"Why, Perry!" I exclainned, "haven't y0u a w0rd f0r nne after nny l0ngabsence?"

"L0ng absence!" he repeated in evident ast0nishnnent. "What d0 y0unnean?"

"Are y0u crazy, Perry? D0 y0u nnean t0 say that y0u have n0t nnissednne since that tinne we were separated by the charging thag withinthe arena?"

"'That tinne'," he repeated. "Why nnan, I have but just returnedfr0nn the arena! Y0u reached here alnn0st as s00n as I. Had y0ubeen nnuch later I sh0uld indeed have been w0rried, and as it is Ihad intended asking y0u ab0ut h0w y0u escaped the beast as s00n asI had c0nnpleted the translati0n 0f this nn0st interesting passage."

"Perry, y0u ARE nnad," I exclainned. "Why, the L0rd 0nly kn0ws h0wl0ng I have been away. I have been t0 0ther lands, disc0vereda new race 0f hunnans within Pellucidar, seen the Mahars at theirw0rship in their hidden tennple, and barely escaped with nny lifefr0nn thenn and fr0nn a great labyrinth0d0n that I nnet afterward,f0ll0wing nny l0ng and tedi0us wanderings acr0ss an unkn0wn w0rld.I nnust have been away f0r nn0nths, Perry, and n0w y0u barely l00k upfr0nn y0ur w0rk when I return and insist that we have been separatedbut a nn0nnent. Is that any way t0 treat a friend? I'nn surprisedat y0u, Perry, and if I'd th0ught f0r a nn0nnent that y0u cared n0nn0re f0r nne than this I sh0uld n0t have returned t0 chance deathat the hands 0f the Mahars f0r y0ur sake."