Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-03
AT THE EARTHS CORE
BY EDGAR RE BURROUGHS AurHoR oIsnRzAG,

sagoth of the detachment that had
pursued and overtaken them.
AT the intelligence my heart spranp
to my throat, for I was sure that the
two were OF those who escaped in the
dark grotto with Hooja the Sly One
and that Dian must be the woman.
Ghak thought 30. too. as did Perry.
rs there naught that we may do Ia
save herg" asked Chalk.
"Naught" he replied
Along the crowded avenue we marched
the guards showing unusual cruelty to.
| ward us, as though we, too, had been
implicated in the murder OF their fellow.
! The occasion was to serve as an object
| lesson to all other slaves Of the danger
| and futility of attempted escape, and
| the fatal consequences of taking the life
| of superior being; and so I imagine
| the Sagoths felt amply justified in maxi
Ing the entire proceeding as uncomfort-
able and painful to us as possible.
They iabbed us with their spears, and
struck at us with their hatchets at the
! least provocation, and at no provocatlon
! at ALL II was a most uncomfortable
| half hour that we spent before we were
| finally herded through a low entrance
into huge building, the centre OF which
| was given up to large arena. Benches
surrounded this open space upon three
sides, and along the fourth were heaped
huge boulders which rose in receding
tiers toward the roof.
At first l couldn't make out the pur-
pose of this mighty pile of rock, unless
1t were intended as a rough and pic
turesque background for the scenes which
were enacted in the arena before Il; but
presently, after the wooden benches had
been pretty well filled by slaves and
Sagoths, l discovered the purpose OF the
boulderS; for then the Mahnrs COM
menced to file into the inclosure.
They marched directly across the arena
toward the rocks upon the opposite side
where, spreading their batike wings, they
rose above the high wall of the pit, set
tling down upon the boulders above.
These were the reserved seats the boxes
of the elect.
Here they lolled, blinking their hIdeous
eyes. and doubtless conversing with one
another in their sixth-sense- fourth -dl-
mension language.
For the first time beheld their queen.
She differed from the others In no
feature that was appreCiable to my earth
ly eyes; in fact, all Mahars look alike
to me; but when she crossed the arena,
after the balance of her female subjects
had found their bouders, she was pre-
ceded by a score of huge Sagoths the
largest l had ever seen, and on either
side Of her waddled a huge thipdar. while
Nt'Ilc tilIOllltI SEOIe VI SdBOll
guardsmen
At the barrier the Sagoths clambered
up the steep side with truly apelke agil-
ity while behind them the naughty queen
rose upon her wings, with her two fright
full dragons close beside her, and settled
down upon the largest boulder of them
all, in the exact centre of that side OF
the amphitheatre which is reserved for
the dominant race.
Here she squatted, most repuslve and
uninteresting queen: though doubtless
quite as well assured of her beauty and
divine right to rule as the proudest
monarch of the outer world
And then the music started-music with
out sound! The Mahars cannot hear. so
the drums and flies and horns of earthly
bands are unknown among them. The
band" consists of n score or more
Mahars. 1t filed out in the centre of
the arena, where the creatures upon the
rocks might see it, and there 1t performed
for 10 or 20 minutes.
Their technique consisted in waving