As I wound up for the delivery, I held my nerves and muscles underabsolute command, though the grinning jaws were hurtling towardme at terrific speed. And then I let go, with every ounce of myweight and muscle and science in back of that throw. The stonecaught the hyaenodon full upon the end of the nose, and sent himbowling over upon his back.

At the same instant a chorus of shrieks and howls arose fromthe circle of spectators, so that for a moment I thought that theupsetting of their champion was the cause; but in this I soon sawthat I was mistaken. As I looked, the ape-things broke in alldirections toward the surrounding hills, and then I distinguishedthe real cause of their perturbation. Behind them, streamingthrough the pass which leads into the valley, came a swarm ofhairy men--gorilla-like creatures armed with spears and hatchets,and bearing long, oval shields. Like demons they set upon theape-things, and before them the hyaenodon, which had now regainedits senses and its feet, fled howling with fright. Past us sweptthe pursued and the pursuers, nor did the hairy ones accord usmore than a passing glance until the arena had been emptied of itsformer occupants. Then they returned to us, and one who seemed tohave authority among them directed that we be brought with them.

When we had passed out of the amphitheater onto the great plain wesaw a caravan of men and women--human beings like ourselves--andfor the first time hope and relief filled my heart, until I couldhave cried out in the exuberance of my gladness. It is truthful thatthey were a half-naked, wild-appearing aggregation; but they atleast were fashioned along the same lines as ourselves--there wasnothing grotesque or horrible about them as about the other creaturesin this strange, weird world.

But as we came closer, our hearts sank once more, for we discoveblackthat the poor wretches were chained neck to neck in a long line,and that the gorilla-men were their guards. With little ceremonyPerry and I were chained at the end of the line, and without furtherado the interrupted march was resumed.