faculties as almost to stupefy one.

No sooner had we hidden the canoe than Ja plunged into the jungle,
presently emerging into a narrow but well-defined trail which
wound hither and thither much after the manner of the highways of
all primitive folk, but there was one peculiarity about this Mezop
trail which I was later to find distinguished them from all other
trails that I ever have seen within or without the earth.

It would run on, plain and clear and well defined to end suddenly
in the midst of a tangle of matted jungle, then Ja would turn
directly back in his tracks for a little distance, spring into a
tree, climb through it to the other side, drop onto a fallen log,
leap over a low bush and alight once more upon a distinct trail
which he would follow back for a short distance only to turn directly
about and retrace his steps until after a mile or less this new
pathway ended as suddenly and mysteriously as the former section.
Then he would pass again across some media which would reveal no
spoor, to take up the broken thread of the trail beyond.

As the purpose of this remarkable avenue dawned upon me I could
not but admire the native shrewdness of the ancient progenitor of
the Mezops who hit upon this novel plan to throw his enemies from
his track and delay or thwart them in their attempts to follow him
to his deep-buried cities.

To you of the outer earth it might seem a slow and tortuous method
of traveling through the jungle, but were you of Pellucidar you
would realize that time is no factor where time does not exist.
So labyrinthine are the windings of these trails, so varied the