Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-28
CHAPTER III-(Continued)

COULD see by the expression of the old
i mans face that my words had hurt him;
hut I noticed that he didn't offer to get in
himself. and so felt less oontrition than
might otherwise.
when we cut the ropes and removed tho
blocks that held the Sari in place she started
for the water with a lunge. Before she hit
it she going AZ a reckless speed. for
we had laid our tracks quite down to the
water. CREASED them. and at intervals placed
rollers all ready to receive the ship as she
moved forward with stately dignity. But
there was no dignity in the Sar
When she touched the surface Of the
river she must have been going twenty or
thirty miles an hour. Her momentum car
ried her well out into the stream until she
came to a sudden halt at the end OF the
long line which we had had the foresight
to attach to her bow and fasten to large
tree upon the bank.
The moment her progress was checked
she promptly capsized. Perry was over
whelmed | didn't upbraid him, nor re-
mind him that had told him So"
His grief was so genuine and so appar-
cnt that ! didn't have the heart to reproach
him even were inclined to that particular
sort of meanness.
Come. come. old man" cried. ITS
not as bad as It looks Give me hand
with tnS rope. anu we II uTdg neI up
far as We can. and then when the tide goes
out we'll try another scheme. think we
can make go Of her yet
Well. we managed to get her up into
shallow water When the tide receded she
lay there on her side in the mud. quite a
pitiable object for the premier battleship of
a world-''the terror of the seas" was the
| way Perry had OCCASIONALLY described her.
We had to work fast. but before the
L. haI t~ltx x.Al ~
| her sails and masts. righted her. and filled
| her about a quarter full of rock ballast
| If she didn't stick too fast in the mud I
| was sure that she would float this time right
| side up.
can tell you that ii was with palpitat-
| ing hearts that we sat upon the river bank
| and watched that tide come slowly in The
| tides of Pellucidar don't amount to much by
comparison with our higher tides Of the
! outer world. but ! knew that it ought to
prove ample to float the Sari.
| Nor was I mistaken. Finally we had
| the satisfaction of seeing the vessel rise
out Of the mud and float slowly UP stream
! with the tide. As the water rose we pulled
| her in quite close to the bank and clambered
| aboard.
| She rested safely now upon an even keel
| nor did she leak. for she was well calked
with fiber and tarry pitch We rigged ur
a single short mast and light sail. fastened
| planking down over the ballast to form a
| deck, worked her out into midstream with
a couple of sweeps. and dropped our prim.
| tive stone anchor to await the turn Of the
| tide that would bear us out to sea. '.
| While we waited we devoted the time to
| the construction Of an upper deck. since
the one Immediately above the ballast was
some seven feet from the gunwae. The
| second deck was four feet above this. In
| il was a large. commodous hatch. leading
TO the lower deck. The sides of the ship
rose three feet above the upper deck, form
! ing an excellent breastwork, which we loop
! holed at intervals that we might lie prone
and fire upon an enemy.
! Though we were sailing out upon peace
rul mission i'm search of my friend ia. we
knew that we might meet with people OF
| some other island who would prove un-
friendly
| At last the tide turned We weighed an
| chor Slowly We drifted down the great
| river toward the sea.
About us swarmed the mighty denizens
| of the primeval deep--plesiosauri and ich.
| thyosauri with all their horrid. Shiny
| cousins whose names were as the names
| of aunts and uncles to Perry. but which
| | have never been able to recall an hour
after having heard them.
| At last we were safely launched upon
the journey to which we had looked forward
| for so long, and the results Of which meant
| so much to me-