way while the Sagoths returned to where I stood with my guard. It

was time for eating, so we stopped where we were and made our meal.

The Sa-goths didn't tell me who it was they had met, and I did not

ask, though I must confess that I was quite curious.

They permitted me to sleep at this halt. Afterward we took up the

last leg of our journey. I found the valley without difficulty

and led my guard directly to the cave. At its mouth the Sagoths

halted and I entered alone.

I noticed as I felt about the floor in the dim light that there

was a pile of fresh-turned rubble there. Presently my hands came

to the spot where the great secret had been buried. There was a

cavity where I had carefully smoothed the earth over the hiding-place

of the docu-ment--the manuscript was gone!

Frantically I searched the whole interior of the cave several times

over, but without other result than a com-plete confirmation of

my worst fears. Someone had been here ahead of me and stolen the

great secret.

The one thing within Pellucidar which might free Dian and me was

gone, nor was it likely that I should ever learn its whereabouts.

If a Mahar had found it, which was quite improbable, the chances

were that the dominant race would never divulge the fact that they

had recovered the precious document. If a cave man had happened

upon it he would have no conception of its meaning or value, and

as a consequence it would be lost or destroyed in short order.

With bowed head and broken hopes I came out of the cave and told

the Sagoth chieftain what I had dis-covered. It didn't mean much

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