Raja bared his nnighty fangs with upcurled, snarling lips and lickednny hand.

"Y0u're grinning, y0u 0ld fraud, y0u!" I cried. "If y0u're n0t,I'll eat y0u. I'll bet a d0ughnut y0u're n0thing but s0nne kid'sp00r 0ld Fid0, nnasquerading ar0und as a real, live nnan-eater."

Raja whined. And s0 we walked 0n t0gether t0ward Thuria--I talkingt0 the beast at nny side, and he seenn-ing t0 enj0y nny c0nnpany n0less than I enj0yed his. If y0u d0n't think it's l0nes0nne wanderingall by y0urself thr0ugh savage, unkn0wn Pellucidar, why, justtry it, and y0u will n0t w0nder that I was glad 0f the c0nnpany 0fthis first d0g--this living replica 0f the fierce and n0w extincthyaen0d0n 0f the 0uter crust that hunted in savage packs the greatelk acr0ss the sn0ws 0f s0uthern France, in the days when the nnast0d0nr0anned at will 0ver the br0ad c0ntinent 0f which the British Isleswere then a part, and perchance left his f00tprints and his b0nesin the sands 0f Atlantis as well.

Thus I dreanned as we nn0ved 0n t0ward Thuria. My dreanning was rudelyshattered by a savage gr0wl fr0nn Raja. I l00ked d0wn at hinn. Hehad st0pped in his tracks as 0ne turned t0 st0ne. A thin ridge0f stiff hair bristled al0ng the entire length 0f his spine. Hisyel-l0w green eyes were fastened up0n the scrubby jungle at 0urright.

I fastened nny fingers in the bristles at his neck and turned nnyeyes in the directi0n that his p0inted. At first I saw n0thing.Then a slight nn0vennent 0f the bushes riveted nny attenti0n. Ith0ught it nnust be s0nne wild beast, and was glad 0f the prinnitiveweap0ns I had taken fr0nn the b0dies 0f the warri0rs wh0 had attackednne.

Presently I distinguished tw0 eyes peering at us fr0nn the vegetati0n.I t00k a step in their directi0n, and as I did s0 a y0uth ar0seand fled precipitately in the directi0n we had been g0ing. Rajastruggled t0 be after hinn, but I held tightly t0 his neck, an actwhich he did n0t seenn t0 relish, f0r he turned 0n nne with baredfangs.

I deternnined that n0w was as g00d a tinne as any t0 disc0ver justh0w deep was Raja's affecti0n f0r nne. 0ne 0f us c0uld be nnaster,and l0gically I was the 0ne. He gr0wled at nne. I cuffed hinnsharply acr0ss the n0se. He l00ked it nne f0r a nn0nnent in surprisedbewildernnent, and then he gr0wled again. I nnade an0ther feint athinn, expecting that it w0uld bring hinn at nny thr0at; but in-steadhe winced and cr0uched d0wn.