GORE AND DREAMS
It was a two-masted with sails! The was long and low. In it were more than fifty men, twenty or thirty of were at with which the was being from the of the land. I was dumbfounded.
Could it be that the savage, painted I had on had so perfected the art of that they were masters of such and as this proclaimed? It impossible! And as I looked I saw another of the same type into view and its sister through the narrow out into the ocean.
Nor were these all. One after another, closely upon one another's heels, came fifty of the trim, vessels. They were in Hooja's and our little dugout.
When they came a closer my from my at what I saw, for in the of the leading a man with a sea-glass upon us. Who they be? Was there a Pellucidar of such as this? Were there far-distant lands of which none of my people had heard, where a had so all other of this world?
The man with the had it and was to us. I not make out his words, but presently I saw that he was pointing aloft. When I looked I saw a from the of the yard—a red, white, and pennant, with a single great white star in a of blue.
Then I knew. My than they had before. It was the navy! It was the of the of Pellucidar which I had Perry to in my absence. It was my navy!
I my and up and and my hand. Juag and Dian looked at me as if I had gone mad. When I stop I told them, and they my and with me.
But still Hooja was nearer, the leading him he would be along-side or at least bow-shot.
Hooja must have been as much as we were as to the identity of the fleet; but when he saw me to them he that they were to us, so he his men to their to us the cut him off.
He word to others of his fleet—word that was passed until it had them all—directing them to alongside the and them, for with his two hundred and his eight or ten thousand he equal to the fifty of the enemy, which did not to over three thousand men all told.
His own personal he to Dian and me first, the of the work to his other boats. I that there be little that he would be successful in so as we were concerned, and I for the that he might take upon us should the go against his force, as I was sure it would; for I that Perry and his Mezops must have with them all the arms and that had been in the prospector. But I was not prepared for what next.
As Hooja's a point some twenty yards from us a great of from the of the leading felucca, almost by a explosion, and a solid close over the of the men in Hooja's craft, a great where it the water just them.
Perry had perfected and cannon! It was marvelous! Dian and Juag, as much as Hooja, toward me. Again the spoke. I that by with the great of modern of the world it was a small and thing; but here in Pellucidar, where it was the of its kind, it was about as awe-inspiring as anything you might imagine.
With the report an iron about five in Hooja's just above the water-line, a great in its side, it over, and its into the sea.
The four that had been of Hooja had to the leading felucca. Even now, in the of what must have been a to them, they on toward the and terrible craft.
In them were two hundred men, while but fifty the of the to them. The of the felucca, who proved to be Ja, let them come close and then upon them a of from small-arms.
The men and Sagoths in the to that blast of death like a fire. Those who were not their and and, upon paddles, to escape. But the them relentlessly, her at will.
At last I Ja to the in the dugouts—they were all close to us now—offering them their if they would surrender. Perry was close Ja, and I that this action was prompted, commanded, by the old man; for no Pellucidarian would have of to a foe.
As there was no save death, the and a moment later were taken the Amoz, the name that I now see printed in large upon the felucca's bow, and which no one in that whole world read Perry and I.
When the were aboard, Ja the alongside our dugout. Many were the hands that to us to her decks. The of the Mezops were with smiles, and Perry was himself with joy.
Dian and then Juag, as I to help Raja and Ranee myself, well that it would with any Mezop who touched them. We got them at last, and a great they among the crew, who had a wild thus by man before.
Perry and Dian and I were so full of questions that we burst, but we had to ourselves for a while, since the with the of Hooja's had commenced. From the small of the Perry's were smoke, flame, thunder, and death. The air to the of them. Hooja's horde, intrepid, that they were, were in to in a last death-struggle with the Mezops who our vessels.
The of our by the red of Ja's was from perfect. I see that Perry had no time after the of the in setting out upon this cruise. What little the captains and had learned of they must have learned since they upon this voyage, and while is an excellent teacher and had done much for them, they still had a great to learn. In for position they were one another, and on two occasions from our came near to our own ships.
No sooner, however, was I the than I to this trouble to some extent. By by word of mouth from one ship to another I managed to the fifty into some of line, with the flag-ship in the lead. In this we slowly to circle the position of the enemy. The came for us right along in an attempt to us, but by on the move in one direction and circling, we managed to avoid in each other's way, and were to fire our and our small arms with less to our own comrades.
When I had a moment to look about me, I took in the on which I was. I am free to that I at the excellent and yet lines of the little craft. That Perry had this type of remarkable, for though I had him against battle-ships, armor, and like show, I had that when I his I should attempt at and terrible magnificence, for it was always Perry's idea to these men when we had to with them in battle. But I had soon learned that while one might easily them with some new engine of war, it was an to them into surrender.
I learned later that Ja had gone over the plans of with Perry. The old man had in detail all that the text told him of them. The two had out upon the ground, that Ja might see the of different boats. Perry had models, and Ja had had him read and all that they relative to the of vessels. The result of this was that Ja was the one who had the felucca. It was well that Perry had had so excellent a wheel, for he had been wild to a of the Nelsonian era—he told me so himself.
One thing that had Ja particularly to the was the that it in its equipment. He the of his people in the of sails, and while they had used oars, the was so to a that he was sure they master the art—and they did. As soon as one was Ja it on the water constantly, with one and then with another, until two thousand red had learned to row. Then they their and a was told off for the ship.
While the others were they learned to theirs. As each was its took it out and with it under the of those who had from the ship, and so on until a full of men had been for every boat.
Well, to to the battle: The Hoojans on at us, and as fast as they came we them down. It was little else than slaughter. Time and time again I to them to surrender, promising them their if they would do so. At last there were but ten left. These in flight. They they away from us—it was pitiful! I passed the word from to to firing—not to kill another Hoojan unless they on us. Then we set out after them. There was a little and we along after our as and as as upon a park lagoon. As we approached them I see not only wonder but in their eyes. I the nearest dugout.
"Throw your arms and come us," I cried, "and you shall not be harmed. We will you and return you to the mainland. Then you shall go free upon your promise to arms against the Emperor of Pellucidar again!"
I think it was the promise of food that them most. They that we would not kill them. But when I the we already had taken, and them that they were alive and unharmed, a great Sagoth in one of the asked me what I give that I would keep my word.
"None other than my word," I replied. "That I do not break."
The Pellucidarians themselves are about this same matter, so the Sagoth that I might possibly be speaking the truth. But he not why we should not kill them unless we meant to them, which I had as much as already when I had promised to set them free. Ja couldn't see the of my plan, either. He that we ought to up the ten and them all; but I that we must free as many as possible of our upon the mainland.
"You see," I explained, "these men will return at once to Hooja's Island, to the Mahar from which they come, or to the from which they were by the Mahars. They are men of two and of many countries. They will spread the of our victory and wide, and while they are with us, we will let them see and many other which they may to their friends and their chiefs. It's the for free publicity, Perry," I added to the old man, "that you or I have in many a day."
Perry with me. As a of fact, he would have to anything that would have us from killing the who into our hands. He was a great to and and cannon; but when it came to using these to kill people, he was as tender-hearted as a chicken.
The Sagoth who had spoken was talking to other Sagoths in his boat. Evidently they were a over the question of the of surrendering.
"What will of you if you don't to us?" I asked. "If we do not open up our on you again and kill you all, you will about the sea until you die of thirst and starvation. You cannot return to the islands, for you have as well as we that the there are very and warlike. They would kill you the moment you landed."
The of it was that the of which the Sagoth was in surrendered. The Sagoths their weapons, and we took them the ship next in line the Amoz. First Ja had to upon the captain and of the ship that the were not to be or killed. After that the up and surrendered. We them among the entire there be too many upon any one vessel. Thus ended the that the Pellucidarian had witnessed—though Perry still that the action in which the Sari took part was a of the magnitude.
The over and the of and fed—and do not that Dian, Juag, and I, as well as the two were not also—I my attention to the fleet. We had the close in about the flag-ship, and with all the of a on I the of the forty-nine that the flag-ship—Dian and I together—the and the of Pellucidar.
It was a great occasion. The savage, entered into the of it, for as I learned later dear old Perry had left no opportunity neglected for upon them that David was of Pellucidar, and that all that they were and all that he was was to the power, and to the of David. The old man must have it in strong, for those nearly came to in their to be among the of those to me and my hand. When it came to Dian's I think they it more; I know I should have.
A happy to me as I upon the little of the Amoz with the of Perry's me. When Ja at my feet, and to do me homage, I from its at his the of iron that Perry had him to fashion. Striking him on the I him king of Anoroc. Each captain of the forty-nine other I a duke. I left it to Perry to them as to the value of the I had upon them.
During these Raja and Ranee had Dian and me. Their had been well filled, but still they had in so much to pass unchallenged. It was a good education for them though, and after did they it difficult to with the without their appetites.
After the were over we had a to talk with Perry and Ja. The told me that Ghak, king of Sari, had sent my and map to him by a runner, and that he and Ja had at once to set out on the of the to the of my that the Lural Az, in which the Anoroc Islands lay, was in the same as that which the of Thuria under the name of Sojar Az, or Great Sea.
Their had been the of Hooja, and they had sent word to Ghak of their plans that we might work in with them. The that had us off the of the had them to the south also. Shortly us they had come into a great group of islands, from the largest two of which they were when they saw Hooja's our dugout.
I asked Perry if he had any idea as to where we were, or in what direction Hooja's or the continent. He by producing his map, on which he had marked the newly islands—there as the Unfriendly Isles—which Hooja's of us about two points West.
He then that with compass, chronometer, and reel, they had a record of their from the time they had set out. Four of the were with these instruments, and all of the captains had been in their use.
I was very at the with which these had the detail of this work, but Perry me that they were a race, and had been quick to all that he had to teach them.
Another thing that me was the that so much had been in so a time, for I not that I had been gone from Anoroc for a period to permit of a of fifty and iron for the and balls, to say nothing of these and the muzzle-loading with which every Mezop was armed, as well as the and they had in such quantities.
"Time!" Perry. "Well, how long were you gone from Anoroc we you up in the Sojar Az?"
That was a puzzler, and I had to admit it. I didn't know how much time had and neither did Perry, for time is in Pellucidar.
"Then, you see, David," he continued, "I had almost at my disposal. The Mezops the Anoroc Islands, which out to sea the three with which you are familiar, number well into the millions, and by the part of them are to Ja. Men, women, and children to and the moment Ja the nature of our enterprise.
"And not only were they to do all in their power to the day when the Mahars should be overthrown, but—and this for most of all—they are for knowledge and for of doing things.
"The of the set their to overtime, so that they to own, themselves, the knowledge which had it possible for other men to create and the which you from the world.
"And then," the old man, "the of time, or, rather, of time, to my advantage. There being no nights, there was no off from work—they stopping only to eat and, on occasions, to sleep. Once we had iron we had in an time to a thousand cannon. I had only to them once how a thing should be done, and they would to work by thousands to do it.
"Why, no sooner had we the muzzle-loader and they had it work successfully, than three thousand Mezops to work to make rifles. Of there was much and motion at first, but Ja got them in hand, of them under to work.
"We now have a hundred expert gun-makers. On a little we have a great powder-factory. Near the iron-mine, which is on the mainland, is a smelter, and on the of Anoroc, a well ship-yard. All these are by in which are and where are always on guard.
"You would be now, David, at the of Anoroc. I am myself; it always to me as I it with the day that I set upon it from the of the Sari that only a have the that has taken place."
"It is a miracle," I said; "it is nothing of a to all the possibilities of the century to the Stone Age. It is a to think that only five hundred miles of earth two that are and apart."
"It is stupendous, Perry! But still more is the power that you and I in this great world. These people look upon us as little less than supermen. We must them that we are all of that.
"We must give them the best that we have, Perry."
"Yes," he agreed; "we must. I have been a great that some of or bomb would be a most in their warfare. Then there are breech-loading and those with that I must to study out and learn to as soon as we settled again; and—"
"Hold on, Perry!" I cried. "I didn't these of at all. I said that we must give them the best we have. What we have them so has been the worst. We have them and the of war. In a single day we have their more terrible and than in all their past they have been able to make them with their crude, weapons.
"In a period that have two hours, our the largest of native that the Pellucidarians had together. We some eight thousand with the twentieth-century gifts we brought. Why, they wouldn't have killed that many in the entire of a dozen of their with their own weapons! No, Perry; we've got to give them something than scientific methods of killing one another."
The old man looked at me in amazement. There was in his eyes, too.
"Why, David!" he said sorrowfully. "I that you would be pleased with what I had done. We planned these together, and I am sure that it was you who all of it. I have done only what I you done and I have done it the best that I know how."
I my hand on the old man's shoulder.
"Bless your heart, Perry!" I cried. "You've miracles. You have done what I should have done, only you've done it better. I'm not fault; but I don't wish to myself, or let you sight, of the work which must out of this and necessary carnage. First we must place the upon a secure footing, and we can do so only by the of us in the of our enemies; but after that—
"Ah, Perry! That is the day I look to! When you and I can sewing-machines of battle-ships, of of of men, plow-shares and telephones, and colleges, printing-presses and paper! When our merchant shall the great Pellucidarian seas, and of and and books shall their where only have since time began!"
"Amen!" said Perry.
And Dian, who was at my side, pressed my hand.