At last I became desperate, and
determined to swallow my self-esteem, and again beg her to tell me
how I had offended, and how I might make reparation. I made up my
mind that I should do this at the next halt. We were approaching
another range of mountains at the time, and when we reached them,
instead of winding across them through some high-flung pass we
entered a mighty natural tunnel--a series of labyrinthine grottoes,
dark as Erebus.
The guards had no torches or light of any description. In fact we
had seen no artificial light or sign of fire since we had entered
Pellucidar. In a land of perpetual noon there is no need of light
above ground, yet I marveled that they had no means of lighting
their way through these dark, subterranean passages. So we crept
along at a snail's pace, with much stumbling and falling--the
guards keeping up a singsong chant ahead of us, interspersed with
certain high notes which I found always indicated rough places and
turns.
Halts were now more frequent, but I did not wish to speak to Dian
until I could see from the expression of her face how she was
receiving my apologies. At last a faint glow ahead forewarned us
of the end of the tunnel, for which I for one was devoutly thankful.
Then at a sudden turn we emerged into the full light of the noonday
sun.
But with it came a sudden realization of what meant to me a
real catastrophe--Dian was gone, and with her a half-dozen other
prisoners.
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