Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-28
AT THE EARTHS CORE
81 EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS AUTHOR oFTARzAN

when I reached the trees he was racing
madly up 1t, hand over hand.
He had almost reached the lowest
branch OF the tree from which the
creeper depended when the thing parted
beneath his weight and he fell sprawing
at my feet.
The misfortune now was no longer
amusing, for the beast was already too
close to us for comfort. Selling Perry
by the shoulder l dragged him to his
teet, and rushing to a smaller tree-one
that he could easily encircle with his
arms and legs-I boosted him as far up
as l could, and then left him to his fate
lor glance over my shoulder revealed
the awful beast almost upon me
IL was the great size of the thing alone
that saved me. It's enormous bulk rem
dered it too slow upon it's feet to cope
with the agility OF my young muscles
and so | was enabled to dodge out OF its
way and run completely behind it before
IT'S slow wits could direct 1t in pursuit
The few seconds of grace that this
gave me found me safely lodged in the
branches of tree n few PAGES from
that In which Perry had at last found a
haven.
Did l say safely lodged? At the time
thought we were quite safe, and so
did Perry.
He was praying-raising his voice in
Thanksgiving at our deliverance-and had
Just completed n sort of paean of graft
tude that the thing couldn't climb n
tree, when, without warning It reared
up beneath him on its enormous tail and
hind feet, and reached those fcarfully
armed paws quite to the branch upon
which he crouched.
The accompanying roar was all but
drowned in Perry's scream OF fright and
u IL .N-.r
into the gaping jaws beneath him, so
precipitate was his impetuous haste to
vacate the dangerous limb. 1t was with
a deep sigh of relief that / saw him
reach forth and gain higher branch in
safety.
And then the brute did that which froze
us both anew with horror. Grasping the
trees stem with his powerful paws he
dragged down with all the great weight of
his huge bulk and all the irresistible force
of those mighty muscles.
Slowly but surely the stem began to
bend toward him. Inch by inch he worked
his paws upward MS the tree leaned more
and more from the perpendicular Perry
clung chatterlng in n panic of terror
Higher and higher into the bending and
swaying tree he clambered. More and
more rapidly was the treetop inclning
toward the ground.
saw now why the great brute was
armed with such enormous paws. The use
that he was putting them to was pre-
cisely that for which nature had intended
them. The slothlike creature was
herbivorous, and to feed that mighty car
cass entire trees must be stripped oI
their foliage.
The reason Tor IT'S attacking us might
easily he accounted for on the supposi.
| tion of an ugly disposition such as that
which the fierce and stupid rhinocerOs
of Africa possesses.
But these were later reflections Al
the moment ] was too frantic with ap
prehenslon on Perrys behalf to consider
| auGht other than n means to save hin
from the death that loomed so close.
Realizing that I could outdistance the
| clumsy brute in the open, | dropped from
| my leafy sanctuary intent only on dis
tracing the things attention from Perry
| long enough TO enable the old man t
| gain the safety OF a larger tree There
were many close by which not even tn,
terrific strength OF that titanic monste
| could bend.