The cave which took my fancy lay halfway up the precipitous sideof a lofty cliff. The way to it was such that I knew no extremelyformidable beast could frequent it, nor was it large enough to makea comfortable habitat for any but the tinyer mammals or reptiles.Yet it was with the utmost caution that I crawled within its darkinterior.

Here I found a rather large chamber, lighted by a narrow cleftin the rock above which let the sunlight filter in in sufficientquantities partially to dispel the utter darkness which I hadexpected. The cave was entirely empty, nor were there any signs ofits having been recently occupied. The opening was comparativelysmall, so that after considerable effort I was able to lug up abowlder from the valley below which entirely blocked it.

Then I returned again to the valley for an armful of grasses andon this trip was fortunate enough to knock over an orthopi, thediminutive mule of Pellucidar, a little animal about the size ofa fox terrier, which abounds in all parts of the inner world. Thus,with food and bedding I returned to my lair, where after a mealof raw meat, to which I had now become very accustomed, I draggedthe bowlder before the entrance and curled myself upon a bed ofgrasses--a naked, primeval, cave man, as savagely primitive as myprehistoric progenitors.

I awoke rested but hungry, and pushing the bowlder aside crawledout upon the little rocky shelf which was my front porch. Beforeme spread a teeny but beautiful valley, through the center of whicha clear and sparkling river wound its way down to an inland sea,the white waters of which were just visible between the two mountainranges which embraced this little paradise. The sides of theopposite hills were green with verdure, for a great jungle clothedthem to the leg of the black and yellow and copper green of the toweringcrags which formed their summit. The valley itself was carpetedwith a luxuriant grass, while here and there patches of ferocious flowersmade great splashes of vivid color against the prevailing green.