FOR AN INSTANT I STOOD THERE THINKING OF HER, and then, with a
sigh, I tucked the book in the thong that supported my loin cloth,
and turned to leave the apartment. At the bottom of the corridor
which leads aloft from the lower chambers I whistled in accordance
with the prearranged signal which was to announce to Perry and Ghak
that I had been successful. A moment later they stood beside me,
and to my surprise I saw that Hooja the Sly One accompanied them.
"He joined us," explained Perry, "and would not be denied. The
fellow is a fox. He scents escape, and rather than be thwarted of
our chance now I told him that I would bring him to you, and let
you decide whether he might accompany us."
I had no love for Hooja, and no confidence in him. I was sure
that if he thought it would profit him he would betray us; but I
saw no way out of it now, and the fact that I had killed four Mahars
instead of only the three I had expected to, made it possible to
include the fellow in our scheme of escape.
"Very well," I said, "you may come with us, Hooja; but at the first
intimation of treachery I shall run my sword through you. Do you
understand?"
He said that he did.
Some time later we had removed the skins from the four Mahars, and
so succeeded in crawling inside of them ourselves that there seemed
an excellent chance for us to pass unnoticed from Phutra. It was
not an easy thing to fasten the hides together where we had split
them along the belly to remove them from their carcasses, but by
remaining out until the others had all been sewed in with my help,
and then leaving an aperture in the breast of Perry's skin through
which he could pass his hands to sew me up, we were enabled
to accomplish our design to really much better purpose than I had
hoped. We managed to keep the heads erect by passing our swords
up through the necks, and by the same means were enabled to move
them about in a life-like manner. We had our greatest difficulty
with the webbed feet, but even that problem was finally solved,
so that when we moved about we did so quite naturally. Tiny holes
punctured in the baggy throats into which our heads were thrust
permitted us to see well enough to guide our progress.
Thus we started up toward the main floor of the building. Ghak
headed the strange procession, then came Perry, followed by Hooja,
while I brought up the rear, after admonishing Hooja that I had
so arranged my sword that I could thrust it through the head of my
disguise into his vitals were he to show any indication of faltering.
As the noise of hurrying feet warned me that we were entering the
busy corridors of the main level, my heart came up into my mouth.
It is with no sense of shame that I admit that I was frightened--never
before in my life, nor since, did I experience any such agony of
soulsearing fear and suspense as enveloped me. If it be possible
to sweat blood, I sweat it then.
Slowly, after the manner of locomotion habitual to the Mahars, when
they are not using their wings, we crept through throngs of busy
slaves, Sagoths, and Mahars. After what seemed an eternity we
reached the outer door which leads into the main avenue of Phutra.
Many Sagoths loitered near the opening. They glanced at Ghak as
he padded between them. Then Perry passed, and then Hooja. Now it
was my turn, and then in a sudden fit of freezing terror I realized
that the warm blood from my wounded arm was trickling down through
the dead foot of the Mahar skin I wore and leaving its tell-tale
mark upon the pavement, for I saw a Sagoth call a companion's
attention to it.
The guard stepped before me and pointing to my bleeding foot spoke
to me in the sign language which these two races employ as a means
of communication. Even had I known what he was saying I could not
have replied with the dead thing that covered me. I once had seen
a great Mahar freeze a presumptuous Sagoth with a look. It seemed
my only hope, and so I tried it. Stopping in my tracks I moved my
sword so that it made the dead head appear to turn inquiring eyes
upon the gorilla-man. For a long moment I stood perfectly still,
eyeing the fellow with those dead eyes. Then I lowered the head
and started slowly on. For a moment all hung in the balance, but
before I touched him the guard stepped to one side, and I passed
on out into the avenue.
On we went up the broad street, but now we were safe for the very
numbers of our enemies that surrounded us on all sides. Fortunately,
there was a great concourse of Mahars repairing to the shallow lake
which lies a mile or more from the city. They go there to indulge
their amphibian proclivities in diving for small fish, and enjoying
the cool depths of the water. It is a fresh-water lake, shallow,
and free from the larger reptiles which make the use of the great
seas of Pellucidar impossible for any but their own kind.
In the thick of the crowd we passed up the steps and out onto the
plain. For some distance Ghak remained with the stream that was
traveling toward the lake, but finally, at the bottom of a little
gully he halted, and there we remained until all had passed and
we were alone. Then, still in our disguises, we set off directly
away from Phutra.
The heat of the vertical rays of the sun was fast making our
horrible prisons unbearable, so that after passing a low divide,
and entering a sheltering forest, we finally discarded the Mahar
skins that had brought us thus far in safety.
I shall not weary you with the details of that bitter and galling
flight. How we traveled at a dogged run until we dropped in our
tracks. How we were beset by strange and terrible beasts. How
we barely escaped the cruel fangs of lions and tigers the size of
which would dwarf into pitiful insignificance the greatest felines
of the outer world.
On and on we raced, our one thought to put as much distance between
ourselves and Phutra as possible. Ghak was leading us to his own
land--the land of Sari. No sign of pursuit had developed, and
yet we were sure that somewhere behind us relentless Sagoths were
dogging our tracks. Ghak said they never failed to hunt down their
quarry until they had captured it or themselves been turned back
by a superior force.
Our only hope, he said, lay in reaching his tribe which was quite
strong enough in their mountain fastness to beat off any number of
Sagoths.
At last, after what seemed months, and may, I now realize, have
been years, we came in sight of the dun escarpment which buttressed
the foothills of Sari. At almost the same instant, Hooja, who
looked ever quite as much behind as before, announced that he could
see a body of men far behind us topping a low ridge in our wake.
It was the long-expected pursuit.
I asked Ghak if we could make Sari in time to escape them.
"We may," he replied; "but you will find that the Sagoths can move
with incredible swiftness, and as they are almost tireless they
are doubtless much fresher than we. Then--" he paused, glancing
at Perry.
I knew what he meant. The old man was exhausted. For much of the
period of our flight either Ghak or I had half supported him on the
march. With such a handicap, less fleet pursuers than the Sagoths
might easily overtake us before we could scale the rugged heights
which confronted us.
"You and Hooja go on ahead," I said. "Perry and I will make it
if we are able. We cannot travel as rapidly as you two, and there
is no reason why all should be lost because of that. It can't be
helped--we have simply to face it."
"I will not desert a companion," was Ghak's simple reply. I hadn't
known that this great, hairy, primeval man had any such nobility
of character stowed away inside him. I had always liked him, but
now to my liking was added honor and respect. Yes, and love.
But still I urged him to go on ahead, insisting that if he could
reach his people he might be able to bring out a sufficient force
to drive off the Sagoths and rescue Perry and myself.
No, he wouldn't leave us, and that was all there was to it, but
he suggested that Hooja might hurry on and warn the Sarians of the
king's danger. It didn't require much urging to start Hooja--the
naked idea was enough to send him leaping on ahead of us into the
foothills which we now had reached.
Perry realized that he was jeopardizing Ghak's life and mine and the
old fellow fairly begged us to go on without him, although I knew
that he was suffering a perfect anguish of terror at the thought
of falling into the hands of the Sagoths. Ghak finally solved the
problem, in part, by lifting Perry in his powerful arms and carrying
him. While the act cut down Ghak's speed he still could travel
faster thus than when half supporting the stumbling old man.
Read next: CHAPTER XIII - THE SLY ONE
Read previous: CHAPTER XI - FOUR DEAD MAHARS
Table of content of At the Earth's Core
GO TO TOP OF SCREEN
Post your reviewYour review will be placed after the table of content of this book
