CHAPTER IV
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!
