Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-14
PELLuCIDAR
Sequel to "At the Earth's Core
By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
Author Of Stories

in so short "A time for I could not believe
that | had been gone from Anoroc for a
sufficient period to permit of building "a
fleet of fifty feluccas and mining iron |
ore for the cannon and balls, to say |
nothing of manufacturing these guns and |
the crude muzze loading rifles with which |
every Mezop armed, ,,s well as the gun |
powder and ammunition they had in such
ample quantities.
Time - exclaimed Perry. We'll. how
long were you gone from Anoroc before
we picked you up in the Solar As?"s
That was a puazler, and / had to admit
it, | didn't know how much time had
elapsed and neither did PERI, for time is
nonexistent in Pellucdar.
"Then. you see. lid" he continued.
II had almost unbelie Bile resources at
my disposal The M.s ps inhabting the
Anoroc Islands, which stretch far out to sea
beyond the three principal isles with which
you are familiar, number well into the mil
lions, and by far the greater part of them
are friendly to Ja Men, women and chill
dren turned, to and worked the moment ia
| explained the nature of our enterprise
"And not only were they anxious to do all
| in their power to hasten the day when the
| Mahars should be overthrown. but and
! this counted for plost of all--they are
| simply ravenous for greater knowledge and
| for better ways of doing things.
The contents of the prospector set their
| imagination to working overtime, so that
| they craved to own themselves the knowl-
| edge which had made 1t possible for other
| men to create and build the things which
you brought back from the outer world
| And then" continued the old man. 'the
! element of time, or. rather, lack of time,
| operated to my advantage. There being no
| nights. there was no laying or from work
they labored necessarily stopping only to
eat and, rare occasions, to sleep. Once
we had discovered iron we had enough
mined in incredibly short time to build
| a thousand cannon. | had only to show
them once how thing should be done. and
they would fall to work by thousands to
do it.
why, no sooner had we fashioned the
first mu3zle loader and they had seen it
work successfully, than fully three thousand
Mezops fell to work to make rifles. OF
course there was much confusion and lost
motion at first, but eventually ia got them
in hand detailing squads of them under
competent chiefs to certain work.
I'VE now have n hundred expert gun
makers. on a little isolated isle we have a
great powder factory. Near the iron mine.
which is on the mainland, is a smeter. and
on the eastern shore of Anoroc we'll
equipped shpyard. All these industries
are guarded by forts in which several can
non are mounted and where warriors are
| always on guard.
you would be surprised now. David, at
|
SELF it seems always to me as I compare
it with the day that first set foot upon it
from the deck of the Sari that only a
miracle could have worked the change that
has taken place.
1T is a miracle" | said 1T is nothing
II short of miracle to transplant all the
; wondrous possibilities of the twentieth CEN
tury back to the stone age. 1t is a miracle
to think that only five hundred miles OF
earth separate two epochs that are really
. | ages and ages apart
, 1T is stupendous. Perry. But still more
stupendous is the power that you and
, WELD in this great world. These people
look upon us as little less than supermen
, We must show them that we are all of that
9 I'VE must give them the best that We
have, Perry"
"Yes," he agreed: I'VE must | have
} been thinking a great deal lately that some
e kind of shrapnel shell or explosive boml
would be a most splendid innovation il
e their warfare. Then there are breech-oad
r ing rifles and those with magazines that
' | must hasten to study out and learn tc
e reproduce soon as We get settled dowr
9 again; and"
4 Hold on, Perry I cried. Il didn'
}. mean these sort of things at all. said tina
e must give them the best we have. Wha
we have given them far has been th
d | worst. We have given them war and tn
@ munitions Of war. In a single day we hav
l. ! made their wars Infinitely more terribl
n | and bloody than In all their past ages the.
@ | have been able to make them with thei
4 crude, primitive weapons.
v I'm a period that could scarcely hav
q exceeded two outer earthly hours our flee
q virtually annihiated the largest armad
II Of native canoes that the Pellucidarian
p ever before had gathered together. w
butchered some eight thousand warrior
Il with the twentieth century gifts we brought
n Why they wouldn't have killed that man
I, warriors in the entire duration of doze
Il of their wars with their own weapons NJ
n Perry: we've got to give them somethin
v better than scientific methods Of killing on
a another"
"a The old man looked at me in amazemen
N There was reproach in his eyer, 100.
: 'cWhy David :" he said sorrowfully.
n | thought that you would oe pleased wit
v what | had done. We planned these thing
n together and am sure that 1t was you wh
a suggested virtually all of 1t. l have dor
q | only what / thought you wished done, an
y have done it the best that know how"
:, laid my hand on the old mans shoulde
"Bless your heart, Perry" / erie
q you've accomplished miracles You ha,
done precisely what Il should have don
=, | only vou'ye done II better. I'm not findr
q. fault but don't wish to ross sight mysel
n, | or let YOU lose sight. of the greatest woi
m which must grow out of this prelminaI
and necessary carnage. First we mu
On | nlace the empire upon a secure footing. ar
al we can do so only by putting the fear
aN us in the hearts OF our enemies; but aft
re that
an "Ah. Perry! That Is the day look 70
~ ward to. when you and can build sewiI
machines instead of battleships. harveg1o
he az orops instead Of harvestsrs Of man, ~
~ ~ ~ af1 teteohopee, schQol4 and c41I@