登陆注册
15483300000004

第4章 CHAPTER I LOST ON PELLUCIDAR(2)

With what sensations of awe must she first have watched the sun moving slowly across the heavens to disappear at last beneath the western horizon, leaving in his wake that which the Mahar had never before witnessed--the darkness of night? For upon Pellucidar there is no night. The stationary sun hangs forever in the center of the Pellucidarian sky--directly overhead.

Then, too, she must have been impressed by the wondrous mechanism of the prospector which had bored its way from world to world and back again. And that it had been driven by a rational being must also have occurred to her.

Too, she bad seen me conversing with other men upon the earth's surface. She had seen the arrival of the caravan of books and arms, and ammunition, and the balance of the heterogeneous collection which I had crammed into the cabin of the iron mole for transportation to Pellucidar.

She had seen all these evidences of a civilization and brain-power transcending in scientific achievement anything that her race had produced; nor once had she seen a creature of her own kind.

There could have been but a single deduction in the mind of the Mahar--there were other worlds than Pellucidar, and the gilak was a rational being.

Now the creature at my side was creeping slowly toward the near-by sea. At my hip hung a long-barreled six-shooter--somehow I had been unable to find the same sensation of security in the newfangled automatics that had been perfected since my first departure from the outer world--and in my hand was a heavy express rifle.

I could have shot the Mahar with ease, for I knew intuitively that she was escaping--but I did not.

I felt that if she could return to her own kind with the story of her adventures, the position of the human race within Pellucidar would be advanced immensely at a single stride, for at once man would take his proper place in the considerations of the reptilia.

At the edge of the sea the creature paused and looked back at me. Then she slid sinuously into the surf.

For several minutes I saw no more of her as she luxuriated in the cool depths.

Then a hundred yards from shore she rose and there for another short while she floated upon the surface.

Finally she spread her giant wings, flapped them vigorously a score of times and rose above the blue sea. A single time she circled far aloft--and then straight as an arrow she sped away.

I watched her until the distant haze enveloped her and she had disappeared. I was alone.

My first concern was to discover where within Pellucidar

I might be--and in what direction lay the land of the Sarians where Ghak the Hairy One ruled.

But how was I to guess in which direction lay Sari?

And if I set out to search--what then?

Could I find my way back to the prospector with its priceless freight of books, firearms, ammunition, scientific instruments, and still more books--its great library of reference works upon every conceivable branch of applied sciences?

And if I could not, of what value was all this vast storehouse of potential civilization and progress to be to the world of my adoption?

Upon the other hand, if I remained here alone with it, what could I accomplish single-handed?

Nothing.

But where there was no east, no west, no north, no south, no stars, no moon, and only a stationary midday sun, how was I to find my way back to this spot should ever I get out of sight of it?

I didn't know.

For a long time I stood buried in deep thought, when it occurred to me to try out one of the compasses I had brought and ascertain if it remained steadily fixed upon an unvarying pole. I reentered the prospector and fetched a compass without.

Moving a considerable distance from the prospector that the needle might not be influenced by its great bulk of iron and steel I turned the delicate instrument about in every direction.

Always and steadily the needle remained rigidly fixed upon a point straight out to sea, apparently pointing toward a large island some ten or twenty miles distant.

This then should be north.

I drew my note-book from my pocket and made a careful topographical sketch of the locality within the range of my vision. Due north lay the island, far out upon the shimmering sea.

The spot I had chosen for my observations was the top of a large, flat boulder which rose six or eight feet above the turf. This spot I called Greenwich. The boulder was the "Royal Observatory."

I had made a start! I cannot tell you what a sense of relief was imparted to me by the simple fact that there was at least one spot within Pellucidar with a familiar name and a place upon a map.

It was with almost childish joy that I made a little circle in my note-book and traced the word Greenwich beside it.

Now I felt I might start out upon my search with some assurance of finding my way back again to the prospector.

I decided that at first I would travel directly south in the hope that I might in that direction find some familiar landmark. It was as good a direction as any.

This much at least might be said of it.

Among the many other things I had brought from the outer world were a number of pedometers. I slipped three of these into my pockets with the idea that I might arrive at a more or less accurate mean from the registrations of them all.

On my map I would register so many paces south, so many east, so many west, and so on. When I was ready to return I would then do so by any route that I might choose.

I also strapped a considerable quantity of ammunition across my shoulders, pocketed some matches, and hooked an aluminum fry-pan and a small stew-kettle of the same metal to my belt.

I was ready--ready to go forth and explore a world!

Ready to search a land area of 124,110,000 square miles for my friends, my incomparable mate, and good old Perry!

And so, after locking the door in the outer shell of the prospector, I set out upon my quest. Due south I traveled, across lovely valleys thick-dotted with grazing herds.

Through dense primeval forests I forced my way and up the slopes of mighty mountains searching for a pass to their farther sides.

同类推荐
  • 韩碑

    韩碑

    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。
  • 续西游记

    续西游记

    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。
  • 新官到任仪注

    新官到任仪注

    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。
  • 妙法决定业障经

    妙法决定业障经

    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。
  • 东岳大生宝忏

    东岳大生宝忏

    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。
热门推荐
  • 水战兵法辑佚

    水战兵法辑佚

    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。
  • 混元传人在校园

    混元传人在校园

    许杰怎么也没想到,砸自己脑袋上的一块石头居然带着自己重生了......
  • 女匪当道:追着美男吃豆腐

    女匪当道:追着美男吃豆腐

    【全文免费】嗷嗷嗷,老天不带这样玩她的吧?大姨妈来买的卫生棉,竟然被不知道从哪里来的狗叼走了。这是个神马情况?难不成现在的狗也来大姨妈?她试图抢回自己的宝贝卫生棉,结果被狗耍的团团转。倍感丢人的她仰天长啸:“老天,你劈死我吧。”就这样她被华丽的劈穿了。更可悲的是,别人穿越都是富家小姐或绝世美女,她竟然穿成了个胖女匪,简直气煞她也。不过好佳在,这个时代的美男还挺多,先绑个上山当压寨夫君。奈何美男死活不从,恼羞成怒之下硬逼成婚,不想半路杀出个程咬金,劫走了美男。一怒之下,下山追美男,却不想忘带银子,只好去抢劫,又倒霉的招惹了一个王爷,呜呼呜哉,命苦命苦……
  • 无冕之王血刃

    无冕之王血刃

    平凡少年,却遭黑手灭门,是偶然还是阴谋。为寻真相,投身杀手组织,是堕落还是崛起。杀神血刃,当他的名字响彻整个大陆的时候,一场酝酿已久的惊天阴谋也即将爆发……
  • 通玄百问

    通玄百问

    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。
  • 灵皇星记

    灵皇星记

    灵皇大陆,在这,有神奇的灵能力量,更有着神奇的灵兽,成为驯灵师是每个人的梦想。驯化灵兽,成为驯灵大师!修炼灵能,成就盖世强者!
  • 穿越之萌萝莉小妖妃

    穿越之萌萝莉小妖妃

    她是杀手届的霸主,号称“阎罗判官”,却只想求一份宁静,隐居在竹林中,远离人世,却她被朋友背叛,当她架空重生回到13岁,既让老天让我重生,我定不会浪费,看她如何玩转异世......
  • 双生战神

    双生战神

    1400光年发现了另一个“地球”,茫茫宇宙会不会有另一个你?一个命运坎坷的青年,一个生活颓废的青年。身份互换之后,能否创造精彩?
  • 奇异少女之黑暗

    奇异少女之黑暗

    在一次夜晚降临了一个小女孩,名叫鹿晚颖,她的降临发生了奇怪的事,母亲死了,出生的地方消失了,然后被送到了森之林村庄,但在17岁时村民被屠杀,她开始了不一样的“旅程”变成了暗黑魔女,大家称她为“奇异少女”……
  • 相思谋:妃常难娶

    相思谋:妃常难娶

    某日某王府张灯结彩,婚礼进行时,突然不知从哪冒出来一个小孩,对着新郎道:“爹爹,今天您的大婚之喜,娘亲让我来还一样东西。”说完提着手中的玉佩在新郎面前晃悠。此话一出,一府宾客哗然,然当大家看清这小孩与新郎如一个模子刻出来的面容时,顿时石化。此时某屋顶,一个绝色女子不耐烦的声音响起:“儿子,事情办完了我们走,别在那磨矶,耽误时间。”新郎一看屋顶上的女子,当下怒火攻心,扔下新娘就往女子所在的方向扑去,吼道:“女人,你给本王站住。”一场爱与被爱的追逐正式开始、、、、、、、