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

men 100 she must, have been i'm
pressed py the wondrous mechanism of the
prospector which had bored it's way from
World 10 world and back again. And that
:. nao peen driven by a rational being
Hiust also have occurred to her
100 she had seen me conversing with
other men upon the earths surface. She
,au seen the arrival of the caravan of
DOCKS and arms and ammunition and the
palance or the heterogeneous collection
which l had crammed into the cabin of the
iron Mole for transportation to Pelucdar.
She had seen all these evidences of
civilization and brain power transcending
in scientific achievement anything her race
had produced; nor once had she seen a
creature Of her own kind.
There could have been but single de-
duction In the mind of the Mahar--there
were other worlds than Pellucidar. and
the gilak was a rational being.
Now the creature at my side was creep
ing slowly toward the nearby sea- At
my hip hung a long-barreled six-shooter-
somehow I had been unable to find the
same sensation of security in the new
tangled automatics that had been perfected
since my first departure from the outer
world-and in my hand was heavy ex-
press rifle.
could have shot the Mahar with ease.
for l knew intuitively that she was escap-
ing-but did not.
felt that IL she could return to her
own kind with the story of her adventures
the position of the human race within
Pellucidar would be advanced immensely
at single stride, for at once man would
take his proper place in the considerations
of the reptilia.
At the edge of the sea the creature
paused and looked back at me. Then she
slid sinuously into the surf.
For several minutes I saw no more Of her
she luxuriated in the cool deDth9.
Then a hundred yards from shore she
rose and there for another short while she
foated upon the surface
Finally she spread her giant wings.
tapped them vigorously score of times
and rose above the blue sea- single
time she circled far aloft-and then straight
as an arrow she sped away.
watched her until the distant haze en-.
veloped her and she had disappeared.
MY frst concern was to discover where
within Pellucidar might be-and in wha
direction lay the land OF the Sarians where
Ghak the Hairy One ruled.
But how was to guess in which direc
ton lay Sari?
And il I set out to search-what then'
Could I find my way back to the pros
pector with its priceless freight Of books
firearms. ammunition. scientific instru
mepts and still more books-its grea
library of reference works upon every con
ceivable branch Of applied sciences?
And II could not, Of what value wa
all this vast storehouse of potential civil
ixation and progress to be to the wori'
of my adoption?
Upon the other hand. II remained her
alone with 1t. what could accomplish
single -handedy
Nothing.
But where there was no east, no west
no north no south. no stars, no moon, an
only a stationary midday sun, how was
10 f,nd my way back to this spot shou
l ever get out of sight Of It?
i didn't know.
For a long time I stood buried In dee
Thought, when It occurred to me to try ou
one of the compasses had brougnt an
ASCERTAIN II II remained steadily nxe
s ,,,pon an unyarying pols. rs-sntsred tn
I n, 1leF e24 {llseSe, Z ssmp2sc x'se23 e