In a short time some hunted animal would break into view, and a
moment later a score of half-naked savages would come leaping after
with spears or club or great stone-knives.

I had seen the thing so many times during my life within Pellucidar
that I felt that I could anticipate to a nicety precisely what I
was about to witness. I hoped that the hunters would prove friendly
and be able to direct me toward Sari.

Even as I was thinking these thoughts the quarry emerged from the
forest. But it was no terrified four-footed beast. Instead, what
I saw was an old man--a terrified old man!

Staggering feebly and hopelessly from what must have been some very
terrible fate, if one could judge from the horrified expressions
he continually cast behind him toward the wood, he came stumbling
on in my direction.

He had covered but a short distance from the forest when I beheld
the first of his pursuers--a Sagoth, one of those grim and terrible
gorilla-men who guard the mighty Mahars in their buried cities,
faring forth from time to time upon slave-raiding or punitive
expeditions against the human race of Pellucidar, of whom the
dominant race of the inner world think as we think of the bison or
the wild sheep of our own world.

Close behind the foremost Sagoth came others until a full dozen
raced, shouting after the terror-stricken old man. They would be
upon him shortly, that was plain.