Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-24

il had not looked upon similar landscapes
countless times a sound of shouting broke
from the direction of the woods. That the
harsh. dscordant notes rose from the
throats of men l could not doubt.
I slipped behind a large boulder near the
mouth of the ravine and waited 1 could
hear the crashing of underbrush in the for
est and / guessed that whoever came came
quickly-pursued and pursuers doubtless.
In a short time some hunted animal
would break into view and moment later
score of half-naked savages would come
leaping after with spears or clubs or great
stone knives.
! had seen the thing so many times dur
ing my life within Pellucidar that felt
that l could anticipate to a nicely precisely
what was about to witness I hoped that
the hunters would prove friendly and be
! able to direct me toward Sari.
Even as / was thinking these thoughts
the quarry emerged from the forest. But
it was no terrified four-footed beast In
| stead, what I saw was an old mana ter
| rified old man!
Staggering feebly and hopelessly from
what must have been some very terrible
fate, If one could judge from the Mortified
| expressions he continually cast behind him
toward the wood, he came stumbling on in
| my direction. .
He had covered but a short distance from
| the forest when I beheld the first of his
pursuers--a Sagoth, one of those grim and
| terrible gorilla men who guard the mighty
! Mahars in their buried cities, faring forth
| from time to time upon slave-raiding or
| punitive expeditions against the human race
| of Pellucidar of whom the dominant race
| Of the inner world think as we think of the
bison or the wild sheep Of our own world.
Close behind the foremost Sagoth came
others until a full dozen raced. shouting,
| after the terror-stricken old man. They
would be upon him shortly, that was plain.
One of them was rapidly overhauling
him, his back-thrown spear-arm testifying
to his purpose.
an unexpected blow, I realized past IA
mlliarity with the gait and carriage Of the
fugitive.
simultaneously there swept over mo tho
| staggering fact that the old man was
Perry! That he was about to die before
my very eyes with no hope that could
| reach him in time to avert the awful catas-
| trophe-for to me 1t meant real catas-
| trophe
Perry was my best friend
Dian, Of course, looked upon as moro
than friend. She was my mate-a part Of
me.
had entirely forgotten the rife in my
hand and the revolvers at my belt; one
does not readily synchronize his thoughts
with the stone age and the twentieth GEN.
tury simultaneously
Now from past habit still thought in
the stone age, and in my thoughts of the
stone age there were no thoughts of fire.
arms.
The fellow was almost upon Perry when
the feel of the gun in my hand awoke me
from the lethargy of terror that had grlpped
me- From behind my boulder threw up
the heavy express rife-a mighty engine
of destruction that might bring down a
| cave bear or q mammoth at single shot
and let drive at the Sagoth's broad. hairy
| breast
At the sound of the shot he stopped stock
still His spear dropped from his hand.
Then he lunged forward upon his face.
The effect upon the others was little less
, | remarkable. Perry alone could have pos
|, sibly guessed the meaning of the loud re-
port or explained its connection with the
sudden collapse of the Sagoth. The other
, gorilla men halted for but an instant Then
, with renewed shrieks of rage they sprans
forward to Finish Perry.
At the same time I stepped from behind
my boulder. drawing one of my revolver'
| that / might conserve the more precious
, ammunition of the express rifle. Quickly
: fired again with the lesser weapon.
Then It was that all eyes were directed
, toward me. Another Sagoth fell to the
/ bullet from the revolver; but 1t did mo-
, stop his companions. They were out 70,
revenge as well as blood now, ana tney
meant to have both.
AS / ran forward toward Perry 1 fired
! four more Shots dropping three Of our an
. tagonists. Then at last the remaining sever
Z wayered. 1t was too much for them, thii
) roaring death that leaped. invisible, upoI
them from a great distance.
AS they hesltated reached Perry's side
1 I have never seen such an expression upol
1 any mans face as that upon Perry's whei
v he recognised me. have no words where
!. with TO describe H. There VISA not tim
r TO talk then-scarce for Z ureefipg, y
: thrust the loaded rsvuiver Into ~ h1ne
Z fired ths last shot in ~ eWQ en4 FolQq4eo
There vero but alx G1G1 X4 M q. 4