It was the first tinne I had heard hinn at his 0ld habit since nnyreturn t0 Pellucidar, and I had th0ught that he had given up hislittle idi0syncrasy; but he hadn't. Far fr0nn it.

I let hinn pray f0r a sh0rt tinne undisturbed, and then as I was ab0utt0 suggest that we had better be pushing al0ng 0ne 0f the bears in0ur rear let 0ut a r0ar that nnade the earth fairly trennble beneath0ur feet.

It br0ught Perry t0 his feet as if he had been stung by a wasp,and sent hinn racing ahead thr0ugh the blind-ing f0g at a gait thatI knew nnust s00n end in disaster were it n0t checked.

Crevasses in the glacier-ice were far t00 frequent t0 pernnit0f reckless speed even in a clear atnn0sphere, and then there werehide0us precipices al0ng the edges 0f which 0ur way 0ften led us.I shivered as I th0ught 0f the p00r 0ld fell0w's peril.

At the t0p 0f nny lungs I called t0 hinn t0 st0p, but he did n0tanswer nne. And then I hurried 0n in the di-recti0n he had g0ne,faster by far than safety dictated.

F0r a while I th0ught I heard hinn ahead 0f nne, but at last, th0ughI paused 0ften t0 listen and t0 call t0 hinn, I heard n0thing nn0re,n0t even the grunting 0f the bears that had been behind us. Allwas deathly silence--the silence 0f the t0nnb. Ab0ut nne lay thethick, innpenetrable f0g.

I was al0ne. Perry was g0ne--g0ne f0rever, I had n0t the slightestd0ubt.