登陆注册
5694500000013

第13章

The vision of that sweet and innocent face floated before me amidst the soft mists of imagination, and where I had on the second believed that I clung only to the memory of a gentle friendship I had lost, yet now it seemed that it would have been disloyalty to her to have said that I did not want Dian the Beautiful as my mate.

I had not thought of her except as a welcome friend in a strange, cruel world. Even now I did not think that I loved her.

I believe Ghak must have read the truth more in my expression than in my words, for presently he laid his hand upon my shoulder.

"Man of another world," he said, "I believe you.

Lips may lie, but when the heart speaks through the eyes it tells only the truth. Your heart has spoken to me.

I know now that you meant no affront to Dian the Beautiful.

She is not of my tribe; but her mother is my sister.

She does not know it--her mother was stolen by Dian's father who came with many others of the tribe of Amoz to battle with us for our women--the most beautiful women of Pellucidar. Then was her father king of Amoz, and her mother was daughter of the king of Sari--to whose power I, his son, have succeeded. Dian is the daughter of kings, though her father is no longer king since the sadok tossed him and Jubal the Ugly One wrested his kingship from him.

Because of her lineage the wrong you did her was greatly magnified in the eyes of all who saw it. She will never forgive you."I asked Ghak if there was not some way in which Icould release the girl from the bondage and ignominy I had unwittingly placed upon her.

"If ever you find her, yes," he answered. "Merely to raise her hand above her head and drop it in the presence of others is sufficient to release her; but how may you ever find her, you who are doomed to a life of slavery yourself in the buried city of Phutra?""Is there no escape?" I asked.

"Hooja the Sly One escaped and took the others with him,"replied Ghak. "But there are no more dark places on the way to Phutra, and once there it is not so easy--the Mahars are very wise. Even if one escaped from Phutra there are the thipdars--they would find you, and then--"the Hairy One shuddered. "No, you will never escape the Mahars."It was a cheerful prospect. I asked Perry what he thought about it; but he only shrugged his shoulders and continued a longwinded prayer he had been at for some time.

He was wont to say that the only redeeming feature of our captivity was the ample time it gave him for the improvisation of prayers--it was becoming an obsession with him.

The Sagoths had begun to take notice of his habit of declaiming throughout entire marches. One of them asked him what he was saying--to whom he was talking.

The question gave me an idea, so I answered quickly before Perry could say anything.

"Do not interrupt him," I said. "He is a very holy man in the world from which we come. He is speaking to spirits which you cannot see--do not interrupt him or they will spring out of the air upon you and rend you limb from limb--like that," and I jumped toward the great brute with a loud "Boo!" that sent him stumbling backward.

I took a long chance, I realized, but if we could make any capital out of Perry's harmless mania I wanted to make it while the making was prime. It worked splendidly.

The Sagoths treated us both with marked respect during the balance of the journey, and then passed the word along to their masters, the Mahars.

Two marches after this episode we came to the city of Phutra.

The entrance to it was marked by two lofty towers of granite, which guarded a flight of steps leading to the buried city.

Sagoths were on guard here as well as at a hundred or more other towers scattered about over a large plain.

V

SLAVES

As we descended the broad staircase which led to the main avenue of Phutra I caught my first sight of the dominant race of the inner world. Involuntarily I shrank back as one of the creatures approached to inspect us.

A more hideous thing it would be impossible to imagine.

The all-powerful Mahars of Pellucidar are great reptiles, some six or eight feet in length, with long narrow heads and great round eyes. Their beak-like mouths are lined with sharp, white fangs, and the backs of their huge, lizard bodies are serrated into bony ridges from their necks to the end of their long tails. Their feet are equipped with three webbed toes, while from the fore feet membranous wings, which are attached to their bodies just in front of the hind legs, protrude at an angle of 45degrees toward the rear, ending in sharp points several feet above their bodies.

I glanced at Perry as the thing passed me to inspect him.

The old man was gazing at the horrid creature with wide astonished eyes. When it passed on, he turned to me.

"A rhamphorhynchus of the Middle Olitic, David," he said, "but, gad, how enormous! The largest remains we ever have discovered have never indicated a size greater than that attained by an ordinary crow."As we continued on through the main avenue of Phutra we saw many thousand of the creatures coming and going upon their daily duties. They paid but little attention to us.

Phutra is laid out underground with a regularity that indicates remarkable engineering skill. It is hewn from solid limestone strata. The streets are broad and of a uniform height of twenty feet. At intervals tubes pierce the roof of this underground city, and by means of lenses and reflectors transmit the sunlight, softened and diffused, to dispel what would otherwise be Cimmerian darkness.

In like manner air is introduced.

Perry and I were taken, with Ghak, to a large public building, where one of the Sagoths who had formed our guard explained to a Maharan official the circumstances surrounding our capture.

The method of communication between these two was remarkable in that no spoken words were exchanged. They employed a species of sign language. As I was to learn later, the Mahars have no ears, not any spoken language.

Among themselves they communicate by means of what Perry says must be a sixth sense which is cognizant of a fourth dimension.

同类推荐
  • 忍经

    忍经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 双节堂庸训

    双节堂庸训

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说犯戒罪报轻报重

    佛说犯戒罪报轻报重

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 合部金光明经

    合部金光明经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 新竹县志初稿

    新竹县志初稿

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 侦破探谜

    侦破探谜

    《中国学生探索发现奥秘:侦破探谜》是《中国学生探索发现奥秘》系列之一,包括:体育探谜、文化探谜、文明探谜、文学探谜、文艺探谜等。
  • 武陵记

    武陵记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 直系教头冯国璋

    直系教头冯国璋

    冯国璋的一生,是充满了争议的一生。他是众人皆知的文武全才。他曾跟随过袁世凯,却在袁称帝之后发布“五将军密电”,与其决裂。他倡导革命,却依旧维护着封建统治者的利益和名誉。他一生追求和平统一,却又拥兵自重,成为举世闻名的江宁霸主。他一生经历两次府院之争,却总是摆脱不了居间调解人的尴尬境地。正是这一个一个的争议,构成了一个活生生的,有血有肉的政治家和军事家冯国璋。
  • 一丹之缘

    一丹之缘

    从一宗的大小姐成为漂泊之人,再落入洛月国成为一名渔女,带着两个小包子往富康方向,却发现原来这家子有个将军父亲,从一名普通渔女成为将军之女,再到王妃之位,然后发现这竟然是一个玄幻世界,所谓的武功不过是修炼的法决。从出世那刻就身负仇恨,这份仇恨是舍弃还是背着呢?某王:不用怕,你的仇恨我来背,你的一生我来护,愿护你一世安。颐诺:你是我的人,你的仇恨就是我的仇恨,你的仇人就是我的仇人。
  • 权少霸爱下堂妻

    权少霸爱下堂妻

    冷漠,无情,极端,他是青城最炙手可热的单身汉,却因为一次预料之外的经济危机而妥协于商业联姻,而那个嫁给他的女人,除了给他带来商业利益,唯一的用处便只剩下暖床了。潇洒,大气,专一,她本是看得开的宋家千金,却因为一段不可明说的爱恋,不争的她从同父异母的妹妹手中抢到了那个嫁给他的机会,名正言顺的成为他的妻。她熬过了继母的算计,妹妹的嘲讽,熬过了舆论,可最后还是败给了他的冷漠。当她终于放手,满身伤痕的离开,他却如猎人般用尽一切手段找回她,折断她的翅膀,伤害她。殊不知,最后伤的竟是自己的心。一段有关强取豪夺的爱恋。片段一:她费劲的挣扎,口气也粗鲁起来:“皇覃濯,你混蛋,你放我离开。”“放你离开?那就看你的肚子争不争气了!”“你混蛋,你混蛋。”他冰冷的话语乍然入耳,宋以唯仿佛溺死般躺在床上,一动不动,失了心神。“你知道,我有洁癖,用惯了的女人也懒得换。”皇覃濯起身,整理了一下自己发皱的衬衫,余光看了一眼那无动于衷的女人。片段二:陈婧不顾秘书的阻拦走进他的办公室,将一沓子东西甩到他的面前,冷笑道:“皇覃濯,我保证,伤害小唯会是你这辈子最后悔的事情,你根本就不明白你对她而言意味着什么。是信仰啊,你知道吗?”片段三:红地毯的这端,女子一袭闪亮的露背长裙从车上下来,纤长的手指轻轻笼着那一头如海藻般的长卷发,明眸朝聚集的镁光灯看去,嘴角咧起一抹浅浅的微笑,耀眼的惊人。她刚要迈步,下一秒腰上就缠过一只手,将她紧紧的禁锢在自己的怀中。宋以唯抬头看了一眼浑身冒着冷气的男人,没好气的问道:“皇覃濯。你有病吧?”男人收拢了缠在她腰上的手,大方的承认道:“是,我就是有病,所以才会让你逃出我的掌心。”说完,一向对媒体极其排斥的他还搂着她大方朝着媒体摆了个极其亲密的pose。
  • 妖孽上位:傲世倾城妃

    妖孽上位:傲世倾城妃

    21世纪金牌特工,意外穿越成废材六小姐。一朝定乾坤、覆风华,翻手为医,覆手为毒。谁知竟不小心惹了个大麻烦。某个月黑风高的夜晚,重重戒备的九皇子府。容冰越狱宣告99次失败。被绑在床上的容冰:“堂堂九皇子居然欺压无良百姓?”某妖孽勾唇:“那就坐实了这欺压,免得夜长梦多。”容冰:???!!!
  • 内身观章句经

    内身观章句经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 爱入心扉

    爱入心扉

    她是一个农村女孩子,努力考上了大城市的大学,走出村子,却发现自己根本不属于这个城市,他的出现彻底的让她改变了自己,他是一个霸气的总裁,却有着独宠于她的情爱,她会接受吗?
  • 英雄联盟之一刀9999

    英雄联盟之一刀9999

    一个武士一阵风,按着e键往前冲。你问我是谁?山东大李逵。地爆天星手里剑,指天天避,指地地陷。风起时云啸,肚子饿得嗷嗷叫。谁家小伙心里愁,老婆孩子热炕头。你好,我叫黑杀。欢迎来到最强英雄联盟系统。黑杀还有三十秒到达装逼现场,碾碎他们。
  • 黄帝阴符经注

    黄帝阴符经注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。