The Gods of Mars ................................................................................................................................................1

Edgar Rice Burroughs ..............................................................................................................................1

TWELVE years had passed since I had laid the body of my greatuncle, Captain John Carter, of Virginia,

away from the sight of men in that strange mausoleum in the old cemetery at Richmond.

Often had I pondered on the odd instructions he had left me governing the construction of his mighty tomb,

and especially those parts which directed that he be laid in an OPEN casket and that the ponderous

mechanism which controlled the bolts of the vault's huge door be accessible ONLY FROM THE INSIDE.

Twelve years had passed since I had read the remarkable manuscript of this remarkable man; this man who

remembered no childhood and who could not even offer a vague guess as to his age; who was always young

and yet who had dandled my grandfather's greatgrandfather upon his knee; this man who had spent ten years

upon the planet Mars; who had fought for the green men of Barsoom and fought against them; who had

fought for and against the red men and who had won the ever beautiful Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, for

his wife, and for nearly ten years had been a prince of the house of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium.

Twelve years had passed since his body had been found upon the bluff before his cottage overlooking the

Hudson, and oft times during these long years I had wondered if John Carter were really dead, or if he again

roamed the dead sea bottoms of that dying planet; if he had returned to Barsoom to find that he had opened

the frowning portals of the mighty atmosphere plant in time to save the countless millions who were dying of

asphyxiation on that fargone day that had seen him hurtled ruthlessly through fortyeight million miles of

space back to Earth once more. I had wondered if he had found his blackhaired Princess and the slender son

he had dreamed was with her in the royal gardens of Tardos Mors, awaiting his return.

Or, had he found that he had been too late, and thus gone back to a living death upon a dead world? Or was

he really dead after all, never to return either to his mother Earth or his beloved Mars?

Thus was I lost in useless speculation one sultry August evening when old Ben, my body servant, handed me

Early the next morning I took the first train for Richmond and within two hours was being ushered into the

As I entered he rose to greet me, his oldtime cordial smile of welcome lighting his handsome face.

Apparently he had not aged a minute, but was still the straight, cleanlimbed fightingman of thirty. His keen

grey eyes were undimmed, and the only lines upon his face were the lines of iron character and determination

that always had been there since first I remembered him, nearly thirtyfive years before.

'Well, nephew,' he greeted me, 'do you feel as though you were seeing a ghost, or suffering from the effects

'Juleps, I reckon,' I replied, 'for I certainly feel mighty good; but maybe it's just the sight of you again that

affects me. You have been back to Mars? Tell me. And Dejah Thoris? You found her well and awaiting you?'

'Yes, I have been to Barsoom again, andbut it's a long story, too long to tell in the limited time I have

before I must return. I have learned the secret, nephew, and I may traverse the trackless void at my will,

coming and going between the countless planets as I list; but my heart is always in Barsoom, and while it is

there in the keeping of my Martian Princess, I doubt that I shall ever again leave the dying world that is my

'I have come now because my affection for you prompted me to see you once more before you pass over for

ever into that other life that I shall never know, and which though I have died thrice and shall die again

'Even the wise and mysterious therns of Barsoom, that ancient cult which for countless ages has been credited

with holding the secret of life and death in their impregnable fastnesses upon the hither slopes of the

Mountains of Otz, are as ignorant as we. I have proved it, though I near lost my life in the doing of it; but you

shall read it all in the notes I have been making during the last three months that I have been back upon

'I know that you are interested and that you believe, and I know that the world, too, is interested, though they

will not believe for many years; yes, for many ages, since they cannot understand. Earth men have not yet

progressed to a point where they can comprehend the things that I have written in those notes.

'Give them what you wish of it, what you think will not harm them, but do not feel aggrieved if they laugh at

That night I walked down to the cemetery with him. At the door of his vault he turned and pressed my hand.

'Goodbye, nephew,' he said. 'I may never see you again, for I doubt that I can ever bring myself to leave my

wife and boy while they live, and the span of life upon Barsoom is often more than a thousand years.'

He entered the vault. The great door swung slowly to. The ponderous bolts grated into place. The lock

But here is the story of his return to Mars on that other occasion, as I have gleaned it from the great mass of

There is much which I have left out; much which I have not dared to tell; but you will find the story of his

second search for Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, even more remarkable than was his first manuscript

which I gave to an unbelieving world a short time since and through which we followed the fighting

As I stood upon the bluff before my cottage on that clear cold night in the early part of March, 1886, the

noble Hudson flowing like the grey and silent spectre of a dead river below me, I felt again the strange,

compelling influence of the mighty god of war, my beloved Mars, which for ten long and lonesome years I

Not since that other March night in 1866, when I had stood without that Arizona cave in which my still and

lifeless body lay wrapped in the similitude of earthly death had I felt the irresistible attraction of the god of

With arms outstretched toward the red eye of the great star I stood praying for a return of that strange power

which twice had drawn me through the immensity of space, praying as I had prayed on a thousand nights

Suddenly a qualm of nausea swept over me, my senses swam, my knees gave beneath me and I pitched

Instantly my brain cleared and there swept back across the threshold of my memory the vivid picture of the

horrors of that ghostly Arizona cave; again, as on that fargone night, my muscles refused to respond to my

will and again, as though even here upon the banks of the placid Hudson, I could hear the awful moans and

rustling of the fearsome thing which had lurked and threatened me from the dark recesses of the cave, I made

the same mighty and superhuman effort to break the bonds of the strange anaesthesia which held me, and

again came the sharp click as of the sudden parting of a taut wire, and I stood naked and free beside the

staring, lifeless thing that had so recently pulsed with the warm, red lifeblood of John Carter.

With scarcely a parting glance I turned my eyes again toward Mars, lifted my hands toward his lurid rays, and

Nor did I have long to wait; for scarce had I turned ere I shot with the rapidity of thought into the awful void

before me. There was the same instant of unthinkable cold and utter darkness that I had experienced twenty

years before, and then I opened my eyes in another world, beneath the burning rays of a hot sun, which beat

The scene that met my eyes was so unMartian that my heart sprang to my throat as the sudden fear swept

through me that I had been aimlessly tossed upon some strange planet by a cruel fate.

Why not? What guide had I through the trackless waste of interplanetary space? What assurance that I might

not as well be hurtled to some fardistant star of another solar system, as to Mars?

I lay upon a closecropped sward of red grasslike vegetation, and about me stretched a grove of strange and

beautiful trees, covered with huge and gorgeous blossoms and filled with brilliant, voiceless birds. I call them

birds since they were winged, but mortal eye ne'er rested on such odd, unearthly shapes.

The vegetation was similar to that which covers the lawns of the red Martians of the great waterways, but the

trees and birds were unlike anything that I had ever seen upon Mars, and then through the further trees I could

see that most unMartian of all sightsan open sea, its blue waters shimmering beneath the brazen sun.

As I rose to investigate further I experienced the same ridiculous catastrophe that had met my first attempt to

walk under Martian conditions. The lesser attraction of this smaller planet and the reduced air pressure of its

greatly rarefied atmosphere, afforded so little resistance to my earthly muscles that the ordinary exertion of

the mere act of rising sent me several feet into the air and precipitated me upon my face in the soft and

This experience, however, gave me some slightly increased assurance that, after all, I might indeed be in

some, to me, unknown corner of Mars, and this was very possible since during my ten years' residence upon

I arose again, laughing at my forgetfulness, and soon had mastered once more the art of attuning my earthly

As I walked slowly down the imperceptible slope toward the sea I could not help but note the parklike

appearance of the sward and trees. The grass was as closecropped and carpetlike as some old English lawn

and the trees themselves showed evidence of careful pruning to a uniform height of about fifteen feet from

the ground, so that as one turned his glance in any direction the forest had the appearance at a little distance

All these evidences of careful and systematic cultivation convinced me that I had been fortunate enough to

make my entry into Mars on this second occasion through the domain of a civilized people and that when I

should find them I would be accorded the courtesy and protection that my rank as a Prince of the house of

The trees of the forest attracted my deep admiration as I proceeded toward the sea. Their great stems, some of

them fully a hundred feet in diameter, attested their prodigious height, which I could only guess at, since at

no point could I penetrate their dense foliage above me to more than sixty or eighty feet.

As far aloft as I could see the stems and branches and twigs were as smooth and as highly polished as the

newest of Americanmade pianos. The wood of some of the trees was as black as ebony, while their nearest

neighbours might perhaps gleam in the subdued light of the forest as clear and white as the finest china, or,

And in the same way was the foliage as gay and variegated as the stems, while the blooms that clustered thick

upon them may not be described in any earthly tongue, and indeed might challenge the language of the gods.

As I neared the confines of the forest I beheld before me and between the grove and the open sea, a broad

expanse of meadow land, and as I was about to emerge from the shadows of the trees a sight met my eyes that

banished all romantic and poetic reflection upon the beauties of the strange landscape.

To my left the sea extended as far as the eye could reach, before me only a vague, dim line indicated its

further shore, while at my right a mighty river, broad, placid, and majestic, flowed between scarlet banks to

At a little distance up the river rose mighty perpendicular bluffs, from the very base of which the great river

But it was not these inspiring and magnificent evidences of Nature's grandeur that took my immediate

attention from the beauties of the forest. It was the sight of a score of figures moving slowly about the

Odd, grotesque shapes they were; unlike anything that I had ever seen upon Mars, and yet, at a distance, most

manlike in appearance. The larger specimens appeared to be about ten or twelve feet in height when they

stood erect, and to be proportioned as to torso and lower extremities precisely as is earthly man.

Their arms, however, were very short, and from where I stood seemed as though fashioned much after the

manner of an elephant's trunk, in that they moved in sinuous and snakelike undulations, as though entirely

without bony structure, or if there were bones it seemed that they must be vertebral in nature.

As I watched them from behind the stem of a huge tree, one of the creatures moved slowly in my direction,

engaged in the occupation that seemed to be the principal business of each of them, and which consisted in

running their oddly shaped hands over the surface of the sward, for what purpose I could not determine.

As he approached quite close to me I obtained an excellent view of him, and though I was later to become

better acquainted with his kind, I may say that that single cursory examination of this awful travesty on

Nature would have proved quite sufficient to my desires had I been a free agent. The fastest flier of the

Heliumetic Navy could not quickly enough have carried me far from this hideous creature.

Its hairless body was a strange and ghoulish blue, except for a broad band of white which encircled its

Its nose was a ragged, inflamed, circular hole in the centre of its blank face; a hole that resembled more

closely nothing that I could think of other than a fresh bullet wound which has not yet commenced to bleed.

Below this repulsive orifice the face was quite blank to the chin, for the thing had no mouth that I could

The head, with the exception of the face, was covered by a tangled mass of jetblack hair some eight or ten

inches in length. Each hair was about the bigness of a large angleworm, and as the thing moved the muscles

of its scalp this awful headcovering seemed to writhe and wriggle and crawl about the fearsome face as

The body and the legs were as symmetrically human as Nature could have fashioned them, and the feet, too,

were human in shape, but of monstrous proportions. From heel to toe they were fully three feet long, and very

As it came quite close to me I discovered that its strange movements, running its odd hands over the surface

of the turf, were the result of its peculiar method of feeding, which consists in cropping off the tender

vegetation with its razorlike talons and sucking it up from its two mouths, which lie one in the palm of each

In addition to the features which I have already described, the beast was equipped with a massive tail about

six feet in length, quite round where it joined the body, but tapering to a flat, thin blade toward the end, which

By far the most remarkable feature of this most remarkable creature, however, were the two tiny replicas of

it, each about six inches in length, which dangled, one on either side, from its armpits. They were suspended

by a small stem which seemed to grow from the exact tops of their heads to where it connected them with the

Whether they were the young, or merely portions of a composite creature, I did not know.

As I had been scrutinizing this weird monstrosity the balance of the herd had fed quite close to me and I now

saw that while many had the smaller specimens dangling from them, not all were thus equipped, and I further

noted that the little ones varied in size from what appeared to be but tiny unopened buds an inch in diameter

through various stages of development to the fullfledged and perfectly formed creature of ten to twelve

Feeding with the herd were many of the little fellows not much larger than those which remained attached to

their parents, and from the young of that size the herd graded up to the immense adults.

Fearsomelooking as they were, I did not know whether to fear them or not, for they did not seem to be

particularly well equipped for fighting, and I was on the point of stepping from my hidingplace and

revealing myself to them to note the effect upon them of the sight of a man when my rash resolve was,

fortunately for me, nipped in the bud by a strange shrieking wail, which seemed to come from the direction of

Naked and unarmed, as I was, my end would have been both speedy and horrible at the hands of these cruel

creatures had I had time to put my resolve into execution, but at the moment of the shriek each member of the

herd turned in the direction from which the sound seemed to come, and at the same instant every particular

snakelike hair upon their heads rose stiffly perpendicular as if each had been a sentient organism looking or

listening for the source or meaning of the wail. And indeed the latter proved to be the truth, for this strange

growth upon the craniums of the plant men of Barsoom represents the thousand ears of these hideous

creatures, the last remnant of the strange race which sprang from the original Tree of Life.

Instantly every eye turned toward one member of the herd, a large fellow who evidently was the leader. A

strange purring sound issued from the mouth in the palm of one of his hands, and at the same time he started

Their speed and method of locomotion were both remarkable, springing as they did in great leaps of twenty

They were rapidly disappearing when it occurred to me to follow them, and so, hurling caution to the winds, I

sprang across the meadow in their wake with leaps and bounds even more prodigious than their own, for the

muscles of an athletic Earth man produce remarkable results when pitted against the lesser gravity and air

Their way led directly towards the apparent source of the river at the base of the cliffs, and as I neared this

point I found the meadow dotted with huge boulders that the ravages of time had evidently dislodged from

For this reason I came quite close to the cause of the disturbance before the scene broke upon my horrified

gaze. As I topped a great boulder I saw the herd of plant men surrounding a little group of perhaps five or six

That I was indeed upon Mars I now had no doubt, for here were members of the wild hordes that people the

Here were the great males towering in all the majesty of their imposing height; here were the gleaming white

tusks protruding from their massive lower jaws to a point near the centre of their foreheads, the laterally

placed, protruding eyes with which they could look forward or backward, or to either side without turning

their heads, here the strange antennaelike ears rising from the tops of their foreheads; and the additional pair

Even without the glossy green hide and the metal ornaments which denoted the tribes to which they

belonged, I would have known them on the instant for what they were, for where else in all the universe is

There were two men and four females in the party and their ornaments denoted them as members of different

hordes, a fact which tended to puzzle me infinitely, since the various hordes of green men of Barsoom are

eternally at deadly war with one another, and never, except on that single historic instance when the great

Tars Tarkas of Thark gathered a hundred and fifty thousand green warriors from several hordes to march

upon the doomed city of Zodanga to rescue Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, from the clutches of Than

Kosis, had I seen green Martians of different hordes associated in other than mortal combat.

But now they stood back to back, facing, in wideeyed amazement, the very evidently hostile demonstrations

Both men and women were armed with longswords and daggers, but no firearms were in evidence, else it

Presently the leader of the plant men charged the little party, and his method of attack was as remarkable as it

was effective, and by its very strangeness was the more potent, since in the science of the green warriors there

was no defence for this singular manner of attack, the like of which it soon was evident to me they were as

The plant man charged to within a dozen feet of the party and then, with a bound, rose as though to pass

directly above their heads. His powerful tail was raised high to one side, and as he passed close above them

he brought it down in one terrific sweep that crushed a green warrior's skull as though it had been an

The balance of the frightful herd was now circling rapidly and with bewildering speed about the little knot of

victims. Their prodigious bounds and the shrill, screeching purr of their uncanny mouths were well calculated

to confuse and terrorize their prey, so that as two of them leaped simultaneously from either side, the mighty

sweep of those awful tails met with no resistance and two more green Martians went down to an ignoble

There were now but one warrior and two females left, and it seemed that it could be but a matter of seconds

But as two more of the plant men charged, the warrior, who was now prepared by the experiences of the past

few minutes, swung his mighty longsword aloft and met the hurtling bulk with a clean cut that clove one of

The other, however, dealt a single blow with his cruel tail that laid both of the females crushed corpses upon

As the green warrior saw the last of his companions go down and at the same time perceived that the entire

herd was charging him in a body, he rushed boldly to meet them, swinging his longsword in the terrific

manner that I had so often seen the men of his kind wield it in their ferocious and almost continual warfare

Cutting and hewing to right and left, he laid an open path straight through the advancing plant men, and then

commenced a mad race for the forest, in the shelter of which he evidently hoped that he might find a haven of

He had turned for that portion of the forest which abutted on the cliffs, and thus the mad race was taking the

As I had watched the noble fight which the great warrior had put up against such enormous odds my heart

had swelled in admiration for him, and acting as I am wont to do, more upon impulse than after mature

deliberation, I instantly sprang from my sheltering rock and bounded quickly toward the bodies of the dead

Half a dozen great leaps brought me to the spot, and another instant saw me again in my stride in quick

pursuit of the hideous monsters that were rapidly gaining on the fleeing warrior, but this time I grasped a

mighty longsword in my hand and in my heart was the old blood lust of the fighting man, and a red mist

swam before my eyes and I felt my lips respond to my heart in the old smile that has ever marked me in the

Swift as I was I was none too soon, for the green warrior had been overtaken ere he had made half the

distance to the forest, and now he stood with his back to a boulder, while the herd, temporarily balked, hissed

With their single eyes in the centre of their heads and every eye turned upon their prey, they did not note my

soundless approach, so that I was upon them with my great longsword and four of them lay dead ere they

For an instant they recoiled before my terrific onslaught, and in that instant the green warrior rose to the

occasion and, springing to my side, laid to the right and left of him as I had never seen but one other warrior

do, with great circling strokes that formed a figure eight about him and that never stopped until none stood

living to oppose him, his keen blade passing through flesh and bone and metal as though each had been alike

As we bent to the slaughter, far above us rose that shrill, weird cry which I had heard once before, and which

had called the herd to the attack upon their victims. Again and again it rose, but we were too much engaged

with the fierce and powerful creatures about us to attempt to search out even with our eyes the author of the

Great tails lashed in frenzied anger about us, razorlike talons cut our limbs and bodies, and a green and

sticky syrup, such as oozes from a crushed caterpillar, smeared us from head to foot, for every cut and thrust

of our longswords brought spurts of this stuff upon us from the severed arteries of the plant men, through

Once I felt the great weight of one of the monsters upon my back and as keen talons sank into my flesh I

experienced the frightful sensation of moist lips sucking the lifeblood from the wounds to which the claws

I was very much engaged with a ferocious fellow who was endeavouring to reach my throat from in front,

while two more, one on either side, were lashing viciously at me with their tails.

The green warrior was much put to it to hold his own, and I felt that the unequal struggle could last but a

moment longer when the huge fellow discovered my plight, and tearing himself from those that surrounded

him, he raked the assailant from my back with a single sweep of his blade, and thus relieved I had little

Once together, we stood almost back to back against the great boulder, and thus the creatures were prevented

from soaring above us to deliver their deadly blows, and as we were easily their match while they remained

upon the ground, we were making great headway in dispatching what remained of them when our attention

This time I glanced up, and far above us upon a little natural balcony on the face of the cliff stood a strange

figure of a man shrieking out his shrill signal, the while he waved one hand in the direction of the river's

mouth as though beckoning to some one there, and with the other pointed and gesticulated toward us.

A glance in the direction toward which he was looking was sufficient to apprise me of his aims and at the

same time to fill me with the dread of dire apprehension, for, streaming in from all directions across the

meadow, from out of the forest, and from the far distance of the flat land across the river, I could see

converging upon us a hundred different lines of wildly leaping creatures such as we were now engaged with,

and with them some strange new monsters which ran with great swiftness, now erect and now upon all fours.

"We may at least die fighting and as great warriors should, John Carter," he replied.

We had just finished the last of our immediate antagonists as he spoke, and I turned in surprised wonderment

And there before my astonished eyes I beheld the greatest of the green men of Barsoom; their shrewdest

statesman, their mightiest general, my great and good friend, Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark.

Tars Tarkas and I found no time for an exchange of experiences as we stood there before the great boulder

surrounded by the corpses of our grotesque assailants, for from all directions down the broad valley was

streaming a perfect torrent of terrifying creatures in response to the weird call of the strange figure far above

"Come," cried Tars Tarkas, "we must make for the cliffs. There lies our only hope of even temporary escape;

there we may find a cave or a narrow ledge which two may defend for ever against this motley, unarmed

Together we raced across the scarlet sward, I timing my speed that I might not outdistance my slower

companion. We had, perhaps, three hundred yards to cover between our boulder and the cliffs, and then to

search out a suitable shelter for our stand against the terrifying things that were pursuing us.

They were rapidly overhauling us when Tars Tarkas cried to me to hasten ahead and discover, if possible, the

sanctuary we sought. The suggestion was a good one, for thus many valuable minutes might be saved to us,

and, throwing every ounce of my earthly muscles into the effort, I cleared the remaining distance between

myself and the cliffs in great leaps and bounds that put me at their base in a moment.

The cliffs rose perpendicular directly from the almost level sward of the valley. There was no accumulation

of fallen debris, forming a more or less rough ascent to them, as is the case with nearly all other cliffs I have

ever seen. The scattered boulders that had fallen from above and lay upon or partly buried in the turf, were

the only indication that any disintegration of the massive, towering pile of rocks ever had taken place.

My first cursory inspection of the face of the cliffs filled my heart with forebodings, since nowhere could I

discern, except where the weird herald stood still shrieking his shrill summons, the faintest indication of even

To my right the bottom of the cliff was lost in the dense foliage of the forest, which terminated at its very

foot, rearing its gorgeous foliage fully a thousand feet against its stern and forbidding neighbour.

To the left the cliff ran, apparently unbroken, across the head of the broad valley, to be lost in the outlines of

what appeared to be a range of mighty mountains that skirted and confined the valley in every direction.

Perhaps a thousand feet from me the river broke, as it seemed, directly from the base of the cliffs, and as

there seemed not the remotest chance for escape in that direction I turned my attention again toward the

The cliffs towered above me a good five thousand feet. The sun was not quite upon them and they loomed a

dull yellow in their own shade. Here and there they were broken with streaks and patches of dusky red, green,

Altogether they were very beautiful, but I fear that I did not regard them with a particularly appreciative eye

Just then I was absorbed in them only as a medium of escape, and so, as my gaze ran quickly, time and again,

over their vast expanse in search of some cranny or crevice, I came suddenly to loathe them as the prisoner

Tars Tarkas was approaching me rapidly, and still more rapidly came the awful horde at his heels.

It seemed the forest now or nothing, and I was just on the point of motioning Tars Tarkas to follow me in that

direction when the sun passed the cliff's zenith, and as the bright rays touched the dull surface it burst out into

a million scintillant lights of burnished gold, of flaming red, of soft greens, and gleaming whitesa more

The face of the entire cliff was, as later inspection conclusively proved, so shot with veins and patches of

solid gold as to quite present the appearance of a solid wall of that precious metal except where it was broken

by outcroppings of ruby, emerald, and diamond bouldersa faint and alluring indication of the vast and

But what caught my most interested attention at the moment that the sun's rays set the cliff's face ashimmer,

was the several black spots which now appeared quite plainly in evidence high across the gorgeous wall close

Almost immediately I recognised them for what they were, the dark openings of caves entering the solid

There was but a single way, and that led through the mighty, towering trees upon our right. That I could scale

them I knew full well, but Tars Tarkas, with his mighty bulk and enormous weight, would find it a task

possibly quite beyond his prowess or his skill, for Martians are at best but poor climbers. Upon the entire

surface of that ancient planet I never before had seen a hill or mountain that exceeded four thousand feet in

height above the dead sea bottoms, and as the ascent was usually gradual, nearly to their summits they

presented but few opportunities for the practice of climbing. Nor would the Martians have embraced even

such opportunities as might present themselves, for they could always find a circuitous route about the base

of any eminence, and these roads they preferred and followed in preference to the shorter but more arduous

However, there was nothing else to consider than an attempt to scale the trees contiguous to the cliff in an

The Thark grasped the possibilities and the difficulties of the plan at once, but there was no alternative, and

Our relentless pursuers were now close to us, so close that it seemed that it would be an utter impossibility

for the Jeddak of Thark to reach the forest in advance of them, nor was there any considerable will in the

efforts that Tars Tarkas made, for the green men of Barsoom do not relish flight, nor ever before had I seen

one fleeing from death in whatsoever form it might have confronted him. But that Tars Tarkas was the

bravest of the brave he had proven thousands of times; yes, tens of thousands in countless mortal combats

with men and beasts. And so I knew that there was another reason than fear of death behind his flight, as he

knew that a greater power than pride or honour spurred me to escape these fierce destroyers. In my case it

was lovelove of the divine Dejah Thoris; and the cause of the Thark's great and sudden love of life I could

not fathom, for it is oftener that they seek death than lifethese strange, cruel, loveless, unhappy people.

At length, however, we reached the shadows of the forest, while right behind us sprang the swiftest of our

pursuersa giant plant man with claws outreaching to fasten his bloodsucking mouths upon us.

He was, I should say, a hundred yards in advance of his closest companion, and so I called to Tars Tarkas to

ascend a great tree that brushed the cliff's face while I dispatched the fellow, thus giving the less agile Thark

an opportunity to reach the higher branches before the entire horde should be upon us and every vestige of

But I had reckoned without a just appreciation either of the cunning of my immediate antagonist or the

swiftness with which his fellows were covering the distance which had separated them from me.

As I raised my longsword to deal the creature its death thrust it halted in its charge and, as my sword cut

harmlessly through the empty air, the great tail of the thing swept with the power of a grizzly's arm across the

sward and carried me bodily from my feet to the ground. In an instant the brute was upon me, but ere it could

fasten its hideous mouths into my breast and throat I grasped a writhing tentacle in either hand.

The plant man was well muscled, heavy, and powerful but my earthly sinews and greater agility, in

conjunction with the deathly strangle hold I had upon him, would have given me, I think, an eventual victory

had we had time to discuss the merits of our relative prowess uninterrupted. But as we strained and struggled

about the tree into which Tars Tarkas was clambering with infinite difficulty, I suddenly caught a glimpse

over the shoulder of my antagonist of the great swarm of pursuers that now were fairly upon me.

Now, at last, I saw the nature of the other monsters who had come with the plant men in response to the weird

calling of the man upon the cliff's face. They were that most dreaded of Martian creaturesgreat white apes

My former experiences upon Mars had familiarized me thoroughly with them and their methods, and I may

say that of all the fearsome and terrible, weird and grotesque inhabitants of that strange world, it is the white

I think that the cause of this feeling which these apes engender within me is due to their remarkable

resemblance in form to our Earth men, which gives them a human appearance that is most uncanny when

They stand fifteen feet in height and walk erect upon their hind feet. Like the green Martians, they have an

intermediary set of arms midway between their upper and lower limbs. Their eyes are very close set, but do

not protrude as do those of the green men of Mars; their ears are high set, but more laterally located than are

the green men's, while their snouts and teeth are much like those of our African gorilla. Upon their heads

It was into the eyes of such as these and the terrible plant men that I gazed above the shoulder of my foe, and

then, in a mighty wave of snarling, snapping, screaming, purring rage, they swept over meand of all the

sounds that assailed my ears as I went down beneath them, to me the most hideous was the horrid purring of

Instantly a score of cruel fangs and keen talons were sunk into my flesh; cold, sucking lips fastened

themselves upon my arteries. I struggled to free myself, and even though weighed down by these immense

bodies, I succeeded in struggling to my feet, where, still grasping my longsword, and shortening my grip

upon it until I could use it as a dagger, I wrought such havoc among them that at one time I stood for an

What it has taken minutes to write occurred in but a few seconds, but during that time Tars Tarkas had seen

my plight and had dropped from the lower branches, which he had reached with such infinite labour, and as I

flung the last of my immediate antagonists from me the great Thark leaped to my side, and again we fought,

Time and again the ferocious apes sprang in to close with us, and time and again we beat them back with our

swords. The great tails of the plant men lashed with tremendous power about us as they charged from various

directions or sprang with the agility of greyhounds above our heads; but every attack met a gleaming blade in

sword hands that had been reputed for twenty years the best that Mars ever had known; for Tars Tarkas and

John Carter were names that the fighting men of the world of warriors loved best to speak.

But even the two best swords in a world of fighters can avail not for ever against overwhelming numbers of

fierce and savage brutes that know not what defeat means until cold steel teaches their hearts no longer to

beat, and so, step by step, we were forced back. At length we stood against the giant tree that we had chosen

for our ascent, and then, as charge after charge hurled its weight upon us, we gave back again and again, until

Tars Tarkas was in the lead, and suddenly I heard a little cry of exultation from him.

"Here is shelter for one at least, John Carter," he said, and, glancing down, I saw an opening in the base of the

"In with you, Tars Tarkas," I cried, but he would not go; saying that his bulk was too great for the little

"We shall both die if we remain without, John Carter; here is a slight chance for one of us. Take it and you

may live to avenge me, it is useless for me to attempt to worm my way into so small an opening with this

"Then we shall die together, Tars Tarkas," I replied, "for I shall not go first. Let me defend the opening while

you get in, then my smaller stature will permit me to slip in with you before they can prevent."

We still were fighting furiously as we talked in broken sentences, punctured with vicious cuts and thrusts at

At length he yielded, for it seemed the only way in which either of us might be saved from the

everincreasing numbers of our assailants, who were still swarming upon us from all directions across the

"It was ever your way, John Carter, to think last of your own life," he said; "but still more your way to

command the lives and actions of others, even to the greatest of Jeddaks who rule upon Barsoom."

There was a grim smile upon his cruel, hard face, as he, the greatest Jeddak of them all, turned to obey the

dictates of a creature of another worldof a man whose stature was less than half his own.

"If you fail, John Carter," he said, "know that the cruel and heartless Thark, to whom you taught the meaning

"As you will, my friend," I replied; "but quickly now, head first, while I cover your retreat."

He hesitated a little at that word, for never before in his whole life of continual strife had he turned his back

"Haste, Tars Tarkas," I urged, "or we shall both go down to profitless defeat; I cannot hold them for ever

As he dropped to the ground to force his way into the tree, the whole howling pack of hideous devils hurled

themselves upon me. To right and left flew my shimmering blade, now green with the sticky juice of a plant

man, now red with the crimson blood of a great white ape; but always flying from one opponent to another,

hesitating but the barest fraction of a second to drink the lifeblood in the centre of some savage heart.

And thus I fought as I never had fought before, against such frightful odds that I cannot realize even now that

human muscles could have withstood that awful onslaught, that terrific weight of hurtling tons of ferocious,

With the fear that we would escape them, the creatures redoubled their efforts to pull me down, and though

the ground about me was piled high with their dead and dying comrades, they succeeded at last in

overwhelming me, and I went down beneath them for the second time that day, and once again felt those

But scarce had I fallen ere I felt powerful hands grip my ankles, and in another second I was being drawn

within the shelter of the tree's interior. For a moment it was a tug of war between Tars Tarkas and a great

plant man, who clung tenaciously to my breast, but presently I got the point of my longsword beneath him

Torn and bleeding from many cruel wounds, I lay panting upon the ground within the hollow of the tree,

For an hour they howled about the tree, but after a few attempts to reach us they confined their efforts to

terrorizing shrieks and screams, to horrid growling on the part of the great white apes, and the fearsome and

At length, all but a score, who had apparently been left to prevent our escape, had left us, and our adventure

seemed destined to result in a siege, the only outcome of which could be our death by starvation; for even

should we be able to slip out after dark, whither in this unknown and hostile valley could we hope to turn our

As the attacks of our enemies ceased and our eyes became accustomed to the semidarkness of the interior of

The tree was hollow to an extent of about fifty feet in diameter, and from its flat, hard floor I judged that it

had often been used to domicile others before our occupancy. As I raised my eyes toward its roof to note the

There was an opening above. If we could but reach it we might still hope to make the shelter of the cliff

caves. My eyes had now become quite used to the subdued light of the interior, and as I pursued my

Quickly I mounted it, only to find that it connected at the top with the lower of a series of horizontal wooden

bars that spanned the now narrow and shaftlike interior of the tree's stem. These bars were set one above

another about three feet apart, and formed a perfect ladder as far above me as I could see.

Dropping to the floor once more, I detailed my discovery to Tars Tarkas, who suggested that I explore aloft

as far as I could go in safety while he guarded the entrance against a possible attack.

As I hastened above to explore the strange shaft I found that the ladder of horizontal bars mounted always as

far above me as my eyes could reach, and as I ascended, the light from above grew brighter and brighter.

For fully five hundred feet I continued to climb, until at length I reached the opening in the stem which

admitted the light. It was of about the same diameter as the entrance at the foot of the tree, and opened

directly upon a large flat limb, the well worn surface of which testified to its long continued use as an avenue

I did not venture out upon the limb for fear that I might be discovered and our retreat in this direction cut off;

I soon reached him and presently we were both ascending the long ladder toward the opening above.

Tars Tarkas went in advance and as I reached the first of the horizontal bars I drew the ladder up after me

and, handing it to him, he carried it a hundred feet further aloft, where he wedged it safely between one of the

bars and the side of the shaft. In like manner I dislodged the lower bars as I passed them, so that we soon had

the interior of the tree denuded of all possible means of ascent for a distance of a hundred feet from the base;

As we were to learn later, this precaution saved us from dire predicament, and was eventually the means of

When we reached the opening at the top Tars Tarkas drew to one side that I might pass out and investigate,

as, owing to my lesser weight and greater agility, I was better fitted for the perilous threading of this dizzy,

The limb upon which I found myself ascended at a slight angle toward the cliff, and as I followed it I found

that it terminated a few feet above a narrow ledge which protruded from the cliff's face at the entrance to a

As I approached the slightly more slender extremity of the branch it bent beneath my weight until, as I

balanced perilously upon its outer tip, it swayed gently on a level with the ledge at a distance of a couple of

Five hundred feet below me lay the vivid scarlet carpet of the valley; nearly five thousand feet above towered

The cave that I faced was not one of those that I had seen from the ground, and which lay much higher,

possibly a thousand feet. But so far as I might know it was as good for our purpose as another, and so I

Together we wormed our way along the waving pathway, but when we reached the end of the branch we

found that our combined weight so depressed the limb that the cave's mouth was now too far above us to be

We finally agreed that Tars Tarkas should return along the branch, leaving his longest leather harness strap

with me, and that when the limb had risen to a height that would permit me to enter the cave I was to do so,

and on Tars Tarkas' return I could then lower the strap and haul him up to the safety of the ledge.

This we did without mishap and soon found ourselves together upon the verge of a dizzy little balcony, with a

As far as the eye could reach gorgeous forest and crimson sward skirted a silent sea, and about all towered the

brilliant monster guardian cliffs. Once we thought we discerned a gilded minaret gleaming in the sun amidst

the waving tops of fardistant trees, but we soon abandoned the idea in the belief that it was but an

hallucination born of our great desire to discover the haunts of civilized men in this beautiful, yet forbidding,

Below us upon the river's bank the great white apes were devouring the last remnants of Tars Tarkas' former

companions, while great herds of plant men grazed in everwidening circles about the sward which they kept

Knowing that attack from the tree was now improbable, we determined to explore the cave, which we had

every reason to believe was but a continuation of the path we had already traversed, leading the gods alone

As we advanced we found a wellproportioned tunnel cut from the solid cliff. Its walls rose some twenty feet

above the floor, which was about five feet in width. The roof was arched. We had no means of making a

light, and so groped our way slowly into the everincreasing darkness, Tars Tarkas keeping in touch with one

wall while I felt along the other, while, to prevent our wandering into diverging branches and becoming

How far we traversed the tunnel in this manner I do not know, but presently we came to an obstruction which

blocked our further progress. It seemed more like a partition than a sudden ending of the cave, for it was

constructed not of the material of the cliff, but of something which felt like very hard wood.

Silently I groped over its surface with my hands, and presently was rewarded by the feel of the button which

Gently pressing it, I had the satisfaction of feeling the door slowly give before me, and in another instant we

were looking into a dimly lighted apartment, which, so far as we could see, was unoccupied.

Without more ado I swung the door wide open and, followed by the huge Thark, stepped into the chamber.

As we stood for a moment in silence gazing about the room a slight noise behind caused me to turn quickly,

when, to my astonishment, I saw the door close with a sharp click as though by an unseen hand.

Instantly I sprang toward it to wrench it open again, for something in the uncanny movement of the thing and

the tense and almost palpable silence of the chamber seemed to portend a lurking evil lying hidden in this

My fingers clawed futilely at the unyielding portal, while my eyes sought in vain for a duplicate of the button

And then, from unseen lips, a cruel and mocking peal of laughter rang through the desolate place.

For moments after that awful laugh had ceased reverberating through the rocky room, Tars Tarkas and I stood

in tense and expectant silence. But no further sound broke the stillness, nor within the range of our vision did

At length Tars Tarkas laughed softly, after the manner of his strange kind when in the presence of the

horrible or terrifying. It is not an hysterical laugh, but rather the genuine expression of the pleasure they

Often and again have I seen them roll upon the ground in mad fits of uncontrollable mirth when witnessing

the death agonies of women and little children beneath the torture of that hellish green Martian fetethe

I looked up at the Thark, a smile upon my own lips, for here in truth was greater need for a smiling face than

"Where are we?" he repeated. "Do you tell me, John Carter, that you know not where you be?"

"That I am upon Barsoom is all that I can guess, and but for you and the great white apes I should not even

guess that, for the sights I have seen this day are as unlike the things of my beloved Barsoom as I knew it ten

"Where have you been since you opened the mighty portals of the atmosphere plant years ago, after the

keeper had died and the engines stopped and all Barsoom was dying, that had not already died, of

asphyxiation? Your body even was never found, though the men of a whole world sought after it for years,

though the Jeddak of Helium and his granddaughter, your princess, offered such fabulous rewards that even

princes of royal blood joined in the search. "There was but one conclusion to reach when all efforts to locate

you had failed, and that, that you had taken the long, last pilgrimage down the mysterious River Iss, to await

in the Valley Dor upon the shores of the Lost Sea of Korus the beautiful Dejah Thoris, your princess.

"Thank God," I interrupted him. "I did not dare to ask you, for I feared I might have been too late to save

her she was very low when I left her in the royal gardens of Tardos Mors that longgone night; so very

low that I scarcely hoped even then to reach the atmosphere plant ere her dear spirit had fled from me for

"We are where I expected to find you, John Carterand another. Many years ago you heard the story of the

woman who taught me the thing that green Martians are reared to hate, the woman who taught me to love.

You know the cruel tortures and the awful death her love won for her at the hands of the beast, Tal Hajus.

"You know that it was left for a man from another world, for yourself, John Carter, to teach this cruel Thark

"Thus were the two I most longed for at the end of the long pilgrimage I must take some day, and so as the

time had elapsed which Dejah Thoris had hoped might bring you once more to her side, for she has always

tried to believe that you had but temporarily returned to your own planet, I at last gave way to my great

yearning and a month since I started upon the journey, the end of which you have this day witnessed. Do you

"And that was the River Iss, emptying into the Lost Sea of Korus in the Valley Dor?" I asked.

"This is the valley of love and peace and rest to which every Barsoomian since time immemorial has longed

to pilgrimage at the end of a life of hate and strife and bloodshed," he replied. "This, John Carter, is Heaven."

His tone was cold and ironical; its bitterness but reflecting the terrible disappointment he had suffered. Such a

fearful disillusionment, such a blasting of lifelong hopes and aspirations, such an uprooting of ageold

tradition might have excused a vastly greater demonstration on the part of the Thark.

"Think, John Carter, of the countless billions of Barsoomians who have taken the voluntary pilgrimage down

this cruel river since the beginning of time, only to fall into the ferocious clutches of the terrible creatures that

"There is an ancient legend that once a red man returned from the banks of the Lost Sea of Korus, returned

from the Valley Dor, back through the mysterious River Iss, and the legend has it that he narrated a fearful

blasphemy of horrid brutes that inhabited a valley of wondrous loveliness, brutes that pounced upon each

Barsoomian as he terminated his pilgrimage and devoured him upon the banks of the Lost Sea where he had

looked to find love and peace and happiness; but the ancients killed the blasphemer, as tradition has ordained

"But now we know that it was no blasphemy, that the legend is a true one, and that the man told only of what

he saw; but what does it profit us, John Carter, since even should we escape, we also would be treated as

blasphemers? We are between the wild thoat of certainty and the mad zitidar of factwe can escape

"As Earth men say, we are between the devil and the deep sea, Tars Tarkas," I replied, nor could I help but

"There is naught that we can do but take things as they come, and at least have the satisfaction of knowing

that whoever slays us eventually will have far greater numbers of their own dead to count than they will get

in return. White ape or plant man, green Barsoomian or red man, whosoever it shall be that takes the last toll

from us will know that it is costly in lives to wipe out John Carter, Prince of the House of Tardos Mors, and

I could not help but laugh at him grim humour, and he joined in with me in one of those rare laughs of real

enjoyment which was one of the attributes of this fierce Tharkian chief which marked him from the others of

"But about yourself, John Carter," he cried at last. "If you have not been here all these years where indeed

"I have been back to Earth," I replied. "For ten long Earth years I have been praying and hoping for the day

that would carry me once more to this grim old planet of yours, for which, with all its cruel and terrible

customs, I feel a bond of sympathy and love even greater than for the world that gave me birth.

"For ten years have I been enduring a living death of uncertainty and doubt as to whether Dejah Thoris lived,

and now that for the first time in all these years my prayers have been answered and my doubt relieved I find

myself, through a cruel whim of fate, hurled into the one tiny spot of all Barsoom from which there is

apparently no escape, and if there were, at a price which would put out for ever the last flickering hope which

I may cling to of seeing my princess again in this lifeand you have seen today with what pitiful futility

"Only a bare halfhour before I saw you battling with the plant men I was standing in the moonlight upon the

banks of a broad river that taps the eastern shore of Earth's most blessed land. I have answered you, my

As we talked I had been searching the interior of the chamber with my eyes. It was, perhaps, two hundred feet

in length and half as broad, with what appeared to be a doorway in the centre of the wall directly opposite

The apartment was hewn from the material of the cliff, showing mostly dull gold in the dim light which a

single minute radium illuminator in the centre of the roof diffused throughout its great dimensions. Here and

there polished surfaces of ruby, emerald, and diamond patched the golden walls and ceiling. The floor was of

another material, very hard, and worn by much use to the smoothness of glass. Aside from the two doors I

could discern no sign of other aperture, and as one we knew to be locked against us I approached the other.

As I extended my hand to search for the controlling button, that cruel and mocking laugh rang out once more,

so close to me this time that I involuntarily shrank back, tightening my grip upon the hilt of my great sword.

And then from the far corner of the great chamber a hollow voice chanted: "There is no hope, there is no

hope; the dead return not, the dead return not; nor is there any resurrection. Hope not, for there is no hope."

Though our eyes instantly turned toward the spot from which the voice seemed to emanate, there was no one

in sight, and I must admit that cold shivers played along my spine and the short hairs at the base of my head

stiffened and rose up, as do those upon a hound's neck when in the night his eyes see those uncanny things

Quickly I walked toward the mournful voice, but it had ceased ere I reached the further wall, and then from

"Fools! Fools!" it shrieked. "Thinkest thou to defeat the eternal laws of life and death? Wouldst cheat the

mysterious Issus, Goddess of Death, of her just dues? Did not her mighty messenger, the ancient Iss, bear you

"Thinkest thou, O fools, that Issus wilt give up her own? Thinkest thou to escape from whence in all the

"Go back the way thou camest, to the merciful maws of the children of the Tree of Life or the gleaming fangs

of the great white apes, for there lies speedy surcease from suffering; but insist in your rash purpose to thread

the mazes of the Golden Cliffs of the Mountains of Otz, past the ramparts of the impregnable fortresses of the

Holy Therns, and upon your way Death in its most frightful form will overtake you a death so horrible that

even the Holy Therns themselves, who conceived both Life and Death, avert their eyes from its fiendishness

"What shall we do?" he asked. "We cannot fight empty air; I would almost sooner return and face foes into

whose flesh I may feel my blade bite and know that I am selling my carcass dearly before I go down to that

eternal oblivion which is evidently the fairest and most desirable eternity that mortal man has the right to

"If, as you say, we cannot fight empty air, Tars Tarkas," I replied, "neither, on the other hand, can empty air

fight us. I, who have faced and conquered in my time thousands of sinewy warriors and tempered blades,

"But unseen voices may emanate from unseen and unseeable creatures who wield invisible blades," answered

"Rot, Tars Tarkas," I cried, "those voices come from beings as real as you or as I. In their veins flows

lifeblood that may be let as easily as ours, and the fact that they remain invisible to us is the best proof to my

mind that they are mortal; nor overly courageous mortals at that. Think you, Tars Tarkas, that John Carter

will fly at the first shriek of a cowardly foe who dare not come out into the open and face a good blade?"

I had spoken in a loud voice that there might be no question that our wouldbe terrorizers should hear me, for

I was tiring of this nerveracking fiasco. It had occurred to me, too, that the whole business was but a plan to

frighten us back into the valley of death from which we had escaped, that we might be quickly disposed of by

For a long period there was silence, then of a sudden a soft, stealthy sound behind me caused me to turn

The banth is a fierce beast of prey that roams the low hills surrounding the dead seas of ancient Mars. Like

nearly all Martian animals it is almost hairless, having only a great bristly mane about its thick neck.

Its long, lithe body is supported by ten powerful legs, its enormous jaws are equipped, like those of the calot,

or Martian hound, with several rows of long needlelike fangs; its mouth reaches to a point far back of its

tiny ears, while its enormous, protruding eyes of green add the last touch of terror to its awful aspect.

As it crept toward me it lashed its powerful tail against its yellow sides, and when it saw that it was

discovered it emitted the terrifying roar which often freezes its prey into momentary paralysis in the instant

And so it launched its great bulk toward me, but its mighty voice had held no paralysing terrors for me, and it

met cold steel instead of the tender flesh its cruel jaws gaped so widely to engulf.

An instant later I drew my blade from the still heart of this great Barsoomian lion, and turning toward Tars

No sooner had he dispatched his than I, turning, as though drawn by the instinct of my guardian subconscious

mind, beheld another of the savage denizens of the Martian wilds leaping across the chamber toward me.

From then on for the better part of an hour one hideous creature after another was launched upon us,

Tars Tarkas was satisfied; here was something tangible that he could cut and slash with his great blade, while

I, for my part, may say that the diversion was a marked improvement over the uncanny voices from unseen

That there was nothing supernatural about our new foes was well evidenced by their howls of rage and pain

as they felt the sharp steel at their vitals, and the very real blood which flowed from their severed arteries as

I noticed during the period of this new persecution that the beasts appeared only when our backs were turned;

we never saw one really materialize from thin air, nor did I for an instant sufficiently lose my excellent

reasoning faculties to be once deluded into the belief that the beasts came into the room other than through

Among the ornaments of Tars Tarkas' leather harness, which is the only manner of clothing worn by Martians

other than silk capes and robes of silk and fur for protection from the cold after dark, was a small mirror,

about the bigness of a lady's hand glass, which hung midway between his shoulders and his waist against his

Once as he stood looking down at a newly fallen antagonist my eyes happened to fall upon this mirror and in

He did not ask why, but stood like a graven image while my eyes watched the strange thing that meant so

What I saw was the quick movement of a section of the wall behind me. It was turning upon pivots, and with

it a section of the floor directly in front of it was turning. It was as though you placed a visitingcard upon

end on a silver dollar that you had laid flat upon a table, so that the edge of the card perfectly bisected the

The card might represent the section of the wall that turned and the silver dollar the section of the floor. Both

were so nicely fitted into the adjacent portions of the floor and wall that no crack had been noticeable in the

As the turn was half completed a great beast was revealed sitting upon its haunches upon that part of the

revolving floor that had been on the opposite side before the wall commenced to move; when the section

stopped, the beast was facing toward me on our side of the partitionit was very simple.

But what had interested me most was the sight that the halfturned section had presented through the opening

that it had made. A great chamber, well lighted, in which were several men and women chained to the wall,

and in front of them, evidently directing and operating the movement of the secret doorway, a wickedfaced

man, neither red as are the red men of Mars, nor green as are the green men, but white, like myself, with a

The prisoners behind him were red Martians. Chained with them were a number of fierce beasts, such as had

"Watch the wall at your end of the chamber, Tars Tarkas," I cautioned, "it is through secret doorways in the

wall that the brutes are loosed upon us." I was very close to him and spoke in a low whisper that my

As long as we remained each facing an opposite end of the apartment no further attacks were made upon us,

so it was quite clear to me that the partitions were in some way pierced that our actions might be observed

At length a plan of action occurred to me, and backing quite close to Tars Tarkas I unfolded my scheme in a

The great Thark grunted his assent to my proposition when I had done, and in accordance with my plan

commenced backing toward the wall which I faced while I advanced slowly ahead of him.

When we had reached a point some ten feet from the secret doorway I halted my companion, and cautioning

him to remain absolutely motionless until I gave the prearranged signal I quickly turned my back to the door

through which I could almost feel the burning and baleful eyes of our would be executioner.

Instantly my own eyes sought the mirror upon Tars Tarkas' back and in another second I was closely

watching the section of the wall which had been disgorging its savage terrors upon us.

I had not long to wait, for presently the golden surface commenced to move rapidly. Scarcely had it started

than I gave the signal to Tars Tarkas, simultaneously springing for the receding half of the pivoting door. In

like manner the Thark wheeled and leaped for the opening being made by the inswinging section.

A single bound carried me completely through into the adjoining room and brought me face to face with the

fellow whose cruel face I had seen before. He was about my own height and well muscled and in every

At his side hung a longsword, a shortsword, a dagger, and one of the destructive radium revolvers that are

The fact that I was armed only with a longsword, and so according to the laws and ethics of battle

everywhere upon Barsoom should only have been met with a similar or lesser weapon, seemed to have no

effect upon the moral sense of my enemy, for he whipped out his revolver ere I scarce had touched the floor

by his side, but an uppercut from my longsword sent it flying from his grasp before he could discharge it.

Instantly he drew his longsword, and thus evenly armed we set to in earnest for one of the closest battles I

The fellow was a marvellous swordsman and evidently in practice, while I had not gripped the hilt of a sword

But it did not take me long to fall easily into my fighting stride, so that in a few minutes the man began to

His face became livid with rage as he found my guard impregnable, while blood flowed from a dozen minor

"Who are you, white man?" he hissed. "That you are no Barsoomian from the outer world is evident from

"Fate forfend!" he exclaimed, his face going white under the blood that now nearly covered it.

I did not know how to follow up my lead, but I carefully laid the idea away for future use should

circumstances require it. His answer indicated that for all he KNEW I might be from the Temple of Issus and

in it were men like unto myself, and either this man feared the inmates of the temple or else he held their

persons or their power in such reverence that he trembled to think of the harm and indignities he had heaped

But my present business with him was of a different nature than that which requires any considerable abstract

reasoning; it was to get my sword between his ribs, and this I succeeded in doing within the next few

The chained prisoners had been watching the combat in tense silence; not a sound had fallen in the room

other than the clashing of our contending blades, the soft shuffling of our naked feet and the few whispered

words we had hissed at each other through clenched teeth the while we continued our mortal duel.

But as the body of my antagonist sank an inert mass to the floor a cry of warning broke from one of the

"Turn! Turn! Behind you!" she shrieked, and as I wheeled at the first note of her shrill cry I found myself

The fellow had crept stealthily from a dark corridor and was almost upon me with raised sword ere I saw him.

Tars Tarkas was nowhere in sight and the secret panel in the wall, through which I had come, was closed.

How I wished that he were by my side now! I had fought almost continuously for many hours; I had passed

through such experiences and adventures as must sap the vitality of man, and with all this I had not eaten for

I was fagged out, and for the first time in years felt a question as to my ability to cope with an antagonist; but

there was naught else for it than to engage my man, and that as quickly and ferociously as lay in me, for my

only salvation was to rush him off his feet by the impetuosity of my attackI could not hope to win a

But the fellow was evidently of another mind, for he backed and parried and parried and sidestepped until I

He was a more adroit swordsman, if possible, than my previous foe, and I must admit that he led me a pretty

chase and in the end came near to making a sorry fool of meand a dead one into the bargain.

I could feel myself growing weaker and weaker, until at length objects commenced to blur before my eyes

and I staggered and blundered about more asleep than awake, and then it was that he worked his pretty little

He had backed me around so that I stood in front of the corpse of his fellow, and then he rushed me suddenly

so that I was forced back upon it, and as my heel struck it the impetus of my body flung me backward across

My head struck the hard pavement with a resounding whack, and to that alone I owe my life, for it cleared my

brain and the pain roused my temper, so that I was equal for the moment to tearing my enemy to pieces with

my bare hands, and I verily believe that I should have attempted it had not my right hand, in the act of raising

As the eyes of the layman so is the hand of the fighting man when it comes in contact with an implement of

his vocation, and thus I did not need to look or reason to know that the dead man's revolver, lying where it

The fellow whose ruse had put me down was springing toward me, the point of his gleaming blade directed

straight at my heart, and as he came there rang from his lips the cruel and mocking peal of laughter that I had

And so he died, his thin lips curled in the snarl of his hateful laugh, and a bullet from the revolver of his dead

His body, borne by the impetus of his headlong rush, plunged upon me. The hilt of his sword must have

It was the sound of conflict that aroused me once more to the realities of life. For a moment I could neither

place my surroundings nor locate the sounds which had aroused me. And then from beyond the blank wall

beside which I lay I heard the shuffling of feet, the snarling of grim beasts, the clank of metal accoutrements,

As I rose to my feet I glanced hurriedly about the chamber in which I had just encountered such a warm

reception. The prisoners and the savage brutes rested in their chains by the opposite wall eyeing me with

The latter emotion seemed plainly evident upon the handsome and intelligent face of the young red Martian

She was the perfect type of that remarkably beautiful race whose outward appearance is identical with the

more godlike races of Earth men, except that this higher race of Martians is of a light reddish copper colour.

As she was entirely unadorned I could not even guess her station in life, though it was evident that she was

It was several seconds before the sounds upon the opposite side of the partition jolted my slowly returning

faculties into a realization of their probable import, and then of a sudden I grasped the fact that they were

caused by Tars Tarkas in what was evidently a desperate struggle with wild beasts or savage men.

With a cry of encouragement I threw my weight against the secret door, but as well have assayed the

downhurling of the cliffs themselves. Then I sought feverishly for the secret of the revolving panel, but my

search was fruitless, and I was about to raise my longsword against the sullen gold when the young woman

"Save thy sword, O Mighty Warrior, for thou shalt need it more where it will avail to some purposeshatter

it not against senseless metal which yields better to the lightest finger touch of one who knows its secret."

"Yes; release me and I will give you entrance to the other horror chamber, if you wish. The keys to my fetters

are upon the first dead of thy foemen. But why would you return to face again the fierce banth, or whatever

"Because my friend fights there alone," I answered, as I hastily sought and found the keys upon the carcass of

There were many keys upon the oval ring, but the fair Martian maid quickly selected that which sprung the

Again she sought out a key upon the ring. This time a slender, needlelike affair which she inserted in an

almost invisible hole in the wall. Instantly the door swung upon its pivot, and the contiguous section of the

floor upon which I was standing carried me with it into the chamber where Tars Tarkas fought.

The great Thark stood with his back against an angle of the walls, while facing him in a semicircle a

halfdozen huge monsters crouched waiting for an opening. Their blood streaked heads and shoulders

testified to the cause of their wariness as well as to the swordsmanship of the green warrior whose glossy hide

bore the same mute but eloquent witness to the ferocity of the attacks that he had so far withstood.

Sharp talons and cruel fangs had torn leg, arm, and breast literally to ribbons. So weak was he from continued

exertion and loss of blood that but for the supporting wall I doubt that he even could have stood erect. But

with the tenacity and indomitable courage of his kind he still faced his cruel and relentless foesthe

personification of that ancient proverb of his tribe: "Leave to a Thark his head and one hand and he may yet

As he saw me enter, a grim smile touched those grim lips of his, but whether the smile signified relief or

merely amusement at the sight of my own bloody and dishevelled condition I do not know.

As I was about to spring into the conflict with my sharp longsword I felt a gentle hand upon my shoulder

and turning found, to my surprise, that the young woman had followed me into the chamber.

"Wait," she whispered, "leave them to me," and pushing me advanced, all defenceless and unarmed, upon the

When quite close to them she spoke a single Martian word in low but peremptory tones. Like lightning the

great beasts wheeled upon her, and I looked to see her torn to pieces before I could reach her side, but instead

Again she spoke to them, but in tones so low I could not catch the words, and then she started toward the

opposite side of the chamber with the six mighty monsters trailing at heel. One by one she sent them through

the secret panel into the room beyond, and when the last had passed from the chamber where we stood in

wideeyed amazement she turned and smiled at us and then herself passed through, leaving us alone.

"I heard the fighting beyond the partition through which you passed, but I did not fear for you, John Carter,

until I heard the report of a revolver shot. I knew that there lived no man upon all Barsoom who could face

you with naked steel and live, but the shot stripped the last vestige of hope from me, since you I knew to be

I did as he bade, and then together we sought the secret panel through which I had just entered the

apartmentthe one at the opposite end of the room from that through which the girl had led her savage

To our disappointment the panel eluded our every effort to negotiate its secret lock. We felt that once beyond

it we might look with some little hope of success for a passage to the outside world.

The fact that the prisoners within were securely chained led us to believe that surely there must be an avenue

Again and again we turned from one door to another, from the baffling golden panel at one end of the

When we had about given up all hope one of the panels turned silently toward us, and the young woman who

"Who are you?" she asked, "and what your mission, that you have the temerity to attempt to escape from the

"I have chosen no death, maiden," I replied. "I am not of Barsoom, nor have I taken yet the voluntary

pilgrimage upon the River Iss. My friend here is Jeddak of all the Tharks, and though he has not yet

expressed a desire to return to the living world, I am taking him with me from the living lie that hath lured

"I am of another world. I am John Carter, Prince of the House of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium. Perchance

some faint rumour of me may have leaked within the confines of your hellish abode."

"Yes," she replied, "naught that passes in the world we have left is unknown here. I have heard of you, many

years ago. The therns have ofttimes wondered whither you had flown, since you had neither taken the

"Tell me," I said, "and who be you, and why a prisoner, yet with power over the ferocious beasts of the place

that denotes familiarity and authority far beyond that which might be expected of a prisoner or a slave?"

"Slave I am," she answered. "For fifteen years a slave in this terrible place, and now that they have tired of

me and become fearful of the power which my knowledge of their ways has given me I am but recently

"The Holy Therns eat human flesh," she answered me; "but only that which has died beneath the sucking lips

of a plant manflesh from which the defiling blood of life has been drawn. And to this cruel end I have been

condemned. It was to be within a few hours, had your advent not caused an interruption of their plans."

"Oh, no; those whom you laid low are lesser therns; but of the same cruel and hateful race. The Holy Therns

abide upon the outer slopes of these grim hills, facing the broad world from which they harvest their victims

"Labyrinthine passages connect these caves with the luxurious palaces of the Holy Therns, and through them

pass upon their many duties the lesser therns, and hordes of slaves, and prisoners, and fierce beasts; the grim

"There be within this vast network of winding passages and countless chambers men, women, and beasts

who, born within its dim and gruesome underworld, have never seen the light of daynor ever shall.

"They are kept to do the bidding of the race of therns; to furnish at once their sport and their sustenance.

"Now and again some hapless pilgrim, drifting out upon the silent sea from the cold Iss, escapes the plant

men and the great white apes that guard the Temple of Issus and falls into the remorseless clutches of the

therns; or, as was my misfortune, is coveted by the Holy Thern who chances to be upon watch in the balcony

above the river where it issues from the bowels of the mountains through the cliffs of gold to empty into the

"All who reach the Valley Dor are, by custom, the rightful prey of the plant men and the apes, while their

arms and ornaments become the portion of the therns; but if one escapes the terrible denizens of the valley for

even a few hours the therns may claim such a one as their own. And again the Holy Thern on watch, should

he see a victim he covets, often tramples upon the rights of the unreasoning brutes of the valley and takes his

"It is said that occasionally some deluded victim of Barsoomian superstition will so far escape the clutches of

the countless enemies that beset his path from the moment that he emerges from the subterranean passage

through which the Iss flows for a thousand miles before it enters the Valley Dor as to reach the very walls of

the Temple of Issus; but what fate awaits one there not even the Holy Therns may guess, for who has passed

within those gilded walls never has returned to unfold the mysteries they have held since the beginning of

"The Temple of Issus is to the therns what the Valley Dor is imagined by the peoples of the outer world to be

to them; it is the ultimate haven of peace, refuge, and happiness to which they pass after this life and wherein

an eternity of eternities is spent amidst the delights of the flesh which appeal most strongly to this race of

"The Temple of Issus is, I take it, a heaven within a heaven," I said. "Let us hope that there it will be meted to

"The therns, I judge from what you have said, are no less mortal than we; and yet have I always heard them

spoken of with the utmost awe and reverence by the people of Barsoom, as one might speak of the gods

"The therns are mortal," she replied. "They die from the same causes as you or I might: those who do not live

their allotted span of life, one thousand years, when by the authority of custom they may take their way in

"Those who die before are supposed to spend the balance of their allotted time in the image of a plant man,

and it is for this reason that the plant men are held sacred by the therns, since they believe that each of these

"Should he die before the expiration of the thousand years from the birth of the thern whose immortality

abides within him then the soul passes into a great white ape, but should the ape die short of the exact hour

that terminates the thousand years the soul is for ever lost and passes for all eternity into the carcass of the

slimy and fearsome silian whose wriggling thousands seethe the silent sea beneath the hurtling moons when

"We sent several Holy Therns to the silians today, then," said Tars Tarkas, laughing.

"And so will your death be the more terrible when it comes," said the maiden. "And come it willyou

"One has escaped, centuries ago," I reminded her, "and what has been done may be done again."

"To be put to death by mine own people, and render my memory a disgrace to my family and my nation? A

Prince of the House of Tardos Mors should know better than to suggest such a thing."

Tars Tarkas listened in silence, but I could feel his eyes riveted upon me and I knew that he awaited my

answer as one might listen to the reading of his sentence by the foreman of a jury.

What I advised the girl to do would seal our fate as well, since if I bowed to the inevitable decree of ageold

superstition we must all remain and meet our fate in some horrible form within this awful abode of horror and

"We have the right to escape if we can," I answered. "Our own moral senses will not be offended if we

succeed, for we know that the fabled life of love and peace in the blessed Valley of Dor is a rank and wicked

deception. We know that the valley is not sacred; we know that the Holy Therns are not holy; that they are a

race of cruel and heartless mortals, knowing no more of the real life to come than we do.

"Not only is it our right to bend every effort to escape it is a solemn duty from which we should not shrink

even though we know that we should be reviled and tortured by our own peoples when we returned to them.

"Only thus may we carry the truth to those without, and though the likelihood of our narrative being given

credence is, I grant you, remote, so wedded are mortals to their stupid infatuation for impossible

superstitions, we should be craven cowards indeed were we to shirk the plain duty which confronts us.

"Again there is a chance that with the weight of the testimony of several of us the truth of our statements may

be accepted, and at least a compromise effected which will result in the dispatching of an expedition of

Both the girl and the green warrior stood silent in thought for some moments. The former it was who

"Never had I considered the matter in that light before," she said. "Indeed would I give my life a thousand

times if I could but save a single soul from the awful life that I have led in this cruel place. Yes, you are right,

and I will go with you as far as we can go; but I doubt that we ever shall escape."

"To the gates of Issus, or to the bottom of Korus," spoke the green warrior; "to the snows to the north or to

the snows to the south, Tars Tarkas follows where John Carter leads. I have spoken."

"Come, then," I cried, "we must make the start, for we could not be further from escape than we now are in

"Come, then," said the girl, "but do not flatter yourself that you can find no worse place than this within the

So saying she swung the secret panel that separated us from the apartment in which I had found her, and we

There were in all ten red Martians, men and women, and when we had briefly explained our plan they

decided to join forces with us, though it was evident that it was with some considerable misgivings that they

thus tempted fate by opposing an ancient superstition, even though each knew through cruel experience the

Thuvia, the girl whom I had first freed, soon had the others at liberty. Tars Tarkas and I stripped the bodies of

the two therns of their weapons, which included swords, daggers, and two revolvers of the curious and deadly

We distributed the weapons as far as they would go among our followers, giving the firearms to two of the

With the latter as our guide we set off rapidly but cautiously through a maze of passages, crossing great

chambers hewn from the solid metal of the cliff, following winding corridors, ascending steep inclines, and

now and again concealing ourselves in dark recesses at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Our destination, Thuvia said, was a distant storeroom where arms and ammunition in plenty might be found.

From there she was to lead us to the summit of the cliffs, from where it would require both wondrous wit and

mighty fighting to win our way through the very heart of the stronghold of the Holy Therns to the world

"And even then, O Prince," she cried, "the arm of the Holy Thern is long. It reaches to every nation of

Barsoom. His secret temples are hidden in the heart of every community. Wherever we go should we escape

we shall find that word of our coming has preceded us, and death awaits us before we may pollute the air

We had proceeded for possibly an hour without serious interruption, and Thuvia had just whispered to me

that we were approaching our first destination, when on entering a great chamber we came upon a man,

He wore in addition to his leathern trappings and jewelled ornaments a great circlet of gold about his brow in

the exact centre of which was set an immense stone, the exact counterpart of that which I had seen upon the

breast of the little old man at the atmosphere plant nearly twenty years before.

It is the one priceless jewel of Barsoom. Only two are known to exist, and these were worn as the insignia of

their rank and position by the two old men in whose charge was placed the operation of the great engines

which pump the artificial atmosphere to all parts of Mars from the huge atmosphere plant, the secret to whose

mighty portals placed in my possession the ability to save from immediate extinction the life of a whole

The stone worn by the thern who confronted us was of about the same size as that which I had seen before; an

inch in diameter I should say. It scintillated nine different and distinct rays; the seven primary colours of our

earthly prism and the two rays which are unknown upon Earth, but whose wondrous beauty is indescribable.

For answer the girl raised her revolver and fired point blank at him. Without a sound he sank to the earth,

Then as she turned toward me, evidently with a word of explanation on her lips, her eyes suddenly widened

"O Prince," she cried, "Fate is indeed kind to us. The way is still difficult, but through this vile thing upon the

floor we may yet win to the outer world. Notest thou not the remarkable resemblance between this Holy

The man was indeed of my precise stature, nor were his eyes and features unlike mine; but his hair was a

mass of flowing yellow locks, like those of the two I had killed, while mine is black and close cropped.

"What of the resemblance?" I asked the girl Thuvia. "Do you wish me with my black, short hair to pose as a

She smiled, and for answer approached the body of the man she had slain, and kneeling beside it removed the

circlet of gold from the forehead, and then to my utter amazement lifted the entire scalp bodily from the

Rising, she advanced to my side and placing the yellow wig over my black hair, crowned me with the golden

"Now don his harness, Prince," she said, "and you may pass where you will in the realms of the therns, for

As I stooped to the dead man to do her bidding I noted that not a hair grew upon his head, which was quite as

"They are all thus from birth," explained Thuvia noting my surprise. "The race from which they sprang were

crowned with a luxuriant growth of golden hair, but for many ages the present race has been entirely bald.

The wig, however, has come to be a part of their apparel, and so important a part do they consider it that it is

At Thuvia's suggestion two of the released prisoners bore the body of the dead thern upon their shoulders

with us as we continued our journey toward the storeroom, which we reached without further mishap.

Here the keys which Thuvia bore from the dead thern of the prison vault were the means of giving us

immediate entrance to the chamber, and very quickly we were thoroughly outfitted with arms and

By this time I was so thoroughly fagged out that I could go no further, so I threw myself upon the floor,

bidding Tars Tarkas to do likewise, and cautioning two of the released prisoners to keep careful watch.

How long I slept upon the floor of the storeroom I do not know, but it must have been many hours.

I was awakened with a start by cries of alarm, and scarce were my eyes opened, nor had I yet sufficiently

collected my wits to quite realize where I was, when a fusillade of shots rang out, reverberating through the

In an instant I was upon my feet. A dozen lesser therns confronted us from a large doorway at the opposite

end of the storeroom from which we had entered. About me lay the bodies of my companions, with the

exception of Thuvia and Tars Tarkas, who, like myself, had been asleep upon the floor and thus escaped the

As I gained my feet the therns lowered their wicked rifles, their faces distorted in mingled chagrin,

"What means this?" I cried in tones of fierce anger. "Is Sator Throg to be murdered by his own vassals?"

"Have mercy, O Master of the Tenth Cycle!" cried one of the fellows, while the others edged toward the

doorway as though to attempt a surreptitious escape from the presence of the mighty one.

"Two from the outer world are at large within the dominions of the therns. We sought them at the command

of the Father of Therns. One was white with black hair, the other a huge green warrior," and here the fellow

"Here, then, is one of them," spoke Thuvia, indicating the Thark, "and if you will look upon this dead man by

the door perhaps you will recognize the other. It was left for Sator Throg and his poor slaves to accomplish

what the lesser therns of the guard were unable to dowe have killed one and captured the other; for this had

Sator Throg given us our liberty. And now in your stupidity have you come and killed all but myself, and like

"Had they not better throw these bodies to the plant men and then return to their quarters, O Mighty One?"

As the men picked up the bodies I noticed that the one who stooped to gather up the late Sator Throg started

as his closer scrutiny fell upon the upturned face, and then the fellow stole a furtive, sneaking glance in my

That he suspicioned something of the truth I could have sworn; but that it was only a suspicion which he did

Again, as he bore the body from the room, he shot a quick but searching glance toward me, and then his eyes

fell once more upon the bald and shiny dome of the dead man in his arms. The last fleeting glimpse that I

obtained of his profile as he passed from my sight without the chamber revealed a cunning smile of triumph

Only Tars Tarkas, Thuvia, and I were left. The fatal marksmanship of the therns had snatched from our

companions whatever slender chance they had of gaining the perilous freedom of the world without.

So soon as the last of the gruesome procession had disappeared the girl urged us to take up our flight once

She, too, had noted the questioning attitude of the thern who had borne Sator Throg away.

"It bodes no good for us, O Prince," she said. "For even though this fellow dared not chance accusing you in

error, there be those above with power sufficient to demand a closer scrutiny, and that, Prince would indeed

I shrugged my shoulders. It seemed that in any event the outcome of our plight must end in death. I was

refreshed from my sleep, but still weak from loss of blood. My wounds were painful. No medicinal aid

seemed possible. How I longed for the almost miraculous healing power of the strange salves and lotions of

I was discouraged. Never had a feeling of such utter hopelessness come over me in the face of danger. Then

the long flowing, yellow locks of the Holy Thern, caught by some vagrant draught, blew about my face.

Might they not still open the way of freedom? If we acted in time, might we not even yet escape before the

"What will the fellow do first, Thuvia?" I asked. "How long will it be before they may return for us?"

"He will go directly to the Father of Therns, old Matai Shang. He may have to wait for an audience, but since

he is very high among the lesser therns, in fact as a thorian among them, it will not be long that Matai Shang

"Then if the Father of Therns puts credence in his story, another hour will see the galleries and chambers, the

"What we do then must be done within an hour. What is the best way, Thuvia, the shortest way out of this

"Straight to the top of the cliffs, Prince," she replied, "and then through the gardens to the inner courts. From

there our way will lie within the temples of the therns and across them to the outer court. Then the

rampartsO Prince, it is hopeless. Ten thousand warriors could not hew a way to liberty from out this awful

"Since the beginning of time, little by little, stone by stone, have the therns been ever adding to the defences

of their stronghold. A continuous line of impregnable fortifications circles the outer slopes of the Mountains

"Within the temples that lie behind the ramparts a million fightingmen are ever ready. The courts and

"If there is no other way, Thuvia, why dwell upon the difficulties of this. We must face them."

"Can we not better make the attempt after dark?" asked Tars Tarkas. "There would seem to be no chance by

"There would be a little better chance by night, but even then the ramparts are well guarded; possibly better

than by day. There are fewer abroad in the courts and gardens, though," said Thuvia.

"It was midnight when you released me from my chains," said Thuvia. "Two hours later we reached the

storeroom. There you slept for fourteen hours. It must now be nearly sundown again. Come, we will go to

So saying, she led the way through winding corridors until at a sudden turn we came upon an opening which

At our right the sun was setting, a huge red orb, below the western range of Otz. A little below us stood the

Holy Thern on watch upon his balcony. His scarlet robe of office was pulled tightly about him in anticipation

of the cold that comes so suddenly with darkness as the sun sets. So rare is the atmosphere of Mars that it

absorbs very little heat from the sun. During the daylight hours it is always extremely hot; at night it is

intensely cold. Nor does the thin atmosphere refract the sun's rays or diffuse its light as upon Earth. There is

no twilight on Mars. When the great orb of day disappears beneath the horizon the effect is precisely as that

of the extinguishing of a single lamp within a chamber. From brilliant light you are plunged without warning

into utter darkness. Then the moons come; the mysterious, magic moons of Mars, hurtling like monster

The declining sun lighted brilliantly the eastern banks of Korus, the crimson sward, the gorgeous forest.

Beneath the trees we saw feeding many herds of plant men. The adults stood aloft upon their toes and their

mighty tails, their talons pruning every available leaf and twig. It was then that I understood the careful

trimming of the trees which had led me to form the mistaken idea when first I opened my eyes upon the grove

As we watched, our eyes wandered to the rolling Iss, which issued from the base of the cliffs beneath us.

Presently there emerged from the mountain a canoe laden with lost souls from the outer world. There were a

dozen of them. All were of the highly civilized and cultured race of red men who are dominant on Mars.

The eyes of the herald upon the balcony beneath us fell upon the doomed party as soon as did ours. He raised

his head and leaning far out over the low rail that rimmed his dizzy perch, voiced the shrill, weird wail that

For an instant the brutes stood with stiffly erected ears, then they poured from the grove toward the river's

The party had landed and was standing on the sward as the awful horde came in sight. There was a brief and

futile effort of defence. Then silence as the huge, repulsive shapes covered the bodies of their victims and

"Their part is soon over," said Thuvia. "The great white apes get the flesh when the plant men have drained

As I turned my eyes in the direction the girl indicated, I saw a dozen of the great white monsters running

across the valley toward the river bank. Then the sun went down and darkness that could almost be felt

Thuvia lost no time in leading us toward the corridor which winds back and forth up through the cliffs toward

Twice great banths, wandering loose through the galleries, blocked our progress, but in each instance Thuvia

"If you can dissolve all our obstacles as easily as you master these fierce brutes I can see no difficulties in our

"I do not quite know," she said. "When first I came here I angered Sator Throg, because I repulsed him. He

ordered me to be thrown into one of the great pits in the inner gardens. It was filled with banths. In my own

country I had been accustomed to command. Something in my voice, I do not know what, cowed the beasts

"Instead of tearing me to pieces, as Sator Throg had desired, they fawned at my feet. So greatly were Sator

Throg and his friends amused by the sight that they kept me to train and handle the terrible creatures. I know

them all by name. There are many of them wandering through these lower regions. They are the scavengers.

Many prisoners die here in their chains. The banths solve the problem of sanitation, at least in this respect.

"In the gardens and temples above they are kept in pits. The therns fear them. It is because of the banths that

"Why not take a number of banths and set them loose before us above ground?" I asked.

She commenced calling in a low singsong voice that was half purr. She continued this as we wound our

Presently soft, padded feet sounded close behind us, and as I turned I saw a pair of great, green eyes shining

in the dark shadows at our rear. From a diverging tunnel a sinuous, tawny form crept stealthily toward us.

Low growls and angry snarls assailed our ears on every side as we hastened on and one by one the ferocious

She spoke a word to each as it joined us. Like well schooled terriers, they paced the corridors with us, but I

could not help but note the lathering jowls, nor the hungry expressions with which they eyed Tars Tarkas and

Soon we were entirely surrounded by some fifty of the brutes. Two walked close on either side of Thuvia, as

guards might walk. The sleek sides of others now and then touched my own naked limbs. It was a strange

experience; the almost noiseless passage of naked human feet and padded paws; the golden walls splashed

with precious stones; the dim light cast by the tiny radium bulbs set at considerable distances along the roof;

the huge, maned beasts of prey crowding with low growls about us; the mighty green warrior towering high

above us all; myself crowned with the priceless diadem of a Holy Thern; and leading the procession the

Presently we approached a great chamber more brightly lighted than the corridors. Thuvia halted us. Quietly

she stole toward the entrance and glanced within. Then she motioned us to follow her.

The room was filled with specimens of the strange beings that inhabit this underworld; a heterogeneous

collection of hybridsthe offspring of the prisoners from the outside world; red and green Martians and the

Constant confinement below ground had wrought odd freaks upon their skins. They more resemble corpses

than living beings. Many are deformed, others maimed, while the majority, Thuvia explained, are sightless.

As they lay sprawled about the floor, sometimes overlapping one another, again in heaps of several bodies,

they suggested instantly to me the grotesque illustrations that I had seen in copies of Dante's INFERNO, and

what more fitting comparison? Was this not indeed a veritable hell, peopled by lost souls, dead and damned

Picking our way carefully we threaded a winding path across the chamber, the great banths sniffing hungrily

at the tempting prey spread before them in such tantalizing and defenceless profusion.

Several times we passed the entrances to other chambers similarly peopled, and twice again we were

compelled to cross directly through them. In others were chained prisoners and beasts.

"They seldom traverse the underworld at night, for then it is that the great banths prowl the dim corridors

seeking their prey. The therns fear the awful denizens of this cruel and hopeless world that they have fostered

and allowed to grow beneath their feet. The prisoners even sometimes turn upon them and rend them. The

thern can never tell from what dark shadow an assassin may spring upon his back.

"By day it is different. Then the corridors and chambers are filled with guards passing to and fro; slaves from

the temples above come by hundreds to the granaries and storerooms. All is life then. You did not see it

because I led you not in the beaten tracks, but through roundabout passages seldom used. Yet it is possible

that we may meet a thern even yet. They do occasionally find it necessary to come here after the sun has set.

But we reached the upper galleries without detection and presently Thuvia halted us at the foot of a short,

"Above us," she said, "is a doorway which opens on to the inner gardens. I have brought you thus far. From

here on for four miles to the outer ramparts our way will be beset by countless dangers. Guards patrol the

courts, the temples, the gardens. Every inch of the ramparts themselves is beneath the eye of a sentry."

I could not understand the necessity for such an enormous force of armed men about a spot so surrounded by

mystery and superstition that not a soul upon Barsoom would have dared to approach it even had they known

its exact location. I questioned Thuvia, asking her what enemies the therns could fear in their impregnable

"They fear the black pirates of Barsoom, O Prince," she said, "from whom may our first ancestors preserve

The door swung open; the smell of growing things greeted my nostrils; the cool night air blew against my

cheek. The great banths sniffed the unfamiliar odours, and then with a rush they broke past us with low

Suddenly a great cry arose from the roofs of the temples; a cry of alarm and warning that, taken up from point

to point, ran off to the east and to the west, from temple, court, and rampart, until it sounded as a dim echo in

The great Thark's longsword leaped from its scabbard; Thuvia shrank shuddering to my side.

I looked, and there, above us, I saw shadowy bodies flitting hither and thither high over temple, court, and

Almost immediately flashes of light broke from these strange objects. There was a roar of musketry, and then

In great circles the air craft of the marauders swept lower and lower toward the defending forces of the

Volley after volley they vomited upon the temple guards; volley on volley crashed through the thin air toward

As the pirates swooped closer toward the ground, thern soldiery poured from the temples into the gardens and

courts. The sight of them in the open brought a score of fliers darting toward us from all directions.

The therns fired upon them through shields affixed to their rifles, but on, steadily on, came the grim, black

craft. They were small fliers for the most part, built for two to three men. A few larger ones there were, but

these kept high aloft dropping bombs upon the temples from their keel batteries.

At length, with a concerted rush, evidently in response to a signal of command, the pirates in our immediate

vicinity dashed recklessly to the ground in the very midst of the thern soldiery.

Scarcely waiting for their craft to touch, the creatures manning them leaped among the therns with the fury of

demons. Such fighting! Never had I witnessed its like before. I had thought the green Martians the most

ferocious warriors in the universe, but the awful abandon with which the black pirates threw themselves upon

Beneath the brilliant light of Mars' two glorious moons the whole scene presented itself in vivid distinctness.

The golden haired, whiteskinned therns battling with desperate courage in handtohand conflict with

Here a little knot of struggling warriors trampled a bed of gorgeous pimalia; there the curved sword of a black

man found the heart of a thern and left its dead foeman at the foot of a wondrous statue carved from a living

ruby; yonder a dozen therns pressed a single pirate back upon a bench of emerald, upon whose iridescent

surface a strangely beautiful Barsoomian design was traced out in inlaid diamonds.

A little to one side stood Thuvia, the Thark, and I. The tide of battle had not reached us, but the fighters from

The black pirates interested me immensely. I had heard vague rumours, little more than legends they were,

during my former life on Mars; but never had I seen them, nor talked with one who had.

They were popularly supposed to inhabit the lesser moon, from which they descended upon Barsoom at long

intervals. Where they visited they wrought the most horrible atrocities, and when they left carried away with

them firearms and ammunition, and young girls as prisoners. These latter, the rumour had it, they sacrificed

I had an excellent opportunity to examine them, as the strife occasionally brought now one and now another

close to where I stood. They were large men, possibly six feet and over in height. Their features were clear

cut and handsome in the extreme; their eyes were well set and large, though a slight narrowness lent them a

crafty appearance; the iris, as well as I could determine by moonlight, was of extreme blackness, while the

eyeball itself was quite white and clear. The physical structure of their bodies seemed identical with those of

the therns, the red men, and my own. Only in the colour of their skin did they differ materially from us; that

is of the appearance of polished ebony, and odd as it may seem for a Southerner to say it, adds to rather than

But if their bodies are divine, their hearts, apparently, are quite the reverse. Never did I witness such a malign

lust for blood as these demons of the outer air evinced in their mad battle with the therns.

All about us in the garden lay their sinister craft, which the therns for some reason, then unaccountable to me,

made no effort to injure. Now and again a black warrior would rush from a near by temple bearing a young

woman in his arms. Straight for his flier he would leap while those of his comrades who fought near by

The therns on their side would hasten to rescue the girl, and in an instant the two would be swallowed in the

vortex of a maelstrom of yelling devils, hacking and hewing at one another, like fiends incarnate.

But always, it seemed, were the black pirates of Barsoom victorious, and the girl, brought miraculously

unharmed through the conflict, borne away into the outer darkness upon the deck of a swift flier.

Fighting similar to that which surrounded us could be heard in both directions as far as sound carried, and

Thuvia told me that the attacks of the black pirates were usually made simultaneously along the entire

ribbonlike domain of the therns, which circles the Valley Dor on the outer slopes of the Mountains of Otz.

As the fighting receded from our position for a moment, Thuvia turned toward me with a question.

"Do you understand now, O Prince," she said, "why a million warriors guard the domains of the Holy Therns

"The scene you are witnessing now is but a repetition of what I have seen enacted a score of times during the

fifteen years I have been a prisoner here. From time immemorial the black pirates of Barsoom have preyed

"Yet they never carry their expeditions to a point, as one might readily believe it was in their power to do,

where the extermination of the race of therns is threatened. It is as though they but utilized the race as

playthings, with which they satisfy their ferocious lust for fighting; and from whom they collect toll in arms

"Why don't they jump in and destroy these fliers?" I asked. "That would soon put a stop to the attacks, or at

least the blacks would scarce be so bold. Why, see how perfectly unguarded they leave their craft, as though

"The therns do not dare. They tried it once, ages ago, but the next night and for a whole moon thereafter a

thousand great black battleships circled the Mountains of Otz, pouring tons of projectiles upon the temples,

the gardens, and the courts, until every thern who was not killed was driven for safety into the subterranean

"The therns know that they live at all only by the sufferance of the black men. They were near to

As she ceased talking a new element was instilled into the conflict. It came from a source equally unlooked

for by either thern or pirate. The great banths which we had liberated in the garden had evidently been awed

at first by the sound of the battle, the yelling of the warriors and the loud report of rifle and bomb.

But now they must have become angered by the continuous noise and excited by the smell of new blood, for

all of a sudden a great form shot from a clump of low shrubbery into the midst of a struggling mass of

humanity. A horrid scream of bestial rage broke from the banth as he felt warm flesh beneath his powerful

As though his cry was but a signal to the others, the entire great pack hurled themselves among the fighters.

Panic reigned in an instant. Thern and black man turned alike against the common enemy, for the banths

The awful beasts bore down a hundred men by the mere weight of their great bodies as they hurled

themselves into the thick of the fight. Leaping and clawing, they mowed down the warriors with their

powerful paws, turning for an instant to rend their victims with frightful fangs.

The scene was fascinating in its terribleness, but suddenly it came to me that we were wasting valuable time

The therns were so engaged with their terrible assailants that now, if ever, escape should be comparatively

easy. I turned to search for an opening through the contending hordes. If we could but reach the ramparts we

might find that the pirates somewhere had thinned the guarding forces and left a way open to us to the world

As my eyes wandered about the garden, the sight of the hundreds of air craft lying unguarded around us

suggested the simplest avenue to freedom. Why it had not occurred to me before! I was thoroughly familiar

with the mechanism of every known make of flier on Barsoom. For nine years I had sailed and fought with

the navy of Helium. I had raced through space on the tiny oneman air scout and I had commanded the

To think, with me, is to act. Grasping Thuvia by the arm, I whispered to Tars Tarkas to follow me. Quickly

we glided toward a small flier which lay furthest from the battling warriors. Another instant found us huddled

on the tiny deck. My hand was on the starting lever. I pressed my thumb upon the button which controls the

ray of repulsion, that splendid discovery of the Martians which permits them to navigate the thin atmosphere

of their planet in huge ships that dwarf the dreadnoughts of our earthly navies into pitiful significance.

The craft swayed slightly but she did not move. Then a new cry of warning broke upon our ears. Turning, I

saw a dozen black pirates dashing toward us from the melee. We had been discovered. With shrieks of rage

the demons sprang for us. With frenzied insistence I continued to press the little button which should have

sent us racing out into space, but still the vessel refused to budge. Then it came to methe reason that she

We had stumbled upon a twoman flier. Its ray tanks were charged only with sufficient repulsive energy to

The blacks were nearly upon us. There was not an instant to be lost in hesitation or doubt.

I pressed the button far in and locked it. Then I set the lever at high speed and as the blacks came yelling

upon us I slipped from the craft's deck and with drawn longsword met the attack.

At the same moment a girl's shriek rang out behind me and an instant later, as the blacks fell upon me. I heard

far above my head, and faintly, in Thuvia's voice: "My Prince, O my Prince; I would rather remain and die

I knew though that my ruse had worked and that temporarily at least Thuvia and Tars Tarkas were safe, and

For a moment it seemed that I could not withstand the weight of numbers that confronted me, but again, as on

so many other occasions when I had been called upon to face fearful odds upon this planet of warriors and

fierce beasts, I found that my earthly strength so far transcended that of my opponents that the odds were not

My seething blade wove a net of death about me. For an instant the blacks pressed close to reach me with

their shorter swords, but presently they gave back, and the esteem in which they suddenly had learned to hold

I knew though that it was but a question of minutes before their greater numbers would wear me down, or get

around my guard. I must go down eventually to certain death before them. I shuddered at the thought of it,

dying thus in this terrible place where no word of my end ever could reach my Dejah Thoris. Dying at the

Then my oldtime spirit reasserted itself. The fighting blood of my Virginian sires coursed hot through my

veins. The fierce blood lust and the joy of battle surged over me. The fighting smile that has brought

consternation to a thousand foemen touched my lips. I put the thought of death out of my mind, and fell upon

my antagonists with fury that those who escaped will remember to their dying day.

That others would press to the support of those who faced me I knew, so even as I fought I kept my wits at

It came from an unexpected quarter out of the black night behind me. I had just disarmed a huge fellow who

had given me a desperate struggle, and for a moment the blacks stood back for a breathing spell.

They eyed me with malignant fury, yet withal there was a touch of respect in their demeanour.

"Thern," said one, "you fight like a Dator. But for your detestable yellow hair and your white skin you would

"I am no thern," I said, and was about to explain that I was from another world, thinking that by patching a

truce with these fellows and fighting with them against the therns I might enlist their aid in regaining my

liberty. But just at that moment a heavy object smote me a resounding whack between my shoulders that

As I turned to meet this new enemy an object passed over my shoulder, striking one of my assailants squarely

in the face and knocking him senseless to the sward. At the same instant I saw that the thing that had struck

us was the trailing anchor of a rather fairsized air vessel; possibly a ten man cruiser.

The ship was floating slowly above us, not more than fifty feet over our heads. Instantly the one chance for

escape that it offered presented itself to me. The vessel was slowly rising and now the anchor was beyond the

With a bound that left them gaping in wideeyed astonishment I sprang completely over them. A second leap

But I was successful, and there I hung by one hand, dragging through the branches of the higher vegetation of

Presently the vessel veered toward the west and then swung gracefully to the south. In another instant I was

carried beyond the crest of the Golden Cliffs, out over the Valley Dor, where, six thousand feet below me, the

Carefully I climbed to a sitting posture across the anchor's arms. I wondered if by chance the vessel might be

deserted. I hoped so. Or possibly it might belong to a friendly people, and have wandered by accident almost

within the clutches of the pirates and the therns. The fact that it was retreating from the scene of battle lent

But I decided to know positively, and at once, so, with the greatest caution, I commenced to climb slowly up

One hand had just reached for the vessel's rail and found it when a fierce black face was thrust over the side

For an instant the black pirate and I remained motionless, glaring into each other's eyes. Then a grim smile

curled the handsome lips above me, as an ebony hand came slowly in sight from above the edge of the deck

Simultaneously my free hand shot out for the black throat, just within reach, and the ebony finger tightened

on the trigger. The pirate's hissing, "Die, cursed thern," was half choked in his windpipe by my clutching

Before he could fire again I had pulled him so far over the edge of the deck that he was forced to drop his

My grasp upon his throat effectually prevented any outcry, and so we struggled in grim silence; he to tear

His face was taking on a livid hue, his eyes were bulging from their sockets. It was evident to him that he

soon must die unless he tore loose from the steel fingers that were choking the life from him. With a final

effort he threw himself further back upon the deck, at the same instant releasing his hold upon the rail to tear

frantically with both hands at my fingers in an effort to drag them from his throat.

That little second was all that I awaited. With one mighty downward surge I swept him clear of the deck. His

falling body came near to tearing me from the frail hold that my single free hand had upon the anchor chain

I did not relinquish my grasp upon him, however, for I knew that a single shriek from those lips as he hurtled

to his death in the silent waters of the sea would bring his comrades from above to avenge him.

Instead I held grimly to him, choking, ever choking, while his frantic struggles dragged me lower and lower

Gradually his contortions became spasmodic, lessening by degrees until they ceased entirely. Then I released

my hold upon him and in an instant he was swallowed by the black shadows far below.

Again I climbed to the ship's rail. This time I succeeded in raising my eyes to the level of the deck, where I

The nearer moon had passed below the horizon, but the clear effulgence of the further satellite bathed the

deck of the cruiser, bringing into sharp relief the bodies of six or eight black men sprawled about in sleep.

Huddled close to the base of a rapid fire gun was a young white girl, securely bound. Her eyes were

widespread in an expression of horrified anticipation and fixed directly upon me as I came in sight above the

Unutterable relief instantly filled them as they fell upon the mystic jewel which sparkled in the centre of my

stolen headpiece. She did not speak. Instead her eyes warned me to beware the sleeping figures that

Noiselessly I gained the deck. The girl nodded to me to approach her. As I bent low she whispered to me to

"I can aid you," she said, "and you will need all the aid available when they awaken."

She caught the meaning of my words, and the cruelty of her answering smile horrified me. One is not

astonished by cruelty in a hideous face, but when it touches the features of a goddess whose finechiselled

lineaments might more fittingly portray love and beauty, the contrast is appalling.

"Give me a revolver," she whispered. "I can use that upon those your sword does not silence in time."

I did as she bid. Then I turned toward the distasteful work that lay before me. This was no time for fine

compunctions, nor for a chivalry that these cruel demons would neither appreciate nor reciprocate.

Stealthily I approached the nearest sleeper. When he awoke he was well on his journey to the bosom of

Korus. His piercing shriek as consciousness returned to him came faintly up to us from the black depths

The second awoke as I touched him, and, though I succeeded in hurling him from the cruiser's deck, his wild

cry of alarm brought the remaining pirates to their feet. There were five of them.

As they arose the girl's revolver spoke in sharp staccato and one sank back to the deck again to rise no more.

The others rushed madly upon me with drawn swords. The girl evidently dared not fire for fear of wounding

me, but I saw her sneak stealthily and catlike toward the flank of the attackers. Then they were on me.

For a few minutes I experienced some of the hottest fighting I had ever passed through. The quarters were too

small for foot work. It was stand your ground and give and take. At first I took considerably more than I

gave, but presently I got beneath one fellow's guard and had the satisfaction of seeing him collapse upon the

The others redoubled their efforts. The crashing of their blades upon mine raised a terrific din that might have

been heard for miles through the silent night. Sparks flew as steel smote steel, and then there was the dull and

sickening sound of a shoulder bone parting beneath the keen edge of my Martian sword.

Three now faced me, but the girl was working her way to a point that would soon permit her to reduce the

number by one at least. Then things happened with such amazing rapidity that I can scarce comprehend even

The three rushed me with the evident purpose of forcing me back the few steps that would carry my body

over the rail into the void below. At the same instant the girl fired and my sword arm made two moves. One

man dropped with a bullet in his brain; a sword flew clattering across the deck and dropped over the edge

beyond as I disarmed one of my opponents and the third went down with my blade buried to the hilt in his

breast and three feet of it protruding from his back, and falling wrenched the sword from my grasp.

Disarmed myself, I now faced my remaining foeman, whose own sword lay somewhere thousands of feet

The new conditions seemed to please my adversary, for a smile of satisfaction bared his gleaming teeth as he

rushed at me barehanded. The great muscles which rolled beneath his glossy black hide evidently assured

him that here was easy prey, not worth the trouble of drawing the dagger from his harness.

I let him come almost upon me. Then I ducked beneath his outstretched arms, at the same time sidestepping

to the right. Pivoting on my left toe, I swung a terrific right to his jaw, and, like a felled ox, he dropped in his

"You are no thern," said the sweet voice of my companion, "for all your golden locks or the harness of Sator

Throg. Never lived there upon all Barsoom before one who could fight as you have fought this night. Who

"I am John Carter, Prince of the House of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium," I replied. "And whom," I added,

"I have been in the territory of the therns for a day and a half. During that entire time my life has been in

constant danger. I have been harassed and persecuted. Armed men and fierce beasts have been set upon me. I

had no quarrel with the therns before, but can you wonder that I feel no great love for them now? I have

She looked at me intently for several minutes before she replied. It was as though she were attempting to read

my inmost soul, to judge my character and my standards of chivalry in that longdrawn, searching gaze.

"I am Phaidor, daughter of Matai Shang, Holy Hekkador of the Holy Therns, Father of Therns, Master of Life

At that moment I noticed that the black I had dropped with my fist was commencing to show signs of

returning consciousness. I sprang to his side. Stripping his harness from him I securely bound his hands

behind his back, and after similarly fastening his feet tied him to a heavy gun carriage.

With a slight shrug of her lovely shoulders she made a gesture with her hands personating the casting of

She looked at me narrowly. Then she puckered those divine brows of hers, and shook her head. She could not

Well, neither had my own Dejah Thoris been able to understand what to her had seemed a foolish and

dangerous policy toward enemies. Upon Barsoom, quarter is neither asked nor given, and each dead man

means so much more of the waning resources of this dying planet to be divided amongst those who survive.

But there seemed a subtle difference here between the manner in which this girl contemplated the dispatching

of an enemy and the tenderhearted regret of my own princess for the stern necessity which demanded it.

I think that Phaidor regretted the thrill that the spectacle would have afforded her rather than the fact that my

The man had now regained full possession of his faculties, and was regarding us intently from where he lay

bound upon the deck. He was a handsome fellow, clean limbed and powerful, with an intelligent face and

features of such exquisite chiselling that Adonis himself might have envied him.

The vessel, unguided, had been moving slowly across the valley; but now I thought it time to take the helm

and direct her course. Only in a very general way could I guess the location of the Valley Dor. That it was far

south of the equator was evident from the constellations, but I was not sufficiently a Martian astronomer to

come much closer than a rough guess without the splendid charts and delicate instruments with which, as an

officer in the Heliumite Navy, I had formerly reckoned the positions of the vessels on which I sailed.

That a northerly course would quickest lead me toward the more settled portions of the planet immediately

decided the direction that I should steer. Beneath my hand the cruiser swung gracefully about. Then the

button which controlled the repulsive rays sent us soaring far out into space. With speed lever pulled to the

last notch, we raced toward the north as we rose ever farther and farther above that terrible valley of death.

As we passed at a dizzy height over the narrow domains of the therns the flash of powder far below bore

mute witness to the ferocity of the battle that still raged along that cruel frontier. No sound of conflict reached

our ears, for in the rarefied atmosphere of our great altitude no sound wave could penetrate; they were

It became intensely cold. Breathing was difficult. The girl, Phaidor, and the black pirate kept their eyes glued

"Unconsciousness comes quickly at this altitude," she said quietly. "Unless you are inviting death for us all

There was no fear in her voice. It was as one might say: "You had better carry an umbrella. It is going to

I dropped the vessel quickly to a lower level. Nor was I a moment too soon. The girl had swooned.

The black, too, was unconscious, while I, myself, retained my senses, I think, only by sheer will. The one on

We were swinging along low above the foothills of the Otz. It was comparatively warm and there was plenty

of air for our starved lungs, so I was not surprised to see the black open his eyes, and a moment later the girl

"That even Phaidor, daughter of the Master of Life and Death, is mortal," I said smiling.

"There is immortality only in Issus," she replied. "And Issus is for the race of therns alone. Thus am I

I caught a fleeting grin passing across the features of the black as he heard her words. I did not then

understand why he smiled. Later I was to learn, and she, too, in a most horrible manner.

"If the other thing you have just learned," she continued, "has led to as erroneous deductions as the first you

"The other," I replied, "is that our dusky friend here does not hail from the nearer moonhe was like to have

died at a few thousand feet above Barsoom. Had we continued the five thousand miles that lie between

"The daughter of Matai Shang is not accustomed to having her queries remain unanswered," she said. "One of

the lesser breed should feel honoured that a member of the holy race that was born to inherit life eternal

"Xodar, Dator of the First Born of Barsoom, is accustomed to give commands, not to receive them," replied

the black pirate. Then, turning to me, "What are your intentions concerning me?"

"I intend taking you both back to Helium," I said. "No harm will come to you. You will find the red men of

Helium a kindly and magnanimous race, but if they listen to me there will be no more voluntary pilgrimages

down the river Iss, and the impossible belief that they have cherished for ages will be shattered into a

"I am a Prince of the House of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium," I replied, "but I am not of Barsoom. I am of

"I can well believe that you are not of Barsoom," he said at length. "None of this world could have bested

eight of the First Born singlehanded. But how is it that you wear the golden hair and the jewelled circlet of a

"I had forgotten them," I said. "They are the spoils of conquest," and with a sweep of my hand I removed the

When the black's eyes fell on my closecropped black hair they opened in astonishment. Evidently he had

"You are indeed of another world," he said, a touch of awe in his voice. "With the skin of a thern, the black

hair of a First Born and the muscles of a dozen Dators it was no disgrace even for Xodar to acknowledge your

"You are travelling several laps ahead of me, my friend," I interrupted. "I glean that your name is Xodar, but

whom, pray, are the First Born, and what a Dator, and why, if you were conquered by a Barsoomian, could

"The First Born of Barsoom," he explained, "are the race of black men of which I am a Dator, or, as the lesser

Barsoomians would say, Prince. My race is the oldest on the planet. We trace our lineage, unbroken, direct to

the Tree of Life which flourished in the centre of the Valley Dor twentythree million years ago.

"For countless ages the fruit of this tree underwent the gradual changes of evolution, passing by degrees from

true plant life to a combination of plant and animal. In the first stages the fruit of the tree possessed only the

power of independent muscular action, while the stem remained attached to the parent plant; later a brain

developed in the fruit, so that hanging there by their long stems they thought and moved as individuals.

"Then, with the development of perceptions came a comparison of them; judgments were reached and

"Ages passed. Many forms of life came and went upon the Tree of Life, but still all were attached to the

parent plant by stems of varying lengths. At length the fruit tree consisted in tiny plant men, such as we now

see reproduced in such huge dimensions in the Valley Dor, but still hanging to the limbs and branches of the

"The buds from which the plant men blossomed resembled large nuts about a foot in diameter, divided by

double partition walls into four sections. In one section grew the plant man, in another a sixteenlegged

worm, in the third the progenitor of the white ape and in the fourth the primaeval black man of Barsoom.

"When the bud burst the plant man remained dangling at the end of his stem, but the three other sections fell

to the ground, where the efforts of their imprisoned occupants to escape sent them hopping about in all

"Thus as time went on, all Barsoom was covered with these imprisoned creatures. For countless ages they

lived their long lives within their hard shells, hopping and skipping about the broad planet; falling into rivers,

"Countless billions died before the first black man broke through his prison walls into the light of day.

Prompted by curiosity, he broke open other shells and the peopling of Barsoom commenced.

"The pure strain of the blood of this first black man has remained untainted by admixture with other creatures

in the race of which I am a member; but from the sixteenlegged worm, the first ape and renegade black man

"The therns," and he smiled maliciously as he spoke, "are but the result of ages of evolution from the pure

white ape of antiquity. They are a lower order still. There is but one race of true and immortal humans on

"The Tree of Life is dead, but before it died the plant men learned to detach themselves from it and roam the

"Now their bisexuality permits them to reproduce themselves after the manner of true plants, but otherwise

they have progressed but little in all the ages of their existence. Their actions and movements are largely

matters of instinct and not guided to any great extent by reason, since the brain of a plant man is but a trifle

larger than the end of your smallest finger. They live upon vegetation and the blood of animals, and their

brain is just large enough to direct their movements in the direction of food, and to translate the food

sensations which are carried to it from their eyes and ears. They have no sense of selfpreservation and so are

entirely without fear in the face of danger. That is why they are such terrible antagonists in combat."

I wondered why the black man took such pains to discourse thus at length to enemies upon the genesis of life

Barsoomian. It seemed a strangely inopportune moment for a proud member of a proud race to unbend in

casual conversation with a captor. Especially in view of the fact that the black still lay securely bound upon

It was the faintest straying of his eye beyond me for the barest fraction of a second that explained his motive

He lay a little forward of where I stood at the levers, and thus he faced the stern of the vessel as he addressed

me. It was at the end of his description of the plant men that I caught his eye fixed momentarily upon

Nor could I be mistaken in the swift gleam of triumph that brightened those dark orbs for an instant.

Some time before I had reduced our speed, for we had left the Valley Dor many miles astern, and I felt

I turned an apprehensive glance behind me, and the sight that I saw froze the newborn hope of freedom that

A great battleship, forging silent and unlighted through the dark night, loomed close astern.

Now I realized why the black pirate had kept me engrossed with his strange tale. For miles he had sensed the

approach of succour, and but for that single telltale glance the battleship would have been directly above us

in another moment, and the boarding party which was doubtless even now swinging in their harness from the

ship's keel, would have swarmed our deck, placing my rising hope of escape in sudden and total eclipse.

I was too old a hand in aerial warfare to be at a loss now for the right manoeuvre. Simultaneously I reversed

Above my head I could see the dangling forms of the boarding party as the battleship raced over us. Then I

Like a bolt from a crossbow my splendid craft shot its steel prow straight at the whirring propellers of the

giant above us. If I could but touch them the huge bulk would be disabled for hours and escape once more

At the same instant the sun shot above the horizon, disclosing a hundred grim, black faces peering over the

At sight of us a shout of rage went up from a hundred throats. Orders were shouted, but it was too late to save

Instantly with the shock of impact I reversed my engine, but my prow was wedged in the hole it had made in

the battleship's stern. Only a second I hung there before tearing away, but that second was amply long to

There was no fight. In the first place there was no room to fight. We were simply submerged by numbers.

Several of the pirates already had released Xodar. He now personally attended to my disarming and saw that I

was properly bound. At least he thought that the binding was secure. It would have been had I been a

Martian, but I had to smile at the puny strands that confined my wrists. When the time came I could snap

The girl they bound also, and then they fastened us together. In the meantime they had brought our craft

alongside the disabled battleship, and soon we were transported to the latter's deck.

Fully a thousand black men manned the great engine of destruction. Her decks were crowded with them as

they pressed forward as far as discipline would permit to get a glimpse of their captives.

The girl's beauty elicited many brutal comments and vulgar jests. It was evident that these selfthought

supermen were far inferior to the red men of Barsoom in refinement and in chivalry.

My closecropped black hair and thern complexion were the subjects of much comment. When Xodar told

his fellow nobles of my fighting ability and strange origin they crowded about me with numerous questions.

The fact that I wore the harness and metal of a thern who had been killed by a member of my party convinced

them that I was an enemy of their hereditary foes, and placed me on a better footing in their estimation.

Without exception the blacks were handsome men, and well built. The officers were conspicuous through the

wondrous magnificence of their resplendent trappings. Many harnesses were so encrusted with gold,

The harness of the commanding officer was a solid mass of diamonds. Against the ebony background of his

skin they blazed out with a peculiarly accentuated effulgence. The whole scene was enchanting. The

handsome men; the barbaric splendour of the accoutrements; the polished skeel wood of the deck; the

gloriously grained sorapus of the cabins, inlaid with priceless jewels and precious metals in intricate and

beautiful design; the burnished gold of hand rails; the shining metal of the guns.

Phaidor and I were taken below decks, where, still fast bound, we were thrown into a small compartment

which contained a single porthole. As our escort left us they barred the door behind them.

We could hear the men working on the broken propellers, and from the porthole we could see that the vessel

For some time neither of us spoke. Each was occupied with his own thoughts. For my part I was wondering

Even if they succeeded in eluding pursuit they must eventually fall into the hands of either red men or green,

and as fugitives from the Valley Dor they could look for but little else than a swift and terrible death.

How I wished that I might have accompanied them. It seemed to me that I could not fail to impress upon the

intelligent red men of Barsoom the wicked deception that a cruel and senseless superstition had foisted upon

Tardos Mors would believe me. Of that I was positive. And that he would have the courage of his convictions

my knowledge of his character assured me. Dejah Thoris would believe me. Not a doubt as to that entered my

head. Then there were a thousand of my red and green warrior friends whom I knew would face eternal

My only danger lay in that should I ever escape the black pirates it might be to fall into the hands of

Well, there seemed little to worry about on that score, for the likelihood of my ever escaping the blacks was

The girl and I were linked together by a rope which permitted us to move only about three or four feet from

each other. When we had entered the compartment we had seated ourselves upon a low bench beneath the

porthole. The bench was the only furniture of the room. It was of sorapus wood. The floor, ceiling and walls

were of carborundum aluminum, a light, impenetrable composition extensively utilized in the construction of

As I had sat meditating upon the future my eyes had been riveted upon the porthole which was just level

with them as I sat. Suddenly I looked toward Phaidor. She was regarding me with a strange expression I had

Instantly her white lids veiled her eyes, and I thought I discovered a delicate flush tingeing her cheek.

Evidently she was embarrassed at having been detected in the act of staring at a lesser creature, I thought.

It was my turn to flush, but I did not. I felt that she was poking fun at me, and I admired a brave heart that

"I can only guess," she replied, "since no thern damsel of all the millions that have been stolen away by black

pirates during the ages they have raided our domains has ever returned to narrate her experiences among

them. That they never take a man prisoner lends strength to the belief that the fate of the girls they steal is

"Do not the therns themselves do likewise with the poor creatures who take the voluntary pilgrimage down

the River of Mystery? Was not Thuvia for fifteen years a plaything and a slave? Is it less than just that you

"You do not understand," she replied. "We therns are a holy race. It is an honour to a lesser creature to be a

slave among us. Did we not occasionally save a few of the lower orders that stupidly float down an unknown

river to an unknown end all would become the prey of the plant men and the apes."

"But do you not by every means encourage the superstition among those of the outside world?" I argued.

"That is the wickedest of your deeds. Can you tell me why you foster the cruel deception?"

"All life on Barsoom," she said, "is created solely for the support of the race of therns. How else could we

live did the outer world not furnish our labour and our food? Think you that a thern would demean himself by

"As man may eat of the flesh of beasts, so may gods eat of the flesh of man. The Holy Therns are the gods of

"You are an unbeliever now," she continued gently, "but should we be fortunate enough to escape the

clutches of the black pirates and come again to the court of Matai Shang I think that we shall find an

argument to convince you of the error of your ways. And," she hesitated, "perhaps we shall find a way to

Again her eyes dropped to the floor, and a faint colour suffused her cheek. I could not understand her

meaning; nor did I for a long time. Dejah Thoris was wont to say that in some things I was a veritable

"I fear that I would ill requite your father's hospitality," I answered, "since the first thing that I should do were

I a thern would be to set an armed guard at the mouth of the River Iss to escort the poor deluded voyagers

back to the outer world. Also should I devote my life to the extermination of the hideous plant men and their

"No, no," she cried, "you must not say such terribly sacrilegious thingsyou must not even think them.

Should they ever guess that you entertained such frightful thoughts, should we chance to regain the temples

of the therns, they would mete out a frightful death to you. Not even mymy" Again she flushed, and

I said no more. Evidently it was useless. She was even more steeped in superstition than the Martians of the

outer world. They only worshipped a beautiful hope for a life of love and peace and happiness in the

hereafter. The therns worshipped the hideous plant men and the apes, or at least they reverenced them as the

He smiled pleasantly at me, and when he smiled his expression was kindlyanything but cruel or vindictive.

"Since you cannot escape under any circumstances," he said, "I cannot see the necessity for keeping you

confined below. I will cut your bonds and you may come on deck. You will witness something very

interesting, and as you never shall return to the outer world it will do no harm to permit you to see it. You

will see what no other than the First Born and their slaves know the existence ofthe subterranean entrance

"It will be an excellent lesson for this daughter of the therns," he added, "for she shall see the Temple of

"What blasphemy is this, dog of a pirate?" she cried. "Issus would wipe out your entire breed an' you ever

"You have much to learn, thern," replied Xodar, with an ugly smile, "nor do I envy you the manner in which

As we came on deck I saw to my surprise that the vessel was passing over a great field of snow and ice. As

There could be but one solution to the mystery. We were above the south polar ice cap. Only at the poles of

Mars is there ice or snow upon the planet. No sign of life appeared below us. Evidently we were too far south

"A little west of south," he replied. "You will see the Otz Valley directly. We shall skirt it for a few hundred

"The Otz Valley!" I exclaimed; "but, man, is not there where lie the domains of the therns from which I but

"Yes," answered Xodar. "You crossed this ice field last night in the long chase that you led us. The Otz

Valley lies in a mighty depression at the south pole. It is sunk thousands of feet below the level of the

surrounding country, like a great round bowl. A hundred miles from its northern boundary rise the Otz

Mountains which circle the inner Valley of Dor, in the exact centre of which lies the Lost Sea of Korus. On

the shore of this sea stands the Golden Temple of Issus in the Land of the First Born. It is there that we are

As I looked I commenced to realize why it was that in all the ages only one had escaped from the Valley Dor.

My only wonder was that even the one had been successful. To cross this frozen, windswept waste of bleak

"It was thus that one did escape the therns in bygone times; but none has ever escaped the First Born," said

We had now reached the southernmost extremity of the great ice barrier. It ended abruptly in a sheer wall

thousands of feet high at the base of which stretched a level valley, broken here and there by low rolling hills

and little clumps of forest, and with tiny rivers formed by the melting of the ice barrier at its base.

Once we passed far above what seemed to be a deep canyonlike rift stretching from the ice wall on the north

across the valley as far as the eye could reach. "That is the bed of the River Iss," said Xodar. "It runs far

beneath the ice field, and below the level of the Valley Otz, but its canyon is open here."

Presently I descried what I took to be a village, and pointing it out to Xodar asked him what it might be.

"It is a village of lost souls," he answered, laughing. "This strip between the ice barrier and the mountains is

considered neutral ground. Some turn off from their voluntary pilgrimage down the Iss, and, scaling the awful

walls of its canyon below us, stop in the valley. Also a slave now and then escapes from the therns and makes

"They do not attempt to recapture such, since there is no escape from this outer valley, and as a matter of fact

they fear the patrolling cruisers of the First Born too much to venture from their own domains.

"The poor creatures of this outer valley are not molested by us since they have nothing that we desire, nor are

they numerically strong enough to give us an interesting fightso we too leave them alone.

"There are several villages of them, but they have increased in numbers but little in many years since they are

Now we swung a little north of west, leaving the valley of lost souls, and shortly I discerned over our

starboard bow what appeared to be a black mountain rising from the desolate waste of ice. It was not high and

Xodar had left us to attend to some duty on the vessel, and Phaidor and I stood alone beside the rail. The girl

"In part, yes," she answered. "That about the outer valley is true, but what he says of the location of the

Temple of Issus in the centre of his country is false. If it is not false" she hesitated. "Oh it cannot be true, it

cannot be true. For if it were true then for countless ages have my people gone to torture and ignominious

death at the hands of their cruel enemies, instead of to the beautiful Life Eternal that we have been taught to

"As the lesser Barsoomians of the outer world have been lured by you to the terrible Valley Dor, so may it be

that the therns themselves have been lured by the First Born to an equally horrid fate," I suggested. "It would

"We shall see," I answered, and then we fell silent again for we were rapidly approaching the black

mountains, which in some indefinable way seemed linked with the answer to our problem.

As we neared the dark, truncated cone the vessel's speed was diminished until we barely moved. Then we

topped the crest of the mountain and below us I saw yawning the mouth of a huge circular well, the bottom of

The diameter of this enormous pit was fully a thousand feet. The walls were smooth and appeared to be

For a moment the vessel hovered motionless directly above the centre of the gaping void, then slowly she

began to settle into the black chasm. Lower and lower she sank until as darkness enveloped us her lights were

thrown on and in the dim halo of her own radiance the monster battleship dropped on and on down into what

For quite half an hour we descended and then the shaft terminated abruptly in the dome of a mighty

subterranean world. Below us rose and fell the billows of a buried sea. A phosphorescent radiance

illuminated the scene. Thousands of ships dotted the bosom of the ocean. Little islands rose here and there to

Slowly and with majestic grace the battleship dropped until she rested on the water. Her great propellers had

been drawn and housed during our descent of the shaft and in their place had been run out the smaller but

more powerful water propellers. As these commenced to revolve the ship took up its journey once more,

Phaidor and I were dumbfounded. Neither had either heard or dreamed that such a world existed beneath the

Nearly all the vessels we saw were war craft. There were a few lighters and barges, but none of the great

"Here is the harbour of the navy of the First Born," said a voice behind us, and turning we saw Xodar

"This sea," he continued, "is larger than Korus. It receives the waters of the lesser sea above it. To keep it

from filling above a certain level we have four great pumping stations that force the oversupply back into the

reservoirs far north from which the red men draw the water which irrigates their farm lands."

A new light burst on me with this explanation. The red men had always considered it a miracle that caused

great columns of water to spurt from the solid rock of their reservoir sides to increase the supply of the

Never had their learned men been able to fathom the secret of the source of this enormous volume of water.

As ages passed they had simply come to accept it as a matter of course and ceased to question its origin.

We passed several islands on which were strangely shaped circular buildings, apparently roofless, and

pierced midway between the ground and their tops with small, heavily barred windows. They bore the

earmarks of prisons, which were further accentuated by the armed guards who squatted on low benches

Few of these islets contained over an acre of ground, but presently we sighted a much larger one directly

ahead. This proved to be our destination, and the great ship was soon made fast against the steep shore.

Xodar signalled us to follow him and with a halfdozen officers and men we left the battleship and

"You shall soon see Issus," said Xodar to Phaidor. "The few prisoners we take are presented to her.

Occasionally she selects slaves from among them to replenish the ranks of her handmaidens. None serves

Issus above a single year," and there was a grim smile on the black's lips that lent a cruel and sinister meaning

Phaidor, though loath to believe that Issus was allied to such as these, had commenced to entertain doubts and

fears. She clung very closely to me, no longer the proud daughter of the Master of Life and Death upon

The building which we now entered was entirely roofless. In its centre was a long tank of water, set below the

level of the floor like the swimming pool of a natatorium. Near one side of the pool floated an oddlooking

black object. Whether it were some strange monster of these buried waters, or a queer raft, I could not at once

We were soon to know, however, for as we reached the edge of the pool directly above the thing, Xodar cried

out a few words in a strange tongue. Immediately a hatch cover was raised from the surface of the object, and

"Transmit to your officer," he said, "the commands of Dator Xodar. Say to him that Dator Xodar, with

officers and men, escorting two prisoners, would be transported to the gardens of Issus beside the Golden

"Blessed be the shell of thy first ancestor, most noble Dator," replied the man. "It shall be done even as thou

sayest," and raising both hands, palms backward, above his head after the manner of salute which is common

to all races of Barsoom, he disappeared once more into the entrails of his ship.

A moment later an officer resplendent in the gorgeous trappings of his rank appeared on deck and welcomed

The cabin in which we found ourselves extended entirely across the ship, having portholes on either side

below the water line. No sooner were all below than a number of commands were given, in accordance with

which the hatch was closed and secured, and the vessel commenced to vibrate to the rhythmic purr of its

"Not up," I replied, "for I noticed particularly that while the building is roofless it is covered with a strong

Phaidor shuddered. For such long ages have the waters of Barsoom's seas been a thing of tradition only that

even this daughter of the therns, born as she had been within sight of Mars' only remaining sea, had the same

Presently the sensation of sinking became very apparent. We were going down swiftly. Now we could hear

the water rushing past the portholes, and in the dim light that filtered through them to the water beyond the

"Save me!" she whispered. "Save me and your every wish shall be granted. Anything within the power of the

Holy Therns to give will be yours. Phaidor" she stumbled a little here, and then in a very low voice,

I felt very sorry for the poor child, and placed my hand over hers where it rested on my arm. I presume my

motive was misunderstood, for with a swift glance about the apartment to assure herself that we were alone,

The confession of love which the girl's fright had wrung from her touched me deeply; but it humiliated me as

well, since I felt that in some thoughtless word or act I had given her reason to believe that I reciprocated her

Never have I been much of a ladies' man, being more concerned with fighting and kindred arts which have

ever seemed to me more befitting a man than mooning over a scented glove four sizes too small for him, or

kissing a dead flower that has begun to smell like a cabbage. So I was quite at a loss as to what to do or say.

A thousand times rather face the wild hordes of the dead sea bottoms than meet the eyes of this beautiful

But there was nothing else to be done, and so I did it. Very clumsily too, I fear.

Gently I unclasped her hands from about my neck, and still holding them in mine I told her the story of my

love for Dejah Thoris. That of all the women of two worlds that I had known and admired during my long life

The tale did not seem to please her. Like a tigress she sprang, panting, to her feet. Her beautiful face was

distorted in an expression of horrible malevolence. Her eyes fairly blazed into mine.

"Dog," she hissed. "Dog of a blasphemer! Think you that Phaidor, daughter of Matai Shang, supplicates? She

commands. What to her is your puny outer world passion for the vile creature you chose in your other life?

"Phaidor has glorified you with her love, and you have spurned her. Ten thousand unthinkably atrocious

deaths could not atone for the affront that you have put upon me. The thing that you call Dejah Thoris shall

"And you! You shall be the meanest slave in the service of the goddess you have attempted to humiliate.

Tortures and ignominies shall be heaped upon you until you grovel at my feet asking the boon of death.

"In my gracious generosity I shall at length grant your prayer, and from the high balcony of the Golden Cliffs

She had it all fixed up. The whole lovely programme from start to finish. It amazed me to think that one so

divinely beautiful could at the same time be so fiendishly vindictive. It occurred to me, however, that she had

overlooked one little factor in her revenge, and so, without any intent to add to her discomfiture, but rather to

permit her to rearrange her plans along more practical lines, I pointed to the nearest porthole.

Evidently she had entirely forgotten her surroundings and her present circumstances, for a single glance at the

dark, swirling waters without sent her crumpled upon a low bench, where with her face buried in her arms she

sobbed more like a very unhappy little girl than a proud and allpowerful goddess.

Down, down we continued to sink until the heavy glass of the portholes became noticeably warm from the

heat of the water without. Evidently we were very far beneath the surface crust of Mars.

Presently our downward motion ceased, and I could hear the propellers swirling through the water at our

stern and forcing us ahead at high speed. It was very dark down there, but the light from our portholes, and

the reflection from what must have been a powerful searchlight on the submarine's nose showed that we were

After a few minutes the propellers ceased their whirring. We came to a full stop, and then commenced to rise

swiftly toward the surface. Soon the light from without increased and we came to a stop.

"Come," he said, and we followed him through the hatchway which had been opened by one of the seamen.

We found ourselves in a small subterranean vault, in the centre of which was the pool in which lay our

Around the edge of the pool was a level platform, and then the walls of the cave rose perpendicularly for a

few feet to arch toward the centre of the low roof. The walls about the ledge were pierced with a number of

Toward one of these our captors led us, and after a short walk halted before a steel cage which lay at the

The cage proved to be one of the common types of elevator cars that I had seen in other parts of Barsoom.

They are operated by means of enormous magnets which are suspended at the top of the shaft. By an

electrical device the volume of magnetism generated is regulated and the speed of the car varied.

In long stretches they move at a sickening speed, especially on the upward trip, since the small force of

gravity inherent to Mars results in very little opposition to the powerful force above.

Scarcely had the door of the car closed behind us than we were slowing up to stop at the landing above, so

When we emerged from the little building which houses the upper terminus of the elevator, we found

ourselves in the midst of a veritable fairyland of beauty. The combined languages of Earth men hold no

One may speak of scarlet sward and ivorystemmed trees decked with brilliant purple blooms; of winding

walks paved with crushed rubies, with emerald, with turquoise, even with diamonds themselves; of a

magnificent temple of burnished gold, handwrought with marvellous designs; but where are the words to

describe the glorious colours that are unknown to earthly eyes? where the mind or the imagination that can

grasp the gorgeous scintillations of unheardof rays as they emanate from the thousand nameless jewels of

Even my eyes, for long years accustomed to the barbaric splendours of a Martian Jeddak's court, were

Xodar watched us with his grim smile, partly of amusement and partly malicious gloating.

The gardens swarmed with brilliantly trapped black men and women. Among them moved red and white

females serving their every want. The places of the outer world and the temples of the therns had been robbed

Through this scene we moved toward the temple. At the main entrance we were halted by a cordon of armed

guards. Xodar spoke a few words to an officer who came forward to question us. Together they entered the

When they returned it was to announce that Issus desired to look upon the daughter of Matai Shang, and the

Slowly we moved through endless corridors of unthinkable beauty; through magnificent apartments, and

noble halls. At length we were halted in a spacious chamber in the centre of the temple. One of the officers

who had accompanied us advanced to a large door in the further end of the chamber. Here he must have made

some sort of signal for immediately the door opened and another richly trapped courtier emerged.

We were then led up to the door, where we were directed to get down on our hands and knees with our backs

toward the room we were to enter. The doors were swung open and after being cautioned not to turn our

heads under penalty of instant death we were commanded to back into the presence of Issus.

Never have I been in so humiliating a position in my life, and only my love for Dejah Thoris and the hope

which still clung to me that I might again see her kept me from rising to face the goddess of the First Born

and go down to my death like a gentleman, facing my foes and with their blood mingling with mine.

After we had crawled in this disgusting fashion for a matter of a couple of hundred feet we were halted by our

"Let them rise," said a voice behind us; a thin, wavering voice, yet one that had evidently been accustomed to

"The woman pleases me," said the thin, wavering voice again after a few moments of silence. "She shall

serve me the allotted time. The man you may return to the Isle of Shador which lies against the northern shore

of the Sea of Omean. Let the woman turn and look upon Issus, knowing that those of the lower orders who

gaze upon the holy vision of her radiant face survive the blinding glory but a single year."

I watched Phaidor from the corner of my eye. She paled to a ghastly hue. Slowly, very slowly she turned, as

though drawn by some invisible yet irresistible force. She was standing quite close to me, so close that her

I could not see the girl's face as her eyes rested for the first time on the Supreme Deity of Mars, but felt the

shudder that ran through her in the trembling flesh of the arm that touched mine.

"It must be dazzling loveliness indeed," thought I, "to cause such emotion in the breast of so radiant a beauty

"Let the woman remain. Remove the man. Go." Thus spoke Issus, and the heavy hand of the officer fell upon

my shoulder. In accordance with his instructions I dropped to my hands and knees once more and crawled

from the Presence. It had been my first audience with deity, but I am free to confess that I was not greatly

impressedother than with the ridiculous figure I cut scrambling about on my marrow bones.

Once without the chamber the doors closed behind us and I was bid to rise. Xodar joined me and together we

"You spared my life when you easily might have taken it," he said after we had proceeded some little way in

silence, "and I would aid you if I might. I can help to make your life here more bearable, but your fate is

"That will depend largely upon Issus. So long as she does not send for you and reveal her face to you, you

"The men of the lower orders she often uses for various purposes of amusement. Such a fighter as you, for

example, would render fine sport in the monthly rites of the temple. There are men pitted against men, and

against beasts for the edification of Issus and the replenishment of her larder."

"She eats human flesh?" I asked. Not in horror, however, for since my recently acquired knowledge of the

Holy Therns I was prepared for anything in this still less accessible heaven, where all was evidently dictated

by a single omnipotence; where ages of narrow fanaticism and selfworship had eradicated all the broader

They were a people drunk with power and success, looking upon the other inhabitants of Mars as we look

upon the beasts of the field and the forest. Why then should they not eat of the flesh of the lower orders

whose lives and characters they no more understood than do we the inmost thoughts and sensibilities of the

"She eats only the flesh of the best bred of the Holy Therns and the red Barsoomians. The flesh of the others

goes to our boards. The animals are eaten by the slaves. She also eats other dainties."

I did not understand then that there lay any special significance in his reference to other dainties. I thought the

limit of ghoulishness already had been reached in the recitation of Issus' menu. I still had much to learn as to

the depths of cruelty and bestiality to which omnipotence may drag its possessor.

We had about reached the last of the many chambers and corridors which led to the gardens when an officer

"Issus would look again upon this man," he said. "The girl has told her that he is of wondrous beauty and of

such prowess that alone he slew seven of the First Born, and with his bare hands took Xodar captive, binding

Xodar looked uncomfortable. Evidently he did not relish the thought that Issus had learned of his inglorious

Without a word he turned and we followed the officer once again to the closed doors before the audience

Here the ceremony of entrance was repeated. Again Issus bid me rise. For several minutes all was silent as

Presently the thin wavering voice broke the stillness, repeating in a singsong drone the words which for

"Let the man turn and look upon Issus, knowing that those of the lower orders who gaze upon the holy vision

I turned as I had been bid, expecting such a treat as only the revealment of divine glory to mortal eyes might

produce. What I saw was a solid phalanx of armed men between myself and a dais supporting a great bench

of carved sorapus wood. On this bench, or throne, squatted a female black. She was evidently very old. Not a

hair remained upon her wrinkled skull. With the exception of two yellow fangs she was entirely toothless. On

either side of her thin, hawklike nose her eyes burned from the depths of horribly sunken sockets. The skin

of her face was seamed and creased with a million deepcut furrows. Her body was as wrinkled as her face,

Emaciated arms and legs attached to a torso which seemed to be mostly distorted abdomen completed the

Surrounding her were a number of female slaves, among them Phaidor, white and trembling.

"This is the man who slew seven of the First Born and, barehanded, bound Dator Xodar with his own

"Most glorious vision of divine loveliness, it is," replied the officer who stood at my side.

"And such as you are a Dator of the First Born?" she squealed. "For the disgrace you have brought upon the

Immortal Race you shall be degraded to a rank below the lowest. No longer be you a Dator, but for evermore

a slave of slaves, to fetch and carry for the lower orders that serve in the gardens of Issus. Remove his

Xodar stood stiffly erect. Not a muscle twitched, nor a tremor shook his giant frame as a soldier of the guard

"Begone," screamed the infuriated little old woman. "Begone, but instead of the light of the gardens of Issus

let you serve as a slave of this slave who conquered you in the prison on the Isle of Shador in the Sea of

Slowly and with high held head the proud Xodar turned and stalked from the chamber. Issus rose and turned

Turning to me, she said: "You shall be returned to Shador for the present. Later Issus will see the manner of

your fighting. Go." Then she disappeared, followed by her retinue. Only Phaidor lagged behind, and as I

"Oh, do not leave me in this terrible place," she begged. "Forgive the things I said to you, my Prince. I did not

mean them. Only take me away with you. Let me share your imprisonment on Shador." Her words were an

almost incoherent volley of thoughts, so rapidly she spoke. "You did not understand the honour that I did

you. Among the therns there is no marriage or giving in marriage, as among the lower orders of the outer

world. We might have lived together for ever in love and happiness. We have both looked upon Issus and in a

year we die. Let us live that year at least together in what measure of joy remains for the doomed."

"If it was difficult for me to understand you, Phaidor," I replied, "can you not understand that possibly it is

equally difficult for you to understand the motives, the customs and the social laws that guide me? I do not

wish to hurt you, nor to seem to undervalue the honour which you have done me, but the thing you desire

may not be. Regardless of the foolish belief of the peoples of the outer world, or of Holy Thern, or ebon First

Born, I am not dead. While I live my heart beats for but one womanthe incomparable Dejah Thoris,

Princess of Helium. When death overtakes me my heart shall have ceased to beat; but what comes after that I

know not. And in that I am as wise as Matai Shang, Master of Life and Death upon Barsoom; or Issus,

Phaidor stood looking at me intently for a moment. No anger showed in her eyes this time, only a pathetic

"I do not understand," she said, and turning walked slowly in the direction of the door through which Issus

In the outer gardens to which the guard now escorted me, I found Xodar surrounded by a crowd of noble

blacks. They were reviling and cursing him. The men slapped his face. The woman spat upon him.

"Ah," cried one, "so this is the creature who overcame the great Xodar barehanded. Let us see how it was

"Let him bind Thurid," suggested a beautiful woman, laughing. "Thurid is a noble Dator. Let Thurid show the

"Here he is now," exclaimed another, and turning in the direction indicated I saw a huge black weighed down

with resplendent ornaments and arms advancing with noble and gallant bearing toward us.

"Calot!" he hissed. "Ever did I think you carried the heart of a sorak in your putrid breast. Often have you

bested me in the secret councils of Issus, but now in the field of war where men are truly gauged your scabby

heart hath revealed its sores to all the world. Calot, I spurn you with my foot," and with the words he turned

My blood was up. For minutes it had been boiling at the cowardly treatment they had been according this

once powerful comrade because he had fallen from the favour of Issus. I had no love for Xodar, but I cannot

stand the sight of cowardly injustice and persecution without seeing red as through a haze of bloody mist, and

doing things on the impulse of the moment that I presume I never should do after mature deliberation.

I was standing close beside Xodar as Thurid swung his foot for the cowardly kick. The degraded Dator stood

erect and motionless as a carven image. He was prepared to take whatever his former comrades had to offer

in the way of insults and reproaches, and take them in manly silence and stoicism.

But as Thurid's foot swung so did mine, and I caught him a painful blow upon the shin bone that saved Xodar

For a moment there was tense silence, then Thurid, with a roar of rage sprang for my throat; just as Xodar had

upon the deck of the cruiser. The results were identical. I ducked beneath his outstretched arms, and as he

The big fellow spun around like a top, his knees gave beneath him and he crumpled to the ground at my feet.

The blacks gazed in astonishment, first at the still form of the proud Dator lying there in the ruby dust of the

pathway, then at me as though they could not believe that such a thing could be.

"You asked me to bind Thurid," I cried; "behold!" And then I stooped beside the prostrate form, tore the

"As you have done to Xodar, now do you likewise to Thurid. Take him before Issus, bound in his own

harness, that she may see with her own eyes that there be one among you now who is greater than the First

"Who are you?" whispered the woman who had first suggested that I attempt to bind Thurid.

"I am a citizen of two worlds; Captain John Carter of Virginia, Prince of the House of Tardos Mors, Jeddak

of Helium. Take this man to your goddess, as I have said, and tell her, too, that as I have done to Xodar and

Thurid, so also can I do to the mightiest of her Dators. With naked hands, with longsword or with

"Come," said the officer who was guarding me back to Shador; "my orders are imperative; there is to be no

There was little of disrespect in the tone that the man used in addressing either Xodar or myself. It was

evident that he felt less contempt for the former Dator since he had witnessed the ease with which I disposed

That his respect for me was greater than it should have been for a slave was quite apparent from the fact that

during the balance of the return journey he walked or stood always behind me, a drawn shortsword in his

The return to the Sea of Omean was uneventful. We dropped down the awful shaft in the same car that had

brought us to the surface. There we entered the submarine, taking the long dive to the tunnel far beneath the

upper world. Then through the tunnel and up again to the pool from which we had had our first introduction

From the island of the submarine we were transported on a small cruiser to the distant Isle of Shador. Here

we found a small stone prison and a guard of half a dozen blacks. There was no ceremony wasted in

completing our incarceration. One of the blacks opened the door of the prison with a huge key, we walked in,

the door closed behind us, the lock grated, and with the sound there swept over me again that terrible feeling

of hopelessness that I had felt in the Chamber of Mystery in the Golden Cliffs beneath the gardens of the

Then Tars Tarkas had been with me, but now I was utterly alone in so far as friendly companionship was

concerned. I fell to wondering about the fate of the great Thark, and of his beautiful companion, the girl,

Thuvia. Even should they by some miracle have escaped and been received and spared by a friendly nation,

what hope had I of the succour which I knew they would gladly extend if it lay in their power.

They could not guess my whereabouts or my fate, for none on all Barsoom even dream of such a place as

this. Nor would it have advantaged me any had they known the exact location of my prison, for who could

hope to penetrate to this buried sea in the face of the mighty navy of the First Born? No: my case was

Well, I would make the best of it, and, rising, I swept aside the brooding despair that had been endeavouring

Xodar sat, with bowed head, upon a low stone bench near the centre of the room in which we were. He had

The building was roofless, the walls rising to a height of about thirty feet. Halfway up were a couple of

small, heavily barred windows. The prison was divided into several rooms by partitions twenty feet high.

There was no one in the room which we occupied, but two doors which led to other rooms were opened. I

entered one of these rooms, but found it vacant. Thus I continued through several of the chambers until in the

last one I found a young red Martian boy sleeping upon the stone bench which constituted the only furniture

Evidently he was the only other prisoner. As he slept I leaned over and looked at him. There was something

His features were very regular and, like the proportions of his graceful limbs and body, beautiful in the

extreme. He was very light in colour for a red man, but in other respects he seemed a typical specimen of this

I did not awaken him, for sleep in prison is such a priceless boon that I have seen men transformed into

raging brutes when robbed by one of their fellowprisoners of a few precious moments of it.

Returning to my own cell, I found Xodar still sitting in the same position in which I had left him.

"Man," I cried, "it will profit you nothing to mope thus. It were no disgrace to be bested by John Carter. You

have seen that in the ease with which I accounted for Thurid. You knew it before when on the cruiser's deck

"Come, come!" I cried. "There is hope yet. Neither of us is dead. We are great fighters. Why not win to

"You know not of what you speak," he replied. "Issus is omnipotent. Issus is omniscient. She hears now the

words you speak. She knows the thoughts you think. It is sacrilege even to dream of breaking her

"The curse of Issus will fall upon you," he cried. "In another instant you will be smitten down, writhing to

"I doubt; yes, and further, I deny," I said. "Why, Xodar, you tell me that she even knows my thoughts. The

red men have all had that power for ages. And another wonderful power. They can shut their minds so that

none may read their thoughts. I learned the first secret years ago; the other I never had to learn, since upon all

"Your goddess cannot read my thoughts; nor can she read yours when you are out of sight, unless you will it.

Had she been able to read mine, I am afraid that her pride would have suffered a rather severe shock when I

"What do you mean?" he whispered in an affrighted voice, so low that I could scarcely hear him.

"I mean that I thought her the most repulsive and vilely hideous creature my eyes ever had rested upon."

For a moment he eyed me in horrorstricken amazement, and then with a cry of "Blasphemer" he sprang

I did not wish to strike him again, nor was it necessary, since he was unarmed and therefore quite harmless to

As he came I grasped his left wrist with my left hand, and, swinging my right arm about his left shoulder,

caught him beneath the chin with my elbow and bore him backward across my thigh.

"Xodar," I said, "let us be friends. For a year, possibly, we may be forced to live together in the narrow

confines of this tiny room. I am sorry to have offended you, but I could not dream that one who had suffered

"I will say a few more words, Xodar, with no intent to wound your feelings further, but rather that you may

give thought to the fact that while we live we are still more the arbiters of our own fate than is any god.

"Issus, you see, has not struck me dead, nor is she rescuing her faithful Xodar from the clutches of the

unbeliever who defamed her fair beauty. No, Xodar, your Issus is a mortal old woman. Once out of her

"With your knowledge of this strange land, and my knowledge of the outer world, two such fightingmen as

you and I should be able to win our way to freedom. Even though we died in the attempt, would not our

memories be fairer than as though we remained in servile fear to be butchered by a cruel and unjust

As I finished I raised Xodar to his feet and released him. He did not renew the attack upon me, nor did he

speak. Instead, he walked toward the bench, and, sinking down upon it, remained lost in deep thought for

A long time afterward I heard a soft sound at the doorway leading to one of the other apartments, and,

"I also," he said. "Mine will come soon. I looked upon the radiant beauty of Issus nearly a year since. It has

always been a source of keen wonder to me that I did not drop dead at the first sight of that hideous

countenance. And her belly! By my first ancestor, but never was there so grotesque a figure in all the

universe. That they should call such a one Goddess of Life Eternal, Goddess of Death, Mother of the Nearer

"It is very simple. I was flying a oneman air scout far to the south when the brilliant idea occurred to me that

I should like to search for the Lost Sea of Korus which tradition places near to the south pole. I must have

inherited from my father a wild lust for adventure, as well as a hollow where my bump of reverence should

"I had reached the area of eternal ice when my port propeller jammed, and I dropped to the ground to make

repairs. Before I knew it the air was black with fliers, and a hundred of these First Born devils were leaping to

"With drawn swords they made for me, but before I went down beneath them they had tasted of the steel of

my father's sword, and I had given such an account of myself as I know would have pleased my sire had he

"He died before the shell broke to let me step out into a world that has been very good to me. But for the

sorrow that I had never the honour to know my father, I have been very happy. My only sorrow now is that

He was about to reply when the outer door of our prison opened and a burly guard entered and ordered him to

his own quarters for the night, locking the door after him as he passed through into the further chamber.

"It is Issus' wish that you two be confined in the same room," said the guard when he had returned to our cell.

"This cowardly slave of a slave is to serve you well," he said to me, indicating Xodar with a wave of his

hand. "If he does not, you are to beat him into submission. It is Issus' wish that you heap upon him every

Xodar still sat with his face buried in his hands. I walked to his side and placed my hand upon his shoulder.

"Xodar," I said, "you have heard the commands of Issus, but you need not fear that I shall attempt to put them

into execution. You are a brave man, Xodar. It is your own affair if you wish to be persecuted and humiliated;

"I have been thinking very hard, John Carter," he said, "of all the new ideas you gave me a few hours since.

Little by little I have been piecing together the things that you said which sounded blasphemous to me then

with the things that I have seen in my past life and dared not even think about for fear of bringing down upon

"I believe now that she is a fraud; no more divine than you or I. More I am willing to concedethat the First

Born are no holier than the Holy Therns, nor the Holy Therns more holy than the red men.

"The whole fabric of our religion is based on superstitious belief in lies that have been foisted upon us for

ages by those directly above us, to whose personal profit and aggrandizement it was to have us continue to

"I am ready to cast off the ties that have bound me. I am ready to defy Issus herself; but what will it avail us?

Be the First Born gods or mortals, they are a powerful race, and we are as fast in their clutches as though we

"I have escaped from bad plights in the past, my friend," I replied; "nor while life is in me shall I despair of

"But we cannot escape even from the four walls of our prison," urged Xodar. "Test this flintlike surface," he

cried, smiting the solid rock that confined us. "And look upon this polished surface; none could cling to it to

"That is the least of our troubles, Xodar," I replied. "I will guarantee to scale the wall and take you with me, if

you will help with your knowledge of the customs here to appoint the best time for the attempt, and guide me

to the shaft that lets from the dome of this abysmal sea to the light of God's pure air above."

"Night time is the best and offers the only slender chance we have, for then men sleep, and only a dozing

watch nods in the tops of the battleships. No watch is kept upon the cruisers and smaller craft. The watchers

"You forget," he said, "that we are far below ground. The light of the sun never penetrates here. There are no

moons and no stars reflected in the bosom of Omean. The phosphorescent light you now see pervading this

great subterranean vault emanates from the rocks that form its dome; it is always thus upon Omean, just as

the billows are always as you see themrolling, ever rolling over a windless sea.

"At the appointed hour of night upon the world above, the men whose duties hold them here sleep, but the

"It will make escape more difficult," I said, and then I shrugged my shoulders; for what, pray, is the pleasure

So we threw ourselves upon the hard stone floor of our prison and slept the sleep of tired men.

Early the next morning Xodar and I commenced work upon our plans for escape. First I had him sketch upon

the stone floor of our cell as accurate a map of the south polar regions as was possible with the crude

instruments at our disposala buckle from my harness, and the sharp edge of the wondrous gem I had taken

From this I computed the general direction of Helium and the distance at which it lay from the opening which

Then I had him draw a map of Omean, indicating plainly the position of Shador and of the opening in the

These I studied until they were indelibly imprinted in my memory. From Xodar I learned the duties and

customs of the guards who patrolled Shador. It seemed that during the hours set aside for sleep only one man

was on duty at a time. He paced a beat that passed around the prison, at a distance of about a hundred feet

The pace of the sentries, Xodar said, was very slow, requiring nearly ten minutes to make a single round. This

meant that for practically five minutes at a time each side of the prison was unguarded as the sentry pursued

"This information you ask," said Xodar, "will be all very valuable AFTER we get out, but nothing that you

"The first night that finds a small craft moored near the shore of Shador," I replied.

"But how will you know that any craft is moored near Shador? The windows are far beyond our reach."

With a bound I sprang to the bars of the window opposite us, and took a quick survey of the scene without.

Several small craft and two large battleships lay within a hundred yards of Shador.

"Tonight," I thought, and was just about to voice my decision to Xodar, when, without warning, the door of

If the fellow saw me there our chances of escape might quickly go glimmering, for I knew that they would

put me in irons if they had the slightest conception of the wonderful agility which my earthly muscles gave

The man had entered and was standing facing the centre of the room, so that his back was toward me. Five

feet above me was the top of a partition wall separating our cell from the next.

There was my only chance to escape detection. If the fellow turned, I was lost; nor could I have dropped to

the floor undetected, since he was no nearly below me that I would have struck him had I done so.

"Where is the white man?" cried the guard of Xodar. "Issus commands his presence." He started to turn to see

I scrambled up the iron grating of the window until I could catch a good footing on the sill with one foot; then

"What was that?" I heard the deep voice of the black bellow as my metal grated against the stone wall as I

"I know not," replied Xodar. "He was here even as you entered. I am not his keepergo find him."

The black grumbled something that I could not understand, and then I heard him unlocking the door into one

of the other cells on the further side. Listening intently, I caught the sound as the door closed behind him.

Then I sprang once more to the top of the partition and dropped into my own cell beside the astonished

"I see how you may," he replied, "but I am no wiser than before as to how I am to pass these walls. Certain it

We heard the guard moving about from cell to cell, and finally, his rounds completed, he again entered ours.

"I have been in prison since you put me here yesterday," I answered. "I was in this room when you entered.

He conducted me outside the prison, leaving Xodar behind. There we found several other guards, and with

The journey I had taken to the Temple of Issus on the preceding day was repeated. The guards kept the red

boy and myself separated, so that we had no opportunity to continue the conversation that had been

The youth's face had haunted me. Where had I seen him before. There was something strangely familiar in

every line of him; in his carriage, his manner of speaking, his gestures. I could have sworn that I knew him,

When we reached the gardens of Issus we were led away from the temple instead of toward it. The way

wound through enchanted parks to a mighty wall that towered a hundred feet in air.

Massive gates gave egress upon a small plain, surrounded by the same gorgeous forests that I had seen at the

Crowds of blacks were strolling in the same direction that our guards were leading us, and with them mingled

The brutal beasts moved among the crowd as pet dogs might. If they were in the way the blacks pushed them

roughly to one side, or whacked them with the flat of a sword, and the animals slunk away as in great fear.

Presently we came upon our destination, a great amphitheatre situated at the further edge of the plain, and

Through a massive arched gateway the blacks poured in to take their seats, while our guards led us to a

Through this we passed into an enclosure beneath the seats, where we found a number of other prisoners

herded together under guard. Some of them were in irons, but for the most part they seemed sufficiently awed

by the presence of their guards to preclude any possibility of attempted escape.

During the trip from Shador I had had no opportunity to talk with my fellowprisoner, but now that we were

safely within the barred paddock our guards abated their watchfulness, with the result that I found myself

able to approach the red Martian youth for whom I felt such a strange attraction.

"What is the object of this assembly?" I asked him. "Are we to fight for the edification of the First Born, or is

"It is a part of the monthly rites of Issus," he replied, "in which black men wash the sins from their souls in

the blood of men from the outer world. If, perchance, the black is killed, it is evidence of his disloyalty to

Issus the unpardonable sin. If he lives through the contest he is held acquitted of the charge that forced the

"The forms of combat vary. A number of us may be pitted together against an equal number, or twice the

number of blacks; or singly we may be sent forth to face wild beasts, or some famous black warrior."

"Freedom, forsooth. The only freedom for us death. None who enters the domains of the First Born ever

leave. If we prove able fighters we are permitted to fight often. If we are not mighty fighters" He shrugged

"Very often," he replied. "It is my only pleasure. Some hundred black devils have I accounted for during

nearly a year of the rites of Issus. My mother would be very proud could she only know how well I have

"Your father must have been a mighty warrior!" I said. "I have known most of the warriors of Barsoom in my

"Come, calots!" cried the rough voice of a guard. "To the slaughter with you," and roughly we were hustled

to the steep incline that led to the chambers far below which let out upon the arena.

The amphitheatre, like all I had ever seen upon Barsoom, was built in a large excavation. Only the highest

seats, which formed the low wall surrounding the pit, were above the level of the ground. The arena itself was

Just beneath the lowest tier of seats was a series of barred cages on a level with the surface of the arena. Into

these we were herded. But, unfortunately, my youthful friend was not of those who occupied a cage with me.

Directly opposite my cage was the throne of Issus. Here the horrid creature squatted, surrounded by a

hundred slave maidens sparkling in jewelled trappings. Brilliant cloths of many hues and strange patterns

formed the soft cushion covering of the dais upon which they reclined about her.

On four sides of the throne and several feet below it stood three solid ranks of heavily armed soldiery, elbow

to elbow. In front of these were the high dignitaries of this mock heavengleaming blacks bedecked with

precious stones, upon their foreheads the insignia of their rank set in circles of gold.

On both sides of the throne stretched a solid mass of humanity from top to bottom of the amphitheatre. There

were as many women as men, and each was clothed in the wondrously wrought harness of his station and his

house. With each black was from one to three slaves, drawn from the domains of the therns and from the

outer world. The blacks are all "noble." There is no peasantry among the First Born. Even the lowest soldier

The First Born do no work. The men fightthat is a sacred privilege and duty; to fight and die for Issus. The

women do nothing, absolutely nothing. Slaves wash them, slaves dress them, slaves feed them. There are

some, even, who have slaves that talk for them, and I saw one who sat during the rites with closed eyes while

The first event of the day was the Tribute to Issus. It marked the end of those poor unfortunates who had

looked upon the divine glory of the goddess a full year before. There were ten of themsplendid beauties

from the proud courts of mighty Jeddaks and from the temples of the Holy Therns. For a year they had served

in the retinue of Issus; today they were to pay the price of this divine preferment with their lives; tomorrow

A huge black entered the arena with the young women. Carefully he inspected them, felt of their limbs and

poked them in the ribs. Presently he selected one of their number whom he led before the throne of Issus. He

addressed some words to the goddess which I could not hear. Issus nodded her head. The black raised his

hands above his head in token of salute, grasped the girl by the wrist, and dragged her from the arena through

"That was her dinner that old Thabis is taking to the kitchens. Didst not note how carefully he selected the

I growled out my curses on the monster sitting opposite us on the gorgeous throne.

"Fume not," admonished my companion; "you will see far worse than that if you live even a month among

I turned again in time to see the gate of a nearby cage thrown open and three monstrous white apes spring

into the arena. The girls shrank in a frightened group in the centre of the enclosure.

One was on her knees with imploring hands outstretched toward Issus; but the hideous deity only leaned

further forward in keener anticipation of the entertainment to come. At length the apes spied the huddled knot

of terrorstricken maidens and with demoniacal shrieks of bestial frenzy, charged upon them.

A wave of mad fury surged over me. The cruel cowardliness of the powerdrunk creature whose malignant

mind conceived such frightful forms of torture stirred to their uttermost depths my resentment and my

The guard lolled before the unbarred gate of the cage which confined me. What need of bars, indeed, to keep

those poor victims from rushing into the arena which the edict of the gods had appointed as their death place!

A single blow sent the black unconscious to the ground. Snatching up his longsword, I sprang into the

arena. The apes were almost upon the maidens, but a couple of mighty bounds were all my earthly muscles

For an instant silence reigned in the great amphitheatre, then a wild shout arose from the cages of the

doomed. My longsword circled whirring through the air, and a great ape sprawled, headless, at the feet of

The other apes turned now upon me, and as I stood facing them a sullen roar from the audience answered the

wild cheers from the cages. From the tail of my eye I saw a score of guards rushing across the glistening sand

toward me. Then a figure broke from one of the cages behind them. It was the youth whose personality so

"Come, men of the outer world!" he shouted. "Let us make our deaths worth while, and at the back of this

unknown warrior turn this day's Tribute to Issus into an orgy of revenge that will echo through the ages and

cause black skins to blanch at each repetition of the rites of Issus. Come! The racks without your cages are

Without waiting to note the outcome of his plea, he turned and bounded toward me. From every cage that

harboured red men a thunderous shout went up in answer to his exhortation. The inner guards went down

beneath howling mobs, and the cages vomited forth their inmates hot with the lust to kill.

The racks that stood without were stripped of the swords with which the prisoners were to have been armed

to enter their allotted combats, and a swarm of determined warriors sped to our support.

The great apes, towering in all their fifteen feet of height, had gone down before my sword while the charging

guards were still some distance away. Close behind them pursued the youth. At my back were the young

girls, and as it was in their service that I fought, I remained standing there to meet my inevitable death, but

with the determination to give such an account of myself as would long be remembered in the land of the

I noted the marvellous speed of the young red man as he raced after the guards. Never had I seen such speed

in any Martian. His leaps and bounds were little short of those which my earthly muscles had produced to

create such awe and respect on the part of the green Martians into whose hands I had fallen on that longgone

The guards had not reached me when he fell upon them from the rear, and as they turned, thinking from the

fierceness of his onslaught that a dozen were attacking them, I rushed them from my side.

In the rapid fighting that followed I had little chance to note aught else than the movements of my immediate

adversaries, but now and again I caught a fleeting glimpse of a purring sword and a lightly springing figure of

sinewy steel that filled my heart with a strange yearning and a mighty but unaccountable pride.

On the handsome face of the boy a grim smile played, and ever and anon he threw a taunting challenge to the

foes that faced him. In this and other ways his manner of fighting was similar to that which had always

Perhaps it was this vague likeness which made me love the boy, while the awful havoc that his sword played

For my part, I was fighting as I had fought a thousand times beforenow sidestepping a wicked thrust, now

stepping quickly in to let my sword's point drink deep in a foeman's heart, before it buried itself in the throat

We were having a merry time of it, we two, when a great body of Issus' own guards were ordered into the

arena. On they came with fierce cries, while from every side the armed prisoners swarmed upon them.

For half an hour it was as though all hell had broken loose. In the walled confines of the arena we fought in

an inextricable masshowling, cursing, bloodstreaked demons; and ever the sword of the young red man

Slowly and by repeated commands I had succeeded in drawing the prisoners into a rough formation about us,

so that at last we fought formed into a rude circle in the centre of which were the doomed maids.

Many had gone down on both sides, but by far the greater havoc had been wrought in the ranks of the guards

of Issus. I could see messengers running swiftly through the audience, and as they passed the nobles there

unsheathed their swords and sprang into the arena. They were going to annihilate us by force of

I caught a glimpse of Issus leaning far forward upon her throne, her hideous countenance distorted in a horrid

grimace of hate and rage, in which I thought I could distinguish an expression of fear. It was that face that

Quickly I ordered fifty of the prisoners to drop back behind us and form a new circle about the maidens.

Then, turning to those who formed the outer line, I cried, "Down with Issus! Follow me to the throne; we will

The youth at my side was the first to take up the cry of "Down with Issus!" and then at my back and from all

As one man we moved, an irresistible fighting mass, over the bodies of dead and dying foes toward the

gorgeous throne of the Martian deity. Hordes of the doughtiest fightingmen of the First Born poured from

the audience to check our progress. We mowed them down before us as they had been paper men.

"To the seats, some of you!" I cried as we approached the arena's barrier wall. "Ten of us can take the

throne," for I had seen that Issus' guards had for the most part entered the fray within the arena.

On both sides of me the prisoners broke to left and right for the seats, vaulting the low wall with dripping

In another moment the entire amphitheatre was filled with the shrieks of the dying and the wounded, mingled

Side by side the young red man and I, with perhaps a dozen others, fought our way to the foot of the throne.

The remaining guards, reinforced by the high dignitaries and nobles of the First Born, closed in between us

and Issus, who sat leaning far forward upon her carved sorapus bench, now screaming highpitched

commands to her following, now hurling blighting curses upon those who sought to desecrate her godhood.

The frightened slaves about her trembled in wideeyed expectancy, knowing not whether to pray for our

victory or our defeat. Several among them, proud daughters no doubt of some of Barsoom's noblest warriors,

snatched swords from the hands of the fallen and fell upon the guards of Issus, but they were soon cut down;

The men with us fought well, but never since Tars Tarkas and I fought out that long, hot afternoon shoulder

to shoulder against the hordes of Warhoon in the dead sea bottom before Thark, had I seen two men fight to

such good purpose and with such unconquerable ferocity as the young red man and I fought that day before

Man by man those who stood between us and the carven sorapus wood bench went down before our blades.

Others swarmed in to fill the breach, but inch by inch, foot by foot we won nearer and nearer to our goal.

Presently a cry went up from a section of the stands near by"Rise slaves!" "Rise slaves!" it rose and fell

until it swelled to a mighty volume of sound that swept in great billows around the entire amphitheatre.

For an instant, as though by common assent, we ceased our fighting to look for the meaning of this new note

nor did it take but a moment to translate its significance. In all parts of the structure the female slaves were

falling upon their masters with whatever weapon came first to hand. A dagger snatched from the harness of

her mistress was waved aloft by some fair slave, its shimmering blade crimson with the lifeblood of its

owner; swords plucked from the bodies of the dead about them; heavy ornaments which could be turned into

bludgeonssuch were the implements with which these fair women wreaked the longpent vengeance

which at best could but partially recompense them for the unspeakable cruelties and indignities which their

black masters had heaped upon them. And those who could find no other weapons used their strong fingers

It was at once a sight to make one shudder and to cheer; but in a brief second we were engaged once more in

our own battle with only the unquenchable battle cry of the women to remind us that they still fought"Rise

Only a single thin rank of men now stood between us and Issus. Her face was blue with terror. Foam flecked

her lips. She seemed too paralysed with fear to move. Only the youth and I fought now. The others all had

fallen, and I was like to have gone down too from a nasty longsword cut had not a hand reached out from

behind my adversary and clutched his elbow as the blade was falling upon me. The youth sprang to my side

and ran his sword through the fellow before he could recover to deliver another blow.

I should have died even then but for that as my sword was tight wedged in the breastbone of a Dator of the

First Born. As the fellow went down I snatched his sword from him and over his prostrate body looked into

the eyes of the one whose quick hand had saved me from the first cut of his swordit was Phaidor, daughter

"Fly, my Prince!" she cried. "It is useless to fight them longer. All within the arena are dead. All who charged

the throne are dead but you and this youth. Only among the seats are there left any of your fightingmen, and

they and the slave women are fast being cut down. Listen! You can scarce hear the battlecry of the women

now for nearly all are dead. For each one of you there are ten thousand blacks within the domains of the First

Born. Break for the open and the sea of Korus. With your mighty sword arm you may yet win to the Golden

Cliffs and the templed gardens of the Holy Therns. There tell your story to Matai Shang, my father. He will

keep you, and together you may find a way to rescue me. Fly while there is yet a bare chance for flight."

But that was not my mission, nor could I see much to be preferred in the cruel hospitality of the Holy Therns

"Down with Issus!" I shouted, and together the boy and I took up the fight once more. Two blacks went down

with our swords in their vitals, and we stood face to face with Issus. As my sword went up to end her horrid

career her paralysis left her, and with an earpiercing shriek she turned to flee. Directly behind her a black

gulf suddenly yawned in the flooring of the dais. She sprang for the opening with the youth and I close at her

heels. Her scattered guard rallied at her cry and rushed for us. A blow fell upon the head of the youth. He

staggered and would have fallen, but I caught him in my left arm and turned to face an infuriated mob of

religious fanatics crazed by the affront I had put upon their goddess, just as Issus disappeared into the black

For an instant I stood there before they fell upon me, but the first rush of them forced me back a step or two.

My foot felt for the floor but found only empty space. I had backed into the pit which had received Issus. For

a second I toppled there upon the brink. Then I too with the boy still tightly clutched in my arms pitched

We struck a polished chute, the opening above us closed as magically as it had opened, and we shot down,

As I rose to my feet the first thing I saw was the malignant countenance of Issus glaring at me through the

"Rash mortal!" she shrilled. "You shall pay the awful penalty for your blasphemy in this secret cell. Here you

shall lie alone and in darkness with the carcass of your accomplice festering in its rottenness by your side,

until crazed by loneliness and hunger you feed upon the crawling maggots that were once a man."

That was all. In another instant she was gone, and the dim light which had filled the cell faded into

"'Tis I, your companion, who has had the honour this day of fighting shoulder to shoulder with the greatest

"I thank God that you are not dead," I said. "I feared for that nasty cut upon your head."

"Maybe it were as well had it been final," I said. "We seem to be in a pretty fix here with a splendid chance of

"Beneath the arena," I replied. "We tumbled down the shaft that swallowed Issus as she was almost at our

He laughed a low laugh of pleasure and relief, and then reaching out through the inky blackness he sought my

"Nothing could be better," he whispered. "There are secrets within the secrets of Issus of which Issus herself

"I laboured with the other slaves a year since in the remodelling of these subterranean galleries, and at that

time we found below these an ancient system of corridors and chambers that had been sealed up for ages. The

blacks in charge of the work explored them, taking several of us along to do whatever work there might be

"There are miles of corridors honeycombing the ground beneath the gardens and the temple itself, and there is

one passage that leads down to and connects with the lower regions that open on the water shaft that gives

"If we can reach the submarine undetected we may yet make the sea in which there are many islands where

the blacks never go. There we may live for a time, and who knows what may transpire to aid us to escape?"

He had spoken all in a low whisper, evidently fearing spying ears even here, and so I answered him in the

"Lead back to Shador, my friend," I whispered. "Xodar, the black, is there. We were to attempt our escape

"No," said the boy, "one cannot desert a friend. It were better to be recaptured ourselves than that."

Then he commenced groping his way about the floor of the dark chamber searching for the trap that led to the

corridors beneath. At length he summoned me by a low, "Sst," and I crept toward the sound of his voice to

"There is a drop here of about ten feet," he whispered. "Hang by your hands and you will alight safely on a

Very quietly I lowered myself from the inky cell above into the inky pit below. So utterly dark was it that we

could not see our hands at an inch from our noses. Never, I think, have I known such complete absence of

For an instant I hung in mid air. There is a strange sensation connected with an experience of that nature

which is quite difficult to describe. When the feet tread empty air and the distance below is shrouded in

darkness there is a feeling akin to panic at the thought of releasing the hold and taking the plunge into

Although the boy had told me that it was but ten feet to the floor below I experienced the same thrills as

though I were hanging above a bottomless pit. Then I released my hold and droppedfour feet to a soft

This done he took me by the hand, leading me very slowly, with much feeling about and frequent halts to

"It will not be long," he said, "before we shall have light. At the lower levels we meet the same strata of

Never shall I forget that trip through the pits of Issus. While it was devoid of important incidents yet it was

filled for me with a strange charm of excitement and adventure which I think I must have hinged principally

on the unguessable antiquity of these longforgotten corridors. The things which the Stygian darkness hid

from my objective eye could not have been half so wonderful as the pictures which my imagination wrought

as it conjured to life again the ancient peoples of this dying world and set them once more to the labours, the

intrigues, the mysteries and the cruelties which they had practised to make their last stand against the

swarming hordes of the dead sea bottoms that had driven them step by step to the uttermost pinnacle of the

world where they were now intrenched behind an impenetrable barrier of superstition.

In addition to the green men there had been three principal races upon Barsoom. The blacks, the whites, and a

race of yellow men. As the waters of the planet dried and the seas receded, all other resources dwindled until

The various races had made war upon one another for ages, and the three higher types had easily bested the

green savages of the water places of the world, but now that the receding seas necessitated constant

abandonment of their fortified cities and forced upon them a more or less nomadic life in which they became

separated into smaller communities they soon fell prey to the fierce hordes of green men. The result was a

partial amalgamation of the blacks, whites and yellows, the result of which is shown in the present splendid

I had always supposed that all traces of the original races had disappeared from the face of Mars, yet within

the past four days I had found both whites and blacks in great multitudes. Could it be possible that in some

faroff corner of the planet there still existed a remnant of the ancient race of yellow men?

"At last, the lighted way," he cried, and looking up I beheld at a long distance before us a dim radiance.

As we advanced the light increased until presently we emerged into welllighted passageways. From then on

our progress was rapid until we came suddenly to the end of a corridor that let directly upon the ledge

The craft lay at her moorings with uncovered hatch. Raising his finger to his lips and then tapping his sword

in a significant manner, the youth crept noiselessly toward the vessel. I was close at his heels.

Silently we dropped to the deserted deck, and on hands and knees crawled toward the hatchway. A stealthy

glance below revealed no guard in sight, and so with the quickness and the soundlessness of cats we dropped

together into the main cabin of the submarine. Even here was no sign of life. Quickly we covered and secured

Then the boy stepped into the pilot house, touched a button and the boat sank amid swirling waters toward

the bottom of the shaft. Even then there was no scurrying of feet as we had expected, and while the boy

remained to direct the boat I slid from cabin to cabin in futile search for some member of the crew. The craft

When I returned to the pilot house to report the good news to my companion he handed me a paper.

"The slaves have risen. Come with what men you have and those that you can gather on the way. Too late to

get aid from Omean. They are massacring all within the amphitheatre. Issus is threatened. Haste.

"Zithad is Dator of the guards of Issus," explained the youth. "We gave them a bad scareone that they will

We reached the submarine pool in Omean without incident. Here we debated the wisdom of sinking the craft

before leaving her, but finally decided that it would add nothing to our chances for escape. There were plenty

of blacks on Omean to thwart us were we apprehended; however many more might come from the temples

We were now in a quandary as to how to pass the guards who patrolled the island about the pool. At last I hit

"What is the name or title of the officer in charge of these guards?" I asked the boy.

That will be the simpler way to return," I said, smiling, as I handed the forged order to the boy. "Come, we

"Since we cannot explain them we shall have to leave them behind us," I replied.

"Is it not the extreme of rashness to thus put ourselves again, unarmed, in the power of the First Born?"

"It is the only way," I answered. "You may trust me to find a way out of the prison of Shador, and I think,

once out, that we shall find no great difficulty in arming ourselves once more in a country which abounds so

"As you say," he replied with a smile and shrug. "I could not follow another leader who inspired greater

Boldly we emerged from the hatchway of the craft, leaving our swords behind us, and strode to the main exit

At sight of us the members of the guard sprang forward in surprise, and with levelled rifles halted us. I held

out the message to one of them. He took it and seeing to whom it was addressed turned and handed it to

"Where is Dator Yersted?" he asked, and my heart sank within me, as I cursed myself for a stupid fool in not

Torith took a half step toward the entrance to the pool as though to corroborate my story. For that instant

everything hung in the balance, for had he done so and found the empty submarine still lying at her wharf the

whole weak fabric of my concoction would have tumbled about our heads; but evidently he decided the

message must be genuine, nor indeed was there any good reason to doubt it since it would scarce have

seemed credible to him that two slaves would voluntarily have given themselves into custody in any such

manner as this. It was the very boldness of the plan which rendered it successful.

"Were you connected with the rising of the slaves?" asked Torith. "We have just had meagre reports of some

"All were involved," I replied. "But it amounted to little. The guards quickly overcame and killed the

He seemed satisfied with this reply. "Take them to Shador," he ordered, turning to one of his subordinates.

We entered a small boat lying beside the island, and in a few minutes were disembarking upon Shador. Here

we were returned to our respective cells; I with Xodar, the boy by himself; and behind locked doors we were

Xodar listened in incredulous astonishment to my narration of the events which had transpired within the

arena at the rites of Issus. He could scarce conceive, even though he had already professed his doubt as to the

deity of Issus, that one could threaten her with sword in hand and not be blasted into a thousand fragments by

"It is the final proof," he said, at last. "No more is needed to completely shatter the last remnant of my

superstitious belief in the divinity of Issus. She is only a wicked old woman, wielding a mighty power for evil

through machinations that have kept her own people and all Barsoom in religious ignorance for ages."

"She is still allpowerful here, however," I replied. "So it behooves us to leave at the first moment that

"I hope that you may find a propitious moment," he said, with a laugh, "for it is certain that in all my life I

"No slimy silian that haunts the depths of Korus is more at home in water than is Xodar," he replied.

"Good. The red one in all probability cannot swim," I said, "since there is scarce enough water in all their

domains to float the tiniest craft. One of us therefore will have to support him through the sea to the craft we

select. I had hoped that we might make the entire distance below the surface, but I fear that the red youth

could not thus perform the trip. Even the bravest of the brave among them are terrorized at the mere thought

of deep water, for it has been ages since their forebears saw a lake, a river or a sea."

"It is well. Three swords are better than two. Especially when the third is as mighty as this fellow's. I have

seen him battle in the arena at the rites of Issus many times. Never, until I saw you fight, had I seen one who

seemed unconquerable even in the face of great odds. One might think you two master and pupil, or father

and son. Come to recall his face there is a resemblance between you. It is very marked when you fightthere

is the same grim smile, the same maddening contempt for your adversary apparent in every movement of

"Be that as it may, Xodar, he is a great fighter. I think that we will make a trio difficult to overcome, and if

my friend Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark, were but one of us we could fight our way from one end of Barsoom

"It will be," said Xodar, "when they find from whence you have come. That is but one of the superstitions

which Issus has foisted upon a credulous humanity. She works through the Holy Therns who are as ignorant

of her real self as are the Barsoomians of the outer world. Her decrees are borne to the therns written in blood

upon a strange parchment. The poor deluded fools think that they are receiving the revelations of a goddess

through some supernatural agency, since they find these messages upon their guarded altars to which none

could have access without detection. I myself have borne these messages for Issus for many years. There is a

long tunnel from the temple of Issus to the principal temple of Matai Shang. It was dug ages ago by the slaves

of the First Born in such utter secrecy that no thern ever guessed its existence.

"The therns for their part have temples dotted about the entire civilized world. Here priests whom the people

never see communicate the doctrine of the Mysterious River Iss, the Valley Dor, and the Lost Sea of Korus to

persuade the poor deluded creatures to take the voluntary pilgrimage that swells the wealth of the Holy

"Thus the therns are used as the principal means for collecting the wealth and labour that the First Born wrest

from them as they need it. Occasionally the First Born themselves make raids upon the outer world. It is then

that they capture many females of the royal houses of the red men, and take the newest in battleships and the

"We are a nonproductive race, priding ourselves upon our nonproductiveness. It is criminal for a First

Born to labour or invent. That is the work of the lower orders, who live merely that the First Born may enjoy

long lives of luxury and idleness. With us fighting is all that counts; were it not for that there would be more

of the First Born than all the creatures of Barsoom could support, for in so far as I know none of us ever dies

a natural death. Our females would live for ever but for the fact that we tire of them and remove them to

make place for others. Issus alone of all is protected against death. She has lived for countless ages."

"Would not the other Barsoomians live for ever but for the doctrine of the voluntary pilgrimage which drags

"I feel now that there is no doubt but that they are precisely the same species of creature as the First Born,

and I hope that I shall live to fight for them in atonement of the sins I have committed against them through

As he ceased speaking a weird call rang out across the waters of Omean. I had heard it at the same time the

previous evening and knew that it marked the ending of the day, when the men of Omean spread their silks

upon the deck of battleship and cruiser and fall into the dreamless sleep of Mars.

Our guard entered to inspect us for the last time before the new day broke upon the world above. His duty

was soon performed and the heavy door of our prison closed behind him we were alone for the night.

I gave him time to return to his quarters, as Xodar said he probably would do, then I sprang to the grated

window and surveyed the nearby waters. At a little distance from the island, a quarter of a mile perhaps, lay a

monster battleship, while between her and the shore were a number of smaller cruisers and oneman scouts.

Upon the battleship alone was there a watch. I could see him plainly in the upper works of the ship, and as I

watched I saw him spread his sleeping silks upon the tiny platform in which he was stationed. Soon he threw

himself at full length upon his couch. The discipline on Omean was lax indeed. But it is not to be wondered

at since no enemy guessed the existence upon Barsoom of such a fleet, or even of the First Born, or the Sea of

Presently I dropped to the floor again and talked with Xodar, describing the various craft I had seen.

"There is one there," he said, "my personal property, built to carry five men, that is the swiftest of the swift. If

we can board her we can at least make a memorable run for liberty," and then he went on to describe to me

the equipment of the boat; her engines, and all that went to make her the flier that she was.

In his explanation I recognized a trick of gearing that Kantos Kan had taught me that time we sailed under

false names in the navy of Zodanga beneath Sab Than, the Prince. And I knew then that the First Born had

stolen it from the ships of Helium, for only they are thus geared. And I knew too that Xodar spoke the truth

when he lauded the speed of his little craft, for nothing that cleaves the thin air of Mars can approximate the

We decided to wait for an hour at least until all the stragglers had sought their silks. In the meantime I was to

fetch the red youth to our cell so that we would be in readiness to make our rash break for freedom together.

I sprang to the top of our partition wall and pulled myself up on to it. There I found a flat surface about a foot

in width and along this I walked until I came to the cell in which I saw the boy sitting upon his bench. He had

been leaning back against the wall looking up at the glowing dome above Omean, and when he spied me

balancing upon the partition wall above him his eyes opened wide in astonishment. Then a wide grin of

As I stooped to drop to the floor beside him he motioned me to wait, and coming close below me whispered:

"Catch my hand; I can almost leap to the top of that wall myself. I have tried it many times, and each day I

I lay upon my belly across the wall and reached my hand far down toward him. With a little run from the

centre of the cell he sprang up until I grasped his outstretched hand, and thus I pulled him to the wall's top

Together we returned to the cell in which Xodar sat; descending to talk with him until the hour had passed.

There we made our plans for the immediate future, binding ourselves by a solemn oath to fight to the death

for one another against whatsoever enemies should confront us, for we knew that even should we succeed in

escaping the First Born we might still have a whole world against usthe power of religious superstition is

It was agreed that I should navigate the craft after we had reached her, and that if we made the outer world in

He gave me a peculiar look, but said nothing further on the subject. I wondered at the time what the

significance of his expression might be, but in the press of other matters it soon left my mind, nor did I have

Another moment found me at the top of the partition wall again with the boy beside me. Unbuckling my

harness I snapped it together with a single long strap which I lowered to the waiting Xodar below. He grasped

"The balance should be even simpler," I replied. Then I raised myself to the top of the outer wall of the

prison, just so that I could peer over and locate the passing sentry. For a matter of five minutes I waited and

I watched him until he had made the turn at the end of the building which carried him out of sight of the side

of the prison that was to witness our dash for freedom. The moment his form disappeared I grasped Xodar

and drew him to the top of the wall. Placing one end of my harness strap in his hands I lowered him quickly

to the ground below. Then the boy grasped the strap and slid down to Xodar's side.

In accordance with our arrangement they did not wait for me, but walked slowly toward the water, a matter of

They had taken scarce a dozen steps when I too dropped to the ground and followed them leisurely toward

the shore. As I passed the guardhouse the thought of all the good blades lying there gave me pause, for if

ever men were to have need of swords it was my companions and I on the perilous trip upon which we were

I glanced toward Xodar and the youth and saw that they had slipped over the edge of the dock into the water.

In accordance with our plan they were to remain there clinging to the metal rings which studded the

concretelike substance of the dock at the water's level, with only their mouths and noses above the surface

The lure of the swords within the guardhouse was strong upon me, and I hesitated a moment, half inclined

to risk the attempt to take the few we needed. That he who hesitates is lost proved itself a true aphorism in

this instance, for another moment saw me creeping stealthily toward the door of the guardhouse.

Gently I pressed it open a crack; enough to discover a dozen blacks stretched upon their silks in profound

slumber. At the far side of the room a rack held the swords and firearms of the men. Warily I pushed the door

a trifle wider to admit my body. A hinge gave out a resentful groan. One of the men stirred, and my heart

stood still. I cursed myself for a fool to have thus jeopardized our chances for escape; but there was nothing

With a spring as swift and as noiseless as a tiger's I lit beside the guardsman who had moved. My hands

hovered about his throat awaiting the moment that his eyes should open. For what seemed an eternity to my

overwrought nerves I remained poised thus. Then the fellow turned again upon his side and resumed the even

Carefully I picked my way between and over the soldiers until I had gained the rack at the far side of the

room. Here I turned to survey the sleeping men. All were quiet. Their regular breathing rose and fell in a

Gingerly I drew a longsword from the rack. The scraping of the scabbard against its holder as I withdrew it

sounded like the filing of cast iron with a great rasp, and I looked to see the room immediately filled with

The second sword I withdrew noiselessly, but the third clanked in its scabbard with a frightful din. I knew

that it must awaken some of the men at least, and was on the point of forestalling their attack by a rapid

charge for the doorway, when again, to my intense surprise, not a black moved. Either they were wondrous

heavy sleepers or else the noises that I made were really much less than they seemed to me.

I was about to leave the rack when my attention was attracted by the revolvers. I knew that I could not carry

more than one away with me, for I was already too heavily laden to move quietly with any degree of safety or

speed. As I took one of them from its pin my eye fell for the first time on an open window beside the rack.

Ah, here was a splendid means of escape, for it let directly upon the dock, not twenty feet from the water's

And as I congratulated myself, I heard the door opposite me open, and there looking me full in the face stood

the officer of the guard. He evidently took in the situation at a glance and appreciated the gravity of it as

quickly as I, for our revolvers came up simultaneously and the sounds of the two reports were as one as we

I felt the wind of his bullet as it whizzed past my ear, and at the same instant I saw him crumple to the

ground. Where I hit him I do not know, nor if I killed him, for scarce had he started to collapse when I was

through the window at my rear. In another second the waters of Omean closed above my head, and the three

Xodar was burdened with the boy, and I with the three longswords. The revolver I had dropped, so that

while we were both strong swimmers it seemed to me that we moved at a snail's pace through the water. I

was swimming entirely beneath the surface, but Xodar was compelled to rise often to let the youth breathe, so

In fact we reached the boat's side and were all aboard before the watch upon the battleship, aroused by the

shots, detected us. Then an alarm gun bellowed from a ship's bow, its deep boom reverberating in deafening

Instantly the sleeping thousands were awake. The decks of a thousand monster craft teemed with

We cast away before the sound of the first gun had died, and another second saw us rising swiftly from the

surface of the sea. I lay at full length along the deck with the levers and buttons of control before me. Xodar

and the boy were stretched directly behind me, prone also that we might offer as little resistance to the air as

"Rise high," whispered Xodar. "They dare not fire their heavy guns toward the domethe fragments of the

shells would drop back among their own craft. If we are high enough our keel plates will protect us from rifle

I did as he bade. Below us we could see the men leaping into the water by hundreds, and striking out for the

small cruisers and oneman fliers that lay moored about the big ships. The larger craft were getting under

"A little to your right," cried Xodar, for there are no points of compass upon Omean where every direction is

The pandemonium that had broken out below us was deafening. Rifles cracked, officers shouted orders, men

yelled directions to one another from the water and from the decks of myriad boats, while through all ran the

I had not dared pull my speed lever to the highest for fear of overrunning the mouth of the shaft that passed

from Omean's dome to the world above, but even so we were hitting a clip that I doubt has ever been equalled

The smaller fliers were commencing to rise toward us when Xodar shouted: "The shaft! The shaft! Dead

ahead," and I saw the opening, black and yawning in the glowing dome of this underworld.

A tenman cruiser was rising directly in front to cut off our escape. It was the only vessel that stood in our

way, but at the rate that it was traveling it would come between us and the shaft in plenty of time to thwart

It was rising at an angle of about fortyfive degrees dead ahead of us, with the evident intention of combing

There was but one forlorn hope for us, and I took it. It was useless to try to pass over her, for that would have

allowed her to force us against the rocky dome above, and we were already too near that as it was. To have

attempted to dive below her would have put us entirely at her mercy, and precisely where she wanted us. On

either side a hundred other menacing craft were hastening toward us. The alternative was filled with riskin

As we neared the cruiser I rose as though to pass above her, so that she would do just what she did do, rise at

a steeper angle to force me still higher. Then as we were almost upon her I yelled to my companions to hold

tight, and throwing the little vessel into her highest speed I deflected her bows at the same instant until we

were running horizontally and at terrific velocity straight for the cruiser's keel.

Her commander may have seen my intentions then, but it was too late. Almost at the instant of impact I

turned my bows upward, and then with a shattering jolt we were in collision. What I had hoped for happened.

The cruiser, already tilted at a perilous angle, was carried completely over backward by the impact of my

smaller vessel. Her crew fell twisting and screaming through the air to the water far below, while the cruiser,

her propellers still madly churning, dived swiftly headforemost after them to the bottom of the Sea of Omean.

The collision crushed our steel bows, and notwithstanding every effort on our part came near to hurling us

from the deck. As it was we landed in a wildly clutching heap at the very extremity of the flier, where Xodar

and I succeeded in grasping the handrail, but the boy would have plunged overboard had I not fortunately

Unguided, our vessel careened wildly in its mad flight, rising ever nearer the rocks above. It took but an

instant, however, for me to regain the levers, and with the roof barely fifty feet above I turned her nose once

more into the horizontal plane and headed her again for the black mouth of the shaft.

The collision had retarded our progress and now a hundred swift scouts were close upon us. Xodar had told

me that ascending the shaft by virtue of our repulsive rays alone would give our enemies their best chance to

overtake us, since our propellers would be idle and in rising we would be outclassed by many of our pursuers.

The swifter craft are seldom equipped with large buoyancy tanks, since the added bulk of them tends to

As many boats were now quite close to us it was inevitable that we would be quickly overhauled in the shaft,

To me there always seems a way to gain the opposite side of an obstacle. If one cannot pass over it, or below

it, or around it, why then there is but a single alternative left, and that is to pass through it. I could not get

around the fact that many of these other boats could rise faster than ours by the fact of their greater buoyancy,

but I was none the less determined to reach the outer world far in advance of them or die a death of my own

"Reverse?" screamed Xodar, behind me. "For the love of your first ancestor, reverse. We are at the shaft."

"Hold tight!" I screamed in reply. "Grasp the boy and hold tightwe are going straight up the shaft."

The words were scarce out of my mouth as we swept beneath the pitchblack opening. I threw the bow hard

up, dragged the speed lever to its last notch, and clutching a stanchion with one hand and the steeringwheel

I heard a little exclamation of surprise from Xodar, followed by a grim laugh. The boy laughed too and said

something which I could not catch for the whistling of the wind of our awful speed.

I looked above my head, hoping to catch the gleam of stars by which I could direct our course and hold the

hurtling thing that bore us true to the centre of the shaft. To have touched the side at the speed we were

making would doubtless have resulted in instant death for us all. But not a star showed aboveonly utter and

Then I glanced below me, and there I saw a rapidly diminishing circle of lightthe mouth of the opening

above the phosphorescent radiance of Omean. By this I steered, endeavouring to keep the circle of light

below me ever perfect. At best it was but a slender cord that held us from destruction, and I think that I

We were not long in the shaft, and possibly the very fact of our enormous speed saved us, for evidently we

started in the right direction and so quickly were we out again that we had no time to alter our course. Omean

lies perhaps two miles below the surface crust of Mars. Our speed must have approximated two hundred

miles an hour, for Martian fliers are swift, so that at most we were in the shaft not over forty seconds.

We must have been out of it for some seconds before I realised that we had accomplished the impossible.

Black darkness enshrouded all about us. There were neither moons nor stars. Never before had I seen such a

thing upon Mars, and for the moment I was nonplussed. Then the explanation came to me. It was summer at

the south pole. The ice cap was melting and those meteoric phenomena, clouds, unknown upon the greater

part of Barsoom, were shutting out the light of heaven from this portion of the planet.

Fortunate indeed it was for us, nor did it take me long to grasp the opportunity for escape which this happy

condition offered us. Keeping the boat's nose at a stiff angle I raced her for the impenetrable curtain which

Nature had hung above this dying world to shut us out from the sight of our pursuing enemies.

We plunged through the cold camp fog without diminishing our speed, and in a moment emerged into the

glorious light of the two moons and the million stars. I dropped into a horizontal course and headed due

north. Our enemies were a good halfhour behind us with no conception of our direction. We had performed

the miraculous and come through a thousand dangers unscathedwe had escaped from the land of the First

Born. No other prisoners in all the ages of Barsoom had done this thing, and now as I looked back upon it it

"It is very wonderful, nevertheless," he replied. "No one else could have accomplished it but John Carter."

"John Carter!" he cried. "John Carter! Why, man, John Carter, Prince of Helium, has been dead for years. I

My son! I could not believe my ears. Slowly I rose and faced the handsome youth. Now that I looked at him

closely I commenced to see why his face and personality had attracted me so strongly. There was much of his

mother's incomparable beauty in his clearcut features, but it was strongly masculine beauty, and his grey

"Tell me of your mother," I said. "Tell me all you can of the years that I have been robbed by a relentless fate

With a cry of pleasure he sprang toward me and threw his arms about my neck, and for a brief moment as I

held my boy close to me the tears welled to my eyes and I was like to have choked after the manner of some

maudlin foolbut I do not regret it, nor am I ashamed. A long life has taught me that a man may seem weak

where women and children are concerned and yet be anything but a weakling in the sterner avenues of life.

"Your stature, your manner, the terrible ferocity of your swordsmanship," said the boy, "are as my mother has

described them to me a thousand timesbut even with such evidence I could scarce credit the truth of what

seemed so improbable to me, however much I desired it to be true. Do you know what thing it was that

"Your first words to methey were of my mother. None else but the man who loved her as she has told me

"For long years, my son, I can scarce recall a moment that the radiant vision of your mother's face has not

"Those who have known her longest say that she has not changed, unless it be to grow more beautifulwere

that possible. Only, when she thinks I am not about to see her, her face grows very sad, and, oh, so wistful.

She thinks ever of you, my father, and all Helium mourns with her and for her. Her grandfather's people love

her. They loved you also, and fairly worship your memory as the saviour of Barsoom.

"Each year that brings its anniversary of the day that saw you racing across a near dead world to unlock the

secret of that awful portal behind which lay the mighty power of life for countless millions a great festival is

held in your honour; but there are tears mingled with the thanksgivingtears of real regret that the author of

the happiness is not with them to share the joy of living he died to give them. Upon all Barsoom there is no

"The people of Helium asked that I be named with my father's name, but my mother said no, that you and she

had chosen a name for me together, and that your wish must be honoured before all others, so the name that

she called me is the one that you desired, a combination of hers and yoursCarthoris."

"She is dropping badly by the head, John Carter," he said. "So long as we were rising at a stiff angle it was

not noticeable, but now that I am trying to keep a horizontal course it is different. The wound in her bow has

It was true, and after I had examined the damage I found it a much graver matter than I had anticipated. Not

only was the forced angle at which we were compelled to maintain the bow in order to keep a horizontal

course greatly impeding our speed, but at the rate that we were losing our repulsive rays from the forward

tanks it was but a question of an hour or more when we would be floating stern up and helpless.

We had slightly reduced our speed with the dawning of a sense of security, but now I took the helm once

more and pulled the noble little engine wide open, so that again we raced north at terrific velocity. In the

meantime Carthoris and Xodar with tools in hand were puttering with the great rent in the bow in a hopeless

It was still dark when we passed the northern boundary of the ice cap and the area of clouds. Below us lay a

typical Martian landscape. Rolling ochre sea bottom of long dead seas, low surrounding hills, with here and

there the grim and silent cities of the dead past; great piles of mighty architecture tenanted only by ageold

It was becoming more and more difficult to maintain our little vessel in a horizontal position. Lower and

lower sagged the bow until it became necessary to stop the engine to prevent our flight terminating in a swift

As the sun rose and the light of a new day swept away the darkness of night our craft gave a final spasmodic

plunge, turned half upon her side, and then with deck tilting at a sickening angle swung in a slow circle, her

To handrail and stanchion we clung, and finally as we saw the end approaching, snapped the buckles of our

harness to the rings at her sides. In another moment the deck reared at an angle of ninety degrees and we

I was swinging quite close to the controlling devices, so I reached out to the lever that directed the rays of

repulsion. The boat responded to the touch, and very gently we began to sink toward the ground.

It was fully half an hour before we touched. Directly north of us rose a rather lofty range of hills, toward

which we decided to make our way, since they afforded greater opportunity for concealment from the

An hour later found us in the timerounded gullies of the hills, amid the beautiful flowering plants that

abound in the arid waste places of Barsoom. There we found numbers of huge milkgiving shrubsthat

strange plant which serves in great part as food and drink for the wild hordes of green men. It was indeed a

Beneath a cluster of these which afforded perfect concealment from wandering air scouts, we lay down to

sleepfor me the first time in many hours. This was the beginning of my fifth day upon Barsoom since I had

found myself suddenly translated from my cottage on the Hudson to Dor, the valley beautiful, the valley

hideous. In all this time I had slept but twice, though once the clock around within the storehouse of the

It was midafternoon when I was awakened by some one seizing my hand and covering it with kisses. With a

"My Prince! My Prince!" she cried, in an ecstasy of happiness. "'Tis you whom I had mourned as dead. My

The girl's voice awoke Xodar and Carthoris. The boy gazed upon the woman in surprise, but she did not seem

to realize the presence of another than I. She would have thrown her arms about my neck and smothered me

"Come, come, Thuvia," I said soothingly; "you are overwrought by the danger and hardships you have passed

through. You forget yourself, as you forget that I am the husband of the Princess of Helium."

"I forget nothing, my Prince," she replied. "You have spoken no word of love to me, nor do I expect that you

ever shall; but nothing can prevent me loving you. I would not take the place of Dejah Thoris. My greatest

ambition is to serve you, my Prince, for ever as your slave. No greater boon could I ask, no greater honour

As I have before said, I am no ladies' man, and I must admit that I seldom have felt so uncomfortable and

embarrassed as I did that moment. While I was quite familiar with the Martian custom which allows female

slaves to Martian men, whose high and chivalrous honour is always ample protection for every woman in his

"And I ever return to Helium, Thuvia," I said, "you shall go with me, but as an honoured equal, and not as a

slave. There you shall find plenty of handsome young nobles who would face Issus herself to win a smile

from you, and we shall have you married in short order to one of the best of them. Forget your foolish

gratitudebegotten infatuation, which your innocence has mistaken for love. I like your friendship better,

"You are my master; it shall be as you say," she replied simply, but there was a note of sadness in her voice.

"The great Thark, I fear, is dead," she replied sadly. "He was a mighty fighter, but a multitude of green

warriors of another horde than his overwhelmed him. The last that I saw of him they were bearing him,

wounded and bleeding, to the deserted city from which they had sallied to attack us."

"You are not sure that he is dead, then?" I asked. "And where is this city of which you speak?"

"It is just beyond this range of hills. The vessel in which you so nobly resigned a place that we might find

escape defied our small skill in navigation, with the result that we drifted aimlessly about for two days. Then

we decided to abandon the craft and attempt to make our way on foot to the nearest waterway. Yesterday we

crossed these hills and came upon the dead city beyond. We had passed within its streets and were walking

toward the central portion, when at an intersecting avenue we saw a body of green warriors approaching.

"Tars Tarkas was in advance, and they saw him, but me they did not see. The Thark sprang back to my side

and forced me into an adjacent doorway, where he told me to remain in hiding until I could escape, making

"'There will be no escape for me now,' he said, 'for these be the Warhoon of the South. When they have seen

"Then he stepped out to meet them. Ah, my Prince, such fighting! For an hour they swarmed about him, until

the Warhoon dead formed a hill where he had stood; but at last they overwhelmed him, those behind pushing

the foremost upon him until there remained no space to swing his great sword. Then he stumbled and went

down and they rolled over him like a huge wave. When they carried him away toward the heart of the city, he

"Before we go farther we must be sure," I said. "I cannot leave Tars Tarkas alive among the Warhoons.

"Neither one of you shall go," I replied. "It is work that requires stealth and strategy, not force. One man

alone may succeed where more would invite disaster. I shall go alone. If I need your help, I will return for

They did not like it, but both were good soldiers, and it had been agreed that I should command. The sun

already was low, so that I did not have long to wait before the sudden darkness of Barsoom engulfed us.

With a parting word of instructions to Carthoris and Xodar, in case I should not return, I bade them all

As I emerged from the hills the nearer moon was winging its wild flight through the heavens, its bright beams

turning to burnished silver the barbaric splendour of the ancient metropolis. The city had been built upon the

gently rolling foothills that in the dim and distant past had sloped down to meet the sea. It was due to this fact

The green hordes that use these deserted cities seldom occupy more than a few squares about the central

plaza, and as they come and go always across the dead sea bottoms that the cities face, it is usually a matter

Once within the streets, I kept close in the dense shadows of the walls. At intersections I halted a moment to

make sure that none was in sight before I sprang quickly to the shadows of the opposite side. Thus I made the

journey to the vicinity of the plaza without detection. As I approached the purlieus of the inhabited portion of

the city I was made aware of the proximity of the warriors' quarters by the squealing and grunting of the

thoats and zitidars corralled within the hollow courtyards formed by the buildings surrounding each square.

These old familiar sounds that are so distinctive of green Martian life sent a thrill of pleasure surging through

me. It was as one might feel on coming home after a long absence. It was amid such sounds that I had first

courted the incomparable Dejah Thoris in the ageold marble halls of the dead city of Korad.

As I stood in the shadows at the far corner of the first square which housed members of the horde, I saw

warriors emerging from several of the buildings. They all went in the same direction, toward a great building

which stood in the centre of the plaza. My knowledge of green Martian customs convinced me that this was

either the quarters of the principal chieftain or contained the audience chamber wherein the Jeddak met his

jeds and lesser chieftains. In either event, it was evident that something was afoot which might have a bearing

To reach this building, which I now felt it imperative that I do, I must needs traverse the entire length of one

square and cross a broad avenue and a portion of the plaza. From the noises of the animals which came from

every courtyard about me, I knew that there were many people in the surrounding buildingsprobably

To pass undetected among all these people was in itself a difficult task, but if I was to find and rescue the

great Thark I must expect even more formidable obstacles before success could be mine. I had entered the

city from the south and now stood on the corner of the avenue through which I had passed and the first

intersecting avenue south of the plaza. The buildings upon the south side of this square did not appear to be

inhabited, as I could see no lights, and so I decided to gain the inner courtyard through one of them.

Nothing occurred to interrupt my progress through the deserted pile I chose, and I came into the inner court

close to the rear walls of the east buildings without detection. Within the court a great herd of thoats and

zitidars moved restlessly about, cropping the mosslike ochre vegetation which overgrows practically the

entire uncultivated area of Mars. What breeze there was came from the northwest, so there was little danger

that the beasts would scent me. Had they, their squealing and grunting would have grown to such a volume as

Close to the east wall, beneath the overhanging balconies of the second floors, I crept in dense shadows the

full length of the courtyard, until I came to the buildings at the north end. These were lighted for about three

To pass through the lighted rooms was, of course, out of the question, since they swarmed with green Martian

men and women. My only path lay through the upper floors, and to gain these it was necessary to scale the

face of the wall. The reaching of the balcony of the second floor was a matter of easy accomplishmentan

agile leap gave my hands a grasp upon the stone handrail above. In another instant I had drawn myself upon

Here through the open windows I saw the green folk squatting upon their sleeping silks and furs, grunting an

occasional monosyllable, which, in connection with their wondrous telepathic powers, is ample for their

conversational requirements. As I drew closer to listen to their words a warrior entered the room from the hall

"Come, Tan Gama," he cried, "we are to take the Thark before Kab Kadja. Bring another with you."

The warrior addressed arose and, beckoning to a fellow squatting near, the three turned and left the

If I could but follow them the chance might come to free Tars Tarkas at once. At least I would learn the

At my right was a door leading from the balcony into the building. It was at the end of an unlighted hall, and

on the impulse of the moment I stepped within. The hall was broad and led straight through to the front of the

building. On either side were the doorways of the various apartments which lined it.

I had no more than entered the corridor than I saw the three warriors at the other endthose whom I had just

seen leaving the apartment. Then a turn to the right took them from my sight again. Quickly I hastened along

the hallway in pursuit. My gait was reckless, but I felt that Fate had been kind indeed to throw such an

opportunity within my grasp, and I could not afford to allow it to elude me now.

At the far end of the corridor I found a spiral stairway leading to the floors above and below. The three had

evidently left the floor by this avenue. That they had gone down and not up I was sure from my knowledge of

I myself had once been a prisoner of the cruel hordes of northern Warhoon, and the memory of the

underground dungeon in which I lay still is vivid in my memory. And so I felt certain that Tars Tarkas lay in

the dark pits beneath some nearby building, and that in that direction I should find the trail of the three

Nor was I wrong. At the bottom of the runway, or rather at the landing on the floor below, I saw that the shaft

descended into the pits beneath, and as I glanced down the flickering light of a torch revealed the presence of

Down they went toward the pits beneath the structure, and at a safe distance behind I followed the flicker of

their torch. The way led through a maze of tortuous corridors, unlighted save for the wavering light they

carried. We had gone perhaps a hundred yards when the party turned abruptly through a doorway at their

right. I hastened on as rapidly as I dared through the darkness until I reached the point at which they had left

the corridor. There, through an open door, I saw them removing the chains that secured the great Thark, Tars

Hustling him roughly between them, they came immediately from the chamber, so quickly in fact that I was

near to being apprehended. But I managed to run along the corridor in the direction I had been going in my

pursuit of them far enough to be without the radius of their meagre light as they emerged from the cell.

I had naturally assumed that they would return with Tars Tarkas the same way that they had come, which

would have carried them away from me; but, to my chagrin, they wheeled directly in my direction as they left

the room. There was nothing for me but to hasten on in advance and keep out of the light of their torch. I

dared not attempt to halt in the darkness of any of the many intersecting corridors, for I knew nothing of the

direction they might take. Chance was as likely as not to carry me into the very corridor they might choose to

The sensation of moving rapidly through these dark passages was far from reassuring. I knew not at what

moment I might plunge headlong into some terrible pit or meet with some of the ghoulish creatures that

inhabit these lower worlds beneath the dead cities of dying Mars. There filtered to me a faint radiance from

the torch of the men behindjust enough to permit me to trace the direction of the winding passageways

directly before me, and so keep me from dashing myself against the walls at the turns.

Presently I came to a place where five corridors diverged from a common point. I had hastened along one of

them for some little distance when suddenly the faint light of the torch disappeared from behind me. I paused

to listen for sounds of the party behind me, but the silence was as utter as the silence of the tomb.

Quickly I realized that the warriors had taken one of the other corridors with their prisoner, and so I hastened

back with a feeling of considerable relief to take up a much safer and more desirable position behind them. It

was much slower work returning, however, than it had been coming, for now the darkness was as utter as the

It was necessary to feel every foot of the way back with my hand against the side wall, that I might not pass

the spot where the five roads radiated. After what seemed an eternity to me, I reached the place and

recognized it by groping across the entrances to the several corridors until I had counted five of them. In not

I listened intently, but the naked feet of the green men sent back no guiding echoes, though presently I

thought I detected the clank of side arms in the far distance of the middle corridor. Up this, then, I hastened,

searching for the light, and stopping to listen occasionally for a repetition of the sound; but soon I was forced

to admit that I must have been following a blind lead, as only darkness and silence rewarded my efforts.

Again I retraced my steps toward the parting of the ways, when to my surprise I came upon the entrance to

three diverging corridors, any one of which I might have traversed in my hasty dash after the false clue I had

been following. Here was a pretty fix, indeed! Once back at the point where the five passageways met, I

might wait with some assurance for the return of the warriors with Tars Tarkas. My knowledge of their

customs lent colour to the belief that he was but being escorted to the audience chamber to have sentence

passed upon him. I had not the slightest doubt but that they would preserve so doughty a warrior as the great

But unless I could find my way back to that point the chances were most excellent that I would wander for

days through the awful blackness, until, overcome by thirst and hunger, I lay down to die, or What was

A faint shuffling sounded behind me, and as I cast a hasty glance over my shoulder my blood froze in my

veins for the thing I saw there. It was not so much fear of the present danger as it was the horrifying

memories it recalled of that time I near went mad over the corpse of the man I had killed in the dungeons of

the Warhoons, when blazing eyes came out of the dark recesses and dragged the thing that had been a man

from my clutches and I heard it scraping over the stone of my prison as they bore it away to their terrible

And now in these black pits of the other Warhoons I looked into those same fiery eyes, blazing at me through

the terrible darkness, revealing no sign of the beast behind them. I think that the most fearsome attribute of

these awesome creatures is their silence and the fact that one never sees themnothing but those baleful

Grasping my longsword tightly in my hand, I backed slowly along the corridor away from the thing that

watched me, but ever as I retreated the eyes advanced, nor was there any sound, not even the sound of

breathing, except the occasional shuffling sound as of the dragging of a dead limb, that had first attracted my

On and on I went, but I could not escape my sinister pursuer. Suddenly I heard the shuffling noise at my

right, and, looking, saw another pair of eyes, evidently approaching from an intersecting corridor. As I started

to renew my slow retreat I heard the noise repeated behind me, and then before I could turn I heard it again at

The things were all about me. They had me surrounded at the intersection of two corridors. Retreat was cut

off in all directions, unless I chose to charge one of the beasts. Even then I had no doubt but that the others

would hurl themselves upon my back. I could not even guess the size or nature of the weird creatures. That

they were of goodly proportions I guessed from the fact that the eyes were on a level with my own.

Why is it that darkness so magnifies our dangers? By day I would have charged the great banth itself, had I

thought it necessary, but hemmed in by the darkness of these silent pits I hesitated before a pair of eyes.

Soon I saw that the matter shortly would be taken entirely from my hands, for the eyes at my right were

moving slowly nearer me, as were those at my left and those behind and before me. Gradually they were

For what seemed hours the eyes approached gradually closer and closer, until I felt that I should go mad for

the horror of it. I had been constantly turning this way and that to prevent any sudden rush from behind, until

I was fairly worn out. At length I could endure it no longer, and, taking a fresh grasp upon my longsword, I

As I was almost upon it the thing retreated before me, but a sound from behind caused me to wheel in time to

see three pairs of eyes rushing at me from the rear. With a cry of rage I turned to meet the cowardly beasts,

but as I advanced they retreated as had their fellow. Another glance over my shoulder discovered the first

eyes sneaking on me again. And again I charged, only to see the eyes retreat before me and hear the muffled

Thus we continued, the eyes always a little closer in the end than they had been before, until I thought that I

should go mad with the terrible strain of the ordeal. That they were waiting to spring upon my back seemed

evident, and that it would not be long before they succeeded was equally apparent, for I could not endure the

wear of this repeated charge and countercharge indefinitely. In fact, I could feel myself weakening from the

At that moment I caught another glimpse from the corner of my eye of the single pair of eyes at my back

making a sudden rush upon me. I turned to meet the charge; there was a quick rush of the three from the other

direction; but I determined to pursue the single pair until I should have at least settled my account with one of

the beasts and thus be relieved of the strain of meeting attacks from both directions.

There was no sound in the corridor, only that of my own breathing, yet I knew that those three uncanny

creatures were almost upon me. The eyes in front were not retreating so rapidly now; I was almost within

sword reach of them. I raised my sword arm to deal the blow that should free me, and then I felt a heavy body

upon my back. A cold, moist, slimy something fastened itself upon my throat. I stumbled and went down.

I could not have been unconscious more than a few seconds, and yet I know that I was unconscious, for the

next thing I realized was that a growing radiance was illuminating the corridor about me and the eyes were

I was unharmed except for a slight bruise upon my forehead where it had struck the stone flagging as I fell.

I sprang to my feet to ascertain the cause of the light. It came from a torch in the hand of one of a party of

four green warriors, who were coming rapidly down the corridor toward me. They had not yet seen me, and

so I lost no time in slipping into the first intersecting corridor that I could find. This time, however, I did not

advance so far away from the main corridor as on the other occasion that had resulted in my losing Tars

The party came rapidly toward the opening of the passageway in which I crouched against the wall. As they

passed by I breathed a sigh of relief. I had not been discovered, and, best of all, the party was the same that I

I fell in behind them and soon we were at the cell in which the great Thark had been chained. Two of the

warriors remained without while the man with the keys entered with the Thark to fasten his irons upon him

once more. The two outside started to stroll slowly in the direction of the spiral runway which led to the

The torch had been stuck in a socket beside the door, so that its rays illuminated both the corridor and the cell

at the same time. As I saw the two warriors disappear I approached the entrance to the cell, with a

While I disliked the thought of carrying out the thing that I had decided upon, there seemed no alternative if

Keeping near the wall, I came quite close to the door to Tars Tarkas' cell, and there I stood with my

longsword above my head, grasped with both hands, that I might bring it down in one quick cut upon the

I dislike to dwell upon what followed after I heard the footsteps of the man as he approached the doorway. It

is enough that within another minute or two, Tars Tarkas, wearing the metal of a Warhoon chief, was

hurrying down the corridor toward the spiral runway, bearing the Warhoon's torch to light his way. A dozen

The two companions of the man who lay now beside the door of the cell that had been Tars Tarkas' had just

"I had trouble with a lock," replied Tars Tarkas. "And now I find that I have left my shortsword in the

"As you will, Tan Gama," replied he who had before spoken. "We shall see you above directly."

"Yes," replied Tars Tarkas, and turned as though to retrace his steps to the cell, but he only waited until the

two had disappeared at the floor above. Then I joined him, we extinguished the torch, and together we crept

At the first floor we found that the hallway ran but halfway through, necessitating the crossing of a rear room

full of green folk, ere we could reach the inner courtyard, so there was but one thing left for us to do, and that

was to gain the second floor and the hallway through which I had traversed the length of the building.

Cautiously we ascended. We could hear the sounds of conversation coming from the room above, but the hall

still was unlighted, nor was any one in sight as we gained the top of the runway. Together we threaded the

long hall and reached the balcony overlooking the courtyard, without being detected.

At our right was the window letting into the room in which I had seen Tan Gama and the other warriors as

they started to Tars Tarkas' cell earlier in the evening. His companions had returned here, and we now

"He certainly could not be all this time fetching his shortsword from the Thark's cell," spoke another.

"Tan Gama left his shortsword in the Thark's cell," explained the first speaker, "and left us at the runway, to

"Tan Gama wore no shortsword this night," said the woman. "It was broken in today's battle with the

Thark, and Tan Gama gave it to me to repair. See, I have it here," and as she spoke she drew Tan Gama's

"'Tis even what I myself thought when Tan Gama left us at the runway," said another. "Methought then that

We waited to hear no more. Slinging my harness into a long single strap, I lowered Tars Tarkas to the

We had spoken scarcely a dozen words since I had felled Tan Gama at the cell door and seen in the torch's

"By this time," he had said, "I should have learned to wonder at nothing which John Carter accomplishes."

That was all. He did not need to tell me that he appreciated the friendship which had prompted me to risk my

This fierce green warrior had been the first to greet me that day, now twenty years gone, which had witnessed

my first advent upon Mars. He had met me with levelled spear and cruel hatred in his heart as he charged

down upon me, bending low at the side of his mighty thoat as I stood beside the incubator of his horde upon

the dead sea bottom beyond Korad. And now among the inhabitants of two worlds I counted none a better

As we reached the courtyard we stood in the shadows beneath the balcony for a moment to discuss our plans.

"There be five now in the party, Tars Tarkas," I said; "Thuvia, Xodar, Carthoris, and ourselves. We shall need

"Yes. I found him in the prison of Shador, on the Sea of Omean, in the land of the First Born."

"Upon and below, my friend; but wait until we shall have made good our escape, and you shall hear the

strangest narrative that ever a Barsoomian of the outer world gave ear to. Now we must steal our thoats and

be well away to the north before these fellows discover how we have tricked them."

In safety we reached the great gates at the far end of the courtyard, through which it was necessary to take our

thoats to the avenue beyond. It is no easy matter to handle five of these great, fierce beasts, which by nature

are as wild and ferocious as their masters and held in subjection by cruelty and brute force alone.

As we approached them they sniffed our unfamiliar scent and with squeals of rage circled about us. Their

long, massive necks upreared raised their great, gaping mouths high above our heads. They are fearsome

appearing brutes at best, but when they are aroused they are fully as dangerous as they look. The thoat stands

a good ten feet at the shoulder. His hide is sleek and hairless, and of a dark slate colour on back and sides,

shading down his eight legs to a vivid yellow at the huge, padded, nailless feet; the belly is pure white. A

broad, flat tail, larger at the tip than at the root, completes the picture of this ferocious green Martian mount

As the thoats are guided by telepathic means alone, there is no need for rein or bridle, and so our object now

was to find two that would obey our unspoken commands. As they charged about us we succeeded in

mastering them sufficiently to prevent any concerted attack upon us, but the din of their squealing was certain

to bring investigating warriors into the courtyard were it to continue much longer.

At length I was successful in reaching the side of one great brute, and ere he knew what I was about I was

firmly seated astride his glossy back. A moment later Tars Tarkas had caught and mounted another, and then

Tars Tarkas rode ahead and, leaning down to the latch, threw the barriers open, while I held the loose thoats

from breaking back to the herd. Then together we rode through into the avenue with our stolen mounts and,

without waiting to close the gates, hurried off toward the southern boundary of the city.

Thus far our escape had been little short of marvellous, nor did our good fortune desert us, for we passed the

outer purlieus of the dead city and came to our camp without hearing even the faintest sound of pursuit.

Here a low whistle, the prearranged signal, apprised the balance of our party that I was returning, and we

But little time was wasted in narration of our adventure. Tars Tarkas and Carthoris exchanged the dignified

and formal greetings common upon Barsoom, but I could tell intuitively that the Thark loved my boy and that

Xodar and the green Jeddak were formally presented to each other. Then Thuvia was lifted to the least

fractious thoat, Xodar and Carthoris mounted two others, and we set out at a rapid pace toward the east. At

the far extremity of the city we circled toward the north, and under the glorious rays of the two moons we

sped noiselessly across the dead sea bottom, away from the Warhoons and the First Born, but to what new

Toward noon of the following day we halted to rest our mounts and ourselves. The beasts we hobbled, that

they might move slowly about cropping the ochre mosslike vegetation which constitutes both food and

drink for them on the march. Thuvia volunteered to remain on watch while the balance of the party slept for

It seemed to me that I had but closed my eyes when I felt her hand upon my shoulder and heard her soft voice

"Arise, O Prince," she whispered. "There be that behind us which has the appearance of a great body of

The girl stood pointing in the direction from whence we had come, and as I arose and looked, I, too, thought

that I could detect a thin dark line on the far horizon. I awoke the others. Tars Tarkas, whose giant stature

"It is a great body of mounted men," he said, "and they are travelling at high speed."

There was no time to be lost. We sprang to our hobbled thoats, freed them, and mounted. Then we turned our

faces once more toward the north and took our flight again at the highest speed of our slowest beast.

For the balance of the day and all the following night we raced across that ochre wilderness with the pursuers

at our back ever gaining upon us. Slowly but surely they were lessening the distance between us. Just before

dark they had been close enough for us to plainly distinguish that they were green Martians, and all during

the long night we distinctly heard the clanking of their accoutrements behind us.

As the sun rose on the second day of our flight it disclosed the pursuing horde not a halfmile in our rear. As

Several miles in advance lay a range of hillsthe farther shore of the dead sea we had been crossing. Could

we but reach these hills our chances of escape would be greatly enhanced, but Thuvia's mount, although

carrying the lightest burden, already was showing signs of exhaustion. I was riding beside her when suddenly

her animal staggered and lurched against mine. I saw that he was going down, but ere he fell I snatched the

girl from his back and swung her to a place upon my own thoat, behind me, where she clung with her arms

This double burden soon proved too much for my already overtaxed beast, and thus our speed was terribly

diminished, for the others would proceed no faster than the slowest of us could go. In that little party there

was not one who would desert another; yet we were of different countries, different colours, different races,

We were quite close to the hills, but the Warhoons were gaining so rapidly that we had given up all hope of

reaching them in time. Thuvia and I were in the rear, for our beast was lagging more and more. Suddenly I

felt the girl's warm lips press a kiss upon my shoulder. "For thy sake, O my Prince," she murmured. Then her

I turned and saw that she had deliberately slipped to the ground in the very path of the cruel demons who

pursued us, thinking that by lightening the burden of my mount it might thus be enabled to bear me to the

safety of the hills. Poor child! She should have known John Carter better than that.

Turning my thoat, I urged him after her, hoping to reach her side and bear her on again in our hopeless flight.

Carthoris must have glanced behind him at about the same time and taken in the situation, for by the time I

had reached Thuvia's side he was there also, and, springing from his mount, he threw her upon its back and,

turning the animal's head toward the hills, gave the beast a sharp crack across the rump with the flat of his

The brave boy's act of chivalrous selfsacrifice filled me with pride, nor did I care that it had wrested from us

our last frail chance for escape. The Warhoons were now close upon us. Tars Tarkas and Xodar had

discovered our absence and were charging rapidly to our support. Everything pointed toward a splendid

ending of my second journey to Barsoom. I hated to go out without having seen my divine Princess, and held

her in my arms once again; but if it were not writ upon the book of Fate that such was to be, then would I take

the most that was coming to me, and in these last few moments that were to be vouchsafed me before I

passed over into that unguessed future I could at least give such an account of myself in my chosen vocation

as would leave the Warhoons of the South food for discourse for the next twenty generations.

As Carthoris was not mounted, I slipped from the back of my own mount and took my place at his side to

meet the charge of the howling devils bearing down upon us. A moment later Tars Tarkas and Xodar ranged

themselves on either hand, turning their thoats loose that we might all be on an equal footing.

The Warhoons were perhaps a hundred yards from us when a loud explosion sounded from above and behind

us, and almost at the same instant a shell burst in their advancing ranks. At once all was confusion. A hundred

warriors toppled to the ground. Riderless thoats plunged hither and thither among the dead and dying.

Dismounted warriors were trampled underfoot in the stampede which followed. All semblance of order had

left the ranks of the green men, and as they looked far above our heads to trace the origin of this unexpected

attack, disorder turned to retreat and retreat to a wild panic. In another moment they were racing as madly

We turned to look in the direction from whence the first report had come, and there we saw, just clearing the

tops of the nearer hills, a great battleship swinging majestically through the air. Her bow gun spoke again

As she drew nearer I could not repress a wild cry of elation, for upon her bows I saw the device of Helium.

As Carthoris, Xodar, Tars Tarkas, and I stood gazing at the magnificent vessel which meant so much to all of

us, we saw a second and then a third top the summit of the hills and glide gracefully after their sister.

Now a score of oneman air scouts were launching from the upper decks of the nearer vessel, and in a

In another instant we were surrounded by armed sailors, and an officer had stepped forward to address us,

when his eyes fell upon Carthoris. With an exclamation of surprised pleasure he sprang forward, and, placing

"Carthoris, my Prince," he cried, "Kaor! Kaor! Hor Vastus greets the son of Dejah Thoris, Princess of

Helium, and of her husband, John Carter. Where have you been, O my Prince? All Helium has been plunged

in sorrow. Terrible have been the calamities that have befallen your greatgrandsire's mighty nation since the

"Grieve not, my good Hor Vastus," cried Carthoris, "since I bring not back myself alone to cheer my mother's

heart and the hearts of my beloved people, but also one whom all Barsoom loved besther greatest warrior

Hor Vastus turned in the direction indicated by Carthoris, and as his eyes fell upon me he was like to have

"John Carter!" he exclaimed, and then a sudden troubled look came into his eyes. "My Prince," he started,

"where hast thou" and then he stopped, but I knew the question that his lips dared not frame. The loyal

fellow would not be the one to force from mine a confession of the terrible truth that I had returned from the

bosom of the Iss, the River of Mystery, back from the shore of the Lost Sea of Korus, and the Valley Dor.

"Ah, my Prince," he continued, as though no thought had interrupted his greeting, "that you are back is

sufficient, and let Hor Vastus' sword have the high honour of being first at thy feet." With these words the

noble fellow unbuckled his scabbard and flung his sword upon the ground before me.

Could you know the customs and the character of red Martians you would appreciate the depth of meaning

that that simple act conveyed to me and to all about us who witnessed it. The thing was equivalent to saying,

"My sword, my body, my life, my soul are yours to do with as you wish. Until death and after death I look to

you alone for authority for my every act. Be you right or wrong, your word shall be my only truth. Whoso

It is the oath of fealty that men occasionally pay to a Jeddak whose high character and chivalrous acts have

inspired the enthusiastic love of his followers. Never had I known this high tribute paid to a lesser mortal.

There was but one response possible. I stooped and lifted the sword from the ground, raised the hilt to my

lips, and then, stepping to Hor Vastus, I buckled the weapon upon him with my own hands.

"Hor Vastus," I said, placing my hand upon his shoulder, "you know best the promptings of your own heart.

That I shall need your sword I have little doubt, but accept from John Carter upon his sacred honour the

assurance that he will never call upon you to draw this sword other than in the cause of truth, justice, and

"That I knew, my Prince," he replied, "ere ever I threw my beloved blade at thy feet."

As we spoke other fliers came and went between the ground and the battleship, and presently a larger boat

was launched from above, one capable of carrying a dozen persons, perhaps, and dropped lightly near us. As

she touched, an officer sprang from her deck to the ground, and, advancing to Hor Vastus, saluted.

"Kantos Kan desires that this party whom we have rescued be brought immediately to the deck of the

As we approached the little craft I looked about for the members of my party and for the first time noticed

that Thuvia was not among them. Questioning elicited the fact that none had seen her since Carthoris had sent

her thoat galloping madly toward the hills, in the hope of carrying her out of harm's way.

Immediately Hor Vastus dispatched a dozen air scouts in as many directions to search for her. It could not be

possible that she had gone far since we had last seen her. We others stepped to the deck of the craft that had

The first man to greet me was Kantos Kan himself. My old friend had won to the highest place in the navy of

Helium, but he was still to me the same brave comrade who had shared with me the privations of a Warhoon

dungeon, the terrible atrocities of the Great Games, and later the dangers of our search for Dejah Thoris

Then I had been an unknown wanderer upon a strange planet, and he a simple padwar in the navy of Helium.

Today he commanded all Helium's great terrors of the skies, and I was a Prince of the House of Tardos

He did not ask me where I had been. Like Hor Vastus, he too dreaded the truth and would not be the one to

wrest a statement from me. That it must come some time he well knew, but until it came he seemed satisfied

to but know that I was with him once more. He greeted Carthoris and Tars Tarkas with the keenest delight,

but he asked neither where he had been. He could scarcely keep his hands off the boy.

"You do not know, John Carter," he said to me, "how we of Helium love this son of yours. It is as though all

the great love we bore his noble father and his poor mother had been centred in him. When it became known

"What mean you, Kantos Kan," I whispered, "by 'his poor mother'?" for the words had seemed to carry a

"For a year," he said, "Ever since Carthoris disappeared, Dejah Thoris has grieved and mourned for her lost

boy. The blow of years ago, when you did not return from the atmosphere plant, was lessened to some extent

by the duties of motherhood, for your son broke his white shell that very night."

"That she suffered terribly then, all Helium knew, for did not all Helium suffer with her the loss of her lord!

But with the boy gone there was nothing left, and after expedition upon expedition returned with the same

hopeless tale of no clue as to his whereabouts, our beloved Princess drooped lower and lower, until all who

saw her felt that it could be but a matter of days ere she went to join her loved ones within the precincts of the

"As a last resort, Mors Kajak, her father, and Tardos Mors, her grandfather, took command of two mighty

expeditions, and a month ago sailed away to explore every inch of ground in the northern hemisphere of

Barsoom. For two weeks no word has come back from them, but rumours were rife that they had met with a

"About this time Zat Arras renewed his importunities for her hand in marriage. He has been for ever after her

since you disappeared. She hated him and feared him, but with both her father and grandfather gone, Zat

Arras was very powerful, for he is still Jed of Zodanga, to which position, you will remember, Tardos Mors

"He had a secret audience with her six days ago. What took place none knows, but the next day Dejah Thoris

had disappeared, and with her had gone a dozen of her household guard and body servants, including Sola the

green womanTars Tarkas' daughter, you recall. No word left they of their intentions, but it is always thus

with those who go upon the voluntary pilgrimage from which none returns. We cannot think aught than that

Dejah Thoris has sought the icy bosom of Iss, and that her devoted servants have chosen to accompany her.

"Zat Arras was at Helium when she disappeared. He commands this fleet which has been searching for her

While we talked, Hor Vastus' fliers were returning to the Xavarian. Not one, however, had discovered a trace

of Thuvia. I was much depressed over the news of Dejah Thoris' disappearance, and now there was added the

further burden of apprehension concerning the fate of this girl whom I believed to be the daughter of some

proud Barsoomian house, and it had been my intention to make every effort to return her to her people.

I was about to ask Kantos Kan to prosecute a further search for her when a flier from the flagship of the fleet

arrived at the Xavarian with an officer bearing a message to Kantos Kan from Arras.

"Zat Arras commands me to bring our 'prisoners' before him. There is naught else to do. He is supreme in

Helium, yet it would be far more in keeping with chivalry and good taste were he to come hither and greet the

"You know full well, my friend," I said, smiling, "that Zat Arras has good cause to hate me. Nothing would

please him better than to humiliate me and then to kill me. Now that he has so excellent an excuse, let us go

Summoning Carthoris, Tars Tarkas, and Xodar, we entered the small flier with Kantos Kan and Zat Arras'

As we approached the Jed of Zodanga no sign of greeting or recognition crossed his face; not even to

Carthoris did he vouchsafe a friendly word. His attitude was cold, haughty, and uncompromising.

"Two of them are of Helium's noblest family. Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark, is Tardos Mors' best beloved

ally. The other is a friend and companion of the Prince of Helium that is enough for me to know."

"It is not enough for me, however," retorted Zat Arras. "More must I hear from those who have taken the

"I have just come from the Valley Dor and the Land of the First Born, Zat Arras," I replied.

"Ah!" he exclaimed in evident pleasure, "you do not deny it, then? You have returned from the bosom of

"I have come back from a land of false hope, from a valley of torture and death; with my companions I have

escaped from the hideous clutches of lying fiends. I have come back to the Barsoom that I saved from a

painless death to again save her, but this time from death in its most frightful form."

"Cease, blasphemer!" cried Zat Arras. "Hope not to save thy cowardly carcass by inventing horrid lies to"

But he got no further. One does not call John Carter "coward" and "liar" thus lightly, and Zat Arras should

have known it. Before a hand could be raised to stop me, I was at his side and one hand grasped his throat.

"Come I from heaven or hell, Zat Arras, you will find me still the same John Carter that I have always been;

nor did ever man call me such names and livewithout apologizing." And with that I commenced to bend

"Seize him!" cried Zat Arras, and a dozen officers sprang forward to assist him.

"Desist, I beg of you. It will but involve us all, for I cannot see these men lay hands upon you without aiding

you. My officers and men will join me and we shall have a mutiny then that may lead to the revolution. For

At his words I released Zat Arras and, turning my back upon him, walked toward the ship's rail.

"Come, Kantos Kan," I said, "the Prince of Helium would return to the Xavarian."

None interfered. Zat Arras stood white and trembling amidst his officers. Some there were who looked upon

him with scorn and drew toward me, while one, a man long in the service and confidence of Tardos Mors,

I thanked him and passed on. In silence we embarked, and shortly after stepped once more upon the deck of

the Xavarian. Fifteen minutes later we received orders from the flagship to proceed toward Helium.

Our journey thither was uneventful. Carthoris and I were wrapped in the gloomiest of thoughts. Kantos Kan

was sombre in contemplation of the further calamity that might fall upon Helium should Zat Arras attempt to

follow the ageold precedent that allotted a terrible death to fugitives from the Valley Dor. Tars Tarkas

grieved for the loss of his daughter. Xodar alone was carefreea fugitive and outlaw, he could be no worse

"Let us hope that we may at least go out with good red blood upon our blades," he said. It was a simple wish

Among the officers of the Xavarian I thought I could discern division into factions ere we had reached

Helium. There were those who gathered about Carthoris and myself whenever the opportunity presented,

while about an equal number held aloof from us. They offered us only the most courteous treatment, but were

evidently bound by their superstitious belief in the doctrine of Dor and Iss and Korus. I could not blame

them, for I knew how strong a hold a creed, however ridiculous it may be, may gain upon an otherwise

By returning from Dor we had committed a sacrilege; by recounting our adventures there, and stating the

facts as they existed we had outraged the religion of their fathers. We were blasphemerslying heretics.

Even those who still clung to us from personal love and loyalty I think did so in the face of the fact that at

heart they questioned our veracityit is very hard to accept a new religion for an old, no matter how alluring

the promises of the new may be; but to reject the old as a tissue of falsehoods without being offered anything

Kantos Kan would not talk of our experiences among the therns and the First Born.

"It is enough," he said, "that I jeopardize my life here and hereafter by countenancing you at alldo not ask

me to add still further to my sins by listening to what I have always been taught was the rankest heresy."

I knew that sooner or later the time must come when our friends and enemies would be forced to declare

themselves openly. When we reached Helium there must be an accounting, and if Tardos Mors had not

returned I feared that the enmity of Zat Arras might weigh heavily against us, for he represented the

government of Helium. To take sides against him were equivalent to treason. The majority of the troops

would doubtless follow the lead of their officers, and I knew that many of the highest and most powerful men

of both land and air forces would cleave to John Carter in the face of god, man, or devil.

On the other hand, the majority of the populace unquestionably would demand that we pay the penalty of our

sacrilege. The outlook seemed dark from whatever angle I viewed it, but my mind was so torn with anguish at

the thought of Dejah Thoris that I realize now that I gave the terrible question of Helium's plight but scant

There was always before me, day and night, a horrible nightmare of the frightful scenes through which I

knew my Princess might even then be passingthe horrid plant menthe ferocious white apes. At times I

would cover my face with my hands in a vain effort to shut out the fearful thing from my mind.

It was in the forenoon that we arrived above the mile high scarlet tower which marks greater Helium from

her twin city. As we descended in great circles toward the navy docks a mighty multitude could be seen

surging in the streets beneath. Helium had been notified by radioaerogram of our approach.

From the deck of the Xavarian we four, Carthoris, Tars Tarkas, Xodar, and I, were transferred to a lesser flier

to be transported to quarters within the Temple of Reward. It is here that Martian justice is meted to

benefactor and malefactor. Here the hero is decorated. Here the felon is condemned. We were taken into the

temple from the landing stage upon the roof, so that we did not pass among the people at all, as is customary.

Always before I had seen prisoners of note, or returned wanderers of eminence, paraded from the Gate of

Jeddaks to the Temple of Reward up the broad Avenue of Ancestors through dense crowds of jeering or

I knew that Zat Arras dared not trust the people near to us, for he feared that their love for Carthoris and

myself might break into a demonstration which would wipe out their superstitious horror of the crime we

were to be charged with. What his plans were I could only guess, but that they were sinister was evidenced by

the fact that only his most trusted servitors accompanied us upon the flier to the Temple of Reward.

We were lodged in a room upon the south side of the temple, overlooking the Avenue of Ancestors down

which we could see the full length to the Gate of Jeddaks, five miles away. The people in the temple plaza

and in the streets for a distance of a full mile were standing as close packed as it was possible for them to get.

They were very orderlythere were neither scoffs nor plaudits, and when they saw us at the window above

Late in the afternoon a messenger arrived from Zat Arras to inform us that we would be tried by an impartial

body of nobles in the great hall of the temple at the 1st zode* on the following day, or about 8:40 A.M. Earth

*Wherever Captain Carter has used Martian measurements of time, distance, weight, and the like I have

translated them into as nearly their equivalent in earthly values as is possible. His notes contain many Martian

tables, and a great volume of scientific data, but since the International Astronomic Society is at present

engaged in classifying, investigating, and verifying this vast fund of remarkable and valuable information, I

have felt that it will add nothing to the interest of Captain Carter's story or to the sum total of human

knowledge to maintain a strict adherence to the original manuscript in these matters, while it might readily

confuse the reader and detract from the interest of the history. For those who may be interested, however, I

will explain that the Martian day is a trifle over 24 hours 37 minutes duration (Earth time). This the Martians

divide into ten equal parts, commencing the day at about 6 A.M. Earth time. The zodes are divided into fifty

shorter periods, each of which in turn is composed of 200 brief periods of time, about equivalent to the

earthly second. The Barsoomian Table of Time as here given is but a part of the full table appearing in

A few moments before the appointed time on the following morning a strong guard of Zat Arras' officers

In twos we entered the chamber and marched down the broad Aisle of Hope, as it is called, to the platform in

the centre of the hall. Before and behind us marched armed guards, while three solid ranks of Zodangan

As we reached the raised enclosure I saw our judges. As is the custom upon Barsoom there were thirtyone,

supposedly selected by lot from men of the noble class, for nobles were on trial. But to my amazement I saw

no single friendly face among them. Practically all were Zodangans, and it was I to whom Zodanga owed her

defeat at the hands of the green hordes and her subsequent vassalage to Helium. There could be little justice

here for John Carter, or his son, or for the great Thark who had commanded the savage tribesmen who

About us the vast circular coliseum was packed to its full capacity. All classes were representedall ages,

and both sexes. As we entered the hall the hum of subdued conversation ceased until as we halted upon the

platform, or Throne of Righteousness, the silence of death enveloped the ten thousand spectators.

The judges were seated in a great circle about the periphery of the circular platform. We were assigned seats

with our backs toward a small platform in the exact centre of the larger one. This placed us facing the judges

and the audience. Upon the smaller platform each would take his place while his case was being heard.

Zat Arras himself sat in the golden chair of the presiding magistrate. As we were seated and our guards

retired to the foot of the stairway leading to the platform, he arose and called my name.

"John Carter," he cried, "take your place upon the Pedestal of Truth to be judged impartially according to

your acts and here to know the reward you have earned thereby." Then turning to and fro toward the audience

"Know you, O judges and people of Helium," he said, "that John Carter, one time Prince of Helium, has

returned by his own statement from the Valley Dor and even from the Temple of Issus itself. That, in the

presence of many men of Helium he has blasphemed against the Sacred Iss, and against the Valley Dor, and

the Lost Sea of Korus, and the Holy Therns themselves, and even against Issus, Goddess of Death, and of

Life Eternal. And know you further by witness of thine own eyes that see him here now upon the Pedestal of

Truth that he has indeed returned from these sacred precincts in the face of our ancient customs, and in

"He who be once dead may not live again. He who attempts it must be made dead for ever. Judges, your duty

lies plain before youhere can be no testimony in contravention of truth. What reward shall be meted to

And then a man sprang to his feet in the audience, and raising his hand on high, cried: "Justice! Justice!

Justice!" It was Kantos Kan, and as all eyes turned toward him he leaped past the Zodangan soldiery and

"What manner of justice be this?" he cried to Zat Arras. "The defendant has not been heard, nor has he had an

opportunity to call others in his behalf. In the name of the people of Helium I demand fair and impartial

A great cry arose from the audience then: "Justice! Justice! Justice!" and Zat Arras dared not deny them.

"Speak, then," he snarled, turning to me; "but blaspheme not against the things that are sacred upon

"Men of Helium," I cried, turning to the spectators, and speaking over the heads of my judges, "how can John

Carter expect justice from the men of Zodanga? He cannot nor does he ask it. It is to the men of Helium that

he states his case; nor does he appeal for mercy to any. It is not in his own cause that he speaks nowit is in

thine. In the cause of your wives and daughters, and of wives and daughters yet unborn. It is to save them

from the unthinkably atrocious indignities that I have seen heaped upon the fair women of Barsoom in the

place men call the Temple of Issus. It is to save them from the sucking embrace of the plant men, from the

fangs of the great white apes of Dor, from the cruel lust of the Holy Therns, from all that the cold, dead Iss

"Sits there no man here who does not know the history of John Carter. How he came among you from

another world and rose from a prisoner among the green men, through torture and persecution, to a place high

among the highest of Barsoom. Nor ever did you know John Carter to lie in his own behalf, or to say aught

that might harm the people of Barsoom, or to speak lightly of the strange religion which he respected without

"There be no man here, or elsewhere upon Barsoom today who does not owe his life directly to a single act

of mine, in which I sacrificed myself and the happiness of my Princess that you might live. And so, men of

Helium, I think that I have the right to demand that I be heard, that I be believed, and that you let me serve

you and save you from the false hereafter of Dor and Issus as I saved you from the real death that other day.

"It is to you of Helium that I speak now. When I am done let the men of Zodanga have their will with me. Zat

Arras has taken my sword from me, so the men of Zodanga no longer fear me. Will you listen?"

"Speak, John Carter, Prince of Helium," cried a great noble from the audience, and the multitude echoed his

Zat Arras knew better than to interfere with such a sentiment as was expressed that day in the Temple of

But when I had finished, Zat Arras arose and, turning to the judges, said in a low tone: "My nobles, you have

heard John Carter's plea; every opportunity has been given him to prove his innocence if he be not guilty; but

instead he has but utilized the time in further blasphemy. What, gentlemen, is your verdict?"

"Death to the blasphemer!" cried one, springing to his feet, and in an instant the entire thirtyone judges were

If the people did not hear Zat Arras' charge, they certainly did hear the verdict of the tribunal. A sullen

murmur rose louder and louder about the packed coliseum, and then Kantos Kan, who had not left the

platform since first he had taken his place near me, raised his hand for silence. When he could be heard he

"You have heard the fate that the men of Zodanga would mete to Helium's noblest hero. It may be the duty of

the men of Helium to accept the verdict as final. Let each man act according to his own heart. Here is the

answer of Kantos Kan, head of the navy of Helium, to Zat Arras and his judges," and with that he unbuckled

In an instant soldiers and citizens, officers and nobles were crowding past the soldiers of Zodanga and forcing

their way to the Throne of Righteousness. A hundred men surged upon the platform, and a hundred blades

rattled and clanked to the floor at my feet. Zat Arras and his officers were furious, but they were helpless.

One by one I raised the swords to my lips and buckled them again upon their owners.

"Come," sand Kantos Kan, "we will escort John Carter and his party to his own palace," and they formed

"Stop!" cried Zat Arras. "Soldiers of Helium, let no prisoner leave the Throne of Righteousness."

The soldiery from Zodanga were the only organized body of Heliumetic troops within the temple, so Zat

Arras was confident that his orders would be obeyed, but I do not think that he looked for the opposition that

From every quarter of the coliseum swords flashed and men rushed threateningly upon the Zodangans. Some

one raised a cry: "Tardos Mors is deada thousand years to John Carter, Jeddak of Helium." As I heard that

and saw the ugly attitude of the men of Helium toward the soldiers of Zat Arras, I knew that only a miracle

"Hold!" I cried, leaping to the Pedestal of Truth once more. "Let no man move till I am done. A single sword

thrust here today may plunge Helium into a bitter and bloody war the results of which none can foresee. It

will turn brother against brother and father against son. No man's life is worth that sacrifice. Rather would I

submit to the biased judgment of Zat Arras than be the cause of civil strife in Helium.

"Let us each give in a point to the other, and let this entire matter rest until Tardos Mors returns, or Mors

Kajak, his son. If neither be back at the end of a year a second trial may be heldthe thing has a precedent."

And then turning to Zat Arras, I said in a low voice: "Unless you be a bigger fool than I take you to be, you

will grasp the chance I am offering you ere it is too late. Once that multitude of swords below is drawn

against your soldiery no man upon Barsoom not even Tardos Mors himselfcan avert the consequences.

"Stay your hands, men of Helium," he shouted, his voice trembling with rage. "The sentence of the court is

passed, but the day of retribution has not been set. I, Zat Arras, Jed of Zodanga, appreciating the royal

connections of the prisoner and his past services to Helium and Barsoom, grant a respite of one year, or until

the return of Mors Kajak, or Tardos Mors to Helium. Disperse quietly to your houses. Go."

No one moved. Instead, they stood in tense silence with their eyes fastened upon me, as though waiting for a

Fearing the result of an attempt to carry out this order by force, I stepped to the edge of the platform and,

pointing toward the main entrance, bid them pass out. As one man they turned at my request and filed, silent

and threatening, past the soldiers of Zat Arras, Jed of Zodanga, who stood scowling in impotent rage.

Kantos Kan with the others who had sworn allegiance to me still stood upon the Throne of Righteousness

"Come," said Kantos Kan to me, "we will escort you to your palace, my Prince. Come, Carthoris and Xodar.

Come, Tars Tarkas." And with a haughty sneer for Zat Arras upon his handsome lips, he turned and strode to

the throne steps and up the Aisle of Hope. We four and the hundred loyal ones followed behind him, nor was

a hand raised to stay us, though glowering eyes followed our triumphal march through the temple.

In the avenues we found a press of people, but they opened a pathway for us, and many were the swords that

were flung at my feet as I passed through the city of Helium toward my palace upon the outskirts. Here my

old slaves fell upon their knees and kissed my hands as I greeted them. They cared not where I had been. It

"Ah, master," cried one, "if our divine Princess were but here this would be a day indeed."

Tears came to my eyes, so that I was forced to turn away that I might hide my emotions. Carthoris wept

openly as the slaves pressed about him with expressions of affection, and words of sorrow for our common

loss. It was now that Tars Tarkas for the first time learned that his daughter, Sola, had accompanied Dejah

Thoris upon the last long pilgrimage. I had not had the heart to tell him what Kantos Kan had told me. With

the stoicism of the green Martian he showed no sign of suffering, yet I knew that his grief was as poignant as

my own. In marked contrast to his kind, he had in welldeveloped form the kindlier human characteristics of

It was a sad and sombre party that sat at the feast of welcome in the great dining hall of the palace of the

Prince of Helium that day. We were over a hundred strong, not counting the members of my little court, for

The board, according to red Martian custom, was triangular, for there were three in our family. Carthoris and

I presided in the centre of our sides of the tablemidway of the third side Dejah Thoris' highbacked, carven

chair stood vacant except for her gorgeous wedding trappings and jewels which were draped upon it. Behind

stood a slave as in the days when his mistress had occupied her place at the board, ready to do her bidding. It

was the way upon Barsoom, so I endured the anguish of it, though it wrung my heart to see that silent chair

where should have been my laughing and vivacious Princess keeping the great hall ringing with her merry

At my right sat Kantos Kan, while to the right of Dejah Thoris' empty place Tars Tarkas sat in a huge chair

before a raised section of the board which years ago I had had constructed to meet the requirements of his

mighty bulk. The place of honour at a Martian hoard is always at the hostess's right, and this place was ever

reserved by Dejah Thoris for the great Thark upon the occasions that he was in Helium.

Hor Vastus sat in the seat of honour upon Carthoris' side of the table. There was little general conversation. It

was a quiet and saddened party. The loss of Dejah Thoris was still fresh in the minds of all, and to this was

added fear for the safety of Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak, as well as doubt and uncertainty as to the fate of

Helium, should it prove true that she was permanently deprived of her great Jeddak.

Suddenly our attention was attracted by the sound of distant shouting, as of many people raising their voices

at once, but whether in anger or rejoicing, we could not tell. Nearer and nearer came the tumult. A slave

rushed into the dining hall to cry that a great concourse of people was swarming through the palace gates. A

second burst upon the heels of the first alternately laughing and shrieking as a madman.

I waited to hear no more. The great windows of the dining hall overlooked the avenue leading to the main

gates they were upon the opposite side of the hall from me with the table intervening. I did not waste time

in circling the great boardwith a single leap I cleared table and diners and sprang upon the balcony beyond.

Thirty feet below lay the scarlet sward of the lawn and beyond were many people crowding about a great

thoat which bore a rider headed toward the palace. I vaulted to the ground below and ran swiftly toward the

"O my Prince! My Prince!" she cried. "She is gone for ever. Even now she may be a captive upon the lesser

Once within the palace, I drew Sola to the dining hall, and, when she had greeted her father after the formal

manner of the green men, she told the story of the pilgrimage and capture of Dejah Thoris.

"Seven days ago, after her audience with Zat Arras, Dejah Thoris attempted to slip from the palace in the

dead of night. Although I had not heard the outcome of her interview with Zat Arras I knew that something

had occurred then to cause her the keenest mental agony, and when I discovered her creeping from the palace

"Hastily arousing a dozen of her most faithful guards, I explained my fears to them, and as one they enlisted

with me to follow our beloved Princess in her wanderings, even to the Sacred Iss and the Valley Dor. We

came upon her but a short distance from the palace. With her was faithful Woola the hound, but none other.

When we overtook her she feigned anger, and ordered us back to the palace, but for once we disobeyed her,

and when she found that we would not let her go upon the last long pilgrimage alone, she wept and embraced

"The following day we came upon a herd of small thoats, and thereafter we were mounted and made good

time. We travelled very fast and very far due south until the morning of the fifth day we sighted a great fleet

of battleships sailing north. They saw us before we could seek shelter, and soon we were surrounded by a

horde of black men. The Princess's guard fought nobly to the end, but they were soon overcome and slain.

When she realized that she was in the clutches of the black pirates, she attempted to take her own life, but one

of the blacks tore her dagger from her, and then they bound us both so that we could not use our hands.

"The fleet continued north after capturing us. There were about twenty large battleships in all, besides a

number of small swift cruisers. That evening one of the smaller cruisers that had been far in advance of the

fleet returned with a prisonera young red woman whom they had picked up in a range of hills under the

"From scraps of conversation which we overheard it was evident that the black pirates were searching for a

party of fugitives that had escaped them several days prior. That they considered the capture of the young

woman important was evident from the long and earnest interview the commander of the fleet held with her

when she was brought to him. Later she was bound and placed in the compartment with Dejah Thoris and

"The new captive was a very beautiful girl. She told Dejah Thoris that many years ago she had taken the

voluntary pilgrimage from the court of her father, the Jeddak of Ptarth. She was Thuvia, the Princess of

Ptarth. And then she asked Dejah Thoris who she might be, and when she heard she fell upon her knees and

kissed Dejah Thoris' fettered hands, and told her that that very morning she had been with John Carter, Prince

"Dejah Thoris could not believe her at first, but finally when the girl had narrated all the strange adventures

that had befallen her since she had met John Carter, and told her of the things John Carter, and Carthoris, and

Xodar had narrated of their adventures in the Land of the First Born, Dejah Thoris knew that it could be none

other than the Prince of Helium; 'For who,' she said, 'upon all Barsoom other than John Carter could have

done the deeds you tell of.' And when Thuvia told Dejah Thoris of her love for John Carter, and his loyalty

and devotion to the Princess of his choice, Dejah Thoris broke down and weptcursing Zat Arras and the

cruel fate that had driven her from Helium but a few brief days before the return of her beloved lord.

"'I do not blame you for loving him, Thuvia,' she said; 'and that your affection for him is pure and sincere I

"The fleet continued north nearly to Helium, but last night they evidently realized that John Carter had indeed

escaped them and so they turned toward the south once more. Shortly thereafter a guard entered our

"'There is no place in the Land of the First Born for a green one,' he said, and with that he gave me a terrific

shove that carried me toppling from the deck of the battleship. Evidently this seemed to him the easiest way

"But a kind fate intervened, and by a miracle I escaped with but slight bruises. The ship was moving slowly at

the time, and as I lunged overboard into the darkness beneath I shuddered at the awful plunge I thought

awaited me, for all day the fleet had sailed thousands of feet above the ground; but to my utter surprise I

struck upon a soft mass of vegetation not twenty feet from the deck of the ship. In fact, the keel of the vessel

"I lay all night where I had fallen and the next morning brought an explanation of the fortunate coincidence

that had saved me from a terrible death. As the sun rose I saw a vast panorama of sea bottom and distant hills

lying far below me. I was upon the highest peak of a lofty range. The fleet in the darkness of the preceding

night had barely grazed the crest of the hills, and in the brief span that they hovered close to the surface the

"A few miles west of me was a great waterway. When I reached it I found to my delight that it belonged to

For many minutes none spoke. Dejah Thoris in the clutches of the First Born! I shuddered at the thought, but

of a sudden the old fire of unconquerable selfconfidence surged through me. I sprang to my feet, and with

backthrown shoulders and upraised sword took a solemn vow to reach, rescue, and revenge my Princess.

A hundred swords leaped from a hundred scabbards, and a hundred fightingmen sprang to the tabletop and

pledged me their lives and fortunes to the expedition. Already my plans were formulated. I thanked each

loyal friend, and leaving Carthoris to entertain them, withdrew to my own audience chamber with Kantos

Here we discussed the details of our expedition until long after dark. Xodar was positive that Issus would

"For that length of time at least they will be comparatively safe," he said, "and we will at least know where to

In the matter of equipping a fleet to enter Omean the details were left to Kantos Kan and Xodar. The former

agreed to take such vessels as we required into dock as rapidly as possible, where Xodar would direct their

For many years the black had been in charge of the refitting of captured battleships that they might navigate

Omean, and so was familiar with the construction of the propellers, housings, and the auxiliary gearing

It was estimated that it would require six months to complete our preparations in view of the fact that the

utmost secrecy must be maintained to keep the project from the ears of Zat Arras. Kantos Kan was confident

now that the man's ambitions were fully aroused and that nothing short of the title of Jeddak of Helium would

"I doubt," he said, "if he would even welcome Dejah Thoris' return, for it would mean another nearer the

throne than he. With you and Carthoris out of the way there would be little to prevent him from assuming the

title of Jeddak, and you may rest assured that so long as he is supreme here there is no safety for either of

"I shall whisper it here, but some day I shall stand upon the dome of the Temple of Reward and shout it to

The eyes of my companions lighted, and grim smiles of pleasure and anticipation overspread their faces, as

"No, my friends," I said, smiling, "I thank you, but it cannot be. Not yet, at least. When we know that Tardos

Mors and Mors Kajak are gone to return no more; if I be here, then I shall join you all to see that the people

of Helium are permitted to choose fairly their next Jeddak. Whom they choose may count upon the loyalty of

my sword, nor shall I seek the honour for myself. Until then Tardos Mors is Jeddak of Helium, and Zat Arras

"As you will, John Carter," said Hor Vastus, "but What was that?" he whispered, pointing toward the

The words were scarce out of his mouth ere he had sprung to the balcony without.

We were close behind him, and all saw the figure of a man run quickly across a little piece of sward and

"He was on the balcony when I first saw him," cried Hor Vastus. "Quick! Let us follow him!"

Together we ran to the gardens, but even though we scoured the grounds with the entire guard for hours, no

"He will have something interesting to report to his master then," laughed Hor Vastus.

"I hope he heard only our references to a new Jeddak," I said. "If he overheard our plans to rescue Dejah

Thoris, it will mean civil war, for he will attempt to thwart us, and in that I will not be thwarted. There would

I turn against Tardos Mors himself, were it necessary. If it throws all Helium into a bloody conflict, I shall go

on with these plans to save my Princess. Nothing shall stay me now short of death, and should I die, my

friends, will you take oath to prosecute the search for her and bring her back in safety to her grandfather's

It was agreed that the battleships that were to be remodelled should be ordered to Hastor, another Heliumetic

city, far to the southwest. Kantos Kan thought that the docks there, in addition to their regular work, would

accommodate at least six battleships at a time. As he was commanderin chief of the navy, it would be a

simple matter for him to order the vessels there as they could be handled, and thereafter keep the remodelled

fleet in remote parts of the empire until we should be ready to assemble it for the dash upon Omean.

It was late that night before our conference broke up, but each man there had his particular duties outlined,

Kantos Kan and Xodar were to attend to the remodelling of the ships. Tars Tarkas was to get into

communication with Thark and learn the sentiments of his people toward his return from Dor. If favourable,

he was to repair immediately to Thark and devote his time to the assembling of a great horde of green

warriors whom it was our plan to send in transports directly to the Valley Dor and the Temple of Issus, while

Upon Hor Vastus devolved the delicate mission of organising a secret force of fightingmen sworn to follow

John Carter wherever he might lead. As we estimated that it would require over a million men to man the

thousand great battleships we intended to use on Omean and the transports for the green men as well as the

ships that were to convoy the transports, it was no trifling job that Hor Vastus had before him.

After they had left I bid Carthoris goodnight, for I was very tired, and going to my own apartments, bathed

and lay down upon my sleeping silks and furs for the first good night's sleep I had had an opportunity to look

forward to since I had returned to Barsoom. But even now I was to be disappointed.

How long I slept I do not know. When I awoke suddenly it was to find a halfdozen powerful men upon me,

a gag already in my mouth, and a moment later my arms and legs securely bound. So quickly had they

worked and to such good purpose, that I was utterly beyond the power to resist them by the time I was fully

Never a word spoke they, and the gag effectually prevented me speaking. Silently they lifted me and bore me

toward the door of my chamber. As they passed the window through which the farther moon was casting its

brilliant beams, I saw that each of the party had his face swathed in layers of silk I could not recognize one

When they had come into the corridor with me, they turned toward a secret panel in the wall which led to the

passage that terminated in the pits beneath the palace. That any knew of this panel outside my own

household, I was doubtful. Yet the leader of the band did not hesitate a moment. He stepped directly to the

panel, touched the concealed button, and as the door swung open he stood aside while his companions

Down through the passageways to the pits we went. The leader rapped upon it with the hilt of his

swordthree quick, sharp blows, a pause, then three more, another pause, and then two. A second later the

wall swung in, and I was pushed within a brilliantly lighted chamber in which sat three richly trapped men.

One of them turned toward me with a sardonic smile upon his thin, cruel lipsit was Zat Arras.

"Ah," said Zat Arras, "to what kindly circumstance am I indebted for the pleasure of this unexpected visit

While he was speaking, one of my guards had removed the gag from my mouth, but I made no reply to Zat

Arras: simply standing there in silence with level gaze fixed upon the Jed of Zodanga. And I doubt not that

The eyes of those within the chamber were fixed first upon me and then upon Zat Arras, until finally a flush

"You may go," he said to those who had brought me, and when only his two companions and ourselves were

left in the chamber, he spoke to me again in a voice of ice very slowly and deliberately, with many pauses,

"John Carter," he said, "by the edict of custom, by the law of our religion, and by the verdict of an impartial

court, you are condemned to die. The people cannot save youI alone may accomplish that. You are

absolutely in my power to do with as I wishI may kill you, or I may free you, and should I elect to kill you,

"Should you go free in Helium for a year, in accordance with the conditions of your reprieve, there is little

fear that the people would ever insist upon the execution of the sentence imposed upon you.

"You may go free within two minutes, upon one condition. Tardos Mors will never return to Helium. Neither

will Mors Kajak, nor Dejah Thoris. Helium must select a new Jeddak within the year. Zat Arras would be

Jeddak of Helium. Say that you will espouse my cause. This is the price of your freedom. I am done."

I knew it was within the scope of Zat Arras' cruel heart to destroy me, and if I were dead I could see little

reason to doubt that he might easily become Jeddak of Helium. Free, I could prosecute the search for Dejah

Thoris. Were I dead, my brave comrades might not be able to carry out our plans. So, by refusing to accede to

his request, it was quite probable that not only would I not prevent him from becoming Jeddak of Helium, but

that I would be the means of sealing Dejah Thoris' fateof consigning her, through my refusal, to the

For a moment I was perplexed, but for a moment only. The proud daughter of a thousand Jeddaks would

choose death to a dishonorable alliance such as this, nor could John Carter do less for Helium than his

"There can be no alliance," I said, "between a traitor to Helium and a prince of the House of Tardos Mors. I

"It will not be long, John Carter," he said, "that your opinions will be of interest even to yourself, so make the

best of them while you can. Zat Arras will permit you in due time to reflect further upon the magnanimous

offer he has made you. Into the silence and darkness of the pits you will enter upon your reflection this night

with the knowledge that should you fail within a reasonable time to agree to the alternative which has been

offered you, never shall you emerge from the darkness and the silence again. Nor shall you know at what

minute the hand will reach out through the darkness and the silence with the keen dagger that shall rob you of

your last chance to win again the warmth and the freedom and joyousness of the outer world."

"To the pits," he said. That was all. Four men accompanied me from the chamber, and with a radium

handlight to illumine the way, escorted me through seemingly interminable tunnels, down, ever down

At length they halted within a fairsized chamber. There were rings set in the rocky walls. To them chains

were fastened, and at the ends of many of the chains were human skeletons. One of these they kicked aside,

and, unlocking the huge padlock that had held a chain about what had once been a human ankle, they snapped

Utter darkness prevailed. For a few minutes I could hear the clanking of accoutrements, but even this grew

fainter and fainter, until at last the silence was as complete as the darkness. I was alone with my gruesome

companionswith the bones of dead men whose fate was likely but the index of my own.

How long I stood listening in the darkness I do not know, but the silence was unbroken, and at last I sunk to

the hard floor of my prison, where, leaning my head against the stony wall, I slept.

It must have been several hours later that I awakened to find a young man standing before me. In one hand he

bore a light, in the other a receptacle containing a gruellike mixturethe common prison fare of Barsoom.

"Zat Arras sends you greetings," said the young man, "and commands me to inform you that though he is

fully advised of the plot to make you Jeddak of Helium, he is, however, not inclined to withdraw the offer

which he has made you. To gain your freedom you have but to request me to advise Zat Arras that you accept

I but shook my head. The youth said no more, and, after placing the food upon the floor at my side, returned

Twice a day for many days this youth came to my cell with food, and ever the same greetings from Zat Arras.

For a long time I tried to engage him in conversation upon other matters, but he would not talk, and so, at

For months I sought to devise methods to inform Carthoris of my whereabouts. For months I scraped and

scraped upon a single link of the massive chain which held me, hoping eventually to wear it through, that I

might follow the youth back through the winding tunnels to a point where I could make a break for liberty.

I was beside myself with anxiety for knowledge of the progress of the expedition which was to rescue Dejah

Thoris. I felt that Carthoris would not let the matter drop, were he free to act, but in so far as I knew, he also

That Zat Arras' spy had overheard our conversation relative to the selection of a new Jeddak, I knew, and

scarcely a halfdozen minutes prior we had discussed the details of the plan to rescue Dejah Thoris. The

chances were that that matter, too, was well known to him. Carthoris, Kantos Kan, Tars Tarkas, Hor Vastus,

and Xodar might even now be the victims of Zat Arras' assassins, or else his prisoners.

I determined to make at least one more effort to learn something, and to this end I adopted strategy when next

the youth came to my cell. I had noticed that he was a handsome fellow, about the size and age of Carthoris.

And I had also noticed that his shabby trappings but illy comported with his dignified and noble bearing.

It was with these observations as a basis that I opened my negotiations with him upon his next subsequent

"You have been very kind to me during my imprisonment here," I said to him, "and as I feel that I have at

best but a very short time to live, I wish, ere it is too late, to furnish substantial testimony of my appreciation

"Promptly you have brought my food each day, seeing that it was pure and of sufficient quantity. Never by

word or deed have you attempted to take advantage of my defenceless condition to insult or torture me. You

have been uniformly courteous and considerateit is this more than any other thing which prompts my

"In the guardroom of my palace are many fine trappings. Go thou there and select the harness which most

pleases you it shall be yours. All I ask is that you wear it, that I may know that my wish has been realized.

The boy's eyes had lighted with pleasure as I spoke, and I saw him glance from his rusty trappings to the

magnificence of my own. For a moment he stood in thought before he spoke, and for that moment my heart

fairly ceased beating so much for me there was which hung upon the substance of his answer.

"And I went to the palace of the Prince of Helium with any such demand, they would laugh at me and, into

the bargain, would more than likely throw me headforemost into the avenue. No, it cannot be, though I thank

you for the offer. Why, if Zat Arras even dreamed that I contemplated such a thing he would have my heart

"There can be no harm in it, my boy," I urged. "By night you may go to my palace with a note from me to

Carthoris, my son. You may read the note before you deliver it, that you may know that it contains nothing

harmful to Zat Arras. My son will be discreet, and so none but us three need know. It is very simple, and such

"And there is a jewelled shortsword which I took from the body of a northern Jeddak. When you get the

harness, see that Carthoris gives you that also. With it and the harness which you may select there will be no

"Bring writing materials when you come next to my cell, and within a few hours we shall see you garbed in a

Still in thought, and without speaking, he turned and left me. I could not guess what his decision might be,

If he accepted a message to Carthoris it would mean to me that Carthoris still lived and was free. If the youth

returned wearing the harness and the sword, I would know that Carthoris had received my note and that he

knew that I still lived. That the bearer of the note was a Zodangan would be sufficient to explain to Carthoris

It was with feelings of excited expectancy which I could scarce hide that I heard the youth's approach upon

the occasion of his next regular visit. I did not speak beyond my accustomed greeting of him. As he placed

the food upon the floor by my side he also deposited writing materials at the same time.

My heart fairly bounded for joy. I had won my point. For a moment I looked at the materials in feigned

surprise, but soon I permitted an expression of dawning comprehension to come into my face, and then,

picking them up, I penned a brief order to Carthoris to deliver to Parthak a harness of his selection and the

shortsword which I described. That was all. But it meant everything to me and to Carthoris.

I laid the note open upon the floor. Parthak picked it up and, without a word, left me.

As nearly as I could estimate, I had at this time been in the pits for three hundred days. If anything was to be

done to save Dejah Thoris it must be done quickly, for, were she not already dead, her end must soon come,

The next time I heard approaching footsteps I could scarce await to see if Parthak wore the harness and the

sword, but judge, if you can, my chagrin and disappointment when I saw that he who bore my food was not

"What has become of Parthak?" I asked, but the fellow would not answer, and as soon as he had deposited

Days came and went, and still my new jailer continued his duties, nor would he ever speak a word to me,

I could only speculate on the cause of Parthak's removal, but that it was connected in some way directly with

the note I had given him was most apparent to me. After all my rejoicing, I was no better off than before, for

now I did not even know that Carthoris lived, for if Parthak had wished to raise himself in the estimation of

Zat Arras he would have permitted me to go on precisely as I did, so that he could carry my note to his

Thirty days had passed since I had given the youth the note. Three hundred and thirty days had passed since

my incarceration. As closely as I could figure, there remained a bare thirty days ere Dejah Thoris would be

As the terrible picture forced itself vividly across my imagination, I buried my face in my arms, and only with

the greatest difficulty was it that I repressed the tears that welled to my eyes despite my every effort. To think

of that beautiful creature torn and rended by the cruel fangs of the hideous white apes! It was unthinkable.

Such a horrid fact could not be; and yet my reason told me that within thirty days my incomparable Princess

would be fought over in the arena of the First Born by those very wild beasts; that her bleeding corpse would

be dragged through the dirt and the dust, until at last a part of it would be rescued to be served as food upon

I think that I should have gone crazy but for the sound of my approaching jailer. It distracted my attention

from the terrible thoughts that had been occupying my entire mind. Now a new and grim determination came

to me. I would make one superhuman effort to escape. Kill my jailer by a ruse, and trust to fate to lead me to

With the thought came instant action. I threw myself upon the floor of my cell close by the wall, in a strained

and distorted posture, as though I were dead after a struggle or convulsions. When he should stoop over me I

had but to grasp his throat with one hand and strike him a terrific blow with the slack of my chain, which I

Nearer and nearer came the doomed man. Now I heard him halt before me. There was a muttered

exclamation, and then a step as he came to my side. I felt him kneel beside me. My grip tightened upon the

chain. He leaned close to me. I must open my eyes to find his throat, grasp it, and strike one mighty final

The thing worked just as I had planned. So brief was the interval between the opening of my eyes and the fall

of the chain that I could not check it, though it that minute interval I recognized the face so close to mine as

God! What cruel and malign fate had worked to such a frightful end! What devious chain of circumstances

had led my boy to my side at this one particular minute of our lives when I could strike him down and kill

him, in ignorance of his identity! A benign though tardy Providence blurred my vision and my mind as I sank

When I regained consciousness it was to feel a cool, firm hand pressed upon my forehead. For an instant I did

not open my eyes. I was endeavouring to gather the loose ends of many thoughts and memories which flitted

At length came the cruel recollection of the thing that I had done in my last conscious act, and then I dared

not to open my eyes for fear of what I should see lying beside me. I wondered who it could be who

ministered to me. Carthoris must have had a companion whom I had not seen. Well, I must face the inevitable

Leaning over me was Carthoris, a great bruise upon his forehead where the chain had struck, but alive, thank

God, alive! There was no one with him. Reaching out my arms, I took my boy within them, and if ever there

arose from any planet a fervent prayer of gratitude, it was there beneath the crust of dying Mars as I thanked

The brief instant in which I had seen and recognized Carthoris before the chain fell must have been ample to

check the force of the blow. He told me that he had lain unconscious for a timehow long he did not know.

"How came you here at all?" I asked, mystified that he had found me without a guide.

"It was by your wit in apprising me of your existence and imprisonment through the youth, Parthak. Until he

came for his harness and his sword, we had thought you dead. When I had read your note I did as you had

bid, giving Parthak his choice of the harnesses in the guardroom, and later bringing the jewelled shortsword

to him; but the minute that I had fulfilled the promise you evidently had made him, my obligation to him

ceased. Then I commenced to question him, but he would give me no information as to your whereabouts. He

"Finally I gave him a fair choice between freedom and the pits beneath the palacethe price of freedom to

be full information as to where you were imprisoned and directions which would lead us to you; but still he

maintained his stubborn partisanship. Despairing, I had him removed to the pits, where he still is.

"No threats of torture or death, no bribes, however fabulous, would move him. His only reply to all our

importunities was that whenever Parthak died, were it tomorrow or a thousand years hence, no man could

"Finally, Xodar, who is a fiend for subtle craftiness, evolved a plan whereby we might worm the information

from him. And so I caused Hor Vastus to be harnessed in the metal of a Zodangan soldier and chained in

Parthak's cell beside him. For fifteen days the noble Hor Vastus has languished in the darkness of the pits, but

not in vain. Little by little he won the confidence and friendship of the Zodangan, until only today Parthak,

thinking that he was speaking not only to a countryman, but to a dear friend, revealed that Hor Vastus the

"It took me but a short time to locate the plans of the pits of Helium among thy official papers. To come to

you, though, was a trifle more difficult matter. As you know, while all the pits beneath the city are connected,

there are but single entrances from those beneath each section and its neighbour, and that at the upper level

"Of course, these openings which lead from contiguous pits to those beneath government buildings are

always guarded, and so, while I easily came to the entrance to the pits beneath the palace which Zat Arras is

occupying, I found there a Zodangan soldier on guard. There I left him when I had gone by, but his soul was

As he talked Carthoris had been working at the lock which held my fetters, and now, with an exclamation of

pleasure, he dropped the end of the chain to the floor, and I stood up once more, freed from the galling irons I

He had brought a longsword and a dagger for me, and thus armed we set out upon the return journey to my

At the point where we left the pits of Zat Arras we found the body of the guard Carthoris had slain. It had not

yet been discovered, and, in order to still further delay search and mystify the jed's people, we carried the

body with us for a short distance, hiding it in a tiny cell off the main corridor of the pits beneath an adjoining

Some halfhour later we came to the pits beneath our own palace, and soon thereafter emerged into the

audience chamber itself, where we found Kantos Kan, Tars Tarkas, Hor Vastus, and Xodar awaiting us most

No time was lost in fruitless recounting of my imprisonment. What I desired to know was how well the plans

"It has taken much longer than we had expected," replied Kantos Kan. "The fact that we were compelled to

maintain utter secrecy has handicapped us terribly. Zat Arras' spies are everywhere. Yet, to the best of my

"Tonight there lies about the great docks at Hastor a fleet of a thousand of the mightiest battleships that ever

sailed above Barsoom, and each equipped to navigate the air of Omean and the waters of Omean itself. Upon

each battleship there are five tenman cruisers, and ten fiveman scouts, and a hundred oneman scouts; in

all, one hundred and sixteen thousand craft fitted with both air and water propellers.

"At Thark lie the transports for the green warriors of Tars Tarkas, nine hundred large troopships, and with

them their convoys. Seven days ago all was in readiness, but we waited in the hope that by so doing your

rescue might be encompassed in time for you to command the expedition. It is well we waited, my Prince."

"How is it, Tars Tarkas," I asked, "that the men of Thark take not the accustomed action against one who

"They sent a council of fifty chieftains to talk with me here," replied the Thark. "We are a just people, and

when I had told them the entire story they were as one man in agreeing that their action toward me would be

guided by the action of Helium toward John Carter. In the meantime, at their request, I was to resume my

throne as Jeddak of Thark, that I might negotiate with neighboring hordes for warriors to compose the land

forces of the expedition. I have done that which I agreed. Two hundred and fifty thousand fighting men,

gathered from the ice cap at the north to the ice cap at the south, and representing a thousand different

communities, from a hundred wild and warlike hordes, fill the great city of Thark tonight. They are ready to

sail for the Land of the First Born when I give the word and fight there until I bid them stop. All they ask is

the loot they take and transportation to their own territories when the fighting and the looting are over. I am

"A million veteran fightingmen from Helium's thin waterways man the battleships, the transports, and the

convoys," he replied. "Each is sworn to loyalty and secrecy, nor were enough recruited from a single district

"Good!" I cried. "Each has done his duty, and now, Kantos Kan, may we not repair at once to Hastor and get

"We should lose no time, Prince," replied Kantos Kan. "Already the people of Hastor are questioning the

purpose of so great a fleet fully manned with fightingmen. I wonder much that word of it has not before

reached Zat Arras. A cruiser awaits above at your own dock; let us leave at" A fusillade of shots from the

Together we rushed to the balcony in time to see a dozen members of my palace guard disappear in the

shadows of some distant shrubbery as in pursuit of one who fled. Directly beneath us upon the scarlet sward a

While we watched they lifted the figure in their arms and at my command bore it to the audience chamber

where we had been in council. When they stretched the body at our feet we saw that it was that of a red man

in the prime of life his metal was plain, such as common soldiers wear, or those who wish to conceal their

"So it would seem," I replied, and then to the guard: "You may remove the body."

"Wait!" said Xodar. "If you will, Prince, ask that a cloth and a little thoat oil be brought."

I nodded to one of the soldiers, who left the chamber, returning presently with the things that Xodar had

requested. The black kneeled beside the body and, dipping a corner of the cloth in the thoat oil, rubbed for a

moment on the dead face before him, Then he turned to me with a smile, pointing to his work. I looked and

saw that where Xodar had applied the thoat oil the face was white, as white as mine, and then Xodar seized

the black hair of the corpse and with a sudden wrench tore it all away, revealing a hairless pate beneath.

Guardsmen and nobles pressed close about the silent witness upon the marble floor. Many were the

exclamations of astonishment and questioning wonder as Xodar's acts confirmed the suspicion which he had

With that he drew his dagger and cut open a locked pouch which had dangled from the thern's harness, and

from it he brought forth a circlet of gold set with a large gemit was the mate to that which I had taken from

"He was a Holy Thern," said Xodar. "Fortunate indeed it is for us that he did not escape."

"My Prince," he said, "I have to report that this fellow's companion escaped us. I think that it was with the

connivance of one or more of the men at the gate. I have ordered them all under arrest."

I at once ordered a secret search within the city, for every Martian noble maintains a secret service of his

A halfhour later the officer of the guard came again to report. This time it was to confirm our worst

fearshalf the guards at the gate that night had been therns disguised as red men.

"Come!" I cried. "We must lose no time. On to Hastor at once. Should the therns attempt to check us at the

southern verge of the ice cap it may result in the wrecking of all our plans and the total destruction of the

Ten minutes later we were speeding through the night toward Hastor, prepared to strike the first blow for the

Two hours after leaving my palace at Helium, or about midnight, Kantos Kan, Xodar, and I arrived at Hastor.

Carthoris, Tars Tarkas, and Hor Vastus had gone directly to Thark upon another cruiser.

The transports were to get under way immediately and move slowly south. The fleet of battleships would

At Hastor we found all in readiness, and so perfectly had Kantos Kan planned every detail of the campaign

that within ten minutes of our arrival the first of the fleet had soared aloft from its dock, and thereafter, at the

rate of one a second, the great ships floated gracefully out into the night to form a long, thin line which

It was not until after we had entered the cabin of Kantos Kan that I thought to ask the date, for up to now I

was not positive how long I had lain in the pits of Zat Arras. When Kantos Kan told me, I realized with a

pang of dismay that I had misreckoned the time while I lay in the utter darkness of my cell. Three hundred

The expedition was no longer one of rescue but of revenge. I did not remind Kantos Kan of the terrible fact

that ere we could hope to enter the Temple of Issus, the Princess of Helium would be no more. In so far as I

knew she might be already dead, for I did not know the exact date on which she first viewed Issus.

What now the value of burdening my friends with my added personal sorrowsthey had shared quite

enough of them with me in the past. Hereafter I would keep my grief to myself, and so I said nothing to any

other of the fact that we were too late. The expedition could yet do much if it could but teach the people of

Barsoom the facts of the cruel deception that had been worked upon them for countless ages, and thus save

thousands each year from the horrid fate that awaited them at the conclusion of the voluntary pilgrimage.

If it could open to the red men the fair Valley Dor it would have accomplished much, and in the Land of Lost

Souls between the Mountains of Otz and the ice barrier were many broad acres that needed no irrigation to

Here at the bottom of a dying world was the only naturally productive area upon its surface. Here alone were

dews and rains, here alone was an open sea, here was water in plenty; and all this was but the stamping

ground of fierce brutes and from its beauteous and fertile expanse the wicked remnants of two once mighty

races barred all the other millions of Barsoom. Could I but succeed in once breaking down the barrier of

religious superstition which had kept the red races from this El Dorado it would be a fitting memorial to the

immortal virtues of my PrincessI should have again served Barsoom and Dejah Thoris' martyrdom would

On the morning of the second day we raised the great fleet of transports and their consorts at the first flood of

dawn, and soon were near enough to exchange signals. I may mention here that radioaerograms are seldom

if ever used in war time, or for the transmission of secret dispatches at any time, for as often as one nation

discovers a new cipher, or invents a new instrument for wireless purposes its neighbours bend every effort

until they are able to intercept and translate the messages. For so long a time has this gone on that practically

every possibility of wireless communication has been exhausted and no nation dares transmit dispatches of

Tars Tarkas reported all well with the transports. The battleships passed through to take an advanced position,

and the combined fleets moved slowly over the ice cap, hugging the surface closely to prevent detection by

Far in advance of all a thin line of oneman air scouts protected us from surprise, and on either side they

flanked us, while a smaller number brought up the rear some twenty miles behind the transports. In this

formation we had progressed toward the entrance to Omean for several hours when one of our scouts returned

from the front to report that the conelike summit of the entrance was in sight. At almost the same instant

His very speed bespoke the importance of his information. Kantos Kan and I awaited him upon the little

forward deck which corresponds with the bridge of earthly battleships. Scarcely had his tiny flier come to rest

upon the broad landingdeck of the flagship ere he was bounding up the stairway to the deck where we stood.

"A great fleet of battleships southsoutheast, my Prince," he cried. "There must be several thousands and

"The thern spies were not in the palace of John Carter for nothing," said Kantos Kan to me. "Your orders,

"Dispatch ten battleships to guard the entrance to Omean, with orders to let no hostile enter or leave the shaft.

"Form the balance of the battleships into a great V with the apex pointing directly southsoutheast. Order

the transports, surrounded by their convoys, to follow closely in the wake of the battleships until the point of

the V has entered the enemies' line, then the V must open outward at the apex, the battleships of each leg

engage the enemy fiercely and drive him back to form a lane through his line into which the transports with

their convoys must race at top speed that they may gain a position above the temples and gardens of the

"Here let them land and teach the Holy Therns such a lesson in ferocious warfare as they will not forget for

countless ages. It had not been my intention to be distracted from the main issue of the campaign, but we

must settle this attack with the therns once and for all, or there will be no peace for us while our fleet remains

near Dor, and our chances of ever returning to the outer world will be greatly minimized."

Kantos Kan saluted and turned to deliver my instructions to his waiting aides. In an incredibly short space of

time the formation of the battleships changed in accordance with my commands, the ten that were to guard

the way to Omean were speeding toward their destination, and the troopships and convoys were closing up in

The order of full speed ahead was given, the fleet sprang through the air like coursing greyhounds, and in

another moment the ships of the enemy were in full view. They formed a ragged line as far as the eye could

reach in either direction and about three ships deep. So sudden was our onslaught that they had no time to

Every phase of my plan worked splendidly. Our huge ships mowed their way entirely through the line of

thern battlecraft; then the V opened up and a broad lane appeared through which the transports leaped toward

the temples of the therns which could now be plainly seen glistening in the sunlight. By the time the therns

had rallied from the attack a hundred thousand green warriors were already pouring through their courts and

gardens, while a hundred and fifty thousand others leaned from low swinging transports to direct their almost

uncanny marksmanship upon the thern soldiery that manned the ramparts, or attempted to defend the temples.

Now the two great fleets closed in a titanic struggle far above the fiendish din of battle in the gorgeous

gardens of the therns. Slowly the two lines of Helium's battleships joined their ends, and then commenced the

circling within the line of the enemy which is so marked a characteristic of Barsoomian naval warfare.

Around and around in each other's tracks moved the ships under Kantos Kan, until at length they formed

nearly a perfect circle. By this time they were moving at high speed so that they presented a difficult target

for the enemy. Broadside after broadside they delivered as each vessel came in line with the ships of the

therns. The latter attempted to rush in and break up the formation, but it was like stopping a buzz saw with

From my position on the deck beside Kantos Kan I saw ship after ship of the enemy take the awful, sickening

dive which proclaims its total destruction. Slowly we manoeuvered our circle of death until we hung above

the gardens where our green warriors were engaged. The order was passed down for them to embark. Then

In the meantime the therns' fire had practically ceased. They had had enough of us and were only too glad to

let us go on our way in peace. But our escape was not to be encompassed with such ease, for scarcely had we

gotten under way once more in the direction of the entrance to Omean than we saw far to the north a great

Whose or whither bound, we could not even conjecture. When they had come close enough to make us out at

all, Kantos Kan's operator received a radioaerogram, which he immediately handed to my companion. He

"Kantos Kan:" it read. "Surrender, in the name of the Jeddak of Helium, for you cannot escape," and it was

The therns must have caught and translated the message almost as soon as did we, for they immediately

renewed hostilities when they realized that we were soon to be set upon by other enemies.

Before Zat Arras had approached near enough to fire a shot we were again hotly engaged with the thern fleet,

and as soon as he drew near he too commenced to pour a terrific fusillade of heavy shot into us. Ship after

ship reeled and staggered into uselessness beneath the pitiless fire that we were undergoing.

The thing could not last much longer. I ordered the transports to descend again into the gardens of the therns.

"Wreak your vengeance to the utmost," was my message to the green allies, "for by night there will be none

Presently I saw the ten battleships that had been ordered to hold the shaft of Omean. They were returning at

full speed, firing their stern batteries almost continuously. There could be but one explanation. They were

being pursued by another hostile fleet. Well, the situation could be no worse. The expedition already was

doomed. No man that had embarked upon it would return across that dreary ice cap. How I wished that I fight

face Zat Arras with my longsword for just an instant before I died! It was he who had caused our failure.

As I watched the oncoming ten I saw their pursuers race swiftly into sight. It was another great fleet; for a

moment I could not believe my eyes, but finally I was forced to admit that the most fatal calamity had

overtaken the expedition, for the fleet I saw was none other than the fleet of the First Born, that should have

been safely bottled up in Omean. What a series of misfortunes and disasters! What awful fate hovered over

me, that I should have been so terribly thwarted at every angle of my search for my lost love! Could it be

possible that the curse of Issus was upon me! That there was, indeed, some malign divinity in that hideous

carcass! I would not believe it, and, throwing back my shoulders, I ran to the deck below to join my men in

repelling boarders from one of the thern craft that had grappled us broadside. In the wild lust of

handtohand combat my old dauntless hopefulness returned. And as thern after thern went down beneath

my blade, I could almost feel that we should win success in the end, even from apparent failure.

My presence among the men so greatly inspirited them that they fell upon the luckless whites with such

terrible ferocity that within a few moments we had turned the tables upon them and a second later as we

swarmed their own decks I had the satisfaction of seeing their commander take the long leap from the bows

Then I joined Kantos Kan. He had been watching what had taken place on the deck below, and it seemed to

have given him a new thought. Immediately he passed an order to one of his officers, and presently the

colours of the Prince of Helium broke from every point of the flagship. A great cheer arose from the men of

our own ship, a cheer that was taken up by every other vessel of our expedition as they in turn broke my

Then Kantos Kan sprang his coup. A signal legible to every sailor of all the fleets engaged in that fierce

"Men of Helium for the Prince of Helium against all his enemies," it read. Presently my colours broke from

one of Zat Arras' ships. Then from another and another. On some we could see fierce battles waging between

the Zodangan soldiery and the Heliumetic crews, but eventually the colours of the Prince of Helium floated

above every ship that had followed Zat Arras upon our trailonly his flagship flew them not.

Zat Arras had brought five thousand ships. The sky was black with the three enormous fleets. It was Helium

against the field now, and the fight had settled to countless individual duels. There could be little or no

Zat Arras' flagship was close to my own. I could see the thin features of the man from where I stood. His

Zodangan crew was pouring broadside after broadside into us and we were returning their fire with equal

ferocity. Closer and closer came the two vessels until but a few yards intervened. Grapplers and boarders

lined the contiguous rails of each. We were preparing for the death struggle with our hated enemy.

There was but a yard between the two mighty ships as the first grappling irons were hurled. I rushed to the

deck to be with my men as they boarded. Just as the vessels came together with a slight shock, I forced my

way through the lines and was the first to spring to the deck of Zat Arras' ship. After me poured a yelling,

cheering, cursing throng of Helium's best fightingmen. Nothing could withstand them in the fever of battle

Down went the Zodangans before that surging tide of war, and as my men cleared the lower decks I sprang to

For a moment I could not tell whether he contemplated acceding to my demand or facing me with drawn

sword. For an instant he stood hesitating, and then throwing down his arms he turned and rushed to the

opposite side of the deck. Before I could overtake him he had sprung to the rail and hurled himself

On and on went that strange battle. The therns and blacks had not combined against us. Wherever thern ship

met ship of the First Born was a battle royal, and in this I thought I saw our salvation. Wherever messages

could be passed between us that could not be intercepted by our enemies I passed the word that all our vessels

were to withdraw from the fight as rapidly as possible, taking a position to the west and south of the

combatants. I also sent an air scout to the fighting green men in the gardens below to reembark, and to the

My commanders were further instructed than when engaged with an enemy to draw him as rapidly as

possible toward a ship of his hereditary foeman, and by careful manoeuvring to force the two to engage, thus

leaving him self free to withdraw. This stratagem worked to perfection, and just before the sun went down I

had the satisfaction of seeing all that was left of my once mighty fleet gathered nearly twenty miles southwest

I now transferred Xodar to another battleship and sent him with all the transports and five thousand

battleships directly overhead to the Temple of Issus. Carthoris and I, with Kantos Kan, took the remaining

Our plan now was to attempt to make a combined assault upon Issus at dawn of the following day. Tars

Tarkas with his green warriors and Hor Vastus with the red men, guided by Xodar, were to land within the

garden of Issus or the surrounding plains; while Carthoris, Kantos Kan, and I were to lead our smaller force

from the sea of Omean through the pits beneath the temple, which Carthoris knew so well.

I now learned for the first time the cause of my ten ships' retreat from the mouth of the shaft. It seemed that

when they had come upon the shaft the navy of the First Born were already issuing from its mouth. Fully

twenty vessels had emerged, and though they gave battle immediately in an effort to stem the tide that rolled

from the black pit, the odds against them were too great and they were forced to flee.

With great caution we approached the shaft, under cover of darkness. At a distance of several miles I caused

the fleet to be halted, and from there Carthoris went ahead alone upon a oneman flier to reconnoitre. In

perhaps half an hour he returned to report that there was no sign of a patrol boat or of the enemy in any form,

At the mouth of the shaft we stopped again for a moment for all the vessels to reach their previously

appointed stations, then with the flagship I dropped quickly into the black depths, while one by one the other

We had decided to stake all on the chance that we would be able to reach the temple by the subterranean way

and so we left no guard of vessels at the shaft's mouth. Nor would it have profited us any to have done so, for

we did not have sufficient force all told to have withstood the vast navy of the First Born had they returned to

For the safety of our entrance upon Omean we depended largely upon the very boldness of it, believing that it

would be some little time before the First Born on guard there would realize that it was an enemy and not

And such proved to be the case. In fact, four hundred of my fleet of five hundred rested safely upon the

bosom of Omean before the first shot was fired. The battle was short and hot, but there could have been but

one outcome, for the First Born in the carelessness of fancied security had left but a handful of ancient and

It was at Carthoris' suggestion that we landed our prisoners under guard upon a couple of the larger islands,

and then towed the ships of the First Born to the shaft, where we managed to wedge a number of them

securely in the interior of the great well. Then we turned on the buoyance rays in the balance of them and let

them rise by themselves to further block the passage to Omean as they came into contact with the vessels

We now felt that it would be some time at least before the returning First Born could reach the surface of

Omean, and that we would have ample opportunity to make for the subterranean passages which lead to

Issus. One of the first steps I took was to hasten personally with a goodsized force to the island of the

submarine, which I took without resistance on the part of the small guard there.

I found the submarine in its pool, and at once placed a strong guard upon it and the island, where I remained

Among the prisoners was Yersted, commander of the submarine. He recognized me from the three trips that I

"How does it seem," I asked him, "to have the tables turned? To be prisoner of your erstwhile captive?"

"It will not be for long, John Carter," he replied. "We have been expecting you and we are prepared."

"So it would appear," I answered, "for you were all ready to become my prisoners with scarce a blow struck

"The fleet must have missed you," he said, "but it will return to Omean, and then that will be a very different

"I do not know that the fleet has missed me as yet," I said, but of course he did not grasp my meaning, and

"Well, indeed, for her great beauty, and then, too, for the fact that she was wife to the first mortal that ever

escaped from Issus through all the countless ages of her godhood. And they way that Issus remembers her

best as the wife of one and the mother of another who raised their hands against the Goddess of Life Eternal."

I shuddered for fear of the cowardly revenge that I knew Issus might have taken upon the innocent Dejah

"And where is Dejah Thoris now?" I asked, knowing that he would say the words I most dreaded, but yet I

loved her so that I could not refrain from hearing even the worst about her fate so that it fell from the lips of

one who had seen her but recently. It was to me as though it brought her closer to me.

"Yesterday the monthly rites of Issus were held," replied Yersted, "and I saw her then sitting in her

"Why, no," replied the black, "it has been no year since she gazed upon the divine glory of the radiant face

"Why, no," insisted Yersted. "It cannot have been upward of three hundred and seventy or eighty days."

A great light burst upon me. How stupid I had been! I could scarcely retain an outward exhibition of my great

joy. Why had I forgotten the great difference in the length of Martian and Earthly years! The ten Earth years I

had spent upon Barsoom had encompassed but five years and ninetysix days of Martian time, whose days

are fortyone minutes longer than ours, and whose years number six hundred and eightyseven days.

I am in time! I am in time! The words surged through my brain again and again, until at last I must have

"In time to save your Princess?" he asked, and then without waiting for my reply, "No, John Carter, Issus will

not give up her own. She knows that you are coming, and ere ever a vandal foot is set within the precincts of

the Temple of Issus, if such a calamity should befall, Dejah Thoris will be put away for ever from the last

"Not that, other than as a last resort," he replied. "Hast ever heard of the Temple of the Sun? It is there that

they will put her. It lies far within the inner court of the Temple of Issus, a little temple that raises a thin spire

far above the spires and minarets of the great temple that surrounds it. Beneath it, in the ground, there lies the

main body of the temple consisting in six hundred and eightyseven circular chambers, one below another.

To each chamber a single corridor leads through solid rock from the pits of Issus.

"As the entire Temple of the Sun revolves once with each revolution of Barsoom about the sun, but once each

year does the entrance to each separate chamber come opposite the mouth of the corridor which forms its

"Here Issus puts those who displease her, but whom she does not care to execute forthwith. Or to punish a

noble of the First Born she may cause him to be placed within a chamber of the Temple of the Sun for a year.

Ofttimes she imprisons an executioner with the condemned, that death may come in a certain horrible form

upon a given day, or again but enough food is deposited in the chamber to sustain life but the number of days

"Thus will Dejah Thoris die, and her fate will be sealed by the first alien foot that crosses the threshold of

So I was to be thwarted in the end, although I had performed the miraculous and come within a few short

moments of my divine Princess, yet was I as far from her as when I stood upon the banks of the Hudson

Yersted's information convinced me that there was no time to be lost. I must reach the Temple of Issus

secretly before the forces under Tars Tarkas assaulted at dawn. Once within its hated walls I was positive that

I could overcome the guards of Issus and bear away my Princess, for at my back I would have a force ample

No sooner had Carthoris and the others joined me than we commenced the transportation of our men through

the submerged passage to the mouth of the gangways which lead from the submarine pool at the temple end

Many trips were required, but at last all stood safely together again at the beginning of the end of our quest.

Five thousand strong we were, all seasoned fightingmen of the most warlike race of the red men of

As Carthoris alone knew the hidden ways of the tunnels we could not divide the party and attack the temple

at several points at once as would have been most desirable, and so it was decided that he lead us all as

As we were about to leave the pool and enter the corridor, an officer called my attention to the waters upon

which the submarine floated. At first they seemed to be merely agitated as from the movement of some great

body beneath the surface, and I at once conjectured that another submarine was rising to the surface in pursuit

of us; but presently it became apparent that the level of the waters was rising, not with extreme rapidity, but

very surely, and that soon they would overflow the sides of the pool and submerge the floor of the chamber.

For a moment I did not fully grasp the terrible import of the slowly rising water. It was Carthoris who

"Haste!" he cried. "If we delay, we all are lost. The pumps of Omean have been stopped. They would drown

us like rats in a trap. We must reach the upper levels of the pits in advance of the flood or we shall never

At my command, the youth leaped into one of the corridors, and in column of twos the soldiers followed him

in good order, each company entering the corridor only at the command of its dwar, or captain.

Before the last company filed from the chamber the water was ankle deep, and that the men were nervous

was quite evident. Entirely unaccustomed to water except in quantities sufficient for drinking and bathing

purposes the red Martians instinctively shrank from it in such formidable depths and menacing activity. That

they were undaunted while it swirled and eddied about their ankles, spoke well for their bravery and their

I was the last to leave the chamber of the submarine, and as I followed the rear of the column toward the

corridor, I moved through water to my knees. The corridor, too, was flooded to the same depth, for its floor

was on a level with the floor of the chamber from which it led, nor was there any perceptible rise for many

The march of the troops through the corridor was as rapid as was consistent with the number of men that

moved through so narrow a passage, but it was not ample to permit us to gain appreciably on the pursuing

tide. As the level of the passage rose, so, too, did the waters rise until it soon became apparent to me, who

brought up the rear, that they were gaining rapidly upon us. I could understand the reason for this, as with the

narrowing expanse of Omean as the waters rose toward the apex of its dome, the rapidity of its rise would

Long ere the last of the column could hope to reach the upper pits which lay above the danger point I was

convinced that the waters would surge after us in overwhelming volume, and that fully half the expedition

As I cast about for some means of saving as many as possible of the doomed men, I saw a diverging corridor

which seemed to rise at a steep angle at my right. The waters were now swirling about my waist. The men

directly before me were quickly becoming panicstricken. Something must be done at once or they would

rush forward upon their fellows in a mad stampede that would result in trampling down hundreds beneath the

flood and eventually clogging the passage beyond any hope of retreat for those in advance.

"Call back the last twentyfive utans," I shouted. "Here seems a way of escape. Turn back and follow me."

My orders were obeyed by nearer thirty utans, so that some three thousand men came about and hastened into

As the first dwar passed in with his utan I cautioned him to listen closely for my commands, and under no

circumstances to venture into the open, or leave the pits for the temple proper until I should have come up

The officer saluted and left me. The men filed rapidly past me and entered the diverging corridor which I

hoped would lead to safety. The water rose breast high. Men stumbled, floundered, and went down. Many I

grasped and set upon their feet again, but alone the work was greater than I could cope with. Soldiers were

being swept beneath the boiling torrent, never to rise. At length the dwar of the 10th utan took a stand beside

me. He was a valorous soldier, Gur Tus by name, and together we kept the now thoroughly frightened troops

Djor Kantos, son of Kantos Kan, and a padwar of the fifth utan joined us when his utan reached the opening

through which the men were fleeing. Thereafter not a man was lost of all the hundreds that remained to pass

As the last utan was filing past us the waters had risen until they surged about our necks, but we clasped

hands and stood our ground until the last man had passed to the comparative safety of the new passageway.

Here we found an immediate and steep ascent, so that within a hundred yards we had reached a point above

For a few minutes we continued rapidly up the steep grade, which I hoped would soon bring us quickly to the

upper pits that let into the Temple of Issus. But I was to meet with a cruel disappointment.

Suddenly I heard a cry of "fire" far ahead, followed almost at once by cries of terror and the loud commands

of dwars and padwars who were evidently attempting to direct their men away from some grave danger. At

last the report came back to us. "They have fired the pits ahead." "We are hemmed in by flames in front and

flood behind." "Help, John Carter; we are suffocating," and then there swept back upon us at the rear a wave

There was naught to do other than seek a new avenue of escape. The fire and smoke were to be feared a

thousand times over the water, and so I seized upon the first gallery which led out of and up from the

Again I stood to one side while the soldiers hastened through on the new way. Some two thousand must have

passed at a rapid run, when the stream ceased, but I was not sure that all had been rescued who had not

passed the point of origin of the flames, and so to assure myself that no poor devil was left behind to die a

horrible death, unsuccoured, I ran quickly up the gallery in the direction of the flames which I could now see

It was hot and stifling work, but at last I reached a point where the fire lit up the corridor sufficiently for me

to see that no soldier of Helium lay between me and the conflagrationwhat was in it or upon the far side I

could not know, nor could any man have passed through that seething hell of chemicals and lived to learn.

Having satisfied my sense of duty, I turned and ran rapidly back to the corridor through which my men had

passed. To my horror, however, I found that my retreat in this direction had been blockedacross the mouth

of the corridor stood a massive steel grating that had evidently been lowered from its restingplace above for

That our principal movements were known to the First Born I could not have doubted, in view of the attack of

the fleet upon us the day before, nor could the stopping of the pumps of Omean at the psychological moment

have been due to chance, nor the starting of a chemical combustion within the one corridor through which we

were advancing upon the Temple of Issus been due to aught than wellcalculated design.

And now the dropping of the steel gate to pen me effectually between fire and flood seemed to indicate that

invisible eyes were upon us at every moment. What chance had I, then, to rescue Dejah Thoris were I to be

compelled to fight foes who never showed themselves. A thousand times I berated myself for being drawn

into such a trap as I might have known these pits easily could be. Now I saw that it would have been much

better to have kept our force intact and made a concerted attack upon the temple from the valley side, trusting

to chance and our great fighting ability to have overwhelmed the First Born and compelled the safe delivery

The smoke from the fire was forcing me further and further back down the corridor toward the waters which I

could hear surging through the darkness. With my men had gone the last torch, nor was this corridor lighted

by the radiance of phosphorescent rock as were those of the lower levels. It was this fact that assured me that

Finally I felt the lapping waters about my feet. The smoke was thick behind me. My suffering was intense.

There seemed but one thing to do, and that to choose the easier death which confronted me, and so I moved

on down the corridor until the cold waters of Omean closed about me, and I swam on through utter blackness

The instinct of selfpreservation is strong even when one, unafraid and in the possession of his highest

reasoning faculties, knows that deathpositive and unalterablelies just ahead. And so I swam slowly on,

waiting for my head to touch the top of the corridor, which would mean that I had reached the limit of my

But to my surprise I ran against a blank wall before I reached a point where the waters came to the roof of the

corridor. Could I be mistaken? I felt around. No, I had come to the main corridor, and still there was a

breathing space between the surface of the water and the rocky ceiling above. And then I turned up the main

corridor in the direction that Carthoris and the head of the column had passed a halfhour before. On and on I

swam, my heart growing lighter at every stroke, for I knew that I was approaching closer and closer to the

point where there would be no chance that the waters ahead could be deeper than they were about me. I was

positive that I must soon feel the solid floor beneath my feet again and that once more my chance would

come to reach the Temple of Issus and the side of the fair prisoner who languished there.

But even as hope was at its highest I felt the sudden shock of contact as my head struck the rocks above. The

worst, then, had come to me. I had reached one of those rare places where a Martian tunnel dips suddenly to a

lower level. Somewhere beyond I knew that it rose again, but of what value was that to me, since I did not

know how great the distance that it maintained a level entirely beneath the surface of the water!

There was but a single forlorn hope, and I took it. Filling my lungs with air, I dived beneath the surface and

swam through the inky, icy blackness on and on along the submerged gallery. Time and time again I rose

Not for much longer would my lungs withstand the strain upon them. I felt that I must soon succumb, nor was

there any retreating now that I had gone this far. I knew positively that I could never endure to retrace my

path now to the point from which I had felt the waters close above my head. Death stared me in the face, nor

ever can I recall a time that I so distinctly felt the icy breath from his dead lips upon my brow.

One more frantic effort I made with my fast ebbing strength. Weakly I rose for the last timemy tortured

lungs gasped for the breath that would fill them with a strange and numbing element, but instead I felt the

revivifying breath of lifegiving air surge through my starving nostrils into my dying lungs. I was saved.

A few more strokes brought me to a point where my feet touched the floor, and soon thereafter I was above

the water level entirely, and racing like mad along the corridor searching for the first doorway that would lead

me to Issus. If I could not have Dejah Thoris again I was at least determined to avenge her death, nor would

any life satisfy me other than that of the fiend incarnate who was the cause of such immeasurable suffering

Sooner than I had expected I came to what appeared to me to be a sudden exit into the temple above. It was at

the right side of the corridor, which ran on, probably, to other entrances to the pile above.

To me one point was as good as another. What knew I where any of them led! And so without waiting to be

again discovered and thwarted, I ran quickly up the short, steep incline and pushed open the doorway at its

The portal swung slowly in, and before it could be slammed against me I sprang into the chamber beyond.

Although not yet dawn, the room was brilliantly lighted. Its sole occupant lay prone upon a low couch at the

further side, apparently in sleep. From the hangings and sumptuous furniture of the room I judged it to be a

At the thought the blood tingled through my veins. What, indeed, if fortune had been kind enough to place

the hideous creature alone and unguarded in my hands. With her as hostage I could force acquiescence to my

every demand. Cautiously I approached the recumbent figure, on noiseless feet. Closer and closer I came to

it, but I had crossed but little more than half the chamber when the figure stirred, and, as I sprang, rose and

At first an expression of terror overspread the features of the woman who confronted methen startled

My heart pounded within my breast as I advanced toward hertears came to my eyesand the words that

would have poured forth in a perfect torrent choked in my throat as I opened my arms and took into them

"John Carter, John Carter," she sobbed, with her dear head upon my shoulder; "even now I can scarce believe

the witness of my own eyes. When the girl, Thuvia, told me that you had returned to Barsoom, I listened, but

I could not understand, for it seemed that such happiness would be impossible for one who had suffered so in

silent loneliness for all these long years. At last, when I realized that it was truth, and then came to know the

awful place in which I was held prisoner, I learned to doubt that even you could reach me here.

"As the days passed, and moon after moon went by without bringing even the faintest rumour of you, I

resigned myself to my fate. And now that you have come, scarce can I believe it. For an hour I have heard the

sounds of conflict within the palace. I knew not what they meant, but I have hoped against hope that it might

"He was with me less than an hour since, Dejah Thoris," I replied. "It must have been he whose men you

"She sent me under guard to this room just before the fighting began within the temple halls. She said that she

would send for me later. She seemed very angry and somewhat fearful. Never have I seen her act in so

uncertain and almost terrified a manner. Now I know that it must have been because she had learned that

John Carter, Prince of Helium, was approaching to demand an accounting of her for the imprisonment of his

The sounds of conflict, the clash of arms, the shouting and the hurrying of many feet came to us from various

parts of the temple. I knew that I was needed there, but I dared not leave Dejah Thoris, nor dared I take her

At last I bethought me of the pits from which I had just emerged. Why not secrete her there until I could

return and fetch her away in safety and for ever from this awful place. I explained my plan to her.

"I cannot bear to be parted from you now, even for a moment, John Carter," she said. "I shudder at the

thought of being alone again where that terrible creature might discover me. You do not know her. None can

imagine her ferocious cruelty who has not witnessed her daily acts for over half a year. It has taken me nearly

"Go, John Carter," she said. "Our son is there, and the soldiers of Helium, fighting for the Princess of Helium.

Where they are you should be. I must not think of myself now, but of them and of my husband's duty. I may

I led her to the door through which I had entered the chamber from below. There I pressed her dear form to

me, and then, though it tore my heart to do it, and filled me only with the blackest shadows of terrible

foreboding, I guided her across the threshold, kissed her once again, and closed the door upon her.

Without hesitating longer, I hurried from the chamber in the direction of the greatest tumult. Scarce half a

dozen chambers had I traversed before I came upon the theatre of a fierce struggle. The blacks were massed

at the entrance to a great chamber where they were attempting to block the further progress of a body of red

Coming from within as I did, I found myself behind the blacks, and, without waiting to even calculate their

numbers or the foolhardiness of my venture, I charged swiftly across the chamber and fell upon them from

As I struck the first blow I cried aloud, "For Helium!" And then I rained cut after cut upon the surprised

warriors, while the reds without took heart at the sound of my voice, and with shouts of "John Carter! John

Carter!" redoubled their efforts so effectually that before the blacks could recover from their temporary

demoralization their ranks were broken and the red men had burst into the chamber.

The fight within that room, had it had but a competent chronicler, would go down in the annals of Barsoom

as a historic memorial to the grim ferocity of her warlike people. Five hundred men fought there that day, the

black men against the red. No man asked quarter or gave it. As though by common assent they fought, as

though to determine once and for all their right to live, in accordance with the law of the survival of the

I think we all knew that upon the outcome of this battle would hinge for ever the relative positions of these

two races upon Barsoom. It was a battle between the old and the new, but not for once did I question the

outcome of it. With Carthoris at my side I fought for the red men of Barsoom and for their total emancipation

Back and forth across the room we surged, until the floor was ankle deep in blood, and dead men lay so

thickly there that half the time we stood upon their bodies as we fought. As we swung toward the great

windows which overlooked the gardens of Issus a sight met my gaze which sent a wave of exultation over

For an instant the fighting ceased, and with one accord every eye turned in the direction I had indicated, and

Across the gardens, from side to side, stood a wavering line of black warriors, while beyond them and forcing

them ever back was a great horde of green warriors astride their mighty thoats. And as we watched, one,

fiercer and more grimly terrible than his fellows, rode forward from the rear, and as he came he shouted some

It was Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark, and as he couched his great fortyfoot metalshod lance we saw his

warriors do likewise. Then it was that we interpreted his command. Twenty yards now separated the green

men from the black line. Another word from the great Thark, and with a wild and terrifying battlecry the

green warriors charged. For a moment the black line held, but only for a momentthen the fearsome beasts

After them came utan upon utan of red men. The green horde broke to surround the temple. The red men

charged for the interior, and then we turned to continue our interrupted battle; but our foes had vanished.

My first thought was of Dejah Thoris. Calling to Carthoris that I had found his mother, I started on a run

toward the chamber where I had left her, with my boy close beside me. After us came those of our little force

The moment I entered the room I saw that some one had been there since I had left. A silk lay upon the floor.

It had not been there before. There were also a dagger and several metal ornaments strewn about as though

torn from their wearer in a struggle. But worst of all, the door leading to the pits where I had hidden my

With a bound I was before it, and, thrusting it open, rushed within. Dejah Thoris had vanished. I called her

name aloud again and again, but there was no response. I think in that instant I hovered upon the verge of

insanity. I do not recall what I said or did, but I know that for an instant I was seized with the rage of a

"Issus!" I cried. "Issus! Where is Issus? Search the temple for her, but let no man harm her but John Carter.

"This way," cried the boy, and, without waiting to know that I had heard him, he dashed off at breakneck

speed, further into the bowels of the temple. As fast as he went, however, I was still beside him, urging him

At last we came to a great carved door, and through this Carthoris dashed, a foot ahead of me. Within, we

came upon such a scene as I had witnessed within the temple once beforethe throne of Issus, with the

We did not even give the men a chance to draw, so quickly were we upon them. With a single cut I struck

down two in the front rank. And then by the mere weight and momentum of my body, I rushed completely

through the two remaining ranks and sprang upon the dais beside the carved sorapus throne.

The repulsive creature, squatting there in terror, attempted to escape me and leap into a trap behind her. But

this time I was not to be outwitted by any such petty subterfuge. Before she had half arisen I had grasped her

by the arm, and then, as I saw the guard starting to make a concerted rush upon me from all sides, I whipped

"Back!" I cried to them. "Back! The first black foot that is planted upon this platform sends my dagger into

For an instant they hesitated. Then an officer ordered them back, while from the outer corridor there swept

into the throne room at the heels of my little party of survivors a full thousand red men under Kantos Kan,

For a moment her eyes roved wildly about the scene beneath her. I think that it took a moment for the true

condition to make any impression upon hershe could not at first realize that the temple had fallen before

the assault of men of the outer world. When she did, there must have come, too, a terrible realization of what

it meant to herthe loss of powerhumiliationthe exposure of the fraud and imposture which she had for

There was just one thing needed to complete the reality of the picture she was seeing, and that was added by

the highest noble of her realmthe high priest of her religion the prime minister of her government.

"Issus, Goddess of Death, and of Life Eternal," he cried, "arise in the might of thy righteous wrath and with

one single wave of thy omnipotent hand strike dead thy blasphemers! Let not one escape. Issus, thy people

depend upon thee. Daughter of the Lesser Moon, thou only art allpowerful. Thou only canst save thy

And then it was that she went mad. A screaming, gibbering maniac writhed in my grasp. It bit and clawed and

scratched in impotent fury. And then it laughed a weird and terrible laughter that froze the blood. The slave

girls upon the dais shrieked and cowered away. And the thing jumped at them and gnashed its teeth and then

The awful creature in my grasp mumbled inarticulately for a moment, then a sudden gleam of cunning shot

"Dejah Thoris? Dejah Thoris?" and then that shrill, unearthly laugh pierced our ears once more.

"Yes, Dejah ThorisI know. And Thuvia, and Phaidor, daughter of Matai Shang. They each love John

Carter. Haah! but it is droll. Together for a year they will meditate within the Temple of the Sun, but ere the

year is quite gone there will be no more food for them. Hooh! what divine entertainment," and she licked

the froth from her cruel lips. "There will be no more foodexcept each other. Haah! Haah!"

The horror of the suggestion nearly paralysed me. To this awful fate the creature within my power had

condemned my Princess. I trembled in the ferocity of my rage. As a terrier shakes a rat I shook Issus,

"It is too late. Haah! Haah!" and then she commenced her gibbering and shrieking again.

Almost of its own volition, my dagger flew up above that putrid heart. But something stayed my hand, and I

am now glad that it did. It were a terrible thing to have struck down a woman with one's own hand. But a

"First Born," I cried, turning to those who stood within the chamber, "you have seen today the impotency of

Issus the gods are impotent. Issus is no god. She is a cruel and wicked old woman, who has deceived and

played upon you for ages. Take her. John Carter, Prince of Helium, would not contaminate his hand with her

blood," and with that I pushed the raving beast, whom a short halfhour before a whole world had

worshipped as divine, from the platform of her throne into the waiting clutches of her betrayed and vengeful

Spying Xodar among the officers of the red men, I called him to lead me quickly to the Temple of the Sun,

and, without waiting to learn what fate the First Born would wreak upon their goddess, I rushed from the

chamber with Xodar, Carthoris, Hor Vastus, Kantos Kan, and a score of other red nobles.

The black led us rapidly through the inner chambers of the temple, until we stood within the central courta

great circular space paved with a transparent marble of exquisite whiteness. Before us rose a golden temple

wrought in the most wondrous and fanciful designs, inlaid with diamond, ruby, sapphire, turquoise, emerald,

and the thousand nameless gems of Mars, which far transcend in loveliness and purity of ray the most

"This way," cried Xodar, leading us toward the entrance to a tunnel which opened in the courtyard beside the

temple. Just as we were on the point of descending we heard a deeptoned roar burst from the Temple of

Issus, which we had but just quitted, and then a red man, Djor Kantos, padwar of the fifth utan, broke from a

"The blacks have fired the temple," he cried. "In a thousand places it is burning now. Haste to the outer

As he spoke we saw smoke pouring from a dozen windows looking out upon the courtyard of the Temple of

the Sun, and far above the highest minaret of Issus hung an evergrowing pall of smoke.

"Go back! Go back!" I cried to those who had accompanied me. "The way! Xodar; point the way and leave

"Follow me, John Carter," replied Xodar, and without waiting for my reply he dashed down into the tunnel at

our feet. At his heels I ran down through a halfdozen tiers of galleries, until at last he led me along a level

Massive bars blocked our further progress, but beyond I saw hermy incomparable Princess, and with her

were Thuvia and Phaidor. When she saw me she rushed toward the bars that separated us. Already the

chamber had turned upon its slow way so far that but a portion of the opening in the temple wall was opposite

the barred end of the corridor. Slowly the interval was closing. In a short time there would be but a tiny crack,

and then even that would be closed, and for a long Barsoomian year the chamber would slowly revolve until

once more for a brief day the aperture in its wall would pass the corridor's end.

"Xodar!" I cried. "Can no power stop this awful revolving thing? Is there none who holds the secret of these

"None, I fear, whom we could fetch in time, though I shall go and make the attempt. Wait for me here."

After he had left I stood and talked with Dejah Thoris, and she stretched her dear hand through those cruel

Thuvia and Phaidor came close also, but when Thuvia saw that we would be alone she withdrew to the

"John Carter," she said, "this be the last time that you shall see any of us. Tell me that you love me, that I may

"I love only the Princess of Helium," I replied quietly. "I am sorry, Phaidor, but it is as I have told you from

She bit her lip and turned away, but not before I saw the black and ugly scowl she turned upon Dejah Thoris.

Thereafter she stood a little way apart, but not so far as I should have desired, for I had many little

For a few minutes we stood thus talking in low tones. Ever smaller and smaller grew the opening. In a short

time now it would be too small even to permit the slender form of my Princess to pass. Oh, why did not

Xodar haste. Above we could hear the faint echoes of a great tumult. It was the multitude of black and red

and green men fighting their way through the fire from the burning Temple of Issus.

A draught from above brought the fumes of smoke to our nostrils. As we stood waiting for Xodar the smoke

became thicker and thicker. Presently we heard shouting at the far end of the corridor, and hurrying feet.

"Come back, John Carter, come back!" cried a voice, "even the pits are burning."

In a moment a dozen men broke through the now blinding smoke to my side. There was Carthoris, and

Kantos Kan, and Hor Vastus, and Xodar, with a few more who had followed me to the temple court.

"There is no hope, John Carter," cried Xodar. "The keeper of the keys is dead and his keys are not upon his

carcass. Our only hope is to quench this conflagration and trust to fate that a year will find your Princess alive

and well. I have brought sufficient food to last them. When this crack closes no smoke can reach them, and if

"Go, then, yourself and take these others with you," I replied. "I shall remain here beside my Princess until a

As I spoke Xodar had been tossing a great number of tiny cans within the prison cell. The remaining crack

was not over an inch in width a moment later. Dejah Thoris stood as close to it as she could, whispering

Suddenly beyond her I saw the beautiful face of Phaidor contorted into an expression of malign hatred. As

"Think not, John Carter, that you may so lightly cast aside the love of Phaidor, daughter of Matai Shang. Nor

ever hope to hold thy Dejah Thoris in thy arms again. Wait you the long, long year; but know that when the

waiting is over it shall be Phaidor's arms which shall welcome younot those of the Princess of Helium.

And as she finished speaking I saw her raise a dagger on high, and then I saw another figure. It was Thuvia's.

As the dagger fell toward the unprotected breast of my love, Thuvia was almost between them. A blinding

gust of smoke blotted out the tragedy within that fearsome cella shriek rang out, a single shriek, as the

The smoke cleared away, but we stood gazing upon a blank wall. The last crevice had closed, and for a long

"In a moment it will be too late," cried Xodar. "There is, in fact, but a bare chance that we can come through

to the outer garden alive even now. I have ordered the pumps started, and in five minutes the pits will be

flooded. If we would not drown like rats in a trap we must hasten above and make a dash for safety through

"Go," I urged them. "Let me die here beside my Princessthere is no hope or happiness elsewhere for me.

When they carry her dear body from that terrible place a year hence let them find the body of her lord

Of what happened after that I have only a confused recollection. It seems as though I struggled with many

men, and then that I was picked bodily from the ground and borne away. I do not know. I have never asked,

nor has any other who was there that day intruded on my sorrow or recalled to my mind the occurrences

Ah! If I could but know one thing, what a burden of suspense would be lifted from my shoulders! But

whether the assassin's dagger reached one fair bosom or another, only time will divulge.