Friendship And Treachery

: Pellucidar

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.
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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

appearance 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 imperial 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 he intends over-coming

the Mahars and the Sagoths and any other peoples of Pellucidar who

threaten the peace and welfare 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 contesting 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 wandered 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 appearance 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 leading 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 appeared

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 Greenwich 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 approach

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 excellent 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 rehabilitation 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 suddenly 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 suspicion. 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 employ 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 immediately 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 projection 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 release 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!



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