“What happened?  Immediately the necessity for males ceased to exist—­the race was no longer dependent upon them.  More ages elapsed until at the present time we find a race consisting exclusively of females.  But here is the point.  The secret of this chemical formula is kept by a single race of Mahars.  It is in the city of Phutra, and unless I am greatly in error I judge from your description of the vaults through which you passed today that it lies hidden in the cellar of this building.

“For two reasons they hide it away and guard it jealously.  First, because upon it depends the very life of the race of Mahars, and second, owing to the fact that when it was public property as at first so many were experimenting with it that the danger of over-population became very grave.

“David, if we can escape, and at the same time take with us this great secret what will we not have accomplished for the human race within Pellucidar!” The very thought of it fairly overpowered me.  Why, we two would be the means of placing the men of the inner world in their rightful place among created things.  Only the Sagoths would then stand between them and absolute supremacy, and I was not quite sure but that the Sagoths owed all their power to the greater intelligence of the Mahars—­I could not believe that these gorilla-like beasts were the mental superiors of the human race of Pellucidar.

“Why, Perry,” I exclaimed, “you and I may reclaim a whole world!  Together we can lead the races of men out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of advancement and civilization.  At one step we may carry them from the Age of Stone to the twentieth century.  It’s marvelous—­absolutely marvelous just to think about it.”

“David,” said the old man, “I believe that God sent us here for just that purpose—­it shall be my life work to teach them His word—­to lead them into the light of His mercy while we are training their hearts and hands in the ways of culture and civilization.”

“You are right, Perry,” I said, “and while you are teaching them to pray I’ll be teaching them to fight, and between us we’ll make a race of men that will be an honor to us both.”

Ghak had entered the apartment some time before we concluded our conversation, and now he wanted to know what we were so excited about.  Perry thought we had best not tell him too much, and so I only explained that I had a plan for escape.  When I had outlined it to him, he seemed about as horror-struck as Perry had been; but for a different reason.  The Hairy One only considered the horrible fate that would be ours were we discovered; but at last I prevailed upon him to accept my plan as the only feasible one, and when I had assured him that I would take all the responsibility for it were we captured, he accorded a reluctant assent.

VI

THE BEGINNING OF HORROR