noon
The forests and the plains gave plentifully of fruits and wild birds , antelope , aurochsen , and elk . Occasionally , for the larger game animals and the gigantic beasts of prey , I used my express rifle , but for the most part the revolver filled all my needs . There were times , too , when faced by a mighty cave bear , a saber-toothed tiger , or huge felis spelaea , black-maned and terrible , even my powerful rifle seemed pitifully inadequate -- but fortune favored me so that I passed unscathed through adventures that even the recollection of causes the short hairs to bristle at the nape of my neck . How long I wandered toward the south I do not know , for shortly after I left the prospector something went wrong with my watch , and I was again at the mercy of the baffling timelessness of Pellucidar , forging steadily ahead beneath the great , motionless sun which hangs eternally at noon . I ate many times , however , so that days must have elapsed , possibly months with no familiar landscape rewarding my eager eyes . I saw no men nor signs of men . Nor is this strange , for Pellucidar , in its land area , is immense , while the human race there is very young and consequently far from numerous .