Pellucidar

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

  CHAPTER XI

  ESCAPE

  Dian glanced downward and shuddered. Her tribe were hill people--theywere not accustomed to swimming other than in quiet rivers and placidlakelets. It was not the steep that appalled her. It was theocean--vast, mysterious, terrible.

  To dive into it from this great height was beyond her. I couldn'twonder, either. To have attempted it myself seemed too preposterouseven for thought. Only one consideration could have prompted me toleap headforemost from that giddy height--suicide; or at least so Ithought at the moment.

  "Quick!" I urged Dian. "You cannot dive; but I can hold them until youreach safety."

  "And you?" she asked once more. "Can you dive when they come tooclose? Otherwise you could not escape if you waited here until Ireached the bottom."

  I saw that she would not leave me unless she thought that I could makethat frightful dive as we had seen Juag make it. I glanced oncedownward; then with a mental shrug I assured her that I would dive themoment that she reached the boat. Satisfied, she began the descentcarefully, yet swiftly. I watched her for a moment, my heart in mymouth lest some slight mis-step or the slipping of a finger-hold shouldpitch her to a frightful death upon the rocks below.

  Then I turned toward the advancing Hoojans--"Hoosiers," Perry dubbedthem--even going so far as to christen this island where Hooja heldsway Indiana; it is so marked now upon our maps. They were coming onat a great rate. I raised my revolver, took deliberate aim at theforemost warrior, and pulled the trigger. With the bark of the gun thefellow lunged forward. His head doubled beneath him. He rolled overand over two or three times before he came to a stop, to lie veryquietly in the thick grass among the brilliant wild flowers.

  Those behind him halted. One of them hurled a javelin toward me, butit fell short--they were just beyond javelin-range. There were twoarmed with bows and arrows; these I kept my eyes on. All of themappeared awe-struck and frightened by the sound and effect of thefirearm. They kept looking from the corpse to me and jabbering amongthemselves.

  I took advantage of the lull in hostilities to throw a quick glanceover the edge toward Dian. She was half-way down the cliff andprogressing finely. Then I turned back toward the enemy. One of thebowmen was fitting an arrow to his bow. I raised my hand.

  "Stop!" I cried. "Whoever shoots at me or advances toward me I shallkill as I killed him!"

  I pointed at the dead man. The fellow lowered his bow. Again therewas animated discussion. I could see that those who were not armedwith bows were urging something upon the two who were.

  At last the majority appeared to prevail, for simu-taneously the twoarchers raised their weapons. At the same instant I fired at one ofthem, dropping him in his tracks. The other, however, launched hismissile, but the report of my gun had given him such a start that thearrow flew wild above my head. A second after and he, too, wassprawled upon the sward with a round hole between his eyes. It hadbeen a rather good shot.

  I glanced over the edge again. Dian was almost at the bottom. I couldsee Juag standing just beneath her with his hands upstretched to assisther.

  A sullen roar from the warriors recalled my attention toward them.They stood shaking their fists at me and yelling insults. From thedirection of the village I saw a single warrior coming to join them.He was a huge fellow, and when he strode among them I could tell by hisbearing and their deference toward him that he was a chieftain. Helistened to all they had to tell of the happenings of the last fewminutes; then with a command and a roar he started for me with thewhole pack at his heels. All they had needed had arrived--namely, abrave leader.

  I had two unfired cartridges in the chambers of my gun. I let the bigwarrior have one of them, thinking that his death would stop them all.But I guess they were worked up to such a frenzy of rage by this timethat nothing would have stopped them. At any rate, they only yelledthe louder as he fell and increased their speed toward me. I droppedanother with my remaining cartridge.

  Then they were upon me--or almost. I thought of my promise toDian--the awful abyss was behind me--a big devil with a huge bludgeonin front of me. I grasped my six-shooter by the barrel and hurled itsquarely in his face with all my strength.

  Then, without waiting to learn the effect of my throw, I wheeled, ranthe few steps to the edge, and leaped as far out over that frightfulchasm as I could. I know something of diving, and all that I know Iput into that dive, which I was positive would be my last.

  For a couple of hundred feet I fell in horizontal position. Themomentum I gained was terrific. I could feel the air almost as a solidbody, so swiftly I hurtled through it. Then my position graduallychanged to the vertical, and with hands outstretched I slipped throughthe air, cleaving it like a flying arrow. Just before I struck thewater a perfect shower of javelins fell all about. My enemies hadrushed to the brink and hurled their weapons after me. By a miracle Iwas untouched.

  In the final instant I saw that I had cleared the rocks and was goingto strike the water fairly. Then I was in and plumbing the depths. Isuppose I didn't really go very far down, but it seemed to me that Ishould never stop. When at last I dared curve my hands upward anddivert my progress toward the surface, I thought that I should explodefor air before I ever saw the sun again except through a swirl ofwater. But at last my head popped above the waves, and I filled mylungs with air.

  Before me was the boat, from which Juag and Dian were clambering. Icouldn't understand why they were deserting it now, when we were aboutto set out for the mainland in it; but when I reached its side Iunderstood. Two heavy javelins, missing Dian and Juag by but a hair'sbreadth, had sunk deep into the bottom of the dugout in a straight linewith the grain of the wood, and split her almost in two from stem tostern. She was useless.

  Juag was leaning over a near-by rock, his hand out-stretched to aid mein clambering to his side; nor did I lose any time in availing myselfof his proffered assistance. An occasional javelin was still droppingperilously close to us, so we hastened to draw as close as possible tothe cliffside, where we were comparatively safe from the missiles.

  Here we held a brief conference, in which it was decided that our onlyhope now lay in making for the opposite end of the island as quickly aswe could, and utilizing the boat that I had hidden there, to continueour journey to the mainland.

  Gathering up three of the least damaged javelins that had fallen aboutus, we set out upon our journey, keeping well toward the south side ofthe island, which Juag said was less frequented by the Hoojans than thecentral portion where the river ran. I think that this ruse must havethrown our pursuers off our track, since we saw nothing of them norheard any sound of pursuit during the greater portion of our march thelength of the island.

  But the way Juag had chosen was rough and round-about, so that weconsumed one or two more marches in covering the distance than if wehad followed the river. This it was which proved our undoing.

  Those who sought us must have sent a party up the river immediatelyafter we escaped; for when we came at last onto the river-trail not farfrom our destination, there can be no doubt but that we were seen byHoojans who were just ahead of us on the stream. The result was thatas we were passing through a clump of bush a score of warriors leapedout upon us, and before we could scarce strike a blow in defense, haddisarmed and bound us.

  For a time thereafter I seemed to be entirely bereft of hope. I couldsee no ray of promise in the future--only immediate death for Juag andme, which didn't concern me much in the face of what lay in store forDian.

  Poor child! What an awful life she had led! From the moment that I hadfirst seen her chained in the slave caravan of the Mahars until now, aprisoner of a no less cruel creature, I could recall but a few briefintervals of peace and quiet in her tempestuous existence. Before Ihad known her, Jubal the Ugly One had pursued her across a savage worldto make her his mate. She had eluded him, and finally I had slain him;but terror and privations, and exposure to fierce beasts had hauntedher footste
ps during all her lonely flight from him. And when I hadreturned to the outer world the old trials had recommenced with Hoojain Jubal's role. I could almost have wished for death to vouchsafe herthat peace which fate seemed to deny her in this life.

  I spoke to her on the subject, suggesting that we expire together.

  "Do not fear, David," she replied. "I shall end my life before everHooja can harm me; but first I shall see that Hooja dies."

  She drew from her breast a little leathern thong, to the end of whichwas fastened a tiny pouch.

  "What have you there?" I asked.

  "Do you recall that time you stepped upon the thing you call viper inyour world?" she asked.

  I nodded.

  "The accident gave you the idea for the poisoned arrows with which wefitted the warriors of the empire," she continued. "And, too, it gaveme an idea. For a long time I have carried a viper's fang in my bosom.It has given me strength to endure many dangers, for it has alwaysassured me immunity from the ultimate insult. I am not ready to dieyet. First let Hooja embrace the viper's fang."

  So we did not die together, and I am glad now that we did not. It isalways a foolish thing to contemplate suicide; for no matter how darkthe future may appear today, tomorrow may hold for us that which willalter our whole life in an instant, revealing to us nothing butsunshine and happiness. So, for my part, I shall always wait fortomorrow.

  In Pellucidar, where it is always today, the wait may not be so long,and so it proved for us. As we were passing a lofty, flat-topped hillthrough a park-like wood a perfect network of fiber ropes fell suddenlyabout our guard, enmeshing them. A moment later a horde of ourfriends, the hairy gorilla-men, with the mild eyes and long faces ofsheep leaped among them.

  It was a very interesting fight. I was sorry that my bonds preventedme from taking part in it, but I urged on the brutemen with my voice,and cheered old Gr-gr-gr, their chief, each time that his mighty jawscrunched out the life of a Hoojan. When the battle was over we foundthat a few of our captors had escaped, but the majority of them laydead about us. The gorilla-men paid no further attention to them.Gr-gr-gr turned to me.

  "Gr-gr-gr and all his people are your friends," he said. "One saw thewarriors of the Sly One and followed them. He saw them capture you,and then he flew to the village as fast as he could go and told me allthat he had seen. The rest you know. You did much for Gr-gr-gr andGr-gr-gr's people. We shall always do much for you."

  I thanked him; and when I had told him of our escape and ourdestination, he insisted on accompanying us to the sea with a greatnumber of his fierce males. Nor were we at all loath to accept hisescort. We found the canoe where I had hidden it, and bidding Gr-gr-grand his warriors farewell, the three of us embarked for the mainland.

  I questioned Juag upon the feasibility of attempting to cross to themouth of the great river of which he had told me, and up which he saidwe might paddle almost to Sari; but he urged me not to attempt it,since we had but a single paddle and no water or food. I had to admitthe wisdom of his advice, but the desire to explore this great waterwaywas strong upon me, arousing in me at last a determination to make theattempt after first gaining the mainland and rectifying ourdeficiencies.

  We landed several miles north of Thuria in a little cove that seemed tooffer protection from the heavier seas which sometimes run, even uponthese usually pacific oceans of Pellucidar. Here I outlined to Dianand Juag the plans I had in mind. They were to fit the canoe with asmall sail, the purposes of which I had to explain to them both--sinceneither had ever seen or heard of such a contrivance before. Then theywere to hunt for food which we could transport with us, and prepare areceptacle for water.

  These two latter items were more in Juag's line, but he kept mutteringabout the sail and the wind for a long time. I could see that he wasnot even half convinced that any such ridiculous contraption could makea canoe move through the water.

  We hunted near the coast for a while, but were not rewarded with anyparticular luck. Finally we decided to hide the canoe and strikeinland in search of game. At Juag's suggestion we dug a hole in thesand at the upper edge of the beach and buried the craft, smoothing thesurface over nicely and throwing aside the excess material we hadexcavated. Then we set out away from the sea. Traveling in Thuria isless arduous than under the midday sun which perpetually glares down onthe rest of Pellucidar's surface; but it has its draw-backs, one ofwhich is the depressing influence exerted by the everlasting shade ofthe Land of Awful Shadow.

  The farther inland we went the darker it became, until we were movingat last through an endless twilight. The vegetation here was sparseand of a weird, colorless nature, though what did grow was wondrous inshape and form. Often we saw huge lidi, or beasts of burden, stridingacross the dim landscape, browsing upon the grotesque vegetation ordrinking from the slow and sullen rivers that run down from the LidiPlains to empty into the sea in Thuria.

  What we sought was either a thag--a sort of gigantic elk--or one of thelarger species of antelope, the flesh of either of which dries nicelyin the sun. The bladder of the thag would make a fine water-bottle,and its skin, I figured, would be a good sail. We traveled aconsiderable distance inland, entirely crossing the Land of AwfulShadow and emerging at last upon that portion of the Lidi Plains whichlies in the pleasant sunlight. Above us the pendent world revolvedupon its axis, filling me especially--and Dian to an almost equalstate--with wonder and insatiable curiosity as to what strange forms oflife existed among the hills and valleys and along the seas and rivers,which we could plainly see.

  Before us stretched the horizonless expanses of vast Pellucidar, theLidi Plains rolling up about us, while hanging high in the heavens tothe northwest of us I thought I discerned the many towers which markedthe entrances to the distant Mahar city, whose inhabitants preyed uponthe Thurians.

  Juag suggested that we travel to the northeast, where, he said, uponthe verge of the plain we would find a wooded country in which gameshould be plentiful. Acting upon his advice, we came at last to aforest-jungle, through which wound innumerable game-paths. In thedepths of this forbidding wood we came upon the fresh spoor of thag.

  Shortly after, by careful stalking, we came within javelin-range of asmall herd. Selecting a great bull, Juag and I hurled our weaponssimultaneously, Dian reserving hers for an emergency. The beaststaggered to his feet, bellowing. The rest of the herd was up and awayin an instant, only the wounded bull remaining, with lowered head androving eyes searching for the foe.

  Then Juag exposed himself to the view of the bull--it is a part of thetactics of the hunt--while I stepped to one side behind a bush. Themoment that the savage beast saw Juag he charged him. Juag ranstraight away, that the bull might be lured past my hiding-place. Onhe came--tons of mighty bestial strength and rage.

  Dian had slipped behind me. She, too, could fight a thag shouldemergency require. Ah, such a girl! A rightful empress of a stone ageby every standard which two worlds might bring to measure her!

  Crashing down toward us came the bull thag, bellowing and snorting,with the power of a hundred outer-earthly bulls. When he was oppositeme I sprang for the heavy mane that covered his huge neck. To tanglemy fingers in it was the work of but an instant. Then I was runningalong at the beast's shoulder.

  Now, the theory upon which this hunting custom is based is one long agodiscovered by experience, and that is that a thag cannot be turned fromhis charge once he has started toward the object of his wrath, so longas he can still see the thing he charges. He evidently believes thatthe man clinging to his mane is attempting to restrain him fromovertaking his prey, and so he pays no attention to this enemy, who, ofcourse, does not retard the mighty charge in the least.

  Once in the gait of the plunging bull, it was but a slight matter tovault to his back, as cavalrymen mount their chargers upon the run.Juag was still running in plain sight ahead of the bull. His speed wasbut a trifle less than that of the monster that pursued him. ThesePellucidarians are almos
t as fleet as deer; because I am not is onereason that I am always chosen for the close-in work of the thag-hunt.I could not keep in front of a charging thag long enough to give thekiller time to do his work. I learned that the first--and last--time Itried it.

  Once astride the bull's neck, I drew my long stone knife and, settingthe point carefully over the brute's spine, drove it home with bothhands. At the same instant I leaped clear of the stumbling animal.Now, no vertebrate can progress far with a knife through his spine, andthe thag is no exception to the rule.

  The fellow was down instantly. As he wallowed Juag returned, and thetwo of us leaped in when an opening afforded the opportunity andsnatched our javelins from his side. Then we danced about him, morelike two savages than anything else, until we got the opening we werelooking for, when simultaneously, our javelins pierced his wild heart,stilling it forever.

  The thag had covered considerable ground from the point at which I hadleaped upon him. When, after despatching him, I looked back for Dian,I could see nothing of her. I called aloud, but receiving no reply,set out at a brisk trot to where I had left her. I had no difficultyin finding the self-same bush behind which we had hidden, but Dian wasnot there. Again and again I called, to be rewarded only by silence.Where could she be? What could have become of her in the brief intervalsince I had seen her standing just behind me?