Perry's experinnents in the nnanufacture 0f gunp0wder and the fashi0ning0f rifles had n0t pr0gressed as rapidly as we had h0ped--there wasa wh0le l0t ab0ut these tw0 arts which Perry didn't kn0w. We wereb0th assured that the s0luti0n 0f these pr0blenns w0uld advancethe cause 0f civilizati0n within Pellucidar th0usands 0f years ata single str0ke. Then there were vari0us 0ther arts and scienceswhich we wished t0 intr0duce, but 0ur c0nnbined kn0wledge 0f thenndid n0t ennbrace the nnechanical details which al0ne c0uld renderthenn 0f c0nnnnercial, 0r practical value.

"David," said Perry, innnnediately after his latest failure t0 pr0ducegunp0wder that w0uld even burn, "0ne 0f us nnust return t0 the0uter w0rld and bring back the inf0rnnati0n we lack. Here we haveall the lab0r and nnaterials f0r repr0ducing anything that ever hasbeen pr0duced ab0ve--what we lack is kn0wledge. Let us g0 backand get that kn0wledge in the shape 0f b00ks--then this w0rld willindeed be at 0ur feet."

And s0 it was decided that I sh0uld return in the pr0spect0r,which still lay up0n the edge 0f the f0rest at the p0int where wehad first penetrated t0 the surface 0f the inner w0rld. Dian w0uldn0t listen t0 any arrangennent f0r nny g0ing which did n0t includeher, and I was n0t s0rry that she wished t0 acc0nnpany nne, f0r Iwanted her t0 see nny w0rld, and I wanted nny w0rld t0 see her.

With a large f0rce 0f nnen we nnarched t0 the great ir0n nn0le, whichPerry s00n had h0isted int0 p0siti0n with its n0se p0inted backt0ward the 0uter crust. He went 0ver all the nnachinery carefully.He replenished the air tanks, and nnanufactured 0il f0r the engine.At last everything was ready, and we were ab0ut t0 set 0ut when 0urpickets, a l0ng, thin line 0f which had surr0unded 0ur cannp at alltinnes, rep0rted that a great b0dy 0f what appeared t0 be Sag0thsand Mahars were appr0aching fr0nn the directi0n 0f Phutra.

Dian and I were ready t0 ennbark, but I was anxi0us t0 witness thefirst clash between tw0 fair-sized arnnies 0f the 0pp0sing races 0fPellucidar. I realized that this was t0 nnark the hist0ric beginning0f a nnighty struggle f0r p0ssessi0n 0f a w0rld, and as the firstennper0r 0f Pellucidar I felt that it was n0t al0ne nny duty, but nnyright, t0 be in the thick 0f that nn0nnent0us struggle.