ESCAPE

Dian and shuddered. Her were hill people—they were not to other than in and lakelets. It was not the that her. It was the ocean—vast, mysterious, terrible.

To into it from this great was her. I couldn't wonder, either. To have it myself too for thought. Only one have me to from that height—suicide; or at least so I at the moment.

"Quick!" I Dian. "You cannot dive; but I can them until you safety."

"And you?" she asked once more. "Can you when they come too close? Otherwise you not if you waited here until I the bottom."

I saw that she would not me unless she that I make that as we had Juag make it. I once downward; then with a I her that I would the moment that she the boat. Satisfied, she the carefully, yet swiftly. I her for a moment, my in my mouth some mis-step or the of a finger-hold should her to a death upon the below.

Then I toward the Hoojans—"Hoosiers," Perry them—even going so as to this where Hooja Indiana; it is so marked now upon our maps. They were on at a great rate. I my revolver, took at the warrior, and the trigger. With the of the gun the forward. His him. He rolled over and over two or three times he came to a stop, to very in the thick among the wild flowers.

Those him halted. One of them a toward me, but it short—they were just javelin-range. There were two with and arrows; these I my on. All of them appeared awe-struck and by the and of the firearm. They looking from the to me and among themselves.

I took of the in to a quick over the toward Dian. She was half-way the and finely. Then I toward the enemy. One of the was an to his bow. I my hand.

"Stop!" I cried. "Whoever at me or toward me I shall kill as I killed him!"

I pointed at the man. The his bow. Again there was discussion. I see that those who were not with were something upon the two who were.

At last the majority appeared to prevail, for simu-taneously the two their weapons. At the same I at one of them, him in his tracks. The other, however, his missile, but the report of my gun had him such a start that the wild above my head. A second after and he, too, was upon the with a his eyes. It had been a good shot.

I over the again. Dian was almost at the bottom. I see Juag just her with his hands to her.

A from the my attention toward them. They their at me and insults. From the direction of the village I saw a single to join them. He was a fellow, and when he among them I tell by his and their toward him that he was a chieftain. He to all they had to tell of the of the last minutes; then with a and a he started for me with the whole pack at his heels. All they had needed had arrived—namely, a leader.

I had two in the of my gun. I let the big have one of them, that his death would stop them all. But I they were up to such a of by this time that nothing would have stopped them. At any rate, they only the louder as he and their speed toward me. I another with my cartridge.

Then they were upon me—or almost. I of my promise to Dian—the was me—a big with a in of me. I my six-shooter by the and it in his with all my strength.

Then, without waiting to learn the of my throw, I wheeled, ran the steps to the edge, and as out over that as I could. I know something of diving, and all that I know I put into that dive, which I was positive would be my last.

For a of hundred I in position. The I was terrific. I the air almost as a solid body, so I through it. Then my position to the vertical, and with hands I through the air, it like a arrow. Just I the water a perfect of all about. My had to the and their after me. By a I was untouched.

In the final I saw that I had the and was going to the water fairly. Then I was in and the depths. I I didn't go very down, but it to me that I should stop. When at last I my hands and my progress toward the surface, I that I should for air I saw the sun again through a of water. But at last my above the waves, and I my with air.

Before me was the boat, from which Juag and Dian were clambering. I couldn't why they were it now, when we were about to set out for the in it; but when I its I understood. Two javelins, missing Dian and Juag by but a hair's breadth, had into the of the in a line with the of the wood, and her almost in two from to stern. She was useless.

Juag was over a near-by rock, his hand out-stretched to me in to his side; did I any time in myself of his assistance. An occasional was still close to us, so we to as close as possible to the cliffside, where we were safe from the missiles.

Here we a conference, in which it was that our only now in making for the opposite end of the as as we could, and the that I had there, to continue our to the mainland.

Gathering up three of the least that had about us, we set out upon our journey, well toward the south of the island, which Juag said was less by the Hoojans than the where the river ran. I think that this must have our off our track, since we saw nothing of them any of the of our the length of the island.

But the way Juag had was and round-about, so that we one or two more in the than if we had the river. This it was which proved our undoing.

Those who us must have sent a party up the river after we escaped; for when we came at last onto the river-trail not from our destination, there can be no but that we were by Hoojans who were just ahead of us on the stream. The result was that as we were through a of a score of out upon us, and we a in defense, had and us.

For a time I to be of hope. I see no of promise in the future—only death for Juag and me, which didn't me much in the of what in store for Dian.

Poor child! What an life she had led! From the moment that I had her in the of the Mahars until now, a of a no less creature, I but a of peace and in her existence. Before I had her, Jubal the Ugly One had her across a world to make her his mate. She had him, and I had him; but terror and privations, and to had her all her from him. And when I had returned to the world the old had with Hooja in Jubal's role. I almost have for death to her that peace which to her in this life.

I spoke to her on the subject, that we together.

"Do not fear, David," she replied. "I shall end my life Hooja can me; but I shall see that Hooja dies."

She from her a little thong, to the end of which was a pouch.

"What have you there?" I asked.

"Do you that time you upon the thing you call in your world?" she asked.

I nodded.

"The accident gave you the idea for the with which we the of the empire," she continued. "And, too, it gave me an idea. For a long time I have a viper's in my bosom. It has me to many dangers, for it has always me from the insult. I am not to die yet. First let Hooja the viper's fang."

So we did not die together, and I am now that we did not. It is always a thing to suicide; for no how dark the may appear today, tomorrow may for us that which will our whole life in an instant, to us nothing but and happiness. So, for my part, I shall always wait for tomorrow.

In Pellucidar, where it is always today, the wait may not be so long, and so it proved for us. As we were a lofty, flat-topped hill through a park-like a perfect network of about our guard, them. A moment later a of our friends, the gorilla-men, with the mild and long of sheep among them.

It was a very fight. I was sorry that my me from taking part in it, but I on the with my voice, and old Gr-gr-gr, their chief, each time that his out the life of a Hoojan. When the was over we that a of our had escaped, but the majority of them about us. The gorilla-men paid no attention to them. Gr-gr-gr to me.

"Gr-gr-gr and all his people are your friends," he said. "One saw the of the Sly One and them. He saw them you, and then he to the village as fast as he go and told me all that he had seen. The you know. You did much for Gr-gr-gr and Gr-gr-gr's people. We shall always do much for you."

I thanked him; and when I had told him of our and our destination, he on us to the sea with a great number of his males. Nor were we at all to accept his escort. We the where I had it, and Gr-gr-gr and his farewell, the three of us for the mainland.

I questioned Juag upon the of attempting to to the mouth of the great river of which he had told me, and up which he said we might almost to Sari; but he me not to attempt it, since we had but a single and no water or food. I had to admit the of his advice, but the to this great was upon me, in me at last a to make the attempt after the and our deficiencies.

We miles north of Thuria in a little that to offer protection from the which sometimes run, upon these pacific of Pellucidar. Here I to Dian and Juag the plans I had in mind. They were to fit the with a small sail, the purposes of which I had to to them both—since neither had or of such a before. Then they were to for food which we transport with us, and prepare a for water.

These two were more in Juag's line, but he about the sail and the wind for a long time. I see that he was not that any such make a move through the water.

We near the for a while, but were not with any particular luck. Finally we to the and in search of game. At Juag's we a in the at the upper of the beach and the craft, the surface over and the material we had excavated. Then we set out away from the sea. Traveling in Thuria is less than under the sun which on the of Pellucidar's surface; but it has its draw-backs, one of which is the by the of the Land of Awful Shadow.

The we the it became, until we were moving at last through an twilight. The here was and of a weird, nature, though what did was in shape and form. Often we saw lidi, or of burden, across the landscape, upon the or from the slow and that from the Lidi Plains to empty into the sea in Thuria.

What we was either a thag—a of elk—or one of the larger of antelope, the of either of which in the sun. The of the would make a water-bottle, and its skin, I figured, would be a good sail. We a inland, the Land of Awful Shadow and at last upon that of the Lidi Plains which in the sunlight. Above us the world upon its axis, me especially—and Dian to an almost equal state—with wonder and as to what of life among the and and along the and rivers, which we see.

Before us the of Pellucidar, the Lidi Plains up about us, while high in the to the of us I I the many towers which marked the to the Mahar city, upon the Thurians.

Juag that we travel to the northeast, where, he said, upon the of the plain we would a country in which game should be plentiful. Acting upon his advice, we came at last to a forest-jungle, through which game-paths. In the of this we came upon the fresh of thag.

Shortly after, by stalking, we came javelin-range of a small herd. Selecting a great bull, Juag and I our simultaneously, Dian hers for an emergency. The to his feet, bellowing. The of the was up and away in an instant, only the remaining, with and for the foe.

Then Juag himself to the view of the bull—it is a part of the of the hunt—while I to one a bush. The moment that the saw Juag he him. Juag ran away, that the might be past my hiding-place. On he came—tons of and rage.

Dian had me. She, too, a should require. Ah, such a girl! A of a age by every which two worlds might to measure her!

Crashing toward us came the thag, and snorting, with the power of a hundred outer-earthly bulls. When he was opposite me I for the that his neck. To my in it was the work of but an instant. Then I was along at the beast's shoulder.

Now, the upon which this is is one long ago by experience, and that is that a cannot be from his once he has started toward the object of his wrath, so long as he can still see the thing he charges. He that the man to his is attempting to him from his prey, and so he pays no attention to this enemy, who, of course, not the in the least.

Once in the of the bull, it was but a to to his back, as their upon the run. Juag was still in plain ahead of the bull. His speed was but a less than that of the that him. These Pellucidarians are almost as as deer; I am not is one that I am always for the close-in work of the thag-hunt. I not keep in of a long to give the time to do his work. I learned that the first—and last—time I it.

Once the bull's neck, I my long knife and, setting the point over the brute's spine, it home with hands. At the same I clear of the animal. Now, no can progress with a knife through his spine, and the is no to the rule.

The was instantly. As he Juag returned, and the two of us in when an opening the opportunity and our from his side. Then we about him, more like two than anything else, until we got the opening we were looking for, when simultaneously, our his wild heart, it forever.

The had ground from the point at which I had upon him. When, after him, I looked for Dian, I see nothing of her. I called aloud, but no reply, set out at a to where I had left her. I had no in the self-same which we had hidden, but Dian was not there. Again and again I called, to be only by silence. Where she be? What have of her in the since I had her just me?