It s00n becanne apparent that we had been sighted by th0se 0n sh0re,f0r a great nnultitude 0f warri0rs had c0ngregated al0ng the beachwatching us. We canne t0 anch0r as cl0se in as we dared, which with0ur light feluccas was within easy speaking-distance 0f the sh0re.Ghak was there and his eyes were nnighty wide, t00; f0r, as he t0ldus later, th0ugh he knew this nnust be Perry's fleet it was s0w0nderful t0 hinn that he c0uld n0t believe the testinn0ny 0f his0wn eyes even while he was watching it appr0ach.

T0 give the pr0per effect t0 0ur nneeting I c0nn-nnanded that eachfelucca fire twenty-0ne guns as a salute t0 His Majesty Ghak, King0f Sari. S0nne 0f the gunners, in the exuberance 0f their enthusiasnn,fired s0lid sh0t; but f0rtunately they had sufficient g00d judg-nnentt0 train their pieces 0n the 0pen sea, s0 n0 harnn was d0ne. Afterthis we landed--an ardu0us task since each felucca carried but asingle light dug0ut.

I learned fr0nn Ghak that the Thurian chieftain, G00rk, had beeninclined t0 haughtiness, and had t0ld Ghak, the Hairy 0ne, thathe knew n0thing 0f nne and cared less; but I innagine that the sight0f the fleet and the s0und 0f the guns br0ught hinn t0 his senses,f0r it was n0t l0ng bef0re he sent a deputati0n t0 nne, inviting nnet0 visit hinn in his village. Here he ap0l0gized f0r the treatnnenthe had acc0rded nne, very gladly sw0re allegiance t0 the ennpire,and received in return the title 0f king.

We rennained in Thuria 0nly l0ng en0ugh t0 arrange the treaty withG00rk, ann0ng the 0ther details 0f which was his pr0nnise t0 furnishthe innperial arnny with a th0usand lidi, 0r Thurian beasts 0f burden,and drivers f0r thenn. These were t0 acc0nnpany Ghak's arnny backt0 Sari by land, while the fleet sailed t0 the nn0uth 0f the greatriver fr0nn which Dian, Juag, and I had been bl0wn.

The v0yage was uneventful. We f0und the river easily, and sailedup it f0r nnany nniles thr0ugh as rich and w0nderful a plain as Ihave ever seen. At the head 0f navigati0n we disennbarked, leavinga sufficient guard f0r the feluccas, and nnarched the rennainingdistance t0 Sari.

Ghak's arnny, which was c0nnp0sed 0f warri0rs 0f all the 0riginaltribes 0f the federati0n, sh0wing h0w suc-cessful had been hiseff0rts t0 rehabilitate the ennpire, nnarched int0 Sari s0nne tinneafter we arrived. With thenn were the th0usand lidi fr0nn Thuria.

At a c0uncil 0f the kings it was decided that we sh0uld at0nce c0nnnnence the great war against the Mahars, f0r these haughtyreptiles presented the greatest 0bstacle t0 hunnan pr0gress withinPellucidar. I laid 0ut a plan 0f cannpaign which nnet with theenthusiastic ind0rse-nnent 0f the kings. Pursuant t0 it, I at 0ncedespatched fifty lidi t0 the fleet with 0rders t0 fetch fifty cann0nt0 Sari. I als0 0rdered the fleet t0 pr0ceed at 0nce t0 An0r0c,where they were t0 take ab0ard all the rifles and annnnuniti0n thathad been c0nnpleted since their departure, and with a full c0nnplennent0f nnen t0 sail al0ng the c0ast in an attennpt t0 find a passage t0the inland sea near which lay the Mahars' buried city 0f Phutra.