CHAPTER IV

Pellicudar

by Edgar R. Burroughs

CHAPTER IV, PELLICUDAR by Edgar R. Burroughs
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FRIENDSHIP AND TREACHERY

The Sari proved a most erratic craft. She might have
done well enough upon a park lagoon if safely anchored,
but upon the bosom of a mighty ocean she left much
to be desired.

Sailing with the wind she did her best; but in quarter-
ing or when close-hauled she drifted terribly, as a
nautical man might have guessed she would. We
couldn't keep within miles of our course, and our
progress was pitifully slow.

Instead of making for the island of Anoroc, we bore far
to the right, until it became evident that we should have
to pass between the two right-hand islands and attempt
to return toward Anoroc from the opposite side.

As we neared the islands Perry was quite overcome
by their beauty. When we were directly between two
of them he fairly went into raptures; nor could I blame
him.

The tropical luxuriance of the foliage that dripped
almost to the water's edge and the vivid colors of the
blooms that shot the green made a most gorgeous
spectacle.

Perry was right in the midst of a flowery panegyric on
the wonders of the peaceful beauty of the scene when a
canoe shot out from the nearest island. There were a
dozen warriors in it; it was quickly followed by a second
and third.

Of course we couldn't know the intentions of the
strangers, but we could pretty well guess them.

Perry wanted to man the sweeps and try to get away
from them, but I soon convinced him that any speed of
which the Sari was capable would be far too slow to
outdistance the swift, though awkward, dugouts of the
Mezops.

I waited until they were quite close enough to hear
me, and then I hailed 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 replied that they were at
war with Ja, and that if we would wait a minute they'd
board us and throw our corpses to the azdyryths.

I warned them that they would get the worst of it if
they didn't leave us alone, but they only shouted in
derision and paddled swiftly toward us. It was evident
that they were considerably impressed by the appear-
ance and dimensions of our craft, but as these fellows
know no fear they were not at all awed.

Seeing that they were determined to give battle, I
leaned over the rail of the Sari and brought the im-
perial battle-squadron of the Emperor of Pellucidar into
action for the first time in the history of a world. In other
and simpler words, I fired my revolver at the nearest
canoe.

The effect was magical. A warrior rose from his knees,
threw his paddle aloft, stiffened into rigidity for an
instant, and then toppled overboard.

The others ceased paddling, and, with wide eyes,
looked first at me and then at the battling sea-things
which fought for the corpse of their comrade. To them it
must have seemed a miracle that I should be able to
stand at thrice the range of the most powerful javelin-
thrower and with a loud noise and a smudge of smoke
slay one of their number with an invisible missile.

But only for an instant were they paralyzed with
wonder. Then, with savage shouts, they fell once more
to their paddles and forged rapidly toward us.

Again and again I fired. At each shot a warrior sank
to the bottom of the canoe or tumbled overboard.

When the prow of the first craft touched the side of
the Sari it contained only dead and dying men. The
other two dugouts were approaching rapidly, so I turned
my attention toward them.

I think that they must have been commencing to have
some doubts--those wild, naked, red warriors--for when
the first man fell in the second boat, the others stopped
paddling and commenced to jabber among themselves.

The third boat pulled up alongside the second and its
crews joined in the conference. Taking advantage of the
lull in the battle, I called out to the survivors to return
to their shore.

"I have no fight 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 forces with me.

"Go back now to your people," I counseled them, "and
tell them that you have seen David I, Emperor of the
Federated Kingdoms of Pellucidar, and that single-
handed he has overcome you, just as be intends over-
coming the Mahars and the Sagoths and any other
peoples of Pellucidar who threaten the peace and wel-
fare of his empire."

Slowly they turned the noses of their canoes toward
land. It was evident that they were impressed; yet
that they were loath to give up without further con-
testing my claim to naval supremacy was also apparent,
for some of their number seemed to be exhorting the
others to a renewal of the conflict.

However, at last they drew slowly away, and the Sari,
which had not decreased her snail-like speed during this,
her first engagement, continued upon her slow, uneven
way.

Presently Perry stuck his head up through the hatch
and hailed me.

"Have the scoundrels departed?" he asked. "Have you
killed them all?"

"Those whom I failed to kill have departed, Perry," I
replied.

He came out on deck and, peering over the side,
descried the lone canoe floating a short distance astern
with its grim and grisly freight. Farther his eyes wan-
dered to the retreating boats.

"David," said he at last, "this is a notable occasion. It
is a great day in the annals of Pellucidar. We have won
a glorious victory.

"Your majesty's navy has routed a fleet of the enemy
thrice its own size, manned by ten times as many men.
Let us give thanks."

I could scarce restrain a smile at Perry's use of the
pronoun "we," yet I was glad to share the rejoicing with
him as I shall always be glad to share everything with
the dear old fellow.

Perry is the only male coward I have ever known
whom I could respect and love. He was not created for
fighting; but I think that if the occasion should ever arise
where it became necessary he would give his life cheer-
fully for me--yes, I KNOW it.

It took us a long time to work around the islands and
draw in close to Anoroc. In the leisure afforded we took
turns working on our map, and by means of the compass
and a little guesswork we set down the shoreline we had
left and the three islands with fair accuracy.

Crossed sabers marked the spot where the first great
naval engagement of a world had taken place. In a note-
book we jotted down, as had been our custom, details
that would be of historical value later.

Opposite Anoroc we came to anchor quite close to
shore. I knew from my previous experience with the
tortuous trails of the island that I could never find my
way inland to the hidden tree-village of the Mezop
chieftain, Ja; so we remained aboard the Sari, firing our
express rifles at intervals to attract the attention of the
natives.

After some ten shots had been fired at considerable
intervals a body of copper-colored warriors appeared
upon the shore. They watched us for a moment and then
I hailed them, asking the whereabouts of my old friend
Ja.

They did not reply at once, but stood with their heads
together in serious and animated discussion. Continually
they turned their eyes toward our strange craft. It was
evident that they were greatly puzzled by our appear-
ance as well as unable to explain the source of the loud
noises that had attracted their attention to us. At last one
of the warriors addressed us.

"Who are you who seek Ja?" he asked. "What would
you of our chief?"

"We are friends," I replied. "I am David. Tell Ja that
David, whose life be once saved from a sithic, has come
again to visit him.

"If you will send out a canoe we will come ashore. We
cannot bring our great warship closer in."

Again they talked for a considerable time. Then two
of them entered a canoe that several dragged from its
hiding-place in the jungle and paddled swiftly toward us.

They were magnificent specimens of manhood. Perry
had never seen a member of this red race close to be-
fore. In fact, the dead men in the canoe we had left
astern after the battle and the survivors who were
paddling rapidly toward their shore were the first he
ever had seen. He had been greatly impressed by their
physical beauty and the promise of superior intelligence
which their well-shaped skulls gave.

The two who now paddled out received us into their
canoe with dignified courtesy. To my inquiries relative
to Ja they explained that he had not been in the village
when our signals were heard, but that runners had been
sent out after him and that doubtless he was already
upon his way to the coast.

One of the men remembered me from the occasion of
my former visit to the island; he was extremely agree-
able the moment that he came close enough to recognize
me. He said that Ja would be delighted to welcome me,
and that all the tribe of Anoroc knew of me by repute,
and had received explicit instructions from their chief-
tain that if any of them should ever come upon me to
show me every kindness and attention.

Upon shore we were received with equal honor. While
we stood conversing with our bronze friends a tall
warrior leaped suddenly from the jungle.

It was Ja. As his eyes fell upon me his face lighted
with pleasure. He came quickly forward to greet me
after the manner of his tribe.

Toward Perry he was equally hospitable. The old
man fell in love with the savage giant as completely as
had I. Ja conducted us along the maze-like trail to his
strange village, where he gave over one of the tree-
houses for our exclusive use.

Perry was much interested in the unique habitation,
which resembled nothing so much as a huge wasp's nest
built around the bole of a tree well above the ground.

After we had eaten and rested Ja came to see us with
a number of his head men. They listened attentively to
my story, which included a narrative of the events lead-
ing to the formation of the federated kingdoms, the
battle with the Mahars, my journey to the outer world,
and my return to Pellucidar and search for Sari and my
mate.

Ja told me that the Mezops had heard something of
the federation and had been much interested in it. He
had even gone so far as to send a party of warriors
toward Sari to investigate the reports, and to arrange
for the entrance of Anoroc into the empire in case it ap-
peared that there was any truth in the rumors that one
of the aims of the federation was the overthrow of the
Mahars.

The delegation had met with a party of Sagoths. As
there had been a truce between the Mahars and the
Mezops for many generations, they camped with these
warriors of the reptiles, from whom they learned that
the federation had gone to pieces. So the party returned
to Anoroc.

When I showed Ja our map and explained its purpose
to him, he was much interested. The location of Anoroc,
the Mountains of the Clouds, the river, and the strip of
seacoast were all familiar to him.

He quickly indicated the position of the inland sea
and close beside it, the city of Phutra, where one of the
powerful Mahar nations had its seat. He likewise showed
us where Sari should be and carried his own coast-line as
far north and south as it was known to him.

His additions to the map convinced us that Green-
wich lay upon the verge of this same sea, and that it
might be reached by water more easily than by the
arduous crossing of the mountains or the dangerous ap-
proach through Phutra, which lay almost directly in line
between Anoroc and Greenwich to the northwest.

If Sari lay upon the same water then the shore-line
must bend far back toward the southwest of Greenwich
--an assumption which, by the way, we found later to
be true. Also, Sari was upon a lofty plateau at the
southern end of a mighty gulf of the Great Ocean.

The location which Ja gave to distant Amoz puzzled
us, for it placed it due north of Greenwich, apparently
in mid-ocean. As Ja had never been so far and knew
only of Amoz through hearsay, we thought that he must
be mistaken; but he was not. Amoz lies directly north
of Greenwich across the mouth of the same gulf as that
upon which Sari is.

The sense of direction and location of these primitive
Pellucidarians is little short of uncanny, as I have had
occasion to remark in the past. You may take one of
them to the uttermost ends of his world, to places of
which he has never even heard, yet without sun or
moon or stars to guide him, without map or compass, he
will travel straight for home in the shortest direction.

Mountains, rivers, and seas may have to be gone
around. but never once does his sense of direction fail
him--the homing instinct is supreme.

In the same remarkable way they never forget the
location of any place to which they have ever been, and
know that of many of which they have only heard from
others who have visited them.

In short, each Pellucidarian is a walking geography of
his own district and of much of the country contiguous
thereto. It always proved of the greatest aid to Perry and
me; nevertheless we were anxious to enlarge our map,
for we at least were not endowed with the homing
instinct.

After several long councils it was decided that, in
order to expedite matters, Perry should return to the
prospector with a strong party of Mezops and fetch the
freight I had brought from the outer world. Ja and his
warriors were much impressed by our firearms, and were
also anxious to build boats with sails.

As we had arms at the prospector and also books on
boat-building we thought that it might prove an ex-
cellent idea to start these naturally maritime people
upon the construction of a well built navy of staunch
sailing-vessels. I was sure that with definite plans to go
by Perry could oversee the construction of an adequate
flotilla.

I warned him, however, not to be too ambitious, and
to forget about dreadnoughts and armored cruisers for a
while and build instead a few small sailing-boats that
could be manned by four or five men.

I was to proceed to Sari, and while prosecuting my
search for Dian attempt at the same time the rehabili-
tation of the federation. Perry was going as far as possible
by water, with the chances that the entire trip might be
made in that manner, which proved to be the fact.

With a couple of Mezops as companions I started for
Sari. In order to avoid crossing the principal range of
the Mountains of the Clouds we took a route that passed
a little way south of Phutra. We had eaten four times
and slept once, and were, as my companions told me,
not far from the great Mahar city, when we were sud-
denly confronted by a considerable band of Sagoths.

They did not attack us, owing to the peace which
exists between the Mahars and the Mezops, but I could
see that they looked upon me with considerable sus-
picion. My friends told them that I was a stranger from
a remote country, and as we had previously planned
against such a contingency I pretended ignorance of
the language which the human beings of Pellucidar em-
ploy in conversing with the gorilla-like soldiery of the
Mahars.

I noticed, and not without misgivings, that the leader
of the Sagoths eyed me with an expression that be-
tokened partial recognition. I was sure that he had seen
me before during the period of my incarceration in
Phutra and that he was trying to recall my identity.

It worried me not a little. I was extremely thankful
when we bade them adieu and continued upon our
journey.

Several times during the next few marches I became
acutely conscious of the sensation of being watched by
unseen eyes, but I did not speak of my suspicions to my
companions. Later I had reason to regret my reticence,
for--

Well, this is how it happened:

We had killed an antelope and after eating our fill I
had lain down to sleep. The Pellucidarians, who seem
seldom if ever to require sleep, joined me in this instance,
for we had had a very trying march along the northern
foothills of the Mountains of the Clouds, and now with
their bellies filled with meat they seemed ready for
slumber.

When I awoke it was with a start to find a couple of
huge Sagoths astride me. They pinioned my arms and
legs, and later chained my wrists behind my back. Then
they let me up.

I saw my companions; the brave fellows lay dead
where they had slept, javelined to death without a
chance at self-defense.

I was furious. I threatened the Sagoth leader with all
sorts of dire reprisals; but when he heard me speak the
hybrid language that is the medium of communication
between his kind and the human race of the inner world
he only grinned, as much as to say, "I thought so!"

They had not taken my revolvers or ammunition away
from me because they did not know what they were;
but my heavy rifle I had lost. They simply left it where
it had lain beside me.

So low in the scale of intelligence are they, that they
had not sufficient interest in this strange object even to
fetch it along with them.

I knew from the direction of our march that they
were taking me to Phutra. Once there I did not need
much of an imagination to picture what my fate would
be. It was the arena and a wild thag or fierce tarag for
me--unless the Mahars elected to take me to the pits.

In that case my end would be no more certain, though
infinitely more horrible and painful, for in the pits I
should be subjected to cruel vivisection. From what I
had once seen of their methods in the pits of Phutra I
knew them to be the opposite of merciful, whereas in
the arena I should be quickly despatched by some
savage beast.

Arrived at the underground city, I was taken im-
mediately before a slimy Mahar. When the creature
had received the report of the Sagoth its cold eyes
glistened with malice and hatred as they were turned
balefully upon me.

I knew then that my identity had been guessed. With
a show of excitement that I had never before seen
evinced by a member of the dominant race of Pellucidar,
the Mahar hustled me away, heavily guarded, through
the main avenue of the city to one of the principal
buildings.

Here we were ushered into a great hall where
presently many Mahars gathered.

In utter silence they conversed, for they have no oral
speech since they are without auditory nerves. Their
method of communication Perry has likened to the pro-
jection of a sixth sense into a fourth dimension, where it
becomes cognizable to the sixth sense of their audience.

Be that as it may, however, it was evident that I was
the subject of discussion, and from the hateful looks
bestowed upon me not a particularly pleasant subject.

How long I waited for their decision I do not know,
but it must have been a very long time. Finally one of
the Sagoths addressed me. He was acting as interpreter
for his masters.

"The Mahars will spare your life," he said, "and re-
lease you on one condition."

"And what is that condition?" I asked, though I could
guess its terms.

"That you return to them that which you stole from
the pits of Phutra when you killed the four Mahars and
escaped," he replied.

I had thought that that would be it. The great secret
upon which depended the continuance of the Mahar
race was safely hid where only Dian and I knew.

I ventured to imagine that they would have given me
much more than my liberty to have it safely in their
keeping again; but after that--what?

Would they keep their promises?

I doubted it. With the secret of artificial propagation
once more in their hands their numbers would soon be
made so to overrun the world of Pellucidar that there
could be no hope for the eventual supremacy of the
human race, the cause for which I so devoutly hoped,
for which I had consecrated my life, and for which I
was not willing to give my life.

Yes! In that moment as I stood before the heartless
tribunal I felt that my life would be a very little thing to
give could it save to the human race of Pellucidar the
chance to come into its own by insuring the eventual
extinction of the hated, powerful Mahars.

"Come!" exclaimed the Sagoths. "The mighty Mahars
await your reply."

"You may say to them," I answered, "that I shall not
tell them where the great secret is hid."

When this had been translated to them there was a
great beating of reptilian wings, gaping of sharp-fanged
jaws, and hideous hissing. I thought that they were
about to fall upon me on the spot, and so I laid my hands
upon my revolvers; but at length they became more
quiet and presently transmitted some command to my
Sagoth guard, the chief of which laid a heavy hand
upon my arm and pushed me roughly before him from
the audience-chamber.

They took me to the pits, where I lay carefully
guarded. I was sure that I was to be taken to the vivi-
section laboratory, and it required all my courage to
fortify myself against the terrors of so fearful a death. In
Pellucidar, where there is no time, death-agonies may
endure for eternities.

Accordingly, I had to steel myself against an endless
doom, which now stared me in the face!