[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
upon him shortly, that was plain.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
One of them was rapidly overhauling him, his back-thrown spear-arm
testifying to his purpose.
And then, quite with the suddenness of an unex-pected blow, I
realized
a past familiarity with the gait and carriage of the fugitive.
Simultaneously there swept over me the staggering fact that the
old man was--PERRY! That he was about to die before my very eyes
with no hope that I could reach him in time to avert the awful
catastrophe--for to me it meant a real catastrophe!
Perry was my best friend.
Dian, of course, I looked upon as more than friend. She was my
mate--a part of me.
I had entirely forgotten the rifle in my hand and the revolvers at
my belt; one does not readily syn-chronize his thoughts with the
stone age and the twentieth century simultaneously.
Now from past habit I still thought in the stone age, and in my
thoughts of the stone age there were no thoughts of firearms.
The fellow was almost upon Perry when the feel of the gun in my hand
awoke me from the lethargy of terror that had gripped me. From
behind
my boulder I threw up the heavy express rifle--a mighty engine of
destruction that might bring down a cave bear or a mammoth at a
single shot--and let drive at the Sagoth's broad, hairy breast.
At the sound of the shot he stopped stock-still. His spear dropped
from his hand.
Then he lunged forward upon his face.
The effect upon the others was little less remarkable. Perry
alone could have possibly guessed the meaning of the loud report
or explained its connection with the sudden collapse of the Sagoth.
The other gorilla-men halted for but an instant. Then with renewed
shrieks of rage they sprang forward to finish Perry.
At the same time I stepped from behind my boul-der, drawing one of
my revolvers that I might conserve the more precious ammunition of
the express rifle. Quickly I fired again with the lesser weapon.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Then it was that all eyes were directed toward me. Another Sagoth
fell to the bullet from the revolver; but it did not stop his
companions. They were out for revenge as well as blood now, and
they meant to have both.
As I ran forward toward Perry I fired four more shots, dropping
three of our antagonists. Then at last the remaining seven wavered.
It was too much for them, this roaring death that leaped, invisible,
upon them from a great distance.
As they hesitated I reached Perry's side. I have never seen such
an expression upon any man's face as that upon Perry's when he
recognized me. I have no words wherewith to describe it. There
was not time to talk then--scarce for a greeting. I thrust the
full, loaded revolver into his hand, fired the last shot in my own,
and reloaded. There were but six Sagoths left then.
They started toward us once more, though I could see that they were
terrified probably as much by the noise of the guns as by their
effects. They never reached us. Half-way the three that remained
turned and fled, and we let them go.
The last we saw of them they were disappearing into the tangled
undergrowth of the forest. And then Perry turned and threw his
arms about my neck and, burying his old face upon my shoulder, wept
like a child.
CHAPTER II
TRAVELING WITH TERROR
We made camp there beside the peaceful river. There Perry told me
all that had befallen him since I had departed for the outer crust.
It seemed that Hooja had made it appear that I had intentionally
left Dian behind, and that I did not purpose ever returning to
Pellucidar. He told them that I was of another world and that I
had tired of this and of its inhabitants.
To Dian he had explained that I had a mate in the world to which I
was returning; that I had never intended taking Dian the Beautiful
back with me; and that she had seen the last of me.
Shortly afterward Dian had disappeared from the camp, nor had
Perry
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
seen or heard aught of her since.
He had no conception of the time that had elapsed since I had
departed, but guessed that many years had dragged their slow way
into the past.
Hooja, too, had disappeared very soon after Dian had left. The
Sarians, under Ghak the Hairy One, and the Amozites under Dacor
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]