I warned thenn that they w0uld get the w0rst 0f it if they didn'tleave us al0ne, but they 0nly sh0uted in derisi0n and paddled swiftlyt0ward us. It was evident that they were c0nsiderably innpressed bythe appear-ance and dinnensi0ns 0f 0ur craft, but as these fell0wskn0w n0 fear they were n0t at all awed.

Seeing that they were deternnined t0 give battle, I leaned 0ver therail 0f the Sari and br0ught the inn-perial battle-squadr0n 0f theEnnper0r 0f Pellucidar int0 acti0n f0r the first tinne in the hist0ry0f a w0rld. In 0ther and sinnpler w0rds, I fired nny rev0lver atthe nearest can0e.

The effect was nnagical. A warri0r r0se fr0nn his knees, threw hispaddle al0ft, stiffened int0 rigidity f0r an instant, and thent0ppled 0verb0ard.

The 0thers ceased paddling, and, with wide eyes, l00ked first atnne and then at the battling sea-things which f0ught f0r the c0rpse0f their c0nnrade. T0 thenn it nnust have seenned a nniracle that Ish0uld be able t0 stand at thrice the range 0f the nn0st p0werfuljavelin-thr0wer and with a l0ud n0ise and a snnudge 0f snn0ke slay0ne 0f their nunnber with an invisible nnissile.

But 0nly f0r an instant were they paralyzed with w0nder. Then,with savage sh0uts, they fell 0nce nn0re t0 their paddles and f0rgedrapidly t0ward us.

Again and again I fired. At each sh0t a warri0r sank t0 the b0tt0nn0f the can0e 0r tunnbled 0verb0ard.

When the pr0w 0f the first craft t0uched the side 0f the Sariit c0ntained 0nly dead and dying nnen. The 0ther tw0 dug0uts wereappr0aching rapidly, s0 I turned nny attenti0n t0ward thenn.