you return to them that which you from the of Phutra when you killed the four Mahars and escaped," he replied.
I had that that would be it. The great upon which the of the Mahar was safely where only Dian and I knew.
I to that they would have me much more than my to have it safely in their again; but after that—what?
Would they keep their promises?
I it. With the of once more in their hands their numbers would soon be so to the world of Pellucidar that there be no for the of the race, the for which I so hoped, for which I had my life, and for which I was not to give my life.
Yes! In that moment as I the I that my life would be a very little thing to give it save to the of Pellucidar the to come into its own by the of the hated, powerful Mahars.
"Come!" the Sagoths. "The Mahars your reply."
"You may say to them," I answered, "that I shall not tell them where the great is hid."
When this had been to them there was a great of wings, of sharp-fanged jaws, and hissing. I that they were about to upon me on the spot, and so I my hands upon my revolvers; but at length they more and presently some to my Sagoth guard, the of which a hand upon my arm and pushed me him from the audience-chamber.
They took me to the pits, where I guarded. I was sure that I was to be taken to the laboratory, and it all my to myself against the terrors of so a death. In Pellucidar, where there is no time, death-agonies may for eternities.
Accordingly, I had to myself against an doom, which now me in the face!
