Books: Pellucidar

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To my surprise Ja felt much as I did. He said he had always hated
to war with other Mezops when there were so many alien races to
fight against. I suggested that we hail the chief and request a
parley; but when Ja did so the old fool thought that we were afraid,
and with loud cries of exultation urged his warriors upon us.

So we opened up on them, but at my suggestion centered our fire upon
the chief's canoe. The result was that in about thirty seconds
there was nothing left of that war dugout but a handful of splinters,
while its crew--those who were not killed--were struggling in the
water, battling with the myriad terrible creatures that had risen
to devour them.

We saved some of them, but the majority died just as had Hooja and
the crew of his canoe that time our second shot capsized them.

Again we called to the remaining warriors to enter into a parley
with us; but the chief's son was there and he would not, now that
he had seen his father killed. He was all for revenge. So we had
to open up on the brave fellows with all our guns; but it didn't
last long at that, for there chanced to be wiser heads among the
Luanians than their chief or his son had possessed. Presently, an
old warrior who commanded one of the dugouts sur-rendered. After
that they came in one by one until all had laid their weapons upon
our decks.

Then we called together upon the flag-ship all our captains, to
give the affair greater weight and dignity, and all the principal
men of Luana. We had conquered them, and they expected either death
or slavery; but they deserved neither, and I told them so. It is
always my habit here in Pellucidar to impress upon these savage
people that mercy is as noble a quality as physical bravery,
and that next to the men who fight shoulder to shoulder with one,
we should honor the brave men who fight against us, and if we are
victorious, award them both the mercy and honor that are their due.

By adhering to this policy I have won to the federa-tion many great
and noble peoples, who under the ancient traditions of the inner
world would have been massacred or enslaved after we had conquered
them; and thus I won the Luanians. I gave them their freedom, and
returned their weapons to them after they had sworn loyalty to me
and friendship and peace with Ja, and I made the old fellow, who
had had the good sense to surrender, king of Luana, for both the
old chief and his only son had died in the battle.

When I sailed away from Luana she was included among the kingdoms
of the empire, whose boundaries were thus pushed eastward several
hundred miles.

We now returned to Anoroc and thence to the main-land, where I again
took up the campaign against the Mahars, marching from one great
buried city to another until we had passed far north of Amoz into
a country where I had never been. At each city we were vic-torious,
killing or capturing the Sagoths and driving the Mahars further
away.

I noticed that they always fled toward the north. The Sagoth prisoners
we usually found quite ready to trans-fer their allegiance to us,
for they are little more than brutes, and when they found that we
could fill their stomachs and give them plenty of fighting, they
were nothing loath to march with us against the next Mahar city
and battle with men of their own race.

Thus we proceeded, swinging in a great half-circle north and west
and south again until we had come back to the edge of the Lidi
Plains north of Thuria. Here we overcame the Mahar city that had
ravaged the Land of Awful Shadow for so many ages. When we marched
on to Thuria, Goork and his people went mad with joy at the tidings
we brought them.

During this long march of conquest we had passed through seven
countries, peopled by primitive human tribes who had not yet
heard of the federation, and succeeded in joining them all to the
empire. It was noticeable that each of these peoples had a Mahar
city situated near by, which had drawn upon them for slaves and human
food for so many ages that not even in legend had the population any
folk-tale which did not in some degree reflect an inherent terror
of the reptilians.

In each of these countries I left an officer and warriors to train
them in military discipline, and prepare them to receive the arms
that I intended furnishing them as rapidly as Perry's arsenal
could turn them out, for we felt that it would be a long, long time
before we should see the last of the Mahars. That they had flown
north but temporarily until we should be gone with our great army
and terrifying guns I was positive, and equally sure was I that
they would presently return.

The task of ridding Pellucidar of these hideous crea-tures is one
which in all probability will never be entirely completed, for
their great cities must abound by the hundreds and thousands of
the far-distant lands that no subject of the empire has ever laid
eyes upon.

But within the present boundaries of my domain there are now none
left that I know of, for I am sure we should have heard indirectly
of any great Mahar city that had escaped us, although of course
the imperial army has by no means covered the vast area which I
now rule.

After leaving Thuria we returned to Sari, where the seat of government
is located. Here, upon a vast, fertile plateau, overlooking the
great gulf that runs into the continent from the Lural Az, we are
building the great city of Sari. Here we are erecting mills and
factories. Here we are teaching men and women the rudiments of
agriculture. Here Perry has built the first printing-press, and
a dozen young Sarians are teaching their fellows to read and write
the language of Pellucidar.

We have just laws and only a few of them. Our people are happy
because they are always working at some-thing which they enjoy.
There is no money, nor is any money value placed upon any commodity.
Perry and I were as one in resolving that the root of all evil
should not be introduced into Pellucidar while we lived.

A man may exchange that which he produces for something which he
desires that another has produced; but he cannot dispose of the
thing he thus acquires. In other words, a commodity ceases to have
pecuniary value the instant that it passes out of the hands of its
producer. All excess reverts to government; and, as this represents
the production of the people as a government, government may dispose
of it to other peoples in ex-change for that which they produce.
Thus we are es-tablishing a trade between kingdoms, the profits
from which go to the betterment of the people--to building factories
for the manufacture of agricultural implements, and machinery for
the various trades we are gradually teaching the people.

Already Anoroc and Luana are vying with one another in the excellence
of the ships they build. Each has several large ship-yards. Anoroc
makes gunpowder and mines iron ore, and by means of their ships
they carry on a very lucrative trade with Thuria, Sari, and Amoz.
The Thurians breed lidi, which, having the strength and intelligence
of an elephant, make excellent draft animals.

Around Sari and Amoz the men are domesticating the great striped
antelope, the meat of which is most de-licious. I am sure that it
will not be long before they will have them broken to harness and
saddle. The horses of Pellucidar are far too diminutive for such
uses, some species of them being little larger than fox-terriers.

Dian and I live in a great palace overlooking the gulf. There is
no glass in our windows, for we have no win-dows, the walls rising
but a few feet above the floor-line, the rest of the space being open
to the ceilings; but we have a roof to shade us from the perpetual
noon-day sun. Perry and I decided to set a style in architecture
that would not curse future generations with the white plague, so
we have plenty of ventilation. Those of the people who prefer,
still inhabit their caves, but many are building houses similar to
ours.

At Greenwich we have located a town and an ob-servatory--though
there is nothing to observe but the stationary sun directly overhead.
Upon the edge of the Land of Awful Shadow is another observatory,
from which the time is flashed by wireless to every corner of the
empire twenty-four times a day. In addition to the wireless, we
have a small telephone system in Sari. Everything is yet in the
early stages of development; but with the science of the outer-world
twentieth century to draw upon we are making rapid progress, and
with all the faults and errors of the outer world to guide us clear
of dangers, I think that it will not be long before Pellucidar will
become as nearly a Utopia as one may expect to find this side of
heaven.

Perry is away just now, laying out a railway-line from Sari to
Amoz. There are immense anthracite coal-fields at the head of the
gulf not far from Sari, and the railway will tap these. Some of
his students are working on a locomotive now. It will be a strange
sight to see an iron horse puffing through the primeval jungles of
the stone age, while cave bears, saber-toothed tigers, mastodons
and the countless other terrible creatures of the past look on from
their tangled lairs in wide-eyed astonishment.

We are very happy, Dian and I, and I would not return to the outer
world for all the riches of all its princes. I am content here.
Even without my imperial powers and honors I should be content,
for have I not that greatest of all treasures, the love of a good
woman--my wondrous empress, Dian the Beautiful?

I have made the following changes to the text:

PAGE LINE ORIGINAL CHANGED TO
27 33 sate state
32 11 least last
38 3 litte little
39 20 dispress- distress-
50 20 slides sides
54 16 enmy enemy
77 2 it if
80 24 Sidi Lidi
96 10 be bet
101 33 the the and the
107 15 Hoojas' Hooja's
117 4 come came
119 18 remarkably remarkable
149 25 take takes
151 6 Juang Juag
173 29 contined continued

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