I was entirely within the power of
the savage man whose skiff I had stolen. Still clinging to the
spear I looked into his face to find him scrutinizing me intently,
and there we stood for some several minutes, each clinging tenaciously
to the weapon the while we gazed in stupid wonderment at each other.
What was in his mind I do not know, but in my own was merely the
question as to how soon the fellow would recommence hostilities.
Presently he spoke to me, but in a tongue which I was unable to
translate. I shook my head in an effort to indicate my ignorance
of his language, at the same time addressing him in the bastard
tongue that the Sagoths use to converse with the human slaves of
the Mahars.
To my delight he understood and answered me in the same jargon.
"What do you want of my spear?" he asked.
"Only to keep you from running it through me," I replied.
"I would not do that," he said, "for you have just saved my life,"
and with that he released his hold upon it and squatted down in
the bottom of the skiff.
"Who are you," he continued, "and from what country do you come?"
I too sat down, laying the spear between us, and tried to explain
how I came to Pellucidar, and wherefrom, but it was as impossible
for him to grasp or believe the strange tale I told him as I fear
it is for you upon the outer crust to believe in the existence
of the inner world. To him it seemed quite ridiculous to imagine
that there was another world far beneath his feet peopled by beings
similar to himself, and he laughed uproariously the more he thought
upon it.
Pages:
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98