I risked discovery from above to accomplish my design.

When I had reached a point where I could again see the dugout, I was

just in time to see it glide un-harmed between two needle-pointed

sentinels of granite and float quietly upon the unruffled bosom of

a tiny cove.

Again I crouched behind a boulder to observe what would next transpire;

nor did I have long to wait. The dugout, which contained but two

men, was drawn close to the rocky wall. A fiber rope, one end of

which was tied to the boat, was made fast about a projection of

the cliff face.

Then the two men commenced the ascent of the almost perpendicular

wall toward the summit several hundred feet above. I looked on in

amazement, for, splendid climbers though the cave men of Pellucidar

are, I never before had seen so remarkable a feat per-formed.

Upwardly they moved without a pause, to dis-appear at last over

the summit.

When I felt reasonably sure that they had gone for a while at least

I crawled from my hiding-place and at the risk of a broken neck

leaped and scrambled to the spot where their canoe was moored.

If they had scaled that cliff I could, and if I couldn't I should

die in the attempt.

But when I turned to the accomplishment of the task I found it easier

than I had imagined it would be, since I immediately discovered

that shallow hand and foot-holds had been scooped in the cliff's

rocky face, forming a crude ladder from the base to the summit.

At last I reached the top, and very glad I was, too. Cautiously

I raised my head until my eyes were above the cliff-crest. Before

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