The Indianapolis times., 1931-02-05
OF PELLUCIDAR
By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS Aaa4s 4sae4 5 za 2E APES

- - - - - ~ H.
beast crouched and Tanar knew that
it was about to charge.
TTNARMED and single-handed as
~ he was, the man seemed easy
prey for the carnivore; nor TO right
nor to left was there any avenue
Of escape. All these things passed
swiftly through the mind of the
Sarian, yet never did they obliter-
ate the memory Of the two figures
in the canoe far out at sea behind
him; of the cliff overhanging the
waters of the cove beneath.
And then the tarag charged.
A hideous scream broke from the
savage throat as the great beast
hurled itself forward with light
ning-like rapidity. Two great bounds
it took, and in mid-spring of the
second, Tanar turned and dove head
foremost over the edge of the cliff,
for the only alternative that re-
mained to him was death beneath
the rending fangs and talons OF
the saber-tooth.
For all he knew, jagged rocks
might lie just beneath the surface
of the water, but there was one
chance that the water was deep,
while no chance for life remained
to him upon the cliff top. The mo-
mentum of the great cats spring,
unchecked by .the body Of his ex-
pected prey, carried him over the
edge of the cliff also, so that man
and beast hurtled downward almost
side by side to the water far below.
Tanar cut the water cleanly with
extended hands and turning quickly
upwards came to the surface scarce
ly a yard from where the great cat
had alighted. The two faced one
another and, at sight of the man,
the tarag burst again into hideous
screams and struck out swiftly to-
ward him.
Tanar knew that he might out
distance the tarag in the water, but
at the moment that they reached
the beach he would be at the mercy
of the great carnivore. The snarl-
ing face was close to his; the great
talons were reaching for him as
Tanar of Pellucidar dived beneath
the beast.
A FEW swift strokes brought him
L n up directly behind the cat and
an instant later he had reached out
and seized the furry hide. The
tarag turned swiftly to strike at
him, but already the man was upon
his shoulders and his weight was
carrying the snarling face below the
surface.
Choking, struggling, the maddened
animal sought to reach the soft
flesh of the man with his raking
talons, but in the liquid element
that filled the sea its usual methods
of offense and defense were worth
less. Quickly realizing that death
was unavoidable unless it Immediate
" could overcome his handicap, the
tarag now strained its every muscle
to reach the solid footing of the
land, while Tanar on his part
sought to prevent it.
Now his finger crept from their
hold upon the furry shoulders down
to the white-furred throat and like
claws of steel they sank into the
straining muscles.
No longer did the beast attempt
to scream and the man, for his part,
fought in silence. It was a grim
duel; a terrible duel. Deep into the
gloomy cavern beneath the cliff, the
tarag battled for the tiny strip of
breath at the far end and grinly the
man fought to hold it back and
force its head beneath the water.
He felt the efforts of the beast
weakening and yet they were very
close to the beach. At any instant
the great claws might strike bot
tom and Tanar knew that there was
still left within that giant carcass
enough vitality to rend him to
shreds if ever the starag got four
feet on solid ground and his head
above the water.
With a last supreme effort he
frightened his fingers upon the
throat of the tarag and sliding from
its back sought to drag it from its
course, and the animal, upon its
part, made one, last supreme effort
for life. 1t reared up in the water
and wheeling about struck at the
man.
The raking talons grazed his
flesh, and then he was back upon
the giant shoulders forcing the head
once more beneath the surface of
the sea. He felt a spasm pass
through the great frame of the
beast beneath him; the muscles re-
laxed and the tarag floated limp.
A moment later Tanard dragged
himself to the pebbly beach, where
he lay painting from exhaustion.
y
ID ECOVERED, nor did it take him
IN long to recover, so urgent were
the demands of the pursuit upon
which he was engaged-Tanar rose
and looked about him. Before him
were canoes, such as he never had