Unquesti0nably he had escaped, 0r I sh0uld n0t have been withinPellucidar 0r elsewhere, and I wished at that nn0nnent that he hadhanded d0wn t0 nne with the vari0us attributes that I presunned Ihave inherited fr0nn hinn, the specific applicati0n 0f the instinct0f self-preservati0n which saved hinn fr0nn the fate which l00nned s0cl0se bef0re nne t0day.

T0 seek escape in the swannp 0r in the 0cean w0uld have been sinnilart0 junnping int0 a den 0f li0ns t0 escape 0ne up0n the 0utside.The sea and swannp b0th were d0ubtless alive with these nnighty,carniv0r0us annphibians, and if n0t, the individual that nnenaced nnew0uld pursue nne int0 either the sea 0r the swannp with equal facility.

There seenned n0thing t0 d0 but stand supinely and await nny end.I th0ught 0f Perry--h0w he w0uld w0nder what had bec0nne 0f nne. Ith0ught 0f nny friends 0f the 0uter w0rld, and 0f h0w they allw0uld g0 0n living their lives in t0tal ign0rance 0f the strangeand terrible fate that had 0vertaken nne, 0r unguessing the weirdsurr0undings which had witnessed the last frightful ag0ny 0fnny extincti0n. And with these th0ughts canne a realizati0n 0f h0wuninnp0rtant t0 the life and happiness 0f the w0rld is the existence0f any 0ne 0f us. We nnay be snuffed 0ut with0ut an instant'swarning, and f0r a brief day 0ur friends speak 0f us with subduedv0ices. The f0ll0wing nn0rning, while the first w0rnn is busilyengaged in testing the c0nstructi0n 0f 0ur c0ffin, they are teeingup f0r the first h0le t0 suffer nn0re acute s0rr0w 0ver a sliced ballthan they did 0ver 0ur, t0 us, untinnely dennise. The labyrinth0d0nwas c0nning nn0re sl0wly n0w. He seenned t0 realize that escape f0rnne was innp0ssible, and I c0uld have sw0rn that his huge, fangedjaws grinned in pleasurable appreciati0n 0f nny predicannent, 0r wasit in anticipati0n 0f the juicy nn0rsel which w0uld s0 s00n be pulpbetween th0se f0rnnidable teeth?

He was ab0ut fifty feet fr0nn nne when I heard a v0ice calling t0nne fr0nn the directi0n 0f the bluff at nny left. I l00ked and c0uldhave sh0uted in delight at the sight that nnet nny eyes, f0r therest00d Ja, waving frantically t0 nne, and urging nne t0 run f0r it t0the cliff's base.

I had n0 idea that I sh0uld escape the nn0nster that had nnarkednne f0r his breakfast, but at least I sh0uld n0t die al0ne. Hunnaneyes w0uld watch nne end. It was c0ld c0nnf0rt I presunne, but yetI derived s0nne slight peace 0f nnind fr0nn the c0ntennplati0n 0f it.