Pellucidar · Chapter
Prologue explained
The narrator receives a letter from Cogdon Nestor, who discovered a buried telegraph instrument in the Sahara that appears to be connected to David Innes's inner world of Pellucidar.
What happens
The narrator receives a letter from Cogdon Nestor, who discovered a buried telegraph instrument in the Sahara that appears to be connected to David Innes's inner world of Pellucidar. The narrator rushes to Algiers, meets Nestor, and together with a telegraph operator they unearth the instrument and establish communication with David Innes, who recounts his adventures.
Themes in this chapter
Exploration and Discovery
The discovery of the buried telegraph instrument and the subsequent communication with Pellucidar drive the narrative forward.
Deception and Betrayal
The narrator fears that Hooja the Sly One may have succeeded in his schemes against Dian.
Characters to notice
- David Innes
The protagonist who is communicating from Pellucidar via the buried telegraph instrument.
- Cogdon Nestor
The wanderer who discovered the telegraph instrument in the Sahara and contacted the narrator.
- Frank Downes
The English telegraph operator who helps establish and translate communication with David Innes.
- Dian the Beautiful
David Innes's mate, whose fate is a source of anxiety for the narrator.
- Abner Perry
The inventor and paleontologist whose well-being is questioned by the narrator.
- Hooja the Sly One
Mentioned as a potential threat to Dian the Beautiful.
Key passages
“Ten minutes after reading this letter I had cabled Mr. Nestor as follows: Story true. Await me Algiers.”
Within ten minutes of finishing the letter, I sent a cable to Nestor confirming the story's truth and telling him to wait for me in Algiers.
The narrator's immediate and decisive response to Nestor's letter.
“The finding of the telegraph-instrument practically assured me that David Innes had driven Perry's iron mole back through the earth's crust to the buried world of Pellucidar;”
Discovering the telegraph instrument convinced me that David Innes had used Perry's iron mole to return to the inner world of Pellucidar.
The narrator's deduction linking the instrument to Innes's journey.
“I must admit that I was in a state bordering upon nervous prostration when I entered the ⸻ and ⸻ Club, in Algiers, and inquired for Mr. Nestor.”
I confess I was nearly overwhelmed with anxiety when I arrived at the club in Algiers to meet Nestor.
The narrator's emotional state upon arriving in Algiers.