The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-02-19
CRAPTTR THIRTY ONE

AIOW, Sa1d 6JellaIas We can
IN go no further: nor indeed
could they, for east and west and
north stretched a great, sullen sea
and along the shore line at their
feet great ice cakes rose and fell
with sullen roafs and loud reports
as the sea ground the churning
macs.
FOR g. long time David Times,
emperor Of Pellucidar, stood star
ing ou4 across that vast and DESC
late waste Of water.
What lies beyond?" he muir
INJURED TO himself, and then, shak-
ing his head, he turned away.
Come" he said, '1et us strike back
for Sari."
His companions received IDS
words With shouts Of Joy. Smiles
replaced the half-troubled express
sions that had marked their drawn
faces since the moment that they
had discovered that their beloved
MONDAY sun was being left behind
them.
With light stops, with laughter
and Soldng, they faced the long,
arduous journey that lay ahead Of
them.
During the second march, after
they had turned back from the
northern sea, Gura discovered a
strange object TO the left Of their
line Of march.
ct looks as though 1t might be
some queer sort Of native hut" she
said.
I'VE shall have to investigate II"
said David, and the five made their
way to the side OF the strange OBJ
iect.
1t was a large, heavy, wicker bas-
ket that lay inverted upon the bar
rem ground. All about it were the
rotted remnants Of cordage.
At David's suggestion, the men
turned the basket over upon its side.
Beneath they found wel-preserved
remnants of oiled silk and net
work Of fine cord.
what is it?" asked Stellara.
ut is the basket and all that re-
mains Of the gas bag Of a balloon"
said David.
what is a balloon" asked the
girl, "and how did 1t get here?"
III
'T CAN explain what balloon Is"
4 said David; @but If were posi-
tive that I was correct in my con-
lecture as to how it came here, /
would hold the answer to a thou
sand questions that have puzzled the
men Of the outer crust for ages"
For a long time he stood silently
contemplating the weather-worn
basket. His mind submerged in
thought was cblivious to all else.
IF 1 only knew" he unused. %If
only knew, and yet how else could
it have come here? What else could
that red disc upon the horizon of
the sea have been other than the
midnight sun Of the Arctic
regions?"
What in the world are you talk
ing about?'' demanded Gura.
THE poor devils" unused David,
apparently oblivous of the girls
presence. '"They made a greater
discovery than they could have
hoped for in their widest dreams.
wonder If they lived to realize it,"
Slowly he removed his fur capsand
stood facing the basket with bowed
head, and for some unaccountatle
reason, which they could not ex-
plain, his companions barred their
heads. and followed his example.
And after they had resumed their
Journey it was a long time before
David Times could shake off the eff
fects Of that desolate reminder of
one of the worlds most pathetic
tragedies.
So anxious were the members Of
the party to reach the cheering
warmth Of their beloved Pellucidar
that they pressed on toward the
south with the briefest Of rests; nor
we're they wholly content until once
more their shadows lay directly be-
meath them.
Carl lying slightly east of south,
- their return from the north took
them over different route from
that which they had followed up
from Korsar. OF course the Pellu-
cidarians did not know these points
of compass as north or south, and
even David Innes carried them in
his mind more in accordance with
the Pellucidarian scheme than that
with which he had been familiar
upon the outer crust.
Naturally, with the sun always at
zenith and with no stars and no
moon and no planets, the Pellu-
cidarians have been compelled to
evolve a different system of indicat-
ing direction than that with which
we are familiar.
BY instinct they know the direc-
ton in which their own country
lies and each Pellucidarian reckons
III