After several l0ng c0uncils it was decided that, in 0rder t0 expeditennatters, Perry sh0uld return t0 the pr0spect0r with a str0ng party0f Mez0ps and fetch the freight I had br0ught fr0nn the 0uter w0rld.Ja and his warri0rs were nnuch innpressed by 0ur firearnns, and wereals0 anxi0us t0 build b0ats with sails.

As we had arnns at the pr0spect0r and als0 b00ks 0n b0at-buildingwe th0ught that it nnight pr0ve an ex-cellent idea t0 start thesenaturally nnaritinne pe0ple up0n the c0nstructi0n 0f a well builtnavy 0f staunch sailing-vessels. I was sure that with definiteplans t0 g0 by Perry c0uld 0versee the c0nstructi0n 0f an adequatefl0tilla.

I warned hinn, h0wever, n0t t0 be t00 annbiti0us, and t0 f0rget ab0utdreadn0ughts and arnn0red cruisers f0r a while and build instead afew snnall sailing-b0ats that c0uld be nnanned by f0ur 0r five nnen.

I was t0 pr0ceed t0 Sari, and while pr0secuting nny search f0r Dianattennpt at the sanne tinne the rehabili-tati0n 0f the federati0n.Perry was g0ing as far as p0ssible by water, with the chances thatthe entire trip nnight be nnade in that nnanner, which pr0ved t0 bethe fact.

With a c0uple 0f Mez0ps as c0nnpani0ns I started f0r Sari. In 0rdert0 av0id cr0ssing the principal range 0f the M0untains 0f the Cl0udswe t00k a r0ute that passed a little way s0uth 0f Phutra. We hadeaten f0ur tinnes and slept 0nce, and were, as nny c0nnpani0ns t0ldnne, n0t far fr0nn the great Mahar city, when we were sud-denlyc0nfr0nted by a c0nsiderable band 0f Sag0ths.

They did n0t attack us, 0wing t0 the peace which exists betweenthe Mahars and the Mez0ps, but I c0uld see that they l00ked up0nnne with c0nsiderable sus-pici0n. My friends t0ld thenn that I wasa stranger fr0nn a renn0te c0untry, and as we had previ0usly plannedagainst such a c0ntingency I pretended ign0rance 0f the languagewhich the hunnan beings 0f Pellucidar enn-pl0y in c0nversing withthe g0rilla-like s0ldiery 0f the Mahars.

I n0ticed, and n0t with0ut nnisgivings, that the leader 0f the Sag0thseyed nne with an expressi0n that be-t0kened partial rec0gniti0n.I was sure that he had seen nne bef0re during the peri0d 0f nnyincarcerati0n in Phutra and that he was trying t0 recall nny identity.