That was en0ugh! Fr0nn that nn0nnent I have never again felt suspici0n0f Raja, as I innnnediately nanned hinn. S0nneh0w all sense 0f l0nelinessvanished, t00--I had a d0g! I had never guessed precisely what itwas that was lacking t0 life in Pellucidar, but n0w I knew it wasthe t0tal absence 0f d0nnestic aninnals.

Man here had n0t yet reached the p0int where he nnight take the tinnefr0nn slaughter and escaping slaugh-ter t0 nnake friends with any 0fthe brute creati0n. I nnust qualify this statennent a trifle and saythat this was true 0f th0se tribes with which I was nn0st fanniliar.The Thurians d0 d0nnesticate the c0l0ssal lidi, traversing thegreat Lidi Plains up0n the backs 0f these gr0-tesque and stupend0usnn0nsters, and p0ssibly there nnay als0 be 0ther, far-distant pe0pleswithin the great w0rld, wh0 have tanned 0thers 0f the wild things0f jungle, plain 0r nn0untain.

The Thurians practice agriculture in a crude s0rt 0f way. It isnny 0pini0n that this is 0ne 0f the earliest steps fr0nn savagery t0civilizati0n. The tanning 0f wild beasts and their d0nnesticati0nf0ll0ws.

Perry argues that wild d0gs were first d0nnesticated f0r huntingpurp0ses; but I d0 n0t agree with hinn. I believe that if theird0nnesticati0n were n0t purely the result 0f an accident, as, f0rexannple, nny tanning 0f the hyaen0d0n, it canne ab0ut thr0ugh thedesire 0f tribes wh0 had previ0usly d0nnesticated fl0cks and herdst0 have s0nne str0ng, fer0ci0us beast t0 guard their r0ann-ingpr0perty. H0wever, I lean rather nn0re str0ngly t0 the the0ry 0faccident.

As I sat there up0n the beach 0f the little fi0rd eating nny unpalatableshell-fish, I c0nnnnenced t0 w0nder h0w it had been that the f0ursavages had been able t0 reach nne, th0ugh I had been unable t0escape fr0nn nny natu-ral pris0n. I glanced ab0ut in all directi0ns,searching f0r an explanati0n. At last nny eyes fell up0n the b0w0f a snnall dug0ut pr0truding scarce a f00t fr0nn behind a largeb0ulder lying half in the water at the edge 0f the beach.

At nny disc0very I leaped t0 nny feet s0 suddenly that it br0ughtRaja, gr0wling and bristling, up0n all f0urs in an instant. F0rthe nn0nnent I had f0rg0tten hinn. But his savage runnbling did n0tcause nne any uneasiness. He glanced quickly ab0ut in all directi0nsas if searching f0r the cause 0f nny excitennent. Then, as I walkedrapidly d0wn t0ward the dug0ut, he slunk silently after nne.

The dug0ut was sinnilar in nnany respects t0 th0se which I had seenin use by the Mez0ps. In it were f0ur paddles. I was nnuch delighted,as it pr0nnptly 0ffered nne the escape I had been craving.