Kidnaped!

: Pellucidar

I searched about the spot carefully. At last I was rewarded by the

discovery of her javelin, a few yards from the bush that had concealed

us from the charging thag--her javelin and the indications of a

struggle revealed by the trampled vegetation and the overlapping

footprints of a woman and a man. Filled with consternation and dismay,

I followed these latter to where they suddenly disappeared a hundred

yards from wh re the struggle had occurred. There I saw the huge

imprints of a lidi's feet.



The story of the tragedy was all too plain. A Thurian had either been

following us, or had accidentally espied Dian and taken a fancy to her.

While Juag and I had been engaged with the thag, he had abducted her.

I ran swiftly back to where Juag was working over the kill. As I

approached him I saw that some-thing was wrong in this quarter as well,

for the islander was standing upon the carcass of the thag, his javelin

poised for a throw.



When I had come nearer I saw the cause of his belligerent attitude.

Just beyond him stood two large jaloks, or wolf-dogs, regarding him

intently--a male and a female. Their behavior was rather peculiar, for

they did not seem preparing to charge him. Rather, they were

contemplating him in an attitude of question-ing.



Juag heard me coming and turned toward me with a grin. These fellows

love excitement. I could see by his expression that he was enjoying in

anticipation the battle that seemed imminent. But he never hurled his

javelin. A shout of warning from me stopped him, for I had seen the

remnants of a rope dangling from the neck of the male jalok.



Juag again turned toward me, but this time in surprise. I was abreast

him in a moment and, passing him, walked straight toward the two

beasts. As I did so the female crouched with bared fangs. The male,

however, leaped forward to meet me, not in deadly charge, but with

every expression of delight and joy which the poor animal could exhibit.



It was Raja--the jalok whose life I had saved, and whom I then had

tamed! There was no doubt that he was glad to see me. I now think that

his seeming desertion of me had been but due to a desire to search out

his ferocious mate and bring her, too, to live with me.



When Juag saw me fondling the great beast he was filled with

consternation, but I did not have much time to spare to Raja while my

mind was filled with the grief of my new loss. I was glad to see the

brute, and I lost no time in taking him to Juag and making him

understand that Juag, too, was to be Raja's friend. With the female

the matter was more difficult, but Raja helped us out by growling

savagely at her whenever she bared her fangs against us.



I told Juag of the disappearance of Dian, and of my suspicions as to

the explanation of the catastrophe. He wanted to start right out after

her, but I suggested that with Raja to help me it might be as well were

he to remain and skin the thag, remove its bladder, and then return to

where we had hidden the canoe on the beach. And so it was arranged

that he was to do this and await me there for a reasonable time. I

pointed to a great lake upon the surface of the pendent world above us,

telling him that if after this lake had appeared four times I had not

returned to go either by water or land to Sari and fetch Ghak with an

army. Then, calling Raja after me, I set out after Dian and her

abductor. First I took the wolf dog to the spot where the man had

fought with Dian. A few paces behind us followed Raja's fierce mate.

I pointed to the ground where the evidences of the struggle were

plainest and where the scent must have been strong to Raja's nostrils.



Then I grasped the remnant of leash that hung about his neck and urged

him forward upon the trail. He seemed to understand. With nose to

ground he set out upon his task. Dragging me after him, he trotted

straight out upon the Lidi Plains, turning his steps in the direction

of the Thurian village. I could have guessed as much!



Behind us trailed the female. After a while she closed upon us, until

she ran quite close to me and at Raja's side. It was not long before

she seemed as easy in my company as did her lord and master.



We must have covered considerable distance at a very rapid pace, for we

had reentered the great shadow, when we saw a huge lidi ahead of us,

moving leisurely across the level plain. Upon its back were two human

figures. If I could have known that the jaloks would not harm Dian I

might have turned them loose upon the lidi and its master; but I could

not know, and so dared take no chances.



However, the matter was taken out of my hands presently when Raja

raised his head and caught sight of his quarry. With a lunge that

hurled me flat and jerked the leash from my hand, he was gone with the

speed of the wind after the giant lidi and its riders. At his side

raced his shaggy mate, only a trifle smaller than he and no whit less

savage.



They did not give tongue until the lidi itself discovered them and

broke into a lumbering, awkward, but none the less rapid gallop. Then

the two hound-beasts commenced to bay, starting with a low, plaintive

note that rose, weird and hideous, to terminate in a series of short,

sharp yelps. I feared that it might be the hunting-call of the pack;

and if this were true, there would be slight chance for either Dian or

her abductor--or myself, either, as far as that was concerned. So I

redoubled my efforts to keep pace with the hunt; but I might as well

have attempted to distance the bird upon the wing; as I have often

reminded you, I am no runner. In that instance it was just as well

that I am not, for my very slowness of foot played into my hands; while

had I been fleeter, I might have lost Dian that time forever.



The lidi, with the hounds running close on either side, had almost

disappeared in the darkness that enveloped the surrounding landscape,

when I noted that it was bearing toward the right. This was accounted

for by the fact that Raja ran upon his left side, and unlike his mate,

kept leaping for the great beast's shoul-der. The man on the lidi's

back was prodding at the hyaenodon with his long spear, but still Raja

kept springing up and snapping.



The effect of this was to turn the lidi toward the right, and the

longer I watched the procedure the more convinced I became that Raja

and his mate were working together with some end in view, for the

she-dog merely galloped steadily at the lidi's right about op-posite

his rump.



I had seen jaloks hunting in packs, and I recalled now what for the

time I had not thought of--the several that ran ahead and turned the

quarry back toward the main body. This was precisely what Raja and his

mate were doing--they were turning the lidi back toward me, or at least

Raja was. Just why the female was keeping out of it I did not

understand, unless it was that she was not entirely clear in her own

mind as to precisely what her mate was attempt-ing.



At any rate, I was sufficiently convinced to stop where I was and await

developments, for I could readily realize two things. One was that I

could never overhaul them before the damage was done if they should

pull the lidi down now. The other thing was that if they did not pull

it down for a few minutes it would have completed its circle and

returned close to where I stood.



And this is just what happened. The lot of them were almost, swallowed

up in the twilight for a moment. Then they reappeared again, but this

time far to the right and circling back in my general direction. I

waited until I could get some clear idea of the right spot to gain that

I might intercept the lidi; but even as I waited I saw the beast

attempt to turn still more to the right--a move that would have carried

him far to my left in a much more circumscribed circle than the

hyaenodons had mapped out for him. Then I saw the female leap forward

and head him; and when he would have gone too far to the left, Raja

sprang, snapping at his shoulder and held him straight.



Straight for me the two savage beasts were driving their quarry! It

was wonderful.



It was something else, too, as I realized while the monstrous beast

neared me. It was like standing in the middle of the tracks in front

of an approaching express-train. But I didn't dare waver; too much

depended upon my meeting that hurtling mass of terrified flesh with a

well-placed javelin. So I stood there, wait-ing to be run down and

crushed by those gigantic feet, but determined to drive home my weapon

in the broad breast before I fell.



The lidi was only about a hundred yards from me when Raja gave a few

barks in a tone that differed materially from his hunting-cry.

Instantly both he and his mate leaped for the long neck of the ruminant.



Neither missed. Swinging in mid-air, they hung tenaciously, their

weight dragging down the creature's head and so retarding its speed

that before it had reached me it was almost stopped and devoting all

its energies to attempting to scrape off its attackers with its

forefeet.



Dian had seen and recognized me, and was trying to extricate herself

from the grasp of her captor, who, handicapped by his strong and agile

prisoner, was un-able to wield his lance effectively upon the two

jaloks. At the same time I was running swiftly toward them.



When the man discovered me he released his hold upon Dian and sprang to

the ground, ready with his lance to meet me. My javelin was no match

for his longer weapon, which was used more for stabbing than as a

missile. Should I miss him at my first cast, as was quite probable,

since he was prepared for me, I would have to face his formidable lance

with nothing more than a stone knife. The outlook was scarcely

entrancing. Evidently I was soon to be absolutely at his mercy.



Seeing my predicament, he ran toward me to get rid of one antagonist

before he had to deal with the other two. He could not guess, of

course, that the two jaloks were hunting with me; but he doubtless

thought that after they had finished the lidi they would make after the

human prey--the beasts are notorious killers, often slaying wantonly.



But as the Thurian came Raja loosened his hold upon the lidi and dashed

for him, with the female close after. When the man saw them he yelled

to me to help him, protesting that we should both be killed if we did

not fight together. But I only laughed at him and ran toward Dian.



Both the fierce beasts were upon the Thurian simul-taneously--he must

have died almost before his body tumbled to the ground. Then the

female wheeled to-ward Dian. I was standing by her side as the thing

charged her, my javelin ready to receive her.



But again Raja was too quick for me. I imagined he thought she was

making for me, for he couldn't have known anything of my relations

toward Dian. At any rate he leaped full upon her back and dragged her

down. There ensued forthwith as terrible a battle as one would wish to

see if battles were gaged by volume of noise and riotousness of action.

I thought that both the beasts would be torn to shreds.



When finally the female ceased to struggle and rolled over on her back,

her forepaws limply folded, I was sure that she was dead. Raja stood

over her, growling, his jaws close to her throat. Then I saw that

neither of them bore a scratch. The male had simply administered a

severe drubbing to his mate. It was his way of teaching her that I was

sacred.



After a moment he moved away and let her rise, when she set about

smoothing down her rumpled coat, while he came stalking toward Dian and

me. I had an arm about Dian now. As Raja came close I caught him by

the neck and pulled him up to me. There I stroked him and talked to

him, bidding Dian do the same, until I think he pretty well understood

that if I was his friend, so was Dian.



For a long time he was inclined to be shy of her, often baring his

teeth at her approach, and it was a much longer time before the female

made friends with us. But by careful kindness, by never eating without

sharing our meat with them, and by feeding them from our hands, we

finally won the confidence of both animals. However, that was a long

time after.



With the two beasts trotting after us, we returned to where we had left

Juag. Here I had the dickens' own time keeping the female from Juag's

throat. Of all the venomous, wicked, cruel-hearted beasts on two

worlds, I think a female hyaenodon takes the palm.



But eventually she tolerated Juag as she had Dian and me, and the five

of us set out toward the coast, for Juag had just completed his labors

on the thag when we arrived. We ate some of the meat before starting,

and gave the hounds some. All that we could we carried upon our backs.



On the way to the canoe we met with no mishaps. Dian told me that the

fellow who had stolen her had come upon her from behind while the

roaring of the thag had drowned all other noises, and that the first

she had known he had disarmed her and thrown her to the back of his

lidi, which had been lying down close by waiting for him. By the time

the thag had ceased bellowing the fellow had got well away upon his

swift mount. By holding one palm over her mouth he had prevented her

calling for help.



"I thought," she concluded, "that I should have to use the viper's

tooth, after all."



We reached the beach at last and unearthed the canoe. Then we busied

ourselves stepping a mast and rigging a small sail--Juag and I, that

is--while Dian cut the thag meat into long strips for drying when we

should be out in the sunlight once more.



At last all was done. We were ready to embark. I had no difficulty in

getting Raja aboard the dugout; but Ranee--as we christened her after I

had explained to Dian the meaning of Raja and its feminine

equivalent--positively refused for a time to follow her mate aboard.

In fact, we had to shove off without her. After a moment, however, she

plunged into the water and swam after us.



I let her come alongside, and then Juag and I pulled her in, she

snapping and snarling at us as we did so; but, strange to relate, she

didn't offer to attack us after we had ensconced her safely in the

bottom alongside Raja.



The canoe behaved much better under sail than I had hoped--infinitely

better than the battle-ship Sari had--and we made good progress almost

due west across the gulf, upon the opposite side of which I hoped to

find the mouth of the river of which Juag had told me.



The islander was much interested and impressed by the sail and its

results. He had not been able to under-stand exactly what I hoped to

accomplish with it while we were fitting up the boat; but when he saw

the clumsy dugout move steadily through the water with-out paddles, he

was as delighted as a child. We made splendid headway on the trip,

coming into sight of land at last.



Juag had been terror-stricken when he had learned that I intended

crossing the ocean, and when we passed out of sight of land he was in a

blue funk. He said that he had never heard of such a thing before in

his life, and that always he had understood that those who ventured far

from land never returned; for how could they find their way when they

could see no land to steer for?



I tried to explain the compass to him; and though he never really

grasped the scientific explanation of it, yet he did learn to steer by

it quite as well as I. We passed several islands on the

journey--islands which Juag told me were entirely unknown to his own

island folk. Indeed, our eyes may have been the first ever to rest

upon them. I should have liked to stop off and explore them, but the

business of empire would brook no unnecessary delays.



I asked Juag how Hooja expected to reach the mouth of the river which

we were in search of if he didn't cross the gulf, and the islander

explained that Hooja would undoubtedly follow the coast around. For

some time we sailed up the coast searching for the river, and at last

we found it. So great was it that I thought it must be a mighty gulf

until the mass of driftwood that came out upon the first ebb tide

convinced me that it was the mouth of a river. There were the trunks

of trees uprooted by the undermining of the river banks, giant

creepers, flowers, grasses, and now and then the body of some land

animal or bird.



I was all excitement to commence our upward jour-ney when there

occurred that which I had never before seen within Pellucidar--a really

terrific wind-storm. It blew down the river upon us with a ferocity

and suddenness that took our breaths away, and before we could get a

chance to make the shore it became too late. The best that we could do

was to hold the scud-ding craft before the wind and race along in a

smother of white spume. Juag was terrified. If Dian was, she hid it;

for was she not the daughter of a once great chief, the sister of a

king, and the mate of an emperor?



Raja and Ranee were frightened. The former crawled close to my side

and buried his nose against me. Finally even fierce Ranee was moved to

seek sympathy from a human being. She slunk to Dian, pressing close

against her and whimpering, while Dian stroked her shaggy neck and

talked to her as I talked to Raja.



There was nothing for us to do but try to keep the canoe right side up

and straight before the wind. For what seemed an eternity the tempest

neither increased nor abated. I judged that we must have blown a

hun-dred miles before the wind and straight out into an unknown sea!



As suddenly as the wind rose it died again, and when it died it veered

to blow at right angles to its former course in a gentle breeze. I

asked Juag then what our course was, for he had had the compass last.

It had been on a leather thong about his neck. When he felt for it,

the expression that came into his eyes told me as plainly as words what

had happened--the compass was lost! The compass was lost!



And we were out of sight of land without a single celestial body to

guide us! Even the pendent world was not visible from our position!



Our plight seemed hopeless to me, but I dared not let Dian and Juag

guess how utterly dismayed I was; though, as I soon discovered, there

was nothing to be gained by trying to keep the worst from Juag--he knew

it quite as well as I. He had always known, from the legends of his

people, the dangers of the open sea beyond the sight of land. The

compass, since he had learned its uses from me, had been all that he

had to buoy his hope of eventual salvation from the watery deep. He

had seen how it had guided me across the water to the very coast that I

desired to reach, and so he had implicit confidence in it. Now that it

was gone, his confidence had departed, also.



There seemed but one thing to do; that was to keep on sailing straight

before the wind--since we could travel most rapidly along that

course--until we sighted land of some description. If it chanced to be

the mainland, well and good; if an island--well, we might live upon an

island. We certainly could not live long in this little boat, with

only a few strips of dried thag and a few quarts of water left.



Quite suddenly a thought occurred to me. I was surprised that it had

not come before as a solution to our problem. I turned toward Juag.



"You Pellucidarians are endowed with a wonderful instinct," I reminded

him, "an instinct that points the way straight to your homes, no matter

in what strange land you may find yourself. Now all we have to do is

let Dian guide us toward Amoz, and we shall come in a short time to the

same coast whence we just were blown."



As I spoke I looked at them with a smile of renewed hope; but there was

no answering smile in their eyes. It was Dian who enlightened me.



"We could do all this upon land," she said. "But upon the water that

power is denied us. I do not know why; but I have always heard that

this is true--that only upon the water may a Pellucidarian be lost.

This is, I think, why we all fear the great ocean so--even those who go

upon its surface in canoes. Juag has told us that they never go beyond

the sight of land."



We had lowered the sail after the blow while we were discussing the

best course to pursue. Our little craft had been drifting idly, rising

and falling with the great waves that were now diminishing. Sometimes

we were upon the crest--again in the hollow. As Dian ceased speaking

she let her eyes range across the limitless expanse of billowing

waters. We rose to a great height upon the crest of a mighty wave. As

we topped it Dian gave an exclamation and pointed astern.



"Boats!" she cried. "Boats! Many, many boats!"



Juag and I leaped to our feet; but our little craft had now dropped to

the trough, and we could see nothing but walls of water close upon

either hand. We waited for the next wave to lift us, and when it did

we strained our eyes in the direction that Dian had indicated. Sure

enough, scarce half a mile away were several boats, and scattered far

and wide behind us as far as we could see were many others! We could

not make them out in the distance or in the brief glimpse that we

caught of them before we were plunged again into the next wave canon;

but they were boats.



And in them must be human beings like ourselves.