Perry and I sought him out and put the question straight to him.
"Ghak," I said, "we are determined to escape from this bondage.
Will you accompany us?"
"They will set the thipdars upon us," he said, "and then we shall
be killed; but--" he hesitated--"I would take the chance if I
thought that I might possibly escape and return to my own people."
"Could you find your way back to your own land?" asked Perry. "And
could you aid David in his search for Dian?"
"Yes."
"But how," persisted Perry, "could you travel to strange country
without heavenly bodies or a compass to guide you?"
Ghak didn't know what Perry meant by heavenly bodies or a compass,
but he assured us that you might blindfold any man of Pellucidar
and carry him to the farthermost corner of the world, yet he would
be able to come directly to his own home again by the shortest route.
He seemed surprised to think that we found anything wonderful in
it. Perry said it must be some sort of homing instinct such as is
possessed by certain breeds of earthly pigeons. I didn't know, of
course, but it gave me an idea.
"Then Dian could have found her way directly to her own people?"
I asked.
"Surely," replied Ghak, "unless some mighty beast of prey killed
her."
I was for making the attempted escape at once, but both Perry and
Ghak counseled waiting for some propitious accident which would
insure us some small degree of success. I didn't see what accident
could befall a whole community in a land of perpetual daylight where
the inhabitants had no fixed habits of sleep.
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