She had seen all these evidences of a civilization and mind-powertranscending in scientific achieve-ment anything that her race hadproduced; nor once had she seen a creature of her own kind.

There could have been but a single deduction in the mind of theMahar--there were other worlds than Pellucidar, and the gilak wasa rational being.

Now the creature at my side was creeping sluggishly toward the near-bysea. At my hip hung a long-barreled six-shooter--somehow I hadbeen unable to find the same sensation of security in the very recentfangledauto-matics that had been perfected since my first departure fromthe outer world--and in my hand was a weighty express rifle.

I could have shot the Mahar with ease, for I knew intuitively thatshe was escaping--but I did not.

I felt that if she could return to her own kind with the story ofher adventures, the position of the human race within Pellucidarwould be advanced immensely at a single stride, for at once manwould take his proper place in the considerations of the reptilia.

At the edge of the sea the creature paused and looked back at me.Then she slid sinuously into the surf.