It was a two-masted felucca with lateen sails! Thecraft was long and low. In it were more than fifty men,twenty or thirty of whom were at oars with which thecraft was being propelled from the lee of the land. I was dumbfounded.

Could it be that the savage, painted natives I hadseen on shore had so perfected the art of navigationthat they were masters of such advanced building andrigging as this craft proclaimed? It seemed impossible!And as I looked I saw another of the same type swinginto view and follow its sister through the narrow straitout into the ocean.

Nor were these all. One after another, followingclosely upon one another's heels, came fifty of the trim,graceful vessels. They were cutting in between Hooja'sfleet and our little dugout,

When they came a bit closer my eyes fairly poppedfrom my head at what I saw, for in the eye of the leadingfelucca stood a man with a sea-glass leveled upon us. Who could they be? Was there a civilization withinPellucidar of such wondrous advancement as this? Werethere far-distant lands of which none of my peoplehad ever heard, where a race had so greatly outstrippedall other races of this inner world?

The man with the glass had lowered it and wasshouting to us. I could not make out his words, butpresently I saw that he was pointing aloft. When Ilooked I saw a pennant fluttering from the peak ofthe forward lateen yard--a red, white, and blue pennant, with a single great white star in a field of blue.

Then I knew. My eyes went even wider than theyhad before. It was the navy! It was the navy of theempire of Pellucidar which I had instructed Perry tobuild in my absence. It was MY navy!

I dropped my paddle and stood up and shouted andwaved my hand. Juag and Dian looked at me as ifI had gone suddenly mad. When I could stop shoutingI told them, and they shared my joy and shouted withme.

But still Hooja was coming nearer, nor could theleading felucca overhaul him before he would be alongside or at least within bow-shot.

Hooja must have been as much mystified as we wereas to the identity of the strange fleet; but when hesaw me waving to them he evidently guessed that theywere friendly to us, so he urged his men to redoubletheir efforts to reach us before the felucca cut him off.

He shouted word back to others of his fleet--wordthat was passed back until it had reached them all--directing them to run alongside the strangers and boardthem, for with his two hundred craft and his eight orten thousand warriors he evidently felt equal to overcoming the fifty vessels of the enemy, which did notseem to carry over three thousand men all told.

His own personal energies he bent to reaching Dianand me first, leaving the rest of the work to his otherboats. I thought that there could be little doubt thathe would be successful in so far as we were concerned,and I feared for the revenge that he might take uponus should the battle go against his force, as I was sureit would; for I knew that Perry and his Mezops musthave brought with them all the arms and ammunitionthat had been contained in the prospector. But I wasnot prepared for what happened next.

As Hooja's canoe reached a point some twenty yardsfrom us a great puff of smoke broke from the bow ofthe leading felucca, followed almost simultaneously bya terrific explosion, and a solid shot screamed closeover the heads of the men in Hooja's craft, raisinga great splash where it clove the water just beyondthem.

Perry had perfected gunpowder and built cannon!It was marvelous! Dian and Juag, as much surprisedas Hooja, turned wondering eyes toward me. Againthe cannon spoke. I suppose that by comparison withthe great guns of modern naval vessels of the outerworld it was a pitifully small and inadequate thing;but here in Pellucidar, where it was the first of its kind,it was about as awe-inspiring as anything you mightimagine.

With the report an iron cannonball about five inchesin diameter struck Hooja's dugout just above the waterline, tore a great splintering hole in its side, turnedit over, and dumped its occupants into the sea.

The four dugouts that had been abreast of Hoojahad turned to intercept the leading felucca. Evennow, in the face of what must have been a witheringcatastrophe to them, they kept bravely on toward thestrange and terrible craft.

In them were fully two hundred men, while butfifty lined the gunwale of the felucca to repel them. The commander of the felucca, who proved to be Ja,let them come quite close and then turned loose uponthem a volley of shots from small-arms.

The cave men and Sagoths in the dugouts seemedto wither before that blast of death like dry grassbefore a prairie fire. Those who were not hit droppedtheir bows and javelins and, seizing upon paddles,attempted to escape. But the felucca pursued themrelentlessly, her crew firing at will.

At last I heard Ja shouting to the survivors in thedugouts--they were all quite close to us now--offering them their lives if they would surrender. Perrywas standing close behind Ja, and I knew that thismerciful action was prompted, perhaps commanded,by the old man; for no Pellucidarian would have thoughtof showing leniency to a defeated foe.

As there was no alternative save death, the survivorssurrendered and a moment later were taken aboardthe Amoz, the name that I could now see printed inlarge letters upon the felucca's bow, and which noone in that whole world could read except Perry and I.

When the prisoners were aboard, Ja brought thefelucca alongside our dugout. Many were the willinghands that reached down to lift us to her decks. Thebronze faces of the Mezops were broad with smiles,and Perry was fairly beside himself with joy.

Dian went aboard first and then Juag, as I wishedto help Raja and Ranee aboard myself, well knowingthat it would fare ill with any Mezop who touchedthem. We got them aboard at last, and a great commotion they caused among the crew, who had neverseen a wild beast thus handled by man before.

Perry and Dian and I were so full of questions thatwe fairly burst, but we had to contain ourselves fora while, since the battle with the rest of Hooja's fleethad scarce commenced. From the small forward decksof the feluccas Perry's crude cannon were belchingsmoke, flame, thunder, and death. The air trembledto the roar of them. Hooja's horde, intrepid, savagefighters that they were, were closing in to grapplein a last death-struggle with the Mezops who mannedour vessels.

The handling of our fleet by the red island warriorsof Ja's clan was far from perfect. I could see that Perryhad lost no time after the completion of the boats insetting out upon this cruise. What little the captainsand crews had learned of handling feluccas they musthave learned principally since they embarked uponthis voyage, and while experience is an excellentteacher and had done much for them, they still hada great deal to learn. In maneuvering for positionthey were continually fouling one another, and ontwo occasions shots from our batteries came near tostriking our own ships.

No sooner, however, was I aboard the flagship thanI attempted to rectify this trouble to some extent. Bypassing commands by word of mouth from one shipto another I managed to get the fifty feluccas intosome sort of line, with the flag-ship in the lead. Inthis formation we commenced slowly to circle theposition of the enemy. The dugouts came for us rightalong in an attempt to board us, but by keeping onthe move in one direction and circling, we managedto avoid getting in each other's way, and were enabledto fire our cannon and our small arms with less dangerto our own comrades.

When I had a moment to look about me, I took inthe felucca on which I was. I am free to confess thatI marveled at the excellent construction and stanchyet speedy lines of the little craft. That Perry hadchosen this type of vessel seemed rather remarkable,for though I had warned him against turreted battleships, armor, and like useless show, I had fully expected that when I beheld his navy I should findconsiderable attempt at grim and terrible magnificence, for it was always Perry's idea to overawe theseignorant cave men when we had to contend withthem in battle. But I had soon learned that whileone might easily astonish them with some new engineof war, it was an utter impossibility to frighten theminto surrender.

I learned later that Ja had gone carefully over theplans of various craft with Perry. The old man hadexplained in detail all that the text told him of them. The two had measured out dimensions upon the ground,that Ja might see the sizes of different boats. Perryhad built models, and Ja had had him read carefullyand explain all that they could find relative to thehandling of sailing vessels. The result of this wasthat Ja was the one who had chosen the felucca. Itwas well that Perry had had so excellent a balancewheel, for he had been wild to build a huge frigateof the Nelsonian era--he told me so himself.

One thing that had inclined Ja particularly to thefelucca was the fact that it included oars in its equipment. He realized the limitations of his people in thematter of sails, and while they had never used oars,the implement was so similar to a paddle that hewas sure they quickly could master the art--and theydid. As soon as one hull was completed Ja kept iton the water constantly, first with one crew and thenwith another, until two thousand red warriors hadlearned to row. Then they stepped their masts anda crew was told off for the first ship.

While the others were building they learned tohandle theirs. As each succeeding boat was launchedits crew took it out and practiced with it under thetutorage of those who had graduated from the firstship, and so on until a full complement of men hadbeen trained for every boat.

Well, to get back to the battle: The Hoojans kepton coming at us, and as fast as they came we mowedthem down. It was little else than slaughter. Timeand time again I cried to them to surrender, promisingthem their lives if they would do so. At last therewere but ten boatloads left. These turned in flight. They thought they could paddle away from us--it was pitiful! I passed the word from boat to boatto cease firing--not to kill another Hoojan unless theyfired on us. Then we set out after them. There wasa nice little breeze blowing and we bowled along afterour quarry as gracefully and as lightly as swans upona park lagoon. As we approached them I could see notonly wonder but admiration in their eyes. I hailed thenearest dugout.

"Throw down your arms and come aboard us," Icried, "and you shall not be harmed. We will feed youand return you to the mainland. Then you shall gofree upon your promise never to bear arms against theEmperor of Pellucidar again!"

I think it was the promise of food that interestedthem most. They could scarce believe that we wouldnot kill them. But when I exhibited the prisoners wealready had taken, and showed them that they werealive and unharmed, a great Sagoth in one of the boatsasked me what guarantee I could give that I wouldkeep my word.

"None other than my word," I replied. "That I donot break."

The Pellucidarians themselves are rather punctiliousabout this same matter, so the Sagoth could understandthat I might possibly be speaking the truth. But hecould not understand why we should not kill themunless we meant to enslave them, which I had asmuch as denied already when I had promised to setthem free. Ja couldn't exactly see the wisdom of myplan, either. He thought that we ought to follow upthe ten remaining dugouts and sink them all; but Iinsisted that we must free as many as possible of ourenemies upon the mainland.

"You see," I explained, "these men will return atonce to Hooja's Island, to the Mahar cities from whichthey come, or to the countries from which they werestolen by the Mahars. They are men of two racesand of many countries. They will spread the story ofour victory far and wide, and while they are with us,we will let them see and hear many other wonderfulthings which they may carry back to their friends andtheir chiefs. It's the finest chance for free publicity,Perry," I added to the old man, "that you or I haveseen in many a day."

Perry agreed with me. As a matter of fact, he wouldhave agreed to anything that would have restrainedus from killing the poor devils who fell into our hands. He was a great fellow to invent gunpowder and firearms and cannon; but when it came to using thesethings to kill people, he was as tender-hearted as achicken.

The Sagoth who had spoken was talking to otherSagoths in his boat. Evidently they were holding acouncil over the question of the wisdom of surrendering.

"What will become of you if you don't surrender tous?" I asked. "If we do not open up our batteries onyou again and kill you all, you will simply drift aboutthe sea helplessly until you die of thirst and starvation. You cannot return to the islands, for you have seenas well as we that the natives there are very numerousand warlike. They would kill you the moment youlanded."

The upshot of it was that the boat of which theSagoth speaker was in charge surrendered. The Sagothsthrew down their weapons, and we took them aboardthe ship next in line behind the Amoz. First Ja hadto impress upon the captain and crew of the shipthat the prisoners were not to be abused or killed. After that the remaining dugouts paddled up and surrendered. We distributed them among the entire fleetlest there be too many upon any one vessel. Thusended the first real naval engagement that the Pellucidarian seas had ever witnessed--though Perry stillinsists that the action in which the Sari took part wasa battle of the first magnitude.

The battle over and the prisoners disposed of andfed--and do not imagine that Dian, Juag, and I, aswell as the two hounds were not fed also--I turnedmy attention to the fleet. We had the feluccas closein about the flag-ship, and with all the ceremony ofa medieval potentate on parade I received the commanders of the forty-nine feluccas that accompaniedthe flag-ship--Dian and I together--the empress andthe emperor of Pellucidar.

It was a great occasion. The savage, bronze warriorsentered into the spirit of it, for as I learned laterdear old Perry had left no opportunity neglected forimpressing upon them that David was emperor ofPellucidar, and that all that they were accomplishingand all that he was accomplishing was due to thepower, and redounded to the glory of David. The oldman must have rubbed it in pretty strong, for thosefierce warriors nearly came to blows in their effortsto be among the first of those to kneel before meand kiss my hand. When it came to kissing Dian's Ithink they enjoyed it more; I know I should have.

A happy thought occurred to me as I stood upon thelittle deck of the Amoz with the first of Perry's primitive cannon behind me. When Ja kneeled at my feet,and first to do me homage, I drew from its scabbardat his side the sword of hammered iron that Perryhad taught him to fashion. Striking him lightly on theshoulder I created him king of Anoroc. Each captain of theforty-nine other feluccas I made a duke. I leftit to Perry to enlighten them as to the value of thehonors I had bestowed upon them.

During these ceremonies Raja and Ranee had stoodbeside Dian and me. Their bellies had been well filled,but still they had difficulty in permitting so muchedible humanity to pass unchallenged. It was a goodeducation for them though, and never after did theyfind it difficult to associate with the human race without arousing their appetites.

After the ceremonies were over we had a chanceto talk with Perry and Ja. The former told me thatGhak, king of Sari, had sent my letter and map to himby a runner, and that he and Ja had at once decidedto set out on the completion of the fleet to ascertainthe correctness of my theory that the Lural Az, inwhich the Anoroc Islands lay, was in reality the sameocean as that which lapped the shores of Thuria underthe name of Sojar Az, or Great Sea.

Their destination had been the island retreat ofHooja, and they had sent word to Ghak of their plansthat we might work in harmony with them. The tempestthat had blown us off the coast of the continent hadblown them far to the south also. Shortly before discovering us they had come into a great group of islands,from between the largest two of which they were sailing when they saw Hooja's fleet pursuing our dugout.

I asked Perry if he had any idea as to where wewere, or in what direction lay Hooja's island or thecontinent. He replied by producing his map, on whichhe had carefully marked the newly discovered islands--there described as the Unfriendly Isles--whichshowed Hooja's island northwest of us about two pointsWest.

He then explained that with compass, chronometer,log and reel, they had kept a fairly accurate recordof their course from the time they had set out. Fourof the feluccas were equipped with these instruments,and all of the captains had been instructed in theiruse.

I was very greatly surprised at the ease with whichthese savages had mastered the rather intricate detailof this unusual work, but Perry assured me that theywere a wonderfully intelligent race, and had been quickto grasp all that he had tried to teach them.

Another thing that surprised me was the fact thatso much had been accomplished in so short a time,for I could not believe that I had been gone fromAnoroc for a sufficient period to permit of buildinga fleet of fifty feluccas and mining iron ore for thecannon and balls, to say nothing of manufacturing theseguns and the crude muzzle-loading rifles with whichevery Mezop was armed, as well as the gunpowderand ammunition they had in such ample quantities.

"Time!" exclaimed Perry. "Well, how long were yougone from Anoroc before we picked you up in theSojar Az?"

That was a puzzler, and I had to admit it. I didn'tknow how much time had elapsed and neither didPerry, for time is nonexistent in Pellucidar.

"Then, you see, David," he continued, "I had almostunbelievable resources at my disposal. The Mezops inhabiting the Anoroc Islands, which stretch far out to seabeyond the three principal isles with which you arefamiliar, number well into the millions, and by far thegreater part of them are friendly to Ja. Men, women,and children turned to and worked the moment Ja explained the nature of our enterprise.

"And not only were they anxious to do all in theirpower to hasten the day when the Mahars should beoverthrown, but--and this counted for most of all--theyare simply ravenous for greater knowledge and for betterways of doing things.

"The contents of the prospector set their imaginations to working overtime, so that they craved to own,themselves, the knowledge which had made it possiblefor other men to create and build the things which youbrought back from the outer world.

"And then," continued the old man, "the element oftime, or, rather, lack of time, operated to my advantage. There being no nights, there was no laying off fromwork--they labored incessantly stopping only to eat and,on rare occasions, to sleep. Once we had discovered ironore we had enough mined in an incredibly short time tobuild a thousand cannon. I had only to show them oncehow a thing should be done, and they would fall to workby thousands to do it.

"Why, no sooner had we fashioned the first muzzle-loader and they had seen it work successfully, than fullythree thousand Mezops fell to work to make rifles. Ofcourse there was much confusion and lost motion at first,but eventually Ja got them in hand, detailing squads ofthem under competent chiefs to certain work.

"We now have a hundred expert gun-makers. On alittle isolated isle we have a great powder-factory. Nearthe iron-mine, which is on the mainland, is a smelter, andon the eastern shore of Anoroc, a well equipped shipyard. All these industries are guarded by forts in whichseveral cannon are mounted and where warriors arealways on guard.

"You would be surprised now, David, at the aspect ofAnoroc. I am surprised myself; it seems always to me asI compare it with the day that I first set foot upon itfrom the deck of the Sari that only a miracle could haveworked the change that has taken place."

"It is a miracle," I said; it is nothing short of a miracleto transplant all the wondrous possibilities of the twentieth century back to the Stone Age. It is a miracle tothink that only five hundred miles of earth separate twoepochs that are really ages and ages apart.

"It is stupendous, Perry! But still more stupendousis the power that you and I wield in this great world. These people look upon us as little less than supermen. We must show them that we are all of that.

"We must give them the best that we have, Perry."

"Yes," he agreed; "we must. I have been thinking agreat deal lately that some kind of shrapnel shell or explosive bomb would be a most splendid innovation intheir warfare. Then there are breech-loading rifles andthose with magazines that I must hasten to study outand learn to reproduce as soon as we get settled downagain; and--"

"Hold on, Perry!" I cried. "I didn't mean these sorts ofthings at all. I said that we must give them the best wehave. What we have given them so far has been theworst. We have given them war and the munitions ofwar. In a single day we have made their wars infinitelymore terrible and bloody than in all their past agesthey have been able to make them with their crude,primitive weapons.

"In a period that could scarcely have exceeded twoouter earthly hours, our fleet practically annihilated thelargest armada of native canoes that the Pellucidariansever before had gathered together. We butchered someeight thousand warriors with the twentieth-century giftswe brought. Why, they wouldn't have killed that manywarriors in the entire duration of a dozen of their warswith their own weapons! No, Perry; we've got to givethem something better than scientific methods of killingone another."

The old man looked at me in amazement. There wasreproach in his eyes, too.

"Why, David!" he said sorrowfully. "I thought that youwould be pleased with what I had done. We plannedthese things together, and I am sure that it was youwho suggested practically all of it. I have done onlywhat I thought you wished done and I have done it thebest that I know how."

I laid my hand on the old man's shoulder.

"Bless your heart, Perry!" I cried. "You've accomplished miracles. You have done precisely what I shouldhave done, only you've done it better. I'm not findingfault; but I don't wish to lose sight myself, or let youlose sight, of the greater work which must grow out ofthis preliminary and necessary carnage. First we mustplace the empire upon a secure footing, and we can doso only by putting the fear of us in the hearts of ourenemies; but after that--

"Ah, Perry! That is the day I look forward to! Whenyou and I can build sewing-machines instead of battleships, harvesters of crops instead of harvesters of men,plow-shares and telephones, schools and colleges,printing-presses and paper! When our merchant marineshall ply the great Pellucidarian seas, and cargoes ofsilks and typewriters and books shall forge their wayswhere only hideous saurians have held sway since timebegan!"

"Amen!" said Perry.

And Dian, who was standing at my side, pressed myhand.