The O-220 cruised slowly above the Gyor Cors, watchful eyes scanning
the ground below, but the only living things they saw were huge
dinosaurs. Disturbed by the motors of the dirigible, the great beasts
trotted angrily about in circles and occasionally an individual,
sighting the ship above him, would gallop after it, bellowing angrily,
or again one might charge the elliptical shadow that moved along the
ground directly beneath the O-220.
"Sweet tempered little fellows," remarked Lieutenant Hines, who had
been watching them from a messroom port.
"Jes' which _am_ dem bad dreams, Lieutenant?" asked Robert Jones.
"Triceratops," replied the officer.
"Ah'll try most anything once, suh, but not dem babies," replied Robert.
Unknown to the bewildered navigating officer, the ship was taking a
southeasterly course. Far away, on its port side, loomed a range of
mountains, hazily visible in the up-curving distance, and now a river
cut the plain--a river that came down from the distant mountains--and
this they followed, knowing that men lost in a strange country are
prone to follow the course of a river, if they are so fortunate as to
find one.
They had followed the river for some distance when Lieutenant Dorf
telephoned down from the observation cabin. "There is a considerable
body of water ahead, sir," he reported to Captain Zuppner. "From its
appearance I should say that we might be approaching the shore of a
large ocean."
All eyes were now strained ahead and presently a large body of water
became visible to all on board. The ship cruised slowly up and down the
coast for a short distance, and as it had been some time since they had
had fresh water or fresh meat, Zuppner decided to land and make camp,
selecting a spot just north of the river they had been following, where
it emptied into the sea. And as the great ship settled gently to rest
upon a rolling, grassy meadow, Robert Jones made an entry in his little
black diary.
"Arrived here at noon."
While the great ship settled down beside the shore of the silent
Pellucidarian sea, Jason Gridley and his companions, hundreds of miles
to the west, pushed their tunnel upward toward the surface of the
ground. Jason was in front, laboriously pushing the earth backward
a few handfuls at a time to those behind him. They were working
frantically now because the length of the tunnel already was so great
that it was with difficulty that they could return to the cavern in
time to forestall discovery when they heard Horibs approaching.
As Jason scraped away at the earth above him, there broke suddenly upon
his ears what sounded like the muffled reverberation of rifle shots.
He could not believe that they were such, and yet what else could they
be? For so long had he been separated from his fellows that it seemed
impossible that any freak of circumstance had brought them to this
gloomy corner of Pellucidar, and though hope ran high yet he cast this
idea from his mind, substituting for it a more natural conclusion--that
the shots had come from the arquebuses of Korsars, who had come up
from the ship that Lajo had told him was anchored somewhere below in
the Rela Am. Doubtless the captain had sent an expedition in search
of the missing members of his crew, but even the prospects of falling
again into the hands of the fierce Korsars appeared a heavenly one by
comparison to the fate with which they were confronted.
Now Jason redoubled his efforts, working frantically to drive his
narrow shaft upward toward the surface. The sound of the shots, which
had lasted but a few minutes, had ceased, to be followed by the rapidly
approaching thunder of many feet, as though heavy animals were racing
in his direction. He heard them passing almost directly overhead and
they seemed so close that he was positive he must be near the surface
of the ground. Another shot sounded almost directly above him; he heard
the thud of a heavy body and the earth about him shook to the impact
of its fall. Jason's excitement had arisen to the highest pitch when
suddenly the earth gave way above him and something dropped into the
shaft upon his head.
His mind long imbued with the fear that their plan for escape would
be discovered by the Horibs, Jason reacted instinctively to the urge
of self-preservation, the best chance for the accomplishment of which
seemed to be to drag the discoverer of their secret out of sight as
quickly as possible, and with this end in view he backed quickly into
the tunnel, dragging the interloper with him, and to a certain point
this was not difficult, but it so happened that Tarzan had clung to
his rifle. The rifle chanced to strike the ground in a horizontal
position, as the ape-man was dragged into the tunnel, and the muzzle
and butt lodged upon opposite sides of the opening, thus forming a
rigid bar across the mouth of the aperture, to which the ape-man clung
as Jason dragged frantically upon his ankles, and then slowly the steel
thews of the Jungle Lord tensed and as he drew himself upward, he drew
Jason Gridley with him. Strain and struggle as he would, the American
could not overcome the steady pull of those giant thews. Slowly,
irresistibly, he was dragged into the shaft and upward toward the
surface of the ground.
By this time, of course, he knew that the creature to which he clung
was no Horib, for his fingers were closed upon the smooth skin of a
human being, and not upon the scaly hide of a lizard-man, but yet he
felt that he must not let the fellow escape.
The Horib, who had been expecting Tarzan's attack, had seen him
disappear mysteriously into the ground; nor did he wait to investigate
the miracle, but seizing Jana by the wrist he hurried after his
fellows, dragging the struggling girl with him.
The two were just disappearing among the boles of the trees down a
gloomy aisle of the somber forest when Tarzan, emerging from the shaft,
caught a single fleeting glimpse of them. It was almost the growl of
an enraged beast that escaped his lips as he realized that this last
calamity might have definitely precluded the possibility of effecting
the girl's rescue. Chafing at the restraint of the clutching fingers
clinging desperately to his ankles, the ape-man kicked violently in an
effort to dislodge them and with such good effect that he sent Jason
tumbling back into his tunnel, while he leaped to the solid ground and
freedom to spring into pursuit of the Horib and The Red Flower of Zoram.
Calling back to his companions to hurry after him, Jason clambered
swiftly to the surface of the ground just in time to see a half-naked
bronzed giant before he disappeared from view behind the bole of a
large tree, but that single glimpse awakened familiar memories and
his heart leaped within him at the suggestion it implied. But how
could it be? Had not Thoar seen the Lord of the Jungle carried to his
doom? Whether the man was Tarzan or not was of less import than the
reason for his haste. Was he escaping or pursuing? But in either event
something seemed to tell Jason Gridley that he should not lose sight
of him; at least he was not a Horib, and if not a Horib, then he must
be an enemy of the lizard-men. So rapidly had events transpired that
Jason was confused in his own mind as to the proper course to pursue;
yet something seemed to urge him not to lose sight of the stranger and
acting upon this impulse, he followed at a brisk run.
Through the dark wood ran Tarzan of the Apes, guided only by the
delicate and subtle aroma that was the scent spoor of The Red Flower of
Zoram and which would have been perceptible to no other human nostrils
than those of the Lord of the Jungle. Strong in his nostrils, also,
was the sickening scent of the Horibs and fearful lest he come upon
them unexpectedly in numbers, he swung lightly into the trees and,
with undiminished speed, raced in the direction of his quarry; nor was
it long before he saw them beneath him--a single Horib dragging the
still-struggling Jana.
There was no hesitation, there was no diminution in his speed as he
launched himself like a living projectile straight for the ugly back
of the Horib. With such force he struck the creature that it was half
stunned as he bore it to the ground. A sinewy arm encircled its neck
as Tarzan arose dragging the creature up with him. Turning quickly
and bending forward, Tarzan swung the body over his head and hurled
it violently to the ground, still retaining his hold about its neck.
Again and again he whipped the mighty body over his head and dashed it
to the gray earth, while the girl, wide-eyed with astonishment at this
exhibition of Herculean strength, looked on.
At last, satisfied that the creature was dead or stunned, Tarzan
released it. Quickly he appropriated its stone knife and picked up its
fallen lance, then he turned to Jana. "Come," he said, "there is but
one safe place for us," and lifting her to his shoulder he leaped to
the low hanging branch of a nearby tree. "Here, at least," he said,
"you will be safe from Horibs, for I doubt if any Gorobor can follow us
here."
"I always thought that there were no warriors like the warriors of
Zoram," said Jana, "but that was before I had known you and Jason;" nor
could she, as Tarzan well knew, have voiced a more sincere appreciation
of what he had done for her, for to the primitive woman there are no
men like her own men. "I wish," she continued sadly after a pause,
"that Jason had lived. He was a great man and a mighty warrior, but
above all he was a kind man. The men of Zoram are never cruel to their
women, but they are not always thoughtful and considerate. Jason seemed
always to think of my comfort before everything except my safety."
"You were very fond of him, were you not?" asked Tarzan.
The Red Flower of Zoram did not answer. There were tears in her eyes
and in her throat so that she could only nod her head.
Once in the trees, Tarzan had lowered Jana to her feet, presently
discovering that she could travel quite without assistance, as might
have been expected of one who could leap lightly from crag to crag upon
the dizzy slopes of Thipdars' heights. They moved without haste back
to the point where they had last seen Muviro, and his Waziri warriors,
but as the way took them down wind Tarzan could not hope to pick up
the scent spoor of his henchmen and so his ears were constantly upon
the alert for any slightest sound that might reveal their whereabouts.
Presently they were rewarded by the sound of footsteps hurrying through
the forest toward them.
The ape-man drew the girl behind the bole of a large tree and waited,
silent, motionless, for all footfalls are not the footfalls of friends.
They had waited for but a moment when there came into view upon the
ground below them an almost naked man clothed in a bit of filthy
goatskin, which was almost undistinguishable as such beneath a coating
of mud, while the original color of his skin was hidden beneath a
similar covering. A great mass of tousled black hair surmounted his
head. He was quite the filthiest appearing creature that Tarzan had
ever looked upon, but he was evidently no Horib and he was unarmed.
What he was doing there alone in the grim forest, the ape-man could
not imagine, so he dropped to the ground immediately in front of the
surprised wayfarer.
At sight of the ape-man, the other stopped his eyes wide with
astonishment and incredulity. "Tarzan!" he exclaimed. "My God, it is
really you. You are not dead. Thank God you are not dead."
It was an instant before the ape-man could recognize the speaker, but
not so the girl hiding in the tree above. The instant that she had
heard his voice she had known him.
A slow smile overspread the features of the Lord of the Jungle.
"Gridley!" he exclaimed. "Jason Gridley! Jana told me that you were
dead."
"Jana!" exclaimed Jason, "You know her? You have seen her? Where is
she?"
"She is here with me," replied Tarzan.
The Red Flower of Zoram had slipped to the ground upon the opposite
side of the tree and now she stepped from behind its trunk.
"Jana!" cried Jason, coming eagerly toward her.
The girl drew herself to her full height and turned a shoulder toward
him. "Jalok!" she cried contemptuously. "Must I tell you again to keep
away from The Red Flower of Zoram?"
Jason halted in his tracks, his arms dropped limply to his sides, his
attitude one of utter dejection.
Tarzan looked silently on, his brows momentarily revealing his
perplexity; but it was not his way to interfere in affairs that were
wholly the concern of others. "Come," he said, "we must find the
Waziri."
Suddenly loud voices just ahead apprised them of the presence of other
men and in the babel of excited voices Tarzan recognized the tones
of his Waziri. Hurrying forward the three came upon a scene that was
momentarily ludicrous, but which might soon have developed into tragedy
had they not arrived in time.
Ten Waziri warriors armed with rifles had surrounded Thoar and the
three Korsars and each party was jabbering volubly in a language
unknown to the other.
The Pellucidarians, never before having seen human beings of the rich,
deep, black color of the Waziri and assuming that all strangers were
enemies, apprehended only the worst and were about to make a concerted
effort to escape their captors, while Muviro, believing that these
men might have some sinister connection with the disappearance of his
master, was determined to hold and question them; nor would he have
hesitated to kill them had they resisted him. It was, therefore, a
relief to both parties when Tarzan, Jason and Jana appeared, and the
Waziri saw their Big Bwana greet one of their captives with every
indication of friendship.
Thoar was even more surprised to find Tarzan alive than Jason had been,
and when he saw Jana the natural reserve which ordinarily marked his
bearing was dissipated by the joy and relief which he felt in finding
her safe and well; nor any less surprised and happy was Jana as she
rushed forward and threw herself into her brother's arms.
His breast filled with emotion such as he had never experienced before,
Jason Gridley stood apart, a silent witness of this loving reunion,
and then, probably for the first time, there came to him an acute
realization of the fact that the sentiment which he entertained for
this little barbarian was nothing less than love.
It galled him even to admit it to himself and he felt that he was
contemptible to harbor jealousy of Thoar, not only because Thoar was
his friend, but because he was only a primitive savage, while he, Jason
Gridley, was the product of ages of culture and civilization.
Thoar, Lajo and the other two Korsars were naturally delighted when
they found that the strange warriors whom they had looked upon as
enemies were suddenly transformed into friends and allies, and when
they heard the story of the battle with the Horibs they knew that the
greatest danger which threatened them was now greatly minimized because
of the presence of these warriors armed with death-dealing weapons that
made the ancient arquebuses of the Korsars appear as inadequate as
sling shots, and that escape from this horrible country was as good as
accomplished.
Resting after their recent exertion, each party briefly narrated the
recent adventures that had befallen them and attempts were made to
formulate plans for the future, but here difficulties arose. Thoar
wished to return to Zoram with Jana. Tarzan, Jason and the Waziri
desired only to find the other members of their expedition; while Lajo
and his two fellows were principally concerned with getting back to
their ship.
Tarzan and Jason, realizing that it might not be expedient to acquaint
the Korsars with the real purpose of their presence in Pellucidar and
finding that the men were familiar with the story of Tanar, gave them
to believe that they were merely searching for Sari in order to pay a
friendly visit to Tanar and his people.
"Sari is a long way," said Lajo. "He who would go to Sari from here
must sleep over a hundred times upon the journey, which would take him
across the Korsar Az and then through strange countries filled with
enemies, even as far as The Land of Awful Shadow. Maybe one would never
reach it."
"Is there no way overland?" asked Tarzan.
"Yes," replied Lajo, "and if we were at Korsar, I might direct you, but
that, too, would be a terrible journey, for no man knows what savage
tribes and beasts beset the long marches that must lie between Korsar
and Sari."
"And if we went to Korsar," said Jason, "we could not hope to be
received as friends. Is this not true, Lajo?"
The Korsar nodded. "No," he said. "You would not be received as
friends."
"Nevertheless," said Tarzan to Jason, "I believe that if we are ever to
find the O-220 again our best chance is to look for it in the vicinity
of Korsar."
Jason nodded in acquiescence. "But that will not accord with Thoar's
plans," he said, "for, if I understand it correctly, we are much nearer
to Zoram now than we are to Korsar and if we decide to go to Korsar,
our route will lead directly away from Zoram. But unless we accompany
them with the Waziri, I doubt if Thoar and Jana could live to reach
Zoram if they returned by the route that he and I have followed since
we left the Mountains of the Thipdars."
Tarzan turned to Thoar. "If you will come with us, we can return you
very quickly to Zoram if we find our ship. If we do not find it within
a reasonable time, we will accompany you back to Zoram. In either event
you would have a very much better chance of reaching your own country
than you would if you and Jana set out alone from here."
"We will accompany you, then," said Thoar, and then his brow clouded as
some thought seemed suddenly to seize upon his mind. He looked for a
moment at Jason, and then he turned to Jana. "I had almost forgotten,"
he said. "Before we can go with these people as friends, I must know if
this man offered you any injury or harm while you were with him. If he
did, I must kill him."
Jana did not look at Jason as she replied. "You need not kill him," she
said. "Had that been necessary The Red Flower of Zoram would have done
it herself."
"Very well," said Thoar, "I am glad because he is my friend. Now we may
all go together."
"Our boat is probably in the river where the Horibs left it after they
captured us," said Lajo. "If it is we can soon drop down to our ship,
which is anchored in the lower waters of the Rela Am."
"And be taken prisoners by your people," said Jason. "No, Lajo, the
tables are turned now and if you go with us, it is you who will be the
prisoners."
The Korsar shrugged. "I do not care," he said. "We will doubtless
get a hundred lashes apiece when the captain finds that we have been
unsuccessful, that we have brought back nothing and that he has lost an
officer and many members of his crew."
It was finally decided that they would return to the Rela Am and look
for the longboat of the Korsars. If they found it they would float
down in search of the ship, when they would at least make an effort to
persuade the captain to receive them as friends and transport them to
the vicinity of Korsar.
On the march back to the Rela Am they were not molested by the Horibs,
who had evidently discovered that they had met their masters in the
Waziri. During the march Jason made it a point to keep as far away from
Jana as possible. The very sight of her reminded him of his hopeless
and humiliating infatuation, and to be very near her constituted a form
of refined agony which he could not endure. Her contempt, which she
made no effort to conceal galled him bitterly, though it was no greater
than his own self-contempt when he realized that in spite of every
reason that he had to dislike her, he still loved her--loved her more
than he had thought it was possible for him to love any woman.
The American was glad when a glimpse of the broad waters of the Rela
Am ahead of them marked the end of this stage of their journey, which
his own unhappy thoughts, combined with the depressing influence of the
gloomy forest, had transformed into one of the saddest periods of his
life.
To the relief of all, the boat was found still moored where the Horibs
had left it; nor did it take them long to embark and push out upon the
waters of the River of Darkness.
The river widened as they floated down toward the sea until it became
possible to step a mast and set sail, after which their progress was
still more rapid. Though the way was often beset by dangers in the
form of angry and voracious saurians, the rifles of the Waziri proved
adequate protection when other means of defense had failed.
The river became very wide so that but for the current they might have
considered it an arm of the sea and at Lajo's direction they kept well
in toward the left bank, near which, he said, the ship was anchored.
Dimly visible in the distance was the opposite shore, but only so
because the surface of Pellucidar curved upward. At the same distance
upon the outer crust, it would have been hidden by the curvature of the
earth.
As they neared the sea it became evident that Lajo and the two other
Korsars were much concerned because they had not sighted their ship.
"We have passed the anchorage," said Lajo at last. "That wooded hill,
which we just passed, was directly opposite the spot where the ship
lay. I cannot be mistaken because I noted it particularly and impressed
it upon my memory as a landmark against the time when we should return
from our expedition up the river."
"He has sailed away and left us," growled one of the Korsars, applying
a vile epithet to the captain of the departed ship.
Continuing on down to the ocean they sighted a large island directly
off the mouth of the river, which Lajo told them afforded good hunting
with plenty of fresh water and as they were in need of meat they landed
there and made camp. It was an ideal spot inasmuch as that part of the
island at which they had touched seemed to be peculiarly free from the
more dangerous forms of carnivorous mammals and reptiles; nor did they
see any sign of the presence of man. Game, therefore, was abundant.
Discussing their plans for the future, it was finally decided that they
would push on toward Korsar in the longboat, for Lajo assured them that
it lay upon the coast of the same landmass that loomed plainly from
their island refuge. "What lies in that direction," he said, pointing
south, "I do not know, but there lies Korsar, upon this same coast,"
and he pointed in a direction a little east of north. "Otherwise I am
not familiar with this sea, or with this part of Pellucidar, since
never before has an expedition come as far as the Rela Am."
In preparation for the long cruise to Korsar, great quantities of meat
were cut into strips and dried in the sun, or smoked over slow fires,
after which it was packed away in bladders that had been carefully
cleaned and dried. These were stowed in the boat together with other
bladders filled with fresh water, for, although it was their intention
to hug the coast on the way to Korsar, it might not always be expedient
to land for water or food and there was always the possibility that a
storm arising they might be blown out to sea.
At length, all preparations having been made, the strangely assorted
company embarked upon their hazardous journey toward distant Korsar.
Jana had worked with the others preparing the provisions and the
containers and though she had upon several occasions worked side by
side with Jason, she had never relaxed toward him; nor appeared to
admit that she was cognizant of his presence.
"Can't we be friends, Jana?" he asked once. "I think we would both be
very much happier if we were."
"I am as happy as I can be," she replied lightly, "until Thoar takes me
back to Zoram."