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11 - At The Earth's Core - Edgar Rice Burroughs · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter eleven, four dead Mahars. A moment later, I was
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  Speaker 1: standing before a dozen Mahars, the social investigators of Phutra.
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  Speaker 1: They asked me many questions through a Sagoth interpreter. I
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  Speaker 1: answered them all truthfully. They seemed particularly interested in my
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  Speaker 1: account of the outer Earth and the strange vehicle which
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  Speaker 1: had brought Perry and me to Pellucidar. I thought that
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  Speaker 1: I had convinced them, and after they had sat in
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  Speaker 1: silence for a long time following my examination, I expected
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  Speaker 1: to be ordered returned to my quarters. During this apparent silence,
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  Speaker 1: they were debating, through the medium of strange unspoken language,
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  Speaker 1: the merits of my tale. At last, the head of
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  Speaker 1: the tribunal communicated the result of their conference to the
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  Speaker 1: officer in charge of the Sagoth guard. Come, he said
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  Speaker 1: to me, you are sentenced to the experimental pits for
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  Speaker 1: having dared to insult the intelligence of the mighty ones
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  Speaker 1: with the ridiculous tale you have had the temerity to
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  Speaker 1: unfold to them. Do you mean that they do not
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  Speaker 1: believe me, I asked, totally astonished, believe you? He laughed.
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  Speaker 1: Do you mean to say that you expected any one
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  Speaker 1: to believe so impossible? A lie. It was hopeless, and
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  Speaker 1: so I walked in silence beside my guard down through
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  Speaker 1: the dark corridors and runways toward my awful doom. At
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  Speaker 1: a low level, we came upon a number of lighted
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  Speaker 1: chambers in which we saw many Mahars engaged in various occupations.
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  Speaker 1: To one of these chambers, my guard escorted me, and
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  Speaker 1: before leaving, they chained me to a side wall. There
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  Speaker 1: were other humans similarly chained. Upon a long table lay
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  Speaker 1: a victim. Even as I was ushered into the room,
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  Speaker 1: several Mahars stood about the poor creature, holding him down
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  Speaker 1: so that he could not move. Another, grasping a sharp
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  Speaker 1: knife with her three toed fore foot, was laying open
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  Speaker 1: the victim's chest and abdomen. No anesthetic had been administered,
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  Speaker 1: and the shrieks and groans of the tortured man were
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  Speaker 1: terrible to hear. This, indeed, was vivisection with a vengeance.
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  Speaker 1: Cold sweat broke out upon me as I realized that
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  Speaker 1: soon my turn would come, and to think that, where
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  Speaker 1: there was no such thing as time, I might easily
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  Speaker 1: imagined that my suffering was enduring for months before my
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  Speaker 1: death finally released me. The Mahars had paid not the
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  Speaker 1: slightest attention to me as I had been brought into
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  Speaker 1: the room. So deeply immersed were they in their work
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  Speaker 1: that I am sure they did not even know that
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  Speaker 1: the Sagoths had entered with me. The door was close by,
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  Speaker 1: would that I could reach it, but those heavy chains
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  Speaker 1: precluded any such possibility. I looked about for some means
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  Speaker 1: of escape from my bonds. Upon the floor between me
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  Speaker 1: and the Mahars lay a tiny surgical instrument, which one
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  Speaker 1: of them must have dropped. It looked not unlike a
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  Speaker 1: button hook, but was much smaller, and its point was
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  Speaker 1: sharpened A hundred times. In my boyhood days I had
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  Speaker 1: picked locks with a button hook. Could I but reach
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  Speaker 1: that little bit of polished steel, I might yet effect
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  Speaker 1: at least a temporary escape. Crawling to the limit of
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  Speaker 1: my chain, I found that by reaching one hand as
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  Speaker 1: far out as I could, my fingers still fell an
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  Speaker 1: inch short of the coveted instrument. It was tantalizing. Stretch
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  Speaker 1: every fiber of my being as I would, I could
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  Speaker 1: not quite make it. At last, I turned about and
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  Speaker 1: extended one foot toward the object. My heart came to
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  Speaker 1: my throat. I could just touch the thing. But suppose
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  Speaker 1: that in my effort to drag it toward me, I
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  Speaker 1: should accidentally shove it still farther away, and thus entirely
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  Speaker 1: out of reach. Cold sweat broke out upon me from
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  Speaker 1: every pore. Slowly and cautiously, I made the effort. My
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  Speaker 1: toes dropped upon the cold metal. Gradually I worked it
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  Speaker 1: toward me until I felt that it was within reach
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  Speaker 1: of my hand, and a moment later I had turned
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  Speaker 1: about and the precious thing was within my grasp. Assiduously
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  Speaker 1: I felt to work upon the mahar lock that held
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  Speaker 1: my chain. It was pitifully simple. A child might depict it,
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  Speaker 1: and a moment later I was free. The mahars were
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  Speaker 1: now evidently completing their work at the table. One already
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  Speaker 1: turned away and was examining other victims, evidently with the
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  Speaker 1: intention of selecting the next subject. Those at the table
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  Speaker 1: had their backs toward me. But for the creature walking
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  Speaker 1: toward us, I might have escaped that moment. Slowly, the
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  Speaker 1: thing approached me when its attention was attracted by a
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  Speaker 1: huge slave chained a few yards to my right. Here
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  Speaker 1: the reptile stopped and commenced to go over the poor
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  Speaker 1: devil carefully and as it did so, its back turned
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  Speaker 1: toward toward me for an instant, And in that instant
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  Speaker 1: I gave two mighty leaps that carried me out of
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  Speaker 1: the chamber into the corridor beyond, down which I raced
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  Speaker 1: with all the speed I could command. Where I was
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  Speaker 1: or whither I was going, I knew not. My only
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  Speaker 1: thought was to place as much distance as possible between
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  Speaker 1: me and that frightful chamber of torture. Presently I reduced
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  Speaker 1: my speed to a brisk walk, and, later, realizing the
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  Speaker 1: danger of running into some new predictment were I not careful,
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  Speaker 1: I moved still more slowly and cautiously. After a time
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  Speaker 1: I came to a passage that seemed, in some mysterious
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  Speaker 1: way familiar to me, And presently, chancing to glance within
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  Speaker 1: a chamber which led from the corridor, I saw three
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  Speaker 1: mahars curled up in slumber upon a bed of skins.
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  Speaker 1: I could have shouted aloud in joy and relief. It
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  Speaker 1: was the same corridor and the same mahars that I
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  Speaker 1: had intended to have lead so important a role in
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  Speaker 1: our escape from Phutra. Providence had indeed been kind to me,
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  Speaker 1: For the reptiles still slept My one great danger now
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  Speaker 1: lay in returning to the upper levels in search of
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  Speaker 1: Perry and Ghak. But there was nothing else to be done,
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  Speaker 1: and so I hastened upward. When I came to the
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  Speaker 1: frequented portions of the building, I found a large burden
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  Speaker 1: of skins in a corner, and these I lifted to
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  Speaker 1: my head, carrying them in such a way that ends
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  Speaker 1: and corners fell down about my shoulders, completely hiding my face.
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  Speaker 1: Thus disguised, I found Perry and Ghak together in the
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  Speaker 1: chamber where we had been wont to eat and sleep.
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  Speaker 1: Both were glad to see me, it was needless to say,
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  Speaker 1: though of course they had known nothing of the fate
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  Speaker 1: that had been meted out to me by my judges.
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  Speaker 1: It was decided that no time should now be lost
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  Speaker 1: before attempting to put our plan of escape to the test,
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  Speaker 1: as I could not hope to remain hidden from the
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  Speaker 1: Sagoths long, nor could I forever carry that bale of
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  Speaker 1: skins about upon my head without arousing suspicion. However, it
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  Speaker 1: seemed likely that it would carry me once more safely
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  Speaker 1: through the crowded passages and chambers of the upper levels,
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  Speaker 1: and so I set out with Perry and Ghak. The
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  Speaker 1: stench of the illy cured pelts fairly choking me. Together
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  Speaker 1: we were paired to the first tier of corridors beneath
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  Speaker 1: the main floor of the buildings, and here Perry and
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  Speaker 1: Ghak halted to await me. The buildings are cut out
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  Speaker 1: of the solid limestone formation. There is nothing at all
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  Speaker 1: remarkable about their architecture. The rooms are sometimes rectangular, sometimes circular,
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  Speaker 1: and again oval in shape. The corridors which connect them
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  Speaker 1: are narrow and not always straight. The chambers are lighted
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  Speaker 1: by diffused sunlight reflected through tubes similar to those by
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  Speaker 1: which the avenues are lighted. The lower the tiers of chambers,
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  Speaker 1: the darker. Most of the corridors are entirely unlighted. The
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  Speaker 1: Mahars can see quite well in semi darkness. Down to
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  Speaker 1: the main floor, we encountered many Mahars, Sagoths and slaves,
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  Speaker 1: but no attention was paid to us, as we had
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  Speaker 1: become a part of the domestic life of the building.
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  Speaker 1: There was but a single entrance leading from the place
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  Speaker 1: into the avenue, and this was well guarded by sagoths.
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  Speaker 1: This doorway alone were we forbidden to pass. It is
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  Speaker 1: true that we were not supposed to enter the deeper
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  Speaker 1: corridors and apartments, except on special occasions when we were
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  Speaker 1: instructed to do so. But as we were considered a
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  Speaker 1: lower order without intelligence, there was little reason and to
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  Speaker 1: fear that we could accomplish any harm by so doing,
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  Speaker 1: and so we were not hindered as we entered the
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  Speaker 1: corridor which led below. Wrapped in a skin, I carried
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  Speaker 1: three swords, and the two bows, and the arrows which
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  Speaker 1: Perry and I had fashioned. As many slaves bore skin
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  Speaker 1: wrapped burdens to and fro. My load attracted no comment.
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  Speaker 1: Where I left Ghak and Perry, there were no other
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  Speaker 1: creatures in sight, and so I withdrew one sword from
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  Speaker 1: the package, and, leaving the balance of the weapons with Perry,
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  Speaker 1: started on alone towards the lower levels. Having come to
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  Speaker 1: the apartment in which the three Mahars slept, I entered
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  Speaker 1: silently on tiptoe, forgetting that the creatures were without the
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  Speaker 1: sense of hearing. With a quick thrust through the heart,
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  Speaker 1: I disposed of the first. But my second thrust was
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  Speaker 1: not so fortunate, so that before I could kill the
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  Speaker 1: next of my victims, it had hurled itself against the
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  Speaker 1: third who sprang quickly up, facing me with wide distended jaws.
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  Speaker 1: But fighting is not the occupation which the race of
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  Speaker 1: Mahar's loves. And when the things saw that I had
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  Speaker 1: already dispatched two of its companions, and that my sword
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  Speaker 1: was red with their blood, it made a dash to
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  Speaker 1: uscap me. But I was too quick for it, and
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  Speaker 1: so half hopping, half flying, it scurried down another corridor,
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  Speaker 1: with me close upon its heels. Its escape meant the
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  Speaker 1: utter ruin of our plan, and in all probability, my
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  Speaker 1: instant death. This thought lent wings to my feet, but
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  Speaker 1: even at my best I could do no more than
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  Speaker 1: hold my own with the leaping thing before me. Of
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  Speaker 1: a sudden it turned into an apartment on the right
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  Speaker 1: of the corridor, and an instant later, as I rushed in,
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  Speaker 1: I found myself facing two of the Mahars. The one
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  Speaker 1: who had been there when we entered had been occupied
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  Speaker 1: with a number of metal vessels into which had been
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  Speaker 1: put powders and liquids, as I judged from the array
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  Speaker 1: of flasks standing about upon the bench where it had
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  Speaker 1: been working. In an instant I realized what I had
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  Speaker 1: stumbled upon. It was the very room for the finding
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  Speaker 1: of which Perry had given me minute directions. It was
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  Speaker 1: the buried chamber in which was hidden the great secret
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  Speaker 1: of the race of Mahars. And on the bench beside
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  Speaker 1: the flasks lay the skin bound book which held the
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  Speaker 1: only copy of the thing I was to have sought.
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  Speaker 1: After dispatching the three Mahars in their sleep, there was
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  Speaker 1: no exit from the room other than the doorway in
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  Speaker 1: which I now stid. Facing the two frightful reptiles cornered.
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  Speaker 1: I knew that they would fight like demons, and that
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  Speaker 1: they were well equipped to fight if they must. Together,
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  Speaker 1: they launched themselves upon me, and though I ran one
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  Speaker 1: of them through the heart on the instant, the other
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  Speaker 1: fastened its gleaming fangs about my sword arm above the elbow,
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  Speaker 1: and then, with her sharp talons, commenced to rake me
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  Speaker 1: about the body, evidently intent upon disemboweling me. I saw
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  Speaker 1: that it was useless to hope that I might release
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  Speaker 1: my arm from that powerful vicelike grip which seemed to
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  Speaker 1: be severing my arm from my body. The pain I
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  Speaker 1: suffered was intense, but it only served to spur me
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  Speaker 1: to greater efforts to overcome my antagonist back and forth
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  Speaker 1: across the floor. We struggled, the Mahar dealing me terrific
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  Speaker 1: cutting blows with her fore feet, while I attempted to
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  Speaker 1: protect my body with my left hand, at the same
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  Speaker 1: time watching for an opportunity to transfer my blade from
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  Speaker 1: my now useless sword hand to its rapidly weakening mate.
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  Speaker 1: At last I was successful, and with what seemed to
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  Speaker 1: be my last ounce of strength, that ran the blade
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  Speaker 1: through the ugly body of my foe. Soundless as it
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  Speaker 1: had fought, it died, and though weak from pain and
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  Speaker 1: loss of blood, it was with an emotion of triumphant
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  Speaker 1: pride that I stepped across its convulsively stiffening corpse to
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  Speaker 1: snatch up the most potent secret of a world. A
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  Speaker 1: single glance assured me that it was the very thing
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  Speaker 1: that Perry had described to me. And as I grasped it,
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  Speaker 1: did I think of what it meant to the human
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  Speaker 1: race of Pellucidar? Did there flash through my mind the
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  Speaker 1: thought that countless generations of my own kind, yet unborn,
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  Speaker 1: would have reason to worship me for the thing that
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  Speaker 1: I had accomplished for them. I did not. I thought
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  Speaker 1: of a beautiful oval face gazing out of limpid eyes
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  Speaker 1: through a waving mass of jet black hair. I thought
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  Speaker 1: of red, red lips, God made for kissing, and of
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  Speaker 1: a sudden apropos of nothing. Standing there alone in the
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  Speaker 1: secret chamber of the Mahars of Llucidar, I realized that
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  Speaker 1: I loved Diane. The beautiful end of chapter eleven