CHAPTER XIV
GORE AND DREAMS
It was a two-masted felucca with lateen sails! The craft was long
and low. In it were more than fifty men, twenty or thirty of whom
were at oars with which the craft was being propelled from the lee
of the land. I was dumbfounded.
Could it be that the savage, painted natives I had seen on shore
had so perfected the art of navigation that they were masters of
such advanced building and rigging as this craft proclaimed? It
seemed impossible! And as I looked I saw another of the same type
swing into view and follow its sister through the narrow strait
out into the ocean.
Nor were these all. One after another, following closely upon one
another's heels, came fifty of the trim, graceful vessels. They
were cutting in between Hooja's fleet and our little dugout,
When they came a bit closer my eyes fairly popped from my head
at what I saw, for in the eye of the leading felucca stood a man
with a sea-glass leveled upon us. Who could they be? Was there
a civilization within Pellucidar of such wondrous advancement as
this? Were there far-distant lands of which none of my people had
ever heard, where a race had so greatly outstripped all other races
of this inner world?
The man with the glass had lowered it and was shouting to us. I
could not make out his words, but presently I saw that he was
pointing aloft. When I looked I saw a pennant fluttering from the
peak of the forward lateen yard--a red, white, and blue pen-nant,
with a single great white star in a field of blue.
Then I knew. My eyes went even wider than they had before. It
was the navy! It was the navy of the empire of Pellucidar which I
had instructed Perry to build in my absence. It was MY navy!
I dropped my paddle and stood up and shouted and waved my hand.
Juag and Dian looked at me as if I had gone suddenly mad. When I
could stop shouting I told them, and they shared my joy and shouted
with me.
But still Hooja was coming nearer, nor could the leading felucca
overhaul him before he would be along-side or at least within
bow-shot.
Hooja must have been as much mystified as we were as to the identity
of the strange fleet; but when he saw me waving to them he evidently
guessed that they were friendly to us, so he urged his men to
redouble their efforts to reach us before the felucca cut him off.
He shouted word back to others of his fleet--word that was passed
back until it had reached them all--directing them to run alongside
the strangers and board them, for with his two hundred craft
and his eight or ten thousand warriors he evidently felt equal to
over-coming the fifty vessels of the enemy, which did not seem to
carry over three thousand men all told.
His own personal energies he bent to reaching Dian and me first,
leaving the rest of the work to his other boats. I thought that
there could be little doubt that he would be successful in so far
as we were concerned, and I feared for the revenge that he might
take upon us should the battle go against his force, as I was sure
it would; for I knew that Perry and his Mezops must have brought
with them all the arms and ammunition that had been contained in
the prospector. But I was not prepared for what happened next.
As Hooja's canoe reached a point some twenty yards from us a great
puff of smoke broke from the bow of the leading felucca, followed
almost simultaneously by a terrific explosion, and a solid shot
screamed close over the heads of the men in Hooja's craft, raising
a great splash where it clove the water just beyond them.
Perry had perfected gunpowder and built cannon! It was marvelous!
Dian and Juag, as much surprised as Hooja, turned wondering eyes
toward me. Again the cannon spoke. I suppose that by comparison
with the great guns of modern naval vessels of the outer world it
was a pitifully small and inadequate thing; but here in Pellucidar,
where it was the first of its kind, it was about as awe-inspiring
as anything you might imagine.
With the report an iron cannonball about five inches in diameter
struck Hooja's dugout just above the water-line, tore a great
splintering hole in its side, turned it over, and dumped its
occupants into the sea.
The four dugouts that had been abreast of Hooja had turned to
intercept the leading felucca. Even now, in the face of what must
have been a withering catastrophe to them, they kept bravely on
toward the strange and terrible craft.
In them were fully two hundred men, while but fifty lined the gunwale
of the felucca to repel them. The commander of the felucca, who
proved to be Ja, let them come quite close and then turned loose
upon them a volley of shots from small-arms.
The cave men and Sagoths in the dugouts seemed to wither before
that blast of death like dry grass before a prairie fire. Those
who were not hit dropped their bows and javelins and, seizing
upon paddles, attempted to escape. But the felucca pursued them
relentlessly, her crew firing at will.
At last I heard Ja shouting to the survivors in the dugouts--they
were all quite close to us now--offer-ing them their lives if they
would surrender. Perry was standing close behind Ja, and I knew
that this merciful action was prompted, perhaps commanded, by the
old man; for no Pellucidarian would have thought of showing leniency
to a defeated foe.
As there was no alternative save death, the survivors surrendered
and a moment later were taken aboard the Amoz, the name that I
could now see printed in large letters upon the felucca's bow, and
which no one in that whole world could read except Perry and I.
When the prisoners were aboard, Ja brought the felucca alongside
our dugout. Many were the willing hands that reached down to lift
us to her decks. The bronze faces of the Mezops were broad with
smiles, and Perry was fairly beside himself with joy.
Dian went aboard first and then Juag, as I wished to help Raja and
Ranee aboard myself, well knowing that it would fare ill with any
Mezop who touched them. We got them aboard at last, and a great
com-motion they caused among the crew, who had never seen a wild
beast thus handled by man before.
Perry and Dian and I were so full of questions that we fairly burst,
but we had to contain ourselves for a while, since the battle with
the rest of Hooja's fleet had scarce commenced. From the small
forward decks of the feluccas Perry's crude cannon were belching
smoke, flame, thunder, and death. The air trembled to the roar
of them. Hooja's horde, intrepid, savage fighters that they were,
were closing in to grapple in a last death-struggle with the Mezops
who manned our vessels.
The handling of our fleet by the red island warriors of Ja's clan
was far from perfect. I could see that Perry had lost no time
after the completion of the boats in setting out upon this cruise.
What little the captains and crews had learned of handling feluccas
they must have learned principally since they embarked upon this
voyage, and while experience is an excellent teacher and had done
much for them, they still had a great deal to learn. In maneuvering
for position they were continually fouling one another, and on two
occasions shots from our batteries came near to striking our own
ships.
No sooner, however, was I aboard the flagship than I attempted to
rectify this trouble to some extent. By passing commands by word
of mouth from one ship to another I managed to get the fifty feluccas
into some sort of line, with the flag-ship in the lead. In this
formation we commenced slowly to circle the position of the enemy.
The dugouts came for us right along in an attempt to board us, but
by keeping on the move in one direction and circling, we managed
to avoid getting in each other's way, and were enabled to fire our
cannon and our small arms with less danger to our own comrades.
When I had a moment to look about me, I took in the felucca on
which I was. I am free to confess that I marveled at the excellent
construction and stanch yet speedy lines of the little craft. That
Perry had chosen this type of vessel seemed rather remarkable,
for though I had warned him against turreted battle-ships, armor,
and like useless show, I had fully ex-pected that when I beheld
his navy I should find considerable attempt at grim and terrible
magnifi-cence, for it was always Perry's idea to overawe these
ignorant cave men when we had to contend with them in battle. But
I had soon learned that while one might easily astonish them with
some new engine of war, it was an utter impossibility to frighten
them into surrender.
I learned later that Ja had gone carefully over the plans of various
craft with Perry. The old man had explained in detail all that the
text told him of them. The two had measured out dimensions upon
the ground, that Ja might see the sizes of different boats. Perry
had built models, and Ja had had him read carefully and explain all
that they could find relative to the handling of sailing vessels.
The result of this was that Ja was the one who had chosen the
felucca. It was well that Perry had had so excellent a balance
wheel, for he had been wild to build a huge frigate of the Nelsonian
era--he told me so himself.
One thing that had inclined Ja particularly to the felucca was
the fact that it included oars in its equip-ment. He realized the
limitations of his people in the matter of sails, and while they
had never used oars, the implement was so similar to a paddle that
he was sure they quickly could master the art--and they did. As
soon as one hull was completed Ja kept it on the water constantly,
first with one crew and then with another, until two thousand red
warriors had learned to row. Then they stepped their masts and a
crew was told off for the first ship.
While the others were building they learned to handle theirs. As
each succeeding boat was launched its crew took it out and practiced
with it under the tutorage of those who had graduated from the first
ship, and so on until a full complement of men had been trained
for every boat.
Well, to get back to the battle: The Hoojans kept on coming at us,
and as fast as they came we mowed them down. It was little else
than slaughter. Time and time again I cried to them to surrender,
promising them their lives if they would do so. At last there were
but ten boatloads left. These turned in flight. They thought they
could paddle away from us--it was pitiful! I passed the word from
boat to boat to cease firing--not to kill another Hoojan unless they
fired on us. Then we set out after them. There was a nice little
breeze blowing and we bowled along after our quarry as gracefully
and as lightly as swans upon a park lagoon. As we approached them
I could see not only wonder but admiration in their eyes. I hailed
the nearest dugout.
"Throw down your arms and come aboard us," I cried, "and you shall
not be harmed. We will feed you and return you to the mainland.
Then you shall go free upon your promise never to bear arms against
the Emperor of Pellucidar again!"
I think it was the promise of food that interested them most.
They could scarce believe that we would not kill them. But when I
exhibited the prisoners we already had taken, and showed them that
they were alive and unharmed, a great Sagoth in one of the boats
asked me what guarantee I could give that I would keep my word.
"None other than my word," I replied. "That I do not break."
The Pellucidarians themselves are rather punctilious about this
same matter, so the Sagoth could understand that I might possibly
be speaking the truth. But he could not understand why we should
not kill them unless we meant to enslave them, which I had as much
as denied already when I had promised to set them free. Ja couldn't
exactly see the wisdom of my plan, either. He thought that we
ought to follow up the ten remaining dugouts and sink them all;
but I insisted that we must free as many as possible of our enemies
upon the mainland.
"You see," I explained, "these men will return at once to Hooja's
Island, to the Mahar cities from which they come, or to the countries
from which they were stolen by the Mahars. They are men of two
races and of many countries. They will spread the story of our
victory far and wide, and while they are with us, we will let them
see and hear many other wonderful things which they may carry back
to their friends and their chiefs. It's the finest chance for free
publicity, Perry," I added to the old man, "that you or I have seen
in many a day."
Perry agreed with me. As a matter of fact, he would have agreed
to anything that would have restrained us from killing the poor
devils who fell into our hands. He was a great fellow to invent
gunpowder and fire-arms and cannon; but when it came to using these
things 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 holding a council over the question of
the wisdom of surrender-ing.
"What will become of you if you don't surrender to us?" I asked.
"If we do not open up our batteries on you again and kill you all,
you will simply drift about the sea helplessly until you die of
thirst and starvation. You cannot return to the islands, for you
have seen as well as we that the natives there are very numerous
and warlike. They would kill you the moment you landed."
The upshot of it was that the boat of which the Sagoth speaker was
in charge surrendered. The Sagoths threw down their weapons, and
we took them aboard the ship next in line behind the Amoz. First
Ja had to impress upon the captain and crew of the ship that the
prisoners were not to be abused or killed. After that the remaining
dugouts paddled up and sur-rendered. We distributed them among
the entire fleet lest there be too many upon any one vessel. Thus
ended the first real naval engagement that the Pel-lucidarian seas
had ever witnessed--though Perry still insists that the action in
which the Sari took part was a battle of the first magnitude.
The battle over and the prisoners disposed of and fed--and do not
imagine that Dian, Juag, and I, as well as the two hounds were not
fed also--I turned my attention to the fleet. We had the feluccas
close in about the flag-ship, and with all the ceremony of a medieval
potentate on parade I received the com-manders of the forty-nine
feluccas that accompanied the flag-ship--Dian and I together--the
empress and the emperor of Pellucidar.
It was a great occasion. The savage, bronze warriors entered into
the spirit of it, for as I learned later dear old Perry had left
no opportunity neglected for impressing upon them that David was
emperor of Pellucidar, and that all that they were accomplishing and
all that he was accomplishing was due to the power, and redounded
to the glory of David. The old man must have rubbed it in pretty
strong, for those fierce warriors nearly came to blows in their
efforts to be among the first of those to kneel before me and kiss
my hand. When it came to kissing Dian's I think they enjoyed it
more; I know I should have.
A happy thought occurred to me as I stood upon the little deck of
the Amoz with the first of Perry's primi-tive cannon behind me.
When Ja kneeled at my feet, and first to do me homage, I drew from
its scabbard at his side the sword of hammered iron that Perry
had taught him to fashion. Striking him lightly on the shoulder I
created him king of Anoroc. Each captain of the forty-nine other
feluccas I made a duke. I left it to Perry to enlighten them as
to the value of the honors I had bestowed upon them.
During these ceremonies Raja and Ranee had stood beside Dian and me.
Their bellies had been well filled, but still they had difficulty
in permitting so much edible humanity to pass unchallenged. It was
a good education for them though, and never after did they find it
difficult to associate with the human race with-out arousing their
appetites.
After the ceremonies were over we had a chance to talk with Perry
and Ja. The former told me that Ghak, king of Sari, had sent my
letter and map to him by a runner, and that he and Ja had at once
decided to set out on the completion of the fleet to ascertain the
correctness of my theory that the Lural Az, in which the Anoroc
Islands lay, was in reality the same ocean as that which lapped
the shores of Thuria under the name of Sojar Az, or Great Sea.
Their destination had been the island retreat of Hooja, and they
had sent word to Ghak of their plans that we might work in harmony
with them. The tempest that had blown us off the coast of the
continent had blown them far to the south also. Shortly before
dis-covering us they had come into a great group of islands, from
between the largest two of which they were sail-ing when they saw
Hooja's fleet pursuing our dugout.
I asked Perry if he had any idea as to where we were, or in
what direction lay Hooja's island or the continent. He replied
by producing his map, on which he had carefully marked the newly
discovered islands--there described as the Unfriendly Isles--which
showed Hooja's island northwest of us about two points West.
He then explained that with compass, chronometer, log and reel,
they had kept a fairly accurate record of their course from the
time they had set out. Four of the feluccas were equipped with
these instruments, and all of the captains had been instructed in
their use.
I was very greatly surprised at the ease with which these savages
had mastered the rather intricate detail of this unusual work, but
Perry assured me that they were a wonderfully intelligent race,
and had been quick to grasp all that he had tried to teach them.
Another thing that surprised me was the fact that so much had been
accomplished in so short a time, for I could not believe that I had
been gone from Anoroc for a sufficient period to permit of building
a fleet of fifty feluccas and mining iron ore for the cannon and
balls, to say nothing of manufacturing these guns and the crude
muzzle-loading rifles with which every Mezop was armed, as well as
the gunpowder and ammunition they had in such ample quantities.
"Time!" exclaimed Perry. "Well, how long were you gone from Anoroc
before we picked you up in the Sojar Az?"
That was a puzzler, and I had to admit it. I didn't know how much
time had elapsed and neither did Perry, for time is nonexistent in
Pellucidar.
"Then, you see, David," he continued, "I had almost unbelievable
resources at my disposal. The Mezops in-habiting the Anoroc
Islands, which stretch far out to sea beyond the three principal
isles with which you are familiar, number well into the millions,
and by far the greater part of them are friendly to Ja. Men,
women, and children turned to and worked the moment Ja ex-plained
the nature of our enterprise.
"And not only were they anxious to do all in their power to hasten
the day when the Mahars should be overthrown, but--and this counted
for most of all--they are simply ravenous for greater knowledge
and for better ways of doing things.
"The contents of the prospector set their imagina-tions to working
overtime, so that they craved to own, themselves, the knowledge
which had made it possible for other men to create and build the
things which you brought back from the outer world.
"And then," continued the old man, "the element of time, or, rather,
lack of time, operated to my advantage. There being no nights,
there was no laying off from work--they labored incessantly stopping
only to eat and, on rare occasions, to sleep. Once we had discovered
iron ore we had enough mined in an incredibly short time to build
a thousand cannon. I had only to show them once how a thing should
be done, and they would fall to work by thousands to do it.
"Why, no sooner had we fashioned the first muzzle-loader and they
had seen it work successfully, than fully three thousand Mezops
fell to work to make rifles. Of course there was much confusion
and lost motion at first, but eventually Ja got them in hand,
detailing squads of them under competent chiefs to certain work.
"We now have a hundred expert gun-makers. On a little isolated
isle we have a great powder-factory. Near the iron-mine, which is
on the mainland, is a smelter, and on the eastern shore of Anoroc,
a well equipped ship-yard. All these industries are guarded by
forts in which several cannon are mounted and where warriors are
always on guard.
"You would be surprised now, David, at the aspect of Anoroc. I am
surprised myself; it seems always to me as I compare it with the
day that I first set foot upon it from the deck of the Sari that
only a miracle could have worked the change that has taken place."
"It is a miracle," I said; it is nothing short of a miracle to
transplant all the wondrous possibilities of the twen-tieth century
back to the Stone Age. It is a miracle to think that only five
hundred miles of earth separate two epochs that are really ages
and ages apart.
"It is stupendous, Perry! But still more stupendous is the power
that you and I wield in this great world. These people look upon
us as little less than supermen. We must show 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 thinking a great deal
lately that some kind of shrapnel shell or ex-plosive bomb would
be a most splendid innovation in their warfare. Then there are
breech-loading rifles and those with magazines that I must hasten
to study out and learn to reproduce as soon as we get settled down
again; and--"
"Hold on, Perry!" I cried. "I didn't mean these sorts of things
at all. I said that we must give them the best we have. What we
have given them so far has been the worst. We have given them war
and the munitions of war. In a single day we have made their wars
infinitely more terrible and bloody than in all their past ages
they have been able to make them with their crude, primitive weapons.
"In a period that could scarcely have exceeded two outer earthly
hours, our fleet practically annihilated the largest armada of native
canoes that the Pellucidarians ever before had gathered together.
We butchered some eight thousand warriors with the twentieth-century
gifts we brought. Why, they wouldn't have killed that many warriors
in the entire duration of a dozen of their wars with their own
weapons! No, Perry; we've got to give them something better than
scientific methods of killing one another."
The old man looked at me in amazement. There was reproach in his
eyes, too.
"Why, David!" he said sorrowfully. "I thought that you would be
pleased with what I had done. We planned these things together,
and I am sure that it was you who suggested practically all of it.
I have done only what I thought you wished done and I have done it
the best that I know how."
I laid my hand on the old man's shoulder.
"Bless your heart, Perry!" I cried. "You've accom-plished miracles.
You have done precisely what I should have done, only you've done
it better. I'm not finding fault; but I don't wish to lose sight
myself, or let you lose sight, of the greater work which must grow
out of this preliminary and necessary carnage. First we must place
the empire upon a secure footing, and we can do so only by putting
the fear of us in the hearts of our enemies; but after that--
"Ah, Perry! That is the day I look forward to! When you and I can
build sewing-machines instead of battle-ships, harvesters of crops
instead of harvesters of men, plow-shares and telephones, schools
and colleges, printing-presses and paper! When our merchant marine
shall ply the great Pellucidarian seas, and cargoes of silks and
typewriters and books shall forge their ways where only hideous
saurians have held sway since time began!"
"Amen!" said Perry.
And Dian, who was standing at my side, pressed my hand.
