The cave which took my fancy lay halfway7 up the precipitous side of a lofty cliff. The way to it was such that I knew no extremely formidable beast could frequent it, nor was it large enough to make a comfortable habitat for any but the smaller mammals or reptiles8. Yet it was with the utmost caution that I crawled within its dark interior.
Here I found a rather large chamber10, lighted by a narrow cleft11 in the rock above which let the sunlight filter in in sufficient quantities partially12 to dispel13 the utter darkness which I had expected. The cave was entirely empty, nor were there any signs of its having been recently occupied. The opening was comparatively small, so that after considerable effort I was able to lug14 up a bowlder from the valley below which entirely blocked it.
Then I returned again to the valley for an armful of grasses and on this trip was fortunate enough to knock over an orthopi, the diminutive15 horse of Pellucidar, a little animal about the size of a fox terrier, which abounds16 in all parts of the inner world. Thus, with food and bedding I returned to my lair17, where after a meal of raw meat, to which I had now become quite accustomed, I dragged the bowlder before the entrance and curled myself upon a bed of grasses—a naked, primeval, cave man, as savagely18 primitive20 as my prehistoric21 progenitors22.
I awoke rested but hungry, and pushing the bowlder aside crawled out upon the little rocky shelf which was my front porch. Before me spread a small but beautiful valley, through the center of which a clear and sparkling river wound its way down to an inland sea, the blue waters of which were just visible between the two mountain ranges which embraced this little paradise. The sides of the opposite hills were green with verdure, for a great forest clothed them to the foot of the red and yellow and copper24 green of the towering crags which formed their summit. The valley itself was carpeted with a luxuriant grass, while here and there patches of wild flowers made great splashes of vivid color against the prevailing25 green.
Dotted over the face of the valley were little clusters of palmlike trees—three or four together as a rule. Beneath these stood antelope26, while others grazed in the open, or wandered gracefully27 to a nearby ford29 to drink. There were several species of this beautiful animal, the most magnificent somewhat resembling the giant eland of Africa, except that their spiral horns form a complete curve backward over their ears and then forward again beneath them, ending in sharp and formidable points some two feet before the face and above the eyes. In size they remind one of a pure bred Hereford bull, yet they are very agile30 and fast. The broad yellow bands that stripe the dark roan of their coats made me take them for zebra when I first saw them. All in all they are handsome animals, and added the finishing touch to the strange and lovely landscape that spread before my new home.
I had determined31 to make the cave my headquarters, and with it as a base make a systematic32 exploration of the surrounding country in search of the land of Sari. First I devoured33 the remainder of the carcass of the orthopi I had killed before my last sleep. Then I hid the Great Secret in a deep niche34 at the back of my cave, rolled the bowlder before my front door, and with bow, arrows, sword, and shield scrambled35 down into the peaceful valley.
The grazing herds36 moved to one side as I passed through them, the little orthopi evincing the greatest wariness37 and galloping38 to safest distances. All the animals stopped feeding as I approached, and after moving to what they considered a safe distance stood contemplating39 me with serious eyes and up-cocked ears. Once one of the old bull antelopes40 of the striped species lowered his head and bellowed41 angrily—even taking a few steps in my direction, so that I thought he meant to charge; but after I had passed, he resumed feeding as though nothing had disturbed him.
Near the lower end of the valley I passed a number of tapirs, and across the river saw a great sadok, the enormous double-horned progenitor23 of the modern rhinoceros42. At the valley's end the cliffs upon the left ran out into the sea, so that to pass around them as I desired to do it was necessary to scale them in search of a ledge43 along which I might continue my journey. Some fifty feet from the base I came upon a projection44 which formed a natural path along the face of the cliff, and this I followed out over the sea toward the cliff's end.
Here the ledge inclined rapidly upward toward the top of the cliffs—the stratum45 which formed it evidently having been forced up at this steep angle when the mountains behind it were born. As I climbed carefully up the ascent46 my attention suddenly was attracted aloft by the sound of strange hissing48, and what resembled the flapping of wings.
And at the first glance there broke upon my horrified49 vision the most frightful50 thing I had seen even within Pellucidar. It was a giant dragon such as is pictured in the legends and fairy tales of earth folk. Its huge body must have measured forty feet in length, while the batlike wings that supported it in midair had a spread of fully28 thirty. Its gaping51 jaws53 were armed with long, sharp teeth, and its claw equipped with horrible talons54.
The hissing noise which had first attracted my attention was issuing from its throat, and seemed to be directed at something beyond and below me which I could not see. The ledge upon which I stood terminated abruptly55 a few paces farther on, and as I reached the end I saw the cause of the reptile9's agitation56.
Some time in past ages an earthquake had produced a fault at this point, so that beyond the spot where I stood the strata57 had slipped down a matter of twenty feet. The result was that the continuation of my ledge lay twenty feet below me, where it ended as abruptly as did the end upon which I stood.
And here, evidently halted in flight by this insurmountable break in the ledge, stood the object of the creature's attack—a girl cowering58 upon the narrow platform, her face buried in her arms, as though to shut out the sight of the frightful death which hovered59 just above her.
The dragon was circling lower, and seemed about to dart60 in upon its prey61. There was no time to be lost, scarce an instant in which to weigh the possible chances that I had against the awfully62 armed creature; but the sight of that frightened girl below me called out to all that was best in me, and the instinct for protection of the other sex, which nearly must have equaled the instinct of self-preservation in primeval man, drew me to the girl's side like an irresistible63 magnet.
Almost thoughtless of the consequences, I leaped from the end of the ledge upon which I stood, for the tiny shelf twenty feet below. At the same instant the dragon darted64 in toward the girl, but my sudden advent65 upon the scene must have startled him for he veered66 to one side, and then rose above us once more.
The noise I made as I landed beside her convinced the girl that the end had come, for she thought I was the dragon; but finally when no cruel fangs67 closed upon her she raised her eyes in astonishment68. As they fell upon me the expression that came into them would be difficult to describe; but her feelings could scarcely have been one whit69 more complicated than my own—for the wide eyes that looked into mine were those of Dian the Beautiful.
"Dian!" I cried. "Dian! Thank God that I came in time."
"You?" she whispered, and then she hid her face again; nor could I tell whether she were glad or angry that I had come.
Once more the dragon was sweeping70 toward us, and so rapidly that I had no time to unsling my bow. All that I could do was to snatch up a rock, and hurl71 it at the thing's hideous72 face. Again my aim was true, and with a hiss47 of pain and rage the reptile wheeled once more and soared away.
Quickly I fitted an arrow now that I might be ready at the next attack, and as I did so I looked down at the girl, so that I surprised her in a surreptitious glance which she was stealing at me; but immediately, she again covered her face with her hands.
"Look at me, Dian," I pleaded. "Are you not glad to see me?"
She looked straight into my eyes.
"I hate you," she said, and then, as I was about to beg for a fair hearing she pointed73 over my shoulder. "The thipdar comes," she said, and I turned again to meet the reptile.
So this was a thipdar. I might have known it. The cruel bloodhound of the Mahars. The long-extinct pterodactyl of the outer world. But this time I met it with a weapon it never had faced before. I had selected my longest arrow, and with all my strength had bent74 the bow until the very tip of the shaft75 rested upon the thumb of my left hand, and then as the great creature darted toward us I let drive straight for that tough breast.
Hissing like the escape valve of a steam engine, the mighty creature fell turning and twisting into the sea below, my arrow buried completely in its carcass. I turned toward the girl. She was looking past me. It was evident that she had seen the thipdar die.
"Dian," I said, "won't you tell me that you are not sorry that I have found you?"
"I hate you," was her only reply; but I imagined that there was less vehemence76 in it than before—yet it might have been but my imagination.
"Why do you hate me, Dian?" I asked, but she did not answer me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, "and what has happened to you since Hooja freed you from the Sagoths?"
At first I thought that she was going to ignore me entirely, but finally she thought better of it.
"I was again running away from Jubal the Ugly One," she said. "After I escaped from the Sagoths I made my way alone back to my own land; but on account of Jubal I did not dare enter the villages or let any of my friends know that I had returned for fear that Jubal might find out. By watching for a long time I found that my brother had not yet returned, and so I continued to live in a cave beside a valley which my race seldom frequents, awaiting the time that he should come back and free me from Jubal.
"But at last one of Jubal's hunters saw me as I was creeping toward my father's cave to see if my brother had yet returned and he gave the alarm and Jubal set out after me. He has been pursuing me across many lands. He cannot be far behind me now. When he comes he will kill you and carry me back to his cave. He is a terrible man. I have gone as far as I can go, and there is no escape," and she looked hopelessly up at the continuation of the ledge twenty feet above us.
"But he shall not have me," she suddenly cried, with great vehemence. "The sea is there"—she pointed over the edge of the cliff—"and the sea shall have me rather than Jubal."
"But I have you now Dian," I cried; "nor shall Jubal, nor any other have you, for you are mine," and I seized her hand, nor did I lift it above her head and let it fall in token of release.
She had risen to her feet, and was looking straight into my eyes with level gaze.
"I do not believe you," she said, "for if you meant it you would have done this when the others were present to witness it—then I should truly have been your mate; now there is no one to see you do it, for you know that without witnesses your act does not bind77 you to me," and she withdrew her hand from mine and turned away.
I tried to convince her that I was sincere, but she simply couldn't forget the humiliation78 that I had put upon her on that other occasion.
"If you mean all that you say you will have ample chance to prove it," she said, "if Jubal does not catch and kill you. I am in your power, and the treatment you accord me will be the best proof of your intentions toward me. I am not your mate, and again I tell you that I hate you, and that I should be glad if I never saw you again."
Dian certainly was candid79. There was no gainsaying80 that. In fact I found candor81 and directness to be quite a marked characteristic of the cave men of Pellucidar. Finally I suggested that we make some attempt to gain my cave, where we might escape the searching Jubal, for I am free to admit that I had no considerable desire to meet the formidable and ferocious82 creature, of whose mighty prowess Dian had told me when I first met her. He it was who, armed with a puny83 knife, had met and killed a cave bear in a hand-to-hand struggle. It was Jubal who could cast his spear entirely through the armored carcass of the sadok at fifty paces. It was he who had crushed the skull84 of a charging dyryth with a single blow of his war club. No, I was not pining to meet the Ugly One—and it was quite certain that I should not go out and hunt for him; but the matter was taken out of my hands very quickly, as is often the way, and I did meet Jubal the Ugly One face to face.
This is how it happened. I had led Dian back along the ledge the way she had come, searching for a path that would lead us to the top of the cliff, for I knew that we could then cross over to the edge of my own little valley, where I felt certain we should find a means of ingress from the cliff top. As we proceeded along the ledge I gave Dian minute directions for finding my cave against the chance of something happening to me. I knew that she would be quite safely hidden away from pursuit once she gained the shelter of my lair, and the valley would afford her ample means of sustenance85.
Also, I was very much piqued86 by her treatment of me. My heart was sad and heavy, and I wanted to make her feel badly by suggesting that something terrible might happen to me—that I might, in fact, be killed. But it didn't work worth a cent, at least as far as I could perceive. Dian simply shrugged87 those magnificent shoulders of hers, and murmured something to the effect that one was not rid of trouble so easily as that.
For a while I kept still. I was utterly88 squelched89. And to think that I had twice protected her from attack—the last time risking my life to save hers. It was incredible that even a daughter of the Stone Age could be so ungrateful—so heartless; but maybe her heart partook of the qualities of her epoch90.
Presently we found a rift91 in the cliff which had been widened and extended by the action of the water draining through it from the plateau above. It gave us a rather rough climb to the summit, but finally we stood upon the level mesa which stretched back for several miles to the mountain range. Behind us lay the broad inland sea, curving upward in the horizonless distance to merge92 into the blue of the sky, so that for all the world it looked as though the sea lapped back to arch completely over us and disappear beyond the distant mountains at our backs—the weird93 and uncanny aspect of the seascapes of Pellucidar balk94 description.
At our right lay a dense95 forest, but to the left the country was open and clear to the plateau's farther verge96. It was in this direction that our way led, and we had turned to resume our journey when Dian touched my arm. I turned to her, thinking that she was about to make peace overtures97; but I was mistaken.
"Jubal," she said, and nodded toward the forest.
I looked, and there, emerging from the dense wood, came a perfect whale of a man. He must have been seven feet tall, and proportioned accordingly. He still was too far off to distinguish his features.
"Run," I said to Dian. "I can engage him until you get a good start. Maybe I can hold him until you have gotten entirely away," and then, without a backward glance, I advanced to meet the Ugly One. I had hoped that Dian would have a kind word to say to me before she went, for she must have known that I was going to my death for her sake; but she never even so much as bid me good-bye, and it was with a heavy heart that I strode through the flower-bespangled grass to my doom98.
When I had come close enough to Jubal to distinguish his features I understood how it was that he had earned the sobriquet99 of Ugly One. Apparently100 some fearful beast had ripped away one entire side of his face. The eye was gone, the nose, and all the flesh, so that his jaws and all his teeth were exposed and grinning through the horrible scar.
Formerly101 he may have been as good to look upon as the others of his handsome race, and it may be that the terrible result of this encounter had tended to sour an already strong and brutal102 character. However this may be it is quite certain that he was not a pretty sight, and now that his features, or what remained of them, were distorted in rage at the sight of Dian with another male, he was indeed most terrible to see—and much more terrible to meet.
He had broken into a run now, and as he advanced he raised his mighty spear, while I halted and fitting an arrow to my bow took as steady aim as I could. I was somewhat longer than usual, for I must confess that the sight of this awful man had wrought103 upon my nerves to such an extent that my knees were anything but steady. What chance had I against this mighty warrior104 for whom even the fiercest cave bear had no terrors! Could I hope to best one who slaughtered105 the sadok and dyryth singlehanded! I shuddered106; but, in fairness to myself, my fear was more for Dian than for my own fate.
And then the great brute107 launched his massive stone-tipped spear, and I raised my shield to break the force of its terrific velocity108. The impact hurled109 me to my knees, but the shield had deflected110 the missile and I was unscathed. Jubal was rushing upon me now with the only remaining weapon that he carried—a murderous-looking knife. He was too close for a careful bowshot, but I let drive at him as he came, without taking aim. My arrow pierced the fleshy part of his thigh111, inflicting112 a painful but not disabling wound. And then he was upon me.
My agility113 saved me for the instant. I ducked beneath his raised arm, and when he wheeled to come at me again he found a sword's point in his face. And a moment later he felt an inch or two of it in the muscles of his knife arm, so that thereafter he went more warily114.
It was a duel115 of strategy now—the great, hairy man maneuvering116 to get inside my guard where he could bring those giant thews to play, while my wits were directed to the task of keeping him at arm's length. Thrice he rushed me, and thrice I caught his knife blow upon my shield. Each time my sword found his body—once penetrating117 to his lung. He was covered with blood by this time, and the internal hemorrhage induced paroxysms of coughing that brought the red stream through the hideous mouth and nose, covering his face and breast with bloody118 froth. He was a most unlovely spectacle, but he was far from dead.
As the duel continued I began to gain confidence, for, to be perfectly119 candid, I had not expected to survive the first rush of that monstrous120 engine of ungoverned rage and hatred121. And I think that Jubal, from utter contempt of me, began to change to a feeling of respect, and then in his primitive mind there evidently loomed122 the thought that perhaps at last he had met his master, and was facing his end.
At any rate it is only upon this hypothesis that I can account for his next act, which was in the nature of a last resort—a sort of forlorn hope, which could only have been born of the belief that if he did not kill me quickly I should kill him. It happened on the occasion of his fourth charge, when, instead of striking at me with his knife, he dropped that weapon, and seizing my sword blade in both his hands wrenched123 the weapon from my grasp as easily as from a babe.
Flinging it far to one side he stood motionless for just an instant glaring into my face with such a horrid124 leer of malignant125 triumph as to almost unnerve me—then he sprang for me with his bare hands. But it was Jubal's day to learn new methods of warfare126. For the first time he had seen a bow and arrows, never before that duel had he beheld127 a sword, and now he learned what a man who knows may do with his bare fists.
As he came for me, like a great bear, I ducked again beneath his outstretched arm, and as I came up planted as clean a blow upon his jaw52 as ever you have seen. Down went that great mountain of flesh sprawling128 upon the ground. He was so surprised and dazed that he lay there for several seconds before he made any attempt to rise, and I stood over him with another dose ready when he should gain his knees.
Up he came at last, almost roaring in his rage and mortification129; but he didn't stay up—I let him have a left fair on the point of the jaw that sent him tumbling over on his back. By this time I think Jubal had gone mad with hate, for no sane130 man would have come back for more as many times as he did. Time after time I bowled him over as fast as he could stagger up, until toward the last he lay longer on the ground between blows, and each time came up weaker than before.
He was bleeding very profusely131 now from the wound in his lungs, and presently a terrific blow over the heart sent him reeling heavily to the ground, where he lay very still, and somehow I knew at once that Jubal the Ugly One would never get up again. But even as I looked upon that massive body lying there so grim and terrible in death, I could not believe that I, single-handed, had bested this slayer132 of fearful beasts—this gigantic ogre of the Stone Age.
Picking up my sword I leaned upon it, looking down on the dead body of my foeman, and as I thought of the battle I had just fought and won a great idea was born in my brain—the outcome of this and the suggestion that Perry had made within the city of Phutra. If skill and science could render a comparative pygmy the master of this mighty brute, what could not the brute's fellows accomplish with the same skill and science. Why all Pellucidar would be at their feet—and I would be their king and Dian their queen.
Dian! A little wave of doubt swept over me. It was quite within the possibilities of Dian to look down upon me even were I king. She was quite the most superior person I ever had met—with the most convincing way of letting you know that she was superior. Well, I could go to the cave, and tell her that I had killed Jubal, and then she might feel more kindly133 toward me, since I had freed her of her tormentor134. I hoped that she had found the cave easily—it would be terrible had I lost her again, and I turned to gather up my shield and bow to hurry after her, when to my astonishment I found her standing135 not ten paces behind me.
"Girl!" I cried, "what are you doing here? I thought that you had gone to the cave, as I told you to do."
Up went her head, and the look that she gave me took all the majesty136 out of me, and left me feeling more like the palace janitor—if palaces have janitors137.
"As you told me to do!" she cried, stamping her little foot. "I do as I please. I am the daughter of a king, and furthermore, I hate you."
I was dumbfounded—this was my thanks for saving her from Jubal! I turned and looked at the corpse138. "May be that I saved you from a worse fate, old man," I said, but I guess it was lost on Dian, for she never seemed to notice it at all.
"Let us go to my cave," I said, "I am tired and hungry."
She followed along a pace behind me, neither of us speaking. I was too angry, and she evidently didn't care to converse139 with the lower orders. I was mad all the way through, as I had certainly felt that at least a word of thanks should have rewarded me, for I knew that even by her own standards, I must have done a very wonderful thing to have killed the redoubtable140 Jubal in a hand-to-hand encounter.
We had no difficulty in finding my lair, and then I went down into the valley and bowled over a small antelope, which I dragged up the steep ascent to the ledge before the door. Here we ate in silence. Occasionally I glanced at her, thinking that the sight of her tearing at raw flesh with her hands and teeth like some wild animal would cause a revulsion of my sentiments toward her; but to my surprise I found that she ate quite as daintily as the most civilized141 woman of my acquaintance, and finally I found myself gazing in foolish rapture142 at the beauties of her strong, white teeth. Such is love.
After our repast we went down to the river together and bathed our hands and faces, and then after drinking our fill went back to the cave. Without a word I crawled into the farthest corner and, curling up, was soon asleep.
When I awoke I found Dian sitting in the doorway143 looking out across the valley. As I came out she moved to one side to let me pass, but she had no word for me. I wanted to hate her, but I couldn't. Every time I looked at her something came up in my throat, so that I nearly choked. I had never been in love before, but I did not need any aid in diagnosing my case—I certainly had it and had it bad. God, how I loved that beautiful, disdainful, tantalizing144, prehistoric girl!
After we had eaten again I asked Dian if she intended returning to her tribe now that Jubal was dead, but she shook her head sadly, and said that she did not dare, for there was still Jubal's brother to be considered—his oldest brother.
"What has he to do with it?" I asked. "Does he too want you, or has the option on you become a family heirloom, to be passed on down from generation to generation?"
She was not quite sure as to what I meant.
"It is probable," she said, "that they all will want revenge for the death of Jubal—there are seven of them—seven terrible men. Someone may have to kill them all, if I am to return to my people."
It began to look as though I had assumed a contract much too large for me—about seven sizes, in fact.
"Had Jubal any cousins?" I asked. It was just as well to know the worst at once.
"Yes," replied Dian, "but they don't count—they all have mates. Jubal's brothers have no mates because Jubal could get none for himself. He was so ugly that women ran away from him—some have even thrown themselves from the cliffs of Amoz into the Darel Az rather than mate with the Ugly One."
"But what had that to do with his brothers?" I asked.
"I forget that you are not of Pellucidar," said Dian, with a look of pity mixed with contempt, and the contempt seemed to be laid on a little thicker than the circumstance warranted—as though to make quite certain that I shouldn't overlook it. "You see," she continued, "a younger brother may not take a mate until all his older brothers have done so, unless the older brother waives145 his prerogative146, which Jubal would not do, knowing that as long as he kept them single they would be all the keener in aiding him to secure a mate."
Noticing that Dian was becoming more communicative I began to entertain hopes that she might be warming up toward me a bit, although upon what slender thread I hung my hopes I soon discovered.
"As you dare not return to Amoz," I ventured, "what is to become of you since you cannot be happy here with me, hating me as you do?"
"I shall have to put up with you," she replied coldly, "until you see fit to go elsewhere and leave me in peace, then I shall get along very well alone."
I looked at her in utter amazement147. It seemed incredible that even a prehistoric woman could be so cold and heartless and ungrateful. Then I arose.
"I shall leave you NOW," I said haughtily148, "I have had quite enough of your ingratitude149 and your insults," and then I turned and strode majestically150 down toward the valley. I had taken a hundred steps in absolute silence, and then Dian spoke151.
"I hate you!" she shouted, and her voice broke—in rage, I thought.
I was absolutely miserable152, but I hadn't gone too far when I began to realize that I couldn't leave her alone there without protection, to hunt her own food amid the dangers of that savage19 world. She might hate me, and revile153 me, and heap indignity154 after indignity upon me, as she already had, until I should have hated her; but the pitiful fact remained that I loved her, and I couldn't leave her there alone.
The more I thought about it the madder I got, so that by the time I reached the valley I was furious, and the result of it was that I turned right around and went up that cliff again as fast as I had come down. I saw that Dian had left the ledge and gone within the cave, but I bolted right in after her. She was lying upon her face on the pile of grasses I had gathered for her bed. When she heard me enter she sprang to her feet like a tigress.
"I hate you!" she cried.
Coming from the brilliant light of the noonday sun into the semidarkness of the cave I could not see her features, and I was rather glad, for I disliked to think of the hate that I should have read there.
I never said a word to her at first. I just strode across the cave and grasped her by the wrists, and when she struggled, I put my arm around her so as to pinion155 her hands to her sides. She fought like a tigress, but I took my free hand and pushed her head back—I imagine that I had suddenly turned brute, that I had gone back a thousand million years, and was again a veritable cave man taking my mate by force—and then I kissed that beautiful mouth again and again.
"Dian," I cried, shaking her roughly, "I love you. Can't you understand that I love you? That I love you better than all else in this world or my own? That I am going to have you? That love like mine cannot be denied?"
I noticed that she lay very still in my arms now, and as my eyes became accustomed to the light I saw that she was smiling—a very contented156, happy smile. I was thunderstruck. Then I realized that, very gently, she was trying to disengage her arms, and I loosened my grip upon them so that she could do so. Slowly they came up and stole about my neck, and then she drew my lips down to hers once more and held them there for a long time. At last she spoke.
"Why didn't you do this at first, David? I have been waiting so long."
"What!" I cried. "You said that you hated me!"
"Did you expect me to run into your arms, and say that I loved you before I knew that you loved me?" she asked.
"But I have told you right along that I love you," I said. "Love speaks in acts," she replied. "You could have made your mouth say what you wished it to say, but just now when you came and took me in your arms your heart spoke to mine in the language that a woman's heart understands. What a silly man you are, David."
"Then you haven't hated me at all, Dian?" I asked.
"I have loved you always," she whispered, "from the first moment that I saw you, although I did not know it until that time you struck down Hooja the Sly One, and then spurned157 me."
"But I didn't spurn158 you, dear," I cried. "I didn't know your ways—I doubt if I do now. It seems incredible that you could have reviled159 me so, and yet have cared for me all the time."
"You might have known," she said, "when I did not run away from you that it was not hate which chained me to you. While you were battling with Jubal, I could have run to the edge of the forest, and when I learned the outcome of the combat it would have been a simple thing to have eluded160 you and returned to my own people."
"But Jubal's brothers—and cousins—" I reminded her, "how about them?"
She smiled, and hid her face on my shoulder.
"I had to tell you SOMETHING, David," she whispered. "I must needs have SOME excuse for remaining near you."
"I have suffered even more," she answered simply, "for I thought that you did not love me, and I was helpless. I couldn't come to you and demand that my love be returned, as you have just come to me. Just now when you went away hope went with you. I was wretched, terrified, miserable, and my heart was breaking. I wept, and I have not done that before since my mother died," and now I saw that there was the moisture of tears about her eyes. It was near to making me cry myself when I thought of all that poor child had been through. Motherless and unprotected; hunted across a savage, primeval world by that hideous brute of a man; exposed to the attacks of the countless162 fearsome denizens163 of its mountains, its plains, and its jungles—it was a miracle that she had survived it all.
To me it was a revelation of the things my early forebears must have endured that the human race of the outer crust might survive. It made me very proud to think that I had won the love of such a woman. Of course she couldn't read or write; there was nothing cultured or refined about her as you judge culture and refinement164; but she was the essence of all that is best in woman, for she was good, and brave, and noble, and virtuous165. And she was all these things in spite of the fact that their observance entailed166 suffering and danger and possible death.
How much easier it would have been to have gone to Jubal in the first place! She would have been his lawful167 mate. She would have been queen in her own land—and it meant just as much to the cave woman to be a queen in the Stone Age as it does to the woman of today to be a queen now; it's all comparative glory any way you look at it, and if there were only half-naked savages168 on the outer crust today, you'd find that it would be considerable glory to be the wife of a Dahomey chief.
I couldn't help but compare Dian's action with that of a splendid young woman I had known in New York—I mean splendid to look at and to talk to. She had been head over heels in love with a chum of mine—a clean, manly169 chap—but she had married a broken-down, disreputable old debauchee because he was a count in some dinky little European principality that was not even accorded a distinctive170 color by Rand McNally.
Yes, I was mighty proud of Dian.
After a time we decided171 to set out for Sari, as I was anxious to see Perry, and to know that all was right with him. I had told Dian about our plan of emancipating172 the human race of Pellucidar, and she was fairly wild over it. She said that if Dacor, her brother, would only return he could easily be king of Amoz, and that then he and Ghak could form an alliance. That would give us a flying start, for the Sarians and the Amozites were both very powerful tribes. Once they had been armed with swords, and bows and arrows, and trained in their use we were confident that they could overcome any tribe that seemed disinclined to join the great army of federated states with which we were planning to march upon the Mahars.
I explained the various destructive engines of war which Perry and I could construct after a little experimentation—gunpowder, rifles, cannon173, and the like, and Dian would clap her hands, and throw her arms about my neck, and tell me what a wonderful thing I was. She was beginning to think that I was omnipotent174 although I really hadn't done anything but talk—but that is the way with women when they love. Perry used to say that if a fellow was one-tenth as remarkable175 as his wife or mother thought him, he would have the world by the tail with a down-hill drag.
The first time we started for Sari I stepped into a nest of poisonous vipers176 before we reached the valley. A little fellow stung me on the ankle, and Dian made me come back to the cave. She said that I mustn't exercise, or it might prove fatal—if it had been a full-grown snake that struck me she said, I wouldn't have moved a single pace from the nest—I'd have died in my tracks, so virulent177 is the poison. As it was I must have been laid up for quite a while, though Dian's poultices of herbs and leaves finally reduced the swelling178 and drew out the poison.
The episode proved most fortunate, however, as it gave me an idea which added a thousand-fold to the value of my arrows as missiles of offense179 and defense180. As soon as I was able to be about again, I sought out some adult vipers of the species which had stung me, and having killed them, I extracted their virus, smearing181 it upon the tips of several arrows. Later I shot a hyaenodon with one of these, and though my arrow inflicted182 but a superficial flesh wound the beast crumpled183 in death almost immediately after he was hit.
We now set out once more for the land of the Sarians, and it was with feelings of sincere regret that we bade good-bye to our beautiful Garden of Eden, in the comparative peace and harmony of which we had lived the happiest moments of our lives. How long we had been there I did not know, for as I have told you, time had ceased to exist for me beneath that eternal noonday sun—it may have been an hour, or a month of earthly time; I do not know.
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1
labyrinthine
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| adj.如迷宫的；复杂的 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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5
limestone
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| n.石灰石 | |
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6
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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14
lug
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| n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动 | |
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15
diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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abounds
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的第三人称单数 ) | |
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17
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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18
savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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19
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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20
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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21
prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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22
progenitors
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| n.祖先( progenitor的名词复数 )；先驱；前辈；原本 | |
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23
progenitor
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| n.祖先，先驱 | |
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24
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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25
prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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29
Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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32
systematic
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| adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的 | |
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33
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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34
niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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35
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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36
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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wariness
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| n. 注意,小心 | |
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38
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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39
contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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40
antelopes
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| 羚羊( antelope的名词复数 )； 羚羊皮革 | |
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41
bellowed
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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42
rhinoceros
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| n.犀牛 | |
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43
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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44
projection
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| n.发射，计划，突出部分 | |
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45
stratum
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| n.地层，社会阶层 | |
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46
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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47
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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48
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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49
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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50
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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51
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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52
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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53
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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54
talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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55
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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56
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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57
strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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58
cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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59
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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60
dart
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| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
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61
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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62
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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63
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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64
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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65
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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66
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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67
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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68
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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69
whit
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| n.一点，丝毫 | |
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70
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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71
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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72
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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73
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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74
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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75
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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76
vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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77
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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78
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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79
candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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80
gainsaying
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| v.否认，反驳( gainsay的现在分词 ) | |
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81
candor
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| n.坦白，率真 | |
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82
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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83
puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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84
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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85
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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86
piqued
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| v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心） | |
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87
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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88
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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89
squelched
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| v.发吧唧声，发扑哧声( squelch的过去式和过去分词 )；制止；压制；遏制 | |
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90
epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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91
rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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92
merge
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| v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体 | |
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93
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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94
balk
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| n.大方木料；v.妨碍；不愿前进或从事某事 | |
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95
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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96
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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97
overtures
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| n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲 | |
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98
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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99
sobriquet
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| n.绰号 | |
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100
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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101
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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103
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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104
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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105
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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106
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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107
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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108
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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109
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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110
deflected
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| 偏离的 | |
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111
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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112
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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113
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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114
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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115
duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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116
maneuvering
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| v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵 | |
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117
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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118
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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119
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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120
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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121
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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122
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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123
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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124
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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125
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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126
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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127
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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128
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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129
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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130
sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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131
profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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132
slayer
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| n. 杀人者，凶手 | |
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133
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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134
tormentor
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| n. 使苦痛之人, 使苦恼之物, 侧幕 =tormenter | |
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135
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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136
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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137
janitors
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| n.看门人( janitor的名词复数 )；看管房屋的人；锅炉工 | |
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138
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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139
converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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140
redoubtable
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| adj.可敬的；可怕的 | |
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141
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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142
rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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143
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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144
tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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145
waives
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| v.宣布放弃( waive的第三人称单数 )；搁置；推迟；放弃（权利、要求等） | |
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146
prerogative
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| n.特权 | |
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147
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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148
haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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149
ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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150
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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151
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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152
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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153
revile
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| v.辱骂，谩骂 | |
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154
indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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155
pinion
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| v.束缚；n.小齿轮 | |
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156
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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157
spurned
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| v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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158
spurn
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| v.拒绝，摈弃；n.轻视的拒绝；踢开 | |
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159
reviled
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| v.辱骂，痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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160
eluded
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的过去式和过去分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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161
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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162
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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163
denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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164
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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165
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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166
entailed
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| 使…成为必要( entail的过去式和过去分词 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需 | |
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167
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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168
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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169
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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170
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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171
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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172
emancipating
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| v.解放某人（尤指摆脱政治、法律或社会的束缚）( emancipate的现在分词 ) | |
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173
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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174
omnipotent
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| adj.全能的，万能的 | |
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175
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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176
vipers
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| n.蝰蛇( viper的名词复数 )；毒蛇；阴险恶毒的人；奸诈者 | |
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177
virulent
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| adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的 | |
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178
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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179
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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180
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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181
smearing
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| 污点，拖尾效应 | |
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182
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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183
crumpled
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| adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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