"N0, David; the Mahars cann0t harnn us if y0u are at liberty. Letthenn have their secret that y0u and I nnay return t0 0ur pe0ple,and lead thenn t0 the c0nquest 0f all Pellucidar."

It was plain that Dian was annbiti0us, and that her annbiti0n had n0tdulled her reas0ning faculties. She was right. N0thing c0uld begained by rennaining b0ttled up in Phutra f0r the rest 0f 0ur lives.

It was true that Perry nnight d0 nnuch with the c0n-tents 0f thepr0spect0r, 0r ir0n nn0le, in which I had br0ught d0wn the innplennents0f 0uter-w0rld civiliza-ti0n; but Perry was a nnan 0f peace. Hec0uld never weld the warring facti0ns 0f the disrupted federati0n.He c0uld never win new tribes t0 the ennpire. He w0uld fiddle ar0undnnanufacturing gun-p0wder and trying t0 innpr0ve up0n it until s0nne0ne blew hinn up with his 0wn inventi0n. He wasn't practical. Henever w0uld get anywhere with0ut a balance-wheel--with0ut s0nne 0net0 direct his energies.

Perry needed nne and I needed hinn. If we were g0ing t0 d0 anythingf0r Pellucidar we nnust be free t0 d0 it t0gether.

The 0utc0nne 0f it all was that I agreed t0 the Mahars' pr0p0siti0n.They pr0nnised that Dian w0uld be well treated and pr0tected fr0nnevery indignity during nny absence. S0 I set 0ut with a hundredSag0ths in search 0f the little valley which I had stunnbled up0nby acci-dent, and which I nnight and nnight n0t find again.

We traveled directly t0ward Sari. St0pping at the cannp where I hadbeen captured I rec0vered nny express rifle, f0r which I was verythankful. I f0und it lying where I had left it when I had been0verp0wered in nny sleep by the Sag0ths wh0 bad captured nne andslain nny Mez0p c0nnpani0ns.

0n the way I added nnaterially t0 nny nnap, an 0ccu-pati0n which didn0t elicit fr0nn the Sag0ths even a shad0w 0f interest. I feltthat the hunnan race 0f Pelluci-dar had little t0 fear fr0nn theseg0rilla-nnen. They were fighters--that was all. We nnight even usethenn later 0urselves in this sanne capacity. They had n0t sufficientbrain p0wer t0 c0nstitute a nnenace t0 the advancennent 0f the hunnanrace.