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Warlord Of Mars
By
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Contents
In the shadows of=
the
forest that flanks the crimson plain by the side of the Lost Sea of Korus in
the Valley Dor, beneath the hurtling moons of Mars, speeding their meteoric=
way
close above the bosom of the dying planet, I crept stealthily along the tra=
il
of a shadowy form that hugged the darker places with a persistency that
proclaimed the sinister nature of its errand.
For six long Mart=
ian
months I had haunted the vicinity of the hateful Temple of the Sun, within
whose slow-revolving shaft, far beneath the surface of Mars, my princess lay
entombed--but whether alive or dead I knew not.
Had Phaidor's slim blade found that beloved heart? Time only would reveal the truth.
Six hundred and
eighty-seven Martian days must come and go before the cell's door would aga=
in
come opposite the tunnel's end where last I had seen my ever-beautiful Deja=
h Thoris.
Half of them had
passed, or would on the morrow, yet vivid in my memory, obliterating every
event that had come before or after, there remained the last scene before t=
he
gust of smoke blinded my eyes and the narrow slit that had given me sight o=
f the
interior of her cell closed between me and the Princess of Helium for a lon=
g Martian
year.
As if it were
yesterday, I still saw the beautiful face of Phaidor, daughter of Matai Sha=
ng,
distorted with jealous rage and hatred as she sprang forward with raised da=
gger
upon the woman I loved.
I saw the red gir=
l,
Thuvia of Ptarth, leap forward to prevent the hideous deed.
The smoke from the
burning temple had come then to blot out the tragedy, but in my ears rang t=
he
single shriek as the knife fell. Then silence, and when the smoke had clear=
ed,
the revolving temple had shut off all sight or sound from the chamber in wh=
ich
the three beautiful women were imprisoned.
Much there had be=
en
to occupy my attention since that terrible moment; but never for an instant=
had
the memory of the thing faded, and all the time that I could spare from the
numerous duties that had devolved upon me in the reconstruction of the
government of the First Born since our victorious fleet and land forces had
overwhelmed them, had been spent close to the grim shaft that held the moth=
er of
my boy, Carthoris of Helium.
The race of blacks
that for ages had worshiped Issus, the false deity of Mars, had been left i=
n a
state of chaos by my revealment of her as naught more than a wicked old
woman. In their rage they had torn=
her
to pieces.
From the high
pinnacle of their egotism the First Born had been plunged to the depths of
humiliation. Their deity was gone,=
and with
her the whole false fabric of their religion.
Their vaunted navy had fallen in defeat before the superior ships and
fighting men of the red men of Helium.
Fierce green warr=
iors
from the ocher sea bottoms of outer Mars had ridden their wild thoats across
the sacred gardens of the Temple of Issus, and Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark,
fiercest of them all, had sat upon the throne of Issus and ruled the First =
Born
while the allies were deciding the conquered nation's fate.
Almost unanimous =
was
the request that I ascend the ancient throne of the black men, even the Fir=
st
Born themselves concurring in it; but I would have none of it. My heart could never be with the race t=
hat
had heaped indignities upon my princess and my son.
At my suggestion
Xodar became Jeddak of the First Born.
He had been a dator, or prince, until Issus had degraded him, so that
his fitness for the high office bestowed was unquestioned.
The peace of the
Valley Dor thus assured, the green warriors dispersed to their desolate sea
bottoms, while we of Helium returned to our own country. Here again was a throne offered me, sin=
ce no
word had been received from the missing Jeddak of Helium, Tardos Mors, gran=
dfather
of Dejah Thoris, or his son, Mors Kajak, Jed of Helium, her father.
Over a year had
elapsed since they had set out to explore the northern hemisphere in search=
of
Carthoris, and at last their disheartened people had accepted as truth the
vague rumors of their death that had filtered in from the frozen region of =
the
pole.
Once again I refu=
sed
a throne, for I would not believe that the mighty Tardos Mors, or his no le=
ss
redoubtable son, was dead.
"Let one of
their own blood rule you until they return," I said to the assembled
nobles of Helium, as I addressed them from the Pedestal of Truth beside the
Throne of Righteousness in the Temple of Reward, from the very spot where I=
had
stood a year before when Zat Arras pronounced the sentence of death upon me=
.
As I spoke I step=
ped
forward and laid my hand upon the shoulder of Carthoris where he stood in t=
he
front rank of the circle of nobles about me.
As one, the nobles
and the people lifted their voices in a long cheer of approbation. Ten thousand swords sprang on high from=
as many
scabbards, and the glorious fighting men of ancient Helium hailed Carthoris
Jeddak of Helium.
His tenure of off=
ice
was to be for life or until his great-grandfather, or grandfather, should
return. Having thus satisfactorily
arranged this important duty for Helium, I started the following day for the
Valley Dor that I might remain close to the Temple of the Sun until the fat=
eful
day that should see the opening of the prison cell where my lost love lay
buried.
Hor Vastus and Ka=
ntos
Kan, with my other noble lieutenants, I left with Carthoris at Helium, that=
he
might have the benefit of their wisdom, bravery, and loyalty in the perform=
ance
of the arduous duties which had devolved upon him. Only Woola, my Martian hound, accompani=
ed me.
At my heels tonig=
ht
the faithful beast moved softly in my tracks. As large as a Shetland pony, =
with
hideous head and frightful fangs, he was indeed an awesome spectacle, as he
crept after me on his ten short, muscular legs; but to me he was the embodi=
ment
of love and loyalty.
The figure ahead =
was
that of the black dator of the First Born, Thurid, whose undying enmity I h=
ad
earned that time I laid him low with my bare hands in the courtyard of the
Temple of Issus, and bound him with his own harness before the noble men and
women who had but a moment before been extolling his prowess.
Like many of his
fellows, he had apparently accepted the new order of things with good grace,
and had sworn fealty to Xodar, his new ruler; but I knew that he hated me, =
and
I was sure that in his heart he envied and hated Xodar, so I had kept a wat=
ch
upon his comings and goings, to the end that of late I had become convinced
that he was occupied with some manner of intrigue.
Several times I h=
ad
observed him leaving the walled city of the First Born after dark, taking h=
is
way out into the cruel and horrible Valley Dor, where no honest business co=
uld
lead any man.
Tonight he moved
quickly along the edge of the forest until well beyond sight or sound of the
city, then he turned across the crimson sward toward the shore of the Lost =
Sea
of Korus.
The rays of the
nearer moon, swinging low across the valley, touched his jewel-incrusted
harness with a thousand changing lights and glanced from the glossy ebony of
his smooth hide. Twice he turned h=
is
head back toward the forest, after the manner of one who is upon an evil
errand, though he must have felt quite safe from pursuit.
I did not dare fo=
llow
him there beneath the moonlight, since it best suited my plans not to inter=
rupt
his--I wished him to reach his destination unsuspecting, that I might learn
just where that destination lay and the business that awaited the night pro=
wler
there.
So it was that I =
remained
hidden until after Thurid had disappeared over the edge of the steep bank
beside the sea a quarter of a mile away.
Then, with Woola following, I hastened across the open after the bla=
ck
dator.
The quiet of the =
tomb
lay upon the mysterious valley of death, crouching deep in its warm nest wi=
thin
the sunken area at the south pole of the dying planet. In the far distance the Golden Cliffs r=
aised
their mighty barrier faces far into the starlit heavens, the precious metals
and scintillating jewels that composed them sparkling in the brilliant ligh=
t of
Mars's two gorgeous moons.
At my back was the
forest, pruned and trimmed like the sward to parklike symmetry by the brows=
ing
of the ghoulish plant men.
Before me lay the
Lost Sea of Korus, while farther on I caught the shimmering ribbon of Iss, =
the
River of Mystery, where it wound out from beneath the Golden Cliffs to empty
into Korus, to which for countless ages had been borne the deluded and unha=
ppy
Martians of the outer world upon the voluntary pilgrimage to this false hea=
ven.
The plant men, wi=
th
their blood-sucking hands, and the monstrous white apes that make Dor hideo=
us
by day, were hidden in their lairs for the night.
There was no long=
er a
Holy Thern upon the balcony in the Golden Cliffs above the Iss to summon th=
em
with weird cry to the victims floating down to their maws upon the cold, br=
oad
bosom of ancient Iss.
The navies of Hel=
ium
and the First Born had cleared the fortresses and the temples of the therns
when they had refused to surrender and accept the new order of things that =
had
swept their false religion from long-suffering Mars.
In a few isolated
countries they still retained their age-old power; but Matai Shang, their
hekkador, Father of Therns, had been driven from his temple. Strenuous had been our endeavors to cap=
ture him;
but with a few of the faithful he had escaped, and was in hiding--where we =
knew
not.
As I came cautiou=
sly
to the edge of the low cliff overlooking the Lost Sea of Korus I saw Thurid
pushing out upon the bosom of the shimmering water in a small skiff--one of
those strangely wrought craft of unthinkable age which the Holy Therns, with
their organization of priests and lesser therns, were wont to distribute al=
ong
the banks of the Iss, that the long journey of their victims might be facil=
itated.
Drawn up on the b=
each
below me were a score of similar boats, each with its long pole, at one end=
of
which was a pike, at the other a paddle.
Thurid was hugging the shore, and as he passed out of sight round a
near-by promontory I shoved one of the boats into the water and, calling Wo=
ola
into it, pushed out from shore.
The pursuit of Th=
urid
carried me along the edge of the sea toward the mouth of the Iss. The farther moon lay close to the horiz=
on, casting
a dense shadow beneath the cliffs that fringed the water. Thuria, the nearer
moon, had set, nor would it rise again for near four hours, so that I was
ensured concealing darkness for that length of time at least.
On and on went the
black warrior. Now he was opposite=
the
mouth of the Iss. Without an insta=
nt's
hesitation he turned up the grim river, paddling hard against the strong
current.
After him came Wo=
ola
and I, closer now, for the man was too intent upon forcing his craft up the
river to have any eyes for what might be transpiring behind him. He hugged the shore where the current w=
as
less strong.
Presently he came=
to
the dark cavernous portal in the face of the Golden Cliffs, through which t=
he
river poured. On into the Stygian =
darkness
beyond he urged his craft.
It seemed hopeles=
s to
attempt to follow him here where I could not see my hand before my face, an=
d I
was almost on the point of giving up the pursuit and drifting back to the m=
outh
of the river, there to await his return, when a sudden bend showed a faint
luminosity ahead.
My quarry was pla=
inly
visible again, and in the increasing light from the phosphorescent rock that
lay embedded in great patches in the roughly arched roof of the cavern I ha=
d no
difficulty in following him.
It was my first t=
rip
upon the bosom of Iss, and the things I saw there will live forever in my
memory.
Terrible as they
were, they could not have commenced to approximate the horrible conditions
which must have obtained before Tars Tarkas, the great green warrior, Xodar,
the black dator, and I brought the light of truth to the outer world and
stopped the mad rush of millions upon the voluntary pilgrimage to what they
believed would end in a beautiful valley of peace and happiness and love.
Even now the low
islands which dotted the broad stream were choked with the skeletons and ha=
lf
devoured carcasses of those who, through fear or a sudden awakening to the
truth, had halted almost at the completion of their journey.
In the awful sten=
ch
of these frightful charnel isles haggard maniacs screamed and gibbered and
fought among the torn remnants of their grisly feasts; while on those which
contained but clean-picked bones they battled with one another, the weaker
furnishing sustenance for the stronger; or with clawlike hands clutched at =
the
bloated bodies that drifted down with the current.
Thurid paid not t=
he
slightest attention to the screaming things that either menaced or pleaded =
with
him as the mood directed them--evidently he was familiar with the horrid si=
ghts
that surrounded him. He continued =
up the
river for perhaps a mile; and then, crossing over to the left bank, drew his
craft up on a low ledge that lay almost on a level with the water.
I dared not follow
across the stream, for he most surely would have seen me. Instead I stopped close to the opposite=
wall
beneath an overhanging mass of rock that cast a dense shadow beneath it.
The black was
standing upon the ledge beside his boat, looking up the river, as though he
were awaiting one whom he expected from that direction.
As I lay there
beneath the dark rocks I noticed that a strong current seemed to flow direc=
tly
toward the center of the river, so that it was difficult to hold my craft in
its position. I edged farther into=
the
shadow that I might find a hold upon the bank; but, though I proceeded seve=
ral
yards, I touched nothing; and then, finding that I would soon reach a point
from where I could no longer see the black man, I was compelled to remain w=
here
I was, holding my position as best I could by paddling strongly against the
current which flowed from beneath the rocky mass behind me.
I could not imagi=
ne
what might cause this strong lateral flow, for the main channel of the river
was plainly visible to me from where I sat, and I could see the rippling
junction of it and the mysterious current which had aroused my curiosity.
While I was still
speculating upon the phenomenon, my attention was suddenly riveted upon Thu=
rid,
who had raised both palms forward above his head in the universal salute of
Martians, and a moment later his "Kaor!" the Barsoomian word of
greeting, came in low but distinct tones.
I turned my eyes =
up
the river in the direction that his were bent, and presently there came wit=
hin
my limited range of vision a long boat, in which were six men. Five were at the paddles, while the six=
th sat
in the seat of honor.
The white skins, =
the
flowing yellow wigs which covered their bald pates, and the gorgeous diadems
set in circlets of gold about their heads marked them as Holy Therns.
As they drew up
beside the ledge upon which Thurid awaited them, he in the bow of the boat
arose to step ashore, and then I saw that it was none other than Matai Shan=
g,
Father of Therns.
The evident
cordiality with which the two men exchanged greetings filled me with wonder,
for the black and white men of Barsoom were hereditary enemies--nor ever be=
fore
had I known of two meeting other than in battle.
Evidently the
reverses that had recently overtaken both peoples had resulted in an allian=
ce
between these two individuals--at least against the common enemy--and now I=
saw
why Thurid had come so often out into the Valley Dor by night, and that the
nature of his conspiring might be such as to strike very close to me or to =
my friends.
I wished that I m=
ight
have found a point closer to the two men from which to have heard their
conversation; but it was out of the question now to attempt to cross the ri=
ver,
and so I lay quietly watching them, who would have given so much to have kn=
own
how close I lay to them, and how easily they might have overcome and killed=
me
with their superior force.
Several times Thu=
rid
pointed across the river in my direction, but that his gestures had any
reference to me I did not for a moment believe.
Presently he and Matai Shang entered the latter's boat, which turned=
out
into the river and, swinging round, forged steadily across in my direction.=
As they advanced I
moved my boat farther and farther in beneath the overhanging wall, but at l=
ast
it became evident that their craft was holding the same course. The five paddlers sent the larger boat =
ahead
at a speed that taxed my energies to equal.
Every instant I
expected to feel my prow crash against solid rock. The light from the river=
was
no longer visible, but ahead I saw the faint tinge of a distant radiance, a=
nd
still the water before me was open.
At last the truth
dawned upon me--I was following a subterranean river which emptied into the=
Iss
at the very point where I had hidden.
The rowers were n=
ow
quite close to me. The noise of th=
eir own
paddles drowned the sound of mine, but in another instant the growing light
ahead would reveal me to them.
There was no time=
to
be lost. Whatever action I was to =
take
must be taken at once. Swinging th=
e prow
of my boat toward the right, I sought the river's rocky side, and there I l=
ay
while Matai Shang and Thurid approached up the center of the stream, which =
was
much narrower than the Iss.
As they came near=
er I
heard the voices of Thurid and the Father of Therns raised in argument.
"I tell you,
Thern," the black dator was saying, "that I wish only vengeance u=
pon
John Carter, Prince of Helium. I am
leading you into no trap. What cou=
ld I
gain by betraying you to those who have ruined my nation and my house?"=
;
"Let us stop
here a moment that I may hear your plans," replied the hekkador, "=
;and
then we may proceed with a better understanding of our duties and
obligations."
To the rowers he
issued the command that brought their boat in toward the bank not a dozen p=
aces
beyond the spot where I lay.
Had they pulled in
below me they must surely have seen me against the faint glow of light ahea=
d,
but from where they finally came to rest I was as secure from detection as
though miles separated us.
The few words I h=
ad
already overheard whetted my curiosity, and I was anxious to learn what man=
ner
of vengeance Thurid was planning against me.
Nor had I long to wait. I
listened intently.
"There are no
obligations, Father of Therns," continued the First Born. "Thurid, Dator of Issus, has no
price. When the thing has been acc=
omplished
I shall be glad if you will see to it that I am well received, as is befitt=
ing
my ancient lineage and noble rank, at some court that is yet loyal to thy
ancient faith, for I cannot return to the Valley Dor or elsewhere within the
power of the Prince of Helium; but even that I do not demand--it shall be as
your own desire in the matter directs."
"It shall be=
as
you wish, Dator," replied Matai Shang; "nor is that all--power and
riches shall be yours if you restore my daughter, Phaidor, to me, and place
within my power Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium.
"Ah," he
continued with a malicious snarl, "but the Earth man shall suffer for =
the
indignities he has put upon the holy of holies, nor shall any vileness be t=
oo
vile to inflict upon his princess. Would
that it were in my power to force him to witness the humiliation and
degradation of the red woman."
"You shall h=
ave
your way with her before another day has passed, Matai Shang," said
Thurid, "if you but say the word."
"I have hear=
d of
the Temple of the Sun, Dator," replied Matai Shang, "but never ha=
ve I
heard that its prisoners could be released before the allotted year of their
incarceration had elapsed. How, th=
en, may
you accomplish the impossible?"
"Access may =
be
had to any cell of the temple at any time," replied Thurid. "Only Issus knew this; nor was it =
ever
Issus' way to divulge more of her secrets than were necessary. By chance, after her death, I came upon=
an
ancient plan of the temple, and there I found, plainly writ, the most minute
directions for reaching the cells at any time.
"And more I
learned--that many men had gone thither for Issus in the past, always on
errands of death and torture to the prisoners; but those who thus learned t=
he
secret way were wont to die mysteriously immediately they had returned and =
made
their reports to cruel Issus."
"Let us proc=
eed,
then," said Matai Shang at last.
"I must trust you, yet at the same time you must trust me, for =
we
are six to your one."
"I do not
fear," replied Thurid, "nor need you.
Our hatred of the common enemy is sufficient bond to insure our loya=
lty
to each other, and after we have defiled the Princess of Helium there will =
be
still greater reason for the maintenance of our allegiance--unless I greatly
mistake the temper of her lord."
Matai Shang spoke=
to
the paddlers. The boat moved on up=
the tributary.
It was with
difficulty that I restrained myself from rushing upon them and slaying the =
two
vile plotters; but quickly I saw the mad rashness of such an act, which wou=
ld
cut down the only man who could lead the way to Dejah Thoris' prison before=
the
long Martian year had swung its interminable circle.
If he should lead
Matai Shang to that hallowed spot, then, too, should he lead John Carter,
Prince of Helium.
With silent paddl=
e I
swung slowly into the wake of the larger craft.
As we advanced up=
the
river which winds beneath the Golden Cliffs out of the bowels of the Mounta=
ins
of Otz to mingle its dark waters with the grim and mysterious Iss the faint
glow which had appeared before us grew gradually into an all-enveloping
radiance.
The river widened
until it presented the aspect of a large lake whose vaulted dome, lighted by
glowing phosphorescent rock, was splashed with the vivid rays of the diamon=
d,
the sapphire, the ruby, and the countless, nameless jewels of Barsoom which=
lay
incrusted in the virgin gold which forms the major portion of these magnifi=
cent
cliffs.
Beyond the lighted
chamber of the lake was darkness--what lay behind the darkness I could not =
even
guess.
To have followed =
the
thern boat across the gleaming water would have been to invite instant
detection, and so, though I was loath to permit Thurid to pass even for an
instant beyond my sight, I was forced to wait in the shadows until the other
boat had passed from my sight at the far extremity of the lake.
Then I paddled out
upon the brilliant surface in the direction they had taken.
When, after what
seemed an eternity, I reached the shadows at the upper end of the lake I fo=
und
that the river issued from a low aperture, to pass beneath which it was
necessary that I compel Woola to lie flat in the boat, and I, myself, must =
need
bend double before the low roof cleared my head.
Immediately the r=
oof
rose again upon the other side, but no longer was the way brilliantly
lighted. Instead only a feeble glow
emanated from small and scattered patches of phosphorescent rock in wall and
roof.
Directly before me
the river ran into this smaller chamber through three separate arched openi=
ngs.
Thurid and the th=
erns
were nowhere to be seen--into which of the dark holes had they
disappeared? There was no means by=
which
I might know, and so I chose the center opening as being as likely to lead =
me
in the right direction as another.
Here the way was
through utter darkness. The stream=
was
narrow--so narrow that in the blackness I was constantly bumping first one =
rock
wall and then another as the river wound hither and thither along its flinty
bed.
Far ahead I prese=
ntly
heard a deep and sullen roar which increased in volume as I advanced, and t=
hen
broke upon my ears with all the intensity of its mad fury as I swung round a
sharp curve into a dimly lighted stretch of water.
Directly before me
the river thundered down from above in a mighty waterfall that filled the
narrow gorge from side to side, rising far above me several hundred feet--as
magnificent a spectacle as I ever had seen.
But the roar--the
awful, deafening roar of those tumbling waters penned in the rocky,
subterranean vault! Had the fall n=
ot
entirely blocked my further passage and shown me that I had followed the wr=
ong
course I believe that I should have fled anyway before the maddening tumult=
.
Thurid and the th=
erns
could not have come this way. By
stumbling upon the wrong course I had lost the trail, and they had gained s=
o much
ahead of me that now I might not be able to find them before it was too lat=
e,
if, in fact, I could find them at all.
It had taken seve=
ral
hours to force my way up to the falls against the strong current, and other
hours would be required for the descent, although the pace would be much
swifter.
With a sigh I tur=
ned
the prow of my craft down stream, and with mighty strokes hastened with
reckless speed through the dark and tortuous channel until once again I cam=
e to
the chamber into which flowed the three branches of the river.
Two unexplored
channels still remained from which to choose; nor was there any means by wh=
ich
I could judge which was the more likely to lead me to the plotters.
Never in my life,
that I can recall, have I suffered such an agony of indecision. So much depended upon a correct choice;=
so
much depended upon haste.
The hours that I =
had
already lost might seal the fate of the incomparable Dejah Thoris were she =
not
already dead--to sacrifice other hours, and maybe days in a fruitless explo=
ration
of another blind lead would unquestionably prove fatal.
Several times I
essayed the right-hand entrance only to turn back as though warned by some
strange intuitive sense that this was not the way. At last, convinced by the oft-recurring
phenomenon, I cast my all upon the left-hand archway; yet it was with a
lingering doubt that I turned a parting look at the sullen waters which rol=
led,
dark and forbidding, from beneath the grim, low archway on the right.
And as I looked t=
here
came bobbing out upon the current from the Stygian darkness of the interior=
the
shell of one of the great, succulent fruits of the sorapus tree.
I could scarce
restrain a shout of elation as this silent, insensate messenger floated past
me, on toward the Iss and Korus, for it told me that journeying Martians we=
re
above me on that very stream.
They had eaten of
this marvelous fruit which nature concentrates within the hard shell of the
sorapus nut, and having eaten had cast the husk overboard. It could have come from no others than =
the
party I sought.
Quickly I abandon=
ed
all thought of the left-hand passage, and a moment later had turned into the
right. The stream soon widened, and
recurring areas of phosphorescent rock lighted my way.
I made good time,=
but
was convinced that I was nearly a day behind those I was tracking. Neither Woola nor I had eaten since the=
previous
day, but in so far as he was concerned it mattered but little, since
practically all the animals of the dead sea bottoms of Mars are able to go =
for
incredible periods without nourishment.
Nor did I
suffer. The water of the river was=
sweet
and cold, for it was unpolluted by decaying bodies--like the Iss--and as fo=
r food,
why the mere thought that I was nearing my beloved princess raised me above
every material want.
As I proceeded, t=
he
river became narrower and the current swift and turbulent--so swift in fact
that it was with difficulty that I forced my craft upward at all. I could not have been making to exceed a
hundred yards an hour when, at a bend, I was confronted by a series of rapi=
ds
through which the river foamed and boiled at a terrific rate.
My heart sank wit=
hin
me. The sorapus nutshell had prove=
d a
false prophet, and, after all, my intuition had been correct--it was the le=
ft-hand
channel that I should have followed.
Had I been a woma=
n I
should have wept. At my right was a
great, slow-moving eddy that circled far beneath the cliff's overhanging si=
de,
and to rest my tired muscles before turning back I let my boat drift into i=
ts
embrace.
I was almost pros=
trated
by disappointment. It would mean a=
nother
half-day's loss of time to retrace my way and take the only passage that yet
remained unexplored. What hellish =
fate
had led me to select from three possible avenues the two that were wrong?
As the lazy curre=
nt
of the eddy carried me slowly about the periphery of the watery circle my b=
oat
twice touched the rocky side of the river in the dark recess beneath the
cliff. A third time it struck, gen=
tly as
it had before, but the contact resulted in a different sound--the sound of =
wood
scraping upon wood.
In an instant I w=
as
on the alert, for there could be no wood within that buried river that had =
not
been man brought. Almost coinciden=
tally
with my first apprehension of the noise, my hand shot out across the boat's
side, and a second later I felt my fingers gripping the gunwale of another
craft.
As though turned =
to
stone I sat in tense and rigid silence, straining my eyes into the utter
darkness before me in an effort to discover if the boat were occupied.
It was entirely
possible that there might be men on board it who were still ignorant of my
presence, for the boat was scraping gently against the rocks upon one side,=
so
that the gentle touch of my boat upon the other easily could have gone
unnoticed.
Peer as I would I
could not penetrate the darkness, and then I listened intently for the soun=
d of
breathing near me; but except for the noise of the rapids, the soft scrapin=
g of
the boats, and the lapping of the water at their sides I could distinguish =
no
sound. As usual, I thought rapidly.
A rope lay coiled=
in
the bottom of my own craft. Very s=
oftly
I gathered it up, and making one end fast to the bronze ring in the prow I
stepped gingerly into the boat beside me.
In one hand I grasped the rope, in the other my keen long-sword.
For a full minute,
perhaps, I stood motionless after entering the strange craft. It had rocked a trifle beneath my weigh=
t, but
it had been the scraping of its side against the side of my own boat that h=
ad
seemed most likely to alarm its occupants, if there were any.
But there was no
answering sound, and a moment later I had felt from stem to stern and found=
the
boat deserted.
Groping with my h=
ands
along the face of the rocks to which the craft was moored, I discovered a
narrow ledge which I knew must be the avenue taken by those who had come be=
fore
me. That they could be none other =
than
Thurid and his party I was convinced by the size and build of the boat I had
found.
Calling to Woola =
to
follow me I stepped out upon the ledge.
The great, savage brute, agile as a cat, crept after me.
As he passed thro=
ugh
the boat that had been occupied by Thurid and the therns he emitted a single
low growl, and when he came beside me upon the ledge and my hand rested upon
his neck I felt his short mane bristling with anger. I think he sensed telepathically the re=
cent
presence of an enemy, for I had made no effort to impart to him the nature =
of
our quest or the status of those we tracked.
This omission I n=
ow
made haste to correct, and, after the manner of green Martians with their
beasts, I let him know partially by the weird and uncanny telepathy of Bars=
oom
and partly by word of mouth that we were upon the trail of those who had
recently occupied the boat through which we had just passed.
A soft purr, like=
that
of a great cat, indicated that Woola understood, and then, with a word to h=
im
to follow, I turned to the right along the ledge, but scarcely had I done so
than I felt his mighty fangs tugging at my leathern harness.
As I turned to
discover the cause of his act he continued to pull me steadily in the oppos=
ite
direction, nor would he desist until I had turned about and indicated that I
would follow him voluntarily.
Never had I known=
him
to be in error in a matter of tracking, so it was with a feeling of entire
security that I moved cautiously in the huge beast's wake. Through Cimmerian darkness he moved alo=
ng the
narrow ledge beside the boiling rapids.
As we advanced, t=
he
way led from beneath the overhanging cliffs out into a dim light, and then =
it
was that I saw that the trail had been cut from the living rock, and that it
ran up along the river's side beyond the rapids.
For hours we foll=
owed
the dark and gloomy river farther and farther into the bowels of Mars. From the direction and distance I knew =
that
we must be well beneath the Valley Dor, and possibly beneath the Sea of Ome=
an
as well--it could not be much farther now to the Temple of the Sun.
Even as my mind
framed the thought, Woola halted suddenly before a narrow, arched doorway in
the cliff by the trail's side. Qui=
ckly he
crouched back away from the entrance, at the same time turning his eyes tow=
ard
me.
Words could not h=
ave
more plainly told me that danger of some sort lay near by, and so I pressed
quietly forward to his side, and passing him looked into the aperture at our
right.
Before me was a
fair-sized chamber that, from its appointments, I knew must have at one time
been a guardroom. There were racks=
for weapons,
and slightly raised platforms for the sleeping silks and furs of the warrio=
rs, but
now its only occupants were two of the therns who had been of the party with
Thurid and Matai Shang.
The men were in
earnest conversation, and from their tones it was apparent that they were
entirely unaware that they had listeners.
"I tell
you," one of them was saying, "I do not trust the black one. There was no necessity for leaving us h=
ere to
guard the way. Against what, pray, should we guard this long-forgotten, aby=
smal
path? It was but a ruse to divide =
our
numbers.
"He will have
Matai Shang leave others elsewhere on some pretext or other, and then at la=
st
he will fall upon us with his confederates and slay us all."
"I believe y=
ou,
Lakor," replied the other, "there can never be aught else than de=
adly
hatred between thern and First Born. And
what think you of the ridiculous matter of the light? 'Let the light shine with the intensity=
of
three radium units for fifty tals, and for one xat let it shine with the
intensity of one radium unit, and then for twenty-five tals with nine
units.' Those were his very words,=
and
to think that wise old Matai Shang should listen to such foolishness."=
"Indeed, it =
is
silly," replied Lakor. "=
It
will open nothing other than the way to a quick death for us all. He had to make some answer when Matai S=
hang
asked him flatly what he should do when he came to the Temple of the Sun, a=
nd
so he made his answer quickly from his imagination--I would wager a hekkado=
r's
diadem that he could not now repeat it himself."
"Let us not
remain here longer, Lakor," spoke the other thern. "Perchance if =
we
hasten after them we may come in time to rescue Matai Shang, and wreak our =
own
vengeance upon the black dator. What say you?"
"Never in a =
long
life," answered Lakor, "have I disobeyed a single command of the
Father of Therns. I shall stay here
until I rot if he does not return to bid me elsewhere."
Lakor's companion
shook his head.
"You are my
superior," he said; "I cannot do other than you sanction, though I
still believe that we are foolish to remain."
I, too, thought t=
hat
they were foolish to remain, for I saw from Woola's actions that the trail =
led
through the room where the two therns held guard. I had no reason to harbor any considera=
ble
love for this race of self-deified demons, yet I would have passed them by =
were
it possible without molesting them.
It was worth tryi=
ng
anyway, for a fight might delay us considerably, or even put an end entirel=
y to
my search--better men than I have gone down before fighters of meaner abili=
ty
than that possessed by the fierce thern warriors.
Signaling Woola to
heel I stepped suddenly into the room before the two men. At sight of me their long-swords flashe=
d from
the harness at their sides, but I raised my hand in a gesture of restraint.=
"I seek Thur=
id,
the black dator," I said. &qu=
ot;My
quarrel is with him, not with you. Let
me pass then in peace, for if I mistake not he is as much your enemy as min=
e,
and you can have no cause to protect him."
They lowered their
swords and Lakor spoke.
"I know not =
whom
you may be, with the white skin of a thern and the black hair of a red man;=
but
were it only Thurid whose safety were at stake you might pass, and welcome,=
in
so far as we be concerned.
"Tell us who=
you
be, and what mission calls you to this unknown world beneath the Valley Dor,
then maybe we can see our way to let you pass upon the errand which we shou=
ld
like to undertake would our orders permit."
I was surprised t=
hat
neither of them had recognized me, for I thought that I was quite sufficien=
tly
well known either by personal experience or reputation to every thern upon
Barsoom as to make my identity immediately apparent in any part of the
planet. In fact, I was the only wh=
ite
man upon Mars whose hair was black and whose eyes were gray, with the excep=
tion
of my son, Carthoris.
To reveal my iden=
tity
might be to precipitate an attack, for every thern upon Barsoom knew that t=
o me
they owed the fall of their age-old spiritual supremacy. On the other hand my reputation as a fi=
ghting
man might be sufficient to pass me by these two were their livers not of the
right complexion to welcome a battle to the death.
To be quite candi=
d I
did not attempt to delude myself with any such sophistry, since I knew well
that upon war-like Mars there are few cowards, and that every man, whether
prince, priest, or peasant, glories in deadly strife. And so I gripped my long-sword the tigh=
ter as
I replied to Lakor.
"I believe t=
hat
you will see the wisdom of permitting me to pass unmolested," I said,
"for it would avail you nothing to die uselessly in the rocky bowels of
Barsoom merely to protect a hereditary enemy, such as Thurid, Dator of the
First Born.
"That you sh=
all
die should you elect to oppose me is evidenced by the moldering corpses of =
all
the many great Barsoomian warriors who have gone down beneath this blade--I=
am
John Carter, Prince of Helium."
For a moment that
name seemed to paralyze the two men; but only for a moment, and then the
younger of them, with a vile name upon his lips, rushed toward me with ready
sword.
He had been stand=
ing
a little behind his companion, Lakor, during our parley, and now, ere he co=
uld
engage me, the older man grasped his harness and drew him back.
"Hold!"
commanded Lakor. "There will =
be
plenty of time to fight if we find it wise to fight at all. There be good reasons why every thern u=
pon
Barsoom should yearn to spill the blood of the blasphemer, the sacrilegist;=
but
let us mix wisdom with our righteous hate. The Prince of Helium is bound up=
on
an errand which we ourselves, but a moment since, were wishing that we might
undertake.
"Let him go =
then
and slay the black. When he return=
s we
shall still be here to bar his way to the outer world, and thus we shall ha=
ve rid
ourselves of two enemies, nor have incurred the displeasure of the Father of
Therns."
As he spoke I cou=
ld
not but note the crafty glint in his evil eyes, and while I saw the apparent
logic of his reasoning I felt, subconsciously perhaps, that his words did b=
ut
veil some sinister intent. The oth=
er
thern turned toward him in evident surprise, but when Lakor had whispered a=
few
brief words into his ear he, too, drew back and nodded acquiescence to his
superior's suggestion.
"Proceed, Jo=
hn
Carter," said Lakor; "but know that if Thurid does not lay you low
there will be those awaiting your return who will see that you never pass a=
gain
into the sunlight of the upper world. Go!"
During our
conversation Woola had been growling and bristling close to my side. Occasionally he would look up into my f=
ace
with a low, pleading whine, as though begging for the word that would send =
him
headlong at the bare throats before him.
He, too, sensed the villainy behind the smooth words.
Beyond the therns
several doorways opened off the guardroom, and toward the one upon the extr=
eme
right Lakor motioned.
"That way le=
ads
to Thurid," he said.
But when I would =
have
called Woola to follow me there the beast whined and held back, and at last=
ran
quickly to the first opening at the left, where he stood emitting his cough=
ing
bark, as though urging me to follow him upon the right way.
I turned a
questioning look upon Lakor.
"The brute is
seldom wrong," I said, "and while I do not doubt your superior
knowledge, Thern, I think that I shall do well to listen to the voice of
instinct that is backed by love and loyalty."
As I spoke I smil=
ed
grimly that he might know without words that I distrusted him.
"As you
will," the fellow replied with a shrug.
"In the end it shall be all the same."
I turned and foll=
owed
Woola into the left-hand passage, and though my back was toward my enemies,=
my
ears were on the alert; yet I heard no sound of pursuit. The passageway was dimly lighted by occ=
asional
radium bulbs, the universal lighting medium of Barsoom.
These same lamps =
may
have been doing continuous duty in these subterranean chambers for ages, si=
nce
they require no attention and are so compounded that they give off but the
minutest of their substance in the generation of years of luminosity.
We had proceeded =
for
but a short distance when we commenced to pass the mouths of diverging
corridors, but not once did Woola hesitate. It was at the opening to one of
these corridors upon my right that I presently heard a sound that spoke more
plainly to John Carter, fighting man, than could the words of my mother
tongue--it was the clank of metal--the metal of a warrior's harness--and it
came from a little distance up the corridor upon my right.
Woola heard it, t=
oo,
and like a flash he had wheeled and stood facing the threatened danger, his
mane all abristle and all his rows of glistening fangs bared by snarling,
backdrawn lips. With a gesture I
silenced him, and together we drew aside into another corridor a few paces
farther on.
Here we waited; n=
or
did we have long to wait, for presently we saw the shadows of two men fall =
upon
the floor of the main corridor athwart the doorway of our hiding place. Very cautiously they were moving now--t=
he
accidental clank that had alarmed me was not repeated.
Presently they ca=
me
opposite our station; nor was I surprised to see that the two were Lakor and
his companion of the guardroom.
They walked very
softly, and in the right hand of each gleamed a keen long-sword. They halted quite close to the entrance=
of
our retreat, whispering to each other.
"Can it be t=
hat
we have distanced them already?" said Lakor.
"Either that=
or
the beast has led the man upon a wrong trail," replied the other,
"for the way which we took is by far the shorter to this point--for him
who knows it. John Carter would ha=
ve
found it a short road to death had he taken it as you suggested to him.&quo=
t;
"Yes," =
said
Lakor, "no amount of fighting ability would have saved him from the
pivoted flagstone. He surely would=
have
stepped upon it, and by now, if the pit beneath it has a bottom, which Thur=
id denies,
he should have been rapidly approaching it.
Curses on that calot of his that warned him toward the safer
avenue!"
"There be ot=
her
dangers ahead of him, though," spoke Lakor's fellow, "which he may
not so easily escape--should he succeed in escaping our two good swords.
I would have given
much to have heard the balance of that conversation that I might have been
warned of the perils that lay ahead, but fate intervened, and just at the v=
ery
instant of all other instants that I would not have elected to do it, I
sneezed.
There was nothing=
for
it now other than to fight; nor did I have any advantage as I sprang, sword=
in
hand, into the corridor before the two therns, for my untimely sneeze had
warned them of my presence and they were ready for me.
There were no wor=
ds,
for they would have been a waste of breath. The very presence of the two
proclaimed their treachery. That t=
hey
were following to fall upon me unawares was all too plain, and they, of cou=
rse,
must have known that I understood their plan.
In an instant I w=
as
engaged with both, and though I loathe the very name of thern, I must in all
fairness admit that they are mighty swordsmen; and these two were no except=
ion,
unless it were that they were even more skilled and fearless than the avera=
ge
among their race.
While it lasted it
was indeed as joyous a conflict as I ever had experienced. Twice at least I saved my breast from t=
he
mortal thrust of piercing steel only by the wondrous agility with which my
earthly muscles endow me under the conditions of lesser gravity and air
pressure upon Mars.
Yet even so I came
near to tasting death that day in the gloomy corridor beneath Mars's southe=
rn
pole, for Lakor played a trick upon me that in all my experience of fighting
upon two planets I never before had witnessed the like of.
The other thern w=
as
engaging me at the time, and I was forcing him back--touching him here and
there with my point until he was bleeding from a dozen wounds, yet not being
able to penetrate his marvelous guard to reach a vulnerable spot for the br=
ief
instant that would have been sufficient to send him to his ancestors.
It was then that
Lakor quickly unslung a belt from his harness, and as I stepped back to par=
ry a
wicked thrust he lashed one end of it about my left ankle so that it wound
there for an instant, while he jerked suddenly upon the other end, throwing=
me
heavily upon my back.
Then, like leaping
panthers, they were upon me; but they had reckoned without Woola, and before
ever a blade touched me, a roaring embodiment of a thousand demons hurtled
above my prostrate form and my loyal Martian calot was upon them.
Imagine, if you c=
an,
a huge grizzly with ten legs armed with mighty talons and an enormous frogl=
ike
mouth splitting his head from ear to ear, exposing three rows of long, white
tusks. Then endow this creature of=
your
imagination with the agility and ferocity of a half-starved Bengal tiger and
the strength of a span of bulls, and you will have some faint conception of
Woola in action.
Before I could ca=
ll
him off he had crushed Lakor into a jelly with a single blow of one mighty =
paw,
and had literally torn the other thern to ribbons; yet when I spoke to him
sharply he cowed sheepishly as though he had done a thing to deserve censure
and chastisement.
Never had I had t=
he
heart to punish Woola during the long years that had passed since that first
day upon Mars when the green jed of the Tharks had placed him on guard over=
me,
and I had won his love and loyalty from the cruel and loveless masters of h=
is
former life, yet I believe he would have submitted to any cruelty that I mi=
ght
have inflicted upon him, so wondrous was his affection for me.
The diadem in the
center of the circlet of gold upon the brow of Lakor proclaimed him a Holy
Thern, while his companion, not thus adorned, was a lesser thern, though fr=
om
his harness I gleaned that he had reached the Ninth Cycle, which is but one
below that of the Holy Therns.
As I stood for a
moment looking at the gruesome havoc Woola had wrought, there recurred to me
the memory of that other occasion upon which I had masqueraded in the wig,
diadem, and harness of Sator Throg, the Holy Thern whom Thuvia of Ptarth had
slain, and now it occurred to me that it might prove of worth to utilize
Lakor's trappings for the same purpose.
A moment later I =
had
torn his yellow wig from his bald pate and transferred it and the circlet, =
as
well as all his harness, to my own person.
Woola did not app=
rove
of the metamorphosis. He sniffed a=
t me
and growled ominously, but when I spoke to him and patted his huge head he =
at
length became reconciled to the change, and at my command trotted off along=
the
corridor in the direction we had been going when our progress had been
interrupted by the therns.
We moved cautious=
ly
now, warned by the fragment of conversation I had overheard. I kept abreast of Woola that we might h=
ave
the benefit of all our eyes for what might appear suddenly ahead to menace =
us,
and well it was that we were forewarned.
At the bottom of a
flight of narrow steps the corridor turned sharply back upon itself,
immediately making another turn in the original direction, so that at that
point it formed a perfect letter S, the top leg of which debouched suddenly
into a large chamber, illy lighted, and the floor of which was completely c=
overed
by venomous snakes and loathsome reptiles.
To have attempted=
to
cross that floor would have been to court instant death, and for a moment I=
was
almost completely discouraged. Then it occurred to me that Thurid and Matai
Shang with their party must have crossed it, and so there was a way.
Had it not been f=
or
the fortunate accident by which I overheard even so small a portion of the
therns' conversation we should have blundered at least a step or two into t=
hat
wriggling mass of destruction, and a single step would have been all-suffic=
ient
to have sealed our doom.
These were the on=
ly
reptiles I had ever seen upon Barsoom, but I knew from their similarity to =
the
fossilized remains of supposedly extinct species I had seen in the museums =
of
Helium that they comprised many of the known prehistoric reptilian genera, =
as
well as others undiscovered.
A more hideous
aggregation of monsters had never before assailed my vision. It would be futile to attempt to descri=
be
them to Earth men, since substance is the only thing which they possess in =
common
with any creature of the past or present with which you are familiar--even
their venom is of an unearthly virulence that, by comparison, would make the
cobra de capello seem quite as harmless as an angleworm.
As they spied me
there was a concerted rush by those nearest the entrance where we stood, bu=
t a
line of radium bulbs inset along the threshold of their chamber brought the=
m to
a sudden halt--evidently they dared not cross that line of light.
I had been quite =
sure
that they would not venture beyond the room in which I had discovered them,
though I had not guessed at what deterred them.
The simple fact that we had found no reptiles in the corridor through
which we had just come was sufficient assurance that they did not venture
there.
I drew Woola out =
of
harm's way, and then began a careful survey of as much of the Chamber of
Reptiles as I could see from where I stood.
As my eyes became accustomed to the dim light of its interior I
gradually made out a low gallery at the far end of the apartment from which
opened several exits.
Coming as close to
the threshold as I dared, I followed this gallery with my eyes, discovering
that it circled the room as far as I could see.
Then I glanced above me along the upper edge of the entrance to whic=
h we
had come, and there, to my delight, I saw an end of the gallery not a foot
above my head. In an instant I had
leaped to it and called Woola after me.
Here there were no
reptiles--the way was clear to the opposite side of the hideous chamber--an=
d a
moment later Woola and I dropped down to safety in the corridor beyond.
Not ten minutes l=
ater
we came into a vast circular apartment of white marble, the walls of which =
were
inlaid with gold in the strange hieroglyphics of the First Born.
From the high dom=
e of
this mighty apartment a huge circular column extended to the floor, and as I
watched I saw that it slowly revolved.
I had reached the
base of the Temple of the Sun!
Somewhere above me
lay Dejah Thoris, and with her were Phaidor, daughter of Matai Shang, and
Thuvia of Ptarth. But how to reach=
them,
now that I had found the only vulnerable spot in their mighty prison, was s=
till
a baffling riddle.
Slowly I circled =
the
great shaft, looking for a means of ingress. Part way around I found a tiny
radium flash torch, and as I examined it in mild curiosity as to its presen=
ce
there in this almost inaccessible and unknown spot, I came suddenly upon the
insignia of the house of Thurid jewel-inset in its metal case.
I am upon the rig=
ht
trail, I thought, as I slipped the bauble into the pocket-pouch which hung =
from
my harness. Then I continued my se=
arch
for the entrance, which I knew must be somewhere about; nor had I long to
search, for almost immediately thereafter I came upon a small door so cunni=
ngly
inlaid in the shaft's base that it might have passed unnoticed by a less ke=
en
or careful observer.
There was the door
that would lead me within the prison, but where was the means to open it? No button or lock were visible. Again and again I went carefully over e=
very
square inch of its surface, but the most that I could find was a tiny pinho=
le a
little above and to the right of the door's center--a pinhole that seemed o=
nly an
accident of manufacture or an imperfection of material.
Into this minute
aperture I attempted to peer, but whether it was but a fraction of an inch =
deep
or passed completely through the door I could not tell--at least no light
showed beyond it. I put my ear to =
it
next and listened, but again my efforts brought negligible results.
During these
experiments Woola had been standing at my side gazing intently at the door,=
and
as my glance fell upon him it occurred to me to test the correctness of my
hypothesis, that this portal had been the means of ingress to the temple us=
ed
by Thurid, the black dator, and Matai Shang, Father of Therns.
Turning away
abruptly, I called to him to follow me.
For a moment he hesitated, and then leaped after me, whining and tug=
ging
at my harness to draw me back. I w=
alked
on, however, some distance from the door before I let him have his way, tha=
t I
might see precisely what he would do.
Then I permitted him to lead me wherever he would.
Straight back to =
that
baffling portal he dragged me, again taking up his position facing the blank
stone, gazing straight at its shining surface.
For an hour I worked to solve the mystery of the combination that wo=
uld
open the way before me.
Carefully I recal=
led
every circumstance of my pursuit of Thurid, and my conclusion was identical
with my original belief--that Thurid had come this way without other assist=
ance
than his own knowledge and passed through the door that barred my progress,
unaided from within. But how had he
accomplished it?
I recalled the
incident of the Chamber of Mystery in the Golden Cliffs that time I had fre=
ed
Thuvia of Ptarth from the dungeon of the therns, and she had taken a slende=
r,
needle-like key from the keyring of her dead jailer to open the door leading
back into the Chamber of Mystery where Tars Tarkas fought for his life with=
the
great banths. Such a tiny keyhole =
as now
defied me had opened the way to the intricate lock in that other door.
Hastily I dumped =
the
contents of my pocket-pouch upon the ground before me. Could I but find a slender bit of steel=
I
might yet fashion a key that would give me ingress to the temple prison.
As I examined the
heterogeneous collection of odds and ends that is always to be found in the
pocket-pouch of a Martian warrior my hand fell upon the emblazoned radium f=
lash
torch of the black dator.
As I was about to=
lay
the thing aside as of no value in my present predicament my eyes chanced up=
on a
few strange characters roughly and freshly scratched upon the soft gold of =
the
case.
Casual curiosity
prompted me to decipher them, but what I read carried no immediate meaning =
to
my mind. There were three sets of =
characters,
one below another:
3 |--| 50 T 1 |--| 1 X 9 |--| 25 T
For only an instant my curiosity was piq=
ued,
and then I replaced the torch in my pocket-pouch, but my fingers had not
unclasped from it when there rushed to my memory the recollection of the co=
nversation
between Lakor and his companion when the lesser thern had quoted the words =
of
Thurid and scoffed at them: "=
And
what think you of the ridiculous matter of the light? Let the light shine with the intensity =
of
three radium units for fifty tals"--ah, there was the first line of
characters upon the torch's metal case--3--50 T; "and for one xat let =
it
shine with the intensity of one radium unit"--there was the second lin=
e;
"and then for twenty-five tals with nine units."
The formula was
complete; but--what did it mean?
I thought I knew,
and, seizing a powerful magnifying glass from the litter of my pocket-pouch=
, I
applied myself to a careful examination of the marble immediately about the
pinhole in the door. I could have =
cried
aloud in exultation when my scrutiny disclosed the almost invisible
incrustation of particles of carbonized electrons which are thrown off by t=
hese
Martian torches.
It was evident th=
at
for countless ages radium torches had been applied to this pinhole, and for
what purpose there could be but a single answer--the mechanism of the lock =
was
actuated by light rays; and I, John Carter, Prince of Helium, held the comb=
ination
in my hand--scratched by the hand of my enemy upon his own torch case.
In a cylindrical
bracelet of gold about my wrist was my Barsoomian chronometer--a delicate
instrument that records the tals and xats and zodes of Martian time, presen=
ting
them to view beneath a strong crystal much after the manner of an earthly
odometer.
Timing my operati=
ons
carefully, I held the torch to the small aperture in the door, regulating t=
he
intensity of the light by means of the thumb-lever upon the side of the cas=
e.
For fifty tals I =
let
three units of light shine full in the pinhole, then one unit for one xat, =
and
for twenty-five tals nine units. Those last twenty-five tals were the longe=
st
twenty-five seconds of my life. Wo=
uld
the lock click at the end of those seemingly interminable intervals of time=
?
Twenty-three! Twenty-four!
Twenty-five!
I shut off the li=
ght
with a snap. For seven tals I
waited--there had been no appreciable effect upon the lock's mechanism. Could it be that my theory was entirely
wrong?
Hold! Had the nervous strain resulted in a
hallucination, or did the door really move?
Slowly the solid stone sank noiselessly back into the wall--there wa=
s no
hallucination here.
Back and back it =
slid
for ten feet until it had disclosed at its right a narrow doorway leading i=
nto
a dark and narrow corridor that paralleled the outer wall. Scarcely was the entrance uncovered than
Woola and I had leaped through--then the door slipped quietly back into pla=
ce.
Down the corridor=
at
some distance I saw the faint reflection of a light, and toward this we made
our way. At the point where the li=
ght
shone was a sharp turn, and a little distance beyond this a brilliantly lig=
hted
chamber.
Here we discovere=
d a
spiral stairway leading up from the center of the circular room.
Immediately I knew
that we had reached the center of the base of the Temple of the Sun--the sp=
iral
runway led upward past the inner walls of the prison cells. Somewhere above me was Dejah Thoris, un=
less
Thurid and Matai Shang had already succeeded in stealing her.
We had scarcely
started up the runway when Woola suddenly displayed the wildest
excitement. He leaped back and for=
th,
snapping at my legs and harness, until I thought that he was mad, and final=
ly
when I pushed him from me and started once more to ascend he grasped my swo=
rd
arm between his jaws and dragged me back.
No amount of scol=
ding
or cuffing would suffice to make him release me, and I was entirely at the
mercy of his brute strength unless I cared to use my dagger upon him with my
left hand; but, mad or no, I had not the heart to run the sharp blade into =
that
faithful body.
Down into the cha=
mber
he dragged me, and across it to the side opposite that at which we had
entered. Here was another doorway =
leading
into a corridor which ran directly down a steep incline. Without a moment's
hesitation Woola jerked me along this rocky passage.
Presently he stop=
ped
and released me, standing between me and the way we had come, looking up in=
to
my face as though to ask if I would now follow him voluntarily or if he must
still resort to force.
Looking ruefully =
at
the marks of his great teeth upon my bare arm I decided to do as he seemed =
to
wish me to do. After all, his stra=
nge instinct
might be more dependable than my faulty human judgment.
And well it was t=
hat
I had been forced to follow him. B=
ut a short
distance from the circular chamber we came suddenly into a brilliantly ligh=
ted
labyrinth of crystal glass partitioned passages.
At first I though=
t it
was one vast, unbroken chamber, so clear and transparent were the walls of =
the
winding corridors, but after I had nearly brained myself a couple of times =
by
attempting to pass through solid vitreous walls I went more carefully.
We had proceeded =
but
a few yards along the corridor that had given us entrance to this strange m=
aze
when Woola gave mouth to a most frightful roar, at the same time dashing
against the clear partition at our left.
The resounding ec=
hoes
of that fearsome cry were still reverberating through the subterranean cham=
bers
when I saw the thing that had startled it from the faithful beast.
Far in the distan=
ce,
dimly through the many thicknesses of intervening crystal, as in a haze that
made them seem unreal and ghostly, I discerned the figures of eight
people--three females and five men.
At the same insta=
nt,
evidently startled by Woola's fierce cry, they halted and looked about. Then, of a sudden, one of them, a woman=
, held
her arms out toward me, and even at that great distance I could see that her
lips moved--it was Dejah Thoris, my ever beautiful and ever youthful Prince=
ss
of Helium.
With her were Thu=
via
of Ptarth, Phaidor, daughter of Matai Shang, and Thurid, and the Father of
Therns, and the three lesser therns that had accompanied them.
Thurid shook his =
fist
at me, and then two of the therns grasped Dejah Thoris and Thuvia roughly by
their arms and hurried them on. A moment later they had disappeared into a
stone corridor beyond the labyrinth of glass.
They say that lov=
e is
blind; but so great a love as that of Dejah Thoris that knew me even beneath
the thern disguise I wore and across the misty vista of that crystal maze m=
ust
indeed be far from blind.
THE SECRET TOWER
I have no stomach to narrate the monoton=
ous
events of the tedious days that Woola and I spent ferreting our way across =
the
labyrinth of glass, through the dark and devious ways beyond that led benea=
th the
Valley Dor and Golden Cliffs to emerge at last upon the flank of the Otz
Mountains just above the Valley of Lost Souls--that pitiful purgatory peopl=
ed
by the poor unfortunates who dare not continue their abandoned pilgrimage to
Dor, or return to the various lands of the outer world from whence they cam=
e.
Here the trail of
Dejah Thoris' abductors led along the mountains' base, across steep and rug=
ged
ravines, by the side of appalling precipices, and sometimes out into the
valley, where we found fighting aplenty with the members of the various tri=
bes
that make up the population of this vale of hopelessness.
But through it al=
l we
came at last to where the way led up a narrow gorge that grew steeper and m=
ore
impracticable at every step until before us loomed a mighty fortress buried
beneath the side of an overhanging cliff.
Here was the secr=
et
hiding place of Matai Shang, Father of Therns. Here, surrounded by a handfu=
l of
the faithful, the hekkador of the ancient faith, who had once been served by
millions of vassals and dependents, dispensed the spiritual words among the
half dozen nations of Barsoom that still clung tenaciously to their false a=
nd discredited
religion.
Darkness was just
falling as we came in sight of the seemingly impregnable walls of this moun=
tain
stronghold, and lest we be seen I drew back with Woola behind a jutting gra=
nite
promontory, into a clump of the hardy, purple scrub that thrives upon the
barren sides of Otz.
Here we lay until=
the
quick transition from daylight to darkness had passed. Then I crept out to approach the fortre=
ss
walls in search of a way within.
Either through
carelessness or over-confidence in the supposed inaccessibility of their hi=
ding
place, the triple-barred gate stood ajar.
Beyond were a handful of guards, laughing and talking over one of th=
eir
incomprehensible Barsoomian games.
I saw that none of
the guardsmen had been of the party that accompanied Thurid and Matai Shang;
and so, relying entirely upon my disguise, I walked boldly through the gate=
way
and up to the thern guard.
The men stopped t=
heir
game and looked up at me, but there was no sign of suspicion. Similarly they looked at Woola, growlin=
g at
my heel.
"Kaor!"=
I
said in true Martian greeting, and the warriors arose and saluted me. "I have but just found my way hith=
er
from the Golden Cliffs," I continued, "and seek audience with the
hekkador, Matai Shang, Father of Therns.
Where may he be found?"
"Follow
me," said one of the guard, and, turning, led me across the outer
courtyard toward a second buttressed wall.
Why the apparent =
ease
with which I seemingly deceived them did not rouse my suspicions I know not,
unless it was that my mind was still so full of that fleeting glimpse of my
beloved princess that there was room in it for naught else. Be that as it may, the fact is that I m=
arched
buoyantly behind my guide straight into the jaws of death.
Afterward I learn=
ed
that thern spies had been aware of my coming for hours before I reached the
hidden fortress.
The gate had been
purposely left ajar to tempt me on. The
guards had been schooled well in their part of the conspiracy; and I, more =
like
a schoolboy than a seasoned warrior, ran headlong into the trap.
At the far side of
the outer court a narrow door let into the angle made by one of the buttres=
ses
with the wall. Here my guide produ=
ced a
key and opened the way within; then, stepping back, he motioned me to enter=
.
"Matai Shang=
is
in the temple court beyond," he said; and as Woola and I passed throug=
h,
the fellow closed the door quickly upon us.
The nasty laugh t=
hat
came to my ears through the heavy planking of the door after the lock click=
ed
was my first intimation that all was not as it should be.
I found myself in=
a
small, circular chamber within the buttress. Before me a door opened,
presumably, upon the inner court beyond. For a moment I hesitated, all my
suspicions now suddenly, though tardily, aroused; then, with a shrug of my
shoulders, I opened the door and stepped out into the glare of torches that
lighted the inner court.
Directly opposite=
me
a massive tower rose to a height of three hundred feet. It was of the strangely beautiful modern
Barsoomian style of architecture, its entire surface hand carved in bold re=
lief
with intricate and fanciful designs.
Thirty feet above the courtyard and overlooking it was a broad balco=
ny,
and there, indeed, was Matai Shang, and with him were Thurid and Phaidor, T=
huvia,
and Dejah Thoris--the last two heavily ironed.
A handful of thern warriors stood just behind the little party.
As I entered the
enclosure the eyes of those in the balcony were full upon me.
An ugly smile
distorted the cruel lips of Matai Shang.
Thurid hurled a taunt at me and placed a familiar hand upon the shou=
lder
of my princess. Like a tigress she
turned upon him, striking the beast a heavy blow with the manacles upon her
wrist.
He would have str=
uck
back had not Matai Shang interfered, and then I saw that the two men were n=
ot
over-friendly; for the manner of the thern was arrogant and domineering as =
he
made it plain to the First Born that the Princess of Helium was the personal
property of the Father of Therns. =
And
Thurid's bearing toward the ancient hekkador savored not at all of liking or
respect.
When the altercat=
ion
in the balcony had subsided Matai Shang turned again to me.
"Earth
man," he cried, "you have earned a more ignoble death than now li=
es
within our weakened power to inflict upon you; but that the death you die
tonight may be doubly bitter, know you that when you have passed, your widow
becomes the wife of Matai Shang, Hekkador of the Holy Therns, for a Martian
year.
"At the end =
of
that time, as you know, she shall be discarded, as is the law among us, but
not, as is usual, to lead a quiet and honored life as high priestess of some
hallowed shrine. Instead, Dejah Th=
oris,
Princess of Helium, shall become the plaything of my lieutenants--perhaps of
thy most hated enemy, Thurid, the black dator."
As he ceased spea=
king
he awaited in silence evidently for some outbreak of rage upon my
part--something that would have added to the spice of his revenge. But I did not give him the satisfaction=
that
he craved.
Instead, I did the
one thing of all others that might rouse his anger and increase his hatred =
of
me; for I knew that if I died Dejah Thoris, too, would find a way to die be=
fore
they could heap further tortures or indignities upon her.
Of all the holy of
holies which the thern venerates and worships none is more revered than the
yellow wig which covers his bald pate, and next thereto comes the circlet of
gold and the great diadem, whose scintillant rays mark the attainment of the
Tenth Cycle.
And, knowing this=
, I
removed the wig and circlet from my head, tossing them carelessly upon the
flagging of the court. Then I wipe=
d my
feet upon the yellow tresses; and as a groan of rage arose from the balcony=
I
spat full upon the holy diadem.
Matai Shang went
livid with anger, but upon the lips of Thurid I could see a grim smile of
amusement, for to him these things were not holy; so, lest he should derive=
too
much amusement from my act, I cried:
"And thus did I with the holies of Issus, Goddess of Life Etern=
al,
ere I threw Issus herself to the mob that once had worshiped her, to be tor=
n to
pieces in her own temple."
That put an end to
Thurid's grinning, for he had been high in the favor of Issus.
"Let us have=
an
end to this blaspheming!" he cried, turning to the Father of Therns.
Matai Shang rose =
and,
leaning over the edge of the balcony, gave voice to the weird call that I h=
ad
heard from the lips of the priests upon the tiny balcony upon the face of t=
he
Golden Cliffs overlooking the Valley Dor, when, in times past, they called =
the
fearsome white apes and the hideous plant men to the feast of victims float=
ing
down the broad bosom of the mysterious Iss toward the silian-infested water=
s of
the Lost Sea of Korus. "Let l=
oose the
death!" he cried, and immediately a dozen doors in the base of the tow=
er
swung open, and a dozen grim and terrible banths sprang into the arena.
This was not the
first time that I had faced the ferocious Barsoomian lion, but never had I =
been
pitted, single-handed, against a full dozen of them. Even with the assistance of the fierce =
Woola,
there could be but a single outcome to so unequal a struggle.
For a moment the
beasts hesitated beneath the brilliant glare of the torches; but presently
their eyes, becoming accustomed to the light, fell upon Woola and me, and w=
ith
bristling manes and deep-throated roars they advanced, lashing their tawny
sides with their powerful tails.
In the brief inte=
rval
of life that was left me I shot a last, parting glance toward my Dejah
Thoris. Her beautiful face was set=
in an
expression of horror; and as my eyes met hers she extended both arms toward=
me
as, struggling with the guards who now held her, she endeavored to cast her=
self
from the balcony into the pit beneath, that she might share my death with
me. Then, as the banths were about=
to
close upon me, she turned and buried her dear face in her arms.
Suddenly my atten=
tion
was drawn toward Thuvia of Ptarth. The beautiful
girl was leaning far over the edge of the balcony, her eyes bright with
excitement.
In another instant
the banths would be upon me, but I could not force my gaze from the feature=
s of
the red girl, for I knew that her expression meant anything but the enjoyme=
nt
of the grim tragedy that would so soon be enacted below her; there was some
deeper, hidden meaning which I sought to solve.
For an instant I
thought of relying on my earthly muscles and agility to escape the banths a=
nd
reach the balcony, which I could easily have done, but I could not bring my=
self
to desert the faithful Woola and leave him to die alone beneath the cruel f=
angs
of the hungry banths; that is not the way upon Barsoom, nor was it ever the=
way
of John Carter.
Then the secret of
Thuvia's excitement became apparent as from her lips there issued the purri=
ng
sound I had heard once before; that time that, within the Golden Cliffs, she
called the fierce banths about her and led them as a shepherdess might lead=
her
flock of meek and harmless sheep.
At the first note=
of
that soothing sound the banths halted in their tracks, and every fierce head
went high as the beasts sought the origin of the familiar call. Presently they discovered the red girl =
in the
balcony above them, and, turning, roared out their recognition and their
greeting.
Guards sprang to =
drag
Thuvia away, but ere they had succeeded she had hurled a volley of commands=
at
the listening brutes, and as one they turned and marched back into their de=
ns.
"You need not
fear them now, John Carter!" cried Thuvia, before they could silence
her. "Those banths will never=
harm
you now, nor Woola, either."
It was all I care=
d to
know. There was naught to keep me =
from
that balcony now, and with a long, running leap I sprang far aloft until my
hands grasped its lowest sill.
In an instant all=
was
wild confusion. Matai Shang shrank=
back.
Thurid sprang forward with drawn sword to cut me down.
Again Dejah Thoris
wielded her heavy irons and fought him back. Then Matai Shang grasped her a=
bout
the waist and dragged her away through a door leading within the tower.
For an instant Th=
urid
hesitated, and then, as though fearing that the Father of Therns would esca=
pe
him with the Princess of Helium, he, too, dashed from the balcony in their
wake.
Phaidor alone
retained her presence of mind. Two=
of
the guards she ordered to bear away Thuvia of Ptarth; the others she comman=
ded
to remain and prevent me from following.
Then she turned toward me.
"John
Carter," she cried, "for the last time I offer you the love of
Phaidor, daughter of the Holy Hekkador.
Accept and your princess shall be returned to the court of her
grandfather, and you shall live in peace and happiness. Refuse and the fate that my father has
threatened shall fall upon Dejah Thoris.
"You cannot =
save
her now, for by this time they have reached a place where even you may not
follow. Refuse and naught can save=
you;
for, though the way to the last stronghold of the Holy Therns was made easy=
for
you, the way hence hath been made impossible. What say you?"
"You knew my
answer, Phaidor," I replied, "before ever you spoke. Make way,&qu=
ot;
I cried to the guards, "for John Carter, Prince of Helium, would
pass!"
With that I leaped
over the low baluster that surrounded the balcony, and with drawn long-sword
faced my enemies.
There were three =
of
them; but Phaidor must have guessed what the outcome of the battle would be,
for she turned and fled from the balcony the moment she saw that I would ha=
ve
none of her proposition.
The three guardsm=
en
did not wait for my attack. Instea=
d,
they rushed me--the three of them simultaneously; and it was that which gav=
e me
an advantage, for they fouled one another in the narrow precincts of the
balcony, so that the foremost of them stumbled full upon my blade at the fi=
rst
onslaught.
The red stain upo=
n my
point roused to its full the old blood-lust of the fighting man that has ev=
er
been so strong within my breast, so that my blade flew through the air with=
a
swiftness and deadly accuracy that threw the two remaining therns into wild
despair.
When at last the
sharp steel found the heart of one of them the other turned to flee, and,
guessing that his steps would lead him along the way taken by those I sough=
t, I
let him keep ever far enough ahead to think that he was safely escaping my
sword.
Through several i=
nner
chambers he raced until he came to a spiral runway. Up this he dashed, I in close pursuit.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> At the upper end we came out into a sma=
ll
chamber, the walls of which were blank except for a single window overlooki=
ng
the slopes of Otz and the Valley of Lost Souls beyond.
Here the fellow t=
ore
frantically at what appeared to be but a piece of the blank wall opposite t=
he
single window. In an instant I gue=
ssed
that it was a secret exit from the room, and so I paused that he might have=
an
opportunity to negotiate it, for I cared nothing to take the life of this p=
oor
servitor--all I craved was a clear road in pursuit of Dejah Thoris, my
long-lost princess.
But, try as he wo=
uld,
the panel would yield neither to cunning nor force, so that eventually he g=
ave
it up and turned to face me.
"Go thy way,
Thern," I said to him, pointing toward the entrance to the runway up w=
hich
we had but just come. "I have=
no
quarrel with you, nor do I crave your life.
Go!"
For answer he spr=
ang
upon me with his sword, and so suddenly, at that, that I was like to have g=
one
down before his first rush. So the=
re was
nothing for it but to give him what he sought, and that as quickly as might=
be,
that I might not be delayed too long in this chamber while Matai Shang and
Thurid made way with Dejah Thoris and Thuvia of Ptarth.
The fellow was a
clever swordsman--resourceful and extremely tricky. In fact, he seemed never to have heard =
that
there existed such a thing as a code of honor, for he repeatedly outraged a
dozen Barsoomian fighting customs that an honorable man would rather die th=
an
ignore.
He even went so f=
ar
as to snatch his holy wig from his head and throw it in my face, so as to b=
lind
me for a moment while he thrust at my unprotected breast.
When he thrust,
however, I was not there, for I had fought with therns before; and while no=
ne
had ever resorted to precisely that same expedient, I knew them to be the l=
east
honorable and most treacherous fighters upon Mars, and so was ever on the a=
lert
for some new and devilish subterfuge when I was engaged with one of their r=
ace.
But at length he
overdid the thing; for, drawing his shortsword, he hurled it, javelinwise, =
at
my body, at the same instant rushing upon me with his long-sword. A single sweeping circle of my own blade
caught the flying weapon and hurled it clattering against the far wall, and
then, as I sidestepped my antagonist's impetuous rush, I let him have my po=
int
full in the stomach as he hurtled by.
Clear to the hilt=
my
weapon passed through his body, and with a frightful shriek he sank to the
floor, dead.
Halting only for =
the
brief instant that was required to wrench my sword from the carcass of my l=
ate
antagonist, I sprang across the chamber to the blank wall beyond, through w=
hich
the thern had attempted to pass. H=
ere I
sought for the secret of its lock, but all to no avail.
In despair I trie=
d to
force the thing, but the cold, unyielding stone might well have laughed at =
my
futile, puny endeavors. In fact, I=
could
have sworn that I caught the faint suggestion of taunting laughter from bey=
ond
the baffling panel.
In disgust I desi=
sted
from my useless efforts and stepped to the chamber's single window.
The slopes of Otz=
and
the distant Valley of Lost Souls held nothing to compel my interest then; b=
ut,
towering far above me, the tower's carved wall riveted my keenest attention=
.
Somewhere within =
that
massive pile was Dejah Thoris. Abo=
ve me
I could see windows. There, possib=
ly,
lay the only way by which I could reach her.
The risk was great, but not too great when the fate of a world's most
wondrous woman was at stake.
I glanced below.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> A hundred feet beneath lay jagged grani=
te
boulders at the brink of a frightful chasm upon which the tower abutted; an=
d if
not upon the boulders, then at the chasm's bottom, lay death, should a foot
slip but once, or clutching fingers loose their hold for the fraction of an
instant.
But there was no
other way and with a shrug, which I must admit was half shudder, I stepped =
to
the window's outer sill and began my perilous ascent.
To my dismay I fo=
und
that, unlike the ornamentation upon most Heliumetic structures, the edges of
the carvings were quite generally rounded, so that at best my every hold was
most precarious.
Fifty feet above = me commenced a series of projecting cylindrical stones some six inches in diameter. These apparently circled= the tower at six-foot intervals, in bands six feet apart; and as each stone cylinder protruded some four or five inches beyond the surface of the other ornament= ation, they presented a comparatively easy mode of ascent could I but reach them.<= o:p>
Laboriously I cli=
mbed
toward them by way of some windows which lay below them, for I hoped that I
might find ingress to the tower through one of these, and thence an easier
avenue along which to prosecute my search.
At times so slight
was my hold upon the rounded surfaces of the carving's edges that a sneeze,=
a
cough, or even a slight gust of wind would have dislodged me and sent me
hurtling to the depths below.
But finally I rea=
ched
a point where my fingers could just clutch the sill of the lowest window, a=
nd I
was on the point of breathing a sigh of relief when the sound of voices cam=
e to
me from above through the open window.
"He can never
solve the secret of that lock." The
voice was Matai Shang's. "Let=
us
proceed to the hangar above that we may be far to the south before he finds
another way--should that be possible."
"All things =
seem
possible to that vile calot," replied another voice, which I recognize=
d as
Thurid's.
"Then let us
haste," said Matai Shang. &qu=
ot;But
to be doubly sure, I will leave two who shall patrol this runway. Later they may follow us upon another
flier--overtaking us at Kaol."
My upstretched
fingers never reached the window's sill.
At the first sound of the voices I drew back my hand and clung there=
to my
perilous perch, flattened against the perpendicular wall, scarce daring to
breathe.
What a horrible
position, indeed, in which to be discovered by Thurid! He had but to lean from the window to p=
ush me
with his sword's point into eternity.
Presently the sou=
nd
of the voices became fainter, and once again I took up my hazardous ascent,=
now
more difficult, since more circuitous, for I must climb so as to avoid the
windows.
Matai Shang's
reference to the hangar and the fliers indicated that my destination lay
nothing short of the roof of the tower, and toward this seemingly distant g=
oal
I set my face.
The most difficult
and dangerous part of the journey was accomplished at last, and it was with
relief that I felt my fingers close about the lowest of the stone cylinders=
.
It is true that t=
hese
projections were too far apart to make the balance of the ascent anything o=
f a
sinecure, but I at least had always within my reach a point of safety to wh=
ich
I might cling in case of accident.
Some ten feet bel=
ow
the roof, the wall inclined slightly inward possibly a foot in the last ten
feet, and here the climbing was indeed immeasurably easier, so that my fing=
ers
soon clutched the eaves.
As I drew my eyes
above the level of the tower's top I saw a flier all but ready to rise.
Upon her deck were
Matai Shang, Phaidor, Dejah Thoris, Thuvia of Ptarth, and a few thern warri=
ors,
while near her was Thurid in the act of clambering aboard.
He was not ten pa=
ces
from me, facing in the opposite direction; and what cruel freak of fate sho=
uld
have caused him to turn about just as my eyes topped the roof's edge I may =
not
even guess.
But turn he did; =
and
when his eyes met mine his wicked face lighted with a malignant smile as he
leaped toward me, where I was hastening to scramble to the secure footing of
the roof.
Dejah Thoris must
have seen me at the same instant, for she screamed a useless warning just as
Thurid's foot, swinging in a mighty kick, landed full in my face.
Like a felled ox,=
I
reeled and tumbled backward over the tower's side.
If there be a fate
that is sometimes cruel to me, there surely is a kind and merciful Providen=
ce
which watches over me.
As I toppled from=
the
tower into the horrid abyss below I counted myself already dead; and Thurid
must have done likewise, for he evidently did not even trouble himself to l=
ook
after me, but must have turned and mounted the waiting flier at once.
Ten feet only I f=
ell,
and then a loop of my tough, leathern harness caught upon one of the
cylindrical stone projections in the tower's surface--and held. Even when I had ceased to fall I could =
not believe
the miracle that had preserved me from instant death, and for a moment I hu=
ng
there, cold sweat exuding from every pore of my body.
But when at last I
had worked myself back to a firm position I hesitated to ascend, since I co=
uld
not know that Thurid was not still awaiting me above.
Presently, howeve=
r,
there came to my ears the whirring of the propellers of a flier, and as each
moment the sound grew fainter I realized that the party had proceeded toward
the south without assuring themselves as to my fate.
Cautiously I retr=
aced
my way to the roof, and I must admit that it was with no pleasant sensation
that I raised my eyes once more above its edge; but, to my relief, there wa=
s no
one in sight, and a moment later I stood safely upon its broad surface.
To reach the hang=
ar
and drag forth the only other flier which it contained was the work of but =
an
instant; and just as the two thern warriors whom Matai Shang had left to
prevent this very contingency emerged upon the roof from the tower's interi=
or,
I rose above them with a taunting laugh.
Then I dived rapi=
dly
to the inner court where I had last seen Woola, and to my immense relief fo=
und
the faithful beast still there.
The twelve great
banths lay in the doorways of their lairs, eyeing him and growling ominousl=
y,
but they had not disobeyed Thuvia's injunction; and I thanked the fate that=
had
made her their keeper within the Golden Cliffs, and endowed her with the ki=
nd
and sympathetic nature that had won the loyalty and affection of these fier=
ce
beasts for her.
Woola leaped in
frantic joy when he discovered me; and as the flier touched the pavement of=
the
court for a brief instant he bounded to the deck beside me, and in the bear=
like
manifestation of his exuberant happiness all but caused me to wreck the ves=
sel
against the courtyard's rocky wall.
Amid the angry
shouting of thern guardsmen we rose high above the last fortress of the Holy
Therns, and then raced straight toward the northeast and Kaol, the destinat=
ion
which I had heard from the lips of Matai Shang.
Far ahead, a tiny
speck in the distance, I made out another flier late in the afternoon. It could be none other than that which =
bore my
lost love and my enemies.
I had gained
considerably on the craft by night; and then, knowing that they must have
sighted me and would show no lights after dark, I set my destination compass
upon her--that wonderful little Martian mechanism which, once attuned to the
object of destination, points away toward it, irrespective of every change =
in
its location.
All that night we
raced through the Barsoomian void, passing over low hills and dead sea bott=
oms;
above long-deserted cities and populous centers of red Martian habitation u=
pon
the ribbon-like lines of cultivated land which border the globe-encircling
waterways, which Earth men call the canals of Mars.
Dawn showed that I
had gained appreciably upon the flier ahead of me. It was a larger craft than mine, and no=
t so
swift; but even so, it had covered an immense distance since the flight beg=
an.
The change in
vegetation below showed me that we were rapidly nearing the equator. I was now near enough to my quarry to h=
ave used
my bow gun; but, though I could see that Dejah Thoris was not on deck, I fe=
ared
to fire upon the craft which bore her.
Thurid was deterr=
ed
by no such scruples; and though it must have been difficult for him to beli=
eve
that it was really I who followed them, he could not very well doubt the
witness of his own eyes; and so he trained their stern gun upon me with his=
own
hands, and an instant later an explosive radium projectile whizzed perilous=
ly close
above my deck.
The black's next =
shot
was more accurate, striking my flier full upon the prow and exploding with =
the
instant of contact, ripping wide open the bow buoyancy tanks and disabling =
the
engine.
So quickly did my=
bow
drop after the shot that I scarce had time to lash Woola to the deck and bu=
ckle
my own harness to a gunwale ring before the craft was hanging stern up and
making her last long drop to ground.
Her stern buoyancy
tanks prevented her dropping with great rapidity; but Thurid was firing rap=
idly
now in an attempt to burst these also, that I might be dashed to death in t=
he
swift fall that would instantly follow a successful shot.
Shot after shot t=
ore
past or into us, but by a miracle neither Woola nor I was hit, nor were the
after tanks punctured. This good f=
ortune
could not last indefinitely, and, assured that Thurid would not again leave=
me
alive, I awaited the bursting of the next shell that hit; and then, throwin=
g my
hands above my head, I let go my hold and crumpled, limp and inert, danglin=
g in
my harness like a corpse.
The ruse worked, =
and
Thurid fired no more at us. Presen=
tly I
heard the diminishing sound of whirring propellers and realized that again I
was safe.
Slowly the strick=
en
flier sank to the ground, and when I had freed myself and Woola from the
entangling wreckage I found that we were upon the verge of a natural forest=
--so
rare a thing upon the bosom of dying Mars that, outside of the forest in the
Valley Dor beside the Lost Sea of Korus, I never before had seen its like u=
pon
the planet.
From books and
travelers I had learned something of the little-known land of Kaol, which l=
ies
along the equator almost halfway round the planet to the east of Helium.
It comprises a su=
nken
area of extreme tropical heat, and is inhabited by a nation of red men vary=
ing
but little in manners, customs, and appearance from the balance of the red =
men
of Barsoom.
I knew that they =
were
among those of the outer world who still clung tenaciously to the discredit=
ed
religion of the Holy Therns, and that Matai Shang would find a ready welcome
and safe refuge among them; while John Carter could look for nothing better
than an ignoble death at their hands.
The isolation of =
the
Kaolians is rendered almost complete by the fact that no waterway connects
their land with that of any other nation, nor have they any need of a water=
way
since the low, swampy land which comprises the entire area of their domain
self-waters their abundant tropical crops.
For great distanc=
es
in all directions rugged hills and arid stretches of dead sea bottom discou=
rage
intercourse with them, and since there is practically no such thing as fore=
ign
commerce upon warlike Barsoom, where each nation is sufficient to itself,
really little has been known relative to the court of the Jeddak of Kaol and
the numerous strange, but interesting, people over whom he rules.
Occasional hunting
parties have traveled to this out-of-the-way corner of the globe, but the
hostility of the natives has usually brought disaster upon them, so that ev=
en
the sport of hunting the strange and savage creatures which haunt the jungle
fastnesses of Kaol has of later years proved insufficient lure even to the =
most
intrepid warriors.
It was upon the v=
erge
of the land of the Kaols that I now knew myself to be, but in what directio=
n to
search for Dejah Thoris, or how far into the heart of the great forest I mi=
ght
have to penetrate I had not the faintest idea.
But not so Woola.=
Scarcely had I
disentangled him than he raised his head high in air and commenced circling
about at the edge of the forest.
Presently he halted, and, turning to see if I were following, set off
straight into the maze of trees in the direction we had been going before T=
hurid's
shot had put an end to our flier.
As best I could, I
stumbled after him down a steep declivity beginning at the forest's edge.
Immense trees rea=
red
their mighty heads far above us, their broad fronds completely shutting off=
the
slightest glimpse of the sky. It was easy to see why the Kaolians needed no
navy; their cities, hidden in the midst of this towering forest, must be
entirely invisible from above, nor could a landing be made by any but the s=
mallest
fliers, and then only with the greatest risk of accident.
How Thurid and Ma=
tai
Shang were to land I could not imagine, though later I was to learn that to=
the
level of the forest top there rises in each city of Kaol a slender watchtow=
er
which guards the Kaolians by day and by night against the secret approach o=
f a
hostile fleet. To one of these the hekkador of the Holy Therns had no
difficulty in approaching, and by its means the party was safely lowered to=
the
ground.
As Woola and I
approached the bottom of the declivity the ground became soft and mushy, so
that it was with the greatest difficulty that we made any headway whatever.=
Slender purple
grasses topped with red and yellow fern-like fronds grew rankly all about u=
s to
the height of several feet above my head.
Myriad creepers h=
ung
festooned in graceful loops from tree to tree, and among them were several
varieties of the Martian "man-flower," whose blooms have eyes and
hands with which to see and seize the insects which form their diet.
The repulsive cal=
ot
tree was, too, much in evidence. I=
t is a
carnivorous plant of about the bigness of a large sage-brush such as dots o=
ur
western plains. Each branch ends i=
n a
set of strong jaws, which have been known to drag down and devour large and=
formidable
beasts of prey.
Both Woola and I =
had
several narrow escapes from these greedy, arboreous monsters.
Occasional areas =
of
firm sod gave us intervals of rest from the arduous labor of traversing this
gorgeous, twilight swamp, and it was upon one of these that I finally decid=
ed
to make camp for the night which my chronometer warned me would soon be upon
us.
Many varieties of
fruit grew in abundance about us; and as Martian calots are omnivorous, Woo=
la
had no difficulty in making a square meal after I had brought down the vian=
ds
for him. Then, having eaten, too, =
I lay
down with my back to that of my faithful hound, and dropped into a deep and
dreamless sleep.
The forest was
shrouded in impenetrable darkness when a low growl from Woola awakened me.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> All about us I could hear the stealthy =
movement
of great, padded feet, and now and then the wicked gleam of green eyes upon
us. Arising, I drew my long-sword =
and
waited.
Suddenly a
deep-toned, horrid roar burst from some savage throat almost at my side.
By daylight it wo=
uld
have been comparatively easy to have hoisted Woola aloft in one manner or
another, but now it was too late. =
There was
nothing for it but to stand our ground and take our medicine, though, from =
the
hideous racket which now assailed our ears, and for which that first roar h=
ad
seemed to be the signal, I judged that we must be in the midst of hundreds,
perhaps thousands, of the fierce, man-eating denizens of the Kaolian jungle=
.
All the balance of
the night they kept up their infernal din, but why they did not attack us I
could not guess, nor am I sure to this day, unless it is that none of them =
ever
venture upon the patches of scarlet sward which dot the swamp.
When morning broke
they were still there, walking about as in a circle, but always just beyond=
the
edge of the sward. A more terrifyi=
ng
aggregation of fierce and blood-thirsty monsters it would be difficult to
imagine.
Singly and in pai=
rs
they commenced wandering off into the jungle shortly after sunrise, and when
the last of them had departed Woola and I resumed our journey.
Occasionally we
caught glimpses of horrid beasts all during the day; but, fortunately, we w=
ere
never far from a sward island, and when they saw us their pursuit always en=
ded
at the verge of the solid sod.
Toward noon we
stumbled upon a well-constructed road running in the general direction we h=
ad
been pursuing. Everything about th=
is
highway marked it as the work of skilled engineers, and I was confident, fr=
om
the indications of antiquity which it bore, as well as from the very evident
signs of its being still in everyday use, that it must lead to one of the
principal cities of Kaol.
Just as we entere=
d it
from one side a huge monster emerged from the jungle upon the other, and at
sight of us charged madly in our direction.
Imagine, if you c=
an,
a bald-faced hornet of your earthly experience grown to the size of a prize
Hereford bull, and you will have some faint conception of the ferocious
appearance and awesome formidability of the winged monster that bore down u=
pon
me.
Frightful jaws in
front and mighty, poisoned sting behind made my relatively puny long-sword =
seem
a pitiful weapon of defense indeed. Nor could I hope to escape the
lightning-like movements or hide from those myriad facet eyes which covered
three-fourths of the hideous head, permitting the creature to see in all
directions at one and the same time.
Even my powerful =
and
ferocious Woola was as helpless as a kitten before that frightful thing.
The creature was =
upon
us now, and at the instant there seemed to me a single slight chance for
victory. If I could but remove the=
terrible
menace of certain death hidden in the poison sacs that fed the sting the
struggle would be less unequal.
At the thought I
called to Woola to leap upon the creature's head and hang there, and as his
mighty jaws closed upon that fiendish face, and glistening fangs buried
themselves in the bone and cartilage and lower part of one of the huge eyes=
, I
dived beneath the great body as the creature rose, dragging Woola from the
ground, that it might bring its sting beneath and pierce the body of the th=
ing
hanging to its head.
To put myself in =
the
path of that poison-laden lance was to court instant death, but it was the =
only
way; and as the thing shot lightning-like toward me I swung my long-sword i=
n a
terrific cut that severed the deadly member close to the gorgeously marked
body.
Then, like a
battering-ram, one of the powerful hind legs caught me full in the chest and
hurled me, half stunned and wholly winded, clear across the broad highway a=
nd
into the underbrush of the jungle that fringes it.
Fortunately, I pa=
ssed
between the boles of trees; had I struck one of them I should have been bad=
ly
injured, if not killed, so swiftly had I been catapulted by that enormous h=
ind
leg.
Dazed though I wa=
s, I
stumbled to my feet and staggered back to Woola's assistance, to find his
savage antagonist circling ten feet above the ground, beating madly at the
clinging calot with all six powerful legs.
Even during my su=
dden
flight through the air I had not once released my grip upon my long-sword, =
and
now I ran beneath the two battling monsters, jabbing the winged terror
repeatedly with its sharp point.
The thing might
easily have risen out of my reach, but evidently it knew as little concerni=
ng
retreat in the face of danger as either Woola or I, for it dropped quickly
toward me, and before I could escape had grasped my shoulder between its
powerful jaws.
Time and again the
now useless stub of its giant sting struck futilely against my body, but the
blows alone were almost as effective as the kick of a horse; so that when I=
say
futilely, I refer only to the natural function of the disabled member--even=
tually
the thing would have hammered me to a pulp.
Nor was it far from accomplishing this when an interruption occurred
that put an end forever to its hostilities.
From where I hung=
a
few feet above the road I could see along the highway a few hundred yards to
where it turned toward the east, and just as I had about given up all hope =
of
escaping the perilous position in which I now was I saw a red warrior come =
into
view from around the bend.
He was mounted on=
a
splendid thoat, one of the smaller species used by red men, and in his hand=
was
a wondrous long, light lance.
His mount was wal=
king
sedately when I first perceived them, but the instant that the red man's ey=
es
fell upon us a word to the thoat brought the animal at full charge down upon
us. The long lance of the warrior =
dipped
toward us, and as thoat and rider hurtled beneath, the point passed through=
the
body of our antagonist.
With a convulsive
shudder the thing stiffened, the jaws relaxed, dropping me to the ground, a=
nd
then, careening once in mid air, the creature plunged headforemost to the r=
oad,
full upon Woola, who still clung tenaciously to its gory head.
By the time I had
regained my feet the red man had turned and ridden back to us. Woola, finding his enemy inert and life=
less,
released his hold at my command and wriggled from beneath the body that had=
covered
him, and together we faced the warrior looking down upon us.
I started to thank
the stranger for his timely assistance, but he cut me off peremptorily.
"Who are
you," he asked, "who dare enter the land of Kaol and hunt in the
royal forest of the jeddak?"
Then, as he noted=
my
white skin through the coating of grime and blood that covered me, his eyes
went wide and in an altered tone he whispered:
"Can it be that you are a Holy Thern?"
I might have dece=
ived
the fellow for a time, as I had deceived others, but I had cast away the ye=
llow
wig and the holy diadem in the presence of Matai Shang, and I knew that it
would not be long ere my new acquaintance discovered that I was no thern at
all.
"I am not a
thern," I replied, and then, flinging caution to the winds, I said:
If his eyes had g=
one
wide when he thought that I was a Holy Thern, they fairly popped now that he
knew that I was John Carter. I gra=
sped
my long-sword more firmly as I spoke the words which I was sure would
precipitate an attack, but to my surprise they precipitated nothing of the
kind.
"John Carter,
Prince of Helium," he repeated slowly, as though he could not quite gr=
asp
the truth of the statement. "=
John
Carter, the mightiest warrior of Barsoom!"
And then he
dismounted and placed his hand upon my shoulder after the manner of most
friendly greeting upon Mars.
"It is my du=
ty,
and it should be my pleasure, to kill you, John Carter," he said,
"but always in my heart of hearts have I admired your prowess and beli=
eved
in your sincerity the while I have questioned and disbelieved the therns and
their religion.
"It would me=
an
my instant death were my heresy to be suspected in the court of Kulan Tith,=
but
if I may serve you, Prince, you have but to command Torkar Bar, Dwar of the
Kaolian Road."
Truth and honesty
were writ large upon the warrior's noble countenance, so that I could not b=
ut
have trusted him, enemy though he should have been. His title of Captain of the Kaolian Road
explained his timely presence in the heart of the savage forest, for every =
highway
upon Barsoom is patrolled by doughty warriors of the noble class, nor is th=
ere
any service more honorable than this lonely and dangerous duty in the less
frequented sections of the domains of the red men of Barsoom.
"Torkar Bar =
has
already placed a great debt of gratitude upon my shoulders," I replied,
pointing to the carcass of the creature from whose heart he was dragging his
long spear.
The red man smile=
d.
"It was
fortunate that I came when I did," he said. "Only this poisoned spear pricking=
the
very heart of a sith can kill it quickly enough to save its prey. In this section of Kaol we are all arme=
d with
a long sith spear, whose point is smeared with the poison of the creature i=
t is
intended to kill; no other virus acts so quickly upon the beast as its own.=
"Look,"=
he
continued, drawing his dagger and making an incision in the carcass a foot =
above
the root of the sting, from which he presently drew forth two sacs, each of
which held fully a gallon of the deadly liquid.
"Thus we
maintain our supply, though were it not for certain commercial uses to which
the virus is put, it would scarcely be necessary to add to our present stor=
e,
since the sith is almost extinct.
"Only
occasionally do we now run upon one. Of
old, however, Kaol was overrun with the frightful monsters that often came =
in
herds of twenty or thirty, darting down from above into our cities and carr=
ying
away women, children, and even warriors."
As he spoke I had
been wondering just how much I might safely tell this man of the mission wh=
ich
brought me to his land, but his next words anticipated the broaching of the
subject on my part, and rendered me thankful that I had not spoken too soon=
.
"And now as =
to
yourself, John Carter," he said, "I shall not ask your business h=
ere,
nor do I wish to hear it. I have e=
yes
and ears and ordinary intelligence, and yesterday morning I saw the party t=
hat
came to the city of Kaol from the north in a small flier. But one thing I ask of you, and that is=
: the
word of John Carter that he contemplates no overt act against either the na=
tion
of Kaol or its jeddak."
"You may hav=
e my
word as to that, Torkar Bar," I replied.
"My way leads
along the Kaolian road, away from the city of Kaol," he continued. "I have seen no one--John Carter l=
east
of all. Nor have you seen Torkar B=
ar,
nor ever heard of him. You
understand?"
"Perfectly,&=
quot;
I replied.
He laid his hand =
upon
my shoulder.
"This road l=
eads
directly into the city of Kaol," he said.
"I wish you fortune," and vaulting to the back of his thoa=
t he
trotted away without even a backward glance.
It was after dark
when Woola and I spied through the mighty forest the great wall which surro=
unds
the city of Kaol.
We had traversed =
the
entire way without mishap or adventure, and though the few we had met had e=
yed
the great calot wonderingly, none had pierced the red pigment with which I =
had
smoothly smeared every square inch of my body.
But to traverse t=
he
surrounding country, and to enter the guarded city of Kulan Tith, Jeddak of
Kaol, were two very different things. No man enters a Martian city without
giving a very detailed and satisfactory account of himself, nor did I delude
myself with the belief that I could for a moment impose upon the acumen of =
the officers
of the guard to whom I should be taken the moment I applied at any one of t=
he
gates.
My only hope seem=
ed
to lie in entering the city surreptitiously under cover of the darkness, and
once in, trust to my own wits to hide myself in some crowded quarter where
detection would be less liable to occur.
With this idea in
view I circled the great wall, keeping within the fringe of the forest, whi=
ch
is cut away for a short distance from the wall all about the city, that no
enemy may utilize the trees as a means of ingress.
Several times I
attempted to scale the barrier at different points, but not even my earthly
muscles could overcome that cleverly constructed rampart. To a height of thirty feet the face of =
the wall
slanted outward, and then for almost an equal distance it was perpendicular,
above which it slanted in again for some fifteen feet to the crest.
And smooth! Polished glass could not be more so.
Discouraged, I
withdrew into the forest beside a broad highway which entered the city from=
the
east, and with Woola beside me lay down to sleep.
It was daylight w=
hen
I was awakened by the sound of stealthy movement near by.
As I opened my ey=
es
Woola, too, moved and, coming up to his haunches, stared through the
intervening brush toward the road, each hair upon his neck stiffly erect.
At first I could =
see
nothing, but presently I caught a glimpse of a bit of smooth and glossy gre=
en
moving among the scarlet and purple and yellow of the vegetation.
Motioning Woola to
remain quietly where he was, I crept forward to investigate, and from behind
the bole of a great tree I saw a long line of the hideous green warriors of=
the
dead sea bottoms hiding in the dense jungle beside the road.
As far as I could
see, the silent line of destruction and death stretched away from the city =
of
Kaol. There could be but one expla=
nation. The green men were expecting an exodus =
of a
body of red troops from the nearest city gate, and they were lying there in
ambush to leap upon them.
I owed no fealty =
to
the Jeddak of Kaol, but he was of the same race of noble red men as my own
princess, and I would not stand supinely by and see his warriors butchered =
by
the cruel and heartless demons of the waste places of Barsoom.
Cautiously I retr=
aced
my steps to where I had left Woola, and warning him to silence, signaled hi=
m to
follow me. Making a considerable d=
etour
to avoid the chance of falling into the hands of the green men, I came at l=
ast
to the great wall.
A hundred yards t=
o my
right was the gate from which the troops were evidently expected to issue, =
but
to reach it I must pass the flank of the green warriors within easy sight of
them, and, fearing that my plan to warn the Kaolians might thus be thwarted=
, I
decided upon hastening toward the left, where another gate a mile away would
give me ingress to the city.
I knew that the w=
ord
I brought would prove a splendid passport to Kaol, and I must admit that my
caution was due more to my ardent desire to make my way into the city than =
to
avoid a brush with the green men. =
As
much as I enjoy a fight, I cannot always indulge myself, and just now I had
more weighty matters to occupy my time than spilling the blood of strange
warriors.
Could I but win
beyond the city's wall, there might be opportunity in the confusion and
excitement which were sure to follow my announcement of an invading force of
green warriors to find my way within the palace of the jeddak, where I was =
sure
Matai Shang and his party would be quartered.
But scarcely had I
taken a hundred steps in the direction of the farther gate when the sound of
marching troops, the clank of metal, and the squealing of thoats just within
the city apprised me of the fact that the Kaolians were already moving towa=
rd
the other gate.
There was no time=
to
be lost. In another moment the gate
would be opened and the head of the column pass out upon the death-bordered=
highway.
Turning back towa=
rd
the fateful gate, I ran rapidly along the edge of the clearing, taking the
ground in the mighty leaps that had first made me famous upon Barsoom. Thirty, fifty, a hundred feet at a boun=
d are
nothing for the muscles of an athletic Earth man upon Mars.
As I passed the f=
lank
of the waiting green men they saw my eyes turned upon them, and in an insta=
nt,
knowing that all secrecy was at an end, those nearest me sprang to their fe=
et
in an effort to cut me off before I could reach the gate.
At the same insta=
nt
the mighty portal swung wide and the head of the Kaolian column emerged.
I did not slacken=
my
speed an iota as I dashed among them, and as they fell before my blade I co=
uld
not but recall the happy memory of those other battles when Tars Tarkas, Je=
ddak
of Thark, mightiest of Martian green men, had stood shoulder to shoulder wi=
th
me through long, hot Martian days, as together we hewed down our enemies un=
til the
pile of corpses about us rose higher than a tall man's head.
When several pres=
sed
me too closely, there before the carved gateway of Kaol, I leaped above the=
ir
heads, and fashioning my tactics after those of the hideous plant men of Do=
r,
struck down upon my enemies' heads as I passed above them.
From the city the=
red
warriors were rushing toward us, and from the jungle the savage horde of gr=
een
men were coming to meet them. In a moment I was in the very center of as fi=
erce
and bloody a battle as I had ever passed through.
These Kaolians are
most noble fighters, nor are the green men of the equator one whit less war=
like
than their cold, cruel cousins of the temperate zone. There were many times when either side =
might have
withdrawn without dishonor and thus ended hostilities, but from the mad aba=
ndon
with which each invariably renewed hostilities I soon came to believe that =
what
need not have been more than a trifling skirmish would end only with the
complete extermination of one force or the other.
With the joy of
battle once roused within me, I took keen delight in the fray, and that my
fighting was noted by the Kaolians was often evidenced by the shouts of app=
lause
directed at me.
If I sometimes se=
em
to take too great pride in my fighting ability, it must be remembered that
fighting is my vocation. If your
vocation be shoeing horses, or painting pictures, and you can do one or the
other better than your fellows, then you are a fool if you are not proud of
your ability. And so I am very pro=
ud
that upon two planets no greater fighter has ever lived than John Carter,
Prince of Helium.
And I outdid myse=
lf
that day to impress the fact upon the natives of Kaol, for I wished to win a
way into their hearts--and their city.
Nor was I to be disappointed in my desire.
All day we fought,
until the road was red with blood and clogged with corpses. Back and forth along the slippery highw=
ay the
tide of battle surged, but never once was the gateway to Kaol really in dan=
ger.
There were breath=
ing
spells when I had a chance to converse with the red men beside whom I fough=
t,
and once the jeddak, Kulan Tith himself, laid his hand upon my shoulder and
asked my name.
"I am Dotar =
Sojat,"
I replied, recalling a name given me by the Tharks many years before, from =
the
surnames of the first two of their warriors I had killed, which is the cust=
om
among them.
"You are a
mighty warrior, Dotar Sojat," he replied, "and when this day is d=
one
I shall speak with you again in the great audience chamber."
And then the fight
surged upon us once more and we were separated, but my heart's desire was
attained, and it was with renewed vigor and a joyous soul that I laid about=
me
with my long-sword until the last of the green men had had enough and had
withdrawn toward their distant sea bottom.
Not until the bat=
tle
was over did I learn why the red troops had sallied forth that day. It seemed that Kulan Tith was expecting=
a
visit from a mighty jeddak of the north--a powerful and the only ally of the
Kaolians, and it had been his wish to meet his guest a full day's journey f=
rom
Kaol.
But now the march=
of
the welcoming host was delayed until the following morning, when the troops
again set out from Kaol. I had not=
been
bidden to the presence of Kulan Tith after the battle, but he had sent an
officer to find me and escort me to comfortable quarters in that part of the
palace set aside for the officers of the royal guard.
There, with Woola=
, I
had spent a comfortable night, and rose much refreshed after the arduous la=
bors
of the past few days. Woola had fo=
ught
with me through the battle of the previous day, true to the instincts and
training of a Martian war dog, great numbers of which are often to be found=
with
the savage green hordes of the dead sea bottoms.
Neither of us had
come through the conflict unscathed, but the marvelous, healing salves of
Barsoom had sufficed, overnight, to make us as good as new.
I breakfasted wit=
h a
number of the Kaolian officers, whom I found as courteous and delightful ho=
sts
as even the nobles of Helium, who are renowned for their ease of manners and
excellence of breeding. The meal was scarcely concluded when a messenger
arrived from Kulan Tith summoning me before him.
As I entered the
royal presence the jeddak rose, and stepping from the dais which supported =
his
magnificent throne, came forward to meet me--a mark of distinction that is
seldom accorded to other than a visiting ruler.
"Kaor, Dotar
Sojat!" he greeted me. "=
I have
summoned you to receive the grateful thanks of the people of Kaol, for had =
it
not been for your heroic bravery in daring fate to warn us of the ambuscade=
we must
surely have fallen into the well-laid trap.
Tell me more of yourself--from what country you come, and what errand
brings you to the court of Kulan Tith."
"I am from
Hastor," I said, for in truth I had a small palace in that southern ci=
ty
which lies within the far-flung dominions of the Heliumetic nation.
"My presence=
in
the land of Kaol is partly due to accident, my flier being wrecked upon the
southern fringe of your great forest. It was while seeking entrance to the =
city
of Kaol that I discovered the green horde lying in wait for your troops.&qu=
ot;
If Kulan Tith
wondered what business brought me in a flier to the very edge of his domain=
he
was good enough not to press me further for an explanation, which I should
indeed have had difficulty in rendering.
During my audience
with the jeddak another party entered the chamber from behind me, so that I=
did
not see their faces until Kulan Tith stepped past me to greet them, command=
ing
me to follow and be presented.
As I turned toward
them it was with difficulty that I controlled my features, for there, liste=
ning
to Kulan Tith's eulogistic words concerning me, stood my arch-enemies, Matai
Shang and Thurid.
"Holy Hekkad=
or
of the Holy Therns," the jeddak was saying, "shower thy blessings
upon Dotar Sojat, the valorous stranger from distant Hastor, whose wondrous
heroism and marvelous ferocity saved the day for Kaol yesterday."
Matai Shang stepp=
ed
forward and laid his hand upon my shoulder. No slightest indication that he
recognized me showed upon his countenance--my disguise was evidently comple=
te.
He spoke kindly t=
o me
and then presented me to Thurid. T=
he
black, too, was evidently entirely deceived.
Then Kulan Tith regaled them, much to my amusement, with details of =
my
achievements upon the field of battle.
The thing that se=
emed
to have impressed him most was my remarkable agility, and time and again he
described the wondrous way in which I had leaped completely over an antagon=
ist,
cleaving his skull wide open with my long-sword as I passed above him.
I thought that I =
saw
Thurid's eyes widen a bit during the narrative, and several times I surpris=
ed
him gazing intently into my face through narrowed lids. Was he commencing to suspect? And then Kulan Tith told of the savage =
calot
that fought beside me, and after that I saw suspicion in the eyes of Matai
Shang--or did I but imagine it?
At the close of t=
he
audience Kulan Tith announced that he would have me accompany him upon the =
way
to meet his royal guest, and as I departed with an officer who was to procu=
re
proper trappings and a suitable mount for me, both Matai Shang and Thurid
seemed most sincere in professing their pleasure at having had an opportuni=
ty to
know me. It was with a sigh of rel=
ief
that I quitted the chamber, convinced that nothing more than a guilty
conscience had prompted my belief that either of my enemies suspected my tr=
ue
identity.
A half-hour later=
I
rode out of the city gate with the column that accompanied Kulan Tith upon =
the
way to meet his friend and ally. Though my eyes and ears had been wide open
during my audience with the jeddak and my various passages through the pala=
ce,
I had seen or heard nothing of Dejah Thoris or Thuvia of Ptarth. That they must be somewhere within the =
great
rambling edifice I was positive, and I should have given much to have found=
a
way to remain behind during Kulan Tith's absence, that I might search for t=
hem.
Toward noon we ca=
me
in touch with the head of the column we had set out to meet.
It was a gorgeous
train that accompanied the visiting jeddak, and for miles it stretched along
the wide, white road to Kaol. Moun=
ted troops,
their trappings of jewel and metal-incrusted leather glistening in the
sunlight, formed the vanguard of the body, and then came a thousand gorgeous
chariots drawn by huge zitidars.
These low, commod=
ious
wagons moved two abreast, and on either side of them marched solid ranks of
mounted warriors, for in the chariots were the women and children of the ro=
yal
court. Upon the back of each monst=
er
zitidar rode a Martian youth, and the whole scene carried me back to my fir=
st
days upon Barsoom, now twenty-two years in the past, when I had first beheld
the gorgeous spectacle of a caravan of the green horde of Tharks.
Never before today
had I seen zitidars in the service of red men. These brutes are huge
mastodonian animals that tower to an immense height even beside the giant g=
reen
men and their giant thoats; but when compared to the relatively small red m=
an
and his breed of thoats they assume Brobdingnagian proportions that are tru=
ly appalling.
The beasts were h=
ung
with jeweled trappings and saddlepads of gay silk, embroidered in fanciful
designs with strings of diamonds, pearls, rubies, emeralds, and the countle=
ss
unnamed jewels of Mars, while from each chariot rose a dozen standards from
which streamers, flags, and pennons fluttered in the breeze.
Just in front of =
the
chariots the visiting jeddak rode alone upon a pure white thoat--another
unusual sight upon Barsoom--and after them came interminable ranks of mount=
ed
spearmen, riflemen, and swordsmen. It
was indeed a most imposing sight.
Except for the
clanking of accouterments and the occasional squeal of an angry thoat or the
low guttural of a zitidar, the passage of the cavalcade was almost noiseles=
s,
for neither thoat nor zitidar is a hoofed animal, and the broad tires of the
chariots are of an elastic composition, which gives forth no sound.
Now and then the =
gay
laughter of a woman or the chatter of children could be heard, for the red
Martians are a social, pleasure-loving people--in direct antithesis to the =
cold
and morbid race of green men.
The forms and
ceremonials connected with the meeting of the two jeddaks consumed an hour,=
and
then we turned and retraced our way toward the city of Kaol, which the head=
of
the column reached just before dark, though it must have been nearly morning
before the rear guard passed through the gateway.
Fortunately, I was
well up toward the head of the column, and after the great banquet, which I
attended with the officers of the royal guard, I was free to seek repose. There was so much activity and bustle a=
bout
the palace all during the night with the constant arrival of the noble offi=
cers
of the visiting jeddak's retinue that I dared not attempt to prosecute a se=
arch
for Dejah Thoris, and so, as soon as it was seemly for me to do so, I retur=
ned
to my quarters.
As I passed along=
the
corridors between the banquet hall and the apartments that had been allotted
me, I had a sudden feeling that I was under surveillance, and, turning quic=
kly
in my tracks, caught a glimpse of a figure which darted into an open doorway
the instant I wheeled about.
Though I ran quic=
kly
back to the spot where the shadower had disappeared I could find no trace of
him, yet in the brief glimpse that I had caught I could have sworn that I h=
ad
seen a white face surmounted by a mass of yellow hair.
The incident gave=
me
considerable food for speculation, since if I were right in the conclusion
induced by the cursory glimpse I had had of the spy, then Matai Shang and
Thurid must suspect my identity, and if that were true not even the service=
I
had rendered Kulan Tith could save me from his religious fanaticism.
But never did vag=
ue
conjecture or fruitless fears for the future lie with sufficient weight upo=
n my
mind to keep me from my rest, and so tonight I threw myself upon my sleeping
silks and furs and passed at once into dreamless slumber.
Calots are not
permitted within the walls of the palace proper, and so I had had to relega=
te
poor Woola to quarters in the stables where the royal thoats are kept. He had comfortable, even luxurious apar=
tments,
but I would have given much to have had him with me; and if he had been, the
thing which happened that night would not have come to pass.
I could not have
slept over a quarter of an hour when I was suddenly awakened by the passing=
of
some cold and clammy thing across my forehead.
Instantly I sprang to my feet, clutching in the direction I thought =
the
presence lay. For an instant my ha=
nd
touched against human flesh, and then, as I lunged headforemost through the=
darkness
to seize my nocturnal visitor, my foot became entangled in my sleeping silks
and I fell sprawling to the floor.
By the time I had
resumed my feet and found the button which controlled the light my caller h=
ad
disappeared. Careful search of the=
room
revealed nothing to explain either the identity or business of the person w=
ho
had thus secretly sought me in the dead of night.
That the purpose
might be theft I could not believe, since thieves are practically unknown u=
pon
Barsoom. Assassination, however, i=
s rampant,
but even this could not have been the motive of my stealthy friend, for he
might easily have killed me had he desired.
I had about given=
up
fruitless conjecture and was on the point of returning to sleep when a dozen
Kaolian guardsmen entered my apartment.
The officer in charge was one of my genial hosts of the morning, but=
now
upon his face was no sign of friendship.
"Kulan Tith
commands your presence before him," he said. "Come!"
Surrounded by
guardsmen I marched back along the corridors of the palace of Kulan Tith,
Jeddak of Kaol, to the great audience chamber in the center of the massive
structure.
As I entered the
brilliantly lighted apartment, filled with the nobles of Kaol and the offic=
ers
of the visiting jeddak, all eyes were turned upon me. Upon the great dais at the end of the c=
hamber
stood three thrones, upon which sat Kulan Tith and his two guests, Matai Sh=
ang,
and the visiting jeddak.
Up the broad cent=
er
aisle we marched beneath deadly silence, and at the foot of the thrones we
halted.
"Prefer thy
charge," said Kulan Tith, turning to one who stood among the nobles at=
his
right; and then Thurid, the black dator of the First Born, stepped forward =
and
faced me.
"Most noble
Jeddak," he said, addressing Kulan Tith, "from the first I suspec=
ted
this stranger within thy palace. Y=
our
description of his fiendish prowess tallied with that of the arch-enemy of
truth upon Barsoom.
"But that th=
ere
might be no mistake I despatched a priest of your own holy cult to make the
test that should pierce his disguise and reveal the truth. Behold the result!" and Thurid poi=
nted a
rigid finger at my forehead.
All eyes followed=
the
direction of that accusing digit--I alone seemed at a loss to guess what fa=
tal
sign rested upon my brow.
The officer besid=
e me
guessed my perplexity; and as the brows of Kulan Tith darkened in a menacing
scowl as his eyes rested upon me, the noble drew a small mirror from his
pocket-pouch and held it before my face.
One glance at the
reflection it gave back to me was sufficient.
From my forehead =
the
hand of the sneaking thern had reached out through the concealing darkness =
of
my bed-chamber and wiped away a patch of the disguising red pigment as broa=
d as
my palm. Beneath showed the tanned
texture of my own white skin.
For a moment Thur=
id
ceased speaking, to enhance, I suspect, the dramatic effect of his disclosu=
re. Then he resumed.
"Here, O Kul=
an
Tith," he cried, "is he who has desecrated the temples of the God=
s of
Mars, who has violated the persons of the Holy Therns themselves and turned=
a
world against its age-old religion.
Before you, in your power, Jeddak of Kaol, Defender of the Holies,
stands John Carter, Prince of Helium!"
Kulan Tith looked
toward Matai Shang as though for corroboration of these charges. The Holy Thern nodded his head.
"It is indeed
the arch-blasphemer," he said.
"Even now he has followed me to the very heart of thy palace, K=
ulan
Tith, for the sole purpose of assassinating me.
He--"
"He lies!&qu=
ot;
I cried. "Kulan Tith, listen =
that
you may know the truth. Listen whi=
le I
tell you why John Carter has followed Matai Shang to the heart of thy
palace. Listen to me as well as to=
them,
and then judge if my acts be not more in accord with true Barsoomian chival=
ry
and honor than those of these revengeful devotees of the spurious creeds fr=
om
whose cruel bonds I have freed your planet."
"Silence!&qu=
ot;
roared the jeddak, leaping to his feet and laying his hand upon the hilt of=
his
sword. "Silence, blasphemer!<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Kulan Tith need not permit the air of h=
is
audience chamber to be defiled by the heresies that issue from your polluted
throat to judge you.
"You stand
already self-condemned. It but rem=
ains
to determine the manner of your death.
Even the service that you rendered the arms of Kaol shall avail you
naught; it was but a base subterfuge whereby you might win your way into my
favor and reach the side of this holy man whose life you craved. To the pits with him!" he conclude=
d,
addressing the officer of my guard.
Here was a pretty
pass, indeed! What chance had I ag=
ainst
a whole nation? What hope for me of
mercy at the hands of the fanatical Kulan Tith with such advisers as Matai
Shang and Thurid. The black grinned
malevolently in my face.
"You shall n=
ot
escape this time, Earth man," he taunted.
The guards closed
toward me. A red haze blurred my
vision. The fighting blood of my
Virginian sires coursed hot through my veins. The lust of battle in all its=
mad
fury was upon me.
With a leap I was
beside Thurid, and ere the devilish smirk had faded from his handsome face I
had caught him full upon the mouth with my clenched fist; and as the good, =
old
American blow landed, the black dator shot back a dozen feet, to crumple in=
a
heap at the foot of Kulan Tith's throne, spitting blood and teeth from his =
hurt
mouth.
Then I drew my sw=
ord
and swung round, on guard, to face a nation.
In an instant the
guardsmen were upon me, but before a blow had been struck a mighty voice ro=
se
above the din of shouting warriors, and a giant figure leaped from the dais
beside Kulan Tith and, with drawn long-sword, threw himself between me and =
my
adversaries.
It was the visiti=
ng
jeddak.
"Hold!"=
he
cried. "If you value my frien=
dship,
Kulan Tith, and the age-old peace that has existed between our peoples, call
off your swordsmen; for wherever or against whomsoever fights John Carter, =
Prince
of Helium, there beside him and to the death fights Thuvan Dihn, Jeddak of
Ptarth."
The shouting ceas=
ed
and the menacing points were lowered as a thousand eyes turned first toward
Thuvan Dihn in surprise and then toward Kulan Tith in question. At first the Jeddak of Kaol went white =
in
rage, but before he spoke he had mastered himself, so that his tone was calm
and even as befitted intercourse between two great jeddaks.
"Thuvan
Dihn," he said slowly, "must have great provocation thus to desec=
rate
the ancient customs which inspire the deportment of a guest within the pala=
ce
of his host. Lest I, too, should f=
orget myself
as has my royal friend, I should prefer to remain silent until the Jeddak of
Ptarth has won from me applause for his action by relating the causes which
provoked it."
I could see that =
the
Jeddak of Ptarth was of half a mind to throw his metal in Kulan Tith's face,
but he controlled himself even as well as had his host.
"None knows
better than Thuvan Dihn," he said, "the laws which govern the act=
s of
men in the domains of their neighbors; but Thuvan Dihn owes allegiance to a
higher law than these--the law of gratitude. Nor to any man upon Barsoom do=
es
he owe a greater debt of gratitude than to John Carter, Prince of Helium.
"Years ago,
Kulan Tith," he continued, "upon the occasion of your last visit =
to
me, you were greatly taken with the charms and graces of my only daughter,
Thuvia. You saw how I adored her, =
and
later you learned that, inspired by some unfathomable whim, she had taken t=
he
last, long, voluntary pilgrimage upon the cold bosom of the mysterious Iss,
leaving me desolate.
"Some months=
ago
I first heard of the expedition which John Carter had led against Issus and=
the
Holy Therns. Faint rumors of the a=
trocities
reported to have been committed by the therns upon those who for countless =
ages
have floated down the mighty Iss came to my ears.
"I heard that
thousands of prisoners had been released, few of whom dared to return to th=
eir
own countries owing to the mandate of terrible death which rests against all
who return from the Valley Dor.
"For a time I
could not believe the heresies which I heard, and I prayed that my daughter
Thuvia might have died before she ever committed the sacrilege of returning=
to
the outer world. But then my fathe=
r's
love asserted itself, and I vowed that I would prefer eternal damnation to
further separation from her if she could be found.
"So I sent
emissaries to Helium, and to the court of Xodar, Jeddak of the First Born, =
and
to him who now rules those of the thern nation that have renounced their re=
ligion;
and from each and all I heard the same story of unspeakable cruelties and
atrocities perpetrated upon the poor defenseless victims of their religion =
by the
Holy Therns.
"Many there =
were
who had seen or known my daughter, and from therns who had been close to Ma=
tai
Shang I learned of the indignities that he personally heaped upon her; and I
was glad when I came here to find that Matai Shang was also your guest, for=
I
should have sought him out had it taken a lifetime.
"More, too, I
heard, and that of the chivalrous kindness that John Carter had accorded my
daughter. They told me how he foug=
ht for
her and rescued her, and how he spurned escape from the savage Warhoons of =
the
south, sending her to safety upon his own thoat and remaining upon foot to =
meet
the green warriors.
"Can you won=
der,
Kulan Tith, that I am willing to jeopardize my life, the peace of my nation=
, or
even your friendship, which I prize more than aught else, to champion the
Prince of Helium?"
For a moment Kulan
Tith was silent. I could see by the
expression of his face that he was sore perplexed. Then he spoke.
"Thuvan
Dihn," he said, and his tone was friendly though sad, "who am I to
judge my fellow-man? In my eyes the
Father of Therns is still holy, and the religion which he teaches the only =
true
religion, but were I faced by the same problem that has vexed you I doubt n=
ot
that I should feel and act precisely as you have.
"In so far as
the Prince of Helium is concerned I may act, but between you and Matai Shan=
g my
only office can be one of conciliation.
The Prince of Helium shall be escorted in safety to the boundary of =
my
domain ere the sun has set again, where he shall be free to go whither he w=
ill;
but upon pain of death must he never again enter the land of Kaol.
"If there be=
a
quarrel between you and the Father of Therns, I need not ask that the
settlement of it be deferred until both have passed beyond the limits of my
power. Are you satisfied, Thuvan D=
ihn?"
The Jeddak of Pta=
rth
nodded his assent, but the ugly scowl that he bent upon Matai Shang harbored
ill for that pasty-faced godling.
"The Prince =
of
Helium is far from satisfied," I cried, breaking rudely in upon the
beginnings of peace, for I had no stomach for peace at the price that had b=
een
named.
"I have esca=
ped
death in a dozen forms to follow Matai Shang and overtake him, and I do not
intend to be led, like a decrepit thoat to the slaughter, from the goal tha=
t I
have won by the prowess of my sword arm and the might of my muscles.
"Nor will Th=
uvan
Dihn, Jeddak of Ptarth, be satisfied when he has heard me through. Do you know why I have followed Matai S=
hang
and Thurid, the black dator, from the forests of the Valley Dor across half=
a
world through almost insurmountable difficulties?
"Think you t=
hat
John Carter, Prince of Helium, would stoop to assassination? Can Kulan Tith be such a fool as to bel=
ieve
that lie, whispered in his ear by the Holy Thern or Dator Thurid?
"I do not fo=
llow
Matai Shang to kill him, though the God of mine own planet knows that my ha=
nds
itch to be at his throat. I follow=
him,
Thuvan Dihn, because with him are two prisoners--my wife, Dejah Thoris,
Princess of Helium, and your daughter, Thuvia of Ptarth.
"Now think y=
ou
that I shall permit myself to be led beyond the walls of Kaol unless the mo=
ther
of my son accompanies me, and thy daughter be restored?"
Thuvan Dihn turned
upon Kulan Tith. Rage flamed in hi=
s keen
eyes; but by the masterfulness of his self-control he kept his tones level =
as
he spoke.
"Knew you th=
is
thing, Kulan Tith?" he asked.
"Knew you that my daughter lay a prisoner in your palace?"=
"He could not
know it," interrupted Matai Shang, white with what I am sure was more =
fear
than rage. "He could not know=
it,
for it is a lie."
I would have had =
his
life for that upon the spot, but even as I sprang toward him Thuvan Dihn la=
id a
heavy hand upon my shoulder.
"Wait,"=
he
said to me, and then to Kulan Tith.
"It is not a lie. This much have I learned of the Prince of
Helium--he does not lie. Answer me, Kulan Tith--I have asked you a
question."
"Three women
came with the Father of Therns," replied Kulan Tith. "Phaidor, his
daughter, and two who were reported to be her slaves. If these be Thuvia of
Ptarth and Dejah Thoris of Helium I did not know it--I have seen neither. But if they be, then shall they be retu=
rned
to you on the morrow."
As he spoke he lo=
oked
straight at Matai Shang, not as a devotee should look at a high priest, but=
as
a ruler of men looks at one to whom he issues a command.
It must have been
plain to the Father of Therns, as it was to me, that the recent disclosures=
of
his true character had done much already to weaken the faith of Kulan Tith,=
and
that it would require but little more to turn the powerful jeddak into an
avowed enemy; but so strong are the seeds of superstition that even the gre=
at Kaolian
still hesitated to cut the final strand that bound him to his ancient relig=
ion.
Matai Shang was w=
ise
enough to seem to accept the mandate of his follower, and promised to bring=
the
two slave women to the audience chamber on the morrow.
"It is almost
morning now," he said, "and I should dislike to break in upon the
slumber of my daughter, or I would have them fetched at once that you might=
see
that the Prince of Helium is mistaken," and he emphasized the last wor=
d in
an effort to affront me so subtlely that I could not take open offense.
I was about to ob=
ject
to any delay, and demand that the Princess of Helium be brought to me
forthwith, when Thuvan Dihn made such insistence seem unnecessary.
"I should li=
ke
to see my daughter at once," he said, "but if Kulan Tith will giv=
e me
his assurance that none will be permitted to leave the palace this night, a=
nd
that no harm shall befall either Dejah Thoris or Thuvia of Ptarth between n=
ow
and the moment they are brought into our presence in this chamber at daylig=
ht I
shall not insist."
"None shall
leave the palace tonight," replied the Jeddak of Kaol, "and Matai
Shang will give us assurance that no harm will come to the two women?"=
The thern assented
with a nod. A few moments later Ku=
lan
Tith indicated that the audience was at an end, and at Thuvan Dihn's invita=
tion
I accompanied the Jeddak of Ptarth to his own apartments, where we sat until
daylight, while he listened to the account of my experiences upon his planet
and to all that had befallen his daughter during the time that we had been
together.
I found the fathe=
r of
Thuvia a man after my own heart, and that night saw the beginning of a
friendship which has grown until it is second only to that which obtains
between Tars Tarkas, the green Jeddak of Thark, and myself.
The first burst of
Mars's sudden dawn brought messengers from Kulan Tith, summoning us to the
audience chamber where Thuvan Dihn was to receive his daughter after years =
of
separation, and I was to be reunited with the glorious daughter of Helium a=
fter
an almost unbroken separation of twelve years.
My heart pounded
within my bosom until I looked about me in embarrassment, so sure was I that
all within the room must hear. My arms ached to enfold once more the divine
form of her whose eternal youth and undying beauty were but outward
manifestations of a perfect soul.
At last the messe=
nger
despatched to fetch Matai Shang returned.
I craned my neck to catch the first glimpse of those who should be f=
ollowing,
but the messenger was alone.
Halting before the
throne he addressed his jeddak in a voice that was plainly audible to all
within the chamber.
"O Kulan Tit=
h,
Mightiest of Jeddaks," he cried, after the fashion of the court,
"your messenger returns alone, for when he reached the apartments of t=
he
Father of Therns he found them empty, as were those occupied by his
suite."
Kulan Tith went
white.
A low groan burst
from the lips of Thuvan Dihn who stood next me, not having ascended the thr=
one
which awaited him beside his host. For a moment the silence of death reigne=
d in
the great audience chamber of Kulan Tith, Jeddak of Kaol. It was he who broke the spell.
Rising from his
throne he stepped down from the dais to the side of Thuvan Dihn. Tears dimmed his eyes as he placed both=
his
hands upon the shoulders of his friend.
"O Thuvan
Dihn," he cried, "that this should have happened in the palace of=
thy
best friend! With my own hands wou=
ld I
have wrung the neck of Matai Shang had I guessed what was in his foul heart=
. Last
night my life-long faith was weakened--this morning it has been shattered; =
but
too late, too late.
"To wrest yo=
ur
daughter and the wife of this royal warrior from the clutches of these
archfiends you have but to command the resources of a mighty nation, for all
Kaol is at your disposal. What may=
be done? Say the word!"
"First,"=
; I
suggested, "let us find those of your people who be responsible for the
escape of Matai Shang and his followers. Without assistance on the part of =
the
palace guard this thing could not have come to pass. Seek the guilty, and from them force an=
explanation
of the manner of their going and the direction they have taken."
Before Kulan Tith
could issue the commands that would initiate the investigation a handsome y=
oung
officer stepped forward and addressed his jeddak.
"O Kulan Tit=
h,
Mightiest of Jeddaks," he said, "I alone be responsible for this
grievous error. Last night it was =
I who
commanded the palace guard. I was =
on
duty in other parts of the palace during the audience of the early morning,=
and
knew nothing of what transpired then, so that when the Father of Therns
summoned me and explained that it was your wish that his party be hastened =
from
the city because of the presence here of a deadly enemy who sought the Holy=
Hekkador's
life I did only what a lifetime of training has taught me was the proper th=
ing
to do--I obeyed him whom I believed to be the ruler of us all, mightier even
than thou, mightiest of jeddaks.
"Let the
consequences and the punishment fall on me alone, for I alone am guilty.
Kulan Tith looked
first at me and then at Thuvan Dihn, as though to ask our judgment upon the
man, but the error was so evidently excusable that neither of us had any mi=
nd
to see the young officer suffer for a mistake that any might readily have m=
ade.
"How left
they," asked Thuvan Dihn, "and what direction did they take?"=
;
"They left as
they came," replied the officer, "upon their own flier. For some time after they had departed I
watched the vessel's lights, which vanished finally due north."
"Where north
could Matai Shang find an asylum?" asked Thuvan Dihn of Kulan Tith.
For some moments =
the
Jeddak of Kaol stood with bowed head, apparently deep in thought. Then a sudden light brightened his
countenance.
"I have
it!" he cried. "Only yes=
terday
Matai Shang let drop a hint of his destination, telling me of a race of peo=
ple
unlike ourselves who dwell far to the north.
They, he said, had always been known to the Holy Therns and were dev=
out
and faithful followers of the ancient cult.
Among them would he find a perpetual haven of refuge, where no 'lying
heretics' might seek him out. It is
there that Matai Shang has gone."
"And in all =
Kaol
there be no flier wherein to follow," I cried.
"Nor nearer =
than
Ptarth," replied Thuvan Dihn.
"Wait!"=
I
exclaimed, "beyond the southern fringe of this great forest lies the w=
reck
of the thern flier which brought me that far upon my way. If you will loan me men to fetch it, and
artificers to assist me, I can repair it in two days, Kulan Tith."
I had been more t=
han
half suspicious of the seeming sincerity of the Kaolian jeddak's sudden
apostasy, but the alacrity with which he embraced my suggestion, and the
despatch with which a force of officers and men were placed at my disposal
entirely removed the last vestige of my doubts.
Two days later the
flier rested upon the top of the watchtower, ready to depart. Thuvan Dihn and Kulan Tith had offered =
me the
entire resources of two nations--millions of fighting men were at my dispos=
al;
but my flier could hold but one other than myself and Woola.
As I stepped aboa=
rd
her, Thuvan Dihn took his place beside me.
I cast a look of questioning surprise upon him. He turned to the highest of his own off=
icers
who had accompanied him to Kaol.
"To you I
entrust the return of my retinue to Ptarth," he said. "There my s=
on
rules ably in my absence. The Prin=
ce of
Helium shall not go alone into the land of his enemies. I have spoken. Farewell!"
Straight toward t=
he
north, day and night, our destination compass led us after the fleeing flier
upon which it had remained set since I first attuned it after leaving the t=
hern
fortress.
Early in the seco=
nd
night we noticed the air becoming perceptibly colder, and from the distance=
we
had come from the equator were assured that we were rapidly approaching the
north arctic region.
My knowledge of t=
he
efforts that had been made by countless expeditions to explore that unknown
land bade me to caution, for never had flier returned who had passed to any
considerable distance beyond the mighty ice-barrier that fringes the southe=
rn
hem of the frigid zone.
What became of th=
em
none knew--only that they passed forever out of the sight of man into that =
grim
and mysterious country of the pole.
The distance from=
the
barrier to the pole was no more than a swift flier should cover in a few ho=
urs,
and so it was assumed that some frightful catastrophe awaited those who rea=
ched
the "forbidden land," as it had come to be called by the Martians=
of
the outer world.
Thus it was that I
went more slowly as we approached the barrier, for it was my intention to m=
ove
cautiously by day over the ice-pack that I might discover, before I had run
into a trap, if there really lay an inhabited country at the north pole, for
there only could I imagine a spot where Matai Shang might feel secure from =
John
Carter, Prince of Helium.
We were flying at=
a
snail's pace but a few feet above the ground--literally feeling our way alo=
ng
through the darkness, for both moons had set, and the night was black with =
the
clouds that are to be found only at Mars's two extremities.
Suddenly a toweri=
ng
wall of white rose directly in our path, and though I threw the helm hard o=
ver,
and reversed our engine, I was too late to avoid collision. With a sickening
crash we struck the high looming obstacle three-quarters on.
The flier reeled =
half
over; the engine stopped; as one, the patched buoyancy tanks burst, and we
plunged, headforemost, to the ground twenty feet beneath.
Fortunately none =
of
us was injured, and when we had disentangled ourselves from the wreckage, a=
nd
the lesser moon had burst again from below the horizon, we found that we we=
re
at the foot of a mighty ice-barrier, from which outcropped great patches of=
the
granite hills which hold it from encroaching farther toward the south.
What fate! With the journey all but completed to b=
e thus
wrecked upon the wrong side of that precipitous and unscalable wall of rock=
and
ice!
I looked at Thuvan
Dihn. He but shook his head deject=
edly.
The balance of the
night we spent shivering in our inadequate sleeping silks and furs upon the
snow that lies at the foot of the ice-barrier.
With daylight my
battered spirits regained something of their accustomed hopefulness, though=
I
must admit that there was little enough for them to feed upon.
"What shall =
we
do?" asked Thuvan Dihn. "=
;How
may we pass that which is impassable?"
"First we mu=
st
disprove its impassability," I replied.
"Nor shall I admit that it is impassable before I have followed=
its
entire circle and stand again upon this spot, defeated. The sooner we start, the better, for I =
see no
other way, and it will take us more than a month to travel the weary, frigid
miles that lie before us."
For five days of =
cold
and suffering and privation we traversed the rough and frozen way which lie=
s at
the foot of the ice-barrier. Fierce, fur-bearing creatures attacked us by
daylight and by dark. Never for a moment were we safe from the sudden charg=
e of
some huge demon of the north.
The apt was our m=
ost
consistent and dangerous foe.
It is a huge,
white-furred creature with six limbs, four of which, short and heavy, carry=
it
swiftly over the snow and ice; while the other two, growing forward from its
shoulders on either side of its long, powerful neck, terminate in white,
hairless hands, with which it seizes and holds its prey.
Its head and mouth
are more similar in appearance to those of a hippopotamus than to any other
earthly animal, except that from the sides of the lower jawbone two mighty
horns curve slightly downward toward the front.
Its two huge eyes
inspired my greatest curiosity. Th=
ey
extend in two vast, oval patches from the center of the top of the cranium =
down
either side of the head to below the roots of the horns, so that these weap=
ons
really grow out from the lower part of the eyes, which are composed of seve=
ral
thousand ocelli each.
This eye structure
seemed remarkable in a beast whose haunts were upon a glaring field of ice =
and
snow, and though I found upon minute examination of several that we killed =
that
each ocellus is furnished with its own lid, and that the animal can at will
close as many of the facets of his huge eyes as he chooses, yet I was posit=
ive
that nature had thus equipped him because much of his life was to be spent =
in
dark, subterranean recesses.
Shortly after thi=
s we
came upon the hugest apt that we had seen. The creature stood fully eight f=
eet
at the shoulder, and was so sleek and clean and glossy that I could have sw=
orn
that he had but recently been groomed.
He stood head-on
eyeing us as we approached him, for we had found it a waste of time to atte=
mpt
to escape the perpetual bestial rage which seems to possess these demon
creatures, who rove the dismal north attacking every living thing that come=
s within
the scope of their far-seeing eyes.
Even when their
bellies are full and they can eat no more, they kill purely for the pleasure
which they derive from taking life, and so when this particular apt failed =
to
charge us, and instead wheeled and trotted away as we neared him, I should =
have
been greatly surprised had I not chanced to glimpse the sheen of a golden
collar about its neck.
Thuvan Dihn saw i=
t,
too, and it carried the same message of hope to us both. Only man could have placed that collar =
there,
and as no race of Martians of which we knew aught ever had attempted to dom=
esticate
the ferocious apt, he must belong to a people of the north of whose very
existence we were ignorant--possibly to the fabled yellow men of Barsoom; t=
hat
once powerful race which was supposed to be extinct, though sometimes, by
theorists, thought still to exist in the frozen north.
Simultaneously we
started upon the trail of the great beast. Woola was quickly made to unders=
tand
our desires, so that it was unnecessary to attempt to keep in sight of the
animal whose swift flight over the rough ground soon put him beyond our vis=
ion.
For the better pa=
rt
of two hours the trail paralleled the barrier, and then suddenly turned tow=
ard
it through the roughest and seemingly most impassable country I ever had
beheld.
Enormous granite
boulders blocked the way on every hand; deep rifts in the ice threatened to
engulf us at the least misstep; and from the north a slight breeze wafted to
our nostrils an unspeakable stench that almost choked us.
For another two h=
ours
we were occupied in traversing a few hundred yards to the foot of the barri=
er.
Then, turning abo=
ut
the corner of a wall-like outcropping of granite, we came upon a smooth are=
a of
two or three acres before the base of the towering pile of ice and rock that
had baffled us for days, and before us beheld the dark and cavernous mouth =
of a
cave.
From this repelli=
ng
portal the horrid stench was emanating, and as Thuvan Dihn espied the place=
he
halted with an exclamation of profound astonishment.
"By all my
ancestors!" he ejaculated.
"That I should have lived to witness the reality of the fabled
Carrion Caves! If these indeed be =
they,
we have found a way beyond the ice-barrier.
"The ancient
chronicles of the first historians of Barsoom--so ancient that we have for =
ages
considered them mythology--record the passing of the yellow men from the
ravages of the green hordes that overran Barsoom as the drying up of the gr=
eat
oceans drove the dominant races from their strongholds.
"They tell of
the wanderings of the remnants of this once powerful race, harassed at every
step, until at last they found a way through the ice-barrier of the north t=
o a
fertile valley at the pole.
"At the open=
ing
to the subterranean passage that led to their haven of refuge a mighty batt=
le
was fought in which the yellow men were victorious, and within the caves th=
at
gave ingress to their new home they piled the bodies of the dead, both yell=
ow
and green, that the stench might warn away their enemies from further pursu=
it.
"And ever si=
nce
that long-gone day have the dead of this fabled land been carried to the
Carrion Caves, that in death and decay they might serve their country and w=
arn
away invading enemies. Here, too, =
is
brought, so the fable runs, all the waste stuff of the nation--everything t=
hat
is subject to rot, and that can add to the foul stench that assails our
nostrils.
"And death l=
urks
at every step among rotting dead, for here the fierce apts lair, adding to =
the
putrid accumulation with the fragments of their own prey which they cannot
devour. It is a horrid avenue to o=
ur
goal, but it is the only one."
"You are sur=
e,
then, that we have found the way to the land of the yellow men?" I cri=
ed.
"As sure as =
may
be," he replied; "having only ancient legend to support my
belief. But see how closely, so fa=
r,
each detail tallies with the world-old story of the hegira of the yellow
race. Yes, I am sure that we have
discovered the way to their ancient hiding place."
"If it be tr=
ue,
and let us pray that such may be the case," I said, "then here ma=
y we
solve the mystery of the disappearance of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium, and
Mors Kajak, his son, for no other spot upon Barsoom has remained unexplored=
by
the many expeditions and the countless spies that have been searching for t=
hem
for nearly two years. The last wor=
d that
came from them was that they sought Carthoris, my own brave son, beyond the
ice-barrier."
As we talked we h=
ad
been approaching the entrance to the cave, and as we crossed the threshold I
ceased to wonder that the ancient green enemies of the yellow men had been
halted by the horrors of that awful way.
The bones of dead=
men
lay man high upon the broad floor of the first cave, and over all was a put=
rid
mush of decaying flesh, through which the apts had beaten a hideous trail
toward the entrance to the second cave beyond.
The roof of this
first apartment was low, like all that we traversed subsequently, so that t=
he
foul odors were confined and condensed to such an extent that they seemed to
possess tangible substance. One was almost tempted to draw his short-sword =
and
hew his way through in search of pure air beyond.
"Can man bre=
athe
this polluted air and live?" asked Thuvan Dihn, choking.
"Not for lon=
g, I
imagine," I replied; "so let us make haste. I will go first, and you bring up the r=
ear,
with Woola between. Come," and with the words I dashed forward, across=
the
fetid mass of putrefaction.
It was not until =
we
had passed through seven caves of different sizes and varying but little in=
the
power and quality of their stenches that we met with any physical
opposition. Then, within the eight=
h cave,
we came upon a lair of apts.
A full score of t=
he
mighty beasts were disposed about the chamber. Some were sleeping, while ot=
hers
tore at the fresh-killed carcasses of new-brought prey, or fought among
themselves in their love-making.
Here in the dim l=
ight
of their subterranean home the value of their great eyes was apparent, for
these inner caves are shrouded in perpetual gloom that is but little less t=
han
utter darkness.
To attempt to pass
through the midst of that fierce herd seemed, even to me, the height of fol=
ly,
and so I proposed to Thuvan Dihn that he return to the outer world with Woo=
la,
that the two might find their way to civilization and come again with a suf=
ficient
force to overcome not only the apts, but any further obstacles that might l=
ie
between us and our goal.
"In the
meantime," I continued, "I may discover some means of winning my =
way
alone to the land of the yellow men, but if I am unsuccessful one life only
will have been sacrificed. Should =
we all
go on and perish, there will be none to guide a succoring party to Dejah Th=
oris
and your daughter."
"I shall not
return and leave you here alone, John Carter," replied Thuvan Dihn.
I knew from his t=
one
that it were useless to attempt to argue the question, and so I compromised=
by
sending Woola back with a hastily penned note enclosed in a small metal case
and fastened about his neck. I com=
manded
the faithful creature to seek Carthoris at Helium, and though half a world =
and
countless dangers lay between I knew that if the thing could be done Woola
would do it.
Equipped as he wa=
s by
nature with marvelous speed and endurance, and with frightful ferocity that
made him a match for any single enemy of the way, his keen intelligence and
wondrous instinct should easily furnish all else that was needed for the
successful accomplishment of his mission.
It was with evide=
nt reluctance
that the great beast turned to leave me in compliance with my command, and =
ere
he had gone I could not resist the inclination to throw my arms about his g=
reat
neck in a parting hug. He rubbed h=
is
cheek against mine in a final caress, and a moment later was speeding throu=
gh
the Carrion Caves toward the outer world.
In my note to
Carthoris I had given explicit directions for locating the Carrion Caves,
impressing upon him the necessity for making entrance to the country beyond
through this avenue, and not to attempt under any circumstances to cross the
ice-barrier with a fleet. I told h=
im
that what lay beyond the eighth cave I could not even guess; but I was sure
that somewhere upon the other side of the ice-barrier his mother lay in the
power of Matai Shang, and that possibly his grandfather and great-grandfath=
er
as well, if they lived.
Further, I advised
him to call upon Kulan Tith and the son of Thuvan Dihn for warriors and shi=
ps
that the expedition might be sufficiently strong to insure success at the f=
irst
blow.
"And," I
concluded, "if there be time bring Tars Tarkas with you, for if I live
until you reach me I can think of few greater pleasures than to fight once
more, shoulder to shoulder, with my old friend."
When Woola had le=
ft
us Thuvan Dihn and I, hiding in the seventh cave, discussed and discarded m=
any
plans for crossing the eighth chamber.
From where we stood we saw that the fighting among the apts was grow=
ing
less, and that many that had been feeding had ceased and lain down to sleep=
.
Presently it beca=
me
apparent that in a short time all the ferocious monsters might be peacefully
slumbering, and thus a hazardous opportunity be presented to us to cross
through their lair.
One by one the
remaining brutes stretched themselves upon the bubbling decomposition that
covered the mass of bones upon the floor of their den, until but a single a=
pt
remained awake. This huge fellow r=
oamed
restlessly about, nosing among his companions and the abhorrent litter of t=
he
cave.
Occasionally he w=
ould
stop to peer intently toward first one of the exits from the chamber and th=
en
the other. His whole demeanor was =
as of
one who acts as sentry.
We were at last
forced to the belief that he would not sleep while the other occupants of t=
he
lair slept, and so cast about in our minds for some scheme whereby we might
trick him. Finally I suggested a p=
lan to
Thuvan Dihn, and as it seemed as good as any that we had discussed we decid=
ed
to put it to the test.
To this end Thuvan
Dihn placed himself close against the cave's wall, beside the entrance to t=
he
eighth chamber, while I deliberately showed myself to the guardian apt as he
looked toward our retreat. Then I sprang to the opposite side of the entran=
ce,
flattening my body close to the wall.
Without a sound t=
he
great beast moved rapidly toward the seventh cave to see what manner of
intruder had thus rashly penetrated so far within the precincts of his
habitation.
As he poked his h=
ead
through the narrow aperture that connects the two caves a heavy long-sword =
was
awaiting him upon either hand, and before he had an opportunity to emit eve=
n a
single growl his severed head rolled at our feet.
Quickly we glanced
into the eighth chamber--not an apt had moved. Crawling over the carcass of=
the
huge beast that blocked the doorway Thuvan Dihn and I cautiously entered the
forbidding and dangerous den.
Like snails we wo=
und
our silent and careful way among the huge, recumbent forms. The only sound above our breathing was =
the
sucking noise of our feet as we lifted them from the ooze of decaying flesh=
through
which we crept.
Halfway across the
chamber and one of the mighty beasts directly before me moved restlessly at=
the
very instant that my foot was poised above his head, over which I must step=
.
Breathlessly I
waited, balancing upon one foot, for I did not dare move a muscle. In my right hand was my keen short-swor=
d, the
point hovering an inch above the thick fur beneath which beat the savage he=
art.
Finally the apt
relaxed, sighing, as with the passing of a bad dream, and resumed the regul=
ar
respiration of deep slumber. I pla=
nted
my raised foot beyond the fierce head and an instant later had stepped over=
the
beast.
Thuvan Dihn follo=
wed
directly after me, and another moment found us at the further door, undetec=
ted.
The Carrion Caves
consist of a series of twenty-seven connecting chambers, and present the
appearance of having been eroded by running water in some far-gone age when=
a
mighty river found its way to the south through this single breach in the
barrier of rock and ice that hems the country of the pole.
Thuvan Dihn and I
traversed the remaining nineteen caverns without adventure or mishap.
We were afterward=
to
learn that but once a month is it possible to find all the apts of the Carr=
ion
Caves in a single chamber.
At other times th=
ey
roam singly or in pairs in and out of the caves, so that it would have been
practically impossible for two men to have passed through the entire
twenty-seven chambers without encountering an apt in nearly every one of
them. Once a month they sleep for =
a full
day, and it was our good fortune to stumble by accident upon one of these
occasions.
Beyond the last c=
ave
we emerged into a desolate country of snow and ice, but found a well-marked
trail leading north. The way was b=
oulder-strewn,
as had been that south of the barrier, so that we could see but a short
distance ahead of us at any time.
After a couple of
hours we passed round a huge boulder to come to a steep declivity leading d=
own
into a valley.
Directly before u=
s we
saw a half dozen men--fierce, black-bearded fellows, with skins the color o=
f a
ripe lemon.
"The yellow =
men
of Barsoom!" ejaculated Thuvan Dihn, as though even now that he saw th=
em
he found it scarce possible to believe that the very race we expected to fi=
nd
hidden in this remote and inaccessible land did really exist.
We withdrew behin=
d an
adjacent boulder to watch the actions of the little party, which stood hudd=
led
at the foot of another huge rock, their backs toward us.
One of them was
peering round the edge of the granite mass as though watching one who
approached from the opposite side.
Presently the obj=
ect
of his scrutiny came within the range of my vision and I saw that it was
another yellow man. All were cloth=
ed in
magnificent furs--the six in the black and yellow striped hide of the orluk,
while he who approached alone was resplendent in the pure white skin of an =
apt.
The yellow men we=
re
armed with two swords, and a short javelin was slung across the back of eac=
h,
while from their left arms hung cuplike shields no larger than a dinner pla=
te,
the concave sides of which turned outward toward an antagonist.
They seemed puny =
and
futile implements of safety against an even ordinary swordsman, but I was l=
ater
to see the purpose of them and with what wondrous dexterity the yellow men
manipulate them.
One of the swords
which each of the warriors carried caught my immediate attention. I call it a sword, but really it was a =
sharp-edged
blade with a complete hook at the far end.
The other sword w=
as
of about the same length as the hooked instrument, and somewhere between th=
at
of my long-sword and my short-sword. It was straight and two-edged. In addition to the weapons I have enume=
rated
each man carried a dagger in his harness.
As the white-furr=
ed
one approached, the six grasped their swords more firmly--the hooked instru=
ment
in the left hand, the straight sword in the right, while above the left wri=
st
the small shield was held rigid upon a metal bracelet.
As the lone warri=
or
came opposite them the six rushed out upon him with fiendish yells that
resembled nothing more closely than the savage war cry of the Apaches of the
South-west.
Instantly the
attacked drew both his swords, and as the six fell upon him I witnessed as
pretty fighting as one might care to see.
With their sharp
hooks the combatants attempted to take hold of an adversary, but like light=
ning
the cupshaped shield would spring before the darting weapon and into its ho=
llow
the hook would plunge.
Once the lone war=
rior
caught an antagonist in the side with his hook, and drawing him close ran h=
is
sword through him.
But the odds were=
too
unequal, and, though he who fought alone was by far the best and bravest of
them all, I saw that it was but a question of time before the remaining five
would find an opening through his marvelous guard and bring him down.
Now my sympathies
have ever been with the weaker side of an argument, and though I knew nothi=
ng
of the cause of the trouble I could not stand idly by and see a brave man
butchered by superior numbers.
As a matter of fa=
ct I
presume I gave little attention to seeking an excuse, for I love a good fig=
ht
too well to need any other reason for joining in when one is afoot.
So it was that be=
fore
Thuvan Dihn knew what I was about he saw me standing by the side of the
white-clad yellow man, battling like mad with his five adversaries.
Thuvan Dihn was n=
ot
long in joining me; and, though we found the hooked weapon a strange and sa=
vage
thing with which to deal, the three of us soon despatched the five
black-bearded warriors who opposed us.
When the battle w=
as
over our new acquaintance turned to me, and removing the shield from his wr=
ist,
held it out. I did not know the
significance of his act, but judged that it was but a form of expressing his
gratitude to me.
I afterward learn=
ed
that it symbolized the offering of a man's life in return for some great fa=
vor
done him; and my act of refusing, which I had immediately done, was what was
expected of me.
"Then accept
from Talu, Prince of Marentina," said the yellow man, "this token=
of my
gratitude," and reaching beneath one of his wide sleeves he withdrew a
bracelet and placed it upon my arm. He
then went through the same ceremony with Thuvan Dihn.
Next he asked our
names, and from what land we hailed. He
seemed quite familiar with the geography of the outerworld, and when I said=
I
was from Helium he raised his brows.
"Ah," he
said, "you seek your ruler and his company?"
"Know you of
them?" I asked.
"But little =
more
than that they were captured by my uncle, Salensus Oll, Jeddak of Jeddaks,
Ruler of Okar, land of the yellow men of Barsoom. As to their fate I know nothing, for I =
am at
war with my uncle, who would crush my power in the principality of Marentin=
a.
"These from =
whom
you have just saved me are warriors he has sent out to find and slay me, for
they know that often I come alone to hunt and kill the sacred apt which
Salensus Oll so much reveres. It is partly because I hate his religion that
Salensus Oll hates me; but mostly does he fear my growing power and the gre=
at
faction which has arisen throughout Okar that would be glad to see me ruler=
of
Okar and Jeddak of Jeddaks in his place.
"He is a cru=
el
and tyrannous master whom all hate, and were it not for the great fear they
have of him I could raise an army overnight that would wipe out the few that
might remain loyal to him. My own =
people
are faithful to me, and the little valley of Marentina has paid no tribute =
to
the court of Salensus Oll for a year.
"Nor can he
force us, for a dozen men may hold the narrow way to Marentina against a
million. But now, as to thine own
affairs. How may I aid you? My pal=
ace is
at your disposal, if you wish to honor me by coming to Marentina."
"When our wo=
rk
is done we shall be glad to accept your invitation," I replied. "But now you can assist us most by
directing us to the court of Salensus Oll, and suggesting some means by whi=
ch
we may gain admission to the city and the palace, or whatever other place we
find our friends to be confined."
Talu gazed rueful=
ly
at our smooth faces and at Thuvan Dihn's red skin and my white one.
"First you m=
ust
come to Marentina," he said, "for a great change must be wrought =
in
your appearance before you can hope to enter any city in Okar. You must have yellow faces and black be=
ards, and
your apparel and trappings must be those least likely to arouse suspicion.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> In my palace is one who can make you ap=
pear
as truly yellow men as does Salensus Oll himself."
His counsel seemed
wise; and as there was apparently no other way to insure a successful entry=
to
Kadabra, the capital city of Okar, we set out with Talu, Prince of Marentin=
a,
for his little, rock-bound country.
The way was over =
some
of the worst traveling I have ever seen, and I do not wonder that in this l=
and
where there are neither thoats nor fliers that Marentina is in little fear =
of
invasion; but at last we reached our destination, the first view of which I=
had
from a slight elevation a half-mile from the city.
Nestled in a deep
valley lay a city of Martian concrete, whose every street and plaza and open
space was roofed with glass. All a=
bout
lay snow and ice, but there was none upon the rounded, domelike, crystal
covering that enveloped the whole city.
Then I saw how th=
ese
people combated the rigors of the arctic, and lived in luxury and comfort in
the midst of a land of perpetual ice.
Their cities were veritable hothouses, and when I had come within th=
is
one my respect and admiration for the scientific and engineering skill of t=
his
buried nation was unbounded.
The moment we ent=
ered
the city Talu threw off his outer garments of fur, as did we, and I saw that
his apparel differed but little from that of the red races of Barsoom. Except for his leathern harness, covered
thick with jewels and metal, he was naked, nor could one have comfortably w=
orn
apparel in that warm and humid atmosphere.
For three days we
remained the guests of Prince Talu, and during that time he showered upon us
every attention and courtesy within his power.
He showed us all that was of interest in his great city.
The Marentina
atmosphere plant will maintain life indefinitely in the cities of the north
pole after all life upon the balance of dying Mars is extinct through the
failure of the air supply, should the great central plant again cease
functioning as it did upon that memorable occasion that gave me the opportu=
nity
of restoring life and happiness to the strange world that I had already lea=
rned
to love so well.
He showed us the
heating system that stores the sun's rays in great reservoirs beneath the c=
ity,
and how little is necessary to maintain the perpetual summer heat of the
glorious garden spot within this arctic paradise.
Broad avenues of =
sod
sewn with the seed of the ocher vegetation of the dead sea bottoms carried =
the
noiseless traffic of light and airy ground fliers that are the only form of
artificial transportation used north of the gigantic ice-barrier.
The broad tires of
these unique fliers are but rubber-like gas bags filled with the eighth
Barsoomian ray, or ray of propulsion--that remarkable discovery of the Mart=
ians
that has made possible the great fleets of mighty airships that render the =
red
man of the outer world supreme. It=
is
this ray which propels the inherent or reflected light of the planet off in=
to
space, and when confined gives to the Martian craft their airy buoyancy.
The ground fliers=
of
Marentina contain just sufficient buoyancy in their automobile-like wheels =
to
give the cars traction for steering purposes; and though the hind wheels are
geared to the engine, and aid in driving the machine, the bulk of this work=
is
carried by a small propeller at the stern.
I know of no more
delightful sensation than that of riding in one of these luxuriously appoin=
ted
cars which skim, light and airy as feathers, along the soft, mossy avenues =
of
Marentina. They move with absolute=
noiselessness
between borders of crimson sward and beneath arching trees gorgeous with the
wondrous blooms that mark so many of the highly cultivated varieties of
Barsoomian vegetation.
By the end of the
third day the court barber--I can think of no other earthly appellation by
which to describe him--had wrought so remarkable a transformation in both
Thuvan Dihn and myself that our own wives would never have known us. Our skins were of the same lemon color =
as his
own, and great, black beards and mustaches had been deftly affixed to our
smooth faces. The trappings of war=
riors
of Okar aided in the deception; and for wear beyond the hothouse cities we =
each
had suits of the black- and yellow-striped orluk.
Talu gave us care=
ful
directions for the journey to Kadabra, the capital city of the Okar nation,
which is the racial name of the yellow men.
This good friend even accompanied us part way, and then, promising to
aid us in any way that he found possible, bade us adieu.
On parting he sli=
pped
upon my finger a curiously wrought ring set with a dead-black, lusterless
stone, which appeared more like a bit of bituminous coal than the priceless
Barsoomian gem which in reality it is.
"There had b=
een
but three others cut from the mother stone," he said, "which is i=
n my
possession. These three are worn by
nobles high in my confidence, all of whom have been sent on secret missions=
to
the court of Salensus Oll.
"Should you =
come
within fifty feet of any of these three you will feel a rapid, pricking
sensation in the finger upon which you wear this ring. He who wears one of its mates will expe=
rience
the same feeling; it is caused by an electrical action that takes place the=
moment
two of these gems cut from the same mother stone come within the radius of =
each
other's power. By it you will know=
that
a friend is at hand upon whom you may depend for assistance in time of need=
.
"Should anot=
her
wearer of one of these gems call upon you for aid do not deny him, and shou=
ld
death threaten you swallow the ring rather than let it fall into the hands =
of
enemies. Guard it with your life, =
John
Carter, for some day it may mean more than life to you."
With this parting
admonition our good friend turned back toward Marentina, and we set our fac=
es
in the direction of the city of Kadabra and the court of Salensus Oll, Jedd=
ak
of Jeddaks.
That very evening=
we
came within sight of the walled and glass-roofed city of Kadabra. It lies in a low depression near the po=
le, surrounded
by rocky, snow-clad hills. From th=
e pass
through which we entered the valley we had a splendid view of this great ci=
ty
of the north. Its crystal domes sp=
arkled
in the brilliant sunlight gleaming above the frost-covered outer wall that
circles the entire one hundred miles of its circumference.
At regular interv=
als
great gates give entrance to the city; but even at the distance from which =
we
looked upon the massive pile we could see that all were closed, and, in
accordance with Talu's suggestion, we deferred attempting to enter the city
until the following morning.
As he had said, we
found numerous caves in the hillsides about us, and into one of these we cr=
ept
for the night. Our warm orluk skin=
s kept
us perfectly comfortable, and it was only after a most refreshing sleep tha=
t we
awoke shortly after daylight on the following morning.
Already the city =
was
astir, and from several of the gates we saw parties of yellow men
emerging. Following closely each d=
etail of
the instructions given us by our good friend of Marentina, we remained
concealed for several hours until one party of some half dozen warriors had
passed along the trail below our hiding place and entered the hills by way =
of
the pass along which we had come the previous evening.
After giving them
time to get well out of sight of our cave, Thuvan Dihn and I crept out and
followed them, overtaking them when they were well into the hills.
When we had come
almost to them I called aloud to their leader, when the whole party halted =
and
turned toward us. The crucial test=
had come. Could we but deceive these men the rest=
would
be comparatively easy.
"Kaor!"=
I
cried as I came closer to them.
"Kaor!"
responded the officer in charge of the party.
"We be from
Illall," I continued, giving the name of the most remote city of Okar,
which has little or no intercourse with Kadabra. "Only yesterday we
arrived, and this morning the captain of the gate told us that you were set=
ting
out to hunt orluks, which is a sport we do not find in our own
neighborhood. We have hastened aft=
er you
to pray that you allow us to accompany you."
The officer was
entirely deceived, and graciously permitted us to go with them for the
day. The chance guess that they we=
re
bound upon an orluk hunt proved correct, and Talu had said that the chances
were ten to one that such would be the mission of any party leaving Kadabra=
by
the pass through which we entered the valley, since that way leads directly=
to
the vast plains frequented by this elephantine beast of prey.
In so far as the =
hunt
was concerned, the day was a failure, for we did not see a single orluk; bu=
t this
proved more than fortunate for us, since the yellow men were so chagrined by
their misfortune that they would not enter the city by the same gate by whi=
ch
they had left it in the morning, as it seemed that they had made great boas=
ts
to the captain of that gate about their skill at this dangerous sport.
We, therefore,
approached Kadabra at a point several miles from that at which the party had
quitted it in the morning, and so were relieved of the danger of embarrassi=
ng
questions and explanations on the part of the gate captain, whom we had said
had directed us to this particular hunting party.
We had come quite
close to the city when my attention was attracted toward a tall, black shaft
that reared its head several hundred feet into the air from what appeared t=
o be
a tangled mass of junk or wreckage, now partially snow-covered.
I did not dare
venture an inquiry for fear of arousing suspicion by evident ignorance of
something which as a yellow man I should have known; but before we reached =
the
city gate I was to learn the purpose of that grim shaft and the meaning of =
the
mighty accumulation beneath it.
We had come almos=
t to
the gate when one of the party called to his fellows, at the same time poin=
ting
toward the distant southern horizon.
Following the direction he indicated, my eyes descried the hull of a
large flier approaching rapidly from above the crest of the encircling hill=
s.
"Still other
fools who would solve the mysteries of the forbidden north," said the
officer, half to himself. "Wi=
ll
they never cease their fatal curiosity?"
"Let us hope
not," answered one of the warriors, "for then what should we do f=
or
slaves and sport?"
"True; but w=
hat
stupid beasts they are to continue to come to a region from whence none of =
them
ever has returned."
"Let us tarry
and watch the end of this one," suggested one of the men.
The officer looked
toward the city.
"The watch h=
as
seen him," he said; "we may remain, for we may be needed."
I looked toward t=
he
city and saw several hundred warriors issuing from the nearest gate. They moved leisurely, as though there w=
ere no
need for haste--nor was there, as I was presently to learn.
Then I turned my =
eyes
once more toward the flier. She was
moving rapidly toward the city, and when she had come close enough I was su=
rprised
to see that her propellers were idle.
Straight for that
grim shaft she bore. At the last m=
inute
I saw the great blades move to reverse her, yet on she came as though drawn=
by
some mighty, irresistible power.
Intense excitement
prevailed upon her deck, where men were running hither and thither, manning=
the
guns and preparing to launch the small, one-man fliers, a fleet of which is
part of the equipment of every Martian war vessel. Closer and closer to the black shaft th=
e ship
sped. In another instant she must
strike, and then I saw the familiar signal flown that sends the lesser boat=
s in
a great flock from the deck of the mother ship.
Instantly a hundr=
ed
tiny fliers rose from her deck, like a swarm of huge dragon flies; but scar=
cely
were they clear of the battleship than the nose of each turned toward the
shaft, and they, too, rushed on at frightful speed toward the same now
seemingly inevitable end that menaced the larger vessel.
A moment later the
collision came. Men were hurled in=
every
direction from the ship's deck, while she, bent and crumpled, took the last,
long plunge to the scrap-heap at the shaft's base.
With her fell a
shower of her own tiny fliers, for each of them had come in violent collisi=
on
with the solid shaft.
I noticed that the
wrecked fliers scraped down the shaft's side, and that their fall was not as
rapid as might have been expected; and then suddenly the secret of the shaft
burst upon me, and with it an explanation of the cause that prevented a fli=
er
that passed too far across the ice-barrier ever returning.
The shaft was a
mighty magnet, and when once a vessel came within the radius of its powerful
attraction for the aluminum steel that enters so largely into the construct=
ion
of all Barsoomian craft, no power on earth could prevent such an end as we =
had
just witnessed.
I afterward learn=
ed
that the shaft rests directly over the magnetic pole of Mars, but whether t=
his
adds in any way to its incalculable power of attraction I do not know. I am a fighting man, not a scientist.
Here, at last, wa=
s an
explanation of the long absence of Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak. These valiant and intrepid warriors had=
dared
the mysteries and dangers of the frozen north to search for Carthoris, whose
long absence had bowed in grief the head of his beautiful mother, Dejah Tho=
ris,
Princess of Helium.
The moment that t=
he
last of the fliers came to rest at the base of the shaft the black-bearded,
yellow warriors swarmed over the mass of wreckage upon which they lay, maki=
ng
prisoners of those who were uninjured and occasionally despatching with a
sword-thrust one of the wounded who seemed prone to resent their taunts and
insults.
A few of the
uninjured red men battled bravely against their cruel foes, but for the most
part they seemed too overwhelmed by the horror of the catastrophe that had
befallen them to do more than submit supinely to the golden chains with whi=
ch
they were manacled.
When the last of =
the
prisoners had been confined, the party returned to the city, at the gate of
which we met a pack of fierce, gold-collared apts, each of which marched
between two warriors, who held them with strong chains of the same metal as
their collars.
Just beyond the g=
ate
the attendants loosened the whole terrible herd, and as they bounded off to=
ward
the grim, black shaft I did not need to ask to know their mission. Had there not been those within the cru=
el
city of Kadabra who needed succor far worse than the poor unfortunate dead =
and
dying out there in the cold upon the bent and broken carcasses of a thousand
fliers I could not have restrained my desire to hasten back and do battle w=
ith
those horrid creatures that had been despatched to rend and devour them.
As it was I could=
but
follow the yellow warriors, with bowed head, and give thanks for the chance
that had given Thuvan Dihn and me such easy ingress to the capital of Salen=
sus
Oll.
Once within the
gates, we had no difficulty in eluding our friends of the morning, and
presently found ourselves in a Martian hostelry.
The public houses=
of
Barsoom, I have found, vary but little.
There is no privacy for other than married couples.
Men without their
wives are escorted to a large chamber, the floor of which is usually of whi=
te
marble or heavy glass, kept scrupulously clean.
Here are many small, raised platforms for the guest's sleeping silks=
and
furs, and if he have none of his own clean, fresh ones are furnished at a
nominal charge.
Once a man's
belongings have been deposited upon one of these platforms he is a guest of=
the
house, and that platform his own until he leaves. No one will disturb or molest his belon=
gings,
as there are no thieves upon Mars.
As assassination =
is
the one thing to be feared, the proprietors of the hostelries furnish armed
guards, who pace back and forth through the sleeping-rooms day and night. The number of guards and gorgeousness of
their trappings quite usually denote the status of the hotel.
No meals are serv=
ed
in these houses, but generally a public eating place adjoins them. Baths are connected with the sleeping
chambers, and each guest is required to bathe daily or depart from the hote=
l.
Usually on a seco=
nd
or third floor there is a large sleeping-room for single women guests, but =
its
appointments do not vary materially from the chamber occupied by men. The guards who watch the women remain i=
n the
corridor outside the sleeping chamber, while female slaves pace back and fo=
rth
among the sleepers within, ready to notify the warriors should their presen=
ce
be required.
I was surprised to
note that all the guards with the hotel at which we stopped were red men, a=
nd
on inquiring of one of them I learned that they were slaves purchased by the
proprietors of the hotels from the government.
The man whose post was past my sleeping platform had been commander =
of
the navy of a great Martian nation; but fate had carried his flagship across
the ice-barrier within the radius of power of the magnetic shaft, and now f=
or
many tedious years he had been a slave of the yellow men.
He told me that
princes, jeds, and even jeddaks of the outer world, were among the menials =
who
served the yellow race; but when I asked him if he had heard of the fate of
Mors Kajak or Tardos Mors he shook his head, saying that he never had heard=
of
their being prisoners here, though he was very familiar with the reputation=
s and
fame they bore in the outer world.
Neither had he he=
ard
any rumor of the coming of the Father of Therns and the black dator of the
First Born, but he hastened to explain that he knew little of what took pla=
ce
within the palace. I could see tha=
t he
wondered not a little that a yellow man should be so inquisitive about cert=
ain
red prisoners from beyond the ice-barrier, and that I should be so ignorant=
of
customs and conditions among my own race.
In fact, I had
forgotten my disguise upon discovering a red man pacing before my sleeping
platform; but his growing expression of surprise warned me in time, for I h=
ad
no mind to reveal my identity to any unless some good could come of it, and=
I
did not see how this poor fellow could serve me yet, though I had it in my =
mind
that later I might be the means of serving him and all the other thousands =
of
prisoners who do the bidding of their stern masters in Kadabra.
Thuvan Dihn and I
discussed our plans as we sat together among our sleeping silks and furs th=
at
night in the midst of the hundreds of yellow men who occupied the apartment
with us. We spoke in low whispers,=
but,
as that is only what courtesy demands in a public sleeping place, we roused=
no
suspicion.
At last, determin=
ing
that all must be but idle speculation until after we had had a chance to
explore the city and attempt to put into execution the plan Talu had sugges=
ted,
we bade each other good night and turned to sleep.
After breakfasting
the following morning we set out to see Kadabra, and as, through the genero=
sity
of the prince of Marentina, we were well supplied with the funds current in
Okar we purchased a handsome ground flier.
Having learned to drive them while in Marentina, we spent a delightf=
ul
and profitable day exploring the city, and late in the afternoon at the hour
Talu told us we would find government officials in their offices, we stopped
before a magnificent building on the plaza opposite the royal grounds and t=
he
palace.
Here we walked bo=
ldly
in past the armed guard at the door, to be met by a red slave within who as=
ked
our wishes.
"Tell Sorav,
your master, that two warriors from Illall wish to take service in the pala=
ce
guard," I said.
Sorav, Talu had t=
old
us, was the commander of the forces of the palace, and as men from the furt=
her
cities of Okar--and especially Illall--were less likely to be tainted with =
the
germ of intrigue which had for years infected the household of Salensus Oll=
, he
was sure that we would be welcomed and few questions asked us.
He had primed us =
with
such general information as he thought would be necessary for us to pass mu=
ster
before Sorav, after which we would have to undergo a further examination be=
fore
Salensus Oll that he might determine our physical fitness and our ability as
warriors.
The little experi=
ence
we had had with the strange hooked sword of the yellow man and his cuplike
shield made it seem rather unlikely that either of us could pass this final
test, but there was the chance that we might be quartered in the palace of
Salensus Oll for several days after being accepted by Sorav before the Jedd=
ak of
Jeddaks would find time to put us to the final test.
After a wait of
several minutes in an ante-chamber we were summoned into the private office=
of
Sorav, where we were courteously greeted by this ferocious-appearing,
black-bearded officer. He asked us=
our
names and stations in our own city, and having received replies that were
evidently satisfactory to him, he put certain questions to us that Talu had
foreseen and prepared us for.
The interview cou=
ld
not have lasted over ten minutes when Sorav summoned an aid whom he instruc=
ted
to record us properly, and then escort us to the quarters in the palace whi=
ch
are set aside for aspirants to membership in the palace guard.
The aid took us to
his own office first, where he measured and weighed and photographed us
simultaneously with a machine ingeniously devised for that purpose, five co=
pies
being instantly reproduced in five different offices of the government, two=
of
which are located in other cities miles distant. Then he led us through the palace groun=
ds to
the main guardroom of the palace, there turning us over to the officer in
charge.
This individual a=
gain
questioned us briefly, and finally despatched a soldier to guide us to our
quarters. These we found located u=
pon the
second floor of the palace in a semi-detached tower at the rear of the edif=
ice.
When we asked our
guide why we were quartered so far from the guardroom he replied that the
custom of the older members of the guard of picking quarrels with aspirants=
to
try their metal had resulted in so many deaths that it was found difficult =
to
maintain the guard at its full strength while this custom prevailed. Salensus Oll had, therefore, set apart =
these
quarters for aspirants, and here they were securely locked against the dang=
er
of attack by members of the guard.
This unwelcome
information put a sudden check to all our well-laid plans, for it meant tha=
t we
should virtually be prisoners in the palace of Salensus Oll until the time =
that
he should see fit to give us the final examination for efficiency.
As it was this
interval upon which we had banked to accomplish so much in our search for D=
ejah
Thoris and Thuvia of Ptarth, our chagrin was unbounded when we heard the gr=
eat
lock click behind our guide as he had quitted us after ushering us into the
chambers we were to occupy.
With a wry face I
turned to Thuvan Dihn. My companio=
n but
shook his head disconsolately and walked to one of the windows upon the far
side of the apartment.
Scarcely had he g=
azed
beyond them than he called to me in a tone of suppressed excitement and
surprise. In an instant I was by h=
is side.
"Look!"
said Thuvan Dihn, pointing toward the courtyard below.
As my eyes follow=
ed
the direction indicated I saw two women pacing back and forth in an enclosed
garden.
At the same momen=
t I
recognized them--they were Dejah Thoris and Thuvia of Ptarth!
There were they w=
hom
I had trailed from one pole to another, the length of a world. Only ten feet of space and a few metal =
bars separated
me from them.
With a cry I
attracted their attention, and as Dejah Thoris looked up full into my eyes I
made the sign of love that the men of Barsoom make to their women.
To my astonishment
and horror her head went high, and as a look of utter contempt touched her
finely chiseled features she turned her back full upon me. My body is covered with the scars of a =
thousand
conflicts, but never in all my long life have I suffered such anguish from a
wound, for this time the steel of a woman's look had entered my heart.
With a groan I tu=
rned
away and buried my face in my arms. I heard
Thuvan Dihn call aloud to Thuvia, but an instant later his exclamation of
surprise betokened that he, too, had been repulsed by his own daughter.
"They will n=
ot
even listen," he cried to me.
"They have put their hands over their ears and walked to the
farther end of the garden. Ever heard you of such mad work, John Carter?
Presently I muste=
red
the courage to return to the window, for even though she spurned me I loved=
her,
and could not keep my eyes from feasting upon her divine face and figure, b=
ut
when she saw me looking she again turned away.
I was at my wit's=
end
to account for her strange actions, and that Thuvia, too, had turned against
her father seemed incredible. Coul=
d it
be that my incomparable princess still clung to the hideous faith from whic=
h I
had rescued her world? Could it be=
that
she looked upon me with loathing and contempt because I had returned from t=
he Valley
Dor, or because I had desecrated the temples and persons of the Holy Therns=
?
To naught else co=
uld
I ascribe her strange deportment, yet it seemed far from possible that such
could be the case, for the love of Dejah Thoris for John Carter had been a
great and wondrous love--far above racial distinctions, creed, or religion.=
As I gazed rueful=
ly
at the back of her haughty, royal head a gate at the opposite end of the ga=
rden
opened and a man entered. As he di=
d so
he turned and slipped something into the hand of the yellow guardsman beyond
the gate, nor was the distance too great that I might not see that money had
passed between them.
Instantly I knew =
that
this newcomer had bribed his way within the garden. Then he turned in the direction of the =
two
women, and I saw that he was none other than Thurid, the black dator of the=
First
Born.
He approached qui=
te
close to them before he spoke, and as they turned at the sound of his voice=
I
saw Dejah Thoris shrink from him.
There was a nasty
leer upon his face as he stepped close to her and spoke again. I could not hear his words, but her ans=
wer
came clearly.
"The
granddaughter of Tardos Mors can always die," she said, "but she
could never live at the price you name."
Then I saw the bl=
ack
scoundrel go upon his knees beside her, fairly groveling in the dirt, plead=
ing
with her. Only part of what he sai=
d came
to me, for though he was evidently laboring under the stress of passion and
excitement, it was equally apparent that he did not dare raise his voice for
fear of detection.
"I would save
you from Matai Shang," I heard him say.
"You know the fate that awaits you at his hands. Would you not choose me rather than the
other?"
"I would cho=
ose
neither," replied Dejah Thoris, "even were I free to choose, as y=
ou
know well I am not."
"You ARE
free!" he cried. "John C=
arter,
Prince of Helium, is dead."
"I know bett=
er
than that; but even were he dead, and I must needs choose another mate, it
should be a plant man or a great white ape in preference to either Matai Sh=
ang
or you, black calot," she answered with a sneer of contempt.
Of a sudden the
vicious beast lost all control of himself, as with a vile oath he leaped at=
the
slender woman, gripping her tender throat in his brute clutch. Thuvia screamed and sprang to aid her f=
ellow-prisoner,
and at the same instant I, too, went mad, and tearing at the bars that span=
ned
my window I ripped them from their sockets as they had been but copper wire=
.
Hurling myself
through the aperture I reached the garden, but a hundred feet from where the
black was choking the life from my Dejah Thoris, and with a single great bo=
und
I was upon him. I spoke no word as=
I
tore his defiling fingers from that beautiful throat, nor did I utter a sou=
nd
as I hurled him twenty feet from me.
Foaming with rage,
Thurid regained his feet and charged me like a mad bull.
"Yellow
man," he shrieked, "you knew not upon whom you had laid your vile
hands, but ere I am done with you, you will know well what it means to offe=
nd
the person of a First Born."
Then he was upon =
me,
reaching for my throat, and precisely as I had done that day in the courtya=
rd
of the Temple of Issus I did here in the garden of the palace of Salensus
Oll. I ducked beneath his outstret=
ched
arms, and as he lunged past me I planted a terrific right upon the side of =
his
jaw.
Just as he had do=
ne upon
that other occasion he did now. Li=
ke a top
he spun round, his knees gave beneath him, and he crumpled to the ground at=
my
feet. Then I heard a voice behind =
me.
It was the deep v=
oice
of authority that marks the ruler of men, and when I turned to face the
resplendent figure of a giant yellow man I did not need to ask to know that=
it
was Salensus Oll. At his right sto=
od
Matai Shang, and behind them a score of guardsmen.
"Who are
you," he cried, "and what means this intrusion within the precinc=
ts
of the women's garden? I do not re=
call
your face. How came you here?"=
;
But for his last
words I should have forgotten my disguise entirely and told him outright th=
at I
was John Carter, Prince of Helium; but his question recalled me to myself.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I pointed to the dislodged bars of the =
window
above.
"I am an
aspirant to membership in the palace guard," I said, "and from yo=
nder
window in the tower where I was confined awaiting the final test for fitnes=
s I
saw this brute attack the--this woman. =
span>I
could not stand idly by, O Jeddak, and see this thing done within the very
palace grounds, and yet feel that I was fit to serve and guard your royal
person."
I had evidently m=
ade
an impression upon the ruler of Okar by my fair words, and when he had turn=
ed
to Dejah Thoris and Thuvia of Ptarth, and both had corroborated my statemen=
ts
it began to look pretty dark for Thurid.
I saw the ugly gl=
eam
in Matai Shang's evil eyes as Dejah Thoris narrated all that had passed bet=
ween
Thurid and herself, and when she came to that part which dealt with my
interference with the dator of the First Born her gratitude was quite appar=
ent,
though I could see by her eyes that something puzzled her strangely.
I did not wonder =
at
her attitude toward me while others were present; but that she should have
denied me while she and Thuvia were the only occupants of the garden still =
cut
me sorely.
As the examination
proceeded I cast a glance at Thurid and startled him looking wide-eyed and
wonderingly at me, and then of a sudden he laughed full in my face.
A moment later
Salensus Oll turned toward the black.
"What have y=
ou
to say in explanation of these charges?" he asked in a deep and terrib=
le
voice. "Dare you aspire to on=
e whom
the Father of Therns has chosen--one who might even be a fit mate for the J=
eddak
of Jeddaks himself?"
And then the
black-bearded tyrant turned and cast a sudden greedy look upon Dejah Thoris=
, as
though with the words a new thought and a new desire had sprung up within h=
is
mind and breast.
Thurid had been a=
bout
to reply and, with a malicious grin upon his face, was pointing an accusing
finger at me, when Salensus Oll's words and the expression of his face cut =
him
short.
A cunning look cr=
ept
into his eyes, and I knew from the expression of his face that his next wor=
ds
were not the ones he had intended to speak.
"O Mightiest=
of
Jeddaks," he said, "the man and the women do not speak the
truth. The fellow had come into the
garden to assist them to escape. I=
was
beyond and overheard their conversation, and when I entered, the woman scre=
amed
and the man sprang upon me and would have killed me.
"What know y=
ou
of this man? He is a stranger to y=
ou,
and I dare say that you will find him an enemy and a spy. Let him be put on trial, Salensus Oll, =
rather
than your friend and guest, Thurid, Dator of the First Born."
Salensus Oll look=
ed
puzzled. He turned again and looke=
d upon
Dejah Thoris, and then Thurid stepped quite close to him and whispered some=
thing
in his ear--what, I know not.
Presently the yel=
low
ruler turned to one of his officers.
"See that th=
is
man be securely confined until we have time to go deeper into this
affair," he commanded, "and as bars alone seem inadequate to rest=
rain
him, let chains be added."
Then he turned and
left the garden, taking Dejah Thoris with him--his hand upon her shoulder.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Thurid and Matai Shang went also, and a=
s they
reached the gateway the black turned and laughed again aloud in my face.
What could be the
meaning of his sudden change toward me?
Could he suspect my true identity?
It must be that, and the thing that had betrayed me was the trick and
blow that had laid him low for the second time.
As the guards dra=
gged
me away my heart was very sad and bitter indeed, for now to the two relentl=
ess
enemies that had hounded her for so long another and a more powerful one had
been added, for I would have been but a fool had I not recognized the sudden
love for Dejah Thoris that had just been born in the terrible breast of Sal=
ensus
Oll, Jeddak of Jeddaks, ruler of Okar.
I did not languish
long within the prison of Salensus Oll.
During the short time that I lay there, fettered with chains of gold=
, I often
wondered as to the fate of Thuvan Dihn, Jeddak of Ptarth.
My brave companion
had followed me into the garden as I attacked Thurid, and when Salensus Oll=
had
left with Dejah Thoris and the others, leaving Thuvia of Ptarth behind, he,
too, had remained in the garden with his daughter, apparently unnoticed, fo=
r he
was appareled similarly to the guards.
The last I had se=
en
of him he stood waiting for the warriors who escorted me to close the gate
behind them, that he might be alone with Thuvia. Could it be possible that they had
escaped? I doubted it, and yet wit=
h all
my heart I hoped that it might be true.
The third day of =
my
incarceration brought a dozen warriors to escort me to the audience chamber,
where Salensus Oll himself was to try me.
A great number of nobles crowded the room, and among them I saw Thur=
id,
but Matai Shang was not there.
Dejah Thoris, as
radiantly beautiful as ever, sat upon a small throne beside Salensus Oll. The expression of sad hopelessness upon=
her dear
face cut deep into my heart.
Her position besi= de the Jeddak of Jeddaks boded ill for her and me, and on the instant that I s= aw her there, there sprang to my mind the firm intention never to leave that chamber alive if I must leave her in the clutches of this powerful tyrant.<= o:p>
I had killed bett=
er
men than Salensus Oll, and killed them with my bare hands, and now I swore =
to
myself that I should kill him if I found that the only way to save the Prin=
cess
of Helium. That it would mean almo=
st
instant death for me I cared not, except that it would remove me from furth=
er
efforts in behalf of Dejah Thoris, and for this reason alone I would have
chosen another way, for even though I should kill Salensus Oll that act wou=
ld
not restore my beloved wife to her own people.
I determined to wait the final outcome of the trial, that I might le=
arn
all that I could of the Okarian ruler's intentions, and then act accordingl=
y.
Scarcely had I co=
me
before him than Salensus Oll summoned Thurid also.
"Dator
Thurid," he said, "you have made a strange request of me; but, in
accordance with your wishes and your promise that it will result only to my
interests, I have decided to accede.
"You tell me
that a certain announcement will be the means of convicting this prisoner a=
nd,
at the same time, open the way to the gratification of my dearest wish.&quo=
t;
Thurid nodded.
"Then shall I
make the announcement here before all my nobles," continued Salensus
Oll. "For a year no queen has=
sat
upon the throne beside me, and now it suits me to take to wife one who is r=
eputed
the most beautiful woman upon Barsoom. =
span>A
statement which none may truthfully deny.
"Nobles of O=
kar,
unsheathe your swords and do homage to Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium and
future Queen of Okar, for at the end of the allotted ten days she shall bec=
ome
the wife of Salensus Oll."
As the nobles drew
their blades and lifted them on high, in accordance with the ancient custom=
of
Okar when a jeddak announces his intention to wed, Dejah Thoris sprang to h=
er
feet and, raising her hand aloft, cried in a loud voice that they desist.
"I may not be
the wife of Salensus Oll," she pleaded, "for already I be a wife =
and
mother. John Carter, Prince of Hel=
ium,
still lives. I know it to be true, for I overheard Matai Shang tell his
daughter Phaidor that he had seen him in Kaor, at the court of Kulan Tith, =
Jeddak. A jeddak does not wed a married woman, =
nor
will Salensus Oll thus violate the bonds of matrimony."
Salensus Oll turn=
ed
upon Thurid with an ugly look.
"Is this the
surprise you held in store for me?" he cried. "You assured me that no obstacle w=
hich
might not be easily overcome stood between me and this woman, and now I find
that the one insuperable obstacle intervenes.
What mean you, man? What ha=
ve you
to say?"
"And should I
deliver John Carter into your hands, Salensus Oll, would you not feel that I
had more than satisfied the promise that I made you?" answered Thurid.=
"Talk not li=
ke a
fool," cried the enraged jeddak.
"I am no child to be thus played with."
"I am talking
only as a man who knows," replied Thurid.
"Knows that he can do all that he claims."
"Then turn J=
ohn
Carter over to me within ten days or yourself suffer the end that I should =
mete
out to him were he in my power!" snapped the Jeddak of Jeddaks, with an
ugly scowl.
"You need not
wait ten days, Salensus Oll," replied Thurid; and then, turning sudden=
ly
upon me as he extended a pointing finger, he cried: "There stands John Carter, Prince =
of Helium!"
"Fool!"
shrieked Salensus Oll. "Fool!=
John Carter is a white man. This fellow be as yellow as myself. John Carter's face is smooth--Matai Sha=
ng has
described him to me. This prisoner=
has a
beard and mustache as large and black as any in Okar. Quick, guardsmen, to the pits with the =
black
maniac who wishes to throw his life away for a poor joke upon your ruler!&q=
uot;
"Hold!"
cried Thurid, and springing forward before I could guess his intention, he =
had
grasped my beard and ripped the whole false fabric from my face and head,
revealing my smooth, tanned skin beneath and my close-cropped black hair.
Instantly pandemo=
nium
reigned in the audience chamber of Salensus Oll. Warriors pressed forward with drawn bla=
des,
thinking that I might be contemplating the assassination of the Jeddak of
Jeddaks; while others, out of curiosity to see one whose name was familiar =
from
pole to pole, crowded behind their fellows.
As my identity was
revealed I saw Dejah Thoris spring to her feet--amazement writ large upon h=
er
face--and then through that jam of armed men she forced her way before any
could prevent. A moment only and s=
he was
before me with outstretched arms and eyes filled with the light of her great
love.
"John
Carter! John Carter!" she cri=
ed as
I folded her to my breast, and then of a sudden I knew why she had denied m=
e in
the garden beneath the tower.
What a fool I had
been! Expecting that she would pen=
etrate
the marvelous disguise that had been wrought for me by the barber of Marent=
ina! She had not known me, that was all; and=
when
she saw the sign of love from a stranger she was offended and righteously i=
ndignant. Indeed, but I had been a fool.
"And it was
you," she cried, "who spoke to me from the tower! How could I dream that my beloved Virgi=
nian
lay behind that fierce beard and that yellow skin?"
She had been wont=
to
call me her Virginian as a term of endearment, for she knew that I loved the
sound of that beautiful name, made a thousand times more beautiful and hall=
owed
by her dear lips, and as I heard it again after all those long years my eyes
became dimmed with tears and my voice choked with emotion.
But an instant di=
d I
crush that dear form to me ere Salensus Oll, trembling with rage and jealou=
sy,
shouldered his way to us.
"Seize the
man," he cried to his warriors, and a hundred ruthless hands tore us
apart.
Well it was for t=
he
nobles of the court of Okar that John Carter had been disarmed. As it was, a dozen of them felt the wei=
ght of
my clenched fists, and I had fought my way half up the steps before the thr=
one
to which Salensus Oll had carried Dejah Thoris ere ever they could stop me.=
Then I went down,
fighting, beneath a half-hundred warriors; but before they had battered me =
into
unconsciousness I heard that from the lips of Dejah Thoris that made all my
suffering well worth while.
Standing there be=
side
the great tyrant, who clutched her by the arm, she pointed to where I fought
alone against such awful odds.
"Think you,
Salensus Oll, that the wife of such as he is," she cried, "would =
ever
dishonor his memory, were he a thousand times dead, by mating with a lesser
mortal? Lives there upon any world=
such
another as John Carter, Prince of Helium?
Lives there another man who could fight his way back and forth acros=
s a
warlike planet, facing savage beasts and hordes of savage men, for the love=
of
a woman?
"I, Dejah
Thoris, Princess of Helium, am his. He
fought for me and won me. If you b=
e a
brave man you will honor the bravery that is his, and you will not kill
him. Make him a slave if you will,=
Salensus
Oll; but spare his life. I would r=
ather
be a slave with such as he than be Queen of Okar." "Neither sla=
ve
nor queen dictates to Salensus Oll," replied the Jeddak of Jeddaks.
I did not hear her
reply, for it was then that a blow upon my head brought unconsciousness, and
when I recovered my senses only a handful of guardsmen remained in the audi=
ence
chamber with me. As I opened my eyes they goaded me with the points of their
swords and bade me rise.
Then they led me
through long corridors to a court far toward the center of the palace.
In the center of =
the
court was a deep pit, near the edge of which stood half a dozen other
guardsmen, awaiting me. One of the=
m carried
a long rope in his hands, which he commenced to make ready as we approached=
.
We had come to wi=
thin
fifty feet of these men when I felt a sudden strange and rapid pricking
sensation in one of my fingers.
For a moment I wa=
s nonplused
by the odd feeling, and then there came to me recollection of that which in=
the
stress of my adventure I had entirely forgotten--the gift ring of Prince Ta=
lu
of Marentina.
Instantly I looked
toward the group we were nearing, at the same time raising my left hand to =
my
forehead, that the ring might be visible to one who sought it. Simultaneously one of the waiting warri=
ors
raised his left hand, ostensibly to brush back his hair, and upon one of his
fingers I saw the duplicate of my own ring.
A quick look of
intelligence passed between us, after which I kept my eyes turned away from=
the
warrior and did not look at him again, for fear that I might arouse the
suspicion of the Okarians. When we
reached the edge of the pit I saw that it was very deep, and presently I
realized I was soon to judge just how far it extended below the surface of =
the
court, for he who held the rope passed it about my body in such a way that =
it
could be released from above at any time; and then, as all the warriors gra=
sped
it, he pushed me forward, and I fell into the yawning abyss.
After the first j=
erk
as I reached the end of the rope that had been paid out to let me fall below
the pit's edge they lowered me quickly but smoothly. The moment before the plunge, while two=
or three
of the men had been assisting in adjusting the rope about me, one of them h=
ad
brought his mouth close to my cheek, and in the brief interval before I was
cast into the forbidding hole he breathed a single word into my ear:
"Courage!&qu=
ot;
The pit, which my=
imagination
had pictured as bottomless, proved to be not more than a hundred feet in de=
pth;
but as its walls were smoothly polished it might as well have been a thousa=
nd
feet, for I could never hope to escape without outside assistance.
For a day I was l=
eft
in darkness; and then, quite suddenly, a brilliant light illumined my stran=
ge
cell. I was reasonably hungry and
thirsty by this time, not having tasted food or drink since the day prior t=
o my
incarceration.
To my amazement I
found the sides of the pit, that I had thought smooth, lined with shelves, =
upon
which were the most delicious viands and liquid refreshments that Okar
afforded.
With an exclamati=
on
of delight I sprang forward to partake of some of the welcome food, but ere
ever I reached it the light was extinguished, and, though I groped my way a=
bout
the chamber, my hands came in contact with nothing beside the smooth, hard =
wall
that I had felt on my first examination of my prison.
Immediately the p=
angs
of hunger and thirst began to assail me. Where before I had had but a mild
craving for food and drink, I now actually suffered for want of it, and all
because of the tantalizing sight that I had had of food almost within my gr=
asp.
Once more darkness
and silence enveloped me, a silence that was broken only by a single mocking
laugh.
For another day
nothing occurred to break the monotony of my imprisonment or relieve the
suffering superinduced by hunger and thirst.
Slowly the pangs became less keen, as suffering deadened the activit=
y of
certain nerves; and then the light flashed on once again, and before me sto=
od
an array of new and tempting dishes, with great bottles of clear water and
flagons of refreshing wine, upon the outside of which the cold sweat of
condensation stood.
Again, with the
hunger madness of a wild beast, I sprang forward to seize those tempting
dishes; but, as before, the light went out and I came to a sudden stop agai=
nst
a hard wall.
Then the mocking
laugh rang out for a second time.
The Pit of Plenty=
!
Ah, what a cruel =
mind
must have devised this exquisite, hellish torture! Day after day was the thing repeated, u=
ntil I
was on the verge of madness; and then, as I had done in the pits of the War=
hoons,
I took a new, firm hold upon my reason and forced it back into the channels=
of
sanity.
By sheer will-pow=
er I
regained control over my tottering mentality, and so successful was I that =
the
next time that the light came I sat quite still and looked indifferently at=
the
fresh and tempting food almost within my reach.
Glad I was that I had done so, for it gave me an opportunity to solve
the seeming mystery of those vanishing banquets.
As I made no move=
to
reach the food, the torturers left the light turned on in the hope that at =
last
I could refrain no longer from giving them the delicious thrill of enjoyment
that my former futile efforts to obtain it had caused.
And as I sat
scrutinizing the laden shelves I presently saw how the thing was accomplish=
ed,
and so simple was it that I wondered I had not guessed it before. The wall of my prison was of clearest g=
lass--behind
the glass were the tantalizing viands.
After nearly an h=
our
the light went out, but this time there was no mocking laughter--at least n=
ot
upon the part of my tormentors; but I, to be at quits with them, gave a low
laugh that none might mistake for the cackle of a maniac.
Nine days passed,=
and
I was weak from hunger and thirst, but no longer suffering--I was past
that. Then, down through the darkn=
ess above,
a little parcel fell to the floor at my side.
Indifferently I
groped for it, thinking it but some new invention of my jailers to add to my
sufferings.
At last I found i=
t--a
tiny package wrapped in paper, at the end of a strong and slender cord. As I opened it a few lozenges fell to t=
he
floor. As I gathered them up, feel=
ing of
them and smelling of them, I discovered that they were tablets of concentra=
ted
food such as are quite common in all parts of Barsoom.
Poison! I thought=
.
Well, what of
it? Why not end my misery now rath=
er
than drag out a few more wretched days in this dark pit? Slowly I raised one of the little pelle=
ts to
my lips.
"Good-bye, my
Dejah Thoris!" I breathed. &q=
uot;I
have lived for you and fought for you, and now my next dearest wish is to be
realized, for I shall die for you," and, taking the morsel in my mouth=
, I devoured
it.
One by one I ate =
them
all, nor ever did anything taste better than those tiny bits of nourishment,
within which I knew must lie the seeds of death--possibly of some hideous,
torturing death.
As I sat quietly =
upon
the floor of my prison, waiting for the end, my fingers by accident came in
contact with the bit of paper in which the things had been wrapped; and as I
idly played with it, my mind roaming far back into the past, that I might l=
ive
again for a few brief moments before I died some of the many happy moments =
of a
long and happy life, I became aware of strange protuberances upon the smooth
surface of the parchment-like substance in my hands.
For a time they
carried no special significance to my mind--I merely was mildly wondrous th=
at
they were there; but at last they seemed to take form, and then I realized =
that
there was but a single line of them, like writing.
Now, more
interestedly, my fingers traced and retraced them. There were four separate and distinct
combinations of raised lines. Coul=
d it
be that these were four words, and that they were intended to carry a messa=
ge
to me?
The more I though=
t of
it the more excited I became, until my fingers raced madly back and forth o=
ver
those bewildering little hills and valleys upon that bit of paper.
But I could make
nothing of them, and at last I decided that my very haste was preventing me
from solving the mystery. Then I t=
ook it
more slowly. Again and again my
forefinger traced the first of those four combinations.
Martian writing is
rather difficult to explain to an Earth man--it is something of a cross bet=
ween
shorthand and picture-writing, and is an entirely different language from t=
he
spoken language of Mars.
Upon Barsoom ther=
e is
but a single oral language.
It is spoken toda=
y by
every race and nation, just as it was at the beginning of human life upon
Barsoom. It has grown with the gro=
wth of
the planet's learning and scientific achievements, but so ingenious a thing=
it
is that new words to express new thoughts or describe new conditions or dis=
coveries
form themselves--no other word could explain the thing that a new word is
required for other than the word that naturally falls to it, and so, no mat=
ter
how far removed two nations or races, their spoken languages are identical.=
Not so their writ=
ten
languages, however. No two nations=
have
the same written language, and often cities of the same nation have a writt=
en
language that differs greatly from that of the nation to which they belong.=
Thus it was that =
the
signs upon the paper, if in reality they were words, baffled me for some ti=
me;
but at last I made out the first one.
It was
"courage," and it was written in the letters of Marentina.
Courage!
That was the word=
the
yellow guardsman had whispered in my ear as I stood upon the verge of the P=
it
of Plenty.
The message must =
be
from him, and he I knew was a friend.
With renewed hope=
I
bent my every energy to the deciphering of the balance of the message, and =
at
last success rewarded my endeavor--I had read the four words:
"Courage!
What could it mea=
n?
"Follow the
rope." What rope?
Presently I recal= led the cord that had been attached to the parcel when it fell at my side, and after a little groping my hand came in contact with it again. It depended from above, and when I pull= ed upon it I discovered that it was rigidly fastened, possibly at the pit's mouth.<= o:p>
Upon examination I
found that the cord, though small, was amply able to sustain the weight of
several men. Then I made another d=
iscovery--there
was a second message knotted in the rope at about the height of my head.
"Bring the r=
ope
with you. Beyond the knots lies
danger."
That was all there
was to this message. It was eviden=
tly
hastily formed--an afterthought.
I did not pause longer than to learn the contents of the second message, and, though I was = none too sure of the meaning of the final admonition, "Beyond the knots lies danger," yet I was sure that here before me lay an avenue of escape, a= nd that the sooner I took advantage of it the more likely was I to win to liberty.<= o:p>
At least, I could=
be
but little worse off than I had been in the Pit of Plenty.
I was to find,
however, ere I was well out of that damnable hole that I might have been ve=
ry
much worse off had I been compelled to remain there another two minutes.
It had taken me a=
bout
that length of time to ascend some fifty feet above the bottom when a noise
above attracted my attention. To m=
y chagrin
I saw that the covering of the pit was being removed far above me, and in t=
he
light of the courtyard beyond I saw a number of yellow warriors.
Could it be that I
was laboriously working my way into some new trap? Were the messages spurious, after all?<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> And then, just as my hope and courage h=
ad ebbed
to their lowest, I saw two things.
One was the body =
of a
huge, struggling, snarling apt being lowered over the side of the pit toward
me, and the other was an aperture in the side of the shaft--an aperture lar=
ger
than a man's body, into which my rope led.
Just as I scrambl=
ed
into the dark hole before me the apt passed me, reaching out with his mighty
hands to clutch me, and snapping, growling, and roaring in a most frightful
manner.
Plainly now I saw=
the
end for which Salensus Oll had destined me. After first torturing me with
starvation he had caused this fierce beast to be lowered into my prison to
finish the work that the jeddak's hellish imagination had conceived.
And then another
truth flashed upon me--I had lived nine days of the allotted ten which must
intervene before Salensus Oll could make Dejah Thoris his queen. The purpose of the apt was to insure my=
death
before the tenth day.
I almost laughed
aloud as I thought how Salensus Oll's measure of safety was to aid in defea=
ting
the very end he sought, for when they discovered that the apt was alone in =
the
Pit of Plenty they could not know but that he had completely devoured me, a=
nd
so no suspicion of my escape would cause a search to be made for me.
Coiling the rope =
that
had carried me thus far upon my strange journey, I sought for the other end,
but found that as I followed it forward it extended always before me. So this was the meaning of the words: "Follow the rope."
The tunnel through
which I crawled was low and dark. =
I had
followed it for several hundred yards when I felt a knot beneath my fingers=
. "Beyond
the knots lies danger."
Now I went with t=
he
utmost caution, and a moment later a sharp turn in the tunnel brought me to=
an
opening into a large, brilliantly lighted chamber.
The trend of the
tunnel I had been traversing had been slightly upward, and from this I judg=
ed
that the chamber into which I now found myself looking must be either on the
first floor of the palace or directly beneath the first floor.
Upon the opposite
wall were many strange instruments and devices, and in the center of the ro=
om
stood a long table, at which two men were seated in earnest conversation.
He who faced me w=
as a
yellow man--a little, wizened-up, pasty-faced old fellow with great eyes th=
at
showed the white round the entire circumference of the iris.
His companion was=
a
black man, and I did not need to see his face to know that it was Thurid, f=
or
there was no other of the First Born north of the ice-barrier.
Thurid was speaki=
ng
as I came within hearing of the men's voices.
"Solan,"=
; he
was saying, "there is no risk and the reward is great. You know that y=
ou
hate Salensus Oll and that nothing would please you more than to thwart him=
in
some cherished plan. There be noth=
ing
that he more cherishes today than the idea of wedding the beautiful Princes=
s of
Helium; but I, too, want her, and with your help I may win her.
"You need not
more than step from this room for an instant when I give you the signal.
"No! No!&quo=
t;
cried the little old man, springing after him, with a wild shriek. "Not that one! Not that one!
That controls the sunray tanks, and should you pull it too far down,=
all
Kadabra would be consumed by heat before I could replace it. Come away!
Come away! You know not with what mighty powers you play. This is the lever that you seek. Note well the symbol inlaid in white up=
on its
ebon surface."
Thurid approached=
and
examined the handle of the lever.
"Ah, a
magnet," he said. "I will
remember. It is settled then I take
it," he continued.
The old man
hesitated. A look of combined gree=
d and
apprehension overspread his none too beautiful features.
"Double the
figure," he said. "Even =
that
were all too small an amount for the service you ask. Why, I risk my life by even entertainin=
g you
here within the forbidden precincts of my station. Should Salensus Oll learn of it he woul=
d have
me thrown to the apts before the day was done."
"He dare not=
do
that, and you know it full well, Solan," contradicted the black. "Too great a power of life and dea=
th you
hold over the people of Kadabra for Salensus Oll ever to risk threatening y=
ou with
death. Before ever his minions cou=
ld lay
their hands upon you, you might seize this very lever from which you have j=
ust
warned me and wipe out the entire city."
"And myself =
into
the bargain," said Solan, with a shudder.
"But if you =
were
to die, anyway, you would find the nerve to do it," replied Thurid.
"Yes,"
muttered Solan, "I have often thought upon that very thing. Well, First
Born, is your red princess worth the price I ask for my services, or will y=
ou
go without her and see her in the arms of Salensus Oll tomorrow night?"=
;
"Take your
price, yellow man," replied Thurid, with an oath. "Half now and the balance when you=
have
fulfilled your contract."
With that the dat=
or
threw a well-filled money-pouch upon the table.
Solan opened the
pouch and with trembling fingers counted its contents. His weird eyes assum=
ed a
greedy expression, and his unkempt beard and mustache twitched with the mus=
cles
of his mouth and chin. It was quite
evident from his very mannerism that Thurid had keenly guessed the man's
weakness--even the clawlike, clutching movement of the fingers betokened the
avariciousness of the miser.
Having satisfied
himself that the amount was correct, Solan replaced the money in the pouch =
and
rose from the table.
"Now," =
he
said, "are you quite sure that you know the way to your destination? You must travel quickly to cover the gr=
ound
to the cave and from thence beyond the Great Power, all within a brief hour,
for no more dare I spare you."
"Let me repe=
at
it to you," said Thurid, "that you may see if I be letter-perfect=
."
"Proceed,&qu=
ot;
replied Solan.
"Through yon=
der
door," he commenced, pointing to a door at the far end of the apartmen=
t,
"I follow a corridor, passing three diverging corridors upon my right;
then into the fourth right-hand corridor straight to where three corridors
meet; here again I follow to the right, hugging the left wall closely to av=
oid
the pit.
"At the end =
of
this corridor I shall come to a spiral runway, which I must follow down ins=
tead
of up; after that the way is along but a single branchless corridor. Am I right?"
"Quite right,
Dator," answered Solan; "and now begone. Already have you tempted fate too long =
within
this forbidden place."
"Tonight, or
tomorrow, then, you may expect the signal," said Thurid, rising to go.=
"Tonight, or
tomorrow," repeated Solan, and as the door closed behind his guest the=
old
man continued to mutter as he turned back to the table, where he again dump=
ed
the contents of the money-pouch, running his fingers through the heap of
shining metal; piling the coins into little towers; counting, recounting, a=
nd
fondling the wealth the while he muttered on and on in a crooning undertone=
.
Presently his fin=
gers
ceased their play; his eyes popped wider than ever as they fastened upon the
door through which Thurid had disappeared.
The croon changed to a querulous muttering, and finally to an ugly
growl.
Then the old man =
rose
from the table, shaking his fist at the closed door. Now he raised his voice, and his words =
came
distinctly.
"Fool!"=
he
muttered. "Think you that for=
your
happiness Solan will give up his life?
If you escaped, Salensus Oll would know that only through my conniva=
nce
could you have succeeded. Then wou=
ld he
send for me. What would you have me
do? Reduce the city and myself to
ashes? No, fool, there is a better
way--a better way for Solan to keep thy money and be revenged upon Salensus
Oll."
He laughed in a
nasty, cackling note.
"Poor fool!<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> You may throw the great switch that wil=
l give
you the freedom of the air of Okar, and then, in fatuous security, go on wi=
th
thy red princess to the freedom of--death.
When you have passed beyond this chamber in your flight, what can
prevent Solan replacing the switch as it was before your vile hand touched =
it? Nothing;
and then the Guardian of the North will claim you and your woman, and Salen=
sus
Oll, when he sees your dead bodies, will never dream that the hand of Solan=
had
aught to do with the thing."
Then his voice
dropped once more into mutterings that I could not translate, but I had hea=
rd
enough to cause me to guess a great deal more, and I thanked the kind
Providence that had led me to this chamber at a time so filled with importa=
nce
to Dejah Thoris and myself as this.
But how to pass t=
he
old man now! The cord, almost invi=
sible
upon the floor, stretched straight across the apartment to a door upon the =
far
side.
There was no other
way of which I knew, nor could I afford to ignore the advice to "follow
the rope." I must cross this =
room, but
however I should accomplish it undetected with that old man in the very cen=
ter
of it baffled me.
Of course I might
have sprung in upon him and with my bare hands silenced him forever, but I =
had
heard enough to convince me that with him alive the knowledge that I had ga=
ined
might serve me at some future moment, while should I kill him and another be
stationed in his place Thurid would not come hither with Dejah Thoris, as w=
as
quite evidently his intention.
As I stood in the
dark shadow of the tunnel's end racking my brain for a feasible plan the wh=
ile
I watched, catlike, the old man's every move, he took up the money-pouch and
crossed to one end of the apartment, where, bending to his knees, he fumbled
with a panel in the wall.
Instantly I guess=
ed
that here was the hiding place in which he hoarded his wealth, and while he
bent there, his back toward me, I entered the chamber upon tiptoe, and with=
the
utmost stealth essayed to reach the opposite side before he should complete=
his
task and turn again toward the room's center.
Scarcely thirty
steps, all told, must I take, and yet it seemed to my overwrought imaginati=
on
that that farther wall was miles away; but at last I reached it, nor once h=
ad I
taken my eyes from the back of the old miser's head.
He did not turn u=
ntil
my hand was upon the button that controlled the door through which my way l=
ed,
and then he turned away from me as I passed through and gently closed the d=
oor.
For an instant I
paused, my ear close to the panel, to learn if he had suspected aught, but =
as
no sound of pursuit came from within I wheeled and made my way along the new
corridor, following the rope, which I coiled and brought with me as I advan=
ced.
But a short dista=
nce
farther on I came to the rope's end at a point where five corridors met.
A careful examina=
tion
of the end of the rope revealed the fact that it had been cleanly cut with =
some
sharp instrument. This fact and the
words that had cautioned me that danger lay beyond the KNOTS convinced me t=
hat
the rope had been severed since my friend had placed it as my guide, for I =
had
but passed a single knot, whereas there had evidently been two or more in t=
he
entire length of the cord.
Now, indeed, was =
I in
a pretty fix, for neither did I know which avenue to follow nor when danger=
lay
directly in my path; but there was nothing else to be done than follow one =
of
the corridors, for I could gain nothing by remaining where I was.
So I chose the
central opening, and passed on into its gloomy depths with a prayer upon my
lips.
The floor of the =
tunnel
rose rapidly as I advanced, and a moment later the way came to an abrupt end
before a heavy door.
I could hear noth=
ing
beyond, and, with my accustomed rashness, pushed the portal wide to step in=
to a
room filled with yellow warriors.
The first to see =
me
opened his eyes wide in astonishment, and at the same instant I felt the
tingling sensation in my finger that denoted the presence of a friend of the
ring.
Then others saw m=
e,
and there was a concerted rush to lay hands upon me, for these were all mem=
bers
of the palace guard--men familiar with my face.
The first to reac=
h me
was the wearer of the mate to my strange ring, and as he came close he
whispered: "Surrender to me!&=
quot;
then in a loud voice shouted: &quo=
t;You
are my prisoner, white man," and menaced me with his two weapons.
And so John Carte=
r,
Prince of Helium, meekly surrendered to a single antagonist. The others now swarmed about us, asking=
many questions,
but I would not talk to them, and finally my captor announced that he would
lead me back to my cell.
An officer ordered
several other warriors to accompany him, and a moment later we were retraci=
ng
the way I had just come. My friend=
walked
close beside me, asking many silly questions about the country from which I=
had
come, until finally his fellows paid no further attention to him or his
gabbling.
Gradually, as he
spoke, he lowered his voice, so that presently he was able to converse with=
me
in a low tone without attracting attention.
His ruse was a clever one, and showed that Talu had not misjudged the
man's fitness for the dangerous duty upon which he was detailed.
When he had fully
assured himself that the other guardsmen were not listening, he asked me wh=
y I
had not followed the rope, and when I told him that it had ended at the five
corridors he said that it must have been cut by someone in need of a piece =
of
rope, for he was sure that "the stupid Kadabrans would never have gues=
sed
its purpose."
Before we had rea=
ched
the spot from which the five corridors diverge my Marentinian friend had
managed to drop to the rear of the little column with me, and when we came =
in
sight of the branching ways he whispered:
"Run up the
first upon the right. It leads to =
the
watchtower upon the south wall. I =
will
direct the pursuit up the next corridor," and with that he gave me a g=
reat
shove into the dark mouth of the tunnel, at the same time crying out in
simulated pain and alarm as he threw himself upon the floor as though I had
felled him with a blow.
From behind the
voices of the excited guardsmen came reverberating along the corridor, sudd=
enly
growing fainter as Talu's spy led them up the wrong passageway in fancied
pursuit.
As I ran for my l=
ife
through the dark galleries beneath the palace of Salensus Oll I must indeed
have presented a remarkable appearance had there been any to note it, for
though death loomed large about me, my face was split by a broad grin as I
thought of the resourcefulness of the nameless hero of Marentina to whom I =
owed
my life.
Of such stuff are=
the
men of my beloved Helium, and when I meet another of their kind, of whatever
race or color, my heart goes out to him as it did now to my new friend who =
had
risked his life for me simply because I wore the mate to the ring his ruler=
had
put upon his finger.
The corridor along
which I ran led almost straight for a considerable distance, terminating at=
the
foot of a spiral runway, up which I proceeded to emerge presently into a
circular chamber upon the first floor of a tower.
In this apartment=
a
dozen red slaves were employed polishing or repairing the weapons of the ye=
llow
men. The walls of the room were li=
ned
with racks in which were hundreds of straight and hooked swords, javelins, =
and
daggers. It was evidently an
armory. There were but three warri=
ors
guarding the workers.
My eyes took in t=
he
entire scene at a glance. Here were
weapons in plenty! Here were sinew=
y red
warriors to wield them!
And here now was =
John
Carter, Prince of Helium, in need both of weapons and warriors!
As I stepped into=
the
apartment, guards and prisoners saw me simultaneously.
Close to the entr=
ance
where I stood was a rack of straight swords, and as my hand closed upon the
hilt of one of them my eyes fell upon the faces of two of the prisoners who
worked side by side.
One of the guards
started toward me. "Who are y=
ou?"
he demanded. "What do you here?"
"I come for
Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium, and his son, Mors Kajak," I cried, poin=
ting
to the two red prisoners, who had now sprung to their feet, wide-eyed in
astonished recognition.
"Rise, red
men! Before we die let us leave a
memorial in the palace of Okar's tyrant that will stand forever in the anna=
ls
of Kadabra to the honor and glory of Helium," for I had seen that all =
the prisoners
there were men of Tardos Mors's navy.
Then the first
guardsman was upon me and the fight was on, but scarce did we engage ere, t=
o my
horror, I saw that the red slaves were shackled to the floor.
The guardsmen paid
not the slightest attention to their wards, for the red men could not move =
over
two feet from the great rings to which they were padlocked, though each had
seized a weapon upon which he had been engaged when I entered the room, and
stood ready to join me could they have but done so.
The yellow men
devoted all their attention to me, nor were they long in discovering that t=
he
three of them were none too many to defend the armory against John Carter.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Would that I had had my own good long-s=
word
in my hand that day; but, as it was, I rendered a satisfactory account of
myself with the unfamiliar weapon of the yellow man.
At first I had a =
time
of it dodging their villainous hook-swords, but after a minute or two I had
succeeded in wresting a second straight sword from one of the racks along t=
he
wall, and thereafter, using it to parry the hooks of my antagonists, I felt
more evenly equipped.
The three of them
were on me at once, and but for a lucky circumstance my end might have come
quickly. The foremost guardsman ma=
de a
vicious lunge for my side with his hook after the three of them had backed =
me
against the wall, but as I sidestepped and raised my arm his weapon but gra=
zed
my side, passing into a rack of javelins, where it became entangled.
Before he could
release it I had run him through, and then, falling back upon the tactics t=
hat
have saved me a hundred times in tight pinches, I rushed the two remaining
warriors, forcing them back with a perfect torrent of cuts and thrusts, wea=
ving
my sword in and out about their guards until I had the fear of death upon t=
hem.
Then one of them
commenced calling for help, but it was too late to save them.
They were as putt=
y in
my hands now, and I backed them about the armory as I would until I had them
where I wanted them--within reach of the swords of the shackled slaves. In an instant both lay dead upon the
floor. But their cries had not been
entirely fruitless, for now I heard answering shouts and the footfalls of m=
any
men running and the clank of accouterments and the commands of officers.
"The door! Quick, John Carter, bar the door!"=
cried
Tardos Mors.
Already the guard=
was
in sight, charging across the open court that was visible through the doorw=
ay.
A dozen seconds w=
ould
bring them into the tower. A singl=
e leap
carried me to the heavy portal. Wi=
th a
resounding bang I slammed it shut.
"The bar!&qu=
ot;
shouted Tardos Mors.
I tried to slip t=
he
huge fastening into place, but it defied my every attempt.
"Raise it a
little to release the catch," cried one of the red men.
I could hear the
yellow warriors leaping along the flagging just beyond the door. I raised the bar and shot it to the rig=
ht
just as the foremost of the guardsmen threw himself against the opposite si=
de
of the massive panels.
The barrier held-=
-I
had been in time, but by the fraction of a second only.
Now I turned my
attention to the prisoners. To Tar=
dos
Mors I went first, asking where the keys might be which would unfasten thei=
r fetters.
"The officer=
of
the guard has them," replied the Jeddak of Helium, "and he is amo=
ng
those without who seek entrance. Y=
ou
will have to force them."
Most of the priso=
ners
were already hacking at their bonds with the swords in their hands. The yellow men were battering at the do=
or with
javelins and axes.
I turned my atten=
tion
to the chains that held Tardos Mors.
Again and again I cut deep into the metal with my sharp blade, but e=
ver faster
and faster fell the torrent of blows upon the portal.
At last a link pa=
rted
beneath my efforts, and a moment later Tardos Mors was free, though a few
inches of trailing chain still dangled from his ankle.
A splinter of wood
falling inward from the door announced the headway that our enemies were ma=
king
toward us.
The mighty panels trembled and bent beneath the furious onslaught of the enraged yellow men.<= o:p>
What with the
battering upon the door and the hacking of the red men at their chains the =
din
within the armory was appalling. N=
o sooner
was Tardos Mors free than he turned his attention to another of the prisone=
rs,
while I set to work to liberate Mors Kajak.
We must work fast=
if
we would have all those fetters cut before the door gave way. Now a panel crashed inward upon the flo=
or,
and Mors Kajak sprang to the opening to defend the way until we should have
time to release the others.
With javelins
snatched from the wall he wrought havoc among the foremost of the Okarians
while we battled with the insensate metal that stood between our fellows and
freedom.
At length all but=
one
of the prisoners were freed, and then the door fell with a mighty crash bef=
ore
a hastily improvised battering-ram, and the yellow horde was upon us.
"To the upper
chambers!" shouted the red man who was still fettered
to the floor. "To the upper chambers! There you may defend the tower against =
all
Kadabra. Do not delay because of m=
e, who
could pray for no better death than in the service of Tardos Mors and the
Prince of Helium."
But I would have
sacrificed the life of every man of us rather than desert a single red man,
much less the lion-hearted hero who begged us to leave him.
"Cut his
chains," I cried to two of the red men, "while the balance of us =
hold
off the foe."
There were ten of=
us
now to do battle with the Okarian guard, and I warrant that that ancient
watchtower never looked down upon a more hotly contested battle than took p=
lace
that day within its own grim walls.
The first inrushi=
ng
wave of yellow warriors recoiled from the slashing blades of ten of Helium's
veteran fighting men. A dozen Okar=
ian
corpses blocked the doorway, but over the gruesome barrier a score more of
their fellows dashed, shouting their hoarse and hideous war-cry.
Upon the bloody m=
ound
we met them, hand to hand, stabbing where the quarters were too close to cu=
t,
thrusting when we could push a foeman to arm's length; and mingled with the
wild cry of the Okarian there rose and fell the glorious words: "For Helium! For Helium!" that for countless ag=
es have
spurred on the bravest of the brave to those deeds of valor that have sent =
the
fame of Helium's heroes broadcast throughout the length and breadth of a wo=
rld.
Now were the fett=
ers
struck from the last of the red men, and thirteen strong we met each new ch=
arge
of the soldiers of Salensus Oll. S=
carce
one of us but bled from a score of wounds, yet none had fallen.
From without we s=
aw
hundreds of guardsmen pouring into the courtyard, and along the lower corri=
dor
from which I had found my way to the armory we could hear the clank of metal
and the shouting of men.
In a moment we sh=
ould
be attacked from two sides, and with all our prowess we could not hope to
withstand the unequal odds which would thus divide our attention and our sm=
all
numbers.
"To the upper
chambers!" cried Tardos Mors, and a moment later we fell back toward t=
he
runway that led to the floors above.
Here another bloo=
dy
battle was waged with the force of yellow men who charged into the armory a=
s we
fell back from the doorway. Here w=
e lost
our first man, a noble fellow whom we could ill spare; but at length all had
backed into the runway except myself, who remained to hold back the Okarians
until the others were safe above.
In the mouth of t=
he
narrow spiral but a single warrior could attack me at a time, so that I had
little difficulty in holding them all back for the brief moment that was
necessary. Then, backing slowly be=
fore
them, I commenced the ascent of the spiral.
All the long way =
to
the tower's top the guardsmen pressed me closely. When one went down before=
my
sword another scrambled over the dead man to take his place; and thus, taki=
ng
an awful toll with each few feet gained, I came to the spacious glass-walled
watchtower of Kadabra.
Here my companions
clustered ready to take my place, and for a moment's respite I stepped to o=
ne
side while they held the enemy off.
From the lofty pe=
rch
a view could be had for miles in every direction. Toward the south stretched
the rugged, ice-clad waste to the edge of the mighty barrier. Toward the east and west, and dimly tow=
ard the
north I descried other Okarian cities, while in the immediate foreground, j=
ust
beyond the walls of Kadabra, the grim guardian shaft reared its somber head=
.
Then I cast my ey=
es
down into the streets of Kadabra, from which a sudden tumult had arisen, and
there I saw a battle raging, and beyond the city's walls I saw armed men
marching in great columns toward a near-by gate.
Eagerly I pressed
forward against the glass wall of the observatory, scarce daring to credit =
the
testimony of my own eyes. But at last I could doubt no longer, an=
d with
a shout of joy that rose strangely in the midst of the cursing and groaning=
of
the battling men at the entrance to the chamber, I called to Tardos Mors.
As he joined me I
pointed down into the streets of Kadabra and to the advancing columns beyon=
d,
above which floated bravely in the arctic air the flags and banners of Heli=
um.
An instant later
every red man in the lofty chamber had seen the inspiring sight, and such a
shout of thanksgiving arose as I warrant never before echoed through that
age-old pile of stone.
But still we must
fight on, for though our troops had entered Kadabra, the city was yet far f=
rom
capitulation, nor had the palace been even assaulted. Turn and turn about we held the top of =
the runway
while the others feasted their eyes upon the sight of our valiant countrymen
battling far beneath us.
Now they have rus=
hed
the palace gate! Great battering-r=
ams
are dashed against its formidable surface.
Now they are repulsed by a deadly shower of javelins from the wall's
top!
Once again they
charge, but a sortie by a large force of Okarians from an intersecting aven=
ue
crumples the head of the column, and the men of Helium go down, fighting,
beneath an overwhelming force.
The palace gate f= lies open and a force of the jeddak's own guard, picked men from the flower of t= he Okarian army, sallies forth to shatter the broken regiments. For a moment it looks as though nothing= could avert defeat, and then I see a noble figure upon a mighty thoat--not the ti= ny thoat of the red man, but one of his huge cousins of the dead sea bottoms.<= o:p>
The warrior hews =
his
way to the front, and behind him rally the disorganized soldiers of
Helium. As he raises his head alof=
t to fling
a challenge at the men upon the palace walls I see his face, and my heart
swells in pride and happiness as the red warriors leap to the side of their
leader and win back the ground that they had but just lost--the face of him
upon the mighty thoat is the face of my son--Carthoris of Helium.
At his side fight=
s a
huge Martian war-hound, nor did I need a second look to know that it was
Woola--my faithful Woola who had thus well performed his arduous task and
brought the succoring legions in the nick of time.
"In the nick=
of
time?"
Who yet might say
that they were not too late to save, but surely they could avenge! And such retribution as that unconquere=
d army
would deal out to the hateful Okarians!
I sighed to think that I might not be alive to witness it.
Again I turned to=
the
windows. The red men had not yet f=
orced
the outer palace wall, but they were fighting nobly against the best that O=
kar
afforded--valiant warriors who contested every inch of the way.
Now my attention =
was
caught by a new element without the city wall--a great body of mounted warr=
iors
looming large above the red men. They were the huge green allies of Helium-=
-the
savage hordes from the dead sea bottoms of the far south.
In grim and terri=
ble
silence they sped on toward the gate, the padded hoofs of their frightful m=
ounts
giving forth no sound. Into the do=
omed
city they charged, and as they wheeled across the wide plaza before the pal=
ace
of the Jeddak of Jeddaks I saw, riding at their head, the mighty figure of
their mighty leader--Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark.
My wish, then, wa=
s to
be gratified, for I was to see my old friend battling once again, and though
not shoulder to shoulder with him, I, too, would be fighting in the same ca=
use
here in the high tower of Okar.
Nor did it seem t=
hat
our foes would ever cease their stubborn attacks, for still they came, thou=
gh
the way to our chamber was often clogged with the bodies of their dead. At times they would pause long enough t=
o drag
back the impeding corpses, and then fresh warriors would forge upward to ta=
ste
the cup of death.
I had been taking=
my
turn with the others in defending the approach to our lofty retreat when Mo=
rs
Kajak, who had been watching the battle in the street below, called aloud in
sudden excitement. There was a note of apprehension in his voice that broug=
ht
me to his side the instant that I could turn my place over to another, and =
as I
reached him he pointed far out across the waste of snow and ice toward the
southern horizon.
"Alas!"=
he
cried, "that I should be forced to witness cruel fate betray them with=
out
power to warn or aid; but they be past either now."
As I looked in the
direction he indicated I saw the cause of his perturbation. A mighty fleet of fliers was approaching
majestically toward Kadabra from the direction of the ice-barrier. On and on they came with ever increasing
velocity.
"The grim sh=
aft
that they call the Guardian of the North is beckoning to them," said M=
ors
Kajak sadly, "just as it beckoned to Tardos Mors and his great fleet; =
see
where they lie, crumpled and broken, a grim and terrible monument to the mi=
ghty
force of destruction which naught can resist."
I, too, saw; but
something else I saw that Mors Kajak did not; in my mind's eye I saw a buri=
ed
chamber whose walls were lined with strange instruments and devices.
In the center of =
the
chamber was a long table, and before it sat a little, pop-eyed old man coun=
ting
his money; but, plainest of all, I saw upon the wall a great switch with a
small magnet inlaid within the surface of its black handle.
Then I glanced ou=
t at
the fast-approaching fleet. In five
minutes that mighty armada of the skies would be bent and worthless scrap, =
lying
at the base of the shaft beyond the city's wall, and yellow hordes would be
loosed from another gate to rush out upon the few survivors stumbling blind=
ly
down through the mass of wreckage; then the apts would come. I shuddered at the thought, for I could=
vividly
picture the whole horrible scene.
Quick have I alwa=
ys
been to decide and act. The impuls=
e that
moves me and the doing of the thing seem simultaneous; for if my mind goes
through the tedious formality of reasoning, it must be a subconscious act of
which I am not objectively aware.
Psychologists tell me that, as the subconscious does not reason, too
close a scrutiny of my mental activities might prove anything but flatterin=
g; but
be that as it may, I have often won success while the thinker would have be=
en
still at the endless task of comparing various judgments.
And now celerity =
of
action was the prime essential to the success of the thing that I had decid=
ed
upon.
Grasping my sword
more firmly in my hand, I called to the red man at the opening to the runwa=
y to
stand aside.
"Way for the
Prince of Helium!" I shouted; and before the astonished yellow man who=
se
misfortune it was to be at the fighting end of the line at that particular
moment could gather his wits together my sword had decapitated him, and I w=
as
rushing like a mad bull down upon those behind him.
"Way for the
Prince of Helium!" I shouted as I cut a path through the astonished
guardsmen of Salensus Oll.
Hewing to right a=
nd
left, I beat my way down that warrior-choked spiral until, near the bottom,
those below, thinking that an army was descending upon them, turned and fle=
d.
The armory at the
first floor was vacant when I entered it, the last of the Okarians having f=
led
into the courtyard, so none saw me continue down the spiral toward the corr=
idor
beneath.
Here I ran as rap=
idly
as my legs would carry me toward the five corners, and there plunged into t=
he
passageway that led to the station of the old miser.
Without the forma=
lity
of a knock, I burst into the room. There
sat the old man at his table; but as he saw me he sprang to his feet, drawi=
ng
his sword.
With scarce more =
than
a glance toward him I leaped for the great switch; but, quick as I was, that
wiry old fellow was there before me.
How he did it I s=
hall
never know, nor does it seem credible that any Martian-born creature could
approximate the marvelous speed of my earthly muscles.
Like a tiger he
turned upon me, and I was quick to see why Solan had been chosen for this
important duty.
Never in all my l= ife have I seen such wondrous swordsmanship and such uncanny agility as that ancient bag of bones displayed. He= was in forty places at the same time, and before I had half a chance to awaken to = my danger he was like to have made a monkey of me, and a dead monkey at that.<= o:p>
It is strange how=
new
and unexpected conditions bring out unguessed ability to meet them.
That day in the
buried chamber beneath the palace of Salensus Oll I learned what swordsmans=
hip
meant, and to what heights of sword mastery I could achieve when pitted aga=
inst
such a wizard of the blade as Solan.
For a time he lik=
ed
to have bested me; but presently the latent possibilities that must have be=
en
lying dormant within me for a lifetime came to the fore, and I fought as I =
had
never dreamed a human being could fight.
That that duel-ro=
yal
should have taken place in the dark recesses of a cellar, without a single
appreciative eye to witness it has always seemed to me almost a world
calamity--at least from the viewpoint Barsoomian, where bloody strife is the
first and greatest consideration of individuals, nations, and races.
I was fighting to
reach the switch, Solan to prevent me; and, though we stood not three feet =
from
it, I could not win an inch toward it, for he forced me back an inch for the
first five minutes of our battle.
I knew that if I =
were
to throw it in time to save the oncoming fleet it must be done in the next =
few
seconds, and so I tried my old rushing tactics; but I might as well have ru=
shed
a brick wall for all that Solan gave way.
In fact, I came n=
ear
to impaling myself upon his point for my pains; but right was on my side, a=
nd I
think that that must give a man greater confidence than though he knew hims=
elf
to be battling in a wicked cause.
At least, I did n=
ot
want in confidence; and when I next rushed Solan it was to one side with
implicit confidence that he must turn to meet my new line of attack, and tu=
rn
he did, so that now we fought with our sides towards the coveted goal--the
great switch stood within my reach upon my right hand.
To uncover my bre=
ast
for an instant would have been to court sudden death, but I saw no other way
than to chance it, if by so doing I might rescue that oncoming, succoring
fleet; and so, in the face of a wicked sword-thrust, I reached out my point=
and
caught the great switch a sudden blow that released it from its seating.
So surprised and
horrified was Solan that he forgot to finish his thrust; instead, he wheeled
toward the switch with a loud shriek--a shriek which was his last, for befo=
re
his hand could touch the lever it sought, my sword's point had passed throu=
gh
his heart.
But Solan's last =
loud
cry had not been without effect, for a moment later a dozen guardsmen burst
into the chamber, though not before I had so bent and demolished the great
switch that it could not be again used to turn the powerful current into the
mighty magnet of destruction it controlled.
The result of the
sudden coming of the guardsmen had been to compel me to seek seclusion in t=
he
first passageway that I could find, and that to my disappointment proved to=
be
not the one with which I was familiar, but another upon its left.
They must have ei=
ther
heard or guessed which way I went, for I had proceeded but a short distance
when I heard the sound of pursuit. I had no mind to stop and fight these men
here when there was fighting aplenty elsewhere in the city of Kadabra--figh=
ting
that
could be of much =
more
avail to me and mine than useless life-taking far below the palace.
But the fellows w=
ere
pressing me; and as I did not know the way at all, I soon saw that they wou=
ld
overtake me unless I found a place to conceal myself until they had passed,
which would then give me an opportunity to return the way I had come and re=
gain
the tower, or possibly find a way to reach the city streets.
The passageway had
risen rapidly since leaving the apartment of the switch, and now ran level =
and
well lighted straight into the distance as far as I could see. The moment that my pursuers reached this
straight stretch I would be in plain sight of them, with no chance to escape
from the corridor undetected.
Presently I saw a
series of doors opening from either side of the corridor, and as they all
looked alike to me I tried the first one that I reached. It opened into a small chamber, luxurio=
usly furnished,
and was evidently an ante-chamber off some office or audience chamber of the
palace.
On the far side w=
as a
heavily curtained doorway beyond which I heard the hum of voices. Instantly I crossed the small chamber, =
and,
parting the curtains, looked within the larger apartment.
Before me were a
party of perhaps fifty gorgeously clad nobles of the court, standing before=
a
throne upon which sat Salensus Oll. The Jeddak of Jeddaks was addressing th=
em.
"The allotted
hour has come," he was saying as I entered the apartment; "and th=
ough
the enemies of Okar be within her gates, naught may stay the will of Salens=
us
Oll. The great ceremony must be om=
itted
that no single man may be kept from his place in the defenses other than the
fifty that custom demands shall witness the creation of a new queen in Okar=
.
"In a moment=
the
thing shall have been done and we may return to the battle, while she who is
now the Princess of Helium looks down from the queen's tower upon the
annihilation of her former countrymen and witnesses the greatness which is =
her
husband's."
Then, turning to a
courtier, he issued some command in a low voice.
The addressed
hastened to a small door at the far end of the chamber and, swinging it wid=
e,
cried: "Way for Dejah Thoris,
future Queen of Okar!"
Immediately two
guardsmen appeared dragging the unwilling bride toward the altar. Her hands were still manacled behind he=
r,
evidently to prevent suicide.
Her disheveled ha=
ir
and panting bosom betokened that, chained though she was, still had she fou=
ght
against the thing that they would do to her.
At sight of her
Salensus Oll rose and drew his sword, and the sword of each of the fifty no=
bles
was raised on high to form an arch, beneath which the poor, beautiful creat=
ure
was dragged toward her doom.
A grim smile forc= ed itself to my lips as I thought of the rude awakening that lay in store for = the ruler of Okar, and my itching fingers fondled the hilt of my bloody sword.<= o:p>
As I watched the
procession that moved slowly toward the throne--a procession which consiste=
d of
but a handful of priests, who followed Dejah Thoris and the two guardsmen--I
caught a fleeting glimpse of a black face peering from behind the draperies
that covered the wall back of the dais upon which stood Salensus Oll awaiti=
ng
his bride.
Now the guardsmen
were forcing the Princess of Helium up the few steps to the side of the tyr=
ant
of Okar, and I had no eyes and no thoughts for aught else. A priest opened a book and, raising his=
hand,
commenced to drone out a sing-song ritual.
Salensus Oll reached for the hand of his bride.
I had intended
waiting until some circumstance should give me a reasonable hope of success;
for, even though the entire ceremony should be completed, there could be no
valid marriage while I lived. What=
I was
most concerned in, of course, was the rescuing of Dejah Thoris--I wished to
take her from the palace of Salensus Oll, if such a thing were possible; but
whether it were accomplished before or after the mock marriage was a matter=
of
secondary import.
When, however, I =
saw
the vile hand of Salensus Oll reach out for the hand of my beloved princess=
I
could restrain myself no longer, and before the nobles of Okar knew that au=
ght
had happened I had leaped through their thin line and was upon the dais bes=
ide
Dejah Thoris and Salensus Oll.
With the flat of =
my
sword I struck down his polluting hand; and grasping Dejah Thoris round the
waist, I swung her behind me as, with my back against the draperies of the
dais, I faced the tyrant of the north and his roomful of noble warriors.
The Jeddak of Jed=
daks
was a great mountain of a man--a coarse, brutal beast of a man--and as he
towered above me there, his fierce black whiskers and mustache bristling in
rage, I can well imagine that a less seasoned warrior might have trembled
before him.
With a snarl he
sprang toward me with naked sword, but whether Salensus Oll was a good
swordsman or a poor I never learned; for with Dejah Thoris at my back I was=
no
longer human--I was a superman, and no man could have withstood me then.
With a single,
low: "For the Princess of
Helium!" I ran my blade straight through the rotten heart of Okar's ro=
tten
ruler, and before the white, drawn faces of his nobles Salensus Oll rolled,
grinning in horrible death, to the foot of the steps below his marriage thr=
one.
For a moment tense
silence reigned in the nuptial-room.
Then the fifty nobles rushed upon me.
Furiously we fought, but the advantage was mine, for I stood upon a =
raised
platform above them, and I fought for the most glorious woman of a glorious
race, and I fought for a great love and for the mother of my boy.
And from behind my
shoulder, in the silvery cadence of that dear voice, rose the brave battle
anthem of Helium which the nation's women sing as their men march out to
victory.
That alone was en=
ough
to inspire me to victory over even greater odds, and I verily believe that I
should have bested the entire roomful of yellow warriors that day in the
nuptial chamber of the palace at Kadabra had not interruption come to my ai=
d.
Fast and furious =
was
the fighting as the nobles of Salensus Oll sprang, time and again, up the s=
teps
before the throne only to fall back before a sword hand that seemed to have
gained a new wizardry from its experience with the cunning Solan.
Two were pressing=
me
so closely that I could not turn when I heard a movement behind me, and not=
ed
that the sound of the battle anthem had ceased.
Was Dejah Thoris preparing to take her place beside me?
Heroic daughter o=
f a
heroic world! It would not be unli=
ke her
to have seized a sword and fought at my side, for, though the women of Mars=
are
not trained in the arts of war, the spirit is theirs, and they have been kn=
own
to do that very thing upon countless occasions.
But she did not c=
ome,
and glad I was, for it would have doubled my burden in protecting her befor=
e I
should have been able to force her back again out of harm's way. She must be contemplating some cunning
strategy, I thought, and so I fought on secure in the belief that my divine
princess stood close behind me.
For half an hour =
at
least I must have fought there against the nobles of Okar ere ever a one pl=
aced
a foot upon the dais where I stood, and then of a sudden all that remained =
of
them formed below me for a last, mad, desperate charge; but even as they
advanced the door at the far end of the chamber swung wide and a wild-eyed =
messenger
sprang into the room.
"The Jeddak =
of
Jeddaks!" he cried. "Whe=
re is
the Jeddak of Jeddaks? The city has fallen before the hordes from beyond the
barrier, and but now the great gate of the palace itself has been forced an=
d the
warriors of the south are pouring into its sacred precincts.
"Where is
Salensus Oll? He alone may revive =
the
flagging courage of our warriors. =
He
alone may save the day for Okar. W=
here
is Salensus Oll?"
The nobles stepped
back from about the dead body of their ruler, and one of them pointed to the
grinning corpse.
The messenger
staggered back in horror as though from a blow in the face.
"Then fly,
nobles of Okar!" he cried, "for naught can save you. Hark! They come!"
As he spoke we he=
ard
the deep roar of angry men from the corridor without, and the clank of metal
and the clang of swords.
Without another
glance toward me, who had stood a spectator of the tragic scene, the nobles
wheeled and fled from the apartment through another exit.
Almost immediatel=
y a
force of yellow warriors appeared in the doorway through which the messenger
had come. They were backing toward=
the
apartment, stubbornly resisting the advance of a handful of red men who fac=
ed
them and forced them slowly but inevitably back.
Above the heads of
the contestants I could see from my elevated station upon the dais the face=
of
my old friend Kantos Kan. He was l=
eading
the little party that had won its way into the very heart of the palace of
Salensus Oll.
In an instant I s=
aw
that by attacking the Okarians from the rear I could so quickly disorganize
them that their further resistance would be short-lived, and with this idea=
in
mind I sprang from the dais, casting a word of explanation to Dejah Thoris =
over
my shoulder, though I did not turn to look at her.
With myself ever
between her enemies and herself, and with Kantos Kan and his warriors winni=
ng
to the apartment, there could be no danger to Dejah Thoris standing there a=
lone
beside the throne.
I wanted the men =
of
Helium to see me and to know that their beloved princess was here, too, for=
I
knew that this knowledge would inspire them to even greater deeds of valor =
than
they had performed in the past, though great indeed must have been those wh=
ich
won for them a way into the almost impregnable palace of the tyrant of the
north.
As I crossed the
chamber to attack the Kadabrans from the rear a small doorway at my left
opened, and, to my surprise, revealed the figures of Matai Shang, Father of
Therns and Phaidor, his daughter, peering into the room.
A quick glance ab=
out
they took. Their eyes rested for a
moment, wide in horror, upon the dead body of Salensus Oll, upon the blood =
that
crimsoned the floor, upon the corpses of the nobles who had fallen thick be=
fore
the throne, upon me, and upon the battling warriors at the other door.
They did not essa=
y to
enter the apartment, but scanned its every corner from where they stood, and
then, when their eyes had sought its entire area, a look of fierce rage
overspread the features of Matai Shang, and a cold and cunning smile touched
the lips of Phaidor.
Then they were go=
ne,
but not before a taunting laugh was thrown directly in my face by the woman=
.
I did not underst=
and
then the meaning of Matai Shang's rage or Phaidor's pleasure, but I knew th=
at
neither boded good for me.
A moment later I =
was
upon the backs of the yellow men, and as the red men of Helium saw me above=
the
shoulders of their antagonists a great shout rang through the corridor, and=
for
a moment drowned the noise of battle.
"For the Pri=
nce
of Helium!" they cried. "=
;For
the Prince of Helium!" and, like hungry lions upon their prey, they fe=
ll
once more upon the weakening warriors of the north.
The yellow men, cornered between two enemies, fought with the desperation that utter hopelessness often induces. Fought= as I should have fought had I been in their stead, with the determination to take as ma= ny of my enemies with me when I died as lay within the power of my sword arm.<= o:p>
It was a glorious
battle, but the end seemed inevitable, when presently from down the corridor
behind the red men came a great body of reenforcing yellow warriors.
Now were the tabl=
es
turned, and it was the men of Helium who seemed doomed to be ground between=
two
millstones. All were compelled to =
turn
to meet this new assault by a greatly superior force, so that to me was left
the remnants of the yellow men within the throneroom.
They kept me busy,
too; so busy that I began to wonder if indeed I should ever be done with
them. Slowly they pressed me back =
into the
room, and when they had all passed in after me, one of them closed and bolt=
ed
the door, effectually barring the way against the men of Kantos Kan.
It was a clever m=
ove,
for it put me at the mercy of a dozen men within a chamber from which
assistance was locked out, and it gave the red men in the corridor beyond no
avenue of escape should their new antagonists press them too closely.
But I have faced
heavier odds myself than were pitted against me that day, and I knew that
Kantos Kan had battled his way from a hundred more dangerous traps than tha=
t in
which he now was. So it was with no
feelings of despair that I turned my attention to the business of the momen=
t.
Constantly my
thoughts reverted to Dejah Thoris, and I longed for the moment when, the
fighting done, I could fold her in my arms, and hear once more the words of
love which had been denied me for so many years.
During the fighti= ng in the chamber I had not even a single chance to so much as steal a glance = at her where she stood behind me beside the throne of the dead ruler. I wondered why she no longer urged me o= n with the strains of the martial hymn of Helium; but I did not need more than the knowledge that I was battling for her to bring out the best that is in me.<= o:p>
It would be weari=
some
to narrate the details of that bloody struggle; of how we fought from the
doorway, the full length of the room to the very foot of the throne before =
the
last of my antagonists fell with my blade piercing his heart.
And then, with a =
glad
cry, I turned with outstretched arms to seize my princess, and as my lips
smothered hers to reap the reward that would be thrice ample payment for the
bloody encounters through which I had passed for her dear sake from the sou=
th
pole to the north.
The glad cry died,
frozen upon my lips; my arms dropped limp and lifeless to my sides; as one =
who
reels beneath the burden of a mortal wound I staggered up the steps before =
the
throne.
Dejah Thoris was
gone.
With the realizat=
ion
that Dejah Thoris was no longer within the throneroom came the belated
recollection of the dark face that I had glimpsed peering from behind the
draperies that backed the throne of Salensus Oll at the moment that I had f=
irst
come so unexpectedly upon the strange scene being enacted within the chambe=
r.
Why had the sight=
of
that evil countenance not warned me to greater caution? Why had I permitted the rapid developme=
nt of
new situations to efface the recollection of that menacing danger? But, alas, vain regret would not erase =
the
calamity that had befallen.
Once again had De=
jah
Thoris fallen into the clutches of that archfiend, Thurid, the black dator =
of
the First Born. Again was all my a=
rduous
labor gone for naught. Now I reali=
zed
the cause of the rage that had been writ so large upon the features of Mata=
i Shang
and the cruel pleasure that I had seen upon the face of Phaidor.
They had known or
guessed the truth, and the hekkador of the Holy Therns, who had evidently c=
ome
to the chamber in the hope of thwarting Salensus Oll in his contemplated
perfidy against the high priest who coveted Dejah Thoris for himself, reali=
zed
that Thurid had stolen the prize from beneath his very nose.
Phaidor's pleasure
had been due to her realization of what this last cruel blow would mean to =
me,
as well as to a partial satisfaction of her jealous hatred for the Princess=
of
Helium.
My first thought =
was
to look beyond the draperies at the back of the throne, for there it was th=
at I
had seen Thurid. With a single jer=
k I
tore the priceless stuff from its fastenings, and there before me was revea=
led
a narrow doorway behind the throne.
No question enter=
ed
my mind but that here lay the opening of the avenue of escape which Thurid =
had
followed, and had there been it would have been dissipated by the sight of a
tiny, jeweled ornament which lay a few steps within the corridor beyond.
As I snatched up =
the
bauble I saw that it bore the device of the Princess of Helium, and then
pressing it to my lips I dashed madly along the winding way that led gently
downward toward the lower galleries of the palace.
I had followed bu=
t a
short distance when I came upon the room in which Solan formerly had held
sway. His dead body still lay wher=
e I
had left it, nor was there any sign that another had passed through the room
since I had been there; but I knew that two had done so--Thurid, the black
dator, and Dejah Thoris.
For a moment I pa=
used
uncertain as to which of the several exits from the apartment would lead me
upon the right path. I tried to re=
collect
the directions which I had heard Thurid repeat to Solan, and at last, slowl=
y,
as though through a heavy fog, the memory of the words of the First Born ca=
me
to me:
"Follow a
corridor, passing three diverging corridors upon the right; then into the
fourth right-hand corridor to where three corridors meet; here again follow=
to
the right, hugging the left wall closely to avoid the pit. At the end of this corridor I shall com=
e to a
spiral runway which I must follow down instead of up; after that the way is
along but a single branchless corridor."
And I recalled the
exit at which he had pointed as he spoke.
It did not take me
long to start upon that unknown way, nor did I go with caution, although I =
knew
that there might be grave dangers before me.
Part of the way w=
as
black as sin, but for the most it was fairly well lighted. The stretch where I must hug the left w=
all to
avoid the pits was darkest of them all, and I was nearly over the edge of t=
he
abyss before I knew that I was near the danger spot. A narrow ledge, scarce a foot wide, was=
all
that had been left to carry the initiated past that frightful cavity into w=
hich
the unknowing must surely have toppled at the first step. But at last I had won safely beyond it,=
and
then a feeble light made the balance of the way plain, until, at the end of=
the
last corridor, I came suddenly out into the glare of day upon a field of sn=
ow
and ice.
Clad for the warm
atmosphere of the hothouse city of Kadabra, the sudden change to arctic
frigidity was anything but pleasant; but the worst of it was that I knew I
could not endure the bitter cold, almost naked as I was, and that I would
perish before ever I could overtake Thurid and Dejah Thoris.
To be thus blocke=
d by
nature, who had had all the arts and wiles of cunning man pitted against hi=
m,
seemed a cruel fate, and as I staggered back into the warmth of the tunnel's
end I was as near hopelessness as I ever have been.
I had by no means
given up my intention of continuing the pursuit, for if needs be I would go
ahead though I perished ere ever I reached my goal, but if there were a saf=
er
way it were well worth the delay to attempt to discover it, that I might co=
me
again to the side of Dejah Thoris in fit condition to do battle for her.
Scarce had I retu=
rned
to the tunnel than I stumbled over a portion of a fur garment that seemed
fastened to the floor of the corridor close to the wall. In the darkness I could not see what he=
ld it,
but by groping with my hands I discovered that it was wedged beneath the bo=
ttom
of a closed door.
Pushing the portal
aside, I found myself upon the threshold of a small chamber, the walls of w=
hich
were lined with hooks from which depended suits of the complete outdoor app=
arel
of the yellow men.
Situated as it wa=
s at
the mouth of a tunnel leading from the palace, it was quite evident that th=
is
was the dressing-room used by the nobles leaving and entering the hothouse
city, and that Thurid, having knowledge of it, had stopped here to outfit
himself and Dejah Thoris before venturing into the bitter cold of the arcti=
c world
beyond.
In his haste he h=
ad
dropped several garments upon the floor, and the telltale fur that had fall=
en
partly within the corridor had proved the means of guiding me to the very s=
pot
he would least have wished me to have knowledge of.
It required but t=
he
matter of a few seconds to don the necessary orluk-skin clothing, with the
heavy, fur-lined boots that are so essential a part of the garmenture of one
who would successfully contend with the frozen trails and the icy winds of =
the
bleak northland.
Once more I stepp=
ed
beyond the tunnel's mouth to find the fresh tracks of Thurid and Dejah Thor=
is
in the new-fallen snow. Now, at la=
st,
was my task an easy one, for though the going was rough in the extreme, I w=
as
no longer vexed by doubts as to the direction I should follow, or harassed =
by
darkness or hidden dangers.
Through a
snow-covered canyon the way led up toward the summit of low hills. Beyond these it dipped again into anoth=
er
canyon, only to rise a quarter-mile farther on toward a pass which skirted =
the flank
of a rocky hill.
I could see by the
signs of those who had gone before that when Dejah Thoris had walked she had
been continually holding back, and that the black man had been compelled to
drag her. For other stretches only=
his
foot-prints were visible, deep and close together in the heavy snow, and I =
knew
from these signs that then he had been forced to carry her, and I could well
imagine that she had fought him fiercely every step of the way.
As I came round t=
he
jutting promontory of the hill's shoulder I saw that which quickened my pul=
ses
and set my heart to beating high, for within a tiny basin between the crest=
of
this hill and the next stood four people before the mouth of a great cave, =
and
beside them upon the gleaming snow rested a flier which had evidently but j=
ust been
dragged from its hiding place.
The four were Dej=
ah
Thoris, Phaidor, Thurid, and Matai Shang.
The two men were engaged in a heated argument--the Father of Therns =
threatening,
while the black scoffed at him as he went about the work at which he was
engaged.
As I crept toward
them cautiously that I might come as near as possible before being discover=
ed,
I saw that finally the men appeared to have reached some sort of a compromi=
se,
for with Phaidor's assistance they both set about dragging the resisting De=
jah
Thoris to the flier's deck.
Here they made her
fast, and then both again descended to the ground to complete the preparati=
ons
for departure. Phaidor entered the=
small
cabin upon the vessel's deck.
I had come to wit=
hin
a quarter of a mile of them when Matai Shang espied me. I saw him seize Thurid by the shoulder,
wheeling him around in my direction as he pointed to where I was now plainl=
y visible,
for the moment that I knew I had been perceived I cast aside every attempt =
at
stealth and broke into a mad race for the flier.
The two redoubled
their efforts at the propeller at which they were working, and which very
evidently was being replaced after having been removed for some purpose of
repair.
They had the thing
completed before I had covered half the distance that lay between me and th=
em,
and then both made a rush for the boarding-ladder.
Thurid was the fi=
rst
to reach it, and with the agility of a monkey clambered swiftly to the boat=
's
deck, where a touch of the button controlling the buoyancy tanks sent the c=
raft
slowly upward, though not with the speed that marks the well-conditioned fl=
ier.
I was still some
hundred yards away as I saw them rising from my grasp.
Back by the city =
of
Kadabra lay a great fleet of mighty fliers--the ships of Helium and Ptarth =
that
I had saved from destruction earlier in the day; but before ever I could re=
ach
them Thurid could easily make good his escape.
As I ran I saw Ma=
tai
Shang clambering up the swaying, swinging ladder toward the deck, while abo=
ve
him leaned the evil face of the First Born.
A trailing rope from the vessel's stern put new hope in me, for if I
could but reach it before it whipped too high above my head there was yet a
chance to gain the deck by its slender aid.
That there was
something radically wrong with the flier was evident from its lack of buoya=
ncy,
and the further fact that though Thurid had turned twice to the starting le=
ver
the boat still hung motionless in the air, except for a slight drifting wit=
h a
low breeze from the north.
Now Matai Shang w=
as
close to the gunwale. A long, claw=
-like
hand was reaching up to grasp the metal rail.
Thurid leaned far=
ther
down toward his co-conspirator.
Suddenly a raised
dagger gleamed in the upflung hand of the black. Down it drove toward the w=
hite
face of the Father of Therns. With=
a
loud shriek of fear the Holy Hekkador grasped frantically at that menacing =
arm.
I was almost to t=
he
trailing rope by now. The craft was
still rising slowly, the while it drifted from me. Then I stumbled on the icy way, strikin=
g my
head upon a rock as I fell sprawling but an arm's length from the rope, the=
end
of which was now just leaving the ground.
With the blow upo=
n my
head came unconsciousness.
It could not have
been more than a few seconds that I lay senseless there upon the northern i=
ce,
while all that was dearest to me drifted farther from my reach in the clutc=
hes
of that black fiend, for when I opened my eyes Thurid and Matai Shang yet b=
attled
at the ladder's top, and the flier drifted but a hundred yards farther to t=
he
south--but the end of the trailing rope was now a good thirty feet above the
ground.
Goaded to madness=
by
the cruel misfortune that had tripped me when success was almost within my
grasp, I tore frantically across the intervening space, and just beneath the
rope's dangling end I put my earthly muscles to the supreme test.
With a mighty,
catlike bound I sprang upward toward that slender strand--the only avenue w=
hich
yet remained that could carry me to my vanishing love.
A foot above its
lowest end my fingers closed. Tigh=
tly as
I clung I felt the rope slipping, slipping through my grasp. I tried to raise my free hand to take a
second hold above my first, but the change of position that resulted caused=
me
to slip more rapidly toward the end of the rope.
Slowly I felt the
tantalizing thing escaping me. In a
moment all that I had gained would be lost--then my fingers reached a knot =
at the
very end of the rope and slipped no more.
With a prayer of
gratitude upon my lips I scrambled upward toward the boat's deck. I could not see Thurid and Matai Shang =
now, but
I heard the sounds of conflict and thus knew that they still fought--the th=
ern
for his life and the black for the increased buoyancy that relief from the
weight of even a single body would give the craft.
Should Matai Shang
die before I reached the deck my chances of ever reaching it would be slend=
er
indeed, for the black dator need but cut the rope above me to be freed from=
me
forever, for the vessel had drifted across the brink of a chasm into whose
yawning depths my body would drop to be crushed to a shapeless pulp should
Thurid reach the rope now.
At last my hand
closed upon the ship's rail and that very instant a horrid shriek rang out
below me that sent my blood cold and turned my horrified eyes downward to a
shrieking, hurtling, twisting thing that shot downward into the awful chasm
beneath me.
It was Matai Shan=
g,
Holy Hekkador, Father of Therns, gone to his last accounting.
Then my head came
above the deck and I saw Thurid, dagger in hand, leaping toward me. He was opposite the forward end of the =
cabin,
while I was attempting to clamber aboard near the vessel's stern. But a few
paces lay between us. No power on =
earth
could raise me to that deck before the infuriated black would be upon me.
My end had come.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I knew it; but had there been a doubt i=
n my
mind the nasty leer of triumph upon that wicked face would have convinced m=
e. Beyond Thurid I could see my Dejah Thor=
is, wide-eyed
and horrified, struggling at her bonds.
That she should be forced to witness my awful death made my bitter f=
ate
seem doubly cruel.
I ceased my effor=
ts
to climb across the gunwale. Inste=
ad I
took a firm grasp upon the rail with my left hand and drew my dagger.
I should at least=
die
as I had lived--fighting.
As Thurid came
opposite the cabin's doorway a new element projected itself into the grim
tragedy of the air that was being enacted upon the deck of Matai Shang's
disabled flier.
It was Phaidor.
With flushed face=
and
disheveled hair, and eyes that betrayed the recent presence of mortal
tears--above which this proud goddess had always held herself--she leaped to
the deck directly before me.
In her hand was a
long, slim dagger. I cast a last l=
ook upon
my beloved princess, smiling, as men should who are about to die. Then I tu=
rned
my face up toward Phaidor--waiting for the blow.
Never have I seen
that beautiful face more beautiful than it was at that moment. It seemed incredible that one so lovely=
could
yet harbor within her fair bosom a heart so cruel and relentless, and today
there was a new expression in her wondrous eyes that I never before had seen
there--an unfamiliar softness, and a look of suffering.
Thurid was beside=
her
now--pushing past to reach me first, and then what happened happened so qui=
ckly
that it was all over before I could realize the truth of it.
Phaidor's slim ha=
nd
shot out to close upon the black's dagger wrist. Her right hand went high w=
ith
its gleaming blade.
"That for Ma=
tai
Shang!" she cried, and she buried her blade deep in the dator's
breast. "That for the wrong y=
ou
would have done Dejah Thoris!" and again the sharp steel sank into the
bloody flesh.
"And that, a=
nd
that, and that!" she shrieked, "for John Carter, Prince of
Helium," and with each word her sharp point pierced the vile heart of =
the
great villain. Then, with a vindic=
tive
shove she cast the carcass of the First Born from the deck to fall in awful=
silence
after the body of his victim.
I had been so
paralyzed by surprise that I had made no move to reach the deck during the
awe-inspiring scene which I had just witnessed, and now I was to be still
further amazed by her next act, for Phaidor extended her hand to me and
assisted me to the deck, where I stood gazing at her in unconcealed and
stupefied wonderment.
A wan smile touch=
ed
her lips--it was not the cruel and haughty smile of the goddess with which I
was familiar. "You wonder, Jo=
hn Carter,"
she said, "what strange thing has wrought this change in me? I will tell you. It is love--love of you," and when=
I
darkened my brows in disapproval of her words she raised an appealing hand.=
"Wait,"=
she
said. "It is a different love=
from
mine--it is the love of your princess, Dejah Thoris, for you that has taugh=
t me
what true love may be--what it should be, and how far from real love was my
selfish and jealous passion for you.
"Now I am
different. Now could I love as Dej=
ah
Thoris loves, and so my only happiness can be to know that you and she are =
once
more united, for in her alone can you find true happiness.
"But I am
unhappy because of the wickedness that I have wrought. I have many sins to expiate, and though=
I be
deathless, life is all too short for the atonement.
"But there is
another way, and if Phaidor, daughter of the Holy Hekkador of the Holy Ther=
ns,
has sinned she has this day already made partial reparation, and lest you d=
oubt
the sincerity of her protestations and her avowal of a new love that embrac=
es
Dejah Thoris also, she will prove her sincerity in the only way that lies
open--having saved you for another, Phaidor leaves you to her embraces.&quo=
t;
With her last word
she turned and leaped from the vessel's deck into the abyss below.
With a cry of hor=
ror
I sprang forward in a vain attempt to save the life that for two years I wo=
uld
so gladly have seen extinguished. I was too late.
With tear-dimmed =
eyes
I turned away that I might not see the awful sight beneath.
A moment later I =
had
struck the bonds from Dejah Thoris, and as her dear arms went about my neck=
and
her perfect lips pressed to mine I forgot the horrors that I had witnessed =
and
the suffering that I had endured in the rapture of my reward.
The flier upon wh=
ose
deck Dejah Thoris and I found ourselves after twelve long years of separati=
on
proved entirely useless. Her buoya=
ncy
tanks leaked badly. Her engine wou=
ld not
start. We were helpless there in m=
id air
above the arctic ice.
The craft had dri=
fted
across the chasm which held the corpses of Matai Shang, Thurid, and Phaidor,
and now hung above a low hill. Opening the buoyancy escape valves I permitt=
ed
her to come slowly to the ground, and as she touched, Dejah Thoris and I
stepped from her deck and, hand in hand, turned back across the frozen wast=
e toward
the city of Kadabra.
Through the tunnel
that had led me in pursuit of them we passed, walking slowly, for we had mu=
ch
to say to each other.
She told me of th=
at
last terrible moment months before when the door of her prison cell within =
the
Temple of the Sun was slowly closing between us. Of how Phaidor had sprung upon her with=
uplifted
dagger, and of Thuvia's shriek as she had realized the foul intention of the
thern goddess.
It had been that =
cry
that had rung in my ears all the long, weary months that I had been left in
cruel doubt as to my princess' fate; for I had not known that Thuvia had
wrested the blade from the daughter of Matai Shang before it had touched ei=
ther
Dejah Thoris or herself.
She told me, too,=
of
the awful eternity of her imprisonment.
Of the cruel hatred of Phaidor, and the tender love of Thuvia, and of
how even when despair was the darkest those two red girls had clung to the =
same
hope and belief--that John Carter would find a way to release them.
Presently we came=
to
the chamber of Solan. I had been
proceeding without thought of caution, for I was sure that the city and the=
palace
were both in the hands of my friends by this time.
And so it was tha=
t I
bolted into the chamber full into the midst of a dozen nobles of the court =
of
Salensus Oll. They were passing th=
rough
on their way to the outside world along the corridors we had just traversed=
.
At sight of us th=
ey
halted in their tracks, and then an ugly smile overspread the features of t=
heir
leader.
"The author =
of
all our misfortunes!" he cried, pointing at me. "We shall have the satisfaction of=
a
partial vengeance at least when we leave behind us here the dead and mutila=
ted
corpses of the Prince and Princess of Helium.
"When they f=
ind
them," he went on, jerking his thumb upward toward the palace above,
"they will realize that the vengeance of the yellow man costs his enem=
ies
dear. Prepare to die, John Carter,=
but
that your end may be the more bitter, know that I may change my intention a=
s to
meting a merciful death to your princess--possibly she shall be preserved a=
s a
plaything for my nobles."
I stood close to =
the
instrument-covered wall--Dejah Thoris at my side. She looked up at me wonderingly as the
warriors advanced upon us with drawn swords, for mine still hung within its
scabbard at my side, and there was a smile upon my lips.
The yellow nobles,
too, looked in surprise, and then as I made no move to draw they hesitated,
fearing a ruse; but their leader urged them on.
When they had come almost within sword's reach of me I raised my hand
and laid it upon the polished surface of a great lever, and then, still smi=
ling
grimly, I looked my enemies full in the face.
As one they came =
to a
sudden stop, casting affrighted glances at me and at one another.
"Stop!"
shrieked their leader. "You d=
ream
not what you do!"
"Right you a=
re,"
I replied. "John Carter does =
not
dream. He knows--knows that should=
one
of you take another step toward Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, I pull th=
is
lever wide, and she and I shall die together; but we shall not die alone.&q=
uot;
The nobles shrank
back, whispering together for a few moments.
At last their leader turned to me.
"Go your way,
John Carter," he said, "and we shall go ours."
"Prisoners do
not go their own way," I answered, "and you are prisoners--prison=
ers
of the Prince of Helium."
Before they could
make answer a door upon the opposite side of the apartment opened and a sco=
re
of yellow men poured into the apartment. For an instant the nobles looked
relieved, and then as their eyes fell upon the leader of the new party their
faces fell, for he was Talu, rebel Prince of Marentina, and they knew that =
they
could look for neither aid nor mercy at his hands.
"Well done, =
John
Carter," he cried. "You =
turn
their own mighty power against them.
Fortunate for Okar is it that you were here to prevent their escape,=
for
these be the greatest villains north of the ice-barrier, and this
one"--pointing to the leader of the party--"would have made himse=
lf
Jeddak of Jeddaks in the place of the dead Salensus Oll. Then indeed would we have had a more vi=
llainous
ruler than the hated tyrant who fell before your sword."
The Okarian nobles
now submitted to arrest, since nothing but death faced them should they res=
ist,
and, escorted by the warriors of Talu, we made our way to the great audience
chamber that had been Salensus Oll's.
Here was a vast concourse of warriors.
Red men from Heli=
um
and Ptarth, yellow men of the north, rubbing elbows with the blacks of the
First Born who had come under my friend Xodar to help in the search for me =
and
my princess. There were savage, gr=
een
warriors from the dead sea bottoms of the south, and a handful of white-ski=
nned
therns who had renounced their religion and sworn allegiance to Xodar.
There was Tardos =
Mors
and Mors Kajak, and tall and mighty in his gorgeous warrior trappings, Cart=
horis,
my son. These three fell upon Dejah
Thoris as we entered the apartment, and though the lives and training of ro=
yal
Martians tend not toward vulgar demonstration, I thought that they would
suffocate her with their embraces.
And there were Ta=
rs
Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark, and Kantos Kan, my old-time friends, and leaping a=
nd
tearing at my harness in the exuberance of his great love was dear old
Woola--frantic mad with happiness.
Long and loud was=
the
cheering that burst forth at sight of us; deafening was the din of ringing
metal as the veteran warriors of every Martian clime clashed their blades
together on high in token of success and victory, but as I passed among the
throng of saluting nobles and warriors, jeds and jeddaks, my heart still was
heavy, for there were two faces missing that I would have given much to have
seen there--Thuvan Dihn and Thuvia of Ptarth were not to be found in the gr=
eat
chamber.
I made inquiries
concerning them among men of every nation, and at last from one of the yell=
ow
prisoners of war I learned that they had been apprehended by an officer of =
the
palace as they sought to reach the Pit of Plenty while I lay imprisoned the=
re.
I did not need to=
ask
to know what had sent them thither--the courageous jeddak and his loyal dau=
ghter. My informer said that they lay now in o=
ne of
the many buried dungeons of the palace where they had been placed pending a
decision as to their fate by the tyrant of the north.
A moment later
searching parties were scouring the ancient pile in search of them, and my =
cup
of happiness was full when I saw them being escorted into the room by a
cheering guard of honor.
Thuvia's first act
was to rush to the side of Dejah Thoris, and I needed no better proof of the
love these two bore for each other than the sincerity with which they embra=
ced.
Looking down upon
that crowded chamber stood the silent and empty throne of Okar.
Of all the strange
scenes it must have witnessed since that long-dead age that had first seen a
Jeddak of Jeddaks take his seat upon it, none might compare with that upon
which it now looked down, and as I pondered the past and future of that
long-buried race of black-bearded yellow men I thought that I saw a brighter
and more useful existence for them among the great family of friendly natio=
ns that
now stretched from the south pole almost to their very doors.
Twenty-two years
before I had been cast, naked and a stranger, into this strange and savage
world. The hand of every race and =
nation
was raised in continual strife and warring against the men of every other l=
and
and color. Today, by the might of =
my
sword and the loyalty of the friends my sword had made for me, black man and
white, red man and green rubbed shoulders in peace and good-fellowship. All=
the
nations of Barsoom were not yet as one, but a great stride forward toward t=
hat
goal had been taken, and now if I could but cement the fierce yellow race i=
nto
this solidarity of nations I should feel that I had rounded out a great
lifework, and repaid to Mars at least a portion of the immense debt of
gratitude I owed her for having given me my Dejah Thoris.
And as I thought,= I saw but one way, and a single man who could insure the success of my hopes. As is ever the way with me,= I acted then as I always act--without deliberation and without consultation.<= o:p>
Those who do not =
like
my plans and my ways of promoting them have always their swords at their si=
des
wherewith to back up their disapproval; but now there seemed to be no
dissenting voice, as, grasping Talu by the arm, I sprang to the throne that=
had
once been Salensus Oll's.
"Warriors of
Barsoom," I cried, "Kadabra has fallen, and with her the hateful
tyrant of the north; but the integrity of Okar must be preserved. The red men are ruled by red jeddaks, t=
he
green warriors of the ancient seas acknowledge none but a green ruler, the
First Born of the south pole take their law from black Xodar; nor would it =
be
to the interests of either yellow or red man were a red jeddak to sit upon =
the
throne of Okar.
"There be but
one warrior best fitted for the ancient and mighty title of Jeddak of Jedda=
ks
of the North. Men of Okar, raise y=
our swords
to your new ruler--Talu, the rebel prince of Marentina!"
And then a great =
cry
of rejoicing rose among the free men of Marentina and the Kadabran prisoner=
s,
for all had thought that the red men would retain that which they had taken=
by
force of arms, for such had been the way upon Barsoom, and that they should=
be ruled
henceforth by an alien Jeddak.
The victorious
warriors who had followed Carthoris joined in the mad demonstration, and am=
idst
the wild confusion and the tumult and the cheering, Dejah Thoris and I pass=
ed
out into the gorgeous garden of the jeddaks that graces the inner courtyard=
of
the palace of Kadabra.
At our heels walk=
ed
Woola, and upon a carved seat of wondrous beauty beneath a bower of purple
blooms we saw two who had preceded us--Thuvia of Ptarth and Carthoris of
Helium.
The handsome head=
of
the handsome youth was bent low above the beautiful face of his companion.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I looked at Dejah Thoris, smiling, and =
as I
drew her close to me I whispered:
"Why not?"
Indeed, why not?<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> What matter ages in this world of perpe=
tual
youth?
We remained at
Kadabra, the guests of Talu, until after his formal induction into office, =
and
then, upon the great fleet which I had been so fortunate to preserve from
destruction, we sailed south across the ice-barrier; but not before we had
witnessed the total demolition of the grim Guardian of the North under orde=
rs
of the new Jeddak of Jeddaks.
"Henceforth,=
"
he said, as the work was completed, "the fleets of the red men and the
black are free to come and go across the ice-barrier as over their own land=
s.
"The Carrion
Caves shall be cleansed, that the green men may find an easy way to the lan=
d of
the yellow, and the hunting of the sacred apt shall be the sport of my nobl=
es
until no single specimen of that hideous creature roams the frozen north.&q=
uot;
We bade our yellow
friends farewell with real regret, as we set sail for Ptarth. There we remained, the guest of Thuvan =
Dihn,
for a month; and I could see that Carthoris would have remained forever had=
he
not been a Prince of Helium.
Above the mighty
forests of Kaol we hovered until word from Kulan Tith brought us to his sin=
gle
landing-tower, where all day and half a night the vessels disembarked their
crews. At the city of Kaol we visi=
ted,
cementing the new ties that had been formed between Kaol and Helium, and th=
en
one long-to-be-remembered day we sighted the tall, thin towers of the twin
cities of Helium.
The people had lo=
ng
been preparing for our coming. The=
sky
was gorgeous with gaily trimmed fliers.
Every roof within both cities was spread with costly silks and
tapestries.
Gold and jewels w=
ere
scattered over roof and street and plaza, so that the two cities seemed abl=
aze
with the fires of the hearts of the magnificent stones and burnished metal =
that
reflected the brilliant sunlight, changing it into countless glorious hues.=
At last, after tw=
elve
years, the royal family of Helium was reunited in their own mighty city,
surrounded by joy-mad millions before the palace gates. Women and children and mighty warriors =
wept
in gratitude for the fate that had restored their beloved Tardos Mors and t=
he
divine princess whom the whole nation idolized.
Nor did any of us who had been upon that expedition of indescribable
danger and glory lack for plaudits.
That night a
messenger came to me as I sat with Dejah Thoris and Carthoris upon the roof=
of
my city palace, where we had long since caused a lovely garden to be made t=
hat
we three might find seclusion and quiet happiness among ourselves, far from=
the
pomp and ceremony of court, to summon us to the Temple of Reward--"whe=
re
one is to be judged this night," the summons concluded.
I racked my brain=
to
try and determine what important case there might be pending which could ca=
ll
the royal family from their palaces on the eve of their return to Helium af=
ter
years of absence; but when the jeddak summons no man delays.
As our flier touc=
hed
the landing stage at the temple's top we saw countless other craft arriving=
and
departing. In the streets below a =
great
multitude surged toward the great gates of the temple.
Slowly there came=
to
me the recollection of the deferred doom that awaited me since that time I =
had
been tried here in the Temple by Zat Arras for the sin of returning from the
Valley Dor and the Lost Sea of Korus.
Could it be possi=
ble
that the strict sense of justice which dominates the men of Mars had caused
them to overlook the great good that had come out of my heresy? Could they ignore the fact that to me, =
and me
alone, was due the rescue of Carthoris, of Dejah Thoris, of Mors Kajak, of
Tardos Mors?
I could not belie=
ve
it, and yet for what other purpose could I have been summoned to the Temple=
of
Reward immediately upon the return of Tardos Mors to his throne?
My first surprise=
as
I entered the temple and approached the Throne of Righteousness was to note=
the
men who sat there as judges. There=
was
Kulan Tith, Jeddak of Kaol, whom we had but just left within his own palace=
a
few days since; there was Thuvan Dihn, Jeddak of Ptarth--how came he to Hel=
ium
as soon as we?
There was Tars
Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark, and Xodar, Jeddak of the First Born; there was Tal=
u,
Jeddak of Jeddaks of the North, whom I could have sworn was still in his
ice-bound hothouse city beyond the northern barrier, and among them sat Tar=
dos
Mors and Mors Kajak, with enough lesser jeds and jeddaks to make up the
thirty-one who must sit in judgment upon their fellow-man.
A right royal
tribunal indeed, and such a one, I warrant, as never before sat together du=
ring
all the history of ancient Mars.
As I entered, sil=
ence
fell upon the great concourse of people that packed the auditorium. Then Tardos Mors arose.
"John
Carter," he said in his deep, martial voice, "take your place upo=
n the
Pedestal of Truth, for you are to be tried by a fair and impartial tribunal=
of
your fellow-men."
With level eye and
high-held head I did as he bade, and as I glanced about that circle of faces
that a moment before I could have sworn contained the best friends I had up=
on
Barsoom, I saw no single friendly glance--only stern, uncompromising judges,
there to do their duty.
A clerk rose and =
from
a great book read a long list of the more notable deeds that I had thought =
to
my credit, covering a long period of twenty-two years since first I had ste=
pped
the ocher sea bottom beside the incubator of the Tharks. With the others he read of all that I h=
ad
done within the circle of the Otz Mountains where the Holy Therns and the F=
irst
Born had held sway.
It is the way upon
Barsoom to recite a man's virtues with his sins when he is come to trial, a=
nd
so I was not surprised that all that was to my credit should be read there =
to
my judges--who knew it all by heart--even down to the present moment. When the reading had ceased Tardos Mors
arose.
"Most righte=
ous
judges," he exclaimed, "you have heard recited all that is known =
of
John Carter, Prince of Helium--the good with the bad. What is your judgment?"
Then Tars Tarkas =
came
slowly to his feet, unfolding all his mighty, towering height until he loom=
ed,
a green-bronze statue, far above us all.
He turned a baleful eye upon me--he, Tars Tarkas, with whom I had fo=
ught
through countless battles; whom I loved as a brother.
I could have wept=
had
I not been so mad with rage that I almost whipped my sword out and had at t=
hem
all upon the spot.
"Judges,&quo=
t;
he said, "there can be but one verdict.
No longer may John Carter be Prince of Helium"--he
paused--"but instead let him be Jeddak of Jeddaks, Warlord of
Barsoom!"
As the thirty-one
judges sprang to their feet with drawn and upraised swords in unanimous
concurrence in the verdict, the storm broke throughout the length and bread=
th
and height of that mighty building until I thought the roof would fall from=
the
thunder of the mad shouting.
Now, at last, I s=
aw
the grim humor of the method they had adopted to do me this great honor, but
that there was any hoax in the reality of the title they had conferred upon=
me
was readily disproved by the sincerity of the congratulations that were hea=
ped
upon me by the judges first and then the nobles.
Presently fifty of
the mightiest nobles of the greatest courts of Mars marched down the broad
Aisle of Hope bearing a splendid car upon their shoulders, and as the people
saw who sat within, the cheers that had rung out for me paled into
insignificance beside those which thundered through the vast edifice now, f=
or
she whom the nobles carried was Dejah Thoris, beloved Princess of Helium.
Straight to the
Throne of Righteousness they bore her, and there Tardos Mors assisted her f=
rom
the car, leading her forward to my side.
"Let a world=
's
most beautiful woman share the honor of her husband," he said.
Before them all I
drew my wife close to me and kissed her upon the lips.