Warlord of
MAR5
EddarRice BurroudKs
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^603
02/75
CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
URIS
GIFT OF
the Estate of
J. Carlton
Ward, Jr.
CORN LL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
3 1924 052 695 479
Cornell University
Library
The original of tliis book is in
tine Cornell University Library.
There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924052695479
Wf)t Matlorb of i¥lar£;
Let a world's most beautiful woman share
the honor of her husband "
[Page 296]
BY
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
Author of The " Tarzan" Series and The " Martian" Stories
FRONTISPIECE BY
J. ALLEN ST. JOHN
\
CHICAGO
A. C. McCLURG & CO.
1919
U8IS UBRARY
'-^^^C\;#^
Copyright
Edgar Rice Burroughi
1919
Published September, 1919
Cotyrighted in Gnat Britain
W. F. HALL PRINTIfia COMPANY, OHICAOO
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I On the River Iss 1
II Under the Mountains 21
III The Temple of the Sun 42
IV The Secret Tower 60
V On the Kaolian Road 81
VI A Hero in Kaol 103
VII New Allies 120
VIII Through the Carrion Caves ., 139
IX With the Yellow Men 160
X In Durance 177
XI The Pit of Plenty 194
XII " Follow the Rope ! " 212
XIII The Magnet Switch 230
XIV The Tide of Battle 248
XV Rewards 262^
XVI The New Ruler 279
The Warlord of Mars
CHAPTER I
ON THE BIVBR ISS
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 trail of a shadowy
form that hugged the darker places with a per-
sistency that proclaimed the sinister nature of
its errand.
For six long Martian 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.
[1]
The Warlord of Mars
Six hundred and eighty-seven Martian days
must come and go before the cell's door would
again come opposite the tunnel's end where last
I had seen my ever-beautiful Dejah 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 the gust of
smoke blinded my eyes and the narrow slit that
had given me sight of the interior of her cell
closed between me and the Princess of Helium
for a long Martian year.
As if it were yesterday, I still saw the beauti-
ful face of Phaidor, daughter of Matai Shang,
distorted with jealous rage and hatred as she
sprang forward with raised dagger upon the
woman I loved.
I saw the red girl, 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 the single shriek as the knife fell. Then
silence, and when the smoke had cleared, the re-
volving temple had shut off all sight or sound
from the chamber in which the three beautiful
women were imprisoned.
[2]
On the River Iss
Much there had been to occupy my attention
since that terrible moment ; but never for an in-
stant had the memory of the thing faded, and
all the time that I could spare from the numer-
ous 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 mother of my boy,
Carthoris of Helium.
The race of blacks that for ages had wor-
shiped Issus, the false deity of Mars, had been
left in 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 Bom had been pltmged 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 warriors from the ocher sea bot-
toms of outer Mars had ridden their wild thoats
across the sacred gardens of the Temple of
Issus, and Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Th^rk, fierc-
[3]
The Warlord of Mars
est 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 as-
cend the ancient throne of the black men, even
the First Born themselves concurring in it;
but I would have none of it. My heart could
never be with the race that had heaped indigni-
ties 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 un-
questioned.
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, since no word had been received from the
missing Jeddak of Helium, Tardos Mors,
grandfather of Dejah Thoris, or his son. Mors
Kajak, Jed of Helium, her father.
Over a year had elapsed since they had set
cut to explore the northern hemisphere in
search of Carthoris, and at last their disheart-
ened people had accepted as truth the vague ru-
[4]
On the Biver Iss
mors of their death that had filtered in from
the frozen region of the pole.
Once again I refused a throne, for I would
not believe that the mighty Tardos Mors, or his
no less 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 Eighteousness
in the Temple of Eeward, from the very spot
where I had stood a year before when Zat
Arrras pronounced the sentence of death upon
me.
As I spoke I stepped forward and laid my
hand upon the shoillder of Carthoris where he
stood in the 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 office was to be for life or until
his great-grandfather, or grandfather, should
return. Having thus satisfabt'drily arranged
[5]
The Warlord of Mars
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
fateful day that should see the opening of the
prison cell where my lost love lay buried.
Hor Vastus and Kantos Kan, with my other
noble lieutenants, I left with Carthoris at He-
lium, that he might have the benefit of theii^
wisdom, bravery, and loyalty in the perform-
ance of the arduous duties which had devolved
upon him. Only Woola, my Martian hound, ac-
companied me.
At my heels tonight 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 embodiment of love and loyalty.
The figure ahead was that of the black dator
of the First Born, Thurid, whose undying en-
mity I had 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
[6]
On the River Iss
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 watch upon his comings
and goings, to the end that of late I had become
convinced that he was occupied with some man-
ner of intrigue.
Several times I had observed him leaving the
walled city of the First Bom after dark, taking
his way out into the cruel and horrible Valley
Dor, where no honest business could 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 his 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.
[7]
The Warlord of Mars
I did not dare follow him there beneath the
moonlight, since it best suited my plans not to
interrupt his — I wished him to reach his desti-
nation unsuspecting, that I might learn just
where that destination lay and the business that
awaited the night prowler 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 black dator.
The quiet of the tomb lay upon the myste-
rious valley of death, crouching deep in its
warm nest within the sunken area at the south
pole of the dying planet. In the far distance
the Golden Cliffs raised their mighty barrier
faces far into the starlit heavens, the precious
metals and scintillating jewels that composed
them sparkling in the brilliant light of Mars's
two gorgeous moons.
At my back was the forest, pruned and
trimmed like the sward to parklike symmetry
by the browsing of the ghoulish plant men.
Before me lay the Lost Sea of Korus, while
farther on I caught the shimmering ribbon of
Iss, the Eiver of Mystery, where it wound out
[8]
On the River Iss
from beneath the Golden Cliffs to empty into
Korus, to which for countless ages had been
borne the deluded and unhappy Martians of the
outer world upon the voluntary pilgrimage to
this false heaven.
The plant men, with their blood-sucking
hands, and the monstrous white apes that make
Dor hideous by day, were hidden in their lairs
for the night.
There was no longer a Holy Them upon the
balcony in the Golden Cliffs above the Iss to
summon them with weird cry to the victims
floating down to their maws upon the cold,
broad bosom of ancient Iss.
The navies of Helium and the First Born had
cleared the fortresses and the temples of the
thems 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 Thems, had been driven
from his temple. Strenuous had been our en-
deavors to capture him; but with a few of the
faithful he had escaped, and was in hiding —
where we knew; not.
[9]
The Warlord of Mars
As I came cautiously to tlie 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 Thems, with their organi-
zation of priests and lesser thems, were wont
to distribute along the banks of the Iss, that
the long journey of their victims might be facil-
itated.
Drawn up on the beach 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, call-
ing Woola into it, pushed out from shore.
The pursuit of Thurid carried me along the
edge of the sea toward the mouth of the Iss.
The farther moon lay close to the horizon, cast-
ing 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 insured concealing dark-
ness for that length of time at least.
On and on went the black warrior. Now he
[10]
On the River Iss
was opposite the mouth of the Iss. Without
an instant's hesitation he turned up the grim
river, paddling hard against the strong current.
After him came Woola 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 was less strong.
Presently he came to the dark cavernous por-
tal in the face of the Golden Clififs, through
which the river poured. On into the Stygian
darkness beyond he urged his craft.
It seemed hopeless to attempt to follow him
here where I could not see my hand before my
face, and I was almost on the point of giving up
the pursuit and drifting back to the mouth of
the river, there to await his return, when a sud-
den bend showed a faint luminosity ahead.
My quarry was plainly visible again, and in
the increasing light from the phosphorescent
rock that lay embedded ia great patches in the
roughly arched roof of the cavern I had no diffi-
culty in following him.
It was my first trip upon the bosom of Iss,
and the things I saw there will live forever in
my memory.
[11]
The Warlord of Mars
Terrible as they were, they could not have
commenced to approximate the horrible condi-
tions which must have obtained before Tars Tar-
kas, 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 mil-
lions 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 half-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 stench of these frightful chamel
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 the slightest attention to the
screaming thii%s that either menabed 6r
[12]
On the River Iss
pleaded with, him as the mood directed them —
evidently he was familiar with the horrid sights
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. Here I could watch Thurid
without danger of discovery.
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 no-
ticed that a strong current seemed to flow di-
rectly 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 pro-
ceeded several yards, I touched nothing; and
then, finding that I would soon reach a point
from where I could no longer see the black man,
[13]
The Warlord of Mars
I was compelled to remain where 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 imagine 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 stUl speculating upon the phe-
nomenon, my attention was suddenly riveted
upon Thurid, who had raised both palms for-
ward 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
within my limited range of vision a long boat,
in which were six men. Five were at the pad-
dles, while the sixth sat in the seat of honor.
The white skins, the flowing yellow wigs
which covered their bald pates, and the gor-
geous diadems set in circlets of gold about their
heads marked them as Holy Therns.
[14]
On the River Iss
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 Shang, 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 before had I
known of two meeting other than in battle.
Evidently the reverses that had recently
overtaken both peoples had resulted in an al-
liance between these two individuals — at least
against the common enemy — and now I saw
why Thurid had come so often out into the Val-
ley Dor by night, and that the nature of his con-
spiring might be such as to strike very close to
me or to my friends.
I wished that I might have found a point
closer to the two men from which to have heard
their conversation; but it was out of the ques-
tion now to attempt to cross the river, and so I
lay quietly watching them, who would have
given so much to have known how close I lay to
them, and how easily they might have overcome
and killed me with their superior force.
[15]
The Warlord of Mars
Several times Thurid 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 lat-
ter '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 last it became evident that their craft
was holding the same course. The five pad-
dlers 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, and 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 now quite close to me. The
noise of their own paddles droAvned the sound
of mine, but in another instant the growing
light ahead would reveal me to them. ■•
[16]
On the River Iss
There was no time to be lost, Wliatever ac-
tion I was to take must be taken at once.
Swinging the prow of my boat toward the right,
I sought the river's rocky side, and there I lay
while Matai Shang and Thurid approached up
the center of the stream, which was much nar-
rower than the Iss.
As they came nearer I heard the voices of
Thurid and the Father of Thems raised in
argument.
" I tell you, Them," the black dator was say-
ing, "that I wish only vengeance upon John
Carter, Prince of Helium. I am leading you
into no trap. What could 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 paces beyond the spot where I lay.
Had they pulled in below me they must surely
have seen me against the faint glow of light
ahead, but from where they finally came to rest
[17]
The Warlord of Mars
I was as secure from detection as though miles
separated us.
The few words I had already overheard whet-
ted my curiosity, and I was anxious to learn
what manner of vengeance Thurid was plan-
ning 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 accomplished I shall be glad if you
will see to it that I am well received, as is be-
fitting 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 else-
where within the power of the Prince of He-
lium; 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 daugh-
ter, 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 in-
dignities he has put upon the holy of holies, nor
[18]
On the River Iss
shall any vileness be too vile to inflict upon Ms
princess. Would that it were in my power to
force him to witness the humiliation and deg-
radation of the red woman."
' ' You shall have your way with her before
another day has passed, Matai Shang," said
Thurid, " if you but say the word."
" I have heard of the Temple of the Sun, Da-
tor," replied Matai Shang, " but never have I
heard that its prisoners could be released be-
fore the allotted year of their incarceration had
elapsed. How, then, 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 the secret way were
wont to die mysteriously immediately they had
[19]
The Warlord of Mars
returned and made their reports to cruel Issus. "
"Let us proceed, 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 suffi-
cient bond to insure our loyalty to each other,
and after we have defiled the Princess of He-
lium 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 rash-
ness of such an act, which would 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 hal-
lowed spot, then, too, should he lead John Car-
ter, Prince of Helium.
With silent paddle I swung slowly into the
wake of the larger craft.
[201
CHAPTEE n
UNDEB THE MOUNTAINS
AS WE advanced up the river which vsdnds
beneath the Golden Cliffs out of the bow-
els of the Mountains 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 untU it presented the as-
pect of a large lake whose vaulted dome, lighted
by glowing phosphorescent rock, was splashed
with the vivid rays of the diamond, the sap-
phire, the ruby, and the countless, nameless
jewels of Barsoom which lay incrusted in the
virgin gold which forms the major portion of
these magnificent 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 in-
[21]
The Warlord of Mars
stant detection, and so, though I was loath, to
permit Thurid to pass even for an instant be-
yond 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 found that the river issued from a low
aperture, to pass beneath which it was neces-
sary 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 roof rose agj9,ia upon the
other side, but no longer was the way brilliantly
lighted. Instead only a feeble glow emanatied
from small and scattered patches of phosphor-
escent rock in wall and roof.
Directly before me the river ran into this
smaller chamber through three separate arched
openings.
Thurid and the therns 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
[22]
Under the Mountains
as being as likely to lead me in the right direc-
tion 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
rocky wall and then another as the river wound
hither and thither along its flinty bed.
Far ahead I presently heard a deep and sul-
len roar which increased in volume as I ad-
vanced, and then 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 rooky, sub-
terranean vault! Had the fall not entirely
blocked my further passage and shown me that
I had followed the wrong course I believe that
*I should have fled anyway before the madden-
ing tumult.
Thurid and the therns could not have come
[23]
The Warlord of Mars
this way. By stumbling upon th.e wrong course
I had lost the trail, and they had gained so
much ahead of me that now I might not be able
to find them before it was too late, if, in fact, I
could find them at all.
It had taken several hours to force my way
up to the falls against the strong current, and
other hou* would be required for the descent,
although the pace would be much swifter.
With a sigh I turned the prow of my craft
down stream, and with mighty strokes hastened
with reckless speed through the dark and tor-
tuous channel until once again I came 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
which I could judge which was the more likely
to lead me to the plotters.
Never in my life, that I can recall, have I suf-
fered such an agony of indecision. So much
depended upon a correct choice; so much de-
pended 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,
[24]
Under the Mowntains
and maybe days in a fruitless exploration of
another blind lead would unquestionably prove
fatal.
Several times I essayed the rigbt-band en-
trance only to turn back as though warned by
some strange intuitive sense that this was not
the way. At last, convinced by the oft-recur-
ring 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 rolled, dark and forbidding, from be-
neath the grim, low archway on the right.
And as I looked there 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 were 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.
[25]
The Warlord of Mar$
Quickly I abandoned 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 pre-
vious day, but in so far as he was concerned it
mattered but little, since practically, all the ani-
mals 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 decay-
ing bodies — unlike the Iss — and as for food,
why the mere thought that I was nearing my
beloved princess raised me above every mate-
rial want.
As I proceeded, the 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 rapids through which the river foamed and
boiled at a terrific rate.
[26]
Under the Mowntains
My heart sank within me. The sorapus nut-
shell had proved a false prophet, and, after all,
my intuition had been correct — it was the left-
hand channel that I should have followed.
Had I been a woman I should have wept. At
my right was a great, slow-moving eddy that
circled far beneath the cliff's overhanging side,
and to rest my tired muscles before turning
back I let my boat drift into its embrace.
I was almost prostrated by disappointment.
It would mean another 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 selisct from three possible
avenues thfe two that were wrong?
As the lazy current hi the eddy carried me
slowly about the periphery df the watery circle
my boat twice touched the rocky side of the
river in the dark recess beneath the cliff. A
third time it struck, gently as it had before, but
the contact resulted in a different sound — the
sound of wood scraping upon wood.
In an instant I was on the alert, for there
could be no wood within that buried river that
had not been man brought. Almost coinci-
de'n'tly With my fit^t apprehensioki of the nbise,
[27]
The Warlord of Mars
my hand shot out across the boat's side, and a
second later I felt my fingers gripping the gun-
wale 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 effoi^t 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 gen-
tle 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
sound of breathing near me; but except for
the noise of the rapids, the soft scraping 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 softly I gathered it up, and mak-
ing 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.
[28]
Under the Mountains
For a full minute, perhaps, I stood motion-
less after entering the strange craft. It had
rocked a trifle beneath my weight, but it had
been the scraping of its side against the side
of my own boat that had seemed most likely to
alarm its occupants, if there were any.
But there was no answering sound, and a mo-
ment later I had felt from stem to stem and
found the boat deserted.
Groping with my hands along the face of the
rocks to which the craft was moored, I discov-
ered a narrow ledge which I knew must be the
avenue taken by those who had come before 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 through 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 recent pres-
ence of an enemy, for I had made no effort to
[29]
The Warlord of Mars
impart to Mm the nature of our quest or the
status of those we tracked. /
This omission. I now 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 Barsoom 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 him 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 opposite
direction, nor would he desist until I had turned
about and indicated that I would follow him vol-
untarily.
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 ia the
huge beast's wake. Through Cimmerian dark-
ness he moved along the narrow ledge beside
the boiling rapids.
As we advanced, the way led from beneath
[30]
Under the Mountains
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 r^n up
along the river's side beyond the rapids.
For hours we followed 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 Omean as well
— it could not be much farther now to the Tem-
ple of the Sun.
Even as my mind framed the thought Woola
halted suddenly before a narrow, arched door-
way in the cliff by the trail's side. Quickly he
crouched back away from the entrance, at the
same time turning his eyes toward me.
Words could not have more plainly told me
that danger of some sort lay near by, and so I
pressed quietly forward to his side, and pass-
ing 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 warriors, but
now its only occupants were two of the therns
[31]
The Warlord of Mars
who had been of the party with Thurid and
Matai Shang.
The naen 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 neces-
sity for leaving us here to guard the way.
Against what, pray, should we guard this long-
forgotten, abysmal 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 last he will fall upon us with his confeder-
ates and slay us all. ' '
"I believe you, Lakor," replied the other,
* * there can never be aught else than deadly
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."
[32]
Under the Mov/ntains
''Indeed, it is silly," replied Lakor. "It
will open notliing other than the way to a quick
death for us all. He had to make some answer
when Matai Shang asked him flatly what he
should do when he came to the Temple of the
Sun, and so he made his answer quickly from
his imagination — I would wager a hekkador's
diadem that he could not now repeat it him-
self."
"Let us not remain here longer, Lakor,"
spoke the other thern. * ' Perchance if we has-
ten 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 be-
lieve that we are foolish to remain."
I, too, thought that they were foolish to re-
main, 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
[33]
The Warlord of Mars
considerable love for this race of self-deified
demons, yet I would have passed them by were
it possible without molesting them.
It was worth trying anyway, for a fight might
delay us considerably, or even put an end en-
tirely to my search — better men than I have
gone down before fighters of meaner ability
than that possessed by the fierce thern war-
riors.
Signaling Woola to heel I stepped suddenly
into the room before the two men. At sight of
me their long-swords flashed from the harness
at their sides, but I raised my hand in a gesture
of restraint.
"I seek Thurid, the black dator," I said.
" 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 mine, 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
[34]
Under the Mountains
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 should like to
undertake would our orders permit."
I was surprised that neither of them had
recognized me, for I thought that I was quite
sufificiently well known either by personal ex-
perience or reputation to every thern upon Bar-
soom as to make my identity immediately ap-
parent in any part of the planet. In fact, I
was the only white man upon Mars whose hair
was black and whose eyes were gray, with the
exception of my son, Carthoris.
To reveal my identity might be to precipitate
an attack, for every them upon Barsoom knew
that to me they owed the fall of their age-old
spiritual supremacy. On the other hand my
reputation as a fighting 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 candid I did not attempt to de-
lude myself with any such sophistry, since I
knew well that upon warlike Mars there are
few cowards, and that every man, whether
prince, priest, or peasant, glories in deadly
[35]
The Warlord of Mars
strife. And so I gripped my long-sword the
tighter as I replied to Lakor.
" I believe that 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 pro-
tect a hereditary enemy, such as Thurid, Dator
of the First Born.
" That you shall die should you elect to op-
pose 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 standing a little behind his com-
panion, Lakor, during our parley, and now, ere
he could 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 upon Barsoom should yearn to spill
the blood of the blasphemer, the sacrilegist;
[36]
Under the Mountains
but let us mix wisdom with our righteous hate.
The Prince of Helium is bound upon 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 returns we shall still be here to bar his way
to the outer world, and thus we shall have rid
ourselves of two enemies, nor have incurred
the displeasure of the Father of Therns."
As he spoke I could not but note the crafty
glint in his evil eyes, and while I saw the ap-
parent logic of his reasoning I felt, subcon-
sciously perhaps, that his words did but veil
some sinister intent. The other 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, John 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 again into the sunlight of
the upper world. Grol"
During our conversation Woola had been
growling and bristling close to my side. Occa-
sionally he "would look up into my face with a
[37]
The Warlord of Mars
low, pleading whine, as though begging for the
word that would send him headlong at the bare
throats before him. He, too, sensed the vil-
lainy behind the smooth words.
Beyond the therns several doorways opened
off the guardroom, and toward the one upon
the extreme right Lakor motioned.
" That way leads to Thurid," he said.
But when I would have called Woola to fol-
low 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 coughing
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,
TJiern, 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 smiled 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 followed Woola into the left-
hand pa'g^age, aind thb'u^h my Kafek was toWrd
[38]
Under the Mowntains
my enemies, my ears were on the alert; yet I
heard no sound of pursuit. The passageway
was dimly lighted hy occasional radium bulhs
the universal lighting medium of Barsoom.
These same lamps may have been doing con-
tinuous duty in these subterranean chambers
for ages, since 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 di-
verging corridors, but not once did Woola hes-
itate. 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 Car-
ter, 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, too, and like a flash he had
wheeled and stood facing the threatened dan-
ger, his mane all abristle and all his rows of
glistening fangs bared by snarling, backdrawn
lips. With a gesture I silenced him, and to-
[39]
The Warlord of Mars
gether we drew aside into another corridor a
few paces farther on.
Here we waited; nor 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— the acci-
dental clank that had alarmed me was not re-
peated.
Presently they came 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 that we have distanced them al-
ready?" 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 Car-
ter would have found it a short road to death
had he taken if as you suggested to him."
" Yes," said Lakor, " no, amount of fighting
ability would have saved him from the pivoted
[40]
Under the Movrntains
flagstone. He surely would have stepped upon
it, and by now, if the pit beneath it has a bot-
tom, which Thurid denies, he should have been
rapidly approaching it. Curses on that calot
of his that warned him toward the safer
avenue! "
' ' There be other 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. Consider,
for example, what chance he wiU have, coming
unexpectedly into the chamber of "
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 very instant of
all other instants that I would not have elected
to do it, I sneezed.
[41]
CHAPTEE III
THE TEMPLE OF THE SUN
THEEE wa^ 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 thems, for my untimely sneeze
had warned them' of my presence and they were
ready for me.
There were no words, for they would have
been a waste of breath. The very presence of
the two proclaimed their treachery. That they
were following to fall upon me unawares was
all too plain, and they, of course, must have
known that I understood their plan.
In an instant I was 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 exception,
unless it were that they were even more skilled
and fearless than the average among their race.
While it lasted it was indeed as joyous a con-
[42]
The Temple of the Sun
flict as I ever had experienced. Twice at least
I saved my breast from the 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
southern 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 them was 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 brief 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
parry 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 upbn my back.
[43]
The Warlord of Mars
Then, like leaping panthers, they were upon
me ; but they had reckoned without Woola, and
before ever a blade touched me, a roaring em-
bodiment of a thousand demons hurtled above
my prostrate form and my loyal Martian calot
was upon them.
Imagine, if you can, a huge grizzly with ten
legs armed with mighty talons and an enormous
froglike 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 yoTi will have some faint conception of
Woola in action.
Before I could call him off he had crushed
Lakor into a jelly with a single blow of one
mighty paw, and had literally torn the other
them to ribbons; yet when I spoke to him
sharply he cowed sheepishly as though he had
done a thing to deserve censure and chastise-
ment.
Never had I had the 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 oil ga'aTd bVer
[>4]
The Temple of the Sun
me, and I had won his love and loyalty from the
cruel and loveless masters of his former life,
yet I believe he would have submitted to any
cruelty that I might have inflicted upon him, so
wondrous wa^ 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 from his harness I
gleaned t^at 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 grue-
some 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 approve of the metamorphosis.
He sniffed at me and growled ominously, but
when I spoke to him and patted his huge head
[45]
The Warlord of Mars
he at length became reconciled to the change,
and at my command trotted off along the corri-
dor in the direction we had been going when
our progress had been interrupted by the
thems.
We moved cautiously now, warned by the
fragment of conversation I had overheard. I
kept abreast of Woola that we might have 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, im-
mediately making another turn in the original
direction, so that at that point it formed a per-
fect letter S, the top leg of which debouched
suddenly into a large chamber, illy lighted, and
the floor of which was completely covered by
venomous snakes and loathsome reptiles.
To have attempted to cross that floor would
have been to court instant death, and for a mo-
ment 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 for the fortunate accident by
[46]
The Temple of the Sun
which I overheard even so small a portion of
the thems' conversation we should have blun-
dered at least a step or two into that wriggling
mass of destruction, and a single step would
have been all-sufficient to have sealed our doom.
These were the only 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 pre-
historic reptilian genera, as well as others un-
discovered.
A more hideous aggregation of monsters had
never before assailed my vision. It would be
futile to attempt to describe 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 viru-
lence 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,
but a line of radium bulbs inset along the
threshold of their chamber brought them to a
[47]
The Warlord of Mars
sudden halt — evidently they dared not cross
that line of light.
I had been quite sure that they would not ven-
ture beyond the room in which I had discovered
them, though I had not guessed at what de-
terred 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 Cham-
ber 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, discover-
ing that it circled the room as far as I could
see. Then I glanced above me along the upper
edge of the entrance to which 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 cham-
[48]
The Temple of the Sun
ber — and a moment later "Woola and I dropped
down to safety in the corridor beyond.
Not ten minutes later 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 dome of this mighty apart-
ment a huge circular column extended to the
floor, and as I watched I saw that it slowly re-
volved.
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 vul-
nerable spot in their mighty prison, was still a
bafflmg 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 presence 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 right trail, I thought, as I
[49]
The Warlord of Mars
slipped tlie bauble into the pocket-poucb wbich
hung from my bamess. Then I continued my
search 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 cunningly inlaid in the shaft's
base that it might have passed unnoticed by a
less keen 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 every square
inch of its surface, but the most that I could
find was a tiny pinhole a little above and to the
right of the door's center — a pinhole that
seemed only 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 neglible 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
[50]
The Temple of the Sun
me to test tlie correctness of my hypothesis,
that this portal had been the means of ingress
to the temple used 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 tugging at
my harness to draw me back. I walked on,
however, some distance from the door before I
let him have his way, that I might see precisely
what he would do. Then I permitted him to
lead me wherever he would.
Straight back to that bafflmg 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 would open
the way before me.
Carefully I recalled every circumstance of
my pursuit of Thurid, and my conclusion was
identical with my original belief — that Thurid
had come this way without other assistance
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
[51]
The Warlord of Mars
Mystery in the Grolden Cliffs that time I had
freed Thuvia of Ptarth from the dungeon of
the therns, and she had taken a slender, 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 intri-
cate lock in that other door.
Hastily I dumped the con. buts of my pocket-
pouch upon the ground before me. Could I
but find a slender bit of steel I might yet fash-
ion 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 flash 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 upon 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
[52]
The Temple of the Sun
meaning to my mind. There were three sets of
characters, one below another:
50 T
IX
25 T
For only an instant my curiosity was piqued,
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 recol-
lection of the conversation between Lakor and
his companion when the lesser thern had quoted
the words of Thurid and scx)ffed 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 line; " 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 examina-
tion 6i thfe miarbte inmaediatefly ab'ohit '^e pin-
[53]
The Warlord of Mars
hole in the door. I could have cried aloud in
exultation when my scrutiny disclosed the al-
most invisible incrustation of particles of car-
bonized electrons which are thrown off by these
Martian torches.
It was evident that 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 actu-
ated by light rays ; and I, John Carter, Prince
of Helium, held the combination 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 tinie, presenting
them to view beneath a strong crystal much
after the manner of an earthly odometer.
Timing my operations carefuUy, I held the
torch to the small aperture in the door, regulat-
ing the intensity of the light by means of the
thumb-lever upon the side of the case.
For fifty tals I let three units of light shine
full in the pinhole, then one unit for one xat,
and for twenty-fi!ve tals nine units. Those last
[54]
The Temple of the Sun
twenty-five tals were the longest twenty-five
seconds of my life. Would the lock click at the
end of those seemingly interminable intervals
of time?
Twenty-three ! Twenty-four ! Twenty-five !
I shut off the light 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 was no hallucination here.
Back and back it slid for ten feet until it had
disclosed at its right a narrow doorway leading
into a dark and narrow corridor that paralleled
the outer wall. Scarcely was the entrance un-
covered than Woola and I had leaped through
— then the door slipped quietly back into place.
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 light
shone was a sharp turn, and a little distance
beyond this a brilliantly lighted chamber.
Here we discovered a spiral stairway leading
up from the center of the circular room.
[55]
The Warlord of Mars
Immediately I knew that we had reached
the center of the base of the Temple of the Sun
— the spiral runway led upward past the inner
walls of the prison cells. Somewhere above me
was Dejah Thoris, unless Thurid and Matai
Shang had already succeeded in stealing her.
"We had scarcely started up the runway whelx
Woola suddenly displayed the wildest excite-
ment. He leaped back and forth, snapping at
my legs and harness, until I thought that he
was mad, and finally when I pushed him from
me and started once more to ascend he grasped
my sword arm between his jaws and dragged
me back. \
No amount of scolding 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 o;r no, I had not the heart to run the
sharp blade into that faithful body.
Down into the chamber he dragged me, and
across it to the side opposite that at which we
had entered. Here was another doorway lead-
ing into a corridor which ran directly down a
steep incline. Without a moment's hesitation
Woola jerked me along this rocky passage.
[56]
The Temple of the Sun
Presently he stopped and released me, stand-
ing between me and the way we had come, look-
ing up into 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 strange
instinct might be more dependable than my
faulty human judgment.
And well it was that I had been forced to
follow him. But a short distance from the cir-
cular chamber we came suddenly into a bril-
liantly lighted labyrinth of crystal glass parti-
tioned passages.
At first I thought 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 at-
tempting 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 maze when "Woola gave mouth to a most
frightful roar, at the same time dashing against
the clear partition at our left.
[ 57 ]
The Warlord of Mars
The resounding echoes of that fearsome cry
were still reverberating through the subterra-
nean chambers when I saw the thing that had
startled it from the faithful beast.
Far in the distance, dimly through the many
thicknesses of intervening crystal, as in a haze
that made them seem unreal and ghostly, I dis-
cerned the figures of eight people — three fe-
males and five men.
At the same instant, 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 beauti-
ful and ever youthful Princess of Helium.
With her were Thuvia of Ptarth, Phaidor,
daughter of Matai Shang, and Thurid, and the
Father of Thems, 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 love is blind; but so great a
[58]
The Temple of the Sun
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 must in-
deed be far from blind.
[59]
CHAPTEE IV
THE SECKET TOWEE
I HAVE no stomach, to narrate the monoto-
nous events of the tedious days that Woola
and I spent ferreting our way across the laby-
rinth of glass, through the dark and devious
ways beyond that led beneath the Valley Dor
and Golden Cliffs to emerge at last upon the
flank of the Otz Mountains just above the Val-
ley of Lost Souls — that pitiful purgatory peo-
pled 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 came.
Here the trail of Dejah Thoris' abductors
led along the mountains' base, across steep and
rugged ravines, by the side of appalling preci-
pices, and sometimes out into the valley, where
we found fighting aplenty with the members of
the various tribes that make up the population
of this vale of hopelessness.
[60]
The Secret Tower
But through it all we came at last to where
the way led up a narrow gorge that grew
steeper and more impracticable at every step
until before us loomed a mighty fortress buried
beneath the side of an overhanging cliff.
Here was the secret hiding place of Matai
Shang, Father of Therns. Here, surrounded
by a handful of the faithful, the hekkador of
the ancient faith, who had once been served by
millions of vassals and dependents, dispensed
the spiritual word among the half dozen na-
tions of Barsoom that still clung tenaciously to
their false and discredited religion.
Darkness was just falling as we came in sight
of the seemingly inapregnable walls of this
mountain stronghold, and lest we be seen I
drew back with Woola behind a jutting granite
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 fortress walls in search of
a way within.
Either through carelessness or over-confi-
dence in the ^apposed inaccessibility of their
hiding place, the triple-barred gate stood ajar.
[61]
The Warlord of Mars
Beyond were a handful of guards; laughing and
talking over one of their incomprehensible Bar-
soomian games.
I saw that none of the guardsmen had been
of the party that accompanied Thurid and Ma-
tai Shang; and so, relying entirely upon my
disguise, I walked boldly through the gateway
and up to the them guard.
The men stopped their game and looked up
at me, but there was no sign of suspicion.
Similarly they looked at Woola, growling at
my heel.
' ' Kaor ! " I said in true Martian greeting,
and the warriors arose and saluted me. " I
have but just found my way hither from the
Golden Cliffs," I continued, "and seqk au-
dience 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 to-
ward a second buttressed wall.
Why the apparent ease with which I seem-
ingly 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
[62]
The Secret Tower
else. Be that as it may, the fact is that I
marched buoyantly behind my guide straight
into the jaws of death.
Afterward I learned 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 but-
tresses with the wall. Here my guide pro-
duced a key and opened the way within; then,
stepping back, he motioned me to enter.
" Matai Shang is in the temple court be-
yond," he said; and as Woola and I passed
through, the fellow closed the door quickly upon
us.
The nasty laugh that came to my ears through
the heavy planking of the door after the lock
clicked 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,
[63]
The Warlord of Mars
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 hrmdred feet. It was of the
strangely beautiful modem Barsoomian style
of architecture, its entire surface hand carved
in bold relief with intricate and fanciful de-
signs. Thirty feet above the courtyard and
overlooking it was a broad balcony, and there,
indeed, was Matai Shang, and with him were
Thurid and Phaidor, Thuvia, and Dejah Thoris
— the last two heavily ironed. A handful of
them 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 shoulder of my
princess. Like a tigress she turned upon him,
striking the beast a heavy blow with the man-
acles upon her wrist.
[64]
The Secret Tower
He would have struck back had not Matai
Shang interfered, and then I saw that the two
men were not overf riendly ; for the manner of
the them was arrogant and domineering as he
made it plain to the First Bom that the Prin-
cess of Helium was the personal property of the
Father of Thems. And Thurid's bearing to-
ward the ancient hekkador savored not at all
of liking or respect.
When the altercation in the balcony had sub-
sided Matai Shang turned again to me.
" Earth man," he cried, " you have earned a
more ignoble death than now lies 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, Hek-
kador 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. In-
stead, Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, shall
become the plaything of my lieutenants — per-
haps of thy most hated enemy, Thurid, the black
dator."
[65]
The Warlord of Mars
As he ceased speaking 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 before they could
heap further tortures or indignities upon her.
Of all the holy of holies which the them ven-
erates 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 wiped
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 amuse-
[66]
The Secret Tower
ment from my acr, I cried: "And thus did I
with the holies of Issus, Goddess of Life Eter-
nal, ere I threw Issus herself to the mob that
once had worshiped her, to be torn 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 Thems.
Matai Shang rose and, leaning over the edge
of the balcony, gave voice to the weird call that
I had heard from the lips of the priests upon
the tiny balcony upon the face of the 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 vic-
tims floating down the broad bosom of the mys-
terious Iss toward the silian-infested waters of
the Lost Sea of Korus.
" Let loose the death! " he cried, and imme-
diately a dozen doors in the base of the tower
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
[67]
The Warlord of Mars
dozen of them. Even with the assistance of the
fierce "Woola, there could be but a single out-
come 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 with bristling
manes and deep-throated roars they advanced,
lashing their tawny sides with their powerful
tails.
In the brief interval of life that was left me
I shot a last, parting glance toward my Dejah
Thoris. Her beautiful face was set in an ex-
pression of horror; and as my eyes met hers
she extended both arms toward me as, strug-
gling with the guardS' who now held her, she
endeavored to cast herself 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 attention was drawn toward
Thuvia of Ptarth. The beautiful girl was lean-
ing far over the edge of the balcony, her eyes
bright with excitement.
In another instant the banths would be upon
[68]
The Secret Tower
me, but I could not force my gaze from the
features of the red girl, for I knew that her
expression meant anything but the enjoyment
of the grim tragedy that would so soon be
enacted below her ; there was some deeper, hid-
den meaning which I sought to solve.
For an instant I thought of relying on my
earthly muscles and agility to escape the banths
and reach the balcony, which I could easily have
done, but I could not bring myself to desert
the faithful Woola and leave him to die alone
beneath the cruel fangs 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 be-
came apparent as from her lips there issued the
purring 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 soimd 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,
[69]
The Warlord of Mars
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 dens.
"You need not fear them now, John Car-
ter ! ' ' cried Thuvia, before they could silence
her. " Those banths will never harm you now,
nor Woola, either."
It was all I cared 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 about the waist and dragged her
away through a door leading within the tower.
For an instant Thurid hesitated, and then,
as though fearing that the Father of Therns
would escape him with the Princess of Helium,
he, too, dashed from the balcony in their wake.
Phaidor alone retained her presence of mind.
[70]
The Secret Tower
Two of the guards she ordered to bear away
Thuvia of Ptarth; the others she commanded
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 grand-
father, and you shall live in peace and happi-
ness. Eefuse 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. Eefuse and naught can save you;
for, though the way to the last stronghold of
the Holy Thems 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," 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
[71]
The Warlord of Mars
have guessed what the outcome of the battle
would be, for she turned and fled from the bal-
cony the moment she saw that I would have
none of her proposition.
The three guardsmen did not wait for my at-
tack. Instead, they rushed me — the three of
them simultaneously; and it was that which
gave me an advantage, for they fouled one an-
other in the narrow precincts of the balcony, so
that the foremost of them stumbled full upon
my blade at the first onslaught.
The red stain upon my point roused to its full
the old blood-lust of the fighting man that has
ever been so strong within my breast, so that
my blade flew through the air with a swiftness
and deadly accuracy that threw the two 'remain-
ing 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 sought, I let him keep
ever far enough ahead to think that he was
safely escaping my sword.
Through several inner chambers he raced
until he came to a spiral runway. Up this he
dashed, I in close pursuit. At the upper end
[72]
The Secret Tower
we came out into a small chamber, the walls of
which, were blank except for a single window
overlooking the slopes of Otz and the Valley of
Lost Souls beyond.
Here the fellow tore frantically at what ap-
peared to be but a piece of the blank wall
opposite the single window. In an instant I
guessed that it was a secret esit from the room,
and so I paused that he might have an oppor-
tunity to negotiate it, for I cared nothing to
take the life of this poor servitor — all I craved
was a clear road in pursuit of Dejah Thoris, my
long-lost princess.
But, try as he would, the panel would yield
neither to cunning nor force, so that eventually
he gave it up and turned to face me.
' ' Go thy way, Thern, ' ' I said to him, point-
ing toward the entrance to the runway up which
we had but just come. " I have no quarrel with
you, nor do I crave your life. Go ! "
For answer he sprang upon me with his
sword, and so suddenly, at that, that I was like
to have gone down before his first rush. So
there 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
[73]
The Warlord of Mars
while Matai Shang and Thurid made way with
Dejah Thoris and Thuvia of Ptarth.
The fellow was a clever swordsman — re-
sourceful and extremely tricky. In fact, he
seemed never to have heard that there existed
such a thing as a code of honor, for he re-
peatedly outraged a dozen Barsoomian fighting
customs that an honorable man would rather
die than ignore.
He even went so far as to snatch his holy wig
from his head and throw it in my face, so as
to blind 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
none had ever resorted to precisely that same
expedient, I knew them to be the least honor-
able and most treacherous fighters upon Mars,
and so was ever on the alert for some new and
devilish subterfuge when I was engaged with
one of their race.
But at length he overdid the thing ; for, draw-
ing his short-sword, 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
[74]
The Secret Tower
and hurled it clattering against the far wall,
and then, as I side-stepped my antagonist's im-
petuous rush, I let him have my point 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 late antagonist, I sprang across the cham-
ber to the blank wall beyond, through which
the them had attempted to pass. Here I sought
for the secret of its lock, but all to no avail.
In despair I tried 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 laiighter from beyond the baffling
panel.
In disgust I desisted 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; but, towering far above me, the tower's
carved wall riveted my keenest attention.
Somewhere within that massive pile was De-
[75]
The Warlord of Mars
jah Thoris. Above me I could see windows.
There, possibly, 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 won-
drous woman was at stake.
I glanced below. A hundred feet beneath lay
jagged granite boulders at the brink of a fright-
ful chasm upon which the tower abutted; and
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 frac-
tion 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 peril-
ous ascent.
To my dismay I found that, unlike the orna-
mentation 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
[76]
The Secret Tower
or five inches beyond the surface of the other
ornamentation, they presented a comparatively
easy mode of ascent could I but reach them.
Laboriously I climbed 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 reached a point where my fingers
could just clutch the sill of the lowest window,
and I was on the point of breathing a sigh of
relief when the sound of voices came 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 pro-
ceed 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 recognized as
Thurid 's.
[77]
The Warlord of Mars
"Then let us haste," said Matai Shang.
' ' But to be doubly sure, I will leave two who
shall patrol this runway. Later they may fol-
low us upon another flier — overtaking us at
Kaol."
My upstretehed 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 perpen-
dicular 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 push me with his
sword's point into eternity.
Presently the sound 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 noth-
ing short of the roof of the tower, and toward
this seemingly distant goal 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.
[78]
The Secret Tower
It is true that these projections were too far
apart to make the balance of the ascent any-
thing of a sinecure, but I at least had always
within my reach a point of safety to which I
might cling in case of accident.
Some ten feet below the roof, the wall inclined
slightly inward possibly a foot in the last ten
feet, and here the climbing was indeed immeas-
urably easier, so that my fingers 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 warriors, while near her was Thurid in
the act of clambering aboard.
He was not ten paces from me, facing in the
opposite direction ; and what cruel freak of fate
should 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
[79]
The Warlord of Mars
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 back-
ward over the tower's side.
[80]
CHAPTER V
ON THE KAOLIAN EOAD
IF THERE be a fate that is sometimes cruel
to me, there surely is a kind and merciful
Providence 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 evident-
ly did not even trouble himself to look after me,
but must have turned and mounted the waiting
flier at once.
Ten feet only I fell, and then a loop of my
tough, leathern harness caught upon one of the
cylindrical stone projections in the tower's sur-
face — 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 mo-
ment I hung 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
[81]
The Warlord of Mars
could not then know that Thurid was not still
awaiting me above.
Presently, however, 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 retraced my way to the roof, and
I must admit that it was with no pleasant sen-
sation that I raised my eyes once more above
its edge ; but, to my relief, there was no one in
sight, and a moment later I stood safely upon
its broad surface.
To reach the hangar and drag forth the only
other flier which it contained was the work of
but an instant; and just as the two thern war-
riors whom Matai Shang had left to prevent
this very contingency emerged upon the roof
from the tower's interior, I rose above them
with a taunting laugh.
Then I dived rapidly to the inner court where
I had last seen Woola, and to my immense re-
lief found the faithful beast still there.
The twelve great banths lay in the doorways
of their lairs, eying him and growling omi-
nously, but they had not disobeyed Thuvia's
[82]
On the Kaolian Road
injunction; and I thanked the fate that had
made her their keeper within the Golden Cliffs,
and endowed her with the kind and sympathetic
nature that had won the loyalty and affection of
these fierce beasts for her.
Woola leaped in frantic joy when he discov-
ered 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 bearlike manifes-
tation of his exuberant happiness all but caused
me to wreck the vessel 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 to'ward the
northeast and Kaol, the destination 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
[83]
The Warlord of Mars
attuned to the object of destination, points al-
ways toward it, irrespective of every change in
its location.
All that night we raced through the Bar-
soomian void, passing over low hills and dead
sea bottoms; above long-deserted cities and
populous centers of red Martian habitation upon
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 not so swift ; but even so,
it had covered an immense distance since the
flight began.
The change in vegetation below showed me
that we were rapidly nearing the equator. I
was now near enough to my quarry to have used
my bow gun ; but, though I could see that Dejah
Thoris was not on deck, I feared to fire upon
the craft which bore her.
Thurid was deterred by no such scruples ; and
though it must have been difficult for him to
believe 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
[84]
On the Kaolian Boad
upon me with his own hands, and an instant
later an explosive radium projectile whizzed
perilously close above my deck.
The black's next shot was more accurate,
striking my flier full upon the prow and ex-
ploding 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 buckle 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 rapidly now in an attempt to burst these
also, that I might be dashed to death in the
swift fall that would instantly follow a success-
ful shot.
Shot after shot tore past or into us, but by a
miracle neither Woola nor I was hit, nor were
the after tanks punctured. This good fortune
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, throwing my hands above my head, I
[85]
The Warlord of Mars
let go my hold and crumpled, limp and inert,
dangling in my harness like a corpse.
The ruse worked, and Thurid fired no more
at us. Presently I heard the diminishing sound
of whirring propellers, and realized that again
I was safe.
Slowly the stricken 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, out-
side of the forest in the Valley Dor beside the
Lost Sea of Korus, I never before had seen its
like upon the planet.
From books and travelers I had learned some-
thing of the little-known land of Kaol, which
lies along the equator almost halfway round the
planet to the east of Helium.
It comprises a sunken area of extreme trop-
ical heat, and is inhabited by a nation of red
men varying 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
discredited religion of the Holy Therns, and
[86]
On the KaoUan Road
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 al-
most complete by the fact that no waterway
connects their land with that of any other na-
tion, nor have they any need of a waterway
since the low, swampy land which comprises
the entire area of their domain self -waters their
abundant tropical crops.
For great distances in all directions rugged
hills and arid stretches of dead sea bottom dis-
courage intercourse with them, and since there
is practically no such thing as foreign com-
merce 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 even the sport of
hunting the strange and savage creatures which
haunt the jungle fastnesses of Kaol has of later
[87]
The Warlord of Mars
years proved insufficient lure even to the most
intrepid warriors.
It was upon the verge of the land of the Kaols
that I now knew myself to be, but in what direc-
tion to search for Dejah Thoris, or how far into
the heart of the great forest I might 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 cir-
cling about at the edge of the forest. Presently
he halted, and, turning to see if I were follow-
ing, set off straight into the maze of trees in
the direction we had been going before Thurid'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 reared their mighty heads far
above us, their broad fronds completely shut-
ting 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
smallest fliers, and then only with the greatest
risk of accident.
[88]
On the Kaolian Road
How Thurid and Matai 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 watehtower which
guards the Kaolians by day and by night
against the secret approach of 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 fernlike fronds grew rankly all about us
to the height of several feet above my head.
Myriad creepers hung 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 calot tree was, too, much in
evidence. It is a carnivorous plant of about the
bigness of a large sagebrush such as dots our
[89]
The Warlord of Mars
western plains. Each branch ends in 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 decided to make camp
for the night which my chronometer warned me
would soon be upon tis.
Many varieties of fruit grew in abundance
about us ; and as Martian calots are omnivorous,
Woola had no difficulty in making a square meal
after I had brought down the viands 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 awak-
ened me. 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
[90]
On the Kaolian Road
from some savage tliroat almost at my side.
What a fool I had been not to have found safer
lodgings for myself and Woola among the
branches of one of the countless trees that sur-
rounded us !
By daylight it would have been comparatively
easy to have hoisted Woola aloft in one man-
ner 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 had seemed to be the sig-
nal, 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, un-
less it is that none of them ever ventures 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 terrify-
ing aggregation of fierce and blood-thirsty mon-
sters it would be difficult to imagine.
[91]
The Warlord of Mars
Singly and in pairs they commenced wander-
ing 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
were never far from a sward island, and when
they saw us their pursuit always ended at the
verge of the solid sod.
Toward noon we stumbled upon a well-con-
structed road running in the general direction
we had been pursuiag. Everything about this
highway marked it as the work of skilled engi-
neers, and I was confident, from 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 entered 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 can, 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
[92]
On the Kaolian Road
and awesome formidability of the winged mon-
ster that bore down upon 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
eyds which covered three-fourths of the hideous
head, permitting the creature to see in all direc-
tions at one and the same time.
Even my powerful and ferocious Woola was
as helpless as a kitten before that frightful
thing. But to flee were useless, even had it ever
been to my liking to turn my back upon a dan-
ger; so I stood my ground, Woola snarling at
my side, my only hope to die as I had always
lived — fighting.
The creature was upon us now, and at the in-
stant 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
[93]
The Warlord of Mars
glistening fangs buried tliemselves in the bone
and cartilage and lower part of one of the huge
eyes, I dived beneath the great body as the crea-
ture rose, dragging Woola from the ground,
that it might bring its sting beneath and pierce
the body of the thing 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 in a terrific
cut that severed the deadly member close to the
gorgeously marked body.
Then, like a battering-ram, one of the power-
ful hind legs caught me full in the chest and
hurled me, half stunned and wholly winded,
clear across the broad highway and into the
underbrush of the jungle that fringes it.
Fortunately, I passed between the boles of
trees; had I struck one of them I should have
been badly injured, if not killed, so swiftly had
I been catapulted by that enormous hind leg.
Dazed though I was, 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
ealot with all six powerful legs.
[94]
On the KaoUan Road
Even during my sudden 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 concerning
retreat in the face of danger as either Woola
or I, for it dropped quickly toward me, and be-
fore 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 dis-
abled member — eventually the thing would
have hammered me to a pulp.
Nor was it far from accomplishing this when
an interruption occurred that put an end for-
ever 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 escap-
ing the perilous position in which I now was
[95]
The Warlord of Mars
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 walking sedately when I first
perceived them, but the instant that the red
man's eyes 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 an-
tagonist.
With a convulsive shudder the thing stiffened,
the jaws relaxed, dropping me to the ground,
and then, careening once in mid air, the creature
plunged headforemost to the road, 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 lifeless, released his
hold at my command and wriggled from be-
neath the body that had covered him, and to-
gether we faced the warrior looking down
upon us.
[96]
On the Kaolian Road
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 whis-
pered : * ' Can it be that you are a Holy Them ? ' '
I might have deceived the fellow for a time,
as I had deceived others, but I had cast away
the yellow wig and the holy diadem in the pres-
ence of Matai Shang, and I knew that it would
not be long ere my new acquaintance discov-
ered that I was no them at all.
" I am not a them," I replied, and then, fling-
ing caution to the winds, I said: " I am John
Carter, Prince of Helium, whose name may not
be entirely unknown to you."
If his eyes had gone wide when he thoughi
that I was a Holy Them, they fairly popped
now that he knew that I was John Carter. I
grasped 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.
[97]
The Warlord of Mars
" Jolin Carter, Prince of Helium," he re-
peated slowly, as though he could not quite
grasp the truth of the statement. " John Car-
ter, 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 duty, 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 believed in your sincerity the while
I have questioned and disbelieved the therns and
their religion.
* ' It would mean 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 Kao-
lian Road."
Truth and honesty were writ large upon the
warrior's noble countenance, so that I could not
but have trusted him, enemy though he should
have been. His title of Captain of the Kaolian
Eoad 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 there any service more
[98]
On the Kaolian Road
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 smiled.
" It was fortunate that I came when I did,"
he said. " Only this poisoned spear pricking
the very heart of a sith can kiU it quickly
enough to save its prey. In this section of Kaol
we are all armed with a long sith spear, whose
point is smeared with the poison of the creature
it 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 pres-
ently 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 store, since the sith is almost
extinct.
[99]
The Warlord of Mars
" Only occasionally do we now ran upon one.
Of old, however, Kaol was overrun with the
frightful monsters that often came in herds of
twenty or thirty, darting ddwn from above into
our cities and carrying 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
which 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 here, nor
do I wish to hear it. I have eyes and ears and
ordinary intelligence, and yesterday morning
I saw the party that 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 nation of Kaol or its jeddak."
" You have 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 least of all. Nor
[100]
On the Kaolian Road
have you seen Torkar Bar, nor ever heard of
him. You understand? "
"Perfectly," I replied.
He laid his hand upon my shoulder.
y This road leads directly into the city of
Kaol," he said. "I msh you fortune," and
vaulting to the back of his thoat 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
surrounds the city of Kaol,
We had traversed the entire way without mis-
hap or adventure, and though the few we had
met had eyed 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 the surrounding country, and
to enter the guarded city of Kulan Tith, Jed-
dak of Kaol, were two very different things.
No man enters a Martian city without giving a
very detailed and satisfactory account of him-
self, 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
the gates.
[101]
The Warlord of Mars
My only hope seemed to lie in entering the
city surreptitiously under cover of the dark-
ness, and once in, trust to my own wits to hide
myself in some crowded quarter where detec-
tion would be less liable to occur.
With this idea in view I circled the great wall,
keeping within the fringe of the forest, which
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 con-
structed rampart. To a height of thirty feet
the face of the wall slanted outward, and then
for almost an equal distance it was perpen-
dicular, above which it slanted in again for some
fifteen feet to the crest.
And smooth! Polished glass could not be
more so. Finally I had to admit that at last I
had discovered a Barsoomian fortification
which I could not negotiate.
Discouraged, I withdrew into the forest be-
side a broad highway which entered the city
from the east, and with Woola beside me lay
down to sleep.
[102]
CHAPTER VI
A HBKO IN KAOL
IT WAS daylight when I was awakened by
the sound of stealthy movement near by.
As I opened my eyes 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
green 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 de-
struction and death stretched away from the
city of Kaol. There could be but one explana-
[103]
The Warlord of Mars
tion. 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 retraced my steps to where I
had left "Woola, and warning him to silence, sig-
naled him to follow me. Making a considerable
detour to avoid the chance of falling into the
hands of the green men, I came at last to the
great wall.
A hundred yards to 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 hasten-
ing toward the left, where another gate a mile
away would give me ingress to the city.
I knew that the word I brought would prove a
splendid passport to Kaol, and I must admit
[104]
A Hero in Kaol
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 mat-
ters 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 ex-
citement which were sure to follow my an-
nouncement of an invading force of green war-
riors 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 ap-
prised me of the fact that the Kaolians were
already moving toward the other gate.
There was no time to be lost. In another
moment the gate would be opened and the head
of the colunan pass out upon the death-bordered
highway.
Turning back toward the fateful gate, I ran
rapidly along the edge of the clearing, taking
[105]
The Warlord of Mars
the ground in the mighty leaps that had first
made me famous upon Barsoom. Thirty, fifty,
a hundred feet at a bound are nothing for the
muscles of an athletic Earth man upon Mars.
As I passed the flank of the waiting green men
they saw my eyes turned upon them, and in an
instant, knowing that all secrecy was at an end,
those nearest me sprang to their feet in an
effort to cut me off before I could reach the
gate.
At the same instant the mighty portal swung
wide and the head of the Kaolian column
emerged. A dozen green warriors had suc-
ceeded in reaching a point between me and the
gate, but they had but little idea who it was
they had elected to detain.
I did not slacken my speed an iota as I
dashed among them, and as they fell before my
blade I could not but recall the happy memory
of those other battles when Tars Tarkas,JGddak
of Thark, mightiest of Martian green men, had
stood shoulder to shoulder with me through
long, hot Martian days, as together we hewed
down our enemies until the pile of corpses about
us rose higher than a tall man's head.
When several pressed me too closely, there
[106]
A Hero in Kaol
before the carved gateway of Kaol, I leaped
above their heads, and fashioning my tactics
after those of the hideous plant men of Dor,
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 green men were coming to meet them. In a
moment I was in the very center of as fierce 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 tem-
perate zone. There were many times when
either side might have withdrawn without dis-
honor and thus ended hostilities, but from the
mad abandon with which each invariably re-
newed hostilities I soon came to believe that
what need not have been more than a trifling
skirmish would end only with the complete ex-
termination 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 applause directed
at me.
[107]
The Warlord of Mars
If I sometimes seem 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 proud that upon two
planets no greater fighter has ever lived than
John Carter, Prince of Helium.
And I outdid myself 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 highway the tide of
battle surged, but never once was the gateway
to Kaol really in danger.
There were breathing spells when I had a
chance to converse with the red men beside
whom I fought, 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 be-
fore, from the surnames of the first two of their
[108]
A Hero in Kaol
warriors I had killed, which is the custom
among them.
"You are a mighty warrior, Dotar Sojat,"
he replied, " and when this day is done 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 to-
ward their distant sea bottom.
Not until the battle 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 power-
ful and the only ally of the Kaolians, and it had
been his wish to meet his guest a full day's
journey from 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
[109]
The Warlord of Mars
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 ardu-
ous labors of the past few days. Woola had
fought with me through the battle of the pre-
vious 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 with a number of the Kaolian
officers, whom I found as courteous and de-
lightful hosts 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 jeddal^
rose, and stepping from the dais which sup-
ported his magnificent throne, came forward to
meet me — a mark of distinction that is seldom
accorded to other than a visiting ruler.
[110]
A Hero in Kaol
" 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 city 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."
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 in-
deed have had difficulty in rendering.
During my audience with the jeddak another
party entered the chamber from behind me, so
[111]
The Warlord of Mars
that I did not see their faces until Kulan Tith
stepped past me to greet them, commanding me
to follow and be presented.
As I turned toward them it was with diffi-
culty that I controlled my features, for there,
listening to Kulan Tith's eulogistic words con-
cerning me, stood my arch-enemies, Matai
Shang and Thurid.
" Holy Hekkador of the Holy Thems," 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 stepped forward and laid his
hand upon my shoulder. No slightest indication
that he recognized me showed upon his counte-
nance — my disguise was evidently complete.
He spoke kindly to me and then presented me
to Thurid. The black, too, was evidently en-
tirely deceived. Then Kulan Tith regaled them,
much to my amusement, with details of my
achievements upon the field of battle.
The thing that seemed 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 antagonist, cleav-
[112]
A Hero in Kaol
ing Ms 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
surprised him gazing intently into my face
through narrowed lids. "Was he commencing to
suspect ? And then Kulan Tith told of the sav-
age 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 the audience Kulan Tith an-
nounced 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 procure
proper trappings and a suitable mount for me,
both Matai Shang and Thurid seemed most sin-
cere in professing their pleasure at having had
an opportunity to know me. It was with a sigh
of relief that I quitted the chamber, convinced
that nothing more than a guilty conscience had
prompted my belief that either of my enemies
suspected my true 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
[113]
The Warlord of Mars
during my audience with the jeddak and my
various passages through the palace, 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 them.
Toward noon we came 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. Mounted 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, commodious 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
royal court. Upon the back of each monster
zitidar rode a Martian youth, and the whole
scene carried me back to my first days upon
Barsoom, now twenty-two years in the past,
when I had first beheld the gorgeous spectacle
[114]
A Hero in Kaol
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 green men and
their giant thoats; but when compared to the
relatively small red man and his breed of thoats
they assume Brobdingnagian proportions that
are truly appalling.
The beasts were hung with jeweled trappings
and saddle-pads of gay silk, embroidered in
fanciful designs with strings of diamonds,
pearls, rubies, emeralds, and the countless un-
named 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 jed-
dak rode alone upon a pure white thoat — an-
other unusual sight upon Barsoom — and after
them came interminable ranks of mounted
spearmen, riflemen, and swordsmen. It was in-
deed 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 noiseless, for neither
[115]
The Warlord of Mars
thoat nor zitidar is a hoofed animal, and the
broad tires of the chariots are of an elastic com-
position, 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 peo-
ple — 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 about the palace all
during the night with the constant arrival of
the noble officers of the visiting jeddak's reti-
nue that I dared not attempt to prosecute a
search for Dejah Thoris, and so, as soon as it
was seemly for me to do so, I returned to my
quarters.
[116]
A Hero in Kaol
As I passed along tlie 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 quickly in my
tracks, caught a glimpse of a figure which
darted into an open doorway the instant I
wheeled about.
Though I ran quickly 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 had 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 conclu-
sion 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 vague conjecture or fruitless
fears for the future lie with sufficient weight
upon 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.
[117]
The Warlord of Mars
Calots are not permitted within tlie walls of
the palace proper, and so I had had to relegate
poor Woola to quarters in the stables where
the royal thoats are kept. He had comfortable
even luxurious apartments, 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 hand touched against
human flesh, and then, as I lunged headfore-
most through the darkness to seize my noc-
turnal 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
had disappeared. Careful search of the room
revealed nothing to explain either the identity
or business of the person who 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
[118]
A Hero in Kaol
upon Barsoom. Assassination, however, is
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 apart-
ment. The officer in charge was one of my gen-
ial hosts of the morning, but now upon his face
was no sign of friendship.
' ' Kulan Tith commands your presence be-
fore him," he said. " Come! "
[119
CHAPTER VII
NEW ALLIES
SURROUNDED by guardsmen I marched
back along the corridors of the palace of
Kulan Tith, Jeddak of Kaol, to the great au-
dience chamber in the center of the massive
structure.
As I entered the brilliantly lighted apart-
ment, filled with the nobles of Kaol and the offi-
cers of the visiting jeddak, all eyes were turned
upon me. Upon the great dais at the end of
the chamber stood three thrones, upon which
sat Kulan Tith and his two guests, Matai
Shang, and the visiting jeddak.
Up the broad center aisle we marched be-
neath deadly silence, and at the foot of the
thrones we halted.
* ' Prefer thy charge, ' ' said Kulan Tith, turn-
ing 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.
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New Allies
"Most noble Jeddak," h.e said, addressing
Kulan Tith, "from the first I suspected this
stranger within thy palace. Your description
of his fiendish prowess tallied with that of the
arch-enemy of truth upon Barsoom.
' ' But that there might be no mistake I des-
patched a priest of your own holy cult to make
the test that should pierce his disguise and re-
veal the truth. Behold the result ! ' ' and Thurid
pointed a rigid finger at my forehead.
All eyes followed the direction of that accus-
ing digit — I alone seemed at a loss to guess
what fatal sign rested upon my brow.
The officer beside 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 bedchamber and wiped away a
patch of the disguising red pigment as broad
as my palm. Beneath showed the tanned tex-
ture of my own white skin.
[121]
The Warlord of Mars
For a moment Thurid ceased speaking, to en-
hance, I suspect, the dramatic effect of his dis-
closure. Then he resumed.
" Here, Kulan Tith," he cried, " is he who
has desecrated the temples of the Grods 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-hlasphemer, " he said.
" Even now he has followed me to the very
heart of thy palace, Kulan Tith, for the sole
purpose of assassinating me. He "
"He lies!" I cried. "Kulan Tith, listen
that you may know the truth. Listen while 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 chiv-
alry and honor than those of these revengeful
devotees of the spurious creeds from whose
cruel bonds I have freed your planet."
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New Allies
" Silence! " roared the jeddak, leaping to his
feet and laying his hand upon the hilt of his
sword. ' ' Silence, blasphemer I Kulan Tith
need not permit the air of his audience chamber
to be defiled by the heresies that issue from
your polluted throat to judge you.
' ' You stand already self -condemned. It but
remains 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 concluded, addressing the officer of
my guard.
Here was a pretty pass, indeed ! What chance
had I against 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 not escape this time. Earth man,"
ho taunted.
The guards closed toward me. A red haze
blurred my vision. The fighting blood of my
Virginian sires coursed hot through my veins.
[123]
The Warlord of Mars
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 broken heap
at the foot of Kulan Tith's throne, spitting
blood and teeth from his hurt mouth.
Then I drew my sword 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 rose 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 visiting jeddak.
" Hold! " he cried. " If you value my friend-
ship, Kulan Tith, and the age-old peace that
has existed between our peoples, call off your
swordsmen; for wherever or against whomso-
ever fights John Carter, Prince of Helium, there
beside him and to the death fights Thuvan
Dihn, Jeddak of Ptarth."
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New Allies
The shouting ceased and the menacing points
were lowered as a thousand eyes turned first
toward Thuvan Dihn in surprise and then to-
ward Kulan Tith in question. At first the Jed-
dak 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 be-
tween two great jeddaks.
" Thuvan Dihn," he said slowly, " must have
great provocation thus to desecrate the ancient
customs which inspire the deportment of a
guest withia the palace of his host. Lest I, too,
should forget 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 acts 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
[125]
The Warlord of Mars
Barsoom does lie owe a greater debt of grati-
tude tlian 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 the
last, long, voluntary pilgrimage upon the cold
bosom of the mysterious Iss, leaving me deso-
late.
* ' Some months ago I first heard of the expe-
dition which John Carter had led against Issus
and the Holy Therns. Faint rumors of the
atrocities 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
their own countries owing to the mandate of
terrible death which rests against all who re-
turn 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 com-
[126]
New Allies
mitted the sacrilege of returning to the outer
world. But then my father's love asserted it-
self, 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 Bom, and
to him who now rules those of the them nation
that have renounced their religion; and from
each and all I heard the same story of unspeak-
able cruelties and atrocities perpetrated upon
the poor defenseless victims of their religion
by the Holy Thems.
** Many there were who had seen or known
my daughter, and from therns who had been
close to Matai Shang I learned of the indigni-
ties 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 chival-
rous kindness that John Carter had accorded
my daughter. They told me how he fought for
her and rescued her, and how he spumed es-
cape from the savage Warhoons of the south,
sending her to safety upon his own thoat and
[127]
The Warlord of Mars
remaining upon foot to meet tlie green warriors.
"Can you wonder, Kulan Tith, that I am
willing to jeopardize my life, the peace of my
nation, or even your friendship, which I prize
iQore 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 not
that I should feel and act precisely as you
have,
"In so far as the Prince of Helium is con-
cerned I may act, but between you and Matai
Shang 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 will; but upon pain of death must
he never again enter the land of Kaol.
" If there be a quarrel between you and the
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New Allies
Father of Thems, I need not ask that the settle-
ment of it be deferred until both have passed
beyond the limits of my power. Are you satis-
fied, Thuvan Dihn? "
The Jeddak of Ptarth 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 satis-
fied," I cried, breaking rudely in upon the be-
ginnings of peace, for I had no stomach for
peace at the price that had been named.
" I have escaped 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 that I have won by
the prowess of my sword arm and the might of
my muscles.
' ' Nor will Thuvan Dihn, Jeddak of Ptarth,
be satisfied when he has heard me through. Do
you know why I have followed Matai Shang and
Thurid, the black dator, from the forests of the
Valley Dor across half a world through almost
insurmountable difficulties?
' ' Think you that John Carter, Prince of He-
lium, would stoop to assassination? Can Ku-
lan Tith be such a fool as to believe that lie,
[129]
The Warlord of Mars
whispered in Ms ear by the Holy Them or Da-
tor Thurid?
" I do not follow Matai Shang to kill him,
though the God of mine own planet knows that
my hands itch to be at his throat. I follow him,
Thuvan Dihn, because with him are two prison-
ers — my wife, Dejah Thoris, Princess of He-
lium, and your daughter, Thuvia of Ptarth.
' ' Now think you that I shall permit myself
to be led beyond the walls of Kaol unless the
mother of my son accompanies me, and thy
daughter be restored? "
Thuvan Dihn turned upon Kulan Tith. Eage
flamed in his keen eyes ; but by the masterful-
ness of his self-control he kept his tones level
as he spoke.
"Knew you this 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 laid a heavy hand upon my shoulder.
[130]
New Allies
" Wait," lie 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 De-
jah Thoris of Helium I did not know it — I have
seen neither. But if they be, then shall they
be returned to you on the morrow."
As he spoke he looked 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 disclo-
sures of his true character had done much al-
ready 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 great Kaolian still hesitated to cut the final
strand that bound him to his ancient religion.
Matai Shang was wise enough to seem to ac-
[131]
The Warlord of Mars
cept 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 word in an effort to affront me so subtilely
that I could not take open offense.
I was about to object to any delay, and de-
mand that the Princess of Helium be brought
to me forthwith, when Thuvan Dihn made such
insistence seem unnecessary.
" I should like to see my daughter at once,"
he said, * ' but if Kulan Tith will give me his
assurance that none will be permitted to leave
the palace this night, and that no harm shall
befall either Dejah Thoris or Thuvia of Ptarth
between now and the moment that they are
brought into our presence in this chamber at
daylight I shall not insist."
"None shall leave the palace tonight," re-
plied the Jeddak of Kaol, " and Matai Shang
will give us assurance that no harm will come
to the two women? "
[132]
New Allies
The thern assented with a nod. A few mo-
ments later Kulan Tith indicated that the au-
dience was at an end, and at Thuvan Dihn's
invitation I accompanied the Jeddak of Ptarth
to his own apartments, where we sat until day-
light, 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 father 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 Tar-
kas, 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 separa-
tion, and I was to be reunited with the glorious
daughter of Helium after 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
[133]
The Warlord of Mars
were but outward manifestations of a perfect
soul.
At last the messenger despatched to fetch
Matai Shang returned. I craned my neck to
catch the first glimpse of those who should be
following, 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.
" Kulan Tith, Mightiest of Jeddaks," he
cried, after the fashion of the court, ' ' your
messenger returns alone, for when he reached
the apartments of the 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 throne which awaited him beside his host.
For a moment the silence of death reigned in
the great audience chamber of Kulan Tith, Jed-
dak of Kaol. It was he who broke the spell.
Eising 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.
[134]
New Allies
"0 Thuvan Dihn," lie cried, "that this
should have happened in the palace of thy best
friend! With my own hands would 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 your daughter and the wife of
this royal warrior from the clutches of these
archfiends you have but to command the re-
sources 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 as-
sistance 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 hand-
some young officer stepped forward and ad-
dressed his jeddak.
" Kulan Tith, Mightiest of Jeddaks," he
[135]
The Warlord of Mars
said, " I alone be responsible for this grievous
error. Last night it was I wbo 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 sum-
moned 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 thing 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. Those
others of the palace guard who assisted in the
flight did so under my instructions."
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 mind to
see the young officer suffer for a mistake that
any might readily have made.
" How left they," asked Thuvan Dihn, " and
what direction did they take? "
[136]
New Allies
" They left as they came," replied the offi-
cer, "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 yesterday
Matai Shang let drop a hint of his destination,
telling me of a race of people unlike ourselves
who dwell far to the north. They, he said, had
always been known to the Holy Therns and
were devout and faithful followers of the
ancient cult. Among them would he find a per-
petual haven of refuge, where no * lying here-
tics ' 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 " I exclaimed, " beyond the southern
fringe of this great forest lies the wreck of the
thern flier which brought me that far upon my
[137]
The Warlord of Mars
way. K 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 than half suspicions of the
seeming sincerity of the Kaolian jeddak's sud-
den 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 watehtower, ready to depart. Thuvan
Dihn and Kulan Tith had offered me the entire
resources of two nations — millions of fighting
men were at my disposal; but my flier could
hold but one other than myself and Woola.
As I stepped aboard her, Thuvan Dihn took
his place beside me. I cast a look of question-
ing surprise upon him. He turned to the high-
est of his own officers who had accompanied
him to Kaol.
* ' To you I entrust the return of my retinue
to Ptarth, ' ' he said. * ' There my son rules ably
in my absence. The Prince of Helium shall
not go alone into the land of his enemies. I
have spoken. Farewell!"
[138]
CHAPTER VIII
THBOUGH THE CAKEION CAVES
STRAIGHT toward the 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 them
fortress.
Early in the second night we noticed the air
becoming perceptibly colder, and from the dis-
tance we had come from the equator were as-
sured that we were rapidly approaching the
north arctic region.
My knowledge of the 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 consider-
able distance beyond the mighty ice-barrier
that fringes the southern hem of the frigid zone.
What became of them none knew — only that
they passed forever out of the sight of man into
that grim and mysterious country of the pole.
[139]
The Warlord of Mars
The distance from tlie barrier to tlie pole was
no more than a swift flier should cover in a few
hours, and so it was assumed that some fright-
ful catastrophe awaited those who reached
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 move 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 imag-
ine 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 along 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 towering wall of white rose di-
rectly in our path, and though I threw the helm
hard over, and reversed our engine, I was too
late to avoid collision.
With a sickening crash we struck the high
looming obstacle three-quarters on.
[140]
Through the Carrion Caves
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 wreck-
age, and the lesser moon had burst again from
below the horizon, we found that we were 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 com-
pleted to be 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 dejectedly.
The balance of the night we spent shivering
m 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.
[ 141 ]
The Warlord of Mars
" How may we pass that wMcli is impassable? "
" First we must disprove its impassability,"
I replied. "Nor shall I admit that it is im-
passable 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 pri-
vation we traversed the rough and frozen way
which lies 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 charge of some huge
demon of the north.
The apt was our most consistent and danger-
ous foe.
It is a huge, white-furred creature with six
limbs, four of which, short and hea^^y, 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, termi-
nate in white, hairless hands, with which it
seizes and holds its prey.
Its head and mouth are more similar in ap-
[142]
Through the Carri on Caves
pearance 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 cu-
riosity. They 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 weapons really grow out
from the lower part of the eyes, which are
composed of several thousand ocelli each.
This eye structure seemed remarkable in a
beast whose haunts were upon a glaring field
of ice ^nd snow, and though I found upon mi-
nute 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
positive that nature had thus equipped him be-
cause much of his life was to be spent in dark,
subterranean recesses.
Shortly after this we came upon the hugest
apt that we had seen. The creature stood fully
eight feet at the shoulder, and was so sleek and
clean and glossy that I oould have sworn that
he had but recently been groomed.
[143]
The Warlord of Mars
He stood head-on eying ns as we approached
him, for we had found it a waste of time to at-
tempt to escape the perpetual bestial rage which
seems to possess these demon creatures, who
rove the dismal north attacking every living
thing that comes 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 in-
stead 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 it, 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 domesticate the ferocious apt,
he must belong to a people of the north of
whose very existence we were ignorant — pos-
sibly to the fabled yellow men of Barsoom ; that
once powerful race which was supposed to be
extinct, though sometimes, by theorists, thought
still to exist in the frozen north.
[144]
Through the Carrion Caves
Simultaneously we started upon the trail of
the great beast. "Woola was quickly made to
understand our desires, so that it was unneces-
sary to attempt to keep in sight of the animal
whose swift flight over the rough ground soon
put him beyond our vision.
For the better part of two hours the trail
paralleled the barrier, arid then suddenly
turned toward it through the roughest and
seemingly most impassable country I ever had
beheld.
Enormous granite boulders blocked the way
on every hand ; deep :.'if ts 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 hours we were occupied in
traversing a few hundred yards to the foot of
the barrier.
Then, turning about the comer of a wall-like
outcropping of granite, we came upon a smooth
area of two or three acres before the base of
the towering pile of ice and rock that had baf-
fled us for days, and before us beheld the dark
and cavernous mouth of a cave.
From this repelling portal the horrid stench
[ 145 ]
The Warlord of Mars
was emanating, and as Thuvan Dihn espied the
place he halted with an exclamation of pro-
found 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 histo-
rians 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 great oceans drove the domi-
nant races from their strongholds.
' ' They tell of the wanderings of the rem-
nants of this once powerful race, harassed at
every step, until at last they found a way
through the ice-barrier of the north to a fertile
valley at the pole.
"At the opening to the subterranean passage
thiat led to their haven of refuge a mighty bat-
tle was fought in which the yellow men were
victorious, and within the caves that gave in-
gress to their new home they piled the bodies
of the dead, both yellow and green, that the
[146]
Through the Carrion Caves
stench might warn away their enemies from
further pursuit.
"And ever since 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 warn away in-
vading enemies. Here, too, is brought, so the
fable runs, all the waste stuff of the nation —
everything that is subject to rot, and that can
add to the foul stench that assails our nostrils.
"And death lurks at every step among rot-
ting 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 our goal, but it is the
only one."
' ' You are sure, then, that we have found the
way to the land of the yellow men? " I cried.
"As sure as may be," he replied; "having
only ancient legend to support my belief. But
see how closely, so far, 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 true, and let us pray that such may
be the case," I said, " then here may we solve
[147]
The Warlord of Mars
the mystery of the disappearance of Tardos
Mors, Jeddak of Helium, and Mors Kajak, his
son, for no other spot upon Barsoom has re-
mained unexplored by the many expeditions
and the countless spies that have been search-
ing for them for nearly two years. The last
word that came from them was that they sought
Carthoris, my own brave son, beyond the ice-
barrier."
As we talked we had 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 putrid mush of decaying flesh, through
which the apts had beaten a hideous trail to-
ward the entrance to the second cave beyond.
The roof of this first apartment was low, like
all that we traversed subsequently, so that the
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.
[ 148 ]
Through the Carrion Caves
" Can man breathe this polluted air and
live? " asked Thuvan Dihn, choking.
" Not for long, I imagine," I replied; " so
let us make haste. I will go first, and you
bring up the rear, 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 eighth cave, we came upon a lair of
apts.
A full score of the mighty beasts were dis-
posed about the chamber. Some were sleep-
ing, while others tore at the fresh-killed car-
casses of new-brought prey, or fought among
themselves in their love-making.
Here in the dim light of their subterranean
home the value of their great eyes was appar-
ent, for these inner caves are shrouded in per-
petual gloom that is but little less than utter
darkness.
To attempt to pass through the midst of that
fierce herd seemed, even to me, the height of
folly, and so I proposed to Thuvan Dihn that
[149]
The Warlord of Mars
he return to the outer world with Woola, that
the two might find their way to civilization and
come again with a sufficient force to overcome
not only the apts, but any further obstacles that
might lie between us and our goal.
"In the meantime," I continued, "I may
discover some means of winning my way alone
to the land oi-the yellow men, but if I am unsuc-
cessful 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 Thoris
and your daughter."
' ' I shall not return and leave you here alone,
John Carter, ' ' replied Thuvan Dihn. * ' Whether
you go on to victory or death, the Jeddak of
Ptarth remains at your side. I have spoken."
I knew from his tone that it were useless to
attempt to argue the question, and so I com-
promised by sending Woola back with a hastily
penned note enclosed in a small metal case and
fastened about his neck. I commanded 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 was by nature with marvel-
[150]
Through the Carrion Caves
ous speed and endurance, and with frightful
ferocity that made hinl 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 accomplish-
ment of his mission.
It was with evident 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 great neck in a parting hug. He rubbed
his cheek against mine in a final caress, and a
moment later was speeding through the Car-
rion Caves toward the outer world.
In my note to Carthoris I had given explicit
directions for locating the Carrion Caves, im-
pressing upon him the necessity for making
entrance to the country beyond through this
avenue, and not to attempt under any circum-
stances to cross the ice-barrier with a fleet. I
told him 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-bar-
rier his mother lay in the power of Matai
Shang, and that. possibly his grandfather and
great-grandfather as well, if they lived.
[151]
The Warlord of Mars
Further, I advised him to call upon Kulan
Tith. and the son of Thuvan Dihn for warriors
and ships that the expedition might be suffi-
ciently strong to insure success at the first blow.
"And," I concluded, ** if there be time bring
Tars Tarkas yith 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 left us Thuvan Dihn and I,
hiding in the seventh cave, discussed and dis-
carded many plans for crossing the eighth
chamber. From where we stood we saw that
the fighting among the apts was growing less,
and that many that had been feeding had ceased
and lain down to sleep.
Presently it became apparent that in a short
time all the ferocious monsters might be peace-
fully slumbering, and thus a hazardous oppor-
tunity 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 apt remained
awake. This huge fellow roamed restlessly
[152]
Through the Carrion Caves
about, nosing among his companions and the
abhorrent litter of the cave.
Occasionally he would stop to peer intently
toward first one of the exits from the chamber
and then 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
the lair slept, and so cast about in our minds for
some scheme whereby we might trick him.
Finally I suggested a plan to Thuvan Dihn, and
as it seemed as good as any that we had dis-
cussed we decided to put it to the test.
To this end Thuvan Dihn placed himself close
against the cave's wall, beside the entrance to
the 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 entrance, flattening my body close
to the wall.
Without a sound the great beast moved rap-
idly toward the seventh cave to see what man-
ner of intruder had thus rashly penetrated so
far within the precincts of his habitation.
As he poked his head through the narrow
aperture that connects the two caves a heavy
[153]
The Warlord of Mars
long-sword was awaiting him upon either hand,
and before he had an opportunity to emit even
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 door-
way Thuvan Dihn and I cautiously entered the
forbidding and dangerous den.
Like snails we wound our silent and careful
way among the huge, recumbent forms. The
only sound above our breathing was the suck-
ing 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 rest-
lessly 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-sword, the point
hovering an inch above the thick fur beneath
which beat the savage heart.
Finally the apt relaxed, sighing, as with the
passing of a bad dream, and resumed the reg-
ular respiration of deep slumber. I planted
[154]
Through the Carrion Caves
my raised foot beyond the fierce head and an
instant later had stepped over the beast.
Thuvan Dihn followed directly after me, and
another moment found us at the further door,
undetected.
The Carrion Gaves consist of a series of
twenty-seven connecting chambers, and present
the appearance of having been eroded by run-
ning 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
Carrion Caves in a single chamber.
At other times they 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 cham-
bers 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 cave we emerged into a deso-
[155]
The Warlord of Mars
late country of snow and ice, but found a well-
marked trail leading north. The way was
boulder-strewn, as had been that south of the
barrier, so that we could see but a short dis-
tance ahead of us at any time.
After a couple of hours we passed round a
huge boulder to come to a steep declivity lead-
ing down into a vaUey.
Directly before us we saw a half dozen men
— fierce, black-bearded fellows, with skins the
color of a ripe lemon.
" The yellow men of Barsoom! " ejaculated
Thuvan Dihn, as though even now that he saw
them he found it scarce possible to believe that
the very race we expected to find hidden in this
remote and inaccessible land did really exist.
We withdrew behind an adjacent boulder to
watch the actions of the little party, which
stood huddled 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 object of his scrutiny came
within the range of my vision and I saw that it
was another yellow man. All were clothed in
[156]
Through the Carrion Caves
magnificent furs — the six in the black and yel-
low striped hide of the orluk, while he who ap-
proached alone was resplendent in the pure
white skin of an apt.
The yellow men were armed with two swords,
and a short javelin was slung across the back
of each, while from their left arms hung cuplike
shields no larger than a dinner plate, the con-
cave sides of which turned outward toward an
antagonist.
They seemed puny and futile implements of
safety against an even ordinary swordsman,
but I was later 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 was of about the same
length as the hooked instrument, and some-
where between that of my long-sword and my
short-sword. It was straight and two-edged.
In addition to the weapons I have innumerated
each man carried a dagger in his harness.
As the white-furred one approached, the six
[157]
The Warlord of Mars
grasped their swords more firmly — ^^the hooked
instrument in the left hand, the straight sword
in the right, while above the left wrist the small
shield was held rigid upon a metal bracelet.
As the lone warrior 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 at-
tempted to take hold of an adversary, but like
lightning the cupshaped shield would spring be-
fore the darting weapon and into its hollow
the hook would plunge.
Once the lone warrior caught an antagonist
in the side with his hook, and drawing him close
ran his 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.
[158]
Through the Carrion Ca/ves
Now my sympathies have ever been with the
weaker side of an argument, and though I knew
nothing 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 fact I presume I gave little
attention to seeking an excuse, for I love a good
fight too well to need any other reason for
joining in when one is afoot.
So it was that before 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.
[159]
CHAPTEE IX
WITH THE YELLOW MEN
THTJVAN DIHN was not long in joining
me; and, though we found the hooked
weapon a strange and savage thing with which
to deal, the three of us soon despatched the five
black-bearded warriors who opposed us.
When the battle was over our new acquaint-
ance turned to me, and removing the shield
from his wrist, 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 learned that it symbolized the
offering of a man's life in return for some great
favor done him ; and my act of refusing, which
I had immediately done, was what was expected
of me.
' ' Then accept from Talu, Prince of Maren-
tina," said the yellow man, " this token of my
gratitude," and reaching beneath one of his
wide sleeves he withdrew a bracelet and placed
[160]
With the Yellow Men
it upon my arm. He then went through the
same ceremony with Thuvan DUm.
Next he asked our names, and from what
land we hailed. He seemed quite familiar with
the geography of the outer world, 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 cap-
tured by my uncle, Salensus Oil, Jeddak of Jed-
daks, Euler 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 Marentina.
" 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 Oil
so much reveres. It is partly because I hate
his religion that Salensus Oil hates me; but
mostly does he fear my growing power and the
great faction which has arisen throughout Okar
that would be glad to see me ruler of Ok^r and
Jeddak of Jeddaks in his place.
" He is a cruel and tyrannous master whom
[161]
The Warlord of Mars
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 Oil 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 palace is at your disposal,
if you wish to honor me by coming to Maren-
tina."
" When our work 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 Oil, and suggesting some
means by which we may gain admission to the
city and the palace, or whatever other place
we find our friends to be confined."
Talu gazed ruefully at our smooth faces and
at Thuvan Dihn's red skin and my white one.
"First you must 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
[162]
With the Yellow Men
and black beards, and your apparel and trap-
pings must be those least likely to arouse sus-
picion. In my palace is one who can make you
appear as truly yellow men as does Salensus
Oil 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 Marentina, for his
little, rock-bound country.
The way was over some of the worst travel-
ing I have ever seen, and I do not wonder that
in this land where there are neither thoats nor
fliers that Marentina is in little fear of inva-
sion; but at last we reached our destination,
the first view of which I had from a slight ele-
vation 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 about lay
snow and ice, but there was none upon the
rounded, domelike, crystal covering that envel-
oped the whole city.
Then I saw how these people combatted the
rigors of t^e arctic, and lived in luxury and
comfort in the midst of a land of perpetual ice.
[163]
The Warlord of Mars
Their cities were veritable hothouses, and when
I had come within this one my respect and ad-
miration for the scientific and engineering skill
of this buried nation was unbounded.
The moment we entered 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 worn 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 in-
terest in his great city.
The Marentina atmosphere plant will main-
tain 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
pupply, should the great central plant again
cease functioning as it did upon that memorable
occasion that gave me the opportunity of re-
storing life and happiness to the strange world
that I had already learned to love so well.
[164]
With the Yellow Men
He showed us the heating system that stores
the sun's rays in great reservoirs beneath the
city, and how little is necessary to maintain
the perpetual summer heat of the glorious gar-
den 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 Bar-
soomian ray, or ray of propulsion — that re-
markable discovery of the Martians that has
made possible the great fleets of mighty air-
ships 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
into space, and when confined gives to the Mar-
tian 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 mar
[165]
The Warlord of Mars
chine, 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 ap-
pointed cars which skim, light and airy as feath-
ers, along the soft, mossy avenues of Maren-
tina. They move with absolute noiselessness
between borders of crimson sward and beneath
arching trees gorgeous with the wondrou^
blooms that mark so many of the highly culti-
vated varieties of Barsoomian vegetation.
By the end of the third day the court barber
— I can think of no other ea,rthly appellation
by which to describe him — had wrought so re-
markable 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 careful directions for the jour-
ney to Kadabra, the capital city of the Okar na^
tion, which is the racial name of the yellow
[166]
With the Yellow Men
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 slipped upon my finger a cu-
riously wrought ring set with a dead-black, lus-
terless stone, which appeared more like a bit of
bituminous coal than the priceless Barsoomian
gem which in reality it is.
" There have been but three others cut from
the mother stone," he said, "which is in 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
Oil.
" Should you come within fifty feet of any of
these three you will feel a rapid, pricking sen-
sation in the finger upon which you wear this
ring. He who wears one of its mates will ex-
perience 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 assist-
ance in time of need.
" Should another wearer of one of these gems
[167]
The Warlord of Mars
call upon you for aid do not deny him, and
should 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
faces in the direction of the city of Kadahra
and the court of Salensus Oil, Jeddak of Jed-
daks.
That very evening we came within sight of
the walled and glass-roofed city of Kadahra.
It lies in a low depression near the pole, sur-
rounded by rocky, snow-clad hills. From the
pass through which we entered the valley we
had a splendid view of this great city of the
north. Its, crystal domes sparkled in the bril-
liant sunlight gleaming above the frost-covered
outer wall that circles the entire one hundred
miles of its circumference.
At regular intervals great gates give en-
trance 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
Tain's suggestion, we deferred attempting to
enter the city until the following morning.
[168]
With the Yellotv Men
As he had said, we found numerous caves in
the hillsides about us, and into one of these we
crept for the night. Our warm orluk skins
kept us perfectly comfortable, and it was only
after a most refreshing sleep that we awoke
shortly after daylight on the following morn-
ing.
Already the city was astir, and from several
of the gates we saw parties of yellow men
emerging. Following closely each detail of the
instructions given us by our good friend of Ma-
rentina, we remained concealed for several
hours until one party of some half dozen war-
riors had passed along the trail below our hid-
ing 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.
[169]
The Warlord of Mars
' ' Kaor ! " I cried as I came closer to them.
" Kaor! " responded the officer in charge of
the party.
" We be from lUall," 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
setting out to hunt orluks, which is a sport we
do not find in our own neighborhood. We have
hastened after you to pray that you allow us to
accompany you."
The officer was entirely deceived, and gra-
ciously permitted us to go with them for the
day. The chance guess that they were 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 ;
but this proved more than fortunate for us,
since the yellow men were so chagrined by their
[170]
With the Yellow Men
misfortune that they would not enter the city
by the same gate by which they had left it in
the morning, as it seemed that they had made
great boasts 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 re-
lieved of the danger of embarrassing questions
and explanations on the part of the gate cap-
tain, 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 to 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 be-
neath it.
We had come almost to the gate when one
[171]
The Warlord of Mars
of the party called to his fellows, at the same
time pointing toward the distant southern hori-
zon. Following the direction he indicated, my
eyes descried the hull of a large flier approach-
ing rapidly from above the crest of the encir-
cling hills.
" Still other fools who would solve the mys-
teries of the forbidden north," said the officer,
half to himself. " Will they never cease their
fatal curiosity? "
" Let us hope not," answered one of the war-
riors, " for then what should we do for slaves
and sport? "
"True; but what stupid beasts they are to
continue to come to a region from whence none
of them ever has returned."
"Let us tarry and wateh the end of this
one," suggested one of the men.
The officer looked toward the city.
"The watch has seen him," he said; "we
may remain, for we may be needed."
I looked toward the city and saw several
hundred warriors issuing from the nearest gate.
They moved leisurely, as though there was no
need for haste — nor was there, as I was pres-
ently to learn.
[172]
With the Yellow Men
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 sur-
prised to see that her propellers were idle.
Straight for that grim shaft she bore. At
the last minute 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 the ship
sped. In another instant she must strike, and
then I saw the familiar signal flown that sends
the lesser boats in a great flock from the deck
of the mother ship.
Instantly a hundred tiny fliers rose from her
deck, like a swarm of huge dragon flies; but
scarcely 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
[173]
The Warlord of Mars
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 collision
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 flier 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 pow-
erful attraction for the aluminum steel that en-
ters so largely into the construction of all Bar-
soomian craft, no power on earth could prevent
such an end as we had just witnessed.
I afterward learned that the shaft rests di-
rectly over the magnetic pole of Mars, but
whether this 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, was an explanation of the long
[174]
With the Yellow Men
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 Thoris, Princess of Helium.
The moment that the 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, making
prisoners of those who were uninjured and oc-
casionally 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 which they were manacled.
When the last of the prisoners had been con-
fined, 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 war-
riors, who held them with strong chains of the
same metal as their collars.
[175]
The Warlord of Mars
Just beyond the gate the attendants loosened
the whole terrible herd, and as they bounded
otf toward the grim, black shaft I did not need
to ask to know their mission. Had there not
been those within the cruel city of Kadabra
who needed succor far worse than the poor un-
fortunate dead and dying out there in the cold
upon the bent and broken carcasses of a thou-
sand fliers I could not have restrained my de-
sire to hasten back and do battle with those
horrid creatures that had been despatched to
rend and devour them.
As it was I could but follow the yellow war-
riors, with bowed head, and give thanks for the
chance that had given Thuvan Dihn and me
such easy ingress to the capital of Salensus Oil.
Once within the gates, we had no difficulty in
eluding our friends of the morning, and pres-
ently found ourselves in a Martian hostelry.
[170]
CHAPTEE X
IN DUKANCE
THE public houses of Barsoom, I have
found, vary but little. There is no pri-
vacy for other than married couples.
Men without their wives are escorted to a
large chamber, the floor of which is usually of
white 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 belongings, 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
[177]
The Warlord of Mars
guards and gorgeousness of their trappings
quite usually denote the status of the hotel.
No meals are served in these houses, but gen-
erally 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 hotel.
Usually on a Second 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 in the corridor
outside the sleeping chamber, while female
slaves pace back and forth among the sleepers
within, ready to notify the warriors should their
presence be required.
I was surprised to note that all the guards
with the hotel at which we stopped were red
men, and on inquiring of one of them I learned
that they were slaves purchased by the pro-
prietors of the hotels from the government.
The man whose post was past my sleeping plat-
form 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 for
[178]
In Durance
many tedious years he had been a slave of the
yellow men.
He told me that princes, jeds, and even jed-
daks 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 repu-
tations and fame they bore in the outer world.
Neither had he heard any rumor of the com-
ing 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 place within
the palace. I could see that he wondered not a
little that a yellow man should be so inquisitive
about certain 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 dis-
covering a red man pacing before my sleeping
platform; but his growing expression of sur-
prise warned me in time, for I had 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
[179]
The Warlord of Mars
my mind that later I might be the means of serv-
ing 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
that night in the midst of the hundreds of yel-
low 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, determining that all must be but idle
speculation until after we had had a chance to
explore the city and attempt to put into execu-
tion the plan Talu had suggested, we bade each
other good night and turned to sleep.
After breakfasting the foUowmg morning we
set out to see Kadabra, and as, through the gen-
erosity of the prince of Marentina, we were
well supplied with the funds current in Okar
we purchased a handsome ground flier. Hay-
ing learned to drive them while in Marentina,
we spent a delightful and profitable day ex-
ploring the city, and late in the afternoon at
the hour Talu told us we would find government
oflScials in their offices we stopped before a mag-
[180]
In Durance
nificent building on the plaza opposite the royal
grounds and the palace.
Here we walked boldly in past the armed
guard at the door, to be met by a red slave
within who asked our wishes.
" Tell Sorav, your master, that two warriors
from Illall wish to take service in the palace
guard," I said.
Sorav, Talu had told us, was the commander
of the forces of the palace, and as men from the
further cities of Okar — and especially Illall —
were less likely to be tainted with the germ of
intrigue which had for years infected the house-
hold of Salensus Oil, he was sure that we would
be welcomed and few questions asked us.
He had primed us with such general informa-
tion as he thought would be necessary for us to
pass muster before Sorav, after which we would
have to undergo a further examination before
Salensus Oil that he might determine our physi-
cal fitness and our ability as warriors.
The little experience 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
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The Warlord of Mars
the palace of Salensus Oil for several days after
being accepted by Sorav before the Jeddak 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 could not have lasted over ten
minutes when Sorav summoned an aid whom
he instructed to record us properly, and then
escort us to the quarters in the palace which
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 de-
vised for that purpose, five copies being in-
stantly reproduced in five different offices of the
government, two of which are located in other
cities miles distant. Then he led us through
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the palace grounds to the main guardroom of
the palace, there turning u^ over to the ofificer
in charge.
This individual again questioned us briefly,
and finally despatched a soldier to guide us to
our quarters. These we found located upon the
second floor of the palace in a semidetached
tower at the rear of the edifice.
When we asked our guide why we were quar-
tered 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 Oil had, therefore, set apart these
quarters for aspirants, and here they were se-
curely locked against the danger of attack by
members of the guard.
This unwelcome information put a sudden
check to all our well-laid plans, for it meant that
we should virtually be prisoners in the palace
of Salensus Oil 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
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The Warlord of Mars
Dejah Thoris and Thuvia of Ptarth, our cha-
grin was unbounded when we heard the great
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 companion but shook his head disconso-
lately and walked to one of the windows upon
the far side of the apartment.
Scarcely had he gazed beyond them than he
called to me in a tone of suppressed excite-
ment and surprise. In an instant I was by his
side.
"Look!" said Thuvan Dihn, pointing to-
ward the courtyard below.
As my eyes followed the direction indicated
I saw two women pacing back and forth in an
enclosed garden.
At the same moment I recognized them —
they were Dejah Thoris and Thuvia of Ptarth!
There were they whom 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
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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 turned away and buried my
face in my arms. I heard Thuvan Dihn call
aloud to Thuvia, but an instant later his ex-
clamation of surprise betokened that he, too,
had been repulsed by his own daughter.
" They will not even listen," he cried to me.
" They have put their hands over their ears
and walked to the further end of the garden.
Ever heard you of such mad work, John Carter?
The two must be bewitched."
Presently I mustered 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, but
when she saw me looking she again turned
away.
[185]
The Warlord of Mars
I was at my wit's end to account for her
strange actions, and that Thuvia, too, had
turned against her father seemed incredible.
Could it be that my incomparable princess still
clung to the hideous faith from which I had res-
cued her world? Could it be that she looked
upon me with loathing and contempt because
I had returned from the Valley Dor, or because
I had desecrated the temples and persons of
the Holy Therns?
To naught else could 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 distinc-
tions, creed, or religion.
As I gazed ruefully at the back of her
haughty, royal head a gate at the opposite end
of the garden opened and a man entered. As
he did so he turned and slipped something into
the hand of the yellow guardsman beyond the
gate, nor was the distance too gre?it 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
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turned in the direction of tlie two women, and
I saw that he was none other than Thurid, the
black dator of the First Born.
He approached quite 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 answer came clearly.
' ' The granddaughter of Tardos Mors can al-
ways die," she said, " but she could never live
at the price you name."
Then I saw the black scoundrel go upon his
knees beside her, fairly groveling in the dirt,
pleading with her. Only part of what he said
came to me, for though he was evidently labor-
ing under the stress of passion and excite-
ment, 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 choose neither," replied Dejah
Thoris, " even were I free to choose, as you
know well I am not."
[187]
The Warlord of Mars
" You are free! " he cried. " John Carter,
Prince of Helium, is dead."
' ' I know better 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 Shang 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 fellow-prisoner, and at the same in-
stant I, too, went mad, and tearing at the bars
that spanned 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 bound I
was upon him. I spoke no word as I tore his
defiling fingers from that beautiful throat, nor
did I utter a sound 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
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upon whom you had laid your vile hands, but
ere I am done with you, you will know well what
it means to offend 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
courtyard of the Temple of Issus I did here in
the garden of the palace of Salensus Oil. I
ducked beneath his outstretched arms, and as
he lunged past me I planted a terrific right upon
the side of his jaw.
Just as he had done upon that other occar
sion he did now. Like 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 voice 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
Oil. At his right stood Matai Shang, and be-
hind them a score of guardsmen.
" Who are you," he cried, " and what means
this intrusion within the precincts of the
women's garden? I do not recall your face.
How came you here ? ' '
But for his last words I should have for-
[189]
The Warlord of Mars
gotten my disguise entirely and told him out-
right that I was John Carter, Prince of Helium ;
but his question recalled me to myself. I
pointed to the dislodged bars of the window
above.
" I am an aspirant to membership in the
palace guard," I said, " and from yonder win-
dow in the tower where I was confined await-
ing the final test for fitness I saw this brute
attack the — this woman. I could not stand idly
by, 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 made an impression upon the
ruler of Okar by my fair words, and when he
had turned to Dejah Thoris and Thuvia of
Ptarth, and both had corroborated my state-
ments it began to look pretty dark for Thurid.
I saw the ugly gleam in Matai Shang's evil
eyes as Dejah Thoris narrated all that had
passed between Thurid and herself, and when
she came to that part which dealt with my inter-
ference with the dator of the First Born her
gratitude was quite apparent, though I could
see by her eyes that something puzzled her
strangely.
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In Durance
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 Oil turned toward
the black.
""What have you to say in explanation of
these charges? " he asked in a deep and terrible
voice. ' ' Dare you aspire to one whom the
Father of Thems has chosen — one who might
even be a fit mate for the Jeddak 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 his mind and
breast.
Thurid had been about to reply and, with a
malicious grin upon his face, was pointing an
accusing finger at me, when Salensus Oil's
words and the expression of his face cut him
short.
[191]
The Warlord of Mars
A cunning look crept into Ms eyes, and I knew
from the expression of Ms face that his next
words were not the ones he had intended to
speak.
" 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
screamed and the man sprang upon me and
would have killed me.
"What know you of this man? He is a
stranger to you, and I dare say that you will
find him an enemy and a spy. Let him be put
on trial, Salensus Oil, rather than your friend
and guest, Thurid, Dator of the First Born."
Salensus Oil looked puzzled. He turned again
and looked upon Dejah Thoris, and then Thurid
stepped quite close to him and whispered some-
thing in his ear — what, I know not.
Presently the yellow ruler turned to one of
his officers.
" See that this man be securely confined until
we have time to go deeper into this affair," he
commanded, " and as bars alone seem inade-
quate to restrain him, let chains be added."
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In Durance
Then lie turned and left the garden, taking
Dejah Thoris with him — his hand upon her
shoulder. Thurid and Matai Shang went also,
and as 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 dragged me away my heart
was very sad and bitter indeed, for now to the
two relentless 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 bom in the
terrible breast of Salensus Oil, Jeddak of Jed-
daks, ruler of Okar.
[193]
CHAPTER XI
THE PIT OF PLENTY
I DID not languish long within the prison of
Salensus Oil. 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 Oil had left with Dejah Thoris and
the others, leaving Thuvia of Ptarth behind, he,
too, had remained in the garden with his daugh-
ter, apparently unnoticed, for he was appareled
similarly to the guards.
The last I had seen 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 es-
caped? I doubted it, and yet with all my heart
I hoped that it might be true.
The third day of my incarceration brought a
[194]
The Pit of Plenty
dozen warriors to escort me to the audience
chamber, where Salensus Oil himself was to try
me. A great number of nobles crowded the
room, and among them I saw Thurid, but Matai
Shang was not there.
Dejah Thoris, as radiantly beautiful as ever,
sat upon a small throne beside Salensus Oil.
The expression of sad hopelessness upon her
dear face cut deep into my heart.
Her position beside the Jeddak of Jeddaks
boded ill for her and me, and on the instant
that I saw 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.
I had killed better men than Salensus Oil, and
killed them with my bare hands, and now I
swore to myself that I should kill Tiim if I found
that the only way to save the Princess of Heli-
um. That it would mean almost instant death
for me I cared not, except that it would remove
me from further efforts in behalf of Dejah
Thoris, and for this reason alone I would have
chosen another way, for even though I should
kill Salensus Oil that act would not restore my
beloved wife to her own people. I determined
[195]
The Warlord of Mars
to wait the final outcome of the trial, that I
might learn all that I could of the Okarian
ruler's intentions, and then act accordingly.
Scarcely had I come before him than Salensus
on 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
and, at the same time, open the way to the
gratification of my dearest wish."
Thurid nodded.
" Then shall I make the announcement here
before all my nobles," continued Salensus Oil.
" For a year no queen has sat upon the throne
beside me, and now it suits me to take to wife
one who is reputed the most beautiful woman
upon Barsoom. A statement which none may
truthfully deny.
' ' Nobles of Okar, unsheath 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 become the wife of
Salensus Oil."
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The Pit of Plenty
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 her
feet and, raising her hand aloft, cried in a loud
voice that they desist.
" I may not be the wife of Salensus Oil," she
pleaded, " for already I be a wife and mother.
John Carter, Prince of Helium, 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 Oil thus violate the bonds of
matrimony. ' '
Salensus Oil turned upon Thurid with an ugly
look.
' ' Is this the surprise you held in store for
me? " he cried. " You assured me that no ob-
stacle which 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 have you to
say? "
"And should I deliver John Carter into your
hands, Salensus Oil, would you not feel that I
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The Warlord of Mars
had more than satisfied the promise that I made
you? " answered Thurid.
" Talk not like a fool," cried the enraged jed-
dak. " I am no child to be thus played with."
' ' I am talking only as a man who knows, ' ' re-
plied Thurid. " Knows that he can do all that
he claims."
" Then turn John 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 Oil,"
replied Thurid; and then, turning suddenly
upon me as he extended a pointing finger, he
cried: "There stands John Carter, Prince of
Helium!"
"Fool!" shrieked Salensus Oil. "Fool!
John Carter is a white man. This fellow be as
yellow as myself. John Carter's face is smooth
— Matai Shang 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! "
"Hold!" cried Thurid, and springing for-
ward before I could guess his intention, he had
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The Pit of Plenty
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 pandemonium reigned in the audi-
ence chamber of Salensus Oil. Warriors pressed
forward with drawn blades, thinking that I
might be contemplating the assassination of the
Jeddak of Jeddaks; while others, out of curi-
osity 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 her face — and then through that
jam of armed men she forced her way before
any could prevent. A moment only and she was
before me with outstretched arms and eyes filled
with the light of her great love.
" John Carter! John Carter! " she cried as
I folded her to my breast, and then of a sudden
I knew why she had denied me in the garden
beneath the tower.
What a fool I had been ! Expecting that she
would penetrate the marvelous disguise that
had been wrought for me by the barber of
Marentina ! She had not known me, that was
[199]
The Warlord of Mars
all; and when she saw the sign of love from a
stranger she was offended and righteously in-
dignant. 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 Virginian 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 hallowed 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 did I crush that dear form
to me ere Salensus Oil, trembling with rage and
jealousy, 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 the nobles of the court of
Okar that John Carter had been disarmed. As
it was, a dozen of them felt the weight of my
clenched fists, and I had fought my way half up
the steps before the throne to which Salensus
Oil had carried Dejah Thoris ere ever they
could stop me.
[200]
The Pit of Plenty
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 beside the great tyrant, who
clutched her by the arm, she pointed to where
I fought alone, against such awful odds,
" Think you, Salensus Oil, 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 across a warlike
planet, facing savage beasts and hordes of sav-
age men, for the love of a woman?
"I, Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, am
his. He fought for me and won me. If you be
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 Oil -, but spare his life. I
would rather be a slave with such as he than
be Queen of Okar."
" Neither slave nor queen dictates to Salensus
Oil," replied the Jeddak of Jeddaks. "John
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The Warlord of Mars
Carter shall die a natural death in the Pit of
Plenty, and the day he dies Dejah Thoris shall
become my queen."
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 audience cham-
ber 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 them carried
a long rope in his hands, which he conmaenced
to make ready as we approached.
"We had come to within fifty feet of these men
when I felt a sudden strange and rapid pricking
sensation in one of my fingers.
For a moment I was 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
Talu of Marentina.
Instantly I looked toward the group we were
[202]
The Pit of Plenty
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 warriors raised his left hand, os-
tensibly 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 grasped it, he
pushed me forward, and I fell into the yawning
abyss.
After the first jerk as I reached the end of
the rope that had been paid out to let nie 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 had
[ 203 ]
The Warlord of Mars
brought his mouth close to my cheek, and in the
brief interval before I was cast into the for-
bidding hole he breathed a single word into my
ear:
" Courage! "
The pit, which my imagiifation had pictured
as bottomless, proved to be not more than a
hundred feet in depth; but as its walls were
smoothly polished it might as well have been a
thousand feet, for I could never hope to escape
without outside assistance.
For a day I was left in darkness ; and then,
quite suddenly, a brilliant light illumined my
strange cell. I was reasonably hungry and
thirsty by this time, not having tasted food or
drink since the day prior to 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 af-
forded.
With an exclamation of delight I sprang for-
ward to partake of some of the welcome food,
but ere ever I reached it the light was extin-
guishied, and, thongh I groped my way about the
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The Pit of Plenty
chamber, my hands came in contact with noth-
ing beside the smooth, hard wall that I had felt
on my first examination of my prison.
Immediately the pangs 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 grasp.
Once more darkness and silence enveloped me,
a silence that was broken only by a single mock-
ing 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 activity of certain nerves; and
then the light flashed on once again, and before
me stood 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 against a hard wall.
[205]
The Warlord of Mars
Then tlie mocking laugh, rang out for a sec-
ond time.
The Pit of Plenty!
Ah, what a cruel mind must have devised this
exquisite, hellish torture! Day after day was
the thing repeated, until I was on the verge
of madness ; and then, as I had done in the pits
of the Warhoons, I took a new, firm hold upon
my reason and forced it back into the channels
of sanity.
By sheer will-power 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 oppor-
tunity to solve the seeming mystery of those
vanishing banquets. ^
As I made no move to reach the food, the tor-
turers 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 accomplished,
and so simple was it that I wondered I had not
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The Pit of Plenty
guessed it before. The wall of my prison was
of clearest glass — behind the glass were the
tantalizing viands.
After nearly an hour the light went out, but
this time there was no mocking laughter — at
least not 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 dark-
ness 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 it — a tiny package wrapped
in paper, at the end of a strong and slender
cord. As I opened it a few lozenges fell to the
floor. As I gathered them up, feeling of them
and smelling of them, I discovered that they
were tablets of concentrated food such as are
quite common in all parts of Barsoom.
Poison 1 1 thought.
Well, what of it? Why not end my misery
[207]
The Warlord' of Mars
now rather than drag out a few more wretched
days in this dark pit? Slowly I raised one of
the little pellets to my lips.
" Good-bye, my Dejah Thoris! " I breathed.
' ' 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 any-
thing taste better than those tiny bits of nour-
ishment, 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 live 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
that they were there; but at last they seemed
[208]
The Pit of Plenty
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. Could
it be that these were four words, and that they
were intended to carry a message to me?
The more I thought of it the more excited I
became, until my fingers raced madly back and
forth over 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 took it
more slowly. Again and again my forefinger
traced the first of those four combinations.
Martian writing is rather difiicult to explain
to an Earth man — it is something of a cross be-
tween shorthand and picture-writing, and is an
entirely different language from the spoken
language of Mars.
Upon Barsoom there is but a single oral lan-
guage.
It is spoken today by every race and nation,
just as it was at the beginning of human life
upon Barsoom. It has grown with the growth
[ 209 ]
The Warlord of Mars
of the planet's learning and scientific achieve-
ments, hut so ingenious a thing it is that new
words to express new thoughts or describe new
conditions or discoveries 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 matter how
far removed two nations or races, their spoken
languages are identical.
Not so their written languages, however. No
two nations have the same written language,
and often cities of the same nation have a writ-
ten 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
time ; 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 Pit of Plenty.
The message must be from him, and he I
knew was a friend.
With renewed hope I bent my every energy
[210]
The Pit of Plenty
to the decipliering of the balance of the mes-
sage, and at last success rewarded my endeavor
— I had read the four words :
" Courage! Follow the rope."
[211]
CHAPTER XII
* ' rOLLOW THE EOPE ! ' '
WHAT could it mean?
" Follow the rope." What rope?
Presently I recalled the cord that had been
attached to the parcel when it fell at my side,
and after a little groping my hand came in con-
tact with it again. It depended from above,
and when I pulled upon it I discovered that it
was rigidly fastened, possibly at the pit's
mouth.
Upon examination I found that the cord,
though small, was amply able to sustain the
weight of several men. Then I made another
discovery — there was a second message knotted
in the rope at about the height of my head.
This I deciphered more easily, now that the key
was mine.
" Bring the rope with you. Beyond the knots
lies danger."
That was all there was to this message. It
[212]
Follow the Rope!
was evidently hastily formed — an afterthought.
I did not pause longer than to learn the con-
tents of the second message, and, though I was
none too sure of the meaning of the final ad-
monition, " Beyond the knots lies danger," yet
I was sure that here before me lay an avenue
of escape, and that the sooner I took advantage
of it the more likely was I to win to liberty.
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 very
much worse off had I been compelled to remain
there another two minutes.
It had taken me about that length of time to
ascend some fifty feet above the bottom when
a noise above attracted my attention. To my
chagrin I saw that the covering of the pit was
being removed far above me, and in the light
of the courtyard beyond I saw a number of yel-
low warriors. '
Could it be that I was laboriously working my
way into some new trap? Were the messages
spurious, after all? And then, just as my hope
and courage had ebbed to their lowest, I saw
two things.
[213]
The Warlord of Mars
One was the body of a huge, struggling, snarl-
ing 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 larger than
a man's body, into which my rope led.
Just as I scrambled into the dark hole before
me the apt passed me, reaching out with his
mighty hands to clutch me, and snapping, growl-
ing, and roaring in a most frightful manner.
Plainly now I saw the end for which Salensus
Oil 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 con-
ceived.
And then another truth flashed upon me — I
had lived nine days of the allotted ten which
must intervene before Salensus Oil 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 Oil's measure of safety was to aid in
defeating 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 com-
[214]
Follow the Hope! "
pletely devoured me, and 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 hun-
dred yards when I felt a knot beneath my
fingers. " Beyond the knots lies danger."
Now I went with the 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
judged 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 room stood a long table, at which two men
were seated in earnest conversation.
He who faced me was a yellow man — a little,
wizened-up, pasty-faced old fellow with great
[215]
The Warlord of Mars
eyes that 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,
for there was no other of the First Bom north
of the ice-barrier.
Thurid was speaking as I came within hear-
ing of the men's voices.
" Solan," he was saying, " there is no risk
and the reward is great. You know that you
hate Salensus Oil and that nothing would please
you more than to thwart him in some cherished
plan. There be nothing that he more cherishes
today than the idea of wedding the beautiful
Princess 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.
I will do the rest, and then, when I am gone,
you may come and throw the great switch back
into its place, and all will be as before. I need
but an hour's start to be safe beyond the
devilish power that you control in this hidden
chamber beneath the palace of your master.
See how easy," and with the words the black
dator rose from his seat and, crossing the room,
[216]
Follow the Bope!
laid his hand upon a large, burnished lever
that protruded from the opposite wall.
' ' No ! No I ' ' cried the little old man, spring-
ing after him, with a wild shriek. ' ' Not that
one ! Not that one ! That controls the sun-ray
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 ia white upon its ebon
surface."
Thurid approached and examined the handle
of the lever.
"Ah, a magnet," he said. "I will remem-
ber. It is settled then I take it," he continued.
The old man hesitated. A look of combined
greed 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 entertaining
you here within the forbidden precincts of my
station. Should Salensus Oil learn of it he
would have me thrown to the apts before the
day was done."
[217]
The Warlord of Mars
" He dare not do that, and you know it full
well, Solan," contradicted tlie black. "Too
great a power of life and death you hold over
the people of Kadabra for Salensus Oil ever to
risk threatening you with death. Before ever
his minions could lay their hands upon you, you
might seize this very lever from which you have
just 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 you go without her
and see her in the arms of Salensus Oil tomor-
row night? "
" Take your price, yellow man," replied
Thurid, with an oath. " Half now and the bal-
ance when you have fulfilled your contract."
With that the dator threw a well-filled money-
pouch upon the table.
Solan opened the pouch and with trembling
fingers counted its contents. His weird eyes
assumed a greedy expression, and his unkempt
[218]
Follow the Rope!
beard and mustache twitched with the muscles
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 he-
tokened 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 ground to the
cave and from thence beyond the Great Power,
all within a brief hour, for no more dare I spare
you."
"Let me repeat it to you," said Thurid,
' ' that you may see if I be letter-perfect. ' '
" Proceed," replied Solan.
-" Through yonder door," he commenced,
pointing to a door at the far end of the apart-
ment, " I follow a corridor, passing three di-
verging 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 avoid the
pit.
[219]
The Warlord of Mars
"At the end of this corridor I shall come to a
spiral runway, which I must follow down in-
stead 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 ex-
pect 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 dumped the contents
of the money-pouch, running his fingers through
the heap of shining metal ; piling the coins into
little towers; counting, recounting, and fond-
ling the wealth the while he muttered on and on
in a crooning undertone.
Presently his fingers ceased their play; his
eyes popped wider than ever as they fastened
upon the door through which Thurid had disap-
peared. The croon changed to a querulous
muttering, and finally to an ugly growl.
Then the old man rose from the table, shak-
ing his fist at the closed door. Now he raised
his vdice, and his words came distinctly.
[220]
Follow the Bope!
' ' Fool ! " he muttered. ' ' Think you that for
your happiness Solan will give up his life? If
you escaped, Salensus Oil would know that only
through my connivance could you have suc-
ceeded. Then would he send for me. What
would you have me do? Eeduce 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 Oil."
He laughed in a nasty, cackling note.
' ' Poor fool ! You may throw the great
switch that will give you the freedom of the air
of Okar, and then, in fatuous security, go on
with 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 Guard-
ian of the North will claim you and your woman,
and Salensus Oil, when he sees your dead bod-
ies, will never dream that the hand of Solan
had aught to do with the thing."
Then his voice dropped once more into mut-
terings that I could not translate, but I had
heard enough to cause me to guess a great deal
more, and I thanked the kind Providence that
[221]
The Warlord of Mars
had led me to this chamber at a time so filled
with importance to Dejah Thoris and myself
as this.
But how to pass the old man now I The cord,
almost invisible 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 how-
ever I should accomplish it undetected with that
old man in the very center of it baflSed 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 gained
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 was quite evidently his intention.
As I stood in the dark shadow of the tunnel's
end racking my brain for a feasible plan the
while 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.
[222]
Follow the Rope! "
Instantly I guessed 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 be-
fore 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 imagina-
tion that that farther wall was miles away ; but
at last I reached it, nor once had I taken my
eyes from the back of the old miser's head.
He did not turn until my hand was upon the
button that controlled the door through which
my way led, and then he turned away from me
as I passed through and gently closed the door.
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, fol-
lowing the rope, which I coiled and brought with
me as I advanced.
But a short distance farther on I came to the
rope's end at a poiat where five corridors met.
What was I to do? Which way should I turn?
I was nonplused.
[223]
The Warlord of Mars
A careful examination 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 that 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 the 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 remain-
ing 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 ad-
vanced, and a moment later the way came to an
abrupt end before a heavy door.
I could hear nothing beyond, and, with my
accustomed rashness, pushed the portal wide
to step into a room filled with yellow warriors.
The first to see me opened his eyes wide in
astonishment, and at the same instant I felt
[224]
Follow the Rope
t "
the tingling sensation in my finger that denoted
the presence of a friend of the ring.
Then others saw me, and there was a con-
certed rush to lay hands upon me, for these
were all members of the palace guard — men
familiar with my face.
The first to reach me was the wearer of the
mate to my strange ring, and as he came close
he whispered: *' Surrender to me! " then in a
loud voice shouted : ' ' You are my prisoner,
white man," and menaced me with his two
weapons.
And so John Carter, 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
retracing the way I had just come. My friend
walked close beside me, asking many silly ques-
tions about the country from which I had come,
until finally his fellows paid no further atten-
tion to him or his gabbling.
Gradually, as he spoke, he lowered his voice,
[225]
The Warlord of Mars
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 why 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 laaye
guessed its purpose."
Before we had reached 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 great shove into the
dark mouth of the tunnel, at the same time cry-
ing out in simulated pain and alarm as he
threw himself upon the floor as though I had
felled him with a blow.
[226]
Follow the Rope!
From behind the voices of the excited guards-
men came reverberating along the corridor,
suddenly growing fainter as Talu's spy led
them up the wrong passageway in fancied pur-
suit.
As I ran for my life through the dark galler-
ies beneath the palace of Salensus Oil I must
indeed have presented a remarkable appear-
ance 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 resourceful-
ness of the nameless hero of Marentina to whom
I owed my life.
Of such stuff are the men of my beloved He-
lium, 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, terminat-
ing 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
[227]
The Warlord of Mars
employed polishing or repairing the weapons
of the yellow men. The walls of the room
were lined with racks in which were hundreds
of straight and hooked swords, javelins, and
daggers. It was evidently an armory. There
were but three warriors guarding the workers.
My eyes took in the entire scene at a glance.
Here were weapons in plenty! Here were
sinewy 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 entrance 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 you?" he demanded. "What do you
here? "
* ' I come for Tardos Mors, Jeddak of He-
lium, and his son. Mors Kajak," I cried, point-
ing to the two red prisoners, who had now
sprung to their feet, wide-eyed in astonished
recognition.
[228]
Follow the Rope!
" Else, red men! Before we die let us leave
a memorial in the palace of Okar's tyrant that
will stand forever in the annals of Kadabra to
the honor and glory of Helium," for I had seen
that all the prisoners there were men of Tar-
dos Mors's navy.
Then the first guardsman was upon me and
the fight was on, but scarce did we engage ere,
to my horror, I saw that the red slaves were
shackled to the floor.
[229]
CHAPTEE XIII
THE MAGNET SWITCH
THE guardsmen paid not tlie slightest at-
tention 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
the three of them were none too many to defend
the armory against John Carter. "Would that
I had had my own good long-sword in my hand
that day; but, as it was, I rendered a satisfac-
tory account of myself with the unfamiliar
weapon of the yellow man.
At first I had a time of it dodging their vil-
lainous hook-swords, but after a minute or two
I had succeeded in wresting a second straight
sword from one of the racks along the wall, and
[230]
The Magnet Switch
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 made
a vicious lunge for my side with his hook after
the three of them had backed me against the
wall, but as I side-stepped and raised my arm
his weapon but grazed 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
that 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, weaving my sword in and out
about their guards until I had the fear of death
upon them.
Then one of them commenced calling for help,
but it was too late to save them.
They were as putty 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 in-
stant both lay dead upon the floor. But their
cries had not been entirely fruitless, for now I
[231]
The Warlord of Mars
heard answering shouts and the footfalls of
many men running and the clank of accouter-
ments 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 doorway.
A dozen seconds would bring them into the
tower. A single leap carried me to the heavy
portal. With a resounding bang I slammed it
shut.
" The bar! " shouted Tardos Mors.
I tried to slip the huge fastening into place,
but it defied my every attempt.
" Eaise 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 right just as
the foremost of the guardsmen threw himself
against the opposite side 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 Tardos Mors I went first, asking where the
[232]
The Magnet Switch
keys might be which would unfasten their fet-
ters.
" The officer of the guard has them," replied
the Jeddak of Helium, ' ' and he is among those
without who seek entrance. You will have to
force them."
Most of the prisoners were already hacking
at their bonds with the swords in their hands.
The yellow men were battering at the door with
javelins and axes.
I turned my attention to the chains that held
Tardos Mors. Again and again I cut deep into
the metal with my sharp blade, but ever faster
and faster fell the torrent of blows upon the
portal.
At last a link parted 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 making toward us.
The mighty panels trembled and bent beneath
the furious onslaught of the enraged yellow
men.
What with the battering upon the door and
[233]
The Warlord of Mars
the hacking of the red men at their chains the
din within the armory was appalling. No
sooner was Tardos Mors free than he turned
his attention to another of the prisoners, 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 floor, 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 Okar-
ians 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
before 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 me, 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
[234]
The Magnet Switch
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 place that
day within its own grim walls.
The first inrushing wave of yellow warriors
recoiled from the slashing blades of ten of He-
liums' veteran fighting men. A dozen Okarian
corpses blocked the doorway, but over the grue-
some barrier a score more of their fellows
dashed, shouting their hoarse and hideous war-
cry.
Upon the bloody mound we met them, hand
to hand, stabbing where the quarters were too
close to cuty 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 ages have spurred on the
bravest of the brave to those deeds of valor that
have sent the fame of Helium's heroes broad-
[235]
The Warlord of Mars
cast tliroughout the length and breadth of a
world.
Now were the fetters struck from the last of
the red men, and thirteen strong we met each
new charge of the soldiers of Salensus Oil.
Scarce one of us but bled from a score of
wounds, yet none had fallen.
From without we saw hundreds of guardsmen
pouring into the courtyard, and along the lower
corridor 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 should be attacked from two
sides, and with all our prowess we could not
hope to withstand the unecjual odds which would
thus divide our attention and our small
numbers.
"To the upper chambers!" cried Tardos
Mors, and a moment later we fell back toward
the runway that led to the floors above.
Here another bloody battle was waged with
the force of yellow men who charged into the
armory as we fell back from the doorway. Here
we 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
[236]
The Magnet Switch
to hold back the Okarians until the others were
safe above.
In the mouth of the 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, back-
ing slowly before 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,
taking 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 one side while they held the enemy off.
From the lofty perch 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 toward the north I descried
other Okarian cities, while in the immediate
foreground, just beyond the walls of Kadabra,
the grim guardian shaft reared its somber head.
[237]
The Warlord of Mars
Then I cast my ejp'es down into the streets of
Kadabra, from which a sudden tumult had
arisen, and there I saw a battle raging, and be-
yond the city's walls I saw armed men march-
ing in great columns toward a near-by gate.
Eagerly I pressed forward against the glasal
wall of the observatory, scarce daring to credit
the testimony of my own eyes. But at last I
could doubt no longer, and with a shout of joy
that rose strangely in the midst of the cursing
and groaning of the battling men at the en-
trance to the chamber, I called to Tardos Mors.
As he joined me I pointed down into the
streets of Kadabra and to the advancing col-
umns beyond, above which floated bravely in the
arctic air the flags and banners of Helium.
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 from capitulation, nor had the palace been
even assaulted. Turn and turn about we held
the top of the runway while the others feasted
[238]
The Magnet Switch
their eyes upon the sight of our valiant coun-
trymen battling far beneath us.
Now they have rushed the palace gate ! Great
battering-rams are dashed against its formid-
able 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
avenue crumples the head of the column, and
the men of Helium go down, fighting, beneath
an overwhelming force.
The palace gate flies open and a force of the
jeddak's own guard, picked men from the flower
of the 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 tiny thoat of the red man, but one of his
huge cousins of the dead sea bottoms.
The warrior hews his way to the front, and
behind him rally the disorganized soldiers of
Helium. As he raises his head aloft 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
[239]
The Warlord of Mars
they liad but just lost — tlie face of him upon
the mighty thoat is the face of my son — Car-
thoris of Helium.
At his side fights 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 unconquered army
would deal out to the hateful Okarians! I
sighed to think that I might not be alive to wit-
ness it.
Again I turned to the windows. The red
men had not yet forced the outer palace wall,
but they were fighting nobly against the best
that Okar afforded — valiant warriors who con-
tested every inch of the way.
Now my attention was caught by a new ele-
ment without the city wall — a great body of
mounted warriors looming large above the red
men. They were the huge green allies of He-
lium — the savage hordes from the dead sea
bottoms of the far south.
[240]
The Magnet Switch
In grim and terrible silence they sped on to-
ward the gate, the padded hoofs of their fright-
ful mounts giving forth no sound. Into the
doomed city they charged, and as they wheeled
across the wide plaza before the palace 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, was to he 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 cause here
in the high tower of Okar.
Nor did it seem that our foes would ever
cease their stubborn attacks, for still they came,
though the way to our chamber was often
clogged with the bodies of their dead. At times
they would pause long enough to drag back the
impeding corpses, and then fresh warriors
would forge upward to taste the cup of death.
I had been taking my turn with the others in
defending the approach to our lofty retreat
when Mors Kajak, who had been watching the
battle in the street below, called aloud in sud-
den excitement. There was a note of apprehen-
sion in his voice that brought me to his side the
[241]
The Warlord of Mars
instant that I could turn my place over to an-
other, 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 without 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 to-
ward Kadabra from the direction of the ice-
barrier. On and on they came with ever-
increasing velocity.
" The grim shaft that they call the Guardian
of the North is beckoning to them," said Mors
Kajak sadly, " just as it beckoned to Tardos
Mors and his great fleet; see where they lie,
crumpled and broken, a grim and terrible mon-
ument to the mighty 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
buried 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
[242]
The Magnet Switch
counting his money; but, plainest of all, I saw
upon the wall a great switch with a small mag-
net inlaid within the surface of its black handle.
Then I glanced out at the fast-approaehing
fleet. In five minutes that mighty armada of
the skies would be bent and worthless scrap, ly-
ing 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 blindly down through the mass of
wreckage; then the apts would come. I shud-
dered at the thought, for I could vividly picture
the whole horrible scene.
Quick have I always been to decide and act.
The impulse 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 flattering; but be that as it may,
I have often won success while the thinker
would have been still at the endless task of com-
paring various judgments.
And now celerity of action was the prime es-
[243]
The Warlord of Mars
sential to the success of tlie tMng that I had de-
cided upon.
Grasping my sword more firmly in my hand,
I called to the red man at the opening to the
runway to stand aside.
* ' Way for the Prince of Helium ! " I shouted ;
and before the astonished yellow man whose
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 was 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 guards-
men of Salensus Oil.
Hewing to right and left, I beat my way down
that warrior-choked spiral until, near the bot-
tom, those below, thinking that an army was .
descending upon them, turned and fled.
The armory at the first floor was vacant when
I entered it, the last of the Okarians having
fled into the courtyard, so none saw me con-
tinue down the spiral toward the corridor be-
neath.
Here I ran as rapidly as my legs would carry
me toward the five comers, and there plunged
[244]
The Magnet Switch
into the passageway that led to the station of
the old miser.
Without the formality 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, draw-
ing 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 shall 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 life have I seen such won-
drous 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.
It is strange how new and unexpected condi-
tions bring out unguessed ability to meet them.
That day in the buried chamber beneath the
[245]
The Warlord of Mars
palace of Salensus Oil I learned what swords-
manship meant, and to what heights of sword
mastery I eonld achieve when pitted against
such a wizard of the blade as Solan,
For a time he liked to have bested me; but"
presently the latent possibilities tMat must have
been 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-royal 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 oa,lamity — at
least from the viewpoint Barsoomian, where
bloody strife is the first and greatest considera*
tion 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, nor
he force me back an inch for the first five min-
utes 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 rushed a brick
wall for all that Solan gave way.
[246]
The Magnet Switch
In fact, I came near to impaling myself upon
his point for my pains; but right was on my
side, and I think that that must give a man
greater confidence than though he knew him-
self to be battling in a wicked cause.
At least, I did not want in confidence; and
when I next rushed Solan it was to one side
with impHcit confidence that he must turn to
meet my new line of attack, and turn he did, so
that now we fought with our sides toward the
coveted goal — the great switch stood within my
reach upon my right hand.
To uncover my breast 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 before his hand could
touch the lever it sought, my sword's point had
passed through his heart.
[247]
CHAPTEE XIV
THE TIDE OF BATTLE
BUT Solan's last loud cry had not been with-
out 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 se-
clusion in the 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 either heard or guessed which
way I went, for I had proceeded but a short dis-
tance 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 — fighting that could be
[248]
The Tide of Battle
of mucli more avail to me and mine than use-
less life-taking far below the palace.
But the fellows were pressing me; and as
I did not know the way at all, I soon saw that
they would 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 regain the tower, or
possibly find a way to reach the city streets.
The passageway had risen rapidly since leav-
ing 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 es-
cape 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, lux-
uriously furnished, and was evidently an ante-
chamber off some office or audience chamber of
the palace.
On the far side was a heavily curtained door-
way beyond which I heard the hum of Voices,
Instantly I crossed the small chamber, and,
[249]
The Warlord of Mars
parting the curtains, looked within the larger
apartment.
Before me were a party of perhaps fifty gor-
geously clad nobles of the court, standing be-
fore a throne upon which sat Salensus Oil. The
Jeddak of Jeddaks was addressing them.
" The allotted hour has come," he was saying
as I entered the apartment; "and though the
enemies of Okar be within her gates, naught
may stay the will of Salensus Oil. The great
ceremony must be omitted that no single man
may be kept from his place in the defenses other
than the fifty that custom demands shall wit-
ness 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
wide, cried: "Way for Dejah Tkoris, future
Queen of Okar! "
[250]
The Tide of Battle
Immediately two guardsmen appeared drag-
ging the unwilling bride toward the altar. Her
hands were still manacled behind her, evidently
to prevent suicide.
Her disheveled hair and panting bosom be-
tokened that, chained though she was, still had
she fought against the thing that they would
do to her.
At sight of her Salensus Oil rose and drew
his sword, and the sword of each of the fifty
nobles was raised on high to form an arch, be-
neath which the poor, beautiful creature was
dragged toward her doom.
' A grim smile forced 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.
As I watched the procession that moved
slowly toward the throne — a procession which
consisted of but a handful of priests, who fol-
lowed Dejah Thoris and the two guardsmen —
I caught a fleeting glimpse of a black face peer-
ing from behind the draperies that covered the
wall back of the dais upon which stood Salensus
Oil awaiting his bride.
Now the, ^ar'dsmten vrete forcing the Prin-
[251]
The Warlord of Mars
cess of Helium up the few steps to the side of
the tyrant 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 Oil reached
for the hand of his bride.
I had intended waiting until some circum-
stance should give me a reasonable hope of suc-
cess; for, even though the entire ceremony
should be completed, there could be no valid
marriage while I lived. What I was most con-
cerned in, of course, was the rescuing of Dejah
Thoris — I wished to take her from the palace
of Salensus Oil, if such a thing were possible;
but whether it were accomplished before or
after the mock marriage was a matter of sec-
ondary import-
When, however, I saw the vile hand of Salen-
sus on reach out for the hand of my beloved
princess I could restrain myself no longer, and
before the nobles of Okar knew that aught had
happened I had leaped through their thin line
and was upon the dais beside Dejah Thoris and
Salensus Oil.
With the flat of my sword I struck down his
polluting hand; and grasping Dejah Thoris
[2521
The Tide of Battle
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 Jeddaks 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 Oil was a good
swordsman or a poor I never learned ; for with
Dejah Thoris at my back I was no longer hu-
man — I was a superman, and no man could
have withstood me then.
With a single, low : ' ' For the Princess of He-
lium! " I ran my blade straight through the
rotten heart of Okar's rotten ruler, and before
the white, drawn faces of his nobles Salensus
OU rolled, grinning in horrible death, to the
foot of the steps below his marriage throne.
For a moment tense silence reigned in the
nuptial-room. Then the fifty nobles rushed
upon nie. Furiously we fought, but the advan-
tage was mine, for I stood upon a raised plat-
[253]
The Warlord of Mars
form 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 hoy.
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 enough to inspire me to vic-
tory over even greater odds, and I verily believe
that I should have bested the entire roomful of
yellow warriors that day in the nuptial cham-
ber of the palace at Kadabra had not interrup-
tion come to my aid.
Fast and furious was the fighting as the no-
bles of Salensus Oil sprang, time and again,
up the steps 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 noted that the sound of the battle anthem
had ceased. Was Dejah Thoris preparing to
take her place beside me ?
Heroic daughter of a heroic world ! It would
not be unlike her to have seized a sword and
[254]
The Tide of Battle
fought at my side, for, thougli tlie women of
Mars are not trained in the arts of war, the
spirit is theirs, and they have been known to do
that very thing upon countless occasions.
But she did not come, and glad I was, for it
would have doubled my burden in protecting
her Before 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
placed 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.
" Where is the Jeddak of Jeddaks? The city
has fallen before the hordes from beyond the
barrier, and but now the great gate of the pal-
ace itself has been forced and the warriors of
the south are pouring into its sacred precincts.
" Where is Salensus Oil? He alone may re-
[255]
The Warlord of Mars
vive the flagging courage of our warriors. He
alone may save the day for Okar. Where is Sa-
lensus Oil? "
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 heard 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 immediately a force of yellow war-
riors 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 faced
them and forced them slowly buft\inevitably
back.
Above the heads of the contestants I could
see from my elevated station upon the dais the
[256]
The Tide of Battle
face of my old friend Kantos Kan. He was
leading the little party that had won its way
into the very heart of the palace of Salensus Oil.
In an instant I saw that by attacking the
Okarians from the rear I could so quickly dis-
organize them that their further resistance
would be short-lived, and with this idea in mind
I sprang from the dais, casting a word of ex-
planation, 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
winning to the apartment, there could be no
danger to Dejah Thoris standing there alone
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 which won for them a way
into the almost impregnable palace of the tyrant
of the north.
As I crossed the chamber to attack the Kada-
brans from the rear a small doorway at my
left opened, and, to my surprise, revealed the
[257]
The Warlord of Mars
figures of Matai Shang, Father of Therns, and
Phaidor, his daughter, peering into the room.
A quick glance about they took.. Their eyes
rested for a moment, wide in horror, upon the
dead body of Salensus Oil, upon the blood that
crimsoned the floor, upon the corpses of the no-
bles who had fallen thick before the throne,
upon me, and upon the battling warriors at the
other door.
They did not essay 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 cun-
ning smile touched the lips of Phaidor.
Then they were gone, but not before a taunt-
ing laugh was thrown directly in my face by
the woman.
I did not understand then the meaning of
Matai Shang 's rage or Phaidor 's pleasure, but
I knew that 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.
[258]
The Tide of Battle
" For the Prince of Helium! " they cried.
" For the Prince of Helium! " and, like hungry
lions upon their prey, they fell once more upon
the weakening warriors of the north.
The yellow men, cornered between two ene-
mies, 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 many of my enemies
with me when I died as lay within the power of
my sword arm.
It was a glorious battle, but the end seemed
inevitable, when presently from down the cor-
ridor behind the red men came a great body of
reenforcing yellow warriors.
Now were the tables 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 su-
perior force, so that to me was left the rem-
nants 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 bolted the door, ef-
[259]
The Warlord of Mars
fectually barring the way against the men of
Kantos Kan.
It was a clever move, 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 that in
which he now was. So it was with no feelings
of despair that I turned my attention to the
business of the moment.
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 fighting 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 on with the strains of the
martial hymn of Helium; but I did not need
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The Tide of Battle
more than the knowledge that I was battling
for her to bring out the best that is in me.
It would be wearisome 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 out-
stretched 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 south 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 mor-
tal wound I staggered up the steps before the
throne.
Dejah Thoris was gone.
[261]
CHAPTER XV
REWARDS
WITH the realization 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
Oil at the moment that I had first come so un-
expectedly upon the strange scene being enacted
within the chamber.
Why had the sight of that evil countenance
not warned me to greater caution? Why had
I permitted the rapid development of new sit-
uations to efface the recollection of that menac-
ing danger? But, alas, vain regret would not
erase the calamity that had befallen.
Once again had Dejah Thoris fallen into the
clutches of that archfiend, Thurid, the black da-
tor of the First Bom. Again was all my ardu-
ous labor gone for naught. Now I realized the
cause of the rage that had been writ so large
[262]
Rewards
upon the features of Matai 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 Thems, who had evi-
dently come to the chamber in the hope of
thwarting Salensus Oil in his contemplated per-
fidy against the high priest who coveted Dejah
Thoris for himself, realized that Thurid had
stolen the prize from beneath his very nose.
Phaidor 's pleasure had been due to her reali-
zation 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 dra-
peries at the back of the throne, for there it was
that I had seen Thurid. With a single jerk I
tore the priceless stuff from its fastenings, and
there before me was revealed a narrow door-
way behind the throne.
No question entered 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 coirriidi>r beyolid.
[2631
The Warlord of Mars
As I snatched up tlie 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 but a short distance when I
came upon the room in which Solan formerly
had held sway. His dead body still lay where
I had left it, nor was there any sign that an-
other 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 paused uncertain as to which
of the several exits from the apartment would
lead me upon the right path. I tried to recol-
lect the directions which I had heard Thurid
repeat to Solan, and at last, slowly, as though
through a heavy fog, the memory of the words
of the First Born came 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 come to a spiral runway
which I must follow down instead of up ; after
[264]
Rewards
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 un-
known way, nor did I go with caution, although
I knew that there might be grave dangers be-
fore me.
Part of the way was black as sin, but for the
most it was fairly well lighted. The stretch
where I must hug the left wall to avoid the pits
was darkest of them all, and I was nearly over
the edge of the 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 which 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 sud-
denly out into the glare of day upon a field of
snow and ice.
Clad for the warm atmosphere of the hot-
house city of Kadabra, the sudden change to
arctic frigidity was anything but pleasant; but
[265]
The Warlord of Mars
the worst of it was that I kuew I could not en-
dure 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 blocked by nature, who had had
all the arts and wiles of cunning man pitted
against him, seemed a cruel fate, and as I stag-
gered 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 «re ever I reached
my goal, but if there were a safer way it were
well worth the delay to attempt to discover it,
that I might come again to the side of Dejah
Thoris in fit condition to do battle for her.
Scarce had I returned 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 held it, but by groping with my hands
I discovered that it was wedged beneath the
bottom of a closed door.
Pushing the portal aside, I found myself upon
the threshold of a small chamber, the walls of
which were lined with hooks from which de-
[266]
Rewards
pended suits of the complete outdoor apparel
of the yellow men.
Situated as it was at the mouth of a tunnel
leading from the palace, it was quite evident
that this was the dressing-room used by the no-
bles 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 arc-
tic world beyond.
In his haste he had dropped several garments
upon the floor, and the telltale fur that had
fallen partly within the corridor had proved
the means of guiding me to the very spot he
would least have wished me to have knowl-
edge of.
It required but the 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 suc-
cessfully contend with the frozen trails and the
icy winds of the bleak northland.
Once more I stepped beyond the tunnel's
mouth to find the fresh tracks of Thurid and
Dejah Thoris in the new-fallen snow. Now, at
last, was my task an easy one, for though the
[267]
The Warlord of Mars
going was rough in tlie extreme, I was no
longer vexed by doubts as to the direction I
should follow, or harassed by darkness or hid-
den dangers.
Through a snow-covered canon the way led
up toward the summit of low hills. Beyond
these it dipped again into another canon, 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 the jutting promontory of
the hill's shoulder I saw that which quickened
my pulses 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 evi-
[268]
Rewards
dently but just been dragged from its hiding
place.
The four were Dejah 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
discovered, I saw that finally the men appeared
to have reached some sort of a compromise, for
with Phaidor 's assistance they both set about
dragging the resisting Dejah Thoris to the
flier's deck.
Here they made her fast, and then both again
descended to the ground to complete the prep-
arations for departure. Phaidor entered the
small cabin upon the vessel's deck.
I had come to within 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 plainly 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.
[269]
The Warlord of Mars
The two redoubled their efforts at the pro-
peller 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 them, and then both made a rush for the
boarding-ladder.
Thurid was the first to reach it, and with the
agility of a monkey clambered swiftly to the
boat's deck, where a touch of the button con-
trolling the buoyancy tanks sent the craft
slowly upward, though not with the speed that
marks the well-conditioned flier.
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 knd
Ptarth that I had saved from destruction ear-
lier in the day; but before ever I could reach
them Thurid could easily make good his escape.
As I ran I saw Matai Shang clambering up
the swaying, swinging ladder toward the deck,
while above him leaned the evil face of the First
Born. A trailing rope from the vessel's stem
put new hope in me, for if I could but reach it
[270]
Rewards
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 buoy-
ancy, and the further fact that though Thurid
had turned twice to the starting lever the boat
still hung motionless in the air, except for a
slight drifting with a low breeze from the north.
Now Matai Shang was close to the gunwale.
A long, clawlike hand was reaching up to grasp
the metal rail.
Thurid leaned farther down toward his co-
conspirator.
Suddenly a raised dagger gleamed in the up-
flung hand of the black. Down it drove toward
the white 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 the trailing rope by now.
The craft was still rising slowly, the while it
drifted from me. Then I stumbled on the icy
way, striking 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.
[271]
The Warlord of Mars
With the blow upon my head came uncon-
sciousness.
It could not have been more than a few sec-
onds that I lay senseless there upon the north-
em ice, while all that was dearest to me drifted
farther from my reach in the clutches of that
black fiend, for when I opened my eyes Thurid
and Matai Shang yet battled at the ladder's top,
and the flier drifted but a hundred yards farther
to the south — but the e^d 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 up-
ward toward that slender strand — the only
avenue which yet remained that could carry me
to my vanishing love.
A foot above its lowest end my fingers closed.
Tightly as I clung I felt the rope slipping, slip-
ping 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
[272]
Rewards
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 T
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 thern 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
slender 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 at that very instant a horrid shriek rang
out below me that sent my blood cold and turned
my horrified eyes downward to a shrieking,
[273]
The Warlord of Mars
hurtling, twisting thing that shot downward
into the awful chasm beneath me.
It was Matai Shang, 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. I knew it ; but had there
been a doubt in my mind the nasty leer of tri-
umph upon that wicked face would have con-
vinced me. Beyond Thurid I could see my De-
jah Thoris, wide-eyed and horrified, struggling
at her bonds. That she should be forced to wit-
ness my awful death made my bitter fate seem
doubly cruel.
I ceased my efforts to climb across the gun-
wale. Instead 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
[274]
Rewards
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 mor-
tal tears — above which this proud goddess had
always held herself — she leaped to the deck di-
rectly before me.
In her hand was a long, slim dagger. I east
a last look upon my beloved princess, smiling,
as men should who are about to die. Then I
turned 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 ex-
pression in her wondrous eyes that I never be-
fore 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 hap-
pened so quickly that it was all over before I
could realize the truth of it.
Phaidor 's slim hand shot out to close upon
[275]
The Warlord of Mars
the black's dagger wrist. Her right hand went
high with its gleaming blade.
" That for Matai Shang! " she cried, and she
buried her blade deep in the dator's breast.
" That for the wrong you would have done De-
jah Thoris! " and again the sharp steel sank
into the bloody flesh.
"And that, and 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 gaz-
ing at her in unconcealed and stupefied wonder-
ment.
A wan smile touched her lips — it was not the
cruel and haughty smile of the goddess with
which I was familiar. * ' You wonder, John
Carter," she said, "what strange thing has
[276]
Rewards
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 taught 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 am I different. Now could I love as
Dejah 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 happi-
ness.
" But I am unhappy because of the wicked-
ness 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
Therns, has sinned she has this day already
made partial reparation, and lest you doubt the
sincerity of her protestations and her avowal
of a new love that embraces Dejah Thoris
also, she will prove her sincerity in the only way
[277]
The Warlord of Mars
that lies open — having saved you for another,
Phaidor leaves you to her embraces."
With her last word she turned and leaped
from the vessel's deck into the abyss below.
With a cry of horror I sprang forward in a
vain attempt to save the life that for two years
I would 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.
[278]
CHAPTER XVI
THE NEW RULEE
THE flier upon whose deck Dejah. Thoris
and I found ourselves after twelve long
years of separation proved entirely useless.
Her buoyancy tanks leaked badly. Her engine
would not start. We were helpless there in mid
air above the arctic ice.
The craft had drifted across the chasm which
held the corpses of Matai Shang, Thurid, and
Phaidor, and now hung above a low hill. Open-
ing the buoyancy escape valves I permitted 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 waste toward the city of Kadabra.
Through the tunnel that had led me in pursuit
of them we passed, walking slowly, for we had
much to say to each other.
She told me of that last terrible moment
months before when the door of her prison
[279]
The Warlord of Mars
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 either 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 cau-
tion, 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 that I bolted into the chamber
full into the midst of a dozen nobles of the
court of Salensus Oil. They were passing
[280]
The New Ruler
through on their way to the outside world along
the corridors we had just traversed.
At sight of us they halted in their tracks, and
then an ugly smile overspread the features, of
their 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
mutilated corpses of the Prince and Princess of
Helium.
" When they find them," he went on, jerking
his thumb upward toward the palace above,
" they will realize that the vengeance of the
yellow man costs his enemies dear. Prepare to
die, John Carter, but that your end may be the
more bitter, know that I may change my inten-
tion as to meting a merciful death to your prin-
cess — possibly she shall be preserved as a play-
thing 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 smjle upWn my lips.
[2^]
The Warlord of Mars
The yellow nobles, too, looked in surprise,
and then as I made no move to draw they hesi-
tated, 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 smiling 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 dream
not what you do! "
" Right you are," I replied. " John Carter
does not dream. He knows — kndWs that
should one of you take another step toward
Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, I pull this
lever wide, and she and I shall die together;
but we shall not die alone."
The nobles shrank back, whispering together
for a few moments. At last their leader turned
to me.
" Gro your way, John Carter," he said, " and
we shall go ours."
" Prisoners do not go their own way," I an-
swered, *' and you are prisoners— prisoners of
the Prince of Helium."
[^2]
The New Buler
Before they could make answer a door upon
the opposite side of the apartment opened and
a score of yellow men poured into the apart-
ment. For an instant the nobles looked re-
lieved, 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.
Talu took in the situation at a glance, smiling.
" 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 himself Jeddak of Jeddaks in the
place of the dead Salensus Oil. Then indeed
would we have had a more villainous 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
resist, and, escorted by the warriors of Talu,
we made our way to the great audience chamber
that had been Salensus Oil's. Here was a vast
concourse of warriors.
[283]
The Warlord of Mars
Red men from Helium and Ptarth, yellow men
of the north, rubbing elbows witb the blacks
of the First Born who bad come under my
friend Xodar to help in the search for me and
my princess. There were savage, green war-
riors from the dead sea bottoms of the south,
and a handful of white-skinned 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, Carthoris, my son. These three fell
upon Dejah Thoris as we entered the apart-
ment, and though the lives and training of royal
Martians tend not toward vulgar demonstra-
tion, I thought that they would suffocate her
with their embraces.
And there were Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of
Thark, and Kantos Kan, my old-time friends,
and leaping and 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 clashisd their bli^d^s together on
[3841
The New Ruler
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 great chamber.
I made inquiries concerning them among
men of every nation, and at last from one of
the yellow 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 there.
I did not need to ask to know what had sent
them thither — the courageous jeddak and his
loyal daughter. My informer said that they
lay now in one 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 scour-
ing 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
[285]
The Warlord of Mars
Dejali Thoris, and I needed no better proof of
the love these two bore for each other than
the sincerity with which they embraced.
Looking down upon that crowded chamber
stood the silent and empty throne of Okar.
Of all the strange scenes it must have wit-
nessed 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 nations 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 na-
tion was raised in continual strife and warring
against the men of every other land 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,
[286]
The New Buler
but a great stride forward toward that goal
had been taken, and now if I could but cement
the fierce yellow race into this sodality of na-
tions I should feel that I had rounded out a
great life-work, 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 with-
out consultation.
Those who do not like my plans and my ways
of promoting them have always their swords
at their sides wherewith to back up their dis-
approval; but now there seemed to be no dis-
senting voice, as, grasping Talu by the arm, I
sprang to the throne that had once been Salen-
sus Oil'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 jed-
daks, the green warriors of the ancient seas
acknowledge none but a green ruler, the First
Born of the south pole take their law from black
[287]
The Warlord of Mars
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 Jeddaks
of the North. Men of Okar, raise your 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
prisoners, 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 Bar-
soom, and that they should be ruled henceforth
by an alien jeddak.
The victorious warriors who had followed
Carthoris joined in the mad demonstration, and
amidst the wild confusion and the tumult and
the cheering, Dejah Thoris and I passed out into
the gorgeous garden of the jeddaks that graces
the inner courtyard of the palace at Kadabra.
At our heels walked 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.
[288]
The New Ruler
The handsome head of the handsome youth
was bent low above the beautiful face of his
companion. I looked at Dejah Thoris, smiling,
and as I drew her close to me I whispered:
" Why not? "
Indeed, why not? What matter ages in this
world of perpetual 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 be-
fore we had witnessed the total demolition of
the grim Guardian of the North under orders
of the new Jeddak of Jeddaks.
" Henceforth," he said, as the work was com-
pleted, *' the fleets of the red men and the black
are free to come and go across the ice-barrier
as over their own lands.
" The Carrion Caves shall be cleansed, that
the green men may find an easy way to the land
of the yellow, and the hunting of the sacred
apt shall be the sport of my nobles until no
single specimen of that hideous creature roams
the frozen north."
We bade our yellow friends farewell with real
[289]
The Warlord of Mars
regret, as we set sail for Ptarth. There we
remained, the guests 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
single landing-tower, where all day and half
a night the vessels disembarked their crews.
At the city of Kaol we visited, cementing the
new ties that had been formed between Kaol
and Helium, and then one long-to-be-remem-
bered day we sighted the tall, thin towers of
the twin cities of Helium.
The people had long 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 were scattered over roof and
street and plaza, so that the two cities seemed
ablaze with the fires of the hearts of the mag-
nificent stones and burnished metal that re-
flected the brilliant sunlight, changing it into
countless glorious hues.
At last, after twelve years, the royal family
of Helium was reunited in their own mighty
[290]
The New Ruler
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 the
divine princess whom the whole nation idolized.
Nor did any of us who had been upon that ex-
pedition 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 that 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
— " where 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 call the royal family from their palaces
on the eve of their return to Helium after years
of absence; but when the jeddak summons no
man delays.
As our flier touched the landing stage at the
temple's top we saw countless other craft arriv-
ing and departing. In the streets below a great
[291]
The Warlord of Mars
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
Arrras for the sin of returning from the Val-
ley Dor and the Lost Sea of Korus.
Could it be possible 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? Had they so soon
forgotten the debt they owed me in releasing
them from the bondage of their horrid belief?
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 believe 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 Eighteousness 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
[292]
The New Ruler
Ptarth — how came he to Helmm as soon as we?
There was Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark,
and Xodar, Jeddak of the First Born; there
was Talu, Jeddak of Jeddaks of the North,
whom I could have sworn was still in his ice-
bound hothouse city beyond the northern bar-
rier, and among them sat Tardos Mors and
Mors Kajak, with enough lesser jeds and jed-
daks 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 during
all the history of ancient Mars.
As I entered, silence fell upon the great con-
course of people that packed the auditorium.
Then Tardos Mors arose.
** John Carter," he said in his deep, martial
voice, ' ' take your place upon 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 upon Barsoom,
I saw no single friendly glance — only stern,
uncompromising judges^ thierfe to do thciir duly.
[29(3]
The Warlord of Mars
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 stepped
the ocher sea bottom beside the incubator of
the Tharks. With the others he read of all that
I had done within the circle of the Otz Moun-
tains where the Holy Thems and the First 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,
and 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 righteous 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 loomed, a green-bronze statue, far above us
all. He turned a baleful eye upon me — lie,
Tars Tarkas, with whom I had fought through
countless battles; whom I Ibved as a brother.
[294]
The New Ruler
I could have wept had I not been so mad with
rage that I almost whipped my sword out and
had at them all upon the spot.
"Judges," 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 Bar-
soom ! "
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 breadth and height
of that mighty building until I thought the
roof would fall from the thunder of the mad
shouting.
Now, at last, I saw 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 con-
gratulations that were heaped 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 pedple saw
[295 ]
The Warlord of Mars
who sat within, the cheers that had rung out
for me paled into insignificance beside those
which thundered through the vast edifice now,
for 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
from 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.
[296]
THE "TARZAN" BOOKS
by
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
TARZAN OF THE APES
A white child of noble line-
age brought up by a tribe of
gigantic anthropoid apes and
becoming, by virtue of his
fighting ability and superior
mentality, King of the tribe
and Master of the Jungle.
Such was Tarzan, the most
popular character in fiction to-
day, as introduced to the pub-
lic in "Tarzan of the Apes."
THE RETURN OF TARZAN
A sequel to "Tarzan of the
Apes." It deals in its opening
chapters with the young giant
of the jungle in civilization,
meeting wherever he goes with
adventures as strange and
thrilling as those of his boy-
hood in the primeval forests.
Then it tells of Tarzan's return
to the tropical wilderness and
of his astounding adventures
with ferocious animals and
savage native tribes.
THE BEASTS OF TARZAN
Another great jungle yarn.
Tarzan's wife and child are
abducted by his enemies. He
follows them to Wildest Africa
and, with a yell and a bound,
is back at home again among
the beasts of the jungle, plung-
ing into a series of adventures,
so startling, exciting, and hair-
raising that one gasps with
astonishment.
THE SON OF TARZAN
Tarzan's son inherits his
father's love of the jungle and
by an extraordinary combina-
tion of circumstances is taken to
the African Wilderness. The
lore of the jungle came easily
to him; he battles mightily
with Numa, the Lion, with
Hista, the Snake, with crafty
savages and slave traders till
there is no one greater in the
forest than Korak (the Killer),
son of Tarzan.
TARZANANDTHE JEWELS
OFOPAR
Tarzan visited the mysterious ruined
city of Opar that flourished in the days
of bygone civilization but was now in-
habited by a strange horde of blood-
thirsty, apelike priests headed by La,
the beautiful High-Priestess of the
Flaming God. At that time he brought
back a very small portion indeed of the
immense store of ingots of flaming gold
which he discovered. The present
story tells why Tarzan returned to the
mysterious city and what he found there.
JUNGLE TALES of TARZAN
Jungle Tales of Tarzan presents new
adventures and desperate encounters
in his native jungle. His conflict with
Bukawai, the old witch-doctor, in
which he meets craft with craft; the
grim jokes he perpetrated upon the
terrorized blacks of Mbonga's tribe;
his conflicts with the fierce denizens of
the forest, all have their part in this
thrilling narrative.
THE "MARTIAN" BOOKS
by
EDGAR RICE BCRROUGBS
A PRINCESS OF MARS
An absorbing tale of adventure and
romance forty-three million miles from
Earth. It is hardly too much to say it
is the boldest piece of imaginative fic-
tion in this generation.
John Carter, American, goes to sleep
in a mysterious cave in the Arizona
desert and when he wakes up finds him-
self on the planet Mars. There he
meets with a succession of weird and
astounding adventures, told in that fas-
cinating and realistic way that makes
Burroughs easily the foremost roman-
ticist of his time.
Think for a moment of this young American
battling tor a woman, beautiful as a houri, with
the Green Men of Mars, creatures fifteen feet high,
and of fearsome aspect, with two extra limbs, which
will function either as legs or arms, mounted on
horses like dragons, and attended by watch-dogs like
enormous frogs with ten legs, and you can get some
idea of the thrills in the yarn.
Only the man who created Tarzan, The Ape
Man, could write so bold a story.
THE GODS OF MARS
Continuing the stirring ad-
ventures narrated in A Princess
of Mars, sturdy John Carter
of Virginia finds himself once
more upon the strange planet
forty-three million miles from
earth. How he recovers his
wife and son; how he fights
the great white apes and the
"plant men," ferocious crea-
tures with sucking mouths in
the palms of their hands, and
whose mighty tails swish their
victims to instant death; and
how he defies even Issus her-
self, terrible Goddess of Death,
whom all Mars worships and
reveres, are among the grip-
ping episodes described in this
second daring narrative of ad-
ventures on the dying planet
of Barsoom.
The author, pastmaster creator of tales
extraordinary, has here given a new story
written with all the inimitable vigor and
marvellous imagination which have made
his famous "Tarzan" stories the delight
of countless admirers.
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