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was rather glad that we had not succeeded in landing among them.
Hooja's fleet had been in much more compact forma-tion when we
sighted them this time than on the occasion following the tempest.
Now they were moving rapidly in pursuit of us, all well within the
radius of a mile. Five of them were leading, all abreast, and were
scarce two hundred yards from us. When I glanced over my shoulder
I could see that the archers had already fitted arrows to their
bows in readiness to fire upon us the moment that they should draw
within range.
Hope was low in my breast. I could not see the slightest chance
of escaping them, for they were over-hauling us rapidly now, since
they were able to work their paddles in relays, while we three were
rapidly wearying beneath the constant strain that had been put upon
us.
It was then that Juag called my attention to the rift in the
shore-line which I had thought either a bay or the mouth of a great
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Click here to buy
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river. There I saw moving slowly out into the sea that which filled
my soul with wonder.
CHAPTER XIV
GORE AND DREAMS
It was a two-masted felucca with lateen sails! The craft was long
and low. In it were more than fifty men, twenty or thirty of whom
were at oars with which the craft was being propelled from the lee
of the land. I was dumbfounded.
Could it be that the savage, painted natives I had seen on shore
had so perfected the art of navigation that they were masters of
such advanced building and rigging as this craft proclaimed? It
seemed impossible! And as I looked I saw another of the same type
swing into view and follow its sister through the narrow strait
out into the ocean.
Nor were these all. One after another, following closely upon one
another's heels, came fifty of the trim, graceful vessels. They
were cutting in between Hooja's fleet and our little dugout,
When they came a bit closer my eyes fairly popped from my head
at what I saw, for in the eye of the leading felucca stood a man
with a sea-glass leveled upon us. Who could they be? Was there
a civilization within Pellucidar of such wondrous advancement as
this? Were there far-distant lands of which none of my people had
ever heard, where a race had so greatly outstripped all other races
of this inner world?
The man with the glass had lowered it and was shouting to us. I
could not make out his words, but presently I saw that he was
pointing aloft. When I looked I saw a pennant fluttering from the
peak of the forward lateen yard--a red, white, and blue pen-nant,
with a single great white star in a field of blue.
Then I knew. My eyes went even wider than they had before. It
was the navy! It was the navy of the empire of Pellucidar which I
had instructed Perry to build in my absence. It was MY navy!
I dropped my paddle and stood up and shouted and waved my hand.
Juag and Dian looked at me as if I had gone suddenly mad. When I
could stop shouting I told them, and they shared my joy and shouted
with me.
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Click here to buy
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But still Hooja was coming nearer, nor could the leading felucca
overhaul him before he would be along-side or at least within
bow-shot.
Hooja must have been as much mystified as we were as to the identity
of the strange fleet; but when he saw me waving to them he evidently
guessed that they were friendly to us, so he urged his men to
redouble their efforts to reach us before the felucca cut him off.
He shouted word back to others of his fleet--word that was passed
back until it had reached them all--directing them to run alongside
the strangers and board them, for with his two hundred craft
and his eight or ten thousand warriors he evidently felt equal to
over-coming the fifty vessels of the enemy, which did not seem to
carry over three thousand men all told.
His own personal energies he bent to reaching Dian and me first,
leaving the rest of the work to his other boats. I thought that
there could be little doubt that he would be successful in so far
as we were concerned, and I feared for the revenge that he might
take upon us should the battle go against his force, as I was sure
it would; for I knew that Perry and his Mezops must have brought
with them all the arms and ammunition that had been contained in
the prospector. But I was not prepared for what happened next. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
was rather glad that we had not succeeded in landing among them.
Hooja's fleet had been in much more compact forma-tion when we
sighted them this time than on the occasion following the tempest.
Now they were moving rapidly in pursuit of us, all well within the
radius of a mile. Five of them were leading, all abreast, and were
scarce two hundred yards from us. When I glanced over my shoulder
I could see that the archers had already fitted arrows to their
bows in readiness to fire upon us the moment that they should draw
within range.
Hope was low in my breast. I could not see the slightest chance
of escaping them, for they were over-hauling us rapidly now, since
they were able to work their paddles in relays, while we three were
rapidly wearying beneath the constant strain that had been put upon
us.
It was then that Juag called my attention to the rift in the
shore-line which I had thought either a bay or the mouth of a great
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
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.
.
B
B
A
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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
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Y
B
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r r
river. There I saw moving slowly out into the sea that which filled
my soul with wonder.
CHAPTER XIV
GORE AND DREAMS
It was a two-masted felucca with lateen sails! The craft was long
and low. In it were more than fifty men, twenty or thirty of whom
were at oars with which the craft was being propelled from the lee
of the land. I was dumbfounded.
Could it be that the savage, painted natives I had seen on shore
had so perfected the art of navigation that they were masters of
such advanced building and rigging as this craft proclaimed? It
seemed impossible! And as I looked I saw another of the same type
swing into view and follow its sister through the narrow strait
out into the ocean.
Nor were these all. One after another, following closely upon one
another's heels, came fifty of the trim, graceful vessels. They
were cutting in between Hooja's fleet and our little dugout,
When they came a bit closer my eyes fairly popped from my head
at what I saw, for in the eye of the leading felucca stood a man
with a sea-glass leveled upon us. Who could they be? Was there
a civilization within Pellucidar of such wondrous advancement as
this? Were there far-distant lands of which none of my people had
ever heard, where a race had so greatly outstripped all other races
of this inner world?
The man with the glass had lowered it and was shouting to us. I
could not make out his words, but presently I saw that he was
pointing aloft. When I looked I saw a pennant fluttering from the
peak of the forward lateen yard--a red, white, and blue pen-nant,
with a single great white star in a field of blue.
Then I knew. My eyes went even wider than they had before. It
was the navy! It was the navy of the empire of Pellucidar which I
had instructed Perry to build in my absence. It was MY navy!
I dropped my paddle and stood up and shouted and waved my hand.
Juag and Dian looked at me as if I had gone suddenly mad. When I
could stop shouting I told them, and they shared my joy and shouted
with me.
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
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o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
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But still Hooja was coming nearer, nor could the leading felucca
overhaul him before he would be along-side or at least within
bow-shot.
Hooja must have been as much mystified as we were as to the identity
of the strange fleet; but when he saw me waving to them he evidently
guessed that they were friendly to us, so he urged his men to
redouble their efforts to reach us before the felucca cut him off.
He shouted word back to others of his fleet--word that was passed
back until it had reached them all--directing them to run alongside
the strangers and board them, for with his two hundred craft
and his eight or ten thousand warriors he evidently felt equal to
over-coming the fifty vessels of the enemy, which did not seem to
carry over three thousand men all told.
His own personal energies he bent to reaching Dian and me first,
leaving the rest of the work to his other boats. I thought that
there could be little doubt that he would be successful in so far
as we were concerned, and I feared for the revenge that he might
take upon us should the battle go against his force, as I was sure
it would; for I knew that Perry and his Mezops must have brought
with them all the arms and ammunition that had been contained in
the prospector. But I was not prepared for what happened next. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]