THE CHESSMEN OF MARS

by Edgar Rice Burroughs

CONTENTS

PRELUDE - John Carter Comes to Earth I Tara in a Tantrum II At the Gale's Mercy III The Headless Humans IV Captured V The Perfect Brain VI In the Toils of Horror VII A Repellent SightVIII Close Work IX Adrift Over Strange Regions X Entrapped XI The Choice of Tara XII Ghek Plays PranksXIII A Desperate Deed XIV At Ghek's Command XV The Old Man of the Pits XVI Another Change of NameXVII A Play to the DeathXVIII A Task for Loyalty XIX The Menace of the Dead XX The Charge of Cowardice XXI A Risk for LoveXXII At the Moment of Marriage

THE CHESSMEN OF MARS

PRELUDE

JOHN CARTER COMES TO EARTH

Shea had just beaten me at chess, as usual, and, also as usual, Ihad gleaned what questionable satisfaction I might by twittinghim with this indication of failing mentality by calling hisattention to the nth time to that theory, propounded by certainscientists, which is based upon the assertion that phenomenalchess players are always found to be from the ranks of childrenunder twelve, adults over seventy-two or the mentallydefective--a theory that is lightly ignored upon those rareoccasions that I win. Shea had gone to bed and I should havefollowed suit, for we are always in the saddle here beforesunrise; but instead I sat there before the chess table in thelibrary, idly blowing smoke at the dishonored head of my defeatedking. 

While thus profitably employed I heard the east door of theliving-room open and someone enter. I thought it was Sheareturning to speak with me on some matter of tomorrow's work; butwhen I raised my eyes to the doorway that connects the two roomsI saw framed there the figure of a bronzed giant, his otherwisenaked body trapped with a jewel-encrusted harness from whichthere hung at one side an ornate short-sword and at the other apistol of strange pattern. The black hair, the steel-gray eyes, brave and smiling, the noble features--I recognized them at once, and leaping to my feet I advanced with outstretched hand. 

"John Carter!" I cried. "You?"

"None other, my son, " he replied, taking my hand in one of hisand placing the other upon my shoulder. 

"And what are you doing here?" I asked. "It has been long yearssince you revisited Earth, and never before in the trappings ofMars. Lord! but it is good to see you--and not a day older inappearance than when you trotted me on your knee in my babyhood. How do you explain it, John Carter, Warlord of Mars, or do youtry to explain it?"

"Why attempt to explain the inexplicable?" he replied. "As I havetold you before, I am a very old man. I do not know how old I am. I recall no childhood; but recollect only having been always asyou see me now and as you saw me first when you were five yearsold. You, yourself, have aged, though not as much as most men ina corresponding number of years, which may be accounted for bythe fact that the same blood runs in our veins; but I have notaged at all. I have discussed the question with a noted Martianscientist, a friend of mine; but his theories are still onlytheories. However, I am content with the fact--I never age, and Ilove life and the vigor of youth. 

"And now as to your natural question as to what brings me toEarth again and in this, to earthly eyes, strange habiliment. Wemay thank Kar Komak, the bowman of Lothar. It was he who gave methe idea upon which I have been experimenting until at last Ihave achieved success. As you know I have long possessed thepower to cross the void in spirit, but never before have I beenable to impart to inanimate things a similar power. Now, however, you see me for the first time precisely as my Martian fellows seeme--you see the very short-sword that has tasted the blood ofmany a savage foeman; the harness with the devices of Helium andthe insignia of my rank; the pistol that was presented to me byTars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark. 

"Aside from seeing you, which is my principal reason for beinghere, and satisfying myself that I can transport inanimate thingsfrom Mars to Earth, and therefore animate things if I so desire, I have no purpose. Earth is not for me. My every interest is uponBarsoom--my wife, my children, my work; all are there. I willspend a quiet evening with you and then back to the world I loveeven better than I love life. "

As he spoke he dropped into the chair upon the opposite side ofthe chess table. 

"You spoke of children, " I said. "Have you more than Carthoris?"

"A daughter, " he replied, "only a little younger than Carthoris, and, barring one, the fairest thing that ever breathed the thinair of dying Mars. Only Dejah Thoris, her mother, could be morebeautiful than Tara of Helium. "

For a moment he fingered the chessmen idly. "We have a game onMars similar to chess, " he said, "very similar. And there is arace there that plays it grimly with men and naked swords. Wecall the game jetan. It is played on a board like yours, exceptthat there are a hundred squares and we use twenty pieces oneach side. I never see it played without thinking of Tara ofHelium and what befell her among the chessmen of Barsoom. Would you like to hear her story?"

I said that I would and so he told it to me, and now I shall tryto re-tell it for you as nearly in the words of The Warlord ofMars as I can recall them, but in the third person. If there beinconsistencies and errors, let the blame fall not upon JohnCarter, but rather upon my faulty memory, where it belongs. It isa strange tale and utterly Barsoomian. 

CHAPTER I

TARA IN A TANTRUM

Tara of Helium rose from the pile of silks and soft furs uponwhich she had been reclining, stretched her lithe body languidly, and crossed toward the center of the room, where, above a largetable, a bronze disc depended from the low ceiling. Her carriagewas that of health and physical perfection--the effortlessharmony of faultless coordination. A scarf of silken gossamercrossing over one shoulder was wrapped about her body; her blackhair was piled high upon her head. With a wooden stick she tappedupon the bronze disc, lightly, and presently the summons wasanswered by a slave girl, who entered, smiling, to be greetedsimilarly by her mistress. 

"Are my father's guests arriving?" asked the princess. 

"Yes, Tara of Helium, they come, " replied the slave. "I have seenKantos Kan, Overlord of the Navy, and Prince Soran of Ptarth, andDjor Kantos, son of Kantos Kan, " she shot a roguish glance at hermistress as she mentioned Djor Kantos' name, "and--oh, there wereothers, many have come. "

"The bath, then, Uthia, " said her mistress. "And why, Uthia, " sheadded, "do you look thus and smile when you mention the name ofDjor Kantos?"

The slave girl laughed gaily. "It is so plain to all that heworships you, " she replied. 

"It is not plain to me, " said Tara of Helium. "He is the friendof my brother, Carthoris, and so he is here much; but not to seeme. It is his friendship for Carthoris that brings him thus oftento the palace of my father. "

"But Carthoris is hunting in the north with Talu, Jeddak ofOkar, " Uthia reminded her. 

"My bath, Uthia!" cried Tara of Helium. "That tongue of yourswill bring you to some misadventure yet. "

"The bath is ready, Tara of Helium, " the girl responded, her eyesstill twinkling with merriment, for she well knew that in theheart of her mistress was no anger that could displace the loveof the princess for her slave. Preceding the daughter of TheWarlord she opened the door of an adjoining room where lay thebath--a gleaming pool of scented water in a marble basin. Goldenstanchions supported a chain of gold encircling it and leadingdown into the water on either side of marble steps. A glass domelet in the sun-light, which flooded the interior, glancing fromthe polished white of the marble walls and the procession ofbathers and fishes, which, in conventional design, were inlaidwith gold in a broad band that circled the room. 

Tara of Helium removed the scarf from about her and handed it tothe slave. Slowly she descended the steps to the water, thetemperature of which she tested with a symmetrical foot, undeformed by tight shoes and high heels--a lovely foot, as Godintended that feet should be and seldom are. Finding the water toher liking, the girl swam leisurely to and fro about the pool. With the silken ease of the seal she swam, now at the surface, now below, her smooth muscles rolling softly beneath her clearskin--a wordless song of health and happiness and grace. Presently she emerged and gave herself into the hands of theslave girl, who rubbed the body of her mistress with a sweetsmelling semi-liquid substance contained in a golden urn, untilthe glowing skin was covered with a foamy lather, then a quickplunge into the pool, a drying with soft towels, and the bath wasover. Typical of the life of the princess was the simple eleganceof her bath--no retinue of useless slaves, no pomp, no idle wasteof precious moments. In another half hour her hair was dried andbuilt into the strange, but becoming, coiffure of her station;her leathern trappings, encrusted with gold and jewels, had beenadjusted to her figure and she was ready to mingle with theguests that had been bidden to the midday function at the palaceof The Warlord. 

As she left her apartments to make her way to the gardens wherethe guests were congregating, two warriors, the insignia of theHouse of the Prince of Helium upon their harness, followed a fewpaces behind her, grim reminders that the assassin's blade maynever be ignored upon Barsoom, where, in a measure, itcounterbalances the great natural span of human life, which isestimated at not less than a thousand years. 

As they neared the entrance to the garden another woman, similarly guarded, approached them from another quarter of thegreat palace. As she neared them Tara of Helium turned toward herwith a smile and a happy greeting, while her guards knelt withbowed heads in willing and voluntary adoration of the beloved ofHelium. Thus always, solely at the command of their own hearts, did the warriors of Helium greet Dejah Thoris, whose deathlessbeauty had more than once brought them to bloody warfare withother nations of Barsoom. So great was the love of the people ofHelium for the mate of John Carter it amounted practically toworship, as though she were indeed the goddess that she looked. 

The mother and daughter exchanged the gentle, Barsoomian, "kaor"of greeting and kissed. Then together they entered the gardenswhere the guests were. A huge warrior drew his short-sword andstruck his metal shield with the flat of it, the brazen soundringing out above the laughter and the speech. 

"The Princess comes!" he cried. "Dejah Thoris! The Princesscomes! Tara of Helium!" Thus always is royalty announced. Theguests arose; the two women inclined their heads; the guards fellback upon either side of the entrance-way; a number of noblesadvanced to pay their respects; the laughing and the talking wereresumed and Dejah Thoris and her daughter moved simply andnaturally among their guests, no suggestion of differing rankapparent in the bearing of any who were there, though there wasmore than a single Jeddak and many common warriors whose onlytitle lay in brave deeds, or noble patriotism. Thus it is uponMars where men are judged upon their own merits rather than uponthose of their grandsires, even though pride of lineage be great. 

Tara of Helium let her slow gaze wander among the throng ofguests until presently it halted upon one she sought. Was thefaint shadow of a frown that crossed her brow an indication ofdispleasure at the sight that met her eyes, or did the brilliantrays of the noonday sun distress her? Who may say! She had beenreared to believe that one day she should wed Djor Kantos, son ofher father's best friend. It had been the dearest wish of KantosKan and The Warlord that this should be, and Tara of Helium hadaccepted it as a matter of all but accomplished fact. Djor Kantoshad seemed to accept the matter in the same way. They had spokenof it casually as something that would, as a matter of course, take place in the indefinite future, as, for instance, hispromotion in the navy, in which he was now a padwar; or the setfunctions of the court of her grandfather, Tardos Mors, Jeddak ofHelium; or Death. They had never spoken of love and that hadpuzzled Tara of Helium upon the rare occasions she gave itthought, for she knew that people who were to wed were usuallymuch occupied with the matter of love and she had all of awoman's curiosity--she wondered what love was like. She was veryfond of Djor Kantos and she knew that he was very fond of her. They liked to be together, for they liked the same things and thesame people and the same books and their dancing was a joy, notonly to themselves but to those who watched them. She could notimagine wanting to marry anyone other than Djor Kantos. 

So perhaps it was only the sun that made her brows contract justthe tiniest bit at the same instant that she discovered DjorKantos sitting in earnest conversation with Olvia Marthis, daughter of the Jed of Hastor. It was Djor Kantos' dutyimmediately to pay his respects to Dejah Thoris and Tara ofHelium; but he did not do so and presently the daughter of TheWarlord frowned indeed. She looked long at Olvia Marthis, andthough she had seen her many times before and knew her well, shelooked at her today through new eyes that saw, apparently for thefirst time, that the girl from Hastor was noticeably beautifuleven among those other beautiful women of Helium. Tara of Heliumwas disturbed. She attempted to analyze her emotions; but foundit difficult. Olvia Marthis was her friend--she was very fond ofher and she felt no anger toward her. Was she angry with DjorKantos? No, she finally decided that she was not. It was merelysurprise, then, that she felt--surprise that Djor Kantos could bemore interested in another than in herself. She was about tocross the garden and join them when she heard her father's voicedirectly behind her. 

"Tara of Helium!" he called, and she turned to see himapproaching with a strange warrior whose harness and metal boredevices with which she was unfamiliar. Even among the gorgeoustrappings of the men of Helium and the visitors from distantempires those of the stranger were remarkable for their barbaricsplendor. The leather of his harness was completely hiddenbeneath ornaments of platinum thickly set with brilliantdiamonds, as were the scabbards of his swords and the ornateholster that held his long, Martian pistol. Moving through thesunlit garden at the side of the great Warlord, the scintillantrays of his countless gems enveloping him as in an aureole oflight imparted to his noble figure a suggestion of godliness. 

"Tara of Helium, I bring you Gahan, Jed of Gathol, " said JohnCarter, after the simple Barsoomian custom of presentation. 

"Kaor! Gahan, Jed of Gathol, " returned Tara of Helium. 

"My sword is at your feet, Tara of Helium, " said the youngchieftain. 

The Warlord left them and the two seated themselves upon anersite bench beneath a spreading sorapus tree. 

"Far Gathol, " mused the girl. "Ever in my mind has it beenconnected with mystery and romance and the half-forgotten lore ofthe ancients. I cannot think of Gathol as existing today, possibly because I have never before seen a Gatholian. "

"And perhaps too because of the great distance that separatesHelium and Gathol, as well as the comparative insignificance ofmy little free city, which might easily be lost in one corner ofmighty Helium, " added Gahan. "But what we lack in power we makeup in pride, " he continued, laughing. "We believe ours the oldestinhabited city upon Barsoom. It is one of the few that hasretained its freedom, and this despite the fact that its ancientdiamond mines are the richest known and, unlike practically allthe other fields, are today apparently as inexhaustible as ever. "

"Tell me of Gathol, " urged the girl. "The very thought fills mewith interest, " nor was it likely that the handsome face of theyoung jed detracted anything from the glamour of far Gathol. 

Nor did Gahan seem displeased with the excuse for furthermonopolizing the society of his fair companion. His eyes seemedchained to her exquisite features, from which they moved nofurther than to a rounded breast, part hid beneath its jeweledcovering, a naked shoulder or the symmetry of a perfect arm, resplendent in bracelets of barbaric magnificence. 

"Your ancient history has doubtless told you that Gathol wasbuilt upon an island in Throxeus, mightiest of the five oceans ofold Barsoom. As the ocean receded Gathol crept down the sides ofthe mountain, the summit of which was the island upon which shehad been built, until today she covers the slopes from summit tobase, while the bowels of the great hill are honeycombed with thegalleries of her mines. Entirely surrounding us is a great saltmarsh, which protects us from invasion by land, while the ruggedand ofttimes vertical topography of our mountain renders thelanding of hostile airships a precarious undertaking. "

"That, and your brave warriors?" suggested the girl. 

Gahan smiled. "We do not speak of that except to enemies, " hesaid, "and then with tongues of steel rather than of flesh. "

"But what practice in the art of war has a people which naturehas thus protected from attack?" asked Tara of Helium, who hadliked the young jed's answer to her previous question, but yet inwhose mind persisted a vague conviction of the possibleeffeminacy of her companion, induced, doubtless, by themagnificence of his trappings and weapons which carried asuggestion of splendid show rather than grim utility. 

"Our natural barriers, while they have doubtless saved us fromdefeat on countless occasions, have not by any means rendered usimmune from attack, " he explained, "for so great is the wealth ofGathol's diamond treasury that there yet may be found those whowill risk almost certain defeat in an effort to loot ourunconquered city; so thus we find occasional practice in theexercise of arms; but there is more to Gathol than the mountaincity. My country extends from Polodona (Equator) north ten karadsand from the tenth karad west of Horz to the twentieth west, including thus a million square haads, the greater proportion ofwhich is fine grazing land where run our great herds of thoatsand zitidars. 

"Surrounded as we are by predatory enemies our herdsmen mustindeed be warriors or we should have no herds, and you may beassured they get plenty of fighting. Then there is our constantneed of workers in the mines. The Gatholians consider themselvesa race of warriors and as such prefer not to labor in the mines. The law is, however, that each male Gatholian shall give an houra day in labor to the government. That is practically the onlytax that is levied upon them. They prefer however, to furnish asubstitute to perform this labor, and as our own people will nothire out for labor in the mines it has been necessary to obtainslaves, and I do not need to tell you that slaves are not wonwithout fighting. We sell these slaves in the public market, theproceeds going, half and half, to the government and the warriorswho bring them in. The purchasers are credited with the amount oflabor performed by their particular slaves. At the end of a yeara good slave will have performed the labor tax of his master forsix years, and if slaves are plentiful he is freed and permittedto return to his own people. "

"You fight in platinum and diamonds?" asked Tara, indicating hisgorgeous trappings with a quizzical smile. 

Gahan laughed. "We are a vain people, " he admitted, good-naturedly, "and it is possible that we place too much valueon personal appearances. We vie with one another in the splendorof our accoutrements when trapped for the observance of thelighter duties of life, though when we take the field our leatheris the plainest I ever have seen worn by fighting men of Barsoom. We pride ourselves, too, upon our physical beauty, and especiallyupon the beauty of our women. May I dare to say, Tara of Helium, that I am hoping for the day when you will visit Gathol that mypeople may see one who is really beautiful?"

"The women of Helium are taught to frown with displeasure uponthe tongue of the flatterer, " rejoined the girl, but Gahan, Jedof Gathol, observed that she smiled as she said it. 

A bugle sounded, clear and sweet, above the laughter and thetalk. "The Dance of Barsoom!" exclaimed the young warrior. "Iclaim you for it, Tara of Helium. "

The girl glanced in the direction of the bench where she had lastseen Djor Kantos. He was not in sight. She inclined her head inassent to the claim of the Gatholian. Slaves were passing amongthe guests, distributing small musical instruments of a singlestring. Upon each instrument were characters which indicated thepitch and length of its tone. The instruments were of skeel, thestring of gut, and were shaped to fit the left forearm of thedancer, to which it was strapped. There was also a ring woundwith gut which was worn between the first and second joints ofthe index finger of the right hand and which, when passed overthe string of the instrument, elicited the single note requiredof the dancer. 

The guests had risen and were slowly making their way toward theexpanse of scarlet sward at the south end of the gardens wherethe dance was to be held, when Djor Kantos came hurriedly towardTara of Helium. "I claim--" he exclaimed as he neared her; butshe interrupted him with a gesture. 

"You are too late, Djor Kantos, " she cried in mock anger. "Nolaggard may claim Tara of Helium; but haste now lest thou losealso Olvia Marthis, whom I have never seen wait long to beclaimed for this or any other dance. "

"I have already lost her, " admitted Djor Kantos ruefully. 

"And you mean to say that you came for Tara of Helium only afterhaving lost Olvia Marthis?" demanded the girl, still simulatingdispleasure. 

"Oh, Tara of Helium, you know better than that, " insisted theyoung man. "Was it not natural that I should assume that youwould expect me, who alone has claimed you for the Dance ofBarsoom for at least twelve times past?"

"And sit and play with my thumbs until you saw fit to come forme?" she questioned. "Ah, no, Djor Kantos; Tara of Helium is forno laggard, " and she threw him a sweet smile and passed on towardthe assembling dancers with Gahan, Jed of far Gathol. 

The Dance of Barsoom bears a relation similar to the more formaldancing functions of Mars that The Grand March does to ours, though it is infinitely more intricate and more beautiful. Beforea Martian youth of either sex may attend an important socialfunction where there is dancing, he must have become proficientin at least three dances--The Dance of Barsoom, his nationaldance, and the dance of his city. In these three dances thedancers furnish their own music, which never varies; nor do thesteps or figures vary, having been handed down from timeimmemorial. All Barsoomian dances are stately and beautiful, butThe Dance of Barsoom is a wondrous epic of motion andharmony--there is no grotesque posturing, no vulgar or suggestivemovements. It has been described as the interpretation of thehighest ideals of a world that aspired to grace and beauty andchastity in woman, and strength and dignity and loyalty in man. 

Today, John Carter, Warlord of Mars, with Dejah Thoris, his mate, led in the dancing, and if there was another couple that viedwith them in possession of the silent admiration of the guests itwas the resplendent Jed of Gathol and his beautiful partner. Inthe ever-changing figures of the dance the man found himself nowwith the girl's hand in his and again with an arm about the lithebody that the jeweled harness but inadequately covered, and thegirl, though she had danced a thousand dances in the past, realized for the first time the personal contact of a man's armagainst her naked flesh. It troubled her that she should noticeit, and she looked up questioningly and almost with displeasureat the man as though it was his fault. Their eyes met and she sawin his that which she had never seen in the eyes of Djor Kantos. It was at the very end of the dance and they both stoppedsuddenly with the music and stood there looking straight intoeach other's eyes. It was Gahan of Gathol who spoke first. 

"Tara of Helium, I love you!" he said. 

The girl drew herself to her full height. "The Jed of Gatholforgets himself, " she exclaimed haughtily. 

"The Jed of Gathol would forget everything but you, Tara ofHelium, " he replied. Fiercely he pressed the soft hand that hestill retained from the last position of the dance. "I love you, Tara of Helium, " he repeated. "Why should your ears refuse tohear what your eyes but just now did not refuse to see--andanswer?"

"What meanest thou?" she cried. "Are the men of Gathol suchboors, then?"

"They are neither boors nor fools, " he replied, quietly. "Theyknow when they love a woman--and when she loves them. "

Tara of Helium stamped her little foot in anger. "Go!" she said, "before it is necessary to acquaint my father with the dishonorof his guest. "

She turned and walked away. "Wait!" cried the man. "Just anotherword. "

"Of apology?" she asked. 

"Of prophecy, " he said. 

"I do not care to hear it, " replied Tara of Helium, and lefthim standing there. She was strangely unstrung and shortlythereafter returned to her own quarter of the palace, where shestood for a long time by a window looking out beyond the scarlettower of Greater Helium toward the northwest. 

Presently she turned angrily away. "I hate him!" she exclaimedaloud. 

"Whom?" inquired the privileged Uthia. 

Tara of Helium stamped her foot. "That ill-mannered boor, the Jedof Gathol, " she replied. 

Uthia raised her slim brows. 

At the stamping of the little foot, a great beast rose from thecorner of the room and crossed to Tara of Helium where it stoodlooking up into her face. She placed her hand upon the ugly head. "Dear old Woola, " she said; "no love could be deeper than yours, yet it never offends. Would that men might pattern themselvesafter you!"

CHAPTER II

AT THE GALE'S MERCY

Tara of Helium did not return to her father's guests, but awaitedin her own apartments the word from Djor Kantos which she knewmust come, begging her to return to the gardens. She would thenrefuse, haughtily. But no appeal came from Djor Kantos. At firstTara of Helium was angry, then she was hurt, and always she waspuzzled. She could not understand. Occasionally she thought ofthe Jed of Gathol and then she would stamp her foot, for she wasvery angry indeed with Gahan. The presumption of the man! He hadinsinuated that he read love for him in her eyes. Never had shebeen so insulted and humiliated. Never had she so thoroughlyhated a man. Suddenly she turned toward Uthia. 

"My flying leather!" she commanded. 

"But the guests!" exclaimed the slave girl. "Your father, TheWarlord, will expect you to return. "

"He will be disappointed, " snapped Tara of Helium. 

The slave hesitated. "He does not approve of your flying alone, "she reminded her mistress. 

The young princess sprang to her feet and seized the unhappyslave by the shoulders, shaking her. "You are becomingunbearable, Uthia, " she cried. "Soon there will be no alternativethan to send you to the public slave-market. Then possibly youwill find a master to your liking. "

Tears came to the soft eyes of the slave girl. "It is because Ilove you, my princess, " she said softly. Tara of Helium melted. She took the slave in her arms and kissed her. 

"I have the disposition of a thoat, Uthia, " she said. "Forgiveme! I love you and there is nothing that I would not do for youand nothing would I do to harm you. Again, as I have so often inthe past, I offer you your freedom. "

"I do not wish my freedom if it will separate me from you, Taraof Helium, " replied Uthia. "I am happy here with you--I thinkthat I should die without you. "

Again the girls kissed. "And you will not fly alone, then?"questioned the slave. 

Tara of Helium laughed and pinched her companion. "You persistentlittle pest, " she cried. "Of course I shall fly--does not Tara ofHelium always do that which pleases her?"

Uthia shook her head sorrowfully. "Alas! she does, " she admitted. "Iron is the Warlord of Barsoom to the influences of all but two. In the hands of Dejah Thoris and Tara of Helium he is as potters'clay. "

"Then run and fetch my flying leather like the sweet slave youare, " directed the mistress. 

 * * * * *

Far out across the ochre sea-bottoms beyond the twin cities ofHelium raced the swift flier of Tara of Helium. Thrilling to thespeed and the buoyancy and the obedience of the little craft thegirl drove toward the northwest. Why she should choose thatdirection she did not pause to consider. Perhaps because in thatdirection lay the least known areas of Barsoom, and, ergo, Romance, Mystery, and Adventure. In that direction also lay farGathol; but to that fact she gave no conscious thought. 

She did, however, think occasionally of the jed of that distantkingdom, but the reaction to these thoughts was scarcelypleasurable. They still brought a flush of shame to her cheeksand a surge of angry blood to her heart. She was very angry withthe Jed of Gathol, and though she should never see him again shewas quite sure that hate of him would remain fresh in her memoryforever. Mostly her thoughts revolved about another--Djor Kantos. And when she thought of him she thought also of Olvia Marthis ofHastor. Tara of Helium thought that she was jealous of the fairOlvia and it made her very angry to think that. She was angrywith Djor Kantos and herself, but she was not angry at all withOlvia Marthis, whom she loved, and so of course she was notjealous really. The trouble was, that Tara of Helium had failedfor once to have her own way. Djor Kantos had not come runninglike a willing slave when she had expected him, and, ah, here wasthe nub of the whole thing! Gahan, Jed of Gathol, a stranger, hadbeen a witness to her humiliation. He had seen her unclaimed atthe beginning of a great function and he had had to come to herrescue to save her, as he doubtless thought, from the ingloriousfate of a wall-flower. At the recurring thought, Tara of Heliumcould feel her whole body burning with scarlet shame and then shewent suddenly white and cold with rage; whereupon she turned herflier about so abruptly that she was all but torn from herlashings upon the flat, narrow deck. She reached home just beforedark. The guests had departed. Quiet had descended upon thepalace. An hour later she joined her father and mother at theevening meal. 

"You deserted us, Tara of Helium, " said John Carter. "It is notwhat the guests of John Carter should expect. "

"They did not come to see me, " replied Tara of Helium. "I did notask them. "

"They were no less your guests, " replied her father. 

The girl rose, and came and stood beside him and put her armsabout his neck. 

"My proper old Virginian, " she cried, rumpling his shock of blackhair. 

"In Virginia you would be turned over your father's knee andspanked, " said the man, smiling. 

She crept into his lap and kissed him. "You do not love me anymore, " she announced. "No one loves me, " but she could notcompose her features into a pout because bubbling laughterinsisted upon breaking through. 

"The trouble is there are too many who love you, " he said. "Andnow there is another. "

"Indeed!" she cried. "What do you mean?"

"Gahan of Gathol has asked permission to woo you. "

The girl sat up very straight and tilted her chin in the air. "Iwould not wed with a walking diamond-mine, " she said. "I will nothave him. "

"I told him as much, " replied her father, "and that you were asgood as betrothed to another. He was very courteous about it; butat the same time he gave me to understand that he was accustomedto getting what he wanted and that he wanted you very much. Isuppose it will mean another war. Your mother's beauty keptHelium at war for many years, and--well, Tara of Helium, if Iwere a young man I should doubtless be willing to set all Barsoomafire to win you, as I still would to keep your divine mother, "and he smiled across the sorapus table and its golden service atthe undimmed beauty of Mars' most beautiful woman. 

"Our little girl should not yet be troubled with such matters, "said Dejah Thoris. "Remember, John Carter, that you are notdealing with an Earth child, whose span of life would be morethan half completed before a daughter of Barsoom reached actualmaturity. "

"But do not the daughters of Barsoom sometimes marry as early astwenty?" he insisted. 

"Yes, but they will still be desirable in the eyes of men afterforty generations of Earth folk have returned to dust--there isno hurry, at least, upon Barsoom. We do not fade and decay hereas you tell me those of your planet do, though you, yourself, belie your own words. When the time seems proper Tara of Heliumshall wed with Djor Kantos, and until then let us give the matterno further thought. "

"No, " said the girl, "the subject irks me, and I shall not marryDjor Kantos, or another--I do not intend to wed. "

Her father and mother looked at her and smiled. "When Gahan ofGathol returns he may carry you off, " said the former. 

"He has gone?" asked the girl. 

"His flier departs for Gathol in the morning, " John Carterreplied. 

"I have seen the last of him then, " remarked Tara of Helium witha sigh of relief. 

"He says not, " returned John Carter. 

The girl dismissed the subject with a shrug and the conversationpassed to other topics. A letter had arrived from Thuvia ofPtarth, who was visiting at her father's court while Carthoris, her mate, hunted in Okar. Word had been received that the Tharksand Warhoons were again at war, or rather that there had been anengagement, for war was their habitual state. In the memory ofman there had been no peace between these two savage greenhordes--only a single temporary truce. Two new battleships hadbeen launched at Hastor. A little band of holy therns wasattempting to revive the ancient and discredited religion ofIssus, who they claimed still lived in spirit and hadcommunicated with them. There were rumors of war from Dusar. Ascientist claimed to have discovered human life on the furthermoon. A madman had attempted to destroy the atmosphere plant. Seven people had been assassinated in Greater Helium during thelast ten zodes, (the equivalent of an Earth day). 

Following the meal Dejah Thoris and The Warlord played at jetan, the Barsoomian game of chess, which is played upon a board of ahundred alternate black and orange squares. One player has twentyblack pieces, the other, twenty orange pieces. A briefdescription of the game may interest those Earth readers who carefor chess, and will not be lost upon those who pursue thisnarrative to its conclusion, since before they are done they willfind that a knowledge of jetan will add to the interest and thethrills that are in store for them. 

The men are placed upon the board as in chess upon the first tworows next the players. In order from left to right on the line ofsquares nearest the players, the jetan pieces are Warrior, Padwar, Dwar, Flier, Chief, Princess, Flier, Dwar, Padwar, Warrior. In the next line all are Panthans except the end pieces, which are called Thoats, and represent mounted warriors. 

The Panthans, which are represented as warriors with one feather, may move one space in any direction except backward; the Thoats, mounted warriors with three feathers, may move one straight andone diagonal, and may jump intervening pieces; Warriors, footsoldiers with two feathers, straight in any direction, ordiagonally, two spaces; Padwars, lieutenants wearing twofeathers, two diagonal in any direction, or combination; Dwars, captains wearing three feathers, three spaces straight in anydirection, or combination; Fliers, represented by a propellorwith three blades, three spaces in any direction, or combination, diagonally, and may jump intervening pieces; the Chief, indicatedby a diadem with ten jewels, three spaces in any direction, straight, or diagonal; Princess, diadem with a single jewel, sameas Chief, and can jump intervening pieces. 

The game is won when a player places any of his pieces on thesame square with his opponent's Princess, or when a Chief takes aChief. It is drawn when a Chief is taken by any opposing pieceother than the opposing Chief; or when both sides have beenreduced to three pieces, or less, of equal value, and the game isnot terminated in the following ten moves, five apiece. This isbut a general outline of the game, briefly stated. 

It was this game that Dejah Thoris and John Carter were playingwhen Tara of Helium bid them good night, retiring to her ownquarters and her sleeping silks and furs. "Until morning, mybeloved, " she called back to them as she passed from theapartment, nor little did she guess, nor her parents, that thismight indeed be the last time that they would ever set eyes uponher. 

The morning broke dull and gray. Ominous clouds billowedrestlessly and low. Beneath them torn fragments scudded towardthe northwest. From her window Tara of Helium looked out uponthis unusual scene. Dense clouds seldom overcast the Barsoomiansky. At this hour of the day it was her custom to ride one ofthose small thoats that are the saddle animals of the redMartians, but the sight of the billowing clouds lured her to anew adventure. Uthia still slept and the girl did not disturbher. Instead, she dressed quietly and went to the hangar upon theroof of the palace directly above her quarters where her ownswift flier was housed. She had never driven through the clouds. It was an adventure that always she had longed to experience. Thewind was strong and it was with difficulty that she maneuveredthe craft from the hangar without accident, but once away itraced swiftly out above the twin cities. The buffeting windscaught and tossed it, and the girl laughed aloud in sheer joy ofthe resultant thrills. She handled the little ship like aveteran, though few veterans would have faced the menace of sucha storm in so light a craft. Swiftly she rose toward the clouds, racing with the scudding streamers of the storm-swept fragments, and a moment later she was swallowed by the dense massesbillowing above. Here was a new world, a world of chaos unpeopledexcept for herself; but it was a cold, damp, lonely world and shefound it depressing after the novelty of it had been dissipated, by an overpowering sense of the magnitude of the forces surgingabout her. Suddenly she felt very lonely and very cold and verylittle. Hurriedly, therefore, she rose until presently her craftbroke through into the glorious sunlight that transformed theupper surface of the somber element into rolling masses ofburnished silver. Here it was still cold, but without thedampness of the clouds, and in the eye of the brilliant sun herspirits rose with the mounting needle of her altimeter. Gazing atthe clouds, now far beneath, the girl experienced the sensationof hanging stationary in mid-heaven; but the whirring of herpropellor, the wind beating upon her, the high figures that roseand fell beneath the glass of her speedometer, these told herthat her speed was terrific. It was then that she determined toturn back. 

The first attempt she made above the clouds, but it wasunsuccessful. To her surprise she discovered that she could noteven turn against the high wind, which rocked and buffeted thefrail craft. Then she dropped swiftly to the dark and wind-sweptzone between the hurtling clouds and the gloomy surface of theshadowed ground. Here she tried again to force the nose of theflier back toward Helium, but the tempest seized the frail thingand hurled it remorselessly about, rolling it over and over andtossing it as it were a cork in a cataract. At last the girlsucceeded in righting the flier, perilously close to the ground. Never before had she been so close to death, yet she was notterrified. Her coolness had saved her, that and the strength ofthe deck lashings that held her. Traveling with the storm she wassafe, but where was it bearing her? She pictured the apprehensionof her father and mother when she failed to appear at the morningmeal. They would find her flier missing and they would guess thatsomewhere in the path of the storm it lay a wrecked and tangledmass upon her dead body, and then brave men would go out insearch of her, risking their lives; and that lives would be lostin the search, she knew, for she realized now that never in herlife-time had such a tempest raged upon Barsoom. 

She must turn back! She must reach Helium before her mad lust forthrills had cost the sacrifice of a single courageous life! Shedetermined that greater safety and likelihood of success layabove the clouds, and once again she rose through the chilling, wind-tossed vapor. Her speed again was terrific, for the windseemed to have increased rather than to have lessened. She soughtgradually to check the swift flight of her craft, but though shefinally succeeded in reversing her motor the wind but carried heron as it would. Then it was that Tara of Helium lost her temper. Had her world not always bowed in acquiescence to her every wish?What were these elements that they dared to thwart her? She woulddemonstrate to them that the daughter of The Warlord was not tobe denied! They would learn that Tara of Helium might not beruled even by the forces of nature!

And so she drove her motor forward again and then with her firm, white teeth set in grim determination she drove the steeringlever far down to port with the intention of forcing the nose ofher craft straight into the teeth of the wind, and the windseized the frail thing and toppled it over upon its back, andtwisted and turned it and hurled it over and over; the propellorraced for an instant in an air pocket and then the tempest seizedit again and twisted it from its shaft, leaving the girl helplessupon an unmanageable atom that rose and fell, and rolled andtumbled--the sport of the elements she had defied. Tara ofHelium's first sensation was one of surprise--that she had failedto have her own way. Then she commenced to feel concern--not forher own safety but for the anxiety of her parents and the dangersthat the inevitable searchers must face. She reproached herselffor the thoughtless selfishness that had jeopardized the peaceand safety of others. She realized her own grave danger, too; butshe was still unterrified, as befitted the daughter of DejahThoris and John Carter. She knew that her buoyancy tanks mightkeep her afloat indefinitely, but she had neither food nor water, and she was being borne toward the least-known area of Barsoom. Perhaps it would be better to land immediately and await thecoming of the searchers, rather than to allow herself to becarried still further from Helium, thus greatly reducing thechances of early discovery; but when she dropped toward theground she discovered that the violence of the wind rendered anattempt to land tantamount to destruction and she rose again, rapidly. 

Carried along a few hundred feet above the ground she was betterable to appreciate the Titanic proportions of the storm than whenshe had flown in the comparative serenity of the zone above theclouds, for now she could distinctly see the effect of the windupon the surface of Barsoom. The air was filled with dust andflying bits of vegetation and when the storm carried her acrossan irrigated area of farm land she saw great trees and stonewalls and buildings lifted high in air and scattered broadcastover the devastated country; and then she was carried swiftly onto other sights that forced in upon her consciousness a rapidlygrowing conviction that after all Tara of Helium was a very smalland insignificant and helpless person. It was quite a shock toher self-pride while it lasted, and toward evening she was readyto believe that it was going to last forever. There had been noabatement in the ferocity of the tempest, nor was thereindication of any. She could only guess at the distance she hadbeen carried for she could not believe in the correctness of thehigh figures that had been piled upon the record of her odometer. They seemed unbelievable and yet, had she known it, they werequite true--in twelve hours she had flown and been carried by thestorm full seven thousand haads. Just before dark she was carriedover one of the deserted cities of ancient Mars. It was Torquas, but she did not know it. Had she, she might readily have beenforgiven for abandoning the last vestige of hope, for to thepeople of Helium Torquas seems as remote as do the South SeaIslands to us. And still the tempest, its fury unabated, bore heron. 

All that night she hurtled through the dark beneath the clouds, or rose to race through the moonlit void beneath the glory ofBarsoom's two satellites. She was cold and hungry and altogethermiserable, but her brave little spirit refused to admit that herplight was hopeless even though reason proclaimed the truth. Herreply to reason, sometime spoken aloud in sudden defiance, recalled the Spartan stubbornness of her sire in the face ofcertain annihilation: "I still live!"

That morning there had been an early visitor at the palace of TheWarlord. It was Gahan, Jed of Gathol. He had arrived shortlyafter the absence of Tara of Helium had been noted, and in theexcitement he had remained unannounced until John Carter hadhappened upon him in the great reception corridor of the palaceas The Warlord was hurrying out to arrange for the dispatch ofships in search of his daughter. 

Gahan read the concern upon the face of The Warlord. "Forgive meif I intrude, John Carter, " he said. "I but came to ask theindulgence of another day since it would be fool-hardy to attemptto navigate a ship in such a storm. "

"Remain, Gahan, a welcome guest until you choose to leave us, "replied The Warlord; "but you must forgive any seeminginattention upon the part of Helium until my daughter is restoredto us. "

"You daughter! Restored! What do you mean?" exclaimed theGatholian. "I do not understand. "

"She is gone, together with her light flier. That is all we know. We can only assume that she decided to fly before the morningmeal and was caught in the clutches of the tempest. You willpardon me, Gahan, if I leave you abruptly--I am arranging to sendships in search of her;" but Gahan, Jed of Gathol, was alreadyspeeding in the direction of the palace gate. There he leapedupon a waiting thoat and followed by two warriors in the metal ofGathol, he dashed through the avenues of Helium toward the palacethat had been set aside for his entertainment. 

CHAPTER III

THE HEADLESS HUMANS

Above the roof of the palace that housed the Jed of Gathol andhis entourage, the cruiser Vanator tore at her stout moorings. The groaning tackle bespoke the mad fury of the gale, while theworried faces of those members of the crew whose duties demandedtheir presence on the straining craft gave corroborative evidenceof the gravity of the situation. Only stout lashings preventedthese men from being swept from the deck, while those upon theroof below were constantly compelled to cling to rails andstanchions to save themselves from being carried away by each newburst of meteoric fury. Upon the prow of the Vanator was paintedthe device of Gathol, but no pennants were displayed in the upperworks since the storm had carried away several in rapidsuccession, just as it seemed to the watching men that it mustcarry away the ship itself. They could not believe that anytackle could withstand for long this Titanic force. To each ofthe twelve lashings clung a brawny warrior with drawnshort-sword. Had but a single mooring given to the power of thetempest eleven short-swords would have cut the others; since, partially moored, the ship was doomed, while free in the tempestit stood at least some slight chance for life. 

"By the blood of Issus, I believe they will hold!" screamed onewarrior to another. 

"And if they do not hold may the spirits of our ancestors rewardthe brave warriors upon the Vanator, " replied another of thoseupon the roof of the palace, "for it will not be long from themoment her cables part before her crew dons the leather of thedead; but yet, Tanus, I believe they will hold. Give thanks atleast that we did not sail before the tempest fell, since noweach of us has a chance to live. "

"Yes, " replied Tanus, "I should hate to be abroad today upon thestoutest ship that sails the Barsoomian sky. "

It was then that Gahan the Jed appeared upon the roof. With himwere the balance of his own party and a dozen warriors of Helium. The young chief turned to his followers. 

"I sail at once upon the Vanator, " he said, "in search of Tara ofHelium who is thought to have been carried away upon a one-manflier by the storm. I do not need to explain to you the slenderchances the Vanator has to withstand the fury of the tempest, norwill I order you to your deaths. Let those who wish remain behindwithout dishonor. The others will follow me, " and he leaped forthe rope ladder that lashed wildly in the gale. 

The first man to follow him was Tanus and when the last reachedthe deck of the cruiser there remained upon the palace roof onlythe twelve warriors of Helium, who, with naked swords, had takenthe posts of the Gatholians at the moorings. 

Not a single warrior who had remained aboard the Vanator wouldleave her now. 

"I expected no less, " said Gahan, as with the help of thosealready on the deck he and the others found secure lashings. Thecommander of the Vanator shook his head. He loved his trim craft, the pride of her class in the little navy of Gathol. It was ofher he thought--not of himself. He saw her lying torn and twistedupon the ochre vegetation of some distant sea-bottom, to bepresently overrun and looted by some savage, green horde. Helooked at Gahan. 

"Are you ready, San Tothis?" asked the jed. 

"All is ready. "

"Then cut away!"

Word was passed across the deck and over the side to theHeliumetic warriors below that at the third gun they were to cutaway. Twelve keen swords must strike simultaneously and withequal power, and each must sever completely and instantly threestrands of heavy cable that no loose end fouling a block bringimmediate disaster upon the Vanator. 

Boom! The voice of the signal gun rolled down through thescreaming wind to the twelve warriors upon the roof. Boom! Twelveswords were raised above twelve brawny shoulders. Boom! Twelvekeen edges severed twelve complaining moorings, clean and as one. 

The Vanator, her propellors whirling, shot forward with thestorm. The tempest struck her in the stern as with a mailed fistand stood the great ship upon her nose, and then it caught herand spun her as a child's top spins; and upon the palace roof thetwelve men looked on in silent helplessness and prayed for thesouls of the brave warriors who were going to their death. Andothers saw, from Helium's lofty landing stages and from athousand hangars upon a thousand roofs; but only for an instantdid the preparations stop that would send other brave men intothe frightful maelstrom of that apparently hopeless search, forsuch is the courage of the warriors of Barsoom. 

But the Vanator did not fall to the ground, within sight of thecity at least, though as long as the watchers could see her neverfor an instant did she rest upon an even keel. Sometimes she layupon one side or the other, or again she hurtled along keel up, or rolled over and over, or stood upon her nose or her tail atthe caprice of the great force that carried her along. And thewatchers saw that this great ship was merely being blown awaywith the other bits of debris great and small that filled thesky. Never in the memory of man or the annals of recorded historyhad such a storm raged across the face of Barsoom. 

And in another instant was the Vanator forgotten as the lofty, scarlet tower that had marked Lesser Helium for ages crashed toground, carrying death and demolition upon the city beneath. Panic reigned. A fire broke out in the ruins. The city's everyforce seemed crippled, and it was then that The Warlord orderedthe men that were about to set forth in search of Tara of Heliumto devote their energies to the salvation of the city, for he toohad witnessed the start of the Vanator and realized the futilityof wasting men who were needed sorely if Lesser Helium was to besaved from utter destruction. 

Shortly after noon of the second day the storm commenced toabate, and before the sun went down, the little craft upon whichTara of Helium had hovered between life and death these manyhours drifted slowly before a gentle breeze above a landscape ofrolling hills that once had been lofty mountains upon a Martiancontinent. The girl was exhausted from loss of sleep, from lackof food and drink, and from the nervous reaction consequent tothe terrifying experiences through which she had passed. In thenear distance, just topping an intervening hill, she caught amomentary glimpse of what appeared to be a dome-capped tower. Quickly she dropped the flier until the hill shut it off from theview of the possible occupants of the structure she had seen. Thetower meant to her the habitation of man, suggesting the presenceof water and, perhaps, of food. If the tower was the desertedrelic of a bygone age she would scarcely find food there, butthere was still a chance that there might be water. If it wasinhabited, then must her approach be cautious, for only enemiesmight be expected to abide in so far distant a land. Tara ofHelium knew that she must be far from the twin cities of hergrandfather's empire, but had she guessed within even a thousandhaads of the reality, she had been stunned by realization of theutter hopelessness of her state. 

Keeping the craft low, for the buoyancy tanks were still intact, the girl skimmed the ground until the gently-moving wind hadcarried her to the side of the last hill that intervened betweenher and the structure she had thought a man-built tower. Here shebrought the flier to the ground among some stunted trees, anddragging it beneath one where it might be somewhat hidden fromcraft passing above, she made it fast and set forth toreconnoiter. Like most women of her class she was armed only witha single slender blade, so that in such an emergency as nowconfronted her she must depend almost solely upon her clevernessin remaining undiscovered by enemies. With utmost caution shecrept warily toward the crest of the hill, taking advantage ofevery natural screen that the landscape afforded to conceal herapproach from possible observers ahead, while momentarily shecast quick glances rearward lest she be taken by surprise fromthat quarter. 

She came at last to the summit, where, from the concealment of alow bush, she could see what lay beyond. Beneath her spread abeautiful valley surrounded by low hills. Dotting it werenumerous circular towers, dome-capped, and surrounding each towerwas a stone wall enclosing several acres of ground. The valleyappeared to be in a high state of cultivation. Upon the oppositeside of the hill and just beneath her was a tower and enclosure. It was the roof of the former that had first attracted herattention. In all respects it seemed identical in constructionwith those further out in the valley--a high, plastered wall ofmassive construction surrounding a similarly constructed tower, upon whose gray surface was painted in vivid colors a strangedevice. The towers were about forty sofads in diameter, approximately forty earth-feet, and sixty in height to the baseof the dome. To an Earth man they would have immediatelysuggested the silos in which dairy farmers store ensilage fortheir herds; but closer scrutiny, revealing an occasionalembrasured opening together with the strange construction of thedomes, would have altered such a conclusion. Tara of Helium sawthat the domes seemed to be faced with innumerable prisms ofglass, those that were exposed to the declining sun scintillatingso gorgeously as to remind her suddenly of the magnificenttrappings of Gahan of Gathol. As she thought of the man she shookher head angrily, and moved cautiously forward a foot or two thatshe might get a less obstructed view of the nearer tower and itsenclosure. 

As Tara of Helium looked down into the enclosure surrounding thenearest tower, her brows contracted momentarily in frowningsurprise, and then her eyes went wide in an expression ofincredulity tinged with horror, for what she saw was a score ortwo of human bodies--naked and headless. For a long moment shewatched, breathless; unable to believe the evidence of her owneyes--that these grewsome things moved and had life! She saw themcrawling about on hands and knees over and across one another, searching about with their fingers. And she saw some of them attroughs, for which the others seemed to be searching, and thoseat the troughs were taking something from these receptacles andapparently putting it in a hole where their necks should havebeen. They were not far beneath her--she could see themdistinctly and she saw that there were the bodies of both men andwomen, and that they were beautifully proportioned, and thattheir skin was similar to hers, but of a slightly lighter red. Atfirst she had thought that she was looking upon a shambles andthat the bodies, but recently decapitated, were moving under theimpulse of muscular reaction; but presently she realized thatthis was their normal condition. The horror of them fascinatedher, so that she could scarce take her eyes from them. It wasevident from their groping hands that they were eyeless, andtheir sluggish movements suggested a rudimentary nervous systemand a correspondingly minute brain. The girl wondered how theysubsisted for she could not, even by the wildest stretch ofimagination, picture these imperfect creatures as intelligenttillers of the soil. Yet that the soil of the valley was tilledwas evident and that these things had food was equally so. Butwho tilled the soil? Who kept and fed these unhappy things, andfor what purpose? It was an enigma beyond her powers ofdeduction. 

The sight of food aroused again a consciousness of her owngnawing hunger and the thirst that parched her throat. She couldsee both food and water within the enclosure; but would she dareenter even should she find means of ingress? She doubted it, since the very thought of possible contact with these grewsomecreatures sent a shudder through her frame. 

Then her eyes wandered again out across the valley untilpresently they picked out what appeared to be a tiny streamwinding its way through the center of the farm lands--a strangesight upon Barsoom. Ah, if it were but water! Then might she hopewith a real hope, for the fields would give her sustenance whichshe could gain by night, while by day she hid among thesurrounding hills, and sometime, yes, sometime she knew, thesearchers would come, for John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom, wouldnever cease to search for his daughter until every square haad ofthe planet had been combed again and again. She knew him and sheknew the warriors of Helium and so she knew that could she butmanage to escape harm until they came, they would indeed come atlast. 

She would have to wait until dark before she dare venture intothe valley, and in the meantime she thought it well to search outa place of safety nearby where she might be reasonably safe fromsavage beasts. It was possible that the district was free fromcarnivora, but one might never be sure in a strange land. As shewas about to withdraw be hind the brow of the hill her attentionwas again attracted to the enclosure below. Two figures hademerged from the tower. Their beautiful bodies seemed identicalwith those of the headless creatures among which they moved, butthe newcomers were not headless. Upon their shoulders were headsthat seemed human, yet which the girl intuitively sensed were nothuman. They were just a trifle too far away for her to see themdistinctly in the waning light of the dying day, but she knewthat they were too large, they were out of proportion to theperfectly proportioned bodies, and they were oblate in form. Shecould see that the men wore some manner of harness to which wereslung the customary long-sword and short-sword of the Barsoomianwarrior, and that about their short necks were massive leathercollars cut to fit closely over the shoulders and snugly to thelower part of the head. Their features were scarce discernible, but there was a suggestion of grotesqueness about them thatcarried to her a feeling of revulsion. 

The two carried a long rope to which were fastened, at intervalsof about two sofads, what she later guessed were light manacles, for she saw the warriors passing among the poor creatures in theenclosure and about the right wrist of each they fastened one ofthe manacles. When all had been thus fastened to the rope one ofthe warriors commenced to pull and tug at the loose end as thoughattempting to drag the headless company toward the tower, whilethe other went among them with a long, light whip with which heflicked them upon the naked skin. Slowly, dully, the creaturesrose to their feet and between the tugging of the warrior infront and the lashing of him behind the hopeless band was finallyherded within the tower. Tara of Helium shuddered as she turnedaway. What manner of creatures were these?

Suddenly it was night. The Barsoomian day had ended, and then thebrief period of twilight that renders the transition fromdaylight to darkness almost as abrupt as the switching off of anelectric light, and Tara of Helium had found no sanctuary. Butperhaps there were no beasts to fear, or rather to avoid--Tara ofHelium liked not the word fear. She would have been glad, however, had there been a cabin, even a very tiny cabin, upon hersmall flier; but there was no cabin. The interior of the hull wascompletely taken up by the buoyancy tanks. Ah, she had it! Howstupid of her not to have thought of it before! She could moorthe craft to the tree beneath which it rested and let it rise thelength of the rope. Lashed to the deck rings she would then besafe from any roaming beast of prey that chanced along. In themorning she could drop to the ground again before the craft wasdiscovered. 

As Tara of Helium crept over the brow of the hill down toward thevalley, her presence was hidden by the darkness of the night fromthe sight of any chance observer who might be loitering by awindow in the nearby tower. Cluros, the farther moon, was justrising above the horizon to commence his leisurely journeythrough the heavens. Eight zodes later he would set--a trifleover nineteen and a half Earth hours--and during that timeThuria, his vivacious mate, would have circled the planet twiceand be more than half way around on her third trip. She had butjust set. It would be more than three and a half hours before sheshot above the opposite horizon to hurtle, swift and low, acrossthe face of the dying planet. During this temporary absence ofthe mad moon Tara of Helium hoped to find both food and water, and gain again the safety of her flier's deck. 

She groped her way through the darkness, giving the tower and itsenclosure as wide a berth as possible. Sometimes she stumbled, for in the long shadows cast by the rising Cluros objects weregrotesquely distorted though the light from the moon was stillnot sufficient to be of much assistance to her. Nor, as a matterof fact, did she want light. She could find the stream in thedark, by the simple expedient of going down hill until she walkedinto it and she had seen that bearing trees and many crops grewthroughout the valley, so that she would pass food in plenty ereshe reached the stream. If the moon showed her the way moreclearly and thus saved her from an occasional fall, he would, too, show her more clearly to the strange denizens of the towers, and that, of course, must not be. Could she have waited until thefollowing night conditions would have been better, since Cluroswould not appear in the heavens at all and so, during Thuria'sabsence, utter darkness would reign; but the pangs of thirst andthe gnawing of hunger could be endured no longer with food anddrink both in sight, and so she had decided to risk discoveryrather than suffer longer. 

Safely past the nearest tower, she moved as rapidly as she feltconsistent with safety, choosing her way wherever possible sothat she might take advantage of the shadows of the trees thatgrew at intervals and at the same time discover those which borefruit. In this latter she met with almost immediate success, forthe very third tree beneath which she halted was heavy with ripefruit. Never, thought Tara of Helium, had aught so deliciousimpinged upon her palate, and yet it was naught else than thealmost tasteless usa, which is considered to be palatable onlyafter having been cooked and highly spiced. It grows easily withlittle irrigation and the trees bear abundantly. The fruit, whichranks high in food value, is one of the staple foods of the lesswell-to-do, and because of its cheapness and nutritive valueforms one of the principal rations of both armies and navies uponBarsoom, a use which has won for it a Martian sobriquet which, freely translated into English, would be, The Fighting Potato. The girl was wise enough to eat but sparingly, but she filled herpocket-pouch with the fruit before she continued upon her way. 

Two towers she passed before she came at last to the stream, andhere again was she temperate, drinking but little and that veryslowly, contenting herself with rinsing her mouth frequently andbathing her face, her hands, and her feet; and even though thenight was cold, as Martian nights are, the sensation ofrefreshment more than compensated for the physical discomfort ofthe low temperature. Replacing her sandals she sought among thegrowing track near the stream for whatever edible berries ortubers might be planted there, and found a couple of varietiesthat could be eaten raw. With these she replaced some of the usain her pocket-pouch, not only to insure a variety but because shefound them more palatable. Occasionally she returned to thestream to drink, but each time moderately. Always were her eyesand ears alert for the first signs of danger, but she had neitherseen nor heard aught to disturb her. And presently the timeapproached when she felt she must return to her flier lest she becaught in the revealing light of low swinging Thuria. She dreadedleaving the water for she knew that she must become very thirstybefore she could hope to come again to the stream. If she onlyhad some little receptacle in which to carry water, even a smallamount would tide her over until the following night; but she hadnothing and so she must content herself as best she could withthe juices of the fruit and tubers she had gathered. 

After a last drink at the stream, the longest and deepest she hadallowed herself, she rose to retrace her steps toward the hills;but even as she did so she became suddenly tense withapprehension. What was that? She could have sworn that she sawsomething move in the shadows beneath a tree not far away. For along minute the girl did not move--she scarce breathed. Her eyesremained fixed upon the dense shadows below the tree, her earsstrained through the silence of the night. A low moaning camedown from the hills where her flier was hidden. She knew itwell--the weird note of the hunting banth. And the greatcarnivore lay directly in her path. But he was not so close asthis other thing, hiding there in the shadows just a little wayoff. What was it? It was the strain of uncertainty that weighedheaviest upon her. Had she known the nature of the creaturelurking there half its menace would have vanished. She castquickly about her in search of some haven of refuge should thething prove dangerous. 

Again arose the moaning from the hills, but this time closer. Almost immediately it was answered from the opposite side of thevalley, behind her, and then from the distance to the right ofher, and twice upon her left. Her eyes had found a tree, quitenear. Slowly, and without taking her eyes from the shadows ofthat other tree, she moved toward the overhanging branches thatmight afford her sanctuary in the event of need, and at her firstmove a low growl rose from the spot she had been watching and sheheard the sudden moving of a big body. Simultaneously thecreature shot into the moonlight in full charge upon her, itstail erect, its tiny ears laid flat, its great mouth with itsmultiple rows of sharp and powerful fangs already yawning for itsprey, its ten legs carrying it forward in great leaps, and nowfrom the beast's throat issued the frightful roar with which itseeks to paralyze its prey. It was a banth--the great, maned lionof Barsoom. Tara of Helium saw it coming and leaped for the treetoward which she had been moving, and the banth realized herintention and redoubled his speed. As his hideous roar awakenedthe echoes in the hills, so too it awakened echoes in the valley;but these echoes came from the living throats of others of hiskind, until it seemed to the girl that Fate had thrown her intothe midst of a countless multitude of these savage beasts. 

Almost incredibly swift is the speed of a charging banth, andfortunate it was that the girl had not been caught farther in theopen. As it was, her margin of safety was next to negligible, foras she swung nimbly to the lower branches the creature in pursuitof her crashed among the foliage almost upon her as it sprangupward to seize her. It was only a combination of good fortuneand agility that saved her. A stout branch deflected the rakingtalons of the carnivore, but so close was the call that a giantforearm brushed her flesh in the instant before she scrambled tothe higher branches. 

Baffled, the banth gave vent to his rage and disappointment in aseries of frightful roars that caused the very ground to tremble, and to these were added the roarings and the growlings and themoanings of his fellows as they approached from every direction, in the hope of wresting from him whatever of his kill they couldtake by craft or prowess. And now he turned snarling upon them asthey circled the tree, while the girl, huddled in a crotch abovethem, looked down upon the gaunt, yellow monsters padding onnoiseless feet in a restless circle about her. She wondered nowat the strange freak of fate that had permitted her to come downthis far into the valley by night unharmed, but even more shewondered how she was to return to the hills. She knew that shewould not dare venture it by night and she guessed, too, that byday she might be confronted by even graver perils. To depend uponthis valley for sustenance she now saw to be beyond the pale ofpossibility because of the banths that would keep her from foodand water by night, while the dwellers in the towers woulddoubtless make it equally impossible for her to forage by day. There was but one solution of her difficulty and that was toreturn to her flier and pray that the wind would waft her to someless terrorful land; but when might she return to the flier? Thebanths gave little evidence of relinquishing hope of her, and evenif they wandered out of sight would she dare risk the attempt?She doubted it. 

Hopeless indeed seemed her situation--hopeless it was. 

CHAPTER IV

CAPTURED

As Thuria, swift racer of the night, shot again into the sky thescene changed. As by magic a new aspect fell athwart the face ofNature. It was as though in the instant one had been transportedfrom one planet to another. It was the age-old miracle of theMartian nights that is always new, even to Martians--two moonsresplendent in the heavens, where one had been but now;conflicting, fast-changing shadows that altered the very hillsthemselves; far Cluros, stately, majestic, almost stationary, shedding his steady light upon the world below; Thuria, a greatand glorious orb, swinging swift across the vaulted dome of theblue-black night, so low that she seemed to graze the hills, agorgeous spectacle that held the girl now beneath the spell ofits enchantment as it always had and always would. 

"Ah, Thuria, mad queen of heaven!" murmured Tara of Helium. "Thehills pass in stately procession, their bosoms rising andfalling; the trees move in restless circles; the little grassesdescribe their little arcs; and all is movement, restless, mysterious movement without sound, while Thuria passes. " The girlsighed and let her gaze fall again to the stern realitiesbeneath. There was no mystery in the huge banths. He who haddiscovered her squatted there looking hungrily up at her. Most ofthe others had wandered away in search of other prey, but a fewremained hoping yet to bury their fangs in that soft body. 

The night wore on. Again Thuria left the heavens to her lord andmaster, hurrying on to keep her tryst with the Sun in otherskies. But a single banth waited impatiently beneath the treewhich harbored Tara of Helium. The others had left, but theirroars, and growls, and moans thundered or rumbled, or floatedback to her from near and far. What prey found they in thislittle valley? There must be something that they were accustomedto find here that they should be drawn in so great numbers. Thegirl wondered what it could be. 

How long the night! Numb, cold, and exhausted, Tara of Heliumclung to the tree in growing desperation, for once she had dozedand almost fallen. Hope was low in her brave little heart. Howmuch more could she endure? She asked herself the question andthen, with a brave shake of her head, she squared her shoulders. "I still live!" she said aloud. 

The banth looked up and growled. 

Came Thuria again and after awhile the great Sun--a flaminglover, pursuing his heart's desire. And Cluros, the cold husband, continued his serene way, as placid as before his house had beenviolated by this hot Lothario. And now the Sun and both Moonsrode together in the sky, lending their far mysteries to makeweird the Martian dawn. Tara of Helium looked out across the fairvalley that spread upon all sides of her. It was rich andbeautiful, but even as she looked upon it she shuddered, for toher mind came a picture of the headless things that the towersand the walls hid. Those by day and the banths by night! Ah, wasit any wonder that she shuddered?

With the coming of the Sun the great Barsoomian lion rose to hisfeet. He turned angry eyes upon the girl above him, voiced asingle ominous growl, and slunk away toward the hills. The girlwatched him, and she saw that he gave the towers as wide a berthas possible and that he never took his eyes from one of themwhile he was passing it. Evidently the inmates had taught thesesavage creatures to respect them. Presently he passed from sightin a narrow defile, nor in any direction that she could see wasthere another. Momentarily at least the landscape was deserted. The girl wondered if she dared to attempt to regain the hills andher flier. She dreaded the coming of the workmen to the fields asshe was sure they would come. She shrank from again seeing theheadless bodies, and found herself wondering if these thingswould come out into the fields and work. She looked toward thenearest tower. There was no sign of life there. The valley layquiet now and deserted. She lowered herself stiffly to theground. Her muscles were cramped and every move brought a twingeof pain. Pausing a moment to drink again at the stream she feltrefreshed and then turned without more delay toward the hills. Tocover the distance as quickly as possible seemed the only plan topursue. The trees no longer offered concealment and so she didnot go out of her way to be near them. The hills seemed very faraway. She had not thought, the night before, that she hadtraveled so far. Really it had not been far, but now, with thethree towers to pass in broad daylight, the distance seemed greatindeed. 

The second tower lay almost directly in her path. To make adetour would not lessen the chance of detection, it would onlylengthen the period of her danger, and so she laid her coursestraight for the hill where her flier was, regardless of thetower. As she passed the first enclosure she thought that sheheard the sound of movement within, but the gate did not open andshe breathed more easily when it lay behind her. She came then tothe second enclosure, the outer wall of which she must circle, asit lay across her route. As she passed close along it shedistinctly heard not only movement within, but voices. In theworld-language of Barsoom she heard a man issuinginstructions--so many were to pick usa, so many were to irrigatethis field, so many to cultivate that, and so on, as a foremanlay out the day's work for his crew. 

Tara of Helium had just reached the gate in the outer wall. Without warning it swung open toward her. She saw that for amoment it would hide her from those within and in that moment sheturned and ran, keeping close to the wall, until, passing out ofsight beyond the curve of the structure, she came to the oppositeside of the enclosure. Here, panting from her exertion and fromthe excitement of her narrow escape, she threw herself among sometall weeds that grew close to the foot of the wall. There she laytrembling for some time, not even daring to raise her head andlook about. Never before had Tara of Helium felt the paralyzingeffects of terror. She was shocked and angry at herself, thatshe, daughter of John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom, should exhibitfear. Not even the fact that there had been none there to witnessit lessened her shame and anger, and the worst of it was she knewthat under similar circumstances she would again be equally ascraven. It was not the fear of death--she knew that. No, it wasthe thought of those headless bodies and that she might see themand that they might even touch her--lay hands upon her--seizeher. She shuddered and trembled at the thought. 

After a while she gained sufficient command of herself to raiseher head and look about. To her horror she discovered thateverywhere she looked she saw people working in the fields orpreparing to do so. Workmen were coming from other towers. Littlebands were passing to this field and that. They were even somealready at work within thirty ads of her--about a hundred yards. There were ten, perhaps, in the party nearest her, both men andwomen, and all were beautiful of form and grotesque of face. Someager were their trappings that they were practically naked; afact that was in no way remarkable among the tillers of thefields of Mars. Each wore the peculiar, high leather collar thatcompletely hid the neck, and each wore sufficient other leatherto support a single sword and a pocket-pouch. The leather wasvery old and worn, showing long, hard service, and was absolutelyplain with the exception of a single device upon the leftshoulder. The heads, however, were covered with ornaments ofprecious metals and jewels, so that little more than eyes, nose, and mouth were discernible. These were hideously inhuman and yetgrotesquely human at the same time. The eyes were far apart andprotruding, the nose scarce more than two small, parallel slitsset vertically above a round hole that was the mouth. The headswere peculiarly repulsive--so much so that it seemed unbelievableto the girl that they formed an integral part of the beautifulbodies below them. 

So fascinated was Tara of Helium that she could scarce take hereyes from the strange creatures--a fact that was to prove herundoing, for in order that she might see them she was forced toexpose a part of her own head and presently, to herconsternation, she saw that one of the creatures had stopped hiswork and was staring directly at her. She did not dare move, forit was still possible that the thing had not seen her, or atleast was only suspicious that some creature lay hid among theweeds. If she could allay this suspicion by remaining motionlessthe creature might believe that he had been mistaken and returnto his work; but, alas, such was not to be the case. She saw thething call the attention of others to her and almost immediatelyfour or five of them started to move in her direction. 

It was impossible now to escape discovery. Her only hope lay inflight. If she could elude them and reach the hills and the flierahead of them she might escape, and that could be accomplished inbut one way--flight, immediate and swift. Leaping to her feet shedarted along the base of the wall which she must skirt to theopposite side, beyond which lay the hill that was her goal. Heract was greeted by strange whistling sounds from the thingsbehind her, and casting a glance over her shoulder she saw themall in rapid pursuit. 

There were also shrill commands that she halt, but to these shepaid no attention. Before she had half circled the enclosure shediscovered that her chances for successful escape were great, since it was evident to her that her pursuers were not so fleetas she. High indeed then were her hopes as she came in sight ofthe hill, but they were soon dashed by what lay before her, forthere, in the fields that lay between, were fully a hundredcreatures similar to those behind her and all were on the alert, evidently warned by the whistling of their fellows. Instructionsand commands were shouted to and fro, with the result that thosebefore her spread roughly into a great half circle to intercepther, and when she turned to the right, hoping to elude the net, she saw others coming from fields beyond, and to the left thesame was true. But Tara of Helium would not admit defeat. Withoutonce pausing she turned directly toward the center of theadvancing semi-circle, beyond which lay her single chance ofescape, and as she ran she drew her long, slim dagger. Like hervaliant sire, if die she must, she would die fighting. There weregaps in the thin line confronting her and toward the widest ofone of these she directed her course. The things on either sideof the opening guessed her intent for they closed in to placethemselves in her path. This widened the openings on either sideof them and as the girl appeared almost to rush into their armsshe turned suddenly at right angles, ran swiftly in the newdirection for a few yards, and then dashed quickly toward thehill again. Now only a single warrior, with a wide gap on eitherside of him, barred her clear way to freedom, though all theothers were speeding as rapidly as they could to intercept her. If she could pass this one without too much delay she couldescape, of that she was certain. Her every hope hinged on this. The creature before her realized it, too, for he movedcautiously, though swiftly, to intercept her, as a Rugby fullbackmight maneuver in the realization that he alone stood between theopposing team and a touchdown. 

At first Tara of Helium had hoped that she might dodge him, forshe could not but guess that she was not only more fleet butinfinitely more agile than these strange creatures; but soonthere came to her the realization that in the time consumed in anattempt to elude his grasp his nearer fellows would be upon herand escape then impossible, so she chose instead to chargestraight for him, and when he guessed her decision he stood, halfcrouching and with outstretched arms, awaiting her. In one handwas his sword, but a voice arose, crying in tones of authority. "Take her alive! Do not harm her!" Instantly the fellow returnedhis sword to its scabbard and then Tara of Helium was upon him. Straight for that beautiful body she sprang and in the instantthat the arms closed to seize her her sharp blade drove deep intothe naked chest. The impact hurled them both to the ground and asTara of Helium sprang to her feet again she saw, to her horror, that the loathsome head had rolled from the body and was nowcrawling away from her on six short, spider-like legs. The bodystruggled spasmodically and lay still. As brief as had been thedelay caused by the encounter, it still had been of sufficientduration to undo her, for even as she rose two more of the thingsfell upon her and instantly thereafter she was surrounded. Herblade sank once more into naked flesh and once more a head rolledfree and crawled away. Then they overpowered her and in anothermoment she was surrounded by fully a hundred of the creatures, all seeking to lay hands upon her. At first she thought that theywished to tear her to pieces in revenge for her having slain twoof their fellows, but presently she realized that they wereprompted more by curiosity than by any sinister motive. 

"Come!" said one of her captors, both of whom had retained a holdupon her. As he spoke he tried to lead her away with him towardthe nearest tower. 

"She belongs to me, " cried the other. "Did not I capture her? Shewill come with me to the tower of Moak. "

"Never!" insisted the first. "She is Luud's. To Luud I will takeher, and whosoever interferes may feel the keenness of mysword--in the head!" He almost shouted the last three words. 

"Come! Enough of this, " cried one who spoke with some show ofauthority. "She was captured in Luud's fields--she will go toLuud. "

"She was discovered in Moak's fields, at the very foot of thetower of Moak, " insisted he who had claimed her for Moak. 

"You have heard the Nolach speak, " cried the Luud. "It shall beas he says. "

"Not while this Moak holds a sword, " replied the other. "Ratherwill I cut her in twain and take my half to Moak than torelinquish her all to Luud, " and he drew his sword, or rather helaid his hand upon its hilt in a threatening gesture; but beforeever he could draw it the Luud had whipped his out and with afearful blow cut deep into the head of his adversary. Instantlythe big, round head collapsed, almost as a punctured ballooncollapses, as a grayish, semi-fluid matter spurted from it. Theprotruding eyes, apparently lidless, merely stared, thesphincter-like muscle of the mouth opened and closed, and thenthe head toppled from the body to the ground. The body stooddully for a moment and then slowly started to wander aimlesslyabout until one of the others seized it by the arm. 

One of the two heads crawling about on the ground now approached. "This rykor belongs to Moak, " it said. "I am a Moak. I will takeit, " and without further discussion it commenced to crawl up thefront of the headless body, using its six short, spiderlike legsand two stout chelae which grew just in front of its legs andstrongly resembled those of an Earthly lobster, except that theywere both of the same size. The body in the meantime stood inpassive indifference, its arms hanging idly at its sides. Thehead climbed to the shoulders and settled itself inside theleather collar that now hid its chelae and legs. Almostimmediately the body gave evidence of intelligent animation. Itraised its hands and adjusted the collar more comfortably, ittook the head between its palms and settled it in place and whenit moved around it did not wander aimlessly, but instead itssteps were firm and to some purpose. 

The girl watched all these things in growing wonder, andpresently, no other of the Moaks seeming inclined to dispute theright of the Luud to her, she was led off by her captor towardthe nearest tower. Several accompanied them, including one whocarried the loose head under his arm. The head that was beingcarried conversed with the head upon the shoulders of the thingthat carried it. Tara of Helium shivered. It was horrible! Allthat she had seen of these frightful creatures was horrible. Andto be a prisoner, wholly in their power. Shadow of her firstancestor! What had she done to deserve so cruel a fate?

At the wall enclosing the tower they paused while one opened thegate and then they passed within the enclosure, which, to thegirl's horror, she found filled with headless bodies. Thecreature who carried the bodiless head now set its burden uponthe ground and the latter immediately crawled toward one of thebodies that was lying near by. Some wandered stupidly to and fro, but this one lay still. It was a female. The head crawled to itand made its way to the shoulders where it settled itself. Atonce the body sprang lightly erect. Another of those who hadaccompanied them from the fields approached with the harness andcollar that had been taken from the dead body that the head hadformerly topped. The new body now appropriated these and thehands deftly adjusted them. The creature was now as good asbefore Tara of Helium had struck down its former body with herslim blade. But there was a difference. Before it had beenmale--now it was female. That, however, seemed to make nodifference to the head. In fact, Tara of Helium had noticedduring the scramble and the fight about her that sex differencesseemed of little moment to her captors. Males and females hadtaken equal part in her pursuit, both were identically harnessedand both carried swords, and she had seen as many females asmales draw their weapons at the moment that a quarrel between thetwo factions seemed imminent. 

The girl was given but brief opportunity for further observationof the pitiful creatures in the enclosure as her captor, afterhaving directed the others to return to the fields, led hertoward the tower, which they entered, passing into an apartmentabout ten feet wide and twenty long, in one end of which was astairway leading to an upper level and in the other an opening toa similar stairway leading downward. The chamber, though on alevel with the ground, was brilliantly lighted by windows in itsinner wall, the light coming from a circular court in the centerof the tower. The walls of this court appeared to be faced withwhat resembled glazed, white tile and the whole interior of itwas flooded with dazzling light, a fact which immediatelyexplained to the girl the purpose of the glass prisms of whichthe domes were constructed. The stairways themselves weresufficient to cause remark, since in nearly all Barsoomianarchitecture inclined runways are utilized for purposes ofcommunication between different levels, and especially is thistrue of the more ancient forms and of those of remote districtswhere fewer changes have come to alter the customs of antiquity. 

Down the stairway her captor led Tara of Helium. Down and downthrough chambers still lighted from the brilliant well. Occasionally they passed others going in the opposite directionand these always stopped to examine the girl and ask questions ofher captor. 

"I know nothing but that she was found in the fields and that Icaught her after a fight in which she slew two rykors and inwhich I slew a Moak, and that I take her to Luud, to whom, ofcourse, she belongs. If Luud wishes to question her that is forLuud to do--not for me. " Thus always he answered the curious. 

Presently they reached a room from which a circular tunnel ledaway from the tower, and into this the creature conducted her. The tunnel was some seven feet in diameter and flattened on thebottom to form a walk. For a hundred feet from the tower it waslined with the same tile-like material of the light well andamply illuminated by reflected light from that source. Beyond itwas faced with stone of various shapes and sizes, neatly cut andfitted together--a very fine mosaic without a pattern. There werebranches, too, and other tunnels which crossed this, andoccasionally openings not more than a foot in diameter; theselatter being usually close to the floor. Above each of thesesmaller openings was painted a different device, while upon thewalls of the larger tunnels at all intersections and points ofconvergence hieroglyphics appeared. These the girl could not readthough she guessed that they were the names of the tunnels, ornotices indicating the points to which they led. She tried tostudy some of them out, but there was not a character that wasfamiliar to her, which seemed strange, since, while the writtenlanguages of the various nations of Barsoom differ, it still istrue that they have many characters and words in common. 

She had tried to converse with her guard but he had not seemedinclined to talk with her and she had finally desisted. She couldnot but note that he had offered her no indignities, nor had hebeen either unnecessarily rough or in any way cruel. The factthat she had slain two of the bodies with her dagger hadapparently aroused no animosity or desire for revenge in theminds of the strange heads that surmounted the bodies--even thosewhose bodies had been killed. She did not try to understand it, since she could not approach the peculiar relationship betweenthe heads and the bodies of these creatures from the basis of anypast knowledge or experience of her own. So far their treatmentof her seemed to augur naught that might arouse her fears. Perhaps, after all, she had been fortunate to fall into the handsof these strange people, who might not only protect her fromharm, but even aid her in returning to Helium. That they wererepulsive and uncanny she could not forget, but if they meant herno harm she could, at least, overlook their repulsiveness. Renewed hope aroused within her a spirit of greater cheerfulness, and it was almost blithely now that she moved at the side of herweird companion. She even caught herself humming a gay littletune that was then popular in Helium. The creature at her sideturned its expressionless eyes upon her. 

"What is that noise that you are making?" it asked. 

"I was but humming an air, " she replied. 

"'Humming an air, '" he repeated. "I do not know what you mean;but do it again, I like it. "

This time she sang the words, while her companion listenedintently. His face gave no indication of what was passing in thatstrange head. It was as devoid of expression as that of a spider. It reminded her of a spider. When she had finished he turnedtoward her again. 

"That was different, " he said. "I liked that better, even, thanthe other. How do you do it?"

"Why, " she said, "it is singing. Do you not know what song is?"

"No, " he replied. "Tell me how you do it. "

"It is difficult to explain, " she told him, "since anyexplanation of it presupposes some knowledge of melody and ofmusic, while your very question indicates that you have noknowledge of either. "

"No, " he said, "I do not know what you are talking about; buttell me how you do it. "

"It is merely the melodious modulations of my voice, " sheexplained. "Listen!" and again she sang. 

"I do not understand, " he insisted; "but I like it. Could youteach me to do it?"

"I do not know, but I shall be glad to try. "

"We will see what Luud does with you, " he said. "If he does notwant you I will keep you and you shall teach me to make soundslike that. "

At his request she sang again as they continued their way alongthe winding tunnel, which was now lighted by occasional bulbswhich appeared to be similar to the radium bulbs with which shewas familiar and which were common to all the nations of Barsoom, insofar as she knew, having been perfected at so remote a periodthat their very origin was lost in antiquity. They consist, usually, of a hemispherical bowl of heavy glass in which ispacked a compound containing what, according to John Carter, mustbe radium. The bowl is then cemented into a metal plate with aheavily insulated back and the whole affair set in the masonry ofwall or ceiling as desired, where it gives off light of greateror less intensity, according to the composition of the fillingmaterial, for an almost incalculable period of time. 

As they proceeded they met a greater number of the inhabitants ofthis underground world, and the girl noted that among many ofthese the metal and harness were more ornate than had been thoseof the workers in the fields above. The heads and bodies, however, were similar, even identical, she thought. No oneoffered her harm and she was now experiencing a feeling of reliefalmost akin to happiness, when her guide turned suddenly into anopening on the right side of the tunnel and she found herself ina large, well lighted chamber. 

CHAPTER V

THE PERFECT BRAIN

The song that had been upon her lips as she entered diedthere--frozen by the sight of horror that met her eyes. In thecenter of the chamber a headless body lay upon the floor--a bodythat had been partially devoured--while over and upon it crawleda half a dozen heads upon their short, spider legs, and they toreat the flesh of the woman with their chelae and carried the bitsto their awful mouths. They were eating human flesh--eating itraw!

Tara of Helium gasped in horror and turning away covered her eyeswith her palms. 

"Come!" said her captor. "What is the matter?"

"They are eating the flesh of the woman, " she whispered in tonesof horror. 

"Why not?" he inquired. "Did you suppose that we kept the rykorfor labor alone? Ah, no. They are delicious when kept andfattened. Fortunate, too, are those that are bred for food, sincethey are never called upon to do aught but eat. "

"It is hideous!" she cried. 

He looked at her steadily for a moment, but whether in surprise, in anger, or in pity his expressionless face did not reveal. Thenhe led her on across the room past the frightful thing, fromwhich she turned away her eyes. Lying about the floor near thewalls were half a dozen headless bodies in harness. These sheguessed had been abandoned temporarily by the feasting headsuntil they again required their services. In the walls of thisroom there were many of the small, round openings she had noticedin various parts of the tunnels, the purpose of which she couldnot guess. 

They passed through another corridor and then into a secondchamber, larger than the first and more brilliantly illuminated. Within were several of the creatures with heads and bodiesassembled, while many headless bodies lay about near the walls. Here her captor halted and spoke to one of the occupants of thechamber. 

"I seek Luud, " he said. "I bring to Luud a creature that Icaptured in the fields above. "

The others crowded about to examine Tara of Helium. One of themwhistled, whereupon the girl learned something of the smalleropenings in the walls, for almost immediately there crawled fromthem, like giant spiders, a score or more of the hideous heads. Each sought one of the recumbent bodies and fastened itself inplace. Immediately the bodies reacted to the intelligentdirection of the heads. They arose, the hands adjusted theleather collars and put the balance of the harness in order, thenthe creatures crossed the room to where Tara of Helium stood. Shenoted that their leather was more highly ornamented than thatworn by any of the others she had previously seen, and so sheguessed that these must be higher in authority than the others. Nor was she mistaken. The demeanor of her captor indicated it. Headdressed them as one who holds intercourse with superiors. 

Several of those who examined her felt her flesh, pinching itgently between thumb and forefinger, a familiarity that the girlresented. She struck down their hands. "Do not touch me!" shecried, imperiously, for was she not a princess of Helium? Theexpression on those terrible faces did not change. She could nottell whether they were angry or amused, whether her action hadfilled them with respect for her, or contempt. Only one of themspoke immediately. 

"She will have to be fattened more, " he said. 

The girl's eyes went wide with horror. She turned upon hercaptor. "Do these frightful creatures intend to devour me?" shecried. 

"That is for Luud to say, " he replied, and then he leaned closerso that his mouth was near her ear. "That noise you made whichyou called song pleased me, " he whispered, "and I will repay youby warning you not to antagonize these kaldanes. They are verypowerful. Luud listens to them. Do not call them frightful. Theyare very handsome. Look at their wonderful trappings, their gold, their jewels. "

"Thank you, " she said. "You called them kaldanes--what does thatmean?"

"We are all kaldanes, " he replied. 

"You, too?" and she pointed at him, her slim finger directedtoward his chest. 

"No, not this, " he explained, touching his body; "this is arykor; but this, " and he touched his head, "is a kaldane. It isthe brain, the intellect, the power that directs all things. Therykor, " he indicated his body, "is nothing. It is not so mucheven as the jewels upon our harness; no, not so much as theharness itself. It carries us about. It is true that we wouldfind difficulty getting along without it; but it has less valuethan harness or jewels because it is less difficult toreproduce. " He turned again to the other kaldanes. "Will younotify Luud that I am here?" he asked. 

"Sept has already gone to Luud. He will tell him, " replied one. "Where did you find this rykor with the strange kaldane thatcannot detach itself?"

The girl's captor narrated once more the story of her capture. Hestated facts just as they had occurred, without embellishment, his voice as expressionless as his face, and his story wasreceived in the same manner that it was delivered. The creaturesseemed totally lacking in emotion, or, at least, the capacity toexpress it. It was impossible to judge what impression the storymade upon them, or even if they heard it. Their protruding eyessimply stared and occasionally the muscles of their mouths openedand closed. Familiarity did not lessen the horror the girl feltfor them. The more she saw of them the more repulsive theyseemed. Often her body was shaken by convulsive shudders as shelooked at the kaldanes, but when her eyes wandered to thebeautiful bodies and she could for a moment expunge the headsfrom her consciousness the effect was soothing and refreshing, though when the bodies lay, headless, upon the floor they werequite as shocking as the heads mounted on bodies. But by far themost grewsome and uncanny sight of all was that of the headscrawling about upon their spider legs. If one of these shouldapproach and touch her Tara of Helium was positive that sheshould scream, while should one attempt to crawl up herperson--ugh! the very idea induced a feeling of faintness. 

Sept returned to the chamber. "Luud will see you and the captive. Come!" he said, and turned toward a door opposite that throughwhich Tara of Helium had entered the chamber. "What is yourname?" His question was directed to the girl's captor. 

"I am Ghek, third foreman of the fields of Luud, " he answered. 

"And hers?"

"I do not know. "

"It makes no difference. Come!"

The patrician brows of Tara of Helium went high. It made nodifference, indeed! She, a princess of Helium; only daughter ofThe Warlord of Barsoom!

"Wait!" she cried. "It makes much difference who I am. If you areconducting me into the presence of your jed you may announce ThePrincess Tara of Helium, daughter of John Carter, The Warlord ofBarsoom. "

"Hold your peace!" commanded Sept. "Speak when you are spoken to. Come with me!"

The anger of Tara of Helium all but choked her. "Come, "admonished Ghek, and took her by the arm, and Tara of Heliumcame. She was naught but a prisoner. Her rank and titles meantnothing to these inhuman monsters. They led her through a short, S-shaped passageway into a chamber entirely lined with the white, tile-like material with which the interior of the light wall wasfaced. Close to the base of the walls were numerous smallerapertures, circular in shape, but larger than those of similaraspect that she had noted elsewhere. The majority of theseapertures were sealed. Directly opposite the entrance was oneframed in gold, and above it a peculiar device was inlaid in thesame precious metal. 

Sept and Ghek halted just within the room, the girl between them, and all three stood silently facing the opening in the oppositewall. On the floor beside the aperture lay a headless male bodyof almost heroic proportions, and on either side of this stood aheavily armed warrior, with drawn sword. For perhaps five minutesthe three waited and then something appeared in the opening. Itwas a pair of large chelae and immediately thereafter therecrawled forth a hideous kaldane of enormous proportions. He washalf again as large as any that Tara of Helium had yet seen andhis whole aspect infinitely more terrible. The skin of the otherswas a bluish gray--this one was of a little bluer tinge and theeyes were ringed with bands of white and scarlet, as was itsmouth. 

From each nostril a band of white and one of scarlet extendedoutward horizontally the width of the face. 

No one spoke or moved. The creature crawled to the prostrate bodyand affixed itself to the neck. Then the two rose as one andapproached the girl. He looked at her and then he spoke to hercaptor. 

"You are the third foreman of the fields of Luud?" he asked. 

"Yes, Luud; I am called Ghek. "

"Tell me what you know of this, " and he nodded toward Tara ofHelium. 

Ghek did as he was bid and then Luud addressed the girl. 

"What were you doing within the borders of Bantoom?" he asked. 

"I was blown hither in a great storm that injured my flier andcarried me I knew not where. I came down into the valley at nightfor food and drink. The banths came and drove me to the safety ofa tree, and then your people caught me as I was trying to leavethe valley. I do not know why they took me. I was doing no harm. All I ask is that you let me go my way in peace. "

"None who enters Bantoom ever leaves, " replied Luud. 

"But my people are not at war with yours. I am a princess ofHelium; my great-grandfather is a jeddak; my grandfather a jed;and my father is Warlord of all Barsoom. You have no right tokeep me and I demand that you liberate me at once. "

"None who enters Bantoom ever leaves, " repeated the creaturewithout expression. "I know nothing of the lesser creatures ofBarsoom, of whom you speak. There is but one high race--the raceof Bantoomians. All Nature exists to serve them. You shall doyour share, but not yet--you are too skinny. We shall have to putsome fat upon it, Sept. I tire of rykor. Perhaps this will have adifferent flavor. The banths are too rank and it is seldom thatany other creature enters the valley. And you, Ghek; you shall berewarded. I shall promote you from the fields to the burrows. Hereafter you shall remain underground as every Bantoomian longsto. No more shall you be forced to endure the hated sun, or lookupon the hideous sky, or the hateful growing things that defilethe surface. For the present you shall look after this thing thatyou have brought me, seeing that it sleeps and eats--and doesnothing else. You understand me, Ghek; nothing else!"

"I understand, Luud, " replied the other. 

"Take it away!" commanded the creature. 

Ghek turned and led Tara of Helium from the apartment. The girlwas horrified by contemplation of the fate that awaited her--afate from which it seemed, there was no escape. It was only tooevident that these creatures possessed no gentle or chivalricsentiments to which she could appeal, and that she might escapefrom the labyrinthine mazes of their underground burrows appearedimpossible. 

Outside the audience chamber Sept overtook them and conversedwith Ghek for a brief period, then her keeper led her through aconfusing web of winding tunnels until they came to a smallapartment. 

"We are to remain here for a while. It may be that Luud will sendfor you again. If he does you will probably not be fattened--hewill use you for another purpose. " It was fortunate for thegirl's peace of mind that she did not realize what he meant. "Sing for me, " said Ghek, presently. 

Tara of Helium did not feel at all like singing, but she sang, nevertheless, for there was always the hope that she might escapeif given the opportunity and if she could win the friendship ofone of the creatures, her chances would be increasedproportionately. All during the ordeal, for such it was to theoverwrought girl, Ghek stood with his eyes fixed upon her. 

"It is wonderful, " he said, when she had finished; "but I did nottell Luud--you noticed that I did not tell Luud about it. Had heknown, he would have had you sing to him and that would haveresulted in your being kept with him that he might hear you singwhenever he wished; but now I can have you all the time. "

"How do you know he would like my singing?" she asked. 

"He would have to, " replied Ghek. "If I like a thing he has tolike it, for are we not identical--all of us?"

"The people of my race do not all like the same things, " said thegirl. 

"How strange!" commented Ghek. "All kaldanes like the same thingsand dislike the same things. If I discover something new and likeit I know that all kaldanes will like it. That is how I know thatLuud would like your singing. You see we are all exactly alike. "

"But you do not look like Luud, " said the girl. 

"Luud is king. He is larger and more gorgeously marked; butotherwise he and I are identical, and why not? Did not Luudproduce the egg from which I hatched?"

"What?" queried the girl; "I do not understand you. "

"Yes, " explained Ghek, "all of us are from Luud's eggs, just asall the swarm of Moak are from Moak's eggs. "

"Oh!" exclaimed Tara of Helium understandingly; "you mean thatLuud has many wives and that you are the offspring of one ofthem. "

"No, not that at all, " replied Ghek. "Luud has no wife. He laysthe eggs himself. You do not understand. "

Tara of Helium admitted that she did not. 

"I will try to explain, then, " said Ghek, "if you will promise tosing to me later. "

"I promise, " she said. 

"We are not like the rykors, " he began. "They are creatures of alow order, like yourself and the banths and such things. We haveno sex--not one of us except our king, who is bi-sexual. Heproduces many eggs from which we, the workers and the warriors, are hatched; and one in every thousand eggs is another king egg, from which a king is hatched. Did you notice the sealed openingsin the room where you saw Luud? Sealed in each of those isanother king. If one of them escaped he would fall upon Luud andtry to kill him and if he succeeded we should have a new king;but there would be no difference. His name would be Luud and allwould go on as before, for are we not all alike? Luud has lived along time and has produced many kings, so he lets only a few livethat there may be a successor to him when he dies. The others hekills. "

"Why does he keep more than one?" queried the girl. 

"Sometimes accidents occur, " replied Ghek, "and all the kingsthat a swarm has saved are killed. When this happens the swarmcomes and obtains another king from a neighboring swarm. "

"Are all of you the children of Luud?" she asked. 

"All but a few, who are from the eggs of the preceding king, aswas Luud; but Luud has lived a long time and not many of theothers are left. "

"You live a long time, or short?" Tara asked. 

"A very long time. "

"And the rykors, too; they live a long time?"

"No; the rykors live for ten years, perhaps, " he said, "if theyremain strong and useful. When they can no longer be of serviceto us, either through age or sickness, we leave them in thefields and the banths come at night and get them. "

"How horrible!" she exclaimed. 

"Horrible?" he repeated. "I see nothing horrible about that. The rykors are but brainless flesh. They neither see, nor feel, nor hear. They can scarce move but for us. If we did not bringthem food they would starve to death. They are less deserving ofthought than our leather. All that they can do for themselves isto take food from a trough and put it in their mouths, but withus--look at them!" and he proudly exhibited the noble figure thathe surmounted, palpitant with life and energy and feeling. 

"How do you do it?" asked Tara of Helium. "I do not understand itat all. "

"I will show you, " he said, and lay down upon the floor. Then hedetached himself from the body, which lay as a thing dead. On hisspider legs he walked toward the girl. "Now look, " he admonishedher. "Do you see this thing?" and he extended what appeared to bea bundle of tentacles from the posterior part of his head. "Thereis an aperture just back of the rykor's mouth and directly overthe upper end of his spinal column. Into this aperture I insertmy tentacles and seize the spinal cord. Immediately I controlevery muscle of the rykor's body--it becomes my own, just as youdirect the movement of the muscles of your body. I feel what therykor would feel if he had a head and brain. If he is hurt, Iwould suffer if I remained connected with him; but the instantone of them is injured or becomes sick we desert it for another. As we would suffer the pains of their physical injuries, similarly do we enjoy the physical pleasures of the rykors. Whenyour body becomes fatigued you are comparatively useless; it issick, you are sick; if it is killed, you die. You are the slaveof a mass of stupid flesh and bone and blood. There is nothingmore wonderful about your carcass than there is about the carcassof a banth. It is only your brain that makes you superior to thebanth, but your brain is bound by the limitations of your body. Not so, ours. With us brain is everything. Ninety per centum ofour volume is brain. We have only the simplest of vital organsand they are very small for they do not have to assist in thesupport of a complicated system of nerves, muscles, flesh andbone. We have no lungs, for we do not require air. Far below thelevels to which we can take the rykors is a vast network ofburrows where the real life of the kaldane is lived. There theair-breathing rykor would perish as you would perish. There wehave stored vast quantities of food in hermetically sealedchambers. It will last forever. Far beneath the surface is waterthat will flow for countless ages after the surface water isexhausted. We are preparing for the time we know must come--thetime when the last vestige of the Barsoomian atmosphere isspent--when the waters and the food are gone. For this purposewere we created, that there might not perish from the planetNature's divinest creation--the perfect brain. "

"But what purpose can you serve when that time comes?" asked thegirl. 

"You do not understand, " he said. "It is too big for you tograsp, but I will try to explain it. Barsoom, the moons, the sun, the stars, were created for a single purpose. From the beginningof time Nature has labored arduously toward the consummation ofthis purpose. At the very beginning things existed with life, butwith no brain. Gradually rudimentary nervous systems and minutebrains evolved. Evolution proceeded. The brains became larger andmore powerful. In us you see the highest development; but thereare those of us who believe that there is yet another step--thatsome time in the far future our race shall develop into thesuper-thing--just brain. The incubus of legs and chelae and vitalorgans will be removed. The future kaldane will be nothing but agreat brain. Deaf, dumb, and blind it will lie sealed in itsburied vault far beneath the surface of Barsoom--just a great, wonderful, beautiful brain with nothing to distract it frometernal thought. "

"You mean it will just lie there and think?" cried Tara ofHelium. 

"Just that!" he exclaimed. "Could aught be more wonderful?"

"Yes, " replied the girl, "I can think of a number of things thatwould be infinitely more wonderful. "

CHAPTER VI

IN THE TOILS OF HORROR

What the creature had told her gave Tara of Helium food forthought. She had been taught that every created thing fulfilledsome useful purpose, and she tried conscientiously to discoverjust what was the rightful place of the kaldane in the universalscheme of things. She knew that it must have its place but whatthat place was it was beyond her to conceive. She had to give itup. They recalled to her mind a little group of people in Heliumwho had forsworn the pleasures of life in the pursuit ofknowledge. They were rather patronizing in their relations withthose whom they thought not so intellectual. They consideredthemselves quite superior. She smiled at recollection of a remarkher father had once made concerning them, to the effect that ifone of them ever dropped his egotism and broke it it would take aweek to fumigate Helium. Her father liked normal people--peoplewho knew too little and people who knew too much were equally abore. Tara of Helium was like her father in this respect and likehim, too, she was both sane and normal. 

Outside of her personal danger there was much in this strangeworld that interested her. The rykors aroused her keenest pity, and vast conjecture. How and from what form had they evolved? Sheasked Ghek. 

"Sing to me again and I will tell you, " he said. "If Luud wouldlet me have you, you should never die. I should keep you alwaysto sing to me. "

The girl marvelled at the effect her voice had upon the creature. Somewhere in that enormous brain there was a chord that wastouched by melody. It was the sole link between herself and thebrain when detached from the rykor. When it dominated the rykorit might have other human instincts; but these she dreaded evento think of. After she had sung she waited for Ghek to speak. Fora long time he was silent, just looking at her through thoseawful eyes. 

"I wonder, " he said presently, "if it might not be pleasant to beof your race. Do you all sing?"

"Nearly all, a little, " she said; "but we do many otherinteresting and enjoyable things. We dance and play and work andlove and sometimes we fight, for we are a race of warriors. "

"Love!" said the kaldane. "I think I know what you mean; but we, fortunately, are above sentiment--when we are detached. But whenwe dominate the rykor--ah, that is different, and when I hear yousing and look at your beautiful body I know what you mean bylove. I could love you. "

The girl shrank from him. "You promised to tell me the origin ofthe rykor, " she reminded him. 

"Ages ago, " he commenced, "our bodies were larger and our headssmaller. Our legs were very weak and we could not travel fast orfar. There was a stupid creature that went upon four legs. Itlived in a hole in the ground, to which it brought its food, sowe ran our burrows into this hole and ate the food it brought;but it did not bring enough for all--for itself and all thekaldanes that lived upon it, so we had also to go abroad and getfood. This was hard work for our weak legs. Then it was that wecommenced to ride upon the backs of these primitive rykors. Ittook many ages, undoubtedly, but at last came the time when thekaldane had found means to guide the rykor, until presently thelatter depended entirely upon the superior brain of his master toguide him to food. The brain of the rykor grew smaller as timewent on. His ears went and his eyes, for he no longer had use forthem--the kaldane saw and heard for him. By similar steps therykor came to go upon its hind feet that the kaldane might beable to see farther. As the brain shrank, so did the head. Themouth was the only feature of the head that was used and so themouth alone remains. Members of the red race fell into the handsof our ancestors from time to time. They saw the beauties and theadvantages of the form that nature had given the red race overthat which the rykor was developing into. By intelligent crossingthe present rykor was achieved. He is really solely the productof the super-intelligence of the kaldane--he is our body, to dowith as we see fit, just as you do what you see fit with yourbody, only we have the advantage of possessing an unlimitedsupply of bodies. Do you not wish that you were a kaldane?"

For how long they kept her in the subterranean chamber Tara ofHelium did not know. It seemed a very long time. She ate andslept and watched the interminable lines of creatures that passedthe entrance to her prison. There was a laden line passing fromabove carrying food, food, food. In the other line they returnedempty handed. When she saw them she knew that it was daylightabove. When they did not pass she knew it was night, and that thebanths were about devouring the rykors that had been abandoned inthe fields the previous day. She commenced to grow pale and thin. She did not like the food they gave her--it was not suited to herkind--nor would she have eaten overmuch palatable food, for thefear of becoming fat. The idea of plumpness had a newsignificance here--a horrible significance. 

Ghek noted that she was growing thin and white. He spoke to herabout it and she told him that she could not thrive thus beneaththe ground--that she must have fresh air and sunshine, or shewould wither and die. Evidently he carried her words to Luud, since it was not long after that he told her that the king hadordered that she be confined in the tower and to the tower shewas taken. She had hoped against hope that this very thing mightresult from her conversation with Ghek. Even to see the sun againwas something, but now there sprang to her breast a hope that shehad not dared to nurse before, while she lay in the terriblelabyrinth from which she knew she could never have found her wayto the outer world; but now there was some slight reason to hope. At least she could see the hills and if she could see them mightthere not come also the opportunity to reach them? If she couldhave but ten minutes--just ten little minutes! The flier wasstill there--she knew that it must be. Just ten minutes and shewould be free--free forever from this frightful place; but thedays wore on and she was never alone, not even for half of tenminutes. Many times she planned her escape. Had it not been forthe banths it had been easy of accomplishment by night. Ghekalways detached his body then and sank into what seemed asemi-comatose condition. It could not be said that he slept, orat least it did not appear like sleep, since his lidless eyeswere unchanged; but he lay quietly in a corner. Tara of Heliumenacted a thousand times in her mind the scene of her escape. Shewould rush to the side of the rykor and seize the sword that hungin its harness. Before Ghek knew what she purposed, she wouldhave this and then before he could give an alarm she would drivethe blade through his hideous head. It would take but a moment toreach the enclosure. The rykors could not stop her, for they hadno brains to tell them that she was escaping. She had watchedfrom her window the opening and closing of the gate that led fromthe enclosure out into the fields and she knew how the greatlatch operated. She would pass through and make a quick dash forthe hill. It was so near that they could not overtake her. It wasso easy! Or it would have been but for the banths! The banths atnight and the workers in the fields by day. 

Confined to the tower and without proper exercise or food, thegirl failed to show the improvement that her captors desired. Ghek questioned her in an effort to learn why it was that she didnot grow round and plump; that she did not even look as well aswhen they had captured her. His concern was prompted by repeatedinquiries on the part of Luud and finally resulted in suggestingto Tara of Helium a plan whereby she might find a new opportunityof escape. 

"I am accustomed to walking in the fresh air and the sunlight, "she told Ghek. "I cannot become as I was before if I am to bealways shut away in this one chamber, breathing poor air andgetting no proper exercise. Permit me to go out in the fieldsevery day and walk about while the sun is shining. Then, I amsure, I shall become nice and fat. "

"You would run away, " he said. 

"But how could I if you were always with me?" she asked. "Andeven if I wished to run away where could I go? I do not know eventhe direction of Helium. It must be very far. The very firstnight the banths would get me, would they not?"

"They would, " said Ghek. "I will ask Luud about it. "

The following day he told her that Luud had said that she was tobe taken into the fields. He would try that for a time and see ifshe improved. 

"If you do not grow fatter he will send for you anyway, " saidGhek; "but he will not use you for food. "

Tara of Helium shuddered. 

That day and for many days thereafter she was taken from thetower, through the enclosure and out into the fields. Always wasshe alert for an opportunity to escape; but Ghek was always closeby her side. It was not so much his presence that deterred herfrom making the attempt as the number of workers that were alwaysbetween her and the hills where the flier lay. She could easilyhave eluded Ghek, but there were too many of the others. Andthen, one day, Ghek told her as he accompanied her into the openthat this would be the last time. 

"Tonight you go to Luud, " he said. "I am sorry as I shall nothear you sing again. "

"Tonight!" She scarce breathed the word, yet it was vibrant withhorror. 

She glanced quickly toward the hills. They were so close! Yetbetween were the inevitable workers--perhaps a score of them. 

"Let us walk over there?" she said, indicating them. "I shouldlike to see what they are doing. "

"It is too far, " said Ghek. "I hate the sun. It is muchpleasanter here where I can stand beneath the shade of thistree. "

"All right, " she agreed; "then you stay here and I will walkover. It will take me but a minute. "

"No, " he answered. "I will go with you. You want to escape; butyou are not going to. "

"I cannot escape, " she said. 

"I know it, " agreed Ghek; "but you might try. I do not wish youto try. Possibly it will be better if we return to the tower atonce. It would go hard with me should you escape. "

Tara of Helium saw her last chance fading into oblivion. Therewould never be another after today. She cast about for somepretext to lure him even a little nearer to the hills. 

"It is very little that I ask, " she said. "Tonight you will wantme to sing to you. It will be the last time, if you do not let mego and see what those kaldanes are doing I shall never sing toyou again. "

Ghek hesitated. "I will hold you by the arm all the time, then, "he said. 

"Why, of course, if you wish, " she assented. "Come!"

The two moved toward the workers and the hills. The little partywas digging tubers from the ground. She had noted this and thatnearly always they were stooped low over their work, the hideouseyes bent upon the upturned soil. She led Ghek quite close tothem, pretending that she wished to see exactly how they did thework, and all the time he held her tightly by her left wrist. 

"It is very interesting, " she said, with a sigh, and then, suddenly; "Look, Ghek!" and pointed quickly back in the directionof the tower. The kaldane, still holding her turned half awayfrom her to look in the direction she had indicated andsimultaneously, with the quickness of a banth, she struck himwith her right fist, backed by every ounce of strength shepossessed--struck the back of the pulpy head just above thecollar. The blow was sufficient to accomplish her design, dislodging the kaldane from its rykor and tumbling it to theground. Instantly the grasp upon her wrist relaxed as the body, no longer controlled by the brain of Ghek, stumbled aimlesslyabout for an instant before it sank to its knees and then rolledover on its back; but Tara of Helium waited not to note the fullresults of her act. The instant the fingers loosened upon herwrist she broke away and dashed toward the hills. Simultaneouslya warning whistle broke from Ghek's lips and in instant responsethe workers leaped to their feet, one almost in the girl's path. She dodged the outstretched arms and was away again toward thehills and freedom, when her foot caught in one of the hoe-likeinstruments with which the soil had been upturned and which hadbeen left, half imbedded in the ground. For an instant she ranon, stumbling, in a mad effort to regain her equilibrium, but theupturned furrows caught her feet--again she stumbled and thistime went down, and as she scrambled to rise again a heavy bodyfell upon her and seized her arms. A moment later she wassurrounded and dragged to her feet and as she looked around shesaw Ghek crawling to his prostrate rykor. A moment later headvanced to her side. 

The hideous face, incapable of registering emotion, gave no clueto what was passing in the enormous brain. Was he nursingthoughts of anger, of hate, of revenge? Tara of Helium could notguess, nor did she care. The worst had happened. She had tried toescape and she had failed. There would never be anotheropportunity. 

"Come!" said Ghek. "We will return to the tower. " The deadlymonotone of his voice was unbroken. It was worse than anger, forit revealed nothing of his intentions. It but increased herhorror of these great brains that were beyond the possibility ofhuman emotions. 

And so she was dragged back to her prison in the tower and Ghektook up his vigil again, squatting by the doorway, but now hecarried a naked sword in his hand and did not quit his rykor, only to change to another that he had brought to him when thefirst gave indications of weariness. The girl sat looking at him. He had not been unkind to her, but she felt no sense ofgratitude, nor, on the other hand, any sense of hatred. Thebrains, incapable themselves of any of the finer sentiments, awoke none in her. She could not feel gratitude, or affection, orhatred of them. There was only the same unceasing sense of horrorin their presence. She had heard great scientists discuss thefuture of the red race and she recalled that some had maintainedthat eventually the brain would entirely dominate the man. Therewould be no more instinctive acts or emotions, nothing would bedone on impulse; but on the contrary reason would direct ourevery act. The propounder of the theory regretted that he mightnever enjoy the blessings of such a state, which, he argued, would result in the ideal life for mankind. 

Tara of Helium wished with all her heart that this learnedscientist might be here to experience to the full the practicalresults of the fulfillment of his prophecy. Between the purelyphysical rykor and the purely mental kaldane there was littlechoice; but in the happy medium of normal, and imperfect man, asshe knew him, lay the most desirable state of existence. It wouldhave been a splendid object lesson, she thought, to all thoseidealists who seek mass perfection in any phase of humanendeavor, since here they might discover the truth that absoluteperfection is as little to be desired as is its antithesis. 

Gloomy were the thoughts that filled the mind of Tara of Heliumas she awaited the summons from Luud--the summons that could meanfor her but one thing; death. She guessed why he had sent for herand she knew that she must find the means for self-destructionbefore the night was over; but still she clung to hope and tolife. She would not give up until there was no other way. Shestartled Ghek once by exclaiming aloud, almost fiercely: "I stilllive!"

"What do you mean?" asked the kaldane. 

"I mean just what I say, " she replied. "I still live and while Ilive I may still find a way. Dead, there is no hope. "

"Find a way to what?" he asked. 

"To life and liberty and mine own people, " she responded. 

"None who enters Bantoom ever leaves, " he droned. 

She did not reply and after a time he spoke again. "Sing to me, "he said. 

It was while she was singing that four warriors came to take herto Luud. They told Ghek that he was to remain where he was. 

"Why?" asked Ghek. 

"You have displeased Luud, " replied one of the warriors. 

"How?" demanded Ghek. 

"You have demonstrated a lack of uncontaminated reasoning power. You have permitted sentiment to influence you, thus demonstratingthat you are a defective. You know the fate of defectives. "

"I know the fate of defectives, but I am no defective, " insistedGhek. 

"You permitted the strange noises which issue from her throat toplease and soothe you, knowing well that their origin and purposehad nothing whatever to do with logic or the powers of reason. This in itself constitutes an unimpeachable indictment ofweakness. Then, influenced doubtless by an illogical feeling ofsentiment, you permitted her to walk abroad in the fields to aplace where she was able to make an almost successful attempt toescape. Your own reasoning power, were it not defective, wouldconvince you that you are unfit. The natural, and reasonable, consequence is destruction. Therefore you will be destroyed insuch a way that the example will be beneficial to all otherkaldanes of the swarm of Luud. In the meantime you will remainwhere you are. "

"You are right, " said Ghek. "I will remain here until Luud seesfit to destroy me in the most reasonable manner. "

Tara of Helium shot a look of amazement at him as they led herfrom the chamber. Over her shoulder she called back to him:"Remember, Ghek, you still live!" Then they led her along theinterminable tunnels to where Luud awaited her. 

When she was conducted into his presence he was squatting in acorner of the chamber upon his six spidery legs. Near theopposite wall lay his rykor, its beautiful form trapped ingorgeous harness--a dead thing without a guiding kaldane. Luuddismissed the warriors who had accompanied the prisoner. Then hesat with his terrible eyes fixed upon her and without speakingfor some time. Tara of Helium could but wait. What was to comeshe could only guess. When it came would be sufficiently the timeto meet it. There was no necessity for anticipating the end. Presently Luud spoke. 

"You think to escape, " he said, in the deadly, expressionlessmonotone of his kind--the only possible result of orallyexpressing reason uninfluenced by sentiment. "You will notescape. You are merely the embodiment of two imperfect things--animperfect brain and an imperfect body. The two cannot existtogether in perfection. There you see a perfect body. " He pointedtoward the rykor. "It has no brain. Here, " and he raised one ofhis chelae to his head, "is the perfect brain. It needs no bodyto function perfectly and properly as a brain. You would pit yourfeeble intellect against mine! Even now you are planning to slayme. If you are thwarted in that you expect to slay yourself. Youwill learn the power of mind over matter. I am the mind. You arethe matter. What brain you have is too weak and ill-developed todeserve the name of brain. You have permitted it to be weakenedby impulsive acts dictated by sentiment. It has no value. It haspractically no control over your existence. You will not kill me. You will not kill yourself. When I am through with you you shallbe killed if it seems the logical thing to do. You have noconception of the possibilities for power which lie in aperfectly developed brain. Look at that rykor. He has no brain. He can move but slightly of his own volition. An inherentmechanical instinct that we have permitted to remain in himallows him to carry food to his mouth; but he could not find foodfor himself. We have to place it within his reach and always inthe same place. Should we put food at his feet and leave himalone he would starve to death. But now watch what a real brainmay accomplish. "

He turned his eyes upon the rykor and squatted there glaring atthe insensate thing. Presently, to the girl's horror, theheadless body moved. It rose slowly to its feet and crossed theroom to Luud; it stooped and took the hideous head in its hands;it raised the head and set it on its shoulders. 

"What chance have you against such power?" asked Luud. "As I didwith the rykor so can I do with you. "

Tara of Helium made no reply. Evidently no vocal reply wasnecessary. 

"You doubt my ability!" stated Luud, which was precisely thefact, though the girl had only thought it--she had not said it. 

Luud crossed the room and lay down. Then he detached himself fromthe body and crawled across the floor until he stood directly infront of the circular opening through which she had seen himemerge the day that she had first been brought to his presence. He stopped there and fastened his terrible eyes upon her. He didnot speak, but his eyes seemed to be boring straight to thecenter of her brain. She felt an almost irresistible force urgingher toward the kaldane. She fought to resist it; she tried toturn away her eyes, but she could not. They were held as inhorrid fascination upon the glittering, lidless orbs of the greatbrain that faced her. Slowly, every step a painful struggle ofresistance, she moved toward the horrific monster. She tried tocry aloud in an effort to awaken her numbing faculties, but nosound passed her lips. If those eyes would but turn away, justfor an instant, she felt that she might regain the power tocontrol her steps; but the eyes never left hers. They seemed butto burn deeper and deeper, gathering up every vestige of controlof her entire nervous system. 

As she approached the thing it backed slowly away upon its spiderlegs. She noticed that its chelae waved slowly to and fro beforeit as it backed, backed, backed, through the round aperture inthe wall. Must she follow it there, too? What new and namelesshorror lay concealed in that hidden chamber? No! she would not doit. Yet before she reached the wall she found herself down andcrawling upon her hands and knees straight toward the hole fromwhich the two eyes still clung to hers. At the very threshold ofthe opening she made a last, heroic stand, battling against theforce that drew her on; but in the end she succumbed. With a gaspthat ended in a sob Tara of Helium passed through the apertureinto the chamber beyond. 

The opening was but barely large enough to admit her. Upon theopposite side she found herself in a small chamber. Before hersquatted Luud. Against the opposite wall lay a large andbeautiful male rykor. He was without harness or other trappings. 

"You see now, " said Luud, "the futility of revolt. "

The words seemed to release her momentarily from the spell. Quickly she turned away her eyes. 

"Look at me!" commanded Luud. 

Tara of Helium kept her eyes averted. She felt a new strength, orat least a diminution of the creature's power over her. Had shestumbled upon the secret of its uncanny domination over her will?She dared not hope. With eyes averted she turned toward theaperture through which those baleful eyes had drawn her. AgainLuud commanded her to stop, but the voice alone lacked allauthority to influence her. It was not like the eyes. She heardthe creature whistle and knew that it was summoning assistance, but because she did not dare look toward it she did not see itturn and concentrate its gaze upon the great, headless body lyingby the further wall. 

The girl was still slightly under the spell of the creature'sinfluence--she had not regained full and independent dominationof her powers. She moved as one in the throes of some hideousnightmare--slowly, painfully, as though each limb was hampered bya great weight, or as she were dragging her body through aviscous fluid. The aperture was close, ah, so close, yet, struggle as she would, she seemed to be making no appreciableprogress toward it. 

Behind her, urged on by the malevolent power of the great brain, the headless body crawled upon all-fours toward her. At last shehad reached the aperture. Something seemed to tell her that oncebeyond it the domination of the kaldane would be broken. She wasalmost through into the adjoining chamber when she felt a heavyhand close upon her ankle. The rykor had reached forth and seizedher, and though she struggled the thing dragged her back into theroom with Luud. It held her tight and drew her close, and then, to her horror, it commenced to caress her. 

"You see now, " she heard Luud's dull voice, "the futility ofrevolt--and its punishment. "

Tara of Helium fought to defend herself, but pitifully weak wereher muscles against this brainless incarnation of brute power. Yet she fought, fought on in the face of hopeless odds for thehonor of the proud name she bore--fought alone, she whom thefighting men of a mighty empire, the flower of Martian chivalry, would gladly have lain down their lives to save. 

CHAPTER VII

A REPELLENT SIGHT

The cruiser Vanator careened through the tempest. That she had notbeen dashed to the ground, or twisted by the force of theelements into tangled wreckage, was due entirely to the capriceof Nature. For all the duration of the storm she rode, a helplessderelict, upon those storm-tossed waves of wind. But for all thedangers and vicissitudes they underwent, she and her crew mighthave borne charmed lives up to within an hour of the abating ofthe hurricane. It was then that the catastrophe occurred--acatastrophe indeed to the crew of the Vanator and the kingdom ofGathol. 

The men had been without food or drink since leaving Helium, andthey had been hurled about and buffeted in their lashings untilall were worn to exhaustion. There was a brief lull in the stormduring which one of the crew attempted to reach his quarters, after releasing the lashings which had held him to the precarioussafety of the deck. The act in itself was a direct violation oforders and, in the eyes of the other members of the crew, theeffect, which came with startling suddenness, took the form of aswift and terrible retribution. Scarce had the man released thesafety snaps ere a swift arm of the storm-monster encircled theship, rolling it over and over, with the result that thefoolhardy warrior went overboard at the first turn. 

Unloosed from their lashing by the constant turning and twistingof the ship and the force of the wind, the boarding and landingtackle had been trailing beneath the keel, a tangled mass ofcordage and leather. Upon the occasions that the Vanator rolledcompletely over, these things would be wrapped around her untilanother revolution in the opposite direction, or the wind itself, carried them once again clear of the deck to trail, whipping inthe storm, beneath the hurtling ship. 

Into this fell the body of the warrior, and as a drowning manclutches at a straw so the fellow clutched at the tangled cordagethat caught him and arrested his fall. With the strength ofdesperation he clung to the cordage, seeking frantically toentangle his legs and body in it. With each jerk of the ship hishand holds were all but torn loose, and though he knew thateventually they would be and that he must be dashed to the groundbeneath, yet he fought with the madness that is born ofhopelessness for the pitiful second which but prolonged hisagony. 

It was upon this sight then that Gahan of Gathol looked, over theedge of the careening deck of the Vanator, as he sought to learnthe fate of his warrior. Lashed to the gunwale close at hand asingle landing leather that had not fouled the tangled massbeneath whipped free from the ship's side, the hook snapping atits outer end. The Jed of Gathol grasped the situation in asingle glance. Below him one of his people looked into the eyesof Death. To the jed's hand lay the means for succor. 

There was no instant's hesitation. Casting off his deck lashings, he seized the landing leather and slipped over the ship's side. Swinging like a bob upon a mad pendulum he swung far out and backagain, turning and twisting three thousand feet above the surfaceof Barsoom, and then, at last, the thing he had hoped foroccurred. He was carried within reach of the cordage where thewarrior still clung, though with rapidly diminishing strength. Catching one leg on a loop of the tangled strands Gahan pulledhimself close enough to seize another quite near to the fellow. Clinging precariously to this new hold the jed slowly drew in thelanding leather, down which he had clambered until he could graspthe hook at its end. This he fastened to a ring in the warrior'sharness, just before the man's weakened fingers slipped fromtheir hold upon the cordage. 

Temporarily, at least, he had saved the life of his subject, and now he turned his attention toward insuring his own safety. Inextricably entangled in the mess to which he was clinging werenumerous other landing hooks such as he had attached to thewarrior's harness, and with one of these he sought to securehimself until the storm should abate sufficiently to permit himto climb to the deck, but even as he reached for one that swungnear him the ship was caught in a renewed burst of the storm'sfury, the thrashing cordage whipped and snapped to the lunging ofthe great craft and one of the heavy metal hooks, lashing throughthe air, struck the Jed of Gathol fair between the eyes. 

Momentarily stunned, Gahan's fingers slipped from their hold uponthe cordage and the man shot downward through the thin air ofdying Mars toward the ground three thousand feet beneath, whileupon the deck of the rolling Vanator his faithful warriors clungto their lashings all unconscious of the fate of their belovedleader; nor was it until more than an hour later, after the stormhad materially subsided, that they realized he was lost, or knewthe self-sacrificing heroism of the act that had sealed his doom. The Vanator now rested upon an even keel as she was carried alongby a strong, though steady, wind. The warriors had cast off theirdeck lashings and the officers were taking account of losses anddamage when a weak cry was heard from oversides, attracting theirattention to the man hanging in the cordage beneath the keel. Strong arms hoisted him to the deck and then it was that thecrew of the Vanator learned of the heroism of their jed and hisend. How far they had traveled since his loss they could onlyvaguely guess, nor could they return in search of him in thedisabled condition of the ship. It was a saddened company thatdrifted onward through the air toward whatever destination Fatewas to choose for them. 

And Gahan, Jed of Gathol--what of him? Plummet-like he fell for athousand feet and then the storm seized him in its giant clutchand bore him far aloft again. As a bit of paper borne upon a galehe was tossed about in mid-air, the sport and plaything of thewind. Over and over it turned him and upward and downward itcarried him, but after each new sally of the element he wasbrought nearer to the ground. The freaks of cyclonic storms arethe rule of cyclonic storms, demolish giant trees, and in thesame gust they transport frail infants for miles and deposit themunharmed in their wake. 

And so it was with Gahan of Gathol. Expecting momentarily to bedashed to destruction he presently found himself deposited gentlyupon the soft, ochre moss of a dead sea-bottom, bodily no worseoff for his harrowing adventure than in the possession of aslight swelling upon his forehead where the metal hook had struckhim. Scarcely able to believe that Fate had dealt thus gentlywith him, the jed arose slowly, as though more than halfconvinced that he should discover crushed and splintered bonesthat would not support his weight. But he was intact. He lookedabout him in a vain effort at orientation. The air was filledwith flying dust and debris. The Sun was obliterated. His visionwas confined to a radius of a few hundred yards of ochre moss anddust-filled air. Five hundred yards away in any direction theremight have arisen the walls of a great city and he not known it. It was useless to move from where he was until the air cleared, since he could not know in what direction he was moving, and sohe stretched himself upon the moss and waited, pondering the fateof his warriors and his ship, but giving little thought to hisown precarious situation. 

Lashed to his harness were his swords, his pistols, and a dagger, and in his pocket-pouch a small quantity of the concentratedrations that form a part of the equipment of the fighting men ofBarsoom. These things together with trained muscles, highcourage, and an undaunted spirit sufficed him for whatevermisadventures might lie between him and Gathol, which lay in whatdirection he knew not, nor at what distance. 

The wind was falling rapidly and with it the dust that obscuredthe landscape. That the storm was over he was convinced, but hechafed at the inactivity the low visibility put upon him, nor didconditions better materially before night fell, so that he wasforced to await the new day at the very spot at which the tempesthad deposited him. Without his sleeping silks and furs he spent afar from comfortable night, and it was with feelings of unmixedrelief that he saw the sudden dawn burst upon him. The air wasnow clear and in the light of the new day he saw an undulatingplain stretching in all directions about him, while to thenorthwest there were barely discernible the outlines of lowhills. Toward the southeast of Gathol was such a country, and asGahan surmised the direction and the velocity of the storm tohave carried him somewhere in the vicinity of the country hethought he recognized, he assumed that Gathol lay behind thehills he now saw, whereas, in reality, it lay far to thenortheast. 

It was two days before Gahan had crossed the plain and reachedthe summit of the hills from which he hoped to see his owncountry, only to meet at last with disappointment. Before himstretched another plain, of even greater proportions than that hehad but just crossed, and beyond this other hills. In onematerial respect this plain differed from that behind him in thatit was dotted with occasional isolated hills. Convinced, however, that Gathol lay somewhere in the direction of his search hedescended into the valley and bent his steps toward thenorthwest. 

For weeks Gahan of Gathol crossed valleys and hills in search ofsome familiar landmark that might point his way toward his nativeland, but the summit of each succeeding ridge revealed butanother unfamiliar view. He saw few animals and no men, until hefinally came to the belief that he had fallen upon that fabledarea of ancient Barsoom which lay under the curse of her oldengods--the once rich and fertile country whose people in theirpride and arrogance had denied the deities, and whose punishmenthad been extermination. 

And then, one day, he scaled low hills and looked into aninhabited valley--a valley of trees and cultivated fields andplots of ground enclosed by stone walls surrounding strangetowers. He saw people working in the fields, but he did not rushdown to greet them. First he must know more of them and whetherthey might be assumed to be friends or enemies. Hidden byconcealing shrubbery he crawled to a vantage point upon a hillthat projected further into the valley, and here he lay uponhis belly watching the workers closest to him. They were stillquite a distance from him and he could not be quite sure of them, but there was something verging upon the unnatural about them. Their heads seemed out of proportion to their bodies--too large. 

For a long time he lay watching them and ever more forcibly itwas borne in upon his consciousness that they were not as he, andthat it would be rash to trust himself among them. Presently hesaw a couple appear from the nearest enclosure and slowlyapproach those who were working nearest to the hill where he layin hiding. Immediately he was aware that one of these differedfrom all the others. Even at the greater distance he noted thatthe head was smaller and as they approached, he was confidentthat the harness of one of them was not as the harness of itscompanion or of that of any of those who tilled the fields. 

The two stopped often, apparently in argument, as though onewould proceed in the direction that they were going while theother demurred. But each time the smaller won reluctant consentfrom the other, and so they came closer and closer to the lastline of workers toiling between the enclosure from which they hadcome and the hill where Gahan of Gathol lay watching, and thensuddenly the smaller figure struck its companion full in theface. Gahan, horrified, saw the latter's head topple from itsbody, saw the body stagger and fall to the ground. The man halfrose from his concealment the better to view the happening in thevalley below. The creature that had felled its companion wasdashing madly in the direction of the hill upon which he washidden, it dodged one of the workers that sought to seize it. Gahan hoped that it would gain its liberty, why he did not knowother than at closer range it had every appearance of being acreature of his own race. Then he saw it stumble and go down andinstantly its pursuers were upon it. Then it was that Gahan'seyes chanced to return to the figure of the creature the fugitivehad felled. 

What horror was this that he was witnessing? Or were his eyesplaying some ghastly joke upon him? No, impossible though itwas--it was true--the head was moving slowly to the fallen body. It placed itself upon the shoulders, the body rose, and thecreature, seemingly as good as new, ran quickly to where itsfellows were dragging the hapless captive to its feet. 

The watcher saw the creature take its prisoner by the arm andlead it back to the enclosure, and even across the distance thatseparated them from him he could note dejection and utterhopelessness in the bearing of the prisoner, and, too, he washalf convinced that it was a woman, perhaps a red Martian of hisown race. Could he be sure that this was true he must make someeffort to rescue her even though the customs of his strange worldrequired it only in case she was of his own country; but he wasnot sure; she might not be a red Martian at all, or, if she were, it was as possible that she sprang from an enemy people as not. His first duty was to return to his own people with as littlepersonal risk as possible, and though the thought of adventurestirred his blood he put the temptation aside with a sigh andturned away from the peaceful and beautiful valley that he longedto enter, for it was his intention to skirt its eastern edge andcontinue his search for Gathol beyond. 

As Gahan of Gathol turned his steps along the southern slopes ofthe hills that bound Bantoom upon the south and east, hisattention was attracted toward a small cluster of trees a shortdistance to his right. The low sun was casting long shadows. Itwould soon be night. The trees were off the path that he hadchosen and he had little mind to be diverted from his way; but ashe looked again he hesitated. There was something there besidesboles of trees, and underbrush. There were suggestions offamiliar lines of the handicraft of man. Gahan stopped andstrained his eyes in the direction of the thing that had arrestedhis attention. No, he must be mistaken--the branches of the treesand a low bush had taken on an unnatural semblance in thehorizontal rays of the setting sun. He turned and continued uponhis way; but as he cast another side glance in the direction ofthe object of his interest, the sun's rays were shot back intohis eyes from a glistening point of radiance among the trees. 

Gahan shook his head and walked quickly toward the mystery, determined now to solve it. The shining object still lured him onand when he had come closer to it his eyes went wide in surprise, for the thing they saw was naught else than the jewel-encrustedemblem upon the prow of a small flier. Gahan, his hand upon hisshort-sword, moved silently forward, but as he neared the crafthe saw that he had naught to fear, for it was deserted. Then heturned his attention toward the emblem. As its significance wasflashed to his understanding his face paled and his heart wentcold--it was the insignia of the house of The Warlord ofBarsoom. Instantly he saw the dejected figure of the captivebeing led back to her prison in the valley just beyond the hills. Tara of Helium! And he had been so near to deserting her to herfate. The cold sweat stood in beads upon his brow. 

A hasty examination of the deserted craft unfolded to the youngjed the whole tragic story. The same tempest that had proved hisundoing had borne Tara of Helium to this distant country. Here, doubtless, she had landed in hope of obtaining food and watersince, without a propellor, she could not hope to reach hernative city, or any other friendly port, other than by the merestcaprice of Fate. The flier seemed intact except for the missingpropellor and the fact that it had been carefully moored in theshelter of the clump of trees indicated that the girl hadexpected to return to it, while the dust and leaves upon its deckspoke of the long days, and even weeks, since she had landed. Mute yet eloquent proofs, these things, that Tara of Helium was aprisoner, and that she was the very prisoner whose bold dash forliberty he had so recently witnessed he now had not the slightestdoubt. 

The question now revolved solely about her rescue. He knew towhich tower she had been taken--that much and no more. Of thenumber, the kind, or the disposition of her captors he knewnothing; nor did he care--for Tara of Helium he would face ahostile world alone. Rapidly he considered several plans forsuccoring her; but the one that appealed most strongly to him wasthat which offered the greatest chance of escape for the girlshould he be successful in reaching her. His decision reached heturned his attention quickly toward the flier. Casting off itslashings he dragged it out from beneath the trees, and, mountingto the deck tested out the various controls. The motor started ata touch and purred sweetly, the buoyancy tanks were well stocked, and the ship answered perfectly to the controls which regulatedher altitude. There was nothing needed but a propellor to makeher fit for the long voyage to Helium. Gahan shruggedimpatiently--there must not be a propellor within a thousandhaads. But what mattered it? The craft even without a propellorwould still answer the purpose his plan required of it--providedthe captors of Tara of Helium were a people without ships, and hehad seen nothing to suggest that they had ships. The architectureof their towers and enclosures assured him that they had not. 

The sudden Barsoomian night had fallen. Cluros rode majesticallythe high heavens. The rumbling roar of a banth reverberated amongthe hills. Gahan of Gathol let the ship rise a few feet from theground, then, seizing a bow rope, he dropped over the side. Totow the little craft was now a thing of ease, and as Gahan movedrapidly toward the brow of the hill above Bantoom the flierfloated behind him as lightly as a swan upon a quiet lake. Nowdown the hill toward the tower dimly visible in the moonlight theGatholian turned his steps. Closer behind him sounded the roar ofthe hunting banth. He wondered if the beast sought him or wasfollowing some other spoor. He could not be delayed now by anyhungry beast of prey, for what might that very instant bebefalling Tara of Helium he could not guess; and so he hastenedhis steps. But closer and closer came the horrid screams of thegreat carnivore, and now he heard the swift fall of padded feetupon the hillside behind him. He glanced back just in time to seethe beast break into a rapid charge. His hand leaped to the hiltof his long-sword, but he did not draw, for in the same instanthe saw the futility of armed resistance, since behind the firstbanth came a herd of at least a dozen others. There was but asingle alternative to a futile stand and that he grasped in theinstant that he saw the overwhelming numbers of his antagonists. 

Springing lightly from the ground he swarmed up the rope towardthe bow of the flier. His weight drew the craft slightly lowerand at the very instant that the man drew himself to the deck atthe bow of the vessel, the leading banth sprang for the stern. Gahan leaped to his feet and rushed toward the great beast in thehope of dislodging it before it had succeeded in clamberingaboard. At the same instant he saw that others of the banths wereracing toward them with the quite evident intention of followingtheir leader to the ship's deck. Should they reach it in anynumbers he would be lost. There was but a single hope. Leapingfor the altitude control Gahan pulled it wide. Simultaneouslythree banths leaped for the deck. The craft rose swiftly. Gahanfelt the impact of a body against the keel, followed by the softthuds of the great bodies as they struck the ground beneath. Hisact had not been an instant too soon. And now the leader hadgained the deck and stood at the stern with glaring eyes andsnarling jaws. Gahan drew his sword. The beast, possiblydisconcerted by the novelty of its position, did not charge. Instead it crept slowly toward its intended prey. The craft wasrising and Gahan placed a foot upon the control and stopped theascent. He did not wish to chance rising to some higher aircurrent that would bear him away. Already the craft was movingslowly toward the tower, carried thither by the impetus of thebanth's heavy body leaping upon it from astern. 

The man watched the slow approach of the monster, the slaveringjowls, the malignant expression of the devilish face. Thecreature, finding the deck stable, appeared to be gainingconfidence, and then the man leaped suddenly to one side of thedeck and the tiny flier heeled as suddenly in response. The banthslipped and clutched frantically at the deck. Gahan leaped inwith his naked sword; the great beast caught itself and rearedupon its hind legs to reach forth and seize this presumptuousmortal that dared question its right to the flesh it craved; andthen the man sprang to the opposite side of the deck. The banthtoppled sideways at the same instant that it attempted to spring;a raking talon passed close to Gahan's head at the moment thathis sword lunged through the savage heart, and as the warriorwrenched his blade from the carcass it slipped silently over theside of the ship. 

A glance below showed that the vessel was drifting in thedirection of the tower to which Gahan had seen the prisoner led. In another moment or two it would be directly over it. The mansprang to the control and let the craft drop quickly toward theground where followed the banths, still hot for their prey. Toland outside the enclosure spelled certain death, while inside hecould see many forms huddled upon the ground as in sleep. Theship floated now but a few feet above the wall of the enclosure. There was nothing for it but to risk all on a bold bid forfortune, or drift helplessly past without hope of returningthrough the banth-infested valley, from many points of which hecould now hear the roars and growls of these fierce Barsoomianlions. 

Slipping over the side Gahan descended by the trailinganchor-rope until his feet touched the top of the wall, where hehad no difficulty in arresting the slow drifting of the ship. Then he drew up the anchor and lowered it inside the enclosure. Still there was no movement upon the part of the sleepersbeneath--they lay as dead men. Dull lights shone from openings inthe tower; but there was no sign of guard or waking inmate. Clinging to the rope Gahan lowered himself within the enclosure, where he had his first close view of the creatures lying there inwhat he had thought sleep. With a half smothered exclamation ofhorror the man drew back from the headless bodies of the rykors. At first he thought them the corpses of decapitated humans likehimself, which was quite bad enough; but when he saw them moveand realized that they were endowed with life, his horror anddisgust became even greater. 

Here then was the explanation of the thing he had witnessed thatafternoon, when Tara of Helium had struck the back to its body. And to think that the pearl of Helium was in the power of suchhideous things as these. Again the man shuddered, but he hastenedto make fast the flier, clamber again to its deck and lower it tothe floor of the enclosure. Then he strode toward a door in thebase of the tower, stepping lightly over the recumbent forms ofthe unconscious rykors, and crossing the threshold disappearedwithin. 

CHAPTER VIII

CLOSE WORK

Ghek, in his happier days third foreman of the fields of Luud, sat nursing his anger and his humiliation. Recently something hadawakened within him the existence of which he had never beforeeven dreamed. Had the influence of the strange captive womanaught to do with this unrest and dissatisfaction? He did notknow. He missed the soothing influence of the noise she calledsinging. Could it be that there were other things more desirablethan cold logic and undefiled brain power? Was well balancedimperfection more to be sought after then, than the highdevelopment of a single characteristic? He thought of the great, ultimate brain toward which all kaldanes were striving. It wouldbe deaf, and dumb, and blind. A thousand beautiful strangersmight sing and dance about it, but it could derive no pleasurefrom the singing or the dancing since it would possess noperceptive faculties. Already had the kaldanes shut themselvesoff from most of the gratifications of the senses. Ghek wonderedif much was to be gained by denying themselves still further, andwith the thought came a question as to the whole fabric of theirtheory. After all perhaps the girl was right; what purpose coulda great brain serve sealed in the bowels of the earth?

And he, Ghek, was to die for this theory. Luud had decreed it. The injustice of it overwhelmed him with rage. But he washelpless. There was no escape. Beyond the enclosure the banthsawaited him; within, his own kind, equally as merciless andferocious. Among them there was no such thing as love, orloyalty, or friendship--they were just brains. He might killLuud; but what would that profit him? Another king would beloosed from his sealed chamber and Ghek would be killed. He didnot know it but he would not even have the poor satisfaction ofsatisfied revenge, since he was not capable of feeling soabstruse a sentiment. 

Ghek, mounted upon his rykor, paced the floor of the towerchamber in which he had been ordered to remain. Ordinarily hewould have accepted the sentence of Luud with perfect equanimity, since it was but the logical result of reason; but now it seemeddifferent. The stranger woman had bewitched him. Life appeared apleasant thing--there were great possibilities in it. The dreamof the ultimate brain had receded into a tenuous haze far in thebackground of his thoughts. 

At that moment there appeared in the doorway of the chamber a redwarrior with naked sword. He was a male counterpart of theprisoner whose sweet voice had undermined the cold, calculatingreason of the kaldane. 

"Silence!" admonished the newcomer, his straight brows gatheredin an ominous frown and the point of his longsword playingmenacingly before the eyes of the kaldane. "I seek the woman, Tara of Helium. Where is she? If you value your life speakquickly and speak the truth. "

If he valued his life! It was a truth that Ghek had but justlearned. He thought quickly. After all, a great brain is notwithout its uses. Perhaps here lay escape from the sentence ofLuud. 

"You are of her kind?" he asked. "You come to rescue her?"

"Yes. "

"Listen, then. I have befriended her, and because of this I am todie. If I help you to liberate her, will you take me with you?"

Gahan of Gathol eyed the weird creature from crown to foot--theperfect body, the grotesque head, the expressionless face. Amongsuch as these had the beautiful daughter of Helium been heldcaptive for days and weeks. 

"If she lives and is unharmed, " he said, "I will take you withus. "

"When they took her from me she was alive and unharmed, " repliedGhek. "I cannot say what has befallen her since. Luud sent forher. "

"Who is Luud? Where is he? Lead me to him. " Gahan spoke quicklyin tones vibrant with authority. 

"Come, then, " said Ghek, leading the way from the apartment anddown a stairway toward the underground burrows of the kaldanes. "Luud is my king. I will take you to his chambers. "

"Hasten!" urged Gahan. 

"Sheathe your sword, " warned Ghek, "so that should we pass othersof my kind I may say to them that you are a new prisoner withsome likelihood of winning their belief. "

Gahan did as he was bid, but warning the kaldane that his handwas ever ready at his dagger's hilt. 

"You need have no fear of treachery, " said Ghek "My only hope oflife lies in you. "

"And if you fail me, " Gahan admonished him, "I can promise you assure a death as even your king might guarantee you. "

Ghek made no reply, but moved rapidly through the windingsubterranean corridors until Gahan began to realize how truly washe in the hands of this strange monster. If the fellow shouldprove false it would profit Gahan nothing to slay him, sincewithout his guidance the red man might never hope to retrace hisway to the tower and freedom. 

Twice they met and were accosted by other kaldanes; but in bothinstances Ghek's simple statement that he was taking a newprisoner to Luud appeared to allay all suspicion, and then atlast they came to the ante-chamber of the king. 

"Here, now, red man, thou must fight, if ever, " whispered Ghek. "Enter there!" and he pointed to a doorway before them. 

"And you?" asked Gahan, still fearful of treachery. 

"My rykor is powerful, " replied the kaldane. "I shall accompanyyou and fight at your side. As well die thus as in torture laterat the will of Luud. Come!"

But Gahan had already crossed the room and entered the chamberbeyond. Upon the opposite side of the room was a circular openingguarded by two warriors. Beyond this opening he could see twofigures struggling upon the floor, and the fleeting glimpse hehad of one of the faces suddenly endowed him with the strength often warriors and the ferocity of a wounded banth. It was Tara ofHelium, fighting for her honor or her life. 

The warriors, startled by the unexpected appearance of a red man, stood for a moment in dumb amazement, and in that moment Gahan ofGathol was upon them, and one was down, a sword-thrust throughits heart. 

"Strike at the heads, " whispered the voice of Ghek in Gahan'sear. The latter saw the head of the fallen warrior crawl quicklywithin the aperture leading to the chamber where he had seen Taraof Helium in the clutches of a headless body. Then the sword ofGhek struck the kaldane of the remaining warrior from its rykorand Gahan ran his sword through the repulsive head. 

Instantly the red warrior leaped for the aperture, while closebehind him came Ghek. 

"Look not upon the eyes of Luud, " warned the kaldane, "or you arelost. "

Within the chamber Gahan saw Tara of Helium in the clutches of amighty body, while close to the wall upon the opposite side ofthe apartment crouched the hideous, spider-like Luud. Instantlythe king realized the menace to himself and sought to fasten hiseyes upon the eyes of Gahan, and in doing so he was forced torelax his concentration upon the rykor in whose embraces Tarastruggled, so that almost immediately the girl found herself ableto tear away from the awful, headless thing. 

As she rose quickly to her feet she saw for the first time thecause of the interruption of Luud's plans. A red warrior! Herheart leaped in rejoicing and thanksgiving. What miracle of fatehad sent him to her? She did not recognize him, though, thistravel-worn warrior in the plain harness which showed no singlejewel. How could she have guessed him the same as the scintillantcreature of platinum and diamonds that she had seen for a briefhour under such different circumstances at the court of heraugust sire?

Luud saw Ghek following the strange warrior into the chamber. "Strike him down, Ghek!" commanded the king. "Strike down thestranger and your life shall be yours. "

Gahan glanced at the hideous face of the king. 

"Seek not his eyes, " screamed Tara in warning; but it was toolate. Already the horrid hypnotic gaze of the king kaldane hadseized upon the eyes of Gahan. The red warrior hesitated in hisstride. His sword point drooped slowly toward the floor. Taraglanced toward Ghek. She saw the creature glaring with hisexpressionless eyes upon the broad back of the stranger. She sawthe hand of the creature's rykor creeping stealthily toward thehilt of its dagger. 

And then Tara of Helium raised her eyes aloft and poured forththe notes of Mars' most beautiful melody, The Song of Love. 

Ghek drew his dagger from its sheath. His eyes turned toward thesinging girl. Luud's glance wavered from the eyes of the man tothe face of Tara, and the instant that the latter's songdistracted his attention from his victim, Gahan of Gathol shookhimself and as with a supreme effort of will forced his eyes tothe wall above Luud's hideous head. Ghek raised his dagger abovehis right shoulder, took a single quick step forward, and struck. The girl's song ended in a stifled scream as she leaped forwardwith the evident intention of frustrating the kaldane's purpose;but she was too late, and well it was, for an instant later sherealized the purpose of Ghek's act as she saw the dagger fly fromhis hand, pass Gahan's shoulder, and sink full to the guard inthe soft face of Luud. 

"Come!" cried the assassin, "we have no time to lose, " andstarted for the aperture through which they had entered thechamber; but in his stride he paused as his glance was arrestedby the form of the mighty rykor lying prone upon the floor--aking's rykor; the most beautiful, the most powerful, that thebreeders of Bantoom could produce. Ghek realized that in hisescape he could take with him but a single rykor, and there wasnone in Bantoom that could give him better service than thisgiant lying here. Quickly he transferred himself to the shouldersof the great, inert hulk. Instantly the latter was transformed toa sentient creature, filled with pulsing life and alert energy. 

"Now, " said the kaldane, "we are ready. Let whoso would revert tonothingness impede me. " Even as he spoke he stooped and crawledinto the chamber beyond, while Gahan, taking Tara by the arm, motioned her to follow. The girl looked him full in the eyes forthe first time. "The Gods of my people have been kind, " she said;"you came just in time. To the thanks of Tara of Helium shall beadded those of The Warlord of Barsoom and his people. Thy rewardshall surpass thy greatest desires. "

Gahan of Gathol saw that she did not recognize him, and quicklyhe checked the warm greeting that had been upon his lips. 

"Be thou Tara of Helium or another, " he replied, "is immaterial, to serve thus a red woman of Barsoom is in itself sufficientreward. "

As they spoke the girl was making her way through the apertureafter Ghek, and presently all three had quitted the apartments ofLuud and were moving rapidly along the winding corridors towardthe tower. Ghek repeatedly urged them to greater speed, but thered men of Barsoom were never keen for retreat, and so the twothat followed him moved all too slowly for the kaldane. 

"There are none to impede our progress, " urged Gahan, "so why taxthe strength of the Princess by needless haste?"

"I fear not so much opposition ahead, for there are none therewho know the thing that has been done in Luud's chambers thisnight; but the kaldane of one of the warriors who stood guardbefore Luud's apartment escaped, and you may count it a truththat he lost no time in seeking aid. That it did not come beforewe left is due solely to the rapidity with which eventstranspired in the king's* room. Long before we reach the towerthey will be upon us from behind, and that they will come innumbers far superior to ours and with great and powerful rykors Iwell know. "

* I have used the word king in describing the rulers or chiefs ofthe Bantoomian swarms, since the word itself is unpronounceablein English, nor does jed or jeddak of the red Martian tongue havequite the same meaning as the Bantoomian word, which haspractically the same significance as the English word queen asapplied to the leader of a swarm of bees. --J. C. 

Nor was Ghek's prophecy long in fulfilment. Presently the soundsof pursuit became audible in the distant clanking ofaccouterments and the whistling call to arms of the kaldanes. 

"The tower is but a short distance now, " cried Ghek. "Make hastewhile yet you may, and if we can barricade it until the sun riseswe may yet escape. "

"We shall need no barricades for we shall not linger in thetower, " replied Gahan, moving more rapidly as he realized fromthe volume of sound behind them the great number of theirpursuers. 

"But we may not go further than the tower tonight, " insistedGhek. "Beyond the tower await the banths and certain death. "

Gahan smiled. "Fear not the banths, " he assured them. "Can we butreach the enclosure a little ahead of our pursuers we have naughtto fear from any evil power within this accursed valley. "

Ghek made no reply, nor did his expressionless face denote eitherbelief or skepticism. The girl looked into the face of the manquestioningly. She did not understand. 

"Your flier, " he said. "It is moored before the tower. "

Her face lighted with pleasure and relief. "You found it!" sheexclaimed. "What fortune!"

"It was fortune indeed, " he replied. "Since it not only told thatyou were a prisoner here; but it saved me from the banths as Iwas crossing the valley from the hills to this tower into which Isaw them take you this afternoon after your brave attempt atescape. "

"How did you know it was I?" she asked, her puzzled browsscanning his face as though she sought to recall from pastmemories some scene in which he figured. 

"Who is there but knows of the loss of the Princess Tara ofHelium?" he replied. "And when I saw the device upon your flier Iknew at once, though I had not known when I saw you among them inthe fields a short time earlier. Too great was the distance forme to make certain whether the captive was man or woman. Hadchance not divulged the hiding place of your flier I had gone myway, Tara of Helium. I shudder to think how close was the chanceat that. But for the momentary shining of the sun upon theemblazoned device on the prow of your craft, I had passed onunknowing. "

The girl shuddered. "The Gods sent you, " she whisperedreverently. 

"The Gods sent me, Tara of Helium, " he replied. 

"But I do not recognize you, " she said. "I have tried to recallyou, but I have failed. Your name, what may it be?"

"It is not strange that so great a princess should not recall theface of every roving panthan of Barsoom, " he replied with asmile. 

"But your name?" insisted the girl. 

"Call me Turan, " replied the man, for it had come to him that ifTara of Helium recognized him as the man whose impetuous avowalof love had angered her that day in the gardens of The Warlord, her situation might be rendered infinitely less bearable thanwere she to believe him a total stranger. Then, too, as a simplepanthan* he might win a greater degree of her confidence by hisloyalty and faithfulness and a place in her esteem that seemed tohave been closed to the resplendent Jed of Gathol. 

* Soldier of Fortune; free-lance warrior. 

They had reached the tower now, and as they entered it from thesubterranean corridor a backward glance revealed the van of theirpursuers--hideous kaldanes mounted upon swift and powerfulrykors. As rapidly as might be the three ascended the stairwaysleading to the ground level, but after them, even more rapidly, came the minions of Luud. Ghek led the way, grasping one ofTara's hands the more easily to guide and assist her, while Gahanof Gathol followed a few paces in their rear, his bared swordready for the assault that all realized must come upon them nowbefore ever they reached the enclosure and the flier. 

"Let Ghek drop behind to your side, " said Tara, "and fight withyou. "

"There is but room for a single blade in these narrow corridors, "replied the Gatholian. "Hasten on with Ghek and win to the deckof the flier. Have your hand upon the control, and if I come farenough ahead of these to reach the dangling cable you can rise atmy word and I can clamber to the deck at my leisure; but if oneof them emerges first into the enclosure you will know that Ishall never come, and you will rise quickly and trust to the Godsof our ancestors to give you a fair breeze in the direction of amore hospitable people. "

Tara of Helium shook her head. "We will not desert you, panthan, "she said. 

Gahan, ignoring her reply, spoke above her head to Ghek. "Takeher to the craft moored within the enclosure, " he commanded. "Itis our only hope. Alone, I may win to its deck; but have I towait upon you two at the last moment the chances are that none ofus will escape. Do as I bid. " His tone was haughty andarrogant--the tone of a man who has commanded other men frombirth, and whose will has been law. Tara of Helium was bothangered and vexed. She was not accustomed to being eithercommanded or ignored, but with all her royal pride she was nofool, and she knew the man was right, that he was risking hislife to save hers, so she hastened on with Ghek as she was bid, and after the first flush of anger she smiled, for therealization came to her that this fellow was but a roughuntutored warrior, skilled not in the finer usages of culturedcourts. His heart was right, though; a brave and loyal heart, andgladly she forgave him the offense of his tone and manner. Butwhat a tone! Recollection of it gave her sudden pause. Panthanswere rough and ready men. Often they rose to positions of highcommand, so it was not the note of authority in the fellow'svoice that seemed remarkable; but something else--a quality thatwas indefinable, yet as distinct as it was familiar. She hadheard it before when the voice of her great-grandsire, TardosMors, Jeddak of Helium, had risen in command; and in the voice ofher grandfather, Mors Kajak, the jed; and in the ringing tones ofher illustrious sire, John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom, when headdressed his warriors. 

But now she had no time to speculate upon so trivial a thing, forbehind her came the sudden clash of arms and she knew that Turan, the panthan, had crossed swords with the first of their pursuers. As she glanced back he was still visible beyond a turn in thestairway, so that she could see the quick swordplay that ensued. Daughter of a world's greatest swordsman, she knew well thefinest points of the art. She saw the clumsy attack of thekaldane and the quick, sure return of the panthan. As she lookeddown from above upon his almost naked body, trapped only in thesimplest of unadorned harness, and saw the play of the lithemuscles beneath the red-bronze skin, and witnessed the quick anddelicate play of his sword point, to her sense of obligation wasadded a spontaneous admission of admiration that was but thenatural tribute of a woman to skill and bravery and, perchance, some trifle to manly symmetry and strength. 

Three times the panthan's blade changed its position--once tofend a savage cut; once to feint; and once to thrust. And as hewithdrew it from the last position the kaldane rolled lifelessfrom its stumbling rykor and Turan sprang quickly down the stepsto engage the next behind, and then Ghek had drawn Tara upwardand a turn in the stairway shut the battling panthan from herview; but still she heard the ring of steel on steel, the clankof accouterments and the shrill whistling of the kaldanes. Herheart moved her to turn back to the side of her brave defender;but her judgment told her that she could serve him best by beingready at the control of the flier at the moment he reached theenclosure. 

CHAPTER IX

ADRIFT OVER STRANGE REGIONS

Presently Ghek pushed aside a door that opened from the stairway, and before them Tara saw the moonlight flooding the walled courtwhere the headless rykors lay beside their feeding-troughs. Shesaw the perfect bodies, muscled as the best of her father'sfighting men, and the females whose figures would have been theenvy of many of Helium's most beautiful women. Ah, if she couldbut endow these with the power to act! Then indeed might thesafety of the panthan be assured; but they were only poor lumpsof clay, nor had she the power to quicken them to life. Ever mustthey lie thus until dominated by the cold, heartless brain of thekaldane. The girl sighed in pity even as she shuddered in disgustas she picked her way over and among the sprawled creaturestoward the flier. 

Quickly she and Ghek mounted to the deck after the latter hadcast off the moorings. Tara tested the control, raising andlowering the ship a few feet within the walled space. Itresponded perfectly. Then she lowered it to the ground again andwaited. From the open doorway came the sounds of conflict, nownearing them, now receding. The girl, having witnessed herchampion's skill, had little fear of the outcome. Only a singleantagonist could face him at a time upon the narrow stairway, hehad the advantage of position and of the defensive, and he was amaster of the sword while they were clumsy bunglers bycomparison. Their sole advantage was in their numbers, unlessthey might find a way to come upon him from behind. 

She paled at the thought. Could she have seen him she might havebeen further perturbed, for he took no advantage of manyopportunities to win nearer the enclosure. He fought coolly, butwith a savage persistence that bore little semblance to purelydefensive action. Often he clambered over the body of a fallenfoe to leap against the next behind, and once there lay five deadkaldanes behind him, so far had he pushed back his antagonists. They did not know it; these kaldanes that he fought, nor did thegirl awaiting him upon the flier, but Gahan of Gathol was engagedin a more alluring sport than winning to freedom, for he wasavenging the indignities that had been put upon the woman heloved; but presently he realized that he might be jeopardizingher safety uselessly, and so he struck down another before himand turning leaped quickly up the stairway, while the leadingkaldanes slipped upon the brain-covered floor and stumbled inpursuit. 

Gahan reached the enclosure twenty paces ahead of them and racedtoward the flier. "Rise!" he shouted to the girl. "I will ascendthe cable. "

Slowly the small craft rose from the ground as Gahan leaped theinert bodies of the rykors lying in his path. The first of thepursuers sprang from the tower just as Gahan seized the trailingrope. 

"Faster!" he shouted to the girl above, "or they will drag usdown!" But the ship seemed scarcely to move, though in realityshe was rising as rapidly as might have been expected of aone-man flier carrying a load of three. Gahan swung free abovethe top of the wall, but the end of the rope still dragged theground as the kaldanes reached it. They were pouring in a steadystream from the tower into the enclosure. The leader seized therope. 

"Quick!" he cried. "Lay hold and we will drag them down. "

It needed but the weight of a few to accomplish his design. Theship was stopped in its flight and then, to the horror of thegirl, she felt it being dragged steadily downward. Gahan, too, realized the danger and the necessity for instant action. Clinging to the rope with his left hand, he had wound a leg aboutit, leaving his right hand free for his long-sword which he hadnot sheathed. A downward cut clove the soft head of a kaldane, and another severed the taut rope beneath the panthan's feet. Thegirl heard a sudden renewal of the shrill whistling of her foes, and at the same time she realized that the craft was risingagain. Slowly it drifted upward, out of reach of the enemy, and amoment later she saw the figure of Turan clamber over the side. For the first time in many weeks her heart was filled with thejoy of thanksgiving; but her first thought was of another. 

"You are not wounded?" she asked. 

"No, Tara of Helium, " he replied. "They were scarce worth theeffort of my blade, and never were they a menace to me because oftheir swords. "

"They should have slain you easily, " said Ghek. "So great andhighly developed is the power of reason among us that they shouldhave known before you struck just where, logically, you must seekto strike, and so they should have been able to parry your everythrust and easily find an opening to your heart. "

"But they did not, Ghek, " Gahan reminded him. "Their theory ofdevelopment is wrong, for it does not tend toward a perfectlybalanced whole. You have developed the brain and neglected thebody and you can never do with the hands of another what you cando with your own hands. Mine are trained to the sword--everymuscle responds instantly and accurately, and almostmechanically, to the need of the instant. I am scarcelyobjectively aware that I think when I fight, so quickly does mypoint take advantage of every opening, or spring to my defense ifI am threatened that it is almost as though the cold steel hadeyes and brains. You, with your kaldane brain and your rykorbody, never could hope to achieve in the same degree ofperfection those things that I can achieve. Development of thebrain should not be the sum total of human endeavor. The richestand happiest peoples will be those who attain closest towell-balanced perfection of both mind and body, and even thesemust always be short of perfection. In absolute and generalperfection lies stifling monotony and death. Nature must havecontrasts; she must have shadows as well as highlights; sorrowwith happiness; both wrong and right; and sin as well as virtue. "

"Always have I been taught differently, " replied Ghek; "but sinceI have known this woman and you, of another race, I have come tobelieve that there may be other standards fully as high anddesirable as those of the kaldanes. At least I have had a glimpseof the thing you call happiness and I realize that it may be goodeven though I have no means of expressing it. I cannot laugh norsmile, and yet within me is a sense of contentment when thiswoman sings--a sense that seems to open before me wondrous vistasof beauty and unguessed pleasure that far transcend the cold joysof a perfectly functioning brain. I would that I had been born ofthy race. "

Caught by a gentle current of air the flier was drifting slowlytoward the northeast across the valley of Bantoom. Below them laythe cultivated fields, and one after another they passed over thestrange towers of Moak and Nolach and the other kings of theswarms that inhabited this weird and terrible land. Within eachenclosure surrounding the towers grovelled the rykors, repellent, headless things, beautiful yet hideous. 

"A lesson, those, " remarked Gahan, indicating the rykors in anenclosure above which they were drifting at the time, "to thatfortunately small minority of our race which worships the fleshand makes a god of appetite. You know them, Tara of Helium; theycan tell you exactly what they had at the midday meal two weeksago, and how the loin of the thoat should be prepared, and whatdrink should be served with the rump of the zitidar. "

Tara of Helium laughed. "But not one of them could tell you thename of the man whose painting took the Jeddak's Award in TheTemple of Beauty this year, " she said. "Like the rykors, theirdevelopment has not been balanced. "

"Fortunate indeed are those in which there is combined a littlegood and a little bad, a little knowledge of many things outsidetheir own callings, a capacity for love and a capacity for hate, for such as these can look with tolerance upon all, unbiased bythe egotism of him whose head is so heavy on one side that allhis brains run to that point. "

As Gahan ceased speaking Ghek made a little noise in his throatas one does who would attract attention. "You speak as one whohas thought much upon many subjects. Is it, then, possible thatyou of the red race have pleasure in thought? Do you know aughtof the joys of introspection? Do reason and logic form any partof your lives?"

"Most assuredly, " replied Gahan, "but not to the extent ofoccupying all our time--at least not objectively. You, Ghek, arean example of the egotism of which I spoke. Because you and yourkind devote your lives to the worship of mind, you believe thatno other created beings think. And possibly we do not in thesense that you do, who think only of yourselves and your greatbrains. We think of many things that concern the welfare of aworld. Had it not been for the red men of Barsoom even thekaldanes had perished from the planet, for while you may livewithout air the things upon which you depend for existencecannot, and there had been no air in sufficient quantities uponBarsoom these many ages had not a red man planned and built thegreat atmosphere plant which gave new life to a dying world. 

"What have all the brains of all the kaldanes that have everlived done to compare with that single idea of a single red man?"

Ghek was stumped. Being a kaldane he knew that brains spelled thesum total of universal achievement, but it had never occurred tohim that they should be put to use in practical and profitableways. He turned away and looked down upon the valley of hisancestors across which he was slowly drifting, into what unknownworld? He should be a veritable god among the underlings, heknew; but somehow a doubt assailed him. It was evident that thesetwo from that other world were ready to question his preeminence. Even through his great egotism was filtering a suspicion thatthey patronized him; perhaps even pitied him. Then he began towonder what was to become of him. No longer would he have manyrykors to do his bidding. Only this single one and when it diedthere could not be another. When it tired, Ghek must lie almosthelpless while it rested. He wished that he had never seen thisred woman. She had brought him only discontent and dishonor andnow exile. Presently Tara of Helium commenced to hum a tune andGhek, the kaldane, was content. 

Gently they drifted beneath the hurtling moons above the madshadows of a Martian night. The roaring of the banths came indiminishing volume to their ears as their craft passed on beyondthe boundaries of Bantoom, leaving behind the terrors of thatunhappy land. But to what were they being borne? The girl lookedat the man sitting cross-legged upon the deck of the tiny flier, gazing off into the night ahead, apparently absorbed in thought. 

"Where are we?" she asked. "Toward what are we drifting?"

Turan shrugged his broad shoulders. "The stars tell me that weare drifting toward the northeast, " he replied, "but where weare, or what lies in our path I cannot even guess. A week since Icould have sworn that I knew what lay behind each succeedingridge that I approached; but now I admit in all humility that Ihave no conception of what lies a mile in any direction. Tara ofHelium, I am lost, and that is all that I can tell you. "

He was smiling and the girl smiled back at him. There was aslightly puzzled expression on her face--there was somethingtantalizingly familiar about that smile of his. She had met manya panthan--they came and went, following the fighting of aworld--but she could not place this one. 

"From what country are you, Turan?" she asked suddenly. 

"Know you not, Tara of Helium, " he countered, "that a panthan hasno country? Today he fights beneath the banner of one master, tomorrow beneath that of another. "

"But you must own allegiance to some country when you are notfighting, " she insisted. "What banner, then, owns you now?"

He rose and stood before her, then, bowing low. "And I amacceptable, " he said, "I serve beneath the banner of the daughterof The Warlord now--and forever. "

She reached forth and touched his arm with a slim brown hand. "Your services are accepted, " she said; "and if ever we reachHelium I promise that your reward shall be all that your heartcould desire. "

"I shall serve faithfully, hoping for that reward, " he said;but Tara of Helium did not guess what was in his mind, thinkingrather that he was mercenary. For how could the proud daughter ofThe Warlord guess that a simple panthan aspired to her hand andheart?

The dawn found them moving rapidly over an unfamiliar landscape. The wind had increased during the night and had borne them farfrom Bantoom. The country below them was rough and inhospitable. No water was visible and the surface of the ground was cut bydeep gorges, while nowhere was any but the most meager vegetationdiscernible. They saw no life of any nature, nor was there anyindication that the country could support life. For two days theydrifted over this horrid wasteland. They were without food orwater and suffered accordingly. Ghek had temporarily abandonedhis rykor after enlisting Turan's assistance in lashing it safelyto the deck. The less he used it the less would its vitality bespent. Already it was showing the effects of privation. Ghekcrawled about the vessel like a great spider--over the side, downbeneath the keel, and up over the opposite rail. He seemedequally at home one place as another. For his companions, however, the quarters were cramped, for the deck of a one-manflier is not intended for three. 

Turan sought always ahead for signs of water. Water they musthave, or that water-giving plant which makes life possible uponmany of the seemingly arid areas of Mars; but there was neitherthe one nor the other for these two days and now the third nightwas upon them. The girl did not complain, but Turan knew that shemust be suffering and his heart was heavy within him. Gheksuffered least of all, and he explained to them that his kindcould exist for long periods without food or water. Turan almostcursed him as he saw the form of Tara of Helium slowly wastingaway before his eyes, while the hideous kaldane seemed as full ofvitality as ever. 

"There are circumstances, " remarked Ghek, "under which a grossand material body is less desirable than a highly developedbrain. "

Turan looked at him, but said nothing. Tara of Helium smiledfaintly. "One cannot blame him, " she said, "were we not a bitboastful in the pride of our superiority? When our stomachs werefilled, " she added. 

"Perhaps there is something to be said for their system, " Turanadmitted. "If we could but lay aside our stomachs when they criedfor food and water I have no doubt but that we should do so. "

"I should never miss mine now, " assented Tara; "it is mighty poorcompany. "

A new day had dawned, revealing a less desolate country andrenewing again the hope that had been low within them. SuddenlyTuran leaned forward, pointing ahead. 

"Look, Tara of Helium!" he cried. "A city! As I am Ga--as I amTuran the panthan, a city. "

Far in the distance the domes and walls and slender towers of acity shone in the rising sun. Quickly the man seized the controland the ship dropped rapidly behind a low range of interveninghills, for well Turan knew that they must not be seen until theycould discover whether friend or foe inhabited the strange city. Chances were that they were far from the abode of friends and somust the panthan move with the utmost caution; but there was acity and where a city was, was water, even though it were adeserted city, and food if it were inhabited. 

To the red man food and water, even in the citadel of an enemy, meant food and drink for Tara of Helium. He would accept it fromfriends or he would take it from enemies. Just so long as it wasthere he would have it--and there was shown the egotism of thefighting man, though Turan did not see it, nor Tara who came froma long line of fighting men; but Ghek might have smiled had heknown how. 

Turan permitted the flier to drift closer behind the screeninghills, and then when he could advance no farther without fear ofdiscovery, he dropped the craft gently to ground in a littleravine, and leaping over the side made her fast to a stout tree. For several moments they discussed their plans--whether it wouldbe best to wait where they were until darkness hid theirmovements and then approach the city in search of food and water, or approach it now, taking advantage of what cover they could, until they could glean something of the nature of itsinhabitants. 

It was Turan's plan which finally prevailed. They would approachas close as safety dictated in the hope of finding water outsidethe city; food, too, perhaps. If they did not they could at leastreconnoiter the ground by daylight, and then when night cameTuran could quickly come close to the city and in comparativesafety prosecute his search for food and drink. 

Following the ravine upward they finally topped the summit of theridge, from which they had an excellent view of that part of thecity which lay nearest them, though themselves hidden by thebrush behind which they crouched. Ghek had resumed his rykor, which had suffered less than either Tara or Turan through theirenforced fast. 

The first glance at the city, now much closer than when they hadfirst discovered it, revealed the fact that it was inhabited. Banners and pennons broke from many a staff. People were movingabout the gate before them. The high white walls were paced bysentinels at far intervals. Upon the roofs of higher buildingsthe women could be seen airing the sleeping silks and furs. Turanwatched it all in silence for some time. 

"I do not know them, " he said at last. "I cannot guess what citythis may be. But it is an ancient city. Its people have no fliersand no firearms. It must be old indeed. "

"How do you know they have not these things?" asked the girl. 

"There are no landing-stages upon the roofs--not one that can beseen from here; while were we looking similarly at Helium wewould see hundreds. And they have no firearms because theirdefenses are all built to withstand the attack of spear andarrow, with spear and arrow. They are an ancient people. "

"If they are ancient perhaps they are friendly, " suggested thegirl. "Did we not learn as children in the history of our planetthat it was once peopled by a friendly, peace-loving race?"

"But I fear they are not as ancient as that, " replied Turan, laughing. "It has been long ages since the men of Barsoom lovedpeace. "

"My father loves peace, " returned the girl. 

"And yet he is always at war, " said the man. 

She laughed. "But he says he likes peace. "

"We all like peace, " he rejoined; "peace with honor; but ourneighbors will not let us have it, and so we must fight. "

"And to fight well men must like to fight, " she added. 

"And to like to fight they must know how to fight, " he said, "forno man likes to do the thing that he does not know how to dowell. "

"Or that some other man can do better than he. "

"And so always there will be wars and men will fight, " heconcluded, "for always the men with hot blood in their veins willpractice the art of war. "

"We have settled a great question, " said the girl, smiling; "butour stomachs are still empty. "

"Your panthan is neglecting his duty, " replied Turan; "and howcan he with the great reward always before his eyes!"

She did not guess in what literal a sense he spoke. 

"I go forthwith, " he continued, "to wrest food and drink from theancients. "

"No, " she cried, laying a hand upon his arm, "not yet. They wouldslay you or make you prisoner. You are a brave panthan and amighty one, but you cannot overcome a city singlehanded. "

She smiled up into his face and her hand still lay upon his arm. He felt the thrill of hot blood coursing through his veins. Hecould have seized her in his arms and crushed her to him. Therewas only Ghek the kaldane there, but there was something strongerwithin him that restrained his hand. Who may define it--thatinherent chivalry that renders certain men the natural protectorsof women?

From their vantage point they saw a body of armed warriors rideforth from the gate, and winding along a well-beaten road passfrom sight about the foot of the hill from which they watched. The men were red, like themselves, and they rode the small saddlethoats of the red race. Their trappings were barbaric andmagnificent, and in their head-dress were many feathers as hadbeen the custom of ancients. They were armed with swords and longspears and they rode almost naked, their bodies being painted inochre and blue and white. There were, perhaps, a score of them inthe party and as they galloped away on their tireless mounts theypresented a picture at once savage and beautiful. 

"They have the appearance of splendid warriors, " said Turan. "Ihave a great mind to walk boldly into their city and seekservice. "

Tara shook her head. "Wait, " she admonished. "What would I dowithout you, and if you were captured how could you collect yourreward?"

"I should escape, " he said. "At any rate I shall try it, " and hestarted to rise. 

"You shall not, " said the girl, her tone all authority. 

The man looked at her quickly--questioningly. 

"You have entered my service, " she said, a trifle haughtily. 

"You have entered my service for hire and you shall do as I bidyou. "

Turan sank down beside her again with a half smile upon his lips. "It is yours to command, Princess, " he said. 

The day passed. Ghek, tiring of the sunlight, had deserted hisrykor and crawled down a hole he had discovered close by. Taraand Turan reclined beneath the scant shade of a small tree. Theywatched the people coming and going through the gate. The partyof horsemen did not return. A small herd of zitidars was driveninto the city during the day, and once a caravan of broad-wheeledcarts drawn by these huge animals wound out of the distanthorizon and came down to the city. It, too, passed from theirsight within the gateway. Then darkness came and Tara of Heliumbid her panthan search for food and drink; but she cautioned himagainst attempting to enter the city. Before he left her he bentand kissed her hand as a warrior may kiss the hand of his queen. 

CHAPTER X

ENTRAPPED

Turan the panthan approached the strange city under cover of thedarkness. He entertained little hope of finding either food orwater outside the wall, but he would try and then, if he failed, he would attempt to make his way into the city, for Tara ofHelium must have sustenance and have it soon. He saw that thewalls were poorly sentineled, but they were sufficiently high torender an attempt to scale them foredoomed to failure. Takingadvantage of underbrush and trees, Turan managed to reach thebase of the wall without detection. Silently he moved north pastthe gateway which was closed by a massive gate which effectivelybarred even the slightest glimpse within the city beyond. It wasTuran's hope to find upon the north side of the city away fromthe hills a level plain where grew the crops of the inhabitants, and here too water from their irrigating system, but though hetraveled far along that seemingly interminable wall he found nofields nor any water. He searched also for some means of ingressto the city, yet here, too, failure was his only reward, and nowas he went keen eyes watched him from above and a silent stalkerkept pace with him for a time upon the summit of the wall; butpresently the shadower descended to the pavement within andhurrying swiftly raced ahead of the stranger without. 

He came presently to a small gate beside which was a low buildingand before the doorway of the building a warrior standing guard. He spoke a few quick words to the warrior and then entered thebuilding only to return almost immediately to the street, followed by fully forty warriors. Cautiously opening the gate thefellow peered carefully along the wall upon the outside in thedirection from which he had come. Evidently satisfied, he issueda few words of instruction to those behind him, whereupon halfthe warriors returned to the interior of the building, while theother half followed the man stealthily through the gateway wherethey crouched low among the shrubbery in a half circle just northof the gateway which they had left open. Here they waited inutter silence, nor had they long to wait before Turan the panthancame cautiously along the base of the wall. To the very gate hecame and when he found it and that it was open he paused for amoment, listening; then he approached and looked within. Assuredthat there was none within sight to apprehend him he steppedthrough the gateway into the city. 

He found himself in a narrow street that paralleled the wall. Upon the opposite side rose buildings of an architecture unknownto him, yet strangely beautiful. While the buildings were packedclosely together there seemed to be no two alike and their frontswere of all shapes and heights and of many hues. The skyline wasbroken by spire and dome and minaret and tall, slender towers, while the walls supported many a balcony and in the soft light ofCluros, the farther moon, now low in the west, he saw, to hissurprise and consternation, the figures of people upon thebalconies. Directly opposite him were two women and a man. Theysat leaning upon the rail of the balcony looking, apparently, directly at him; but if they saw him they gave no sign. 

Turan hesitated a moment in the face of almost certain discoveryand then, assured that they must take him for one of their ownpeople, he moved boldly into the avenue. Having no idea of thedirection in which he might best hope to find what he sought, andnot wishing to arouse suspicion by further hesitation, he turnedto the left and stepped briskly along the pavement with theintention of placing himself as quickly as possible beyond theobservation of those nocturnal watchers. He knew that the nightmust be far spent; and so he could not but wonder why peopleshould sit upon their balconies when they should have been asleepamong their silks and furs. At first he had thought them the lateguests of some convivial host; but the windows behind them wereshrouded in darkness and utter quiet prevailed, quite upsettingsuch a theory. And as he proceeded he passed many another groupsitting silently upon other balconies. They paid no attention tohim, seeming not even to note his passing. Some leaned with asingle elbow upon the rail, their chins resting in their palms;others leaned upon both arms across the balcony, looking downinto the street, while several that he saw held musicalinstruments in their hands, but their fingers moved not upon thestrings. 

And then Turan came to a point where the avenue turned to theright, to skirt a building that jutted from the inside of thecity wall, and as he rounded the corner he came full upon twowarriors standing upon either side of the entrance to a buildingupon his right. It was impossible for them not to be aware of hispresence, yet neither moved, nor gave other evidence that theyhad seen him. He stood there waiting, his hand upon the hilt ofhis long-sword, but they neither challenged nor halted him. Couldit be that these also thought him one of their own kind? Indeedupon no other grounds could he explain their inaction. 

As Turan had passed through the gateway into the city and takenhis unhindered way along the avenue, twenty warriors had enteredthe city and closed the gate behind them, and then one had takento the wall and followed along its summit in the rear of Turan, and another had followed him along the avenue, while a third hadcrossed the street and entered one of the buildings upon theopposite side. 

The balance of them, with the exception of a single sentinelbeside the gate, had re-entered the building from which they hadbeen summoned. They were well built, strapping, painted fellows, their naked figures covered now by gorgeous robes against thechill of night. As they spoke of the stranger they laughed at theease with which they had tricked him, and were still laughing asthey threw themselves upon their sleeping silks and furs toresume their broken slumber. It was evident that they constituteda guard detailed for the gate beside which they slept, and it wasequally evident that the gates were guarded and the city watchedmuch more carefully than Turan had believed. Chagrined indeed hadbeen the Jed of Gathol had he dreamed that he was being so neatlytricked. 

As Turan proceeded along the avenue he passed other sentriesbeside other doors but now he gave them small heed, since theyneither challenged nor otherwise outwardly noted his passing; butwhile at nearly every turn of the erratic avenue he passed one ormore of these silent sentinels he could not guess that he hadpassed one of them many times and that his every move was watchedby silent, clever stalkers. Scarce had he passed a certain one ofthese rigid guardsmen before the fellow awoke to sudden life, bounded across the avenue, entered a narrow opening in the outerwall where he swiftly followed a corridor built within the wallitself until presently he emerged a little distance ahead ofTuran, where he assumed the stiff and silent attitude of asoldier upon guard. Nor did Turan know that a second followed inthe shadows of the buildings behind him, nor of the third whohastened ahead of him upon some urgent mission. 

And so the panthan moved through the silent streets of thestrange city in search of food and drink for the woman he loved. Men and women looked down upon him from shadowy balconies, butspoke not; and sentinels saw him pass and did not challenge. Presently from along the avenue before him came the familiarsound of clanking accouterments, the herald of marching warriors, and almost simultaneously he saw upon his right an open doorwaydimly lighted from within. It was the only available place wherehe might seek to hide from the approaching company, and while hehad passed several sentries unquestioned he could scarce hope toescape scrutiny and questioning from a patrol, as he naturallyassumed this body of men to be. 

Inside the doorway he discovered a passage turning abruptly tothe right and almost immediately thereafter to the left. Therewas none in sight within and so he stepped cautiously around thesecond turn the more effectually to be hidden from the street. Before him stretched a long corridor, dimly lighted like theentrance. Waiting there he heard the party approach the building, he heard someone at the entrance to his hiding place, and then heheard the door past which he had come slam to. He laid his handupon his sword, expecting momentarily to hear footstepsapproaching along the corridor; but none came. He approached theturn and looked around it; the corridor was empty to the closeddoor. Whoever had closed it had remained upon the outside. 

Turan waited, listening. He heard no sound. Then he advanced tothe door and placed an ear against it. All was silence in thestreet beyond. A sudden draft must have closed the door, orperhaps it was the duty of the patrol to see to such things. Itwas immaterial. They had evidently passed on and now he wouldreturn to the street and continue upon his way. Somewhere therewould be a public fountain where he could obtain water, and thechance of food lay in the strings of dried vegetables and meatwhich hung before the doorways of nearly every Barsoomian home ofthe poorer classes that he had ever seen. It was this district hewas seeking, and it was for this reason his search had led himaway from the main gate of the city which he knew would not belocated in a poor district. 

He attempted to open the door only to find that it resisted hisevery effort--it was locked upon the outside. Here indeed was asorry contretemps. Turan the panthan scratched his head. "Fortunefrowns upon me, " he murmured; but beyond the door, Fate, in theform of a painted warrior, stood smiling. Neatly had he trickedthe unwary stranger. The lighted doorway, the marchingpatrol--these had been planned and timed to a nicety by the thirdwarrior who had sped ahead of Turan along another avenue, and thestranger had done precisely what the fellow had thought he woulddo--no wonder, then, that he smiled. 

This exit barred to him Turan turned back into the corridor. Hefollowed it cautiously and silently. Occasionally there was adoor on one side or the other. These he tried only to find eachsecurely locked. The corridor wound more erratically the fartherhe advanced. A locked door barred his way at its end, but a doorupon his right opened and he stepped into a dimly-lightedchamber, about the walls of which were three other doors, each ofwhich he tried in turn. Two were locked; the other opened upon arunway leading downward. It was spiral and he could see nofarther than the first turn. A door in the corridor he hadquitted opened after he had passed, and the third warrior steppedout and followed after him. A faint smile still lingered upon thefellow's grim lips. 

Turan drew his short-sword and cautiously descended. At thebottom was a short corridor with a closed door at the end. Heapproached the single heavy panel and listened. No sound came tohim from beyond the mysterious portal. Gently he tried the door, which swung easily toward him at his touch. Before him was alow-ceiled chamber with a dirt floor. Set in its walls wereseveral other doors and all were closed. As Turan steppedcautiously within, the third warrior descended the spiral runwaybehind him. The panthan crossed the room quickly and tried adoor. It was locked. He heard a muffled click behind him andturned about with ready sword. He was alone; but the door throughwhich he had entered was closed--it was the click of its lockthat he had heard. 

With a bound he crossed the room and attempted to open it; but tono avail. No longer did he seek silence, for he knew now that thething had gone beyond the sphere of chance. He threw his weightagainst the wooden panel; but the thick skeel of which it wasconstructed would have withstood a battering ram. From beyondcame a low laugh. 

Rapidly Turan examined each of the other doors. They were alllocked. A glance about the chamber revealed a wooden table and abench. Set in the walls were several heavy rings to which rustychains were attached--all too significant of the purpose to whichthe room was dedicated. In the dirt floor near the wall were twoor three holes resembling the mouths of burrows--doubtless thehabitat of the giant Martian rat. He had observed this much whensuddenly the dim light was extinguished, leaving him in darknessutter and complete. Turan, groping about, sought the table andthe bench. Placing the latter against the wall he drew the tablein front of him and sat down upon the bench, his long-swordgripped in readiness before him. At least they should fightbefore they took him. 

For some time he sat there waiting for he knew not what. No soundpenetrated to his subterranean dungeon. He slowly revolved in hismind the incidents of the evening--the open, unguarded gate; thelighted doorway--the only one he had seen thus open and lightedalong the avenue he had followed; the advance of the warriors atprecisely the moment that he could find no other avenue of escapeor concealment; the corridors and chambers that led past manylocked doors to this underground prison leaving no other path forhim to pursue. 

"By my first ancestor!" he swore; "but it was simple and I asimpleton. They tricked me neatly and have taken me withoutexposing themselves to a scratch; but for what purpose?"

He wished that he might answer that question and then histhoughts turned to the girl waiting there on the hill beyond thecity for him--and he would never come. He knew the ways of themore savage peoples of Barsoom. No, he would never come, now. Hehad disobeyed her. He smiled at the sweet recollection of thosewords of command that had fallen from her dear lips. He haddisobeyed her and now he had lost the reward. 

But what of her? What now would be her fate--starving before ahostile city with only an inhuman kaldane for company? Anotherthought--a horrid thought--obtruded itself upon him. She had toldhim of the hideous sights she had witnessed in the burrows of thekaldanes and he knew that they ate human flesh. Ghek wasstarving. Should he eat his rykor he would be helpless;but--there was sustenance there for them both, for the rykor andthe kaldane. Turan cursed himself for a fool. Why had he lefther? Far better to have remained and died with her, ready alwaysto protect her, than to have left her at the mercy of the hideousBantoomian. 

Now Turan detected a heavy odor in the air. It oppressed him witha feeling of drowsiness. He would have risen to fight off thecreeping lethargy, but his legs seemed weak, so that he sankagain to the bench. Presently his sword slipped from his fingersand he sprawled forward upon the table his head resting upon hisarms. 

 * * * * *

Tara of Helium, as the night wore on and Turan did not return, became more and more uneasy, and when dawn broke with no sign ofhim she guessed that he had failed. Something more than her ownunhappy predicament brought a feeling of sorrow to her heart--ofsorrow and loneliness. She realized now how she had come todepend upon this panthan not only for protection but forcompanionship as well. She missed him, and in missing himrealized suddenly that he had meant more to her than a mere hiredwarrior. It was as though a friend had been taken from her--anold and valued friend. She rose from her place of concealmentthat she might have a better view of the city. 

U-Dor, dwar of the 8th Utan of O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator, rodeback in the early dawn toward Manator from a brief excursion to aneighboring village. As he was rounding the hills south of thecity, his keen eyes were attracted by a slight movement among theshrubbery close to the summit of the nearest hill. He halted hisvicious mount and watched more closely. He saw a figure risefacing away from him and peer down toward Manator beyond thehill. 

"Come!" he signalled to his followers, and with a word to thisthoat turned the beast at a rapid gallop up the hillside. In hiswake swept his twenty savage warriors, the padded feet of theirmounts soundless upon the soft turf. It was the rattle ofsidearms and harness that brought Tara of Helium suddenly about, facing them. She saw a score of warriors with couched lancesbearing down upon her. 

She glanced at Ghek. What would the spiderman do in thisemergency? She saw him crawl to his rykor and attach himself. Then he arose, the beautiful body once again animated and alert. She thought that the creature was preparing for flight. Well, itmade little difference to her. Against such as were streaming upthe hill toward them a single mediocre swordsman such as Ghek wasworse than no defense at all. 

"Hurry, Ghek!" she admonished him. "Back into the hills! You mayfind there a hiding-place;" but the creature only stepped betweenher and the oncoming riders, drawing his long-sword. 

"It is useless, Ghek, " she said, when she saw that he intended todefend her. "What can a single sword accomplish against suchodds?"

"I can die but once, " replied the kaldane. "You and your panthansaved me from Luud and I but do what your panthan would do werehe here to protect you. "

"It is brave, but it is useless, " she replied. "Sheathe yoursword. They may not intend us harm. "

Ghek let the point of his weapon drop to the ground, but he didnot sheathe it, and thus the two stood waiting as U-Dor the dwarstopped his thoat before them while his twenty warriors formed arough circle about. For a long minute U-Dor sat his mount insilence, looking searchingly first at Tara of Helium and then ather hideous companion. 

"What manner of creature are you?" he asked presently. "And whatdo you before the gates of Manator?"

"We are from far countries, " replied the girl, "and we are lostand starving. We ask only food and rest and the privilege to goour way seeking our own homes. "

U-Dor smiled a grim smile. "Manator and the hills which guard italone know the age of Manator, " he said; "yet in all the agesthat have rolled by since Manator first was, there be no recordin the annals of Manator of a stranger departing from Manator. "

"But I am a princess, " cried the girl haughtily, "and my countryis not at war with yours. You must give me and my companions aidand assist us to return to our own land. It is the law ofBarsoom. "

"Manator knows only the laws of Manator, " replied U-Dor; "butcome. You shall go with us to the city, where you, beingbeautiful, need have no fear. I, myself, will protect you ifO-Tar so decrees. And as for your companion--but hold! You said'companions'--there are others of your party then?"

"You see what you see, " replied Tara haughtily. 

"Be that as it may, " said U-Dor. "If there be more they shall notescape Manator; but as I was saying, if your companion fightswell he too may live, for O-Tar is just, and just are the laws ofManator. Come!"

Ghek demurred. 

"It is useless, " said the girl, seeing that he would have stoodhis ground and fought them. "Let us go with them. Why pit yourpuny blade against their mighty ones when there should lie inyour great brain the means to outwit them?" She spoke in a lowwhisper, rapidly. 

"You are right, Tara of Helium, " he replied and sheathed hissword. 

And so they moved down the hillside toward the gates ofManator--Tara, Princess of Helium, and Ghek, the kaldane ofBantoom--and surrounding them rode the savage, painted warriorsof U-Dor, dwar of the 8th Utan of O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator. 

CHAPTER XI

THE CHOICE OF TARA

The dazzling sunlight of Barsoom clothed Manator in an aureole ofsplendor as the girl and her captors rode into the city throughThe Gate of Enemies. Here the wall was some fifty feet thick, andthe sides of the passageway within the gate were covered withparallel shelves of masonry from bottom to top. Within theseshelves, or long, horizontal niches, stood row upon row of smallfigures, appearing like tiny, grotesque statuettes of men, theirlong, black hair falling below their feet and sometimes trailingto the shelf beneath. The figures were scarce a foot in heightand but for their diminutive proportions might have been themummified bodies of once living men. The girl noticed that asthey passed, the warriors saluted the figures with their spearsafter the manner of Barsoomian fighting men in extending amilitary courtesy, and then they rode on into the avenue beyond, which ran, wide and stately, through the city toward the east. 

On either side were great buildings wondrously wrought. Paintingsof great beauty and antiquity covered many of the walls, theircolors softened and blended by the suns of ages. Upon thepavement the life of the newly-awakened city was already afoot. Women in brilliant trappings, befeathered warriors, their bodiesdaubed with paint; artisans, armed but less gaily caparisoned, took their various ways upon the duties of the day. A giantzitidar, magnificent in rich harness, rumbled its broad-wheeledcart along the stone pavement toward The Gate of Enemies. Lifeand color and beauty wrought together a picture that filled theeyes of Tara of Helium with wonder and with admiration, for herewas a scene out of the dead past of dying Mars. Such had been thecities of the founders of her race before Throxeus, mightiest ofoceans, had disappeared from the face of a world. And frombalconies on either side men and women looked down in silenceupon the scene below. 

The people in the street looked at the two prisoners, especiallyat the hideous Ghek, and called out in question or comment totheir guard; but the watchers upon the balconies spoke not, nordid one so much as turn a head to note their passing. There weremany balconies on each building and not a one that did not holdits silent party of richly trapped men and women, with here andthere a child or two, but even the children maintained theuniform silence and immobility of their elders. As theyapproached the center of the city the girl saw that even theroofs bore companies of these idle watchers, harnessed andbejeweled as for some gala-day of laughter and music, but nolaughter broke from those silent lips, nor any music from thestrings of the instruments that many of them held in jeweledfingers. 

And now the avenue widened into an immense square, at the far endof which rose a stately edifice gleaming white in virgin marbleamong the gaily painted buildings surrounding it and its scarletsward and gaily-flowering, green-foliaged shrubbery. Toward thisU-Dor led his prisoners and their guard to the great archedentrance before which a line of fifty mounted warriors barred theway. When the commander of the guard recognized U-Dor theguardsmen fell back to either side leaving a broad avenue throughwhich the party passed. Directly inside the entrance wereinclined runways leading upward on either side. U-Dor turned tothe left and led them upward to the second floor and down a longcorridor. Here they passed other mounted men and in chambers uponeither side they saw more. Occasionally there was another runwayleading either up or down. A warrior, his steed at full gallop, dashed into sight from one of these and raced swiftly past themupon some errand. 

Nowhere as yet had Tara of Helium seen a man afoot in this greatbuilding; but when at a turn, U-Dor led them to the third floorshe caught glimpses of chambers in which many riderless thoatswere penned and others adjoining where dismounted warriors lolledat ease or played games of skill or chance and many there werewho played at jetan, and then the party passed into a long, widehall of state, as magnificent an apartment as even a princess ofmighty Helium ever had seen. The length of the room ran an archedceiling ablaze with countless radium bulbs. The mighty spansextended from wall to wall leaving the vast floor unbroken by asingle column. The arches were of white marble, apparentlyquarried in single, huge blocks from which each arch was cutcomplete. Between the arches, the ceiling was set solid about theradium bulbs with precious stones whose scintillant fire andcolor and beauty filled the whole apartment. The stones werecarried down the walls in an irregular fringe for a few feet, where they appeared to hang like a beautiful and gorgeous draperyagainst the white marble of the wall. The marble ended some sixor seven feet from the floor, the walls from that point downbeing wainscoted in solid gold. The floor itself was of marblerichly inlaid with gold. In that single room was a vast treasureequal to the wealth of many a large city. 

But what riveted the girl's attention even more than the fabuloustreasure of decorations were the files of gorgeously harnessedwarriors who sat their thoats in grim silence and immobility oneither side of the central aisle, rank after rank of them to thefarther walls, and as the party passed between them she could notnote so much as the flicker of an eyelid, or the twitching of athoat's ear. 

"The Hall of Chiefs, " whispered one of her guard, evidentlynoting her interest. There was a note of pride in the fellow'svoice and something of hushed awe. Then they passed through agreat doorway into the chamber beyond, a large, square room inwhich a dozen mounted warriors lolled in their saddles. 

As U-Dor and his party entered the room, the warriors camequickly erect in their saddles and formed a line before anotherdoor upon the opposite side of the wall. The padwar commandingthem saluted U-Dor who, with his party, had halted facing theguard. 

"Send one to O-Tar announcing that U-Dor brings two prisonersworthy of the observation of the great jeddak, " said U-Dor; "onebecause of her extreme beauty, the other because of his extremeugliness. "

"O-Tar sits in council with the lesser chiefs, " replied thelieutenant; "but the words of U-Dor the dwar shall be carried tohim, " and he turned and gave instructions to one who sat histhoat behind him. 

"What manner of creature is the male?" he asked of U-Dor. "Itcannot be that both are of one race. "

"They were together in the hills south of the city, " explainedU-Dor, "and they say that they are lost and starving. "

"The woman is beautiful, " said the padwar. "She will not long gobegging in the city of Manator, " and then they spoke of othermatters--of the doings of the palace, of the expedition of U-Dor, until the messenger returned to say that O-Tar bade them bringthe prisoners to him. 

They passed then through a massive doorway, which, when opened, revealed the great council chamber of O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator, beyond. A central aisle led from the doorway the full length ofthe great hall, terminating at the steps of a marble dais uponwhich a man sat in a great throne-chair. Upon either side of theaisle were ranged rows of highly carved desks and chairs of skeel, a hard wood of great beauty. Only a few of the desks wereoccupied--those in the front row, just below the rostrum. 

At the entrance U-Dor dismounted with four of his followers whoformed a guard about the two prisoners who were then conductedtoward the foot of the throne, following a few paces behindU-Dor. As they halted at the foot of the marble steps, the proudgaze of Tara of Helium rested upon the enthroned figure of theman above her. He sat erect without stiffness--a commandingpresence trapped in the barbaric splendor that the Barsoomianchieftain loves. He was a large man, the perfection of whosehandsome face was marred only by the hauteur of his cold eyes andthe suggestion of cruelty imparted by too thin lips. It needed nosecond glance to assure the least observing that here indeed wasa ruler of men--a fighting jeddak whose people might worship butnot love, and for whose slightest favor warriors would vie withone another to go forth and die. This was O-Tar, Jeddak ofManator, and as Tara of Helium saw him for the first time shecould not but acknowledge a certain admiration for this savagechieftain who so virilely personified the ancient virtues of theGod of War. 

U-Dor and the jeddak interchanged the simple greetings ofBarsoom, and then the former recounted the details of thediscovery and capture of the prisoners. O-Tar scrutinized themboth intently during U-Dor's narration of events, his expressionrevealing naught of what passed in the brain behind thoseinscrutable eyes. When the officer had finished the jeddakfastened his gaze upon Ghek. 

"And you, " he asked, "what manner of thing are you? From whatcountry? Why are you in Manator?"

"I am a kaldane, " replied Ghek; "the highest type of createdcreature upon the face of Barsoom; I am mind, you are matter. Icome from Bantoom. I am here because we were lost and starving. "

"And you!" O-Tar turned suddenly on Tara. "You, too, are akaldane?"

"I am a princess of Helium, " replied the girl. "I was a prisonerin Bantoom. This kaldane and a warrior of my own race rescued me. The warrior left us to search for food and water. He hasdoubtless fallen into the hands of your people. I ask you to freehim and give us food and drink and let us go upon our way. I am agranddaughter of a jeddak, the daughter of a jeddak of jeddaks, The Warlord of Barsoom. I ask only the treatment that my peoplewould accord you or yours. "

"Helium, " repeated O-Tar. "I know naught of Helium, nor does theJeddak of Helium rule Manator. I, O-Tar, am Jeddak of Manator. Ialone rule. I protect my own. You have never seen a woman or awarrior of Manator captive in Helium! Why should I protect thepeople of another jeddak? It is his duty to protect them. If hecannot, he is weak, and his people must fall into the hands ofthe strong. I, O-Tar, am strong. I will keep you. That--" hepointed at Ghek--"can it fight?"

"It is brave, " replied Tara of Helium, "but it has not the skillat arms which my people possess. "

"There is none then to fight for you?" asked O-Tar. "We are ajust people, " he continued without waiting for a reply, "and hadyou one to fight for you he might win to freedom for himself andyou as well. "

"But U-Dor assured me that no stranger ever had departed fromManator, " she answered. 

O-Tar shrugged. "That does not disprove the justice of the lawsof Manator, " replied O-Tar, "but rather that the warriors ofManator are invincible. Had there come one who could defeat ourwarriors that one had won to liberty. "

"And you fetch my warrior, " cried Tara haughtily, "you shall seesuch swordplay as doubtless the crumbling walls of your decayingcity never have witnessed, and if there be no trick in your offerwe are already as good as free. "

O-Tar smiled more broadly than before and U-Dor smiled, too, andthe chiefs and warriors who looked on nudged one another andwhispered, laughing. And Tara of Helium knew then that there wastrickery in their justice; but though her situation seemedhopeless she did not cease to hope, for was she not the daughterof John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom, whose famous challenge toFate, "I still live!" remained the one irreducible defenseagainst despair? At thought of her noble sire the patrician chinof Tara of Helium rose a shade higher. Ah! if he but knew whereshe was there were little to fear then. The hosts of Helium wouldbatter at the gates of Manator, the great green warriors of JohnCarter's savage allies would swarm up from the dead sea bottomslusting for pillage and for loot, the stately ships of herbeloved navy would soar above the unprotected towers and minaretsof the doomed city which only capitulation and heavy tributecould then save. 

But John Carter did not know! There was only one other to whomshe might hope to look--Turan the panthan; but where was he? Shehad seen his sword in play and she knew that it had been wieldedby a master hand, and who should know swordplay better than Taraof Helium, who had learned it well under the constant tutorage ofJohn Carter himself. Tricks she knew that discounted even fargreater physical prowess than her own, and a method of attackthat might have been at once the envy and despair of thecleverest of warriors. And so it was that her thoughts turned toTuran the panthan, though not alone because of the protection hemight afford her. She had realized, since he had left her insearch of food, that there had grown between them a certaincomradeship that she now missed. There had been that about himwhich seemed to have bridged the gulf between their stations inlife. With him she had failed to consider that he was a panthanor that she was a princess--they had been comrades. Suddenly sherealized that she missed him for himself more than for his sword. She turned toward O-Tar. 

"Where is Turan, my warrior?" she demanded. 

"You shall not lack for warriors, " replied the jeddak. "One ofyour beauty will find plenty ready to fight for her. Possibly itshall not be necessary to look farther than the jeddak ofManator. You please me, woman. What say you to such an honor?"

Through narrowed lids the Princess of Helium scrutinized theJeddak of Manator, from feathered headdress to sandaled foot andback to feathered headdress. 

"'Honor'!" she mimicked in tones of scorn. "I please thee, do I?Then know, swine, that thou pleaseth me not--that the daughter ofJohn Carter is not for such as thou!"

A sudden, tense silence fell upon the assembled chiefs. Slowlythe blood receded from the sinister face of O-Tar, Jeddak ofManator, leaving him a sickly purple in his wrath. His eyesnarrowed to two thin slits, his lips were compressed to abloodless line of malevolence. For a long moment there was nosound in the throne room of the palace at Manator. Then thejeddak turned toward U-Dor. 

"Take her away, " he said in a level voice that belied hisappearance of rage. "Take her away, and at the next games let theprisoners and the common warriors play at Jetan for her. "

"And this?" asked U-Dor, pointing at Ghek. 

"To the pits until the next games, " replied O-Tar. 

"So this is your vaunted justice!" cried Tara of Helium; "thattwo strangers who have not wronged you shall be sentenced withouttrial? And one of them is a woman. The swine of Manator are asjust as they are brave. "

"Away with her!" shouted O-Tar, and at a sign from U-Dor theguards formed about the two prisoners and conducted them from thechamber. 

Outside the palace, Ghek and Tara of Helium were separated. Thegirl was led through long avenues toward the center of the cityand finally into a low building, topped by lofty towers ofmassive construction. Here she was turned over to a warrior whowore the insignia of a dwar, or captain. 

"It is O-Tar's wish, " explained U-Dor to this one, "that she bekept until the next games, when the prisoners and the commonwarriors shall play for her. Had she not the tongue of a thoatshe had been a worthy stake for our noblest steel, " and U-Dorsighed. "Perhaps even yet I may win a pardon for her. It were toobad to see such beauty fall to the lot of some common fellow. Iwould have honored her myself. "

"If I am to be imprisoned, imprison me, " said the girl. "I do notrecall that I was sentenced to listen to the insults of everylow-born boor who chanced to admire me. "

"You see, A-Kor, " cried U-Dor, "the tongue that she has. Even soand worse spoke she to O-Tar the jeddak. "

"I see, " replied A-Kor, whom Tara saw was with difficultyrestraining a smile. "Come, then, with me, woman, " he said, "andwe shall find a safe place within The Towers of Jetan--but stay!what ails thee?"

The girl had staggered and would have fallen had not the mancaught her in his arms. She seemed to gather herself then andbravely sought to stand erect without support. A-Kor glanced atU-Dor. "Knew you the woman was ill?" he asked. 

"Possibly it is lack of food, " replied the other. "She mentioned, I believe, that she and her companions had not eaten for severaldays. "

"Brave are the warriors of O-Tar, " sneered A-Kor; "lavish theirhospitality. U-Dor, whose riches are uncounted, and the braveO-Tar, whose squealing thoats are stabled within marble halls andfed from troughs of gold, can spare no crust to feed a starvinggirl. "

The black haired U-Dor scowled. "Thy tongue will yet pierce thyheart, son of a slave!" he cried. "Once too often mayst thus trythe patience of the just O-Tar. Hereafter guard thy speech aswell as thy towers. "

"Think not to taunt me with my mother's state, " said A-Kor. "'Tisthe blood of the slave woman that fills my veins with pride, andmy only shame is that I am also the son of thy jeddak. "

"And O-Tar heard this?" queried U-Dor. 

"O-Tar has already heard it from my own lips, " replied A-Kor;"this, and more. "

He turned upon his heel, a supporting arm still around the waistof Tara of Helium and thus he half led, half carried her into TheTowers of Jetan, while U-Dor wheeled his thoat and galloped backin the direction of the palace. 

Within the main entrance to The Tower of Jetan lolled ahalf-dozen warriors. To one of these spoke A-Kor, keeper of thetowers. "Fetch Lan-O, the slave girl, and bid her bring food anddrink to the upper level of the Thurian tower, " then he liftedthe half-fainting girl in his arms and bore her along the spiral, inclined runway that led upward within the tower. 

Somewhere in the long ascent Tara lost consciousness. When itreturned she found herself in a large, circular chamber, thestone walls of which were pierced by windows at regular intervalsabout the entire circumference of the room. She was lying upon apile of sleeping silks and furs while there knelt above her ayoung woman who was forcing drops of some cooling beveragebetween her parched lips. Tara of Helium half rose upon an elbowand looked about. In the first moments of returning consciousnessthere were swept from the screen of recollection the happeningsof many weeks. She thought that she awoke in the palace of TheWarlord at Helium. Her brows knit as she scrutinized the strangeface bending over her. 

"Who are you?" she asked, and, "Where is Uthia?"

"I am Lan-O the slave girl, " replied the other. "I know none bythe name of Uthia. "

Tara of Helium sat erect and looked about her. This rough stonewas not the marble of her father's halls. "Where am I?" sheasked. 

"In The Thurian Tower, " replied the girl, and then seeing thatthe other still did not understand she guessed the truth. "Youare a prisoner in The Towers of Jetan in the city of Manator, "she explained. "You were brought to this chamber, weak andfainting, by A-Kor, Dwar of The Towers of Jetan, who sent me toyou with food and drink, for kind is the heart of A-Kor. "

"I remember, now, " said Tara, slowly. "I remember; but where isTuran, my warrior? Did they speak of him?"

"I heard naught of another, " replied Lan-O; "you alone werebrought to the towers. In that you are fortunate, for there be nonobler man in Manator than A-Kor. It is his mother's blood thatmakes him so. She was a slave girl from Gathol. "

"Gathol!" exclaimed Tara of Helium. "Lies Gathol close byManator?"

"Not close, yet still the nearest country, " replied Lan-O. "Abouttwenty-two degrees* east, it lies. "

* Approximately 814 Earth Miles. 

"Gathol!" murmured Tara, "Far Gathol!"

"But you are not from Gathol, " said the slave girl; "your harnessis not of Gathol. "

"I am from Helium, " said Tara

"It is far from Helium to Gathol;" said the slave girl, "butin our studies we learned much of the greatness of Helium, we ofGathol, so it seems not so far away. "

"You, too, are from Gathol?" asked Tara. 

"Many of us are from Gathol who are slaves in Manator, " repliedthe girl. "It is to Gathol, nearest country, that the Manatorianslook for slaves most often. They go in great numbers at intervalsof three or seven years and haunt the roads that lead to Gathol, and thus they capture whole caravans leaving none to bear warningto Gathol of their fate. Nor do any ever escape from Manator tocarry word of us back to Gahan our jed. "

Tara of Helium ate slowly and in silence. The girl's wordsaroused memories of the last hours she had spent in her father'spalace and the great midday function at which she had met Gahanof Gathol. Even now she flushed as she recalled his daring words. 

Upon her reveries the door opened and a burly warrior appeared inthe opening--a hulking fellow, with thick lips and an evil, leering face. The slave girl sprang to her feet, facing him. 

"What does this mean, E-Med?" she cried, "was it not the will ofA-Kor that this woman be not disturbed?"

"The will of A-Kor, indeed!" and the man sneered. "The will ofA-Kor is without power in The Towers of Jetan, or elsewhere, forA-Kor lies now in the pits of O-Tar, and E-Med is dwar of theTowers. "

Tara of Helium saw the face of the slave girl pale and the terrorin her eyes. 

CHAPTER XII

GHEK PLAYS PRANKS

While Tara of Helium was being led to The Towers of Jetan, Ghekwas escorted to the pits beneath the palace where he wasimprisoned in a dimly-lighted chamber. Here he found a bench anda table standing upon the dirt floor near the wall, and set inthe wall several rings from which depended short lengths ofchain. At the base of the walls were several holes in the dirtfloor. These, alone, of the several things he saw, interestedhim. Ghek sat down upon the bench and waited in silence, listening. Presently the lights were extinguished. If Ghek couldhave smiled he would have then, for Ghek could see as well in thedark as in the light--better, perhaps. He watched the darkopenings of the holes in the floor and waited. Presently hedetected a change in the air about him--it grew heavy with astrange odor, and once again might Ghek have smiled, could hehave smiled. 

Let them replace all the air in the chamber with their mostdeadly fumes; it would be all the same to Ghek, the kaldane, who, having no lungs, required no air. With the rykor it might bedifferent. Deprived of air it would die; but if only a sufficientamount of the gas was introduced to stupefy an ordinary creatureit would have no effect upon the rykor, who had no objective mindto overcome. So long as the excess of carbon dioxide in the bloodwas not sufficient to prevent heart action, the rykor wouldsuffer only a diminution of vitality; but would still respond tothe exciting agency of the kaldane's brain. 

Ghek caused the rykor to assume a sitting position with its backagainst the wall where it might remain without direction from hisbrain. Then he released his contact with its spinal cord; butremained in position upon its shoulders, waiting and watching, for the kaldane's curiosity was aroused. He had not long to waitbefore the lights were flashed on and one of the locked doorsopened to admit a half-dozen warriors. They approached himrapidly and worked quickly. First they removed all his weaponsand then, snapping a fetter about one of the rykor's ankles, secured him to the end of one of the chains hanging from thewalls. Next they dragged the long table to a new position andthere bolted it to the floor so that an end, instead of themiddle, was directly before the prisoner. On the table before himthey set food and water and upon the opposite end of the tablethey laid the key to the fetter. Then they unlocked and openedall the doors and departed. 

 * * * * *

When Turan the panthan regained consciousness it was to therealization of a sharp pain in one of his forearms. The effectsof the gas departed as rapidly as they had overcome him so thatas he opened his eyes he was in full possession of all hisfaculties. The lights were on again and in their glow there wasrevealed to the man the figure of a giant Martian rat crouchingupon the table and gnawing upon his arm. Snatching his arm awayhe reached for his short-sword, while the rat, growling, soughtto seize his arm again. It was then that Turan discovered thathis weapons had been removed--short-sword, long-sword, dagger, and pistol. The rat charged him then and striking the creatureaway with his hand the man rose and backed off, searching forsomething with which to strike a harder blow. Again the ratcharged and as Turan stepped quickly back to avoid the menacingjaws, something seemed to jerk suddenly upon his right ankle, andas he drew his left foot back to regain his equilibrium his heelcaught upon a taut chain and he fell heavily backward to thefloor just as the rat leaped upon his breast and sought histhroat. 

The Martian rat is a fierce and unlovely thing. It is many-leggedand hairless, its hide resembling that of a newborn mouse inrepulsiveness. In size and weight it is comparable to a largeAiredale terrier. Its eyes are small and close-set, and almosthidden in deep, fleshy apertures. But its most ferocious andrepulsive feature is its jaws, the entire bony structure of whichprotrudes several inches beyond the flesh, revealing five sharp, spadelike teeth in the upper jaw and the same number of similarteeth in the lower, the whole suggesting the appearance of arotting face from which much of the flesh has sloughed away. 

It was such a thing that leaped upon the breast of the panthan totear at his jugular. Twice Turan struck it away as he sought toregain his feet, but both times it returned with increasedferocity to renew the attack. Its only weapons are its jaws sinceits broad, splay feet are armed with blunt talons. With itsprotruding jaws it excavates its winding burrows and with itsbroad feet it pushes the dirt behind it. To keep the jaws fromhis flesh then was Turan's only concern and this he succeeded indoing until chance gave him a hold upon the creature's throat. After that the end was but a matter of moments. Rising at last heflung the lifeless thing from him with a shudder of disgust. 

Now he turned his attention to a hurried inventory of the newconditions which surrounded him since the moment of hisincarceration. He realized vaguely what had happened. He had beenanaesthetized and stripped of his weapons, and as he rose to hisfeet he saw that one ankle was fettered to a chain in the wall. He looked about the room. All the doors swung wide open! Hiscaptors would render his imprisonment the more cruel by leavingever before him tempting glimpses of open aisles to the freedomhe could not attain. Upon the end of the table and within easyreach was food and drink. This at least was attainable and atsight of it his starved stomach seemed almost to cry aloud forsustenance. It was with difficulty that he ate and drank inmoderation. 

As he devoured the food his eyes wandered about the confines ofhis prison until suddenly they seized upon a thing that lay onthe table at the end farthest from him. It was a key. He raisedhis fettered ankle and examined the lock. There could be no doubtof it! The key that lay there on the table before him was the keyto that very lock. A careless warrior had laid it there anddeparted, forgetting. 

Hope surged high in the breast of Gahan of Gathol, of Turan thepanthan. Furtively his eyes sought the open doorways. There wasno one in sight. Ah, if he could but gain his freedom! He wouldfind some way from this odious city back to her side and neveragain would he leave her until he had won safety for her or deathfor himself. 

He rose and moved cautiously toward the opposite end of the tablewhere lay the coveted key. The fettered ankle halted his firststep, but he stretched at full length along the table, extendingeager fingers toward the prize. They almost laid hold upon it--alittle more and they would touch it. He strained and stretched, but still the thing lay just beyond his reach. He hurled himselfforward until the iron fetter bit deep into his flesh, but allfutilely. He sat back upon the bench then and glared at the opendoors and the key, realizing now that they were part of awell-laid scheme of refined torture, none the less demoralizingbecause it inflicted no physical suffering. 

For just a moment the man gave way to useless regret andforeboding, then he gathered himself together, his brows cleared, and he returned to his unfinished meal. At least they should nothave the satisfaction of knowing how sorely they had hit him. Ashe ate it occurred to him that by dragging the table along thefloor he could bring the key within his reach, but when heessayed to do so, he found that the table had been securelybolted to the floor during the period of his unconsciousness. Again Gahan smiled and shrugged and resumed his eating. 

 * * * * *

When the warriors had departed from the prison in which Ghek wasconfined, the kaldane crawled from the shoulders of the rykor tothe table. Here he drank a little water and then directed thehands of the rykor to the balance of it and to the food, uponwhich the brainless thing fell with avidity. While it was thusengaged Ghek took his spider-like way along the table to theopposite end where lay the key to the fetter. Seizing it in achela he leaped to the floor and scurried rapidly toward themouth of one of the burrows against the wall, into which hedisappeared. For long had the brain been contemplating theseburrow entrances. They appealed to his kaldanean tastes, andfurther, they pointed a hiding place for the key and a lair forthe only kind of food that the kaldane relished--flesh and blood. 

Ghek had never seen an ulsio, since these great Martian rats hadlong ago disappeared from Bantoom, their flesh and blood havingbeen greatly relished by the kaldanes; but Ghek had inherited, almost unimpaired, every memory of every ancestor, and so he knewthat ulsio inhabited these lairs and that ulsio was good to eat, and he knew what ulsio looked like and what his habits were, though he had never seen him nor any picture of him. As we breedanimals for the transmission of physical attributes, so theKaldanes breed themselves for the transmission of attributes ofthe mind, including memory and the power of recollection, andthus have they raised what we term instinct, above the level ofthe threshold of the objective mind where it may be commanded andutilized by recollection. Doubtless in our own subjective mindslie many of the impressions and experiences of our forebears. These may impinge upon our consciousness in dreams only, or invague, haunting suggestions that we have before experienced sometransient phase of our present existence. Ah, if we had but thepower to recall them! Before us would unfold the forgotten storyof the lost eons that have preceded us. We might even walk withGod in the garden of His stars while man was still but a buddingidea within His mind. 

Ghek descended into the burrow at a steep incline for some tenfeet, when he found himself in an elaborate and delightfulnetwork of burrows! The kaldane was elated. This indeed was life!He moved rapidly and fearlessly and he went as straight to hisgoal as you could to the kitchen of your own home. This goal layat a low level in a spheroidal cavity about the size of a largebarrel. Here, in a nest of torn bits of silk and fur lay six babyulsios. 

When the mother returned there were but five babies and a greatspider-like creature, which she immediately sprang to attack onlyto be met by powerful chelae which seized and held her so thatshe could not move. Slowly they dragged her throat toward ahideous mouth and in a little moment she was dead. 

Ghek might have remained in the nest for a long time, since therewas ample food for many days; but he did not do so. Instead heexplored the burrows. He followed them into many subterraneanchambers of the city of Manator, and upward through walls torooms above the ground. He found many ingeniously devised traps, and he found poisoned food and other signs of the constant battlethat the inhabitants of Manator waged against these repulsivecreatures that dwelt beneath their homes and public buildings. 

His exploration revealed not only the vast proportions of thenetwork of runways that apparently traversed every portion ofthe city, but the great antiquity of the majority of them. Tonsupon tons of dirt must have been removed, and for a long time hewondered where it had been deposited, until in following downwarda tunnel of great size and length he sensed before him thethunderous rush of subterranean waters, and presently came to thebank of a great, underground river, tumbling onward, no doubt, the length of a world to the buried sea of Omean. Into thistorrential sewer had unthinkable generations of ulsios pushedtheir few handsful of dirt in the excavating of their vastlabyrinth. 

For only a moment did Ghek tarry by the river, for his seeminglyaimless wanderings were in reality prompted by a definitepurpose, and this he pursued with vigor and singleness of design. He followed such runways as appeared to terminate in the pits orother chambers of the inhabitants of the city, and these heexplored, usually from the safety of a burrow's mouth, untilsatisfied that what he sought was not there. He moved swiftlyupon his spider legs and covered remarkable distances in shortperiods of time. 

His search not being rewarded with immediate success, he decidedto return to the pit where his rykor lay chained and look to itswants. As he approached the end of the burrow that terminated inthe pit he slackened his pace, stopping just within the entranceof the runway that he might scan the interior of the chamberbefore entering it. As he did so he saw the figure of a warriorappear suddenly in an opposite doorway. The rykor sprawled uponthe table, his hands groping blindly for more food. Ghek saw thewarrior pause and gaze in sudden astonishment at the rykor; hesaw the fellow's eyes go wide and an ashen hue replace the copperbronze of his cheek. He stepped back as though someone had struckhim in the face. For an instant only he stood thus as in aparalysis of fear, then he uttered a smothered shriek and turnedand fled. Again was it a catastrophe that Ghek, the kaldane, could not smile. 

Quickly entering the room he crawled to the table top and affixedhimself to the shoulders of his rykor, and there he waited; andwho may say that Ghek, though he could not smile, possessed not asense of humor? For a half-hour he sat there, and then there cameto him the sound of men approaching along corridors of stone. Hecould hear their arms clank against the rocky walls and he knewthat they came at a rapid pace; but just before they reached theentrance to his prison they paused and advanced more slowly. Inthe lead was an officer, and just behind him, wide-eyed andperhaps still a little ashen, the warrior who had so recentlydeparted in haste. At the doorway they halted and the officerturned sternly upon the warrior. With upraised finger he pointedat Ghek. 

"There sits the creature! Didst thou dare lie, then, to thydwar?"

"I swear, " cried the warrior, "that I spoke the truth. But amoment since the thing groveled, headless, upon this very table!And may my first ancestor strike me dead upon the spot if I speakother than a true word!"

The officer looked puzzled. The men of Mars seldom if ever lie. He scratched his head. Then he addressed Ghek. "How long have youbeen here?" he asked. 

"Who knows better than those who placed me here and chained me toa wall?" he returned in reply. 

"Saw you this warrior enter here a few minutes since?"

"I saw him, " replied Ghek. 

"And you sat there where you sit now?" continued the officer. 

"Look thou to my chain and tell me then where else might I sit!"cried Ghek. "Art the people of thy city all fools?"

Three other warriors pressed behind the two in front, craningtheir necks to view the prisoner while they grinned at thediscomfiture of their fellow. The officer scowled at Ghek. 

"Thy tongue is as venomous as that of the she-banth O-Tar sent toThe Towers of Jetan, " he said. 

"You speak of the young woman who was captured with me?" askedGhek, his expressionless monotone and face revealing naught ofthe interest he felt. 

"I speak of her, " replied the dwar, and then turning to thewarrior who had summoned him: "return to thy quarters and remainthere until the next games. Perhaps by that time thy eyes mayhave learned not to deceive thee. "

The fellow cast a venomous glance at Ghek and turned away. Theofficer shook his head. "I do not understand it, " he muttered. "Always has U-Van been a true and dependable warrior. Could itbe--?" he glanced piercingly at Ghek. "Thou hast a strange headthat misfits thy body, fellow, " he cried. "Our legends tell us ofthose ancient creatures that placed hallucinations upon the mindof their fellows. If thou be such then maybe U-Van suffered fromthy forbidden powers. If thou be such O-Tar will know well how todeal with thee. " He wheeled about and motioned his warriors tofollow him. 

"Wait!" cried Ghek. "Unless I am to be starved, send me food. "

"You have had food, " replied the warrior. 

"Am I to be fed but once a day?" asked Ghek. "I require foodoftener than that. Send me food. "

"You shall have food, " replied the officer. "None may say thatthe prisoners of Manator are ill-fed. Just are the laws ofManator, " and he departed. 

No sooner had the sounds of their passing died away in thedistance than Ghek clambered from the shoulders of his rykor, andscurried to the burrow where he had hidden the key. Fetching ithe unlocked the fetter from about the creature's ankle, locked itempty and carried the key farther down into the burrow. Then hereturned to his place upon his brainless servitor. After a whilehe heard footsteps approaching, whereupon he rose and passed intoanother corridor from that down which he knew the warrior wascoming. Here he waited out of sight, listening. He heard the manenter the chamber and halt. He heard a muttered exclamation, followed by the jangle of metal dishes as a salver was slammedupon a table; then rapidly retreating footsteps, which quicklydied away in the distance. 

Ghek lost no time in returning to the chamber, recovering thekey, relocking the rykor to his chain. Then he replaced the keyin the burrow and squatting on the table beside his headlessbody, directed its hands toward the food. While the rykor ateGhek sat listening for the scraping sandals and clattering armsthat he knew soon would come. Nor had he long to wait. Ghekscrambled to the shoulders of his rykor as he heard them coming. Again it was the officer who had been summoned by U-Van and withhim were three warriors. The one directly behind him wasevidently the same who had brought the food, for his eyes wentwide when he saw Ghek sitting at the table and he looked veryfoolish as the dwar turned his stern glance upon him. 

"It is even as I said, " he cried. "He was not here when I broughthis food. "

"But he is here now, " said the officer grimly, "and his fetter islocked about his ankle. Look! it has not been opened--but whereis the key? It should be upon the table at the end opposite him. Where is the key, creature?" he shouted at Ghek. 

"How should I, a prisoner, know better than my jailer thewhereabouts of the key to my fetters?" he retorted. 

"But it lay here, " cried the officer, pointing to the other endof the table. 

"Did you see it?" asked Ghek. 

The officer hesitated. "No but it must have been there, " heparried. 

"Did you see the key lying there?" asked Ghek, pointing toanother warrior. 

The fellow shook his head negatively. "And you? and you?"continued the kaldane addressing the others. 

They both admitted that they never had seen the key. "And if ithad been there how could I have reached it?" he continued. 

"No, he could not have reached it, " admitted the officer; "butthere shall be no more of this! I-Zav, you will remain here onguard with this prisoner until you are relieved. "

I-Zav looked anything but happy as this intelligence wastransmitted to him, and he eyed Ghek suspiciously as the dwar andthe other warriors turned and left him to his unhappy lot. 

CHAPTER XIII

A DESPERATE DEED

E-Med crossed the tower chamber toward Tara of Helium and theslave girl, Lan-O. He seized the former roughly by a shoulder. "Stand!" he commanded. Tara struck his hand from her and rising, backed away. 

"Lay not your hand upon the person of a princess of Helium, beast!" she warned. 

E-Med laughed. "Think you that I play at jetan for you withoutfirst knowing something of the stake for which I play?" hedemanded. "Come here!"

The girl drew herself to her full height, folding her arms acrossher breast, nor did E-Med note that the slim fingers of her righthand were inserted beneath the broad leather strap of her harnesswhere it passed over her left shoulder. 

"And O-Tar learns of this you shall rue it, E-Med, " cried theslave girl; "there be no law in Manator that gives you this girlbefore you shall have won her fairly. "

"What cares O-Tar for her fate?" replied E-Med. "Have I notheard? Did she not flout the great jeddak, heaping abuse uponhim? By my first ancestor, I think O-Tar might make a jed of theman who subdued her, " and again he advanced toward Tara. 

"Wait!" said the girl in low, even tone. "Perhaps you know notwhat you do. Sacred to the people of Helium are the persons ofthe women of Helium. For the honor of the humblest of them wouldthe great jeddak himself unsheathe his sword. The greatestnations of Barsoom have trembled to the thunders of war indefense of the person of Dejah Thoris, my mother. We are butmortal and so may die; but we may not be defiled. You may play atjetan for a princess of Helium, but though you may win the match, never may you claim the reward. If thou wouldst possess a deadbody press me too far, but know, man of Manator, that the bloodof The Warlord flows not in the veins of Tara of Helium fornaught. I have spoken. "

"I know naught of Helium and O-Tar is our warlord, " repliedE-Med; "but I do know that I would examine more closely the prizethat I shall play for and win. I would test the lips of her whois to be my slave after the next games; nor is it well, woman, todrive me too far to anger. " His eyes narrowed as he spoke, hisvisage taking on the semblance of that of a snarling beast. "Ifyou doubt the truth of my words ask Lan-O, the slave girl. "

"He speaks truly, O woman of Helium, " interjected Lan-O. "Try notthe temper of E-Med, if you value your life. "

But Tara of Helium made no reply. Already had she spoken. Shestood in silence now facing the burly warrior who approached her. He came close and then quite suddenly he seized her and, bending, tried to draw her lips to his. 

Lan-O saw the woman from Helium half turn, and with a quickmovement jerk her right hand from where it had lain upon herbreast. She saw the hand shoot from beneath the arm of E-Med andrise behind his shoulder and she saw in the hand a long, slimblade. The lips of the warrior were drawing closer to those ofthe woman, but they never touched them, for suddenly the manstraightened, stiffly, a shriek upon his lips, and then hecrumpled like an empty fur and lay, a shrunken heap, upon thefloor. Tara of Helium stooped and wiped her blade upon hisharness. 

Lan-O, wide-eyed, looked with horror upon the corpse. "For thiswe shall both die, " she cried. 

"And who would live a slave in Manator?" asked Tara of Helium. 

"I am not so brave as thou, " said the slave girl, "and life issweet and there is always hope. "

"Life is sweet, " agreed Tara of Helium, "but honor is sacred. Butdo not fear. When they come I shall tell them the truth--that youhad no hand in this and no opportunity to prevent it. "

For a moment the slave girl seemed to be thinking deeply. Suddenly her eyes lighted. "There is a way, perhaps, " she said, "to turn suspicion from us. He has the key to this chamber uponhim. Let us open the door and drag him out--maybe we shall find aplace to hide him. "

"Good!" exclaimed Tara of Helium, and the two immediately setabout the matter Lan-O had suggested. Quickly they found the keyand unlatched the door and then, between them, they half carried, half dragged, the corpse of E-Med from the room and down thestairway to the next level where Lan-O said there were vacantchambers. The first door they tried was unlatched, and throughthis the two bore their grisly burden into a small room lightedby a single window. The apartment bore evidence of having beenutilized as a living-room rather than as a cell, being furnishedwith a degree of comfort and even luxury. The walls were paneledto a height of about seven feet from the floor, while the plasterabove and the ceiling were decorated with faded paintings ofanother day. 

As Tara's eyes ran quickly over the interior her attention wasdrawn to a section of paneling that seemed to be separated at oneedge from the piece next adjoining it. Quickly she crossed to it, discovering that one vertical edge of an entire panel projected ahalf-inch beyond the others. There was a possible explanationwhich piqued her curiosity, and acting upon its suggestion sheseized upon the projecting edge and pulled outward. Slowly thepanel swung toward her, revealing a dark aperture in the wallbehind. 

"Look, Lan-O!" she cried. "See what I have found--a hole in whichwe may hide the thing upon the floor. "

Lan-O joined her and together the two investigated the darkaperture, finding a small platform from which a narrow runway leddownward into Stygian darkness. Thick dust covered the floorwithin the doorway, indicating that a great period of time hadelapsed since human foot had trod it--a secret way, doubtless, unknown to living Manatorians. Here they dragged the corpse ofE-Med, leaving it upon the platform, and as they left the darkand forbidden closet Lan-O would have slammed to the panel hadnot Tara prevented. 

"Wait!" she said, and fell to examining the door frame and thestile. 

"Hurry!" whispered the slave girl. "If they come we are lost. "

"It may serve us well to know how to open this place again, "replied Tara of Helium, and then suddenly she pressed a footagainst a section of the carved base at the right of the openpanel. "Ah!" she breathed, a note of satisfaction in her tone, and closed the panel until it fitted snugly in its place. "Come!"she said and turned toward the outer doorway of the chamber. 

They reached their own cell without detection, and closing thedoor Tara locked it from the inside and placed the key in asecret pocket in her harness. 

"Let them come, " she said. "Let them question us! What could twopoor prisoners know of the whereabouts of their noble jailer? Iask you, Lan-O, what could they?"

"Nothing, " admitted Lan-O, smiling with her companion. 

"Tell me of these men of Manator, " said Tara presently. "Are theyall like E-Med, or are some of them like A-Kor, who seemed abrave and chivalrous character?"

"They are not unlike the peoples of other countries, " repliedLan-O. "There be among them both good and bad. They are bravewarriors and mighty. Among themselves they are not withoutchivalry and honor, but in their dealings with strangers theyknow but one law--the law of might. The weak and unfortunate ofother lands fill them with contempt and arouse all that is worstin their natures, which doubtless accounts for their treatment ofus, their slaves. "

"But why should they feel contempt for those who have sufferedthe misfortune of falling into their hands?" queried Tara. 

"I do not know, " said Lan-O; "A-Kor says that he believes that itis because their country has never been invaded by a victoriousfoe. In their stealthy raids never have they been defeated, because they have never waited to face a powerful force; and sothey have come to believe themselves invincible, and the otherpeoples are held in contempt as inferior in valor and thepractice of arms. "

"Yet A-Kor is one of them, " said Tara. 

"He is a son of O-Tar, the jeddak, " replied Lan-O; "but hismother was a high born Gatholian, captured and made slave byO-Tar, and A-Kor boasts that in his veins runs only the blood ofhis mother, and indeed is he different from the others. Hischivalry is of a gentler form, though not even his worst enemyhas dared question his courage, while his skill with the sword, and the spear, and the thoat is famous throughout the length andbreadth of Manator. "

"What think you they will do with him?" asked Tara of Helium. 

"Sentence him to the games, " replied Lan-O. "If O-Tar be notgreatly angered he may be sentenced to but a single game, inwhich case he may come out alive; but if O-Tar wishes really todispose of him he will be sentenced to the entire series, and nowarrior has ever survived the full ten, or rather none who wasunder a sentence from O-Tar. "

"What are the games? I do not understand, " said Tara "I haveheard them speak of playing at jetan, but surely no one can bekilled at jetan. We play it often at home. "

"But not as they play it in the arena at Manator, " replied Lan-O. "Come to the window, " and together the two approached an aperturefacing toward the east. 

Below her Tara of Helium saw a great field entirely surrounded bythe low building, and the lofty towers of which that in which shewas imprisoned was but a unit. About the arena were tiers ofseats; but the a thing that caught her attention was a giganticjetan board laid out upon the floor of the arena in great squaresof alternate orange and black. 

"Here they play at jetan with living pieces. They play for greatstakes and usually for a woman--some slave of exceptional beauty. O-Tar himself might have played for you had you not angered him, but now you will be played for in an open game by slaves andcriminals, and you will belong to the side that wins--not to asingle warrior, but to all who survive the game. "

The eyes of Tara of Helium flashed, but she made no comment. 

"Those who direct the play do not necessarily take part in it, "continued the slave girl, "but sit in those two great throneswhich you see at either end of the board and direct their piecesfrom square to square. "

"But where lies the danger?" asked Tara of Helium. "If a piece betaken it is merely removed from the board--this is a rule ofjetan as old almost as the civilization of Barsoom. "

"But here in Manator, when they play in the great arena withliving men, that rule is altered, " explained Lan-O. "When awarrior is moved to a square occupied by an opposing piece, thetwo battle to the death for possession of the square and the onethat is successful advantages by the move. Each is caparisoned tosimulate the piece he represents and in addition he wears thatwhich indicates whether he be slave, a warrior serving asentence, or a volunteer. If serving a sentence the number ofgames he must play is also indicated, and thus the one directingthe moves knows which pieces to risk and which to conserve, andfurther than this, a man's chances are affected by the positionthat is assigned him for the game. Those whom they wish to dieare always Panthans in the game, for the Panthan has the leastchance of surviving. "

"Do those who direct the play ever actually take part in it?"asked Tara. 

"Oh, yes, " said Lan-O. "Often when two warriors, even of thehighest class, hold a grievance against one another O-Tar compelsthem to settle it upon the arena. Then it is that they takeactive part and with drawn swords direct their own players fromthe position of Chief. They pick their own players, usually thebest of their own warriors and slaves, if they be powerful menwho possess such, or their friends may volunteer, or they mayobtain prisoners from the pits. These are games indeed--the verybest that are seen. Often the great chiefs themselves are slain. "

"It is within this amphitheater that the justice of Manator ismeted, then?" asked Tara. 

"Very largely, " replied Lan-O. 

"How, then, through such justice, could a prisoner win hisliberty?" continued the girl from Helium. 

"If a man, and he survived ten games his liberty would be his, "replied Lan-O. 

"But none ever survives?" queried Tara. "And if a woman?"

"No stranger within the gates of Manator ever has survived tengames, " replied the slave girl. "They are permitted to offerthemselves into perpetual slavery if they prefer that to fightingat jetan. Of course they may be called upon, as any warrior, totake part in a game, but their chances then of surviving areincreased, since they may never again have the chance of winningto liberty. "

"But a woman, " insisted Tara; "how may a woman win her freedom?"

Lan-O laughed. "Very simply, " she cried, derisively. "She has butto find a warrior who will fight through ten consecutive gamesfor her and survive. "

"'Just are the laws of Manator, '" quoted Tara, scornfully. 

Then it was that they heard footsteps outside their cell and amoment later a key turned in the lock and the door opened. Awarrior faced them. 

"Hast seen E-Med the dwar?" he asked. 

"Yes, " replied Tara, "he was here some time ago. "

The man glanced quickly about the bare chamber and thensearchingly first at Tara of Helium and then at the slave girl, Lan-O. The puzzled expression upon his face increased. Hescratched his head. "It is strange, " he said. "A score of men sawhim ascend into this tower; and though there is but a singleexit, and that well guarded, no man has seen him pass out. "

Tara of Helium hid a yawn with the back of a shapely hand. "ThePrincess of Helium is hungry, fellow, " she drawled; "tell yourmaster that she would eat. "

It was an hour later that food was brought, an officer andseveral warriors accompanying the bearer. The former examined theroom carefully, but there was no sign that aught amiss hadoccurred there. The wound that had sent E-Med the dwar to hisancestors had not bled, fortunately for Tara of Helium. 

"Woman, " cried the officer, turning upon Tara, "you were the lastto see E-Med the dwar. Answer me now and answer me truthfully. Did you see him leave this room?"

"I did, " answered Tara of Helium. 

"Where did he go from here?"

"How should I know? Think you that I can pass through a lockeddoor of skeel?" the girl's tone was scornful. 

"Of that we do not know, " said the officer. "Strange things havehappened in the cell of your companion in the pits of Manator. Perhaps you could pass through a locked door of skeel as easilyas he performs seemingly more impossible feats. "

"Whom do you mean, " she cried; "Turan the panthan? He lives, then? Tell me, is he here in Manator unharmed?"

"I speak of that thing which calls itself Ghek the kaldane, "replied the officer. 

"But Turan! Tell me, padwar, have you heard aught of him?" Tara'stone was insistent and she leaned a little forward toward theofficer, her lips slightly parted in expectancy. 

Into the eyes of the slave girl, Lan-O, who was watching her, there crept a soft light of understanding; but the officerignored Tara's question--what was the fate of another slave tohim? "Men do not disappear into thin air, " he growled, "and ifE-Med be not found soon O-Tar himself may take a hand in this. Iwarn you, woman, if you be one of those horrid Corphals that bycommanding the spirits of the wicked dead gains evil mastery overthe living, as many now believe the thing called Ghek to be, thatlest you return E-Med, O-Tar will have no mercy on you. "

"What foolishness is this?" cried the girl. "I am a princessof Helium, as I have told you all a score of times. Even if thefabled Corphals existed, as none but the most ignorant nowbelieves, the lore of the ancients tells us that they enteredonly into the bodies of wicked criminals of the lowest class. Manof Manator, thou art a fool, and thy jeddak and all his people, "and she turned her royal back upon the padwar, and gazed throughthe window across the Field of Jetan and the roofs of Manatorthrough the low hills and the rolling country and freedom. 

"And you know so much of Corphals, then, " he cried, "you knowthat while no common man dare harm them they may be slain by thehand of a jeddak with impunity!"

The girl did not reply, nor would she speak again, for all histhreats and rage, for she knew now that none in all Manator daredharm her save O-Tar, the jeddak, and after a while the padwarleft, taking his men with him. And after they had gone Tara stoodfor long looking out upon the city of Manator, and wondering whatmore of cruel wrongs Fate held in store for her. She was standingthus in silent meditation when there rose to her the strains ofmartial music from the city below--the deep, mellow tones of thelong war trumpets of mounted troops, the clear, ringing notes offoot-soldiers' music. The girl raised her head and looked about, listening, and Lan-O, standing at an opposite window, lookingtoward the west, motioned Tara to join her. Now they could seeacross roofs and avenues to The Gate of Enemies, through whichtroops were marching into the city. 

"The Great Jed is coming, " said Lan-O, "none other dares enterthus, with blaring trumpets, the city of Manator. It is U-Thor, Jed of Manatos, second city of Manator. They call him The GreatJed the length and breadth of Manator, and because the peoplelove him, O-Tar hates him. They say, who know, that it would needbut slight provocation to inflame the two to war. How such a warwould end no one could guess; for the people of Manator worshipthe great O-Tar, though they do not love him. U-Thor they love, but he is not the jeddak, " and Tara understood, as only a Martianmay, how much that simple statement encompassed. 

The loyalty of a Martian to his jeddak is almost an instinct, andsecond not even to the instinct of self-preservation at that. Noris this strange in a race whose religion includes ancestorworship, and where families trace their origin back into remoteages and a jeddak sits upon the same throne that his directprogenitors have occupied for, perhaps, hundreds of thousands ofyears, and rules the descendants of the same people that hisforebears ruled. Wicked jeddaks have been dethroned, but seldomare they replaced by other than members of the imperial house, even though the law gives to the jeds the right to select whomthey please. 

"U-Thor is a just man and good, then?" asked Tara of Helium. 

"There be none nobler, " replied Lan-O. "In Manatos none butwicked criminals who deserve death are forced to play at jetan, and even then the play is fair and they have their chance forfreedom. Volunteers may play, but the moves are not necessarilyto the death--a wound, and even sometimes points in swordplay, deciding the issue. There they look upon jetan as a martialsport--here it is but butchery. And U-Thor is opposed to theancient slave raids and to the policy that keeps Manator foreverisolated from the other nations of Barsoom; but U-Thor is notjeddak and so there is no change. "

The two girls watched the column moving up the broad avenue fromThe Gate of Enemies toward the palace of O-Tar. A gorgeous, barbaric procession of painted warriors in jewel-studded harnessand waving feathers; vicious, squealing thoats caparisoned inrich trappings; far above their heads the long lances of theirriders bore fluttering pennons; foot-soldiers swinging easilyalong the stone pavement, their sandals of zitidar hide givingforth no sound; and at the rear of each utan a train of paintedchariots, drawn by mammoth zitidars, carrying the equipment ofthe company to which they were attached. Utan after utan enteredthrough the great gate, and even when the head of the columnreached the palace of O-Tar they were not all within the city. 

"I have been here many years, " said the girl, Lan-O; "but neverhave I seen even The Great Jed bring so many fighting men intothe city of Manator. "

Through half-closed eyes Tara of Helium watched the warriorsmarching up the broad avenue, trying to imagine them the fightingmen of her beloved Helium coming to the rescue of their princess. That splendid figure upon the great thoat might be John Carter, himself, Warlord of Barsoom, and behind him utan after utan ofthe veterans of the empire, and then the girl opened her eyesagain and saw the host of painted, befeathered barbarians, andsighed. But yet she watched, fascinated by the martial scene, andnow she noted again the groups of silent figures upon thebalconies. No waving silks; no cries of welcome; no showers offlowers and jewels such as would have marked the entry of such asplendid, friendly pageant into the twin cities of her birth. 

"The people do not seem friendly to the warriors of Manatos, " sheremarked to Lan-O; "I have not seen a single welcoming sign fromthe people on the balconies. "

The slave girl looked at her in surprise. "It cannot be that youdo not know!" she exclaimed. "Why, they are--" but she got nofurther. The door swung open and an officer stood before them. 

"The slave girl, Tara, is summoned to the presence of O-Tar, thejeddak!" he announced. 

CHAPTER XIV

AT GHEK'S COMMAND

Turan the panthan chafed in his chains. Time dragged; silence andmonotony prolonged minutes into hours. Uncertainty of the fate ofthe woman he loved turned each hour into an eternity of hell. Helistened impatiently for the sound of approaching footsteps thathe might see and speak to some living creature and learn, perchance, some word of Tara of Helium. After torturing hours hisears were rewarded by the rattle of harness and arms. Men werecoming! He waited breathlessly. Perhaps they were hisexecutioners; but he would welcome them notwithstanding. He wouldquestion them. But if they knew naught of Tara he would notdivulge the location of the hiding place in which he had lefther. 

Now they came--a half-dozen warriors and an officer, escorting anunarmed man; a prisoner, doubtless. Of this Turan was not leftlong in doubt, since they brought the newcomer and chained him toan adjoining ring. Immediately the panthan commenced to questionthe officer in charge of the guard. 

"Tell me, " he demanded, "why I have been made prisoner, and ifother strangers were captured since I entered your city. "

"What other prisoners?" asked the officer. 

"A woman, and a man with a strange head, " replied Turan. 

"It is possible, " said the officer; "but what were their names?"

"The woman was Tara, Princess of Helium, and the man was Ghek, akaldane, of Bantoom. "

"These were your friends?" asked the officer. 

"Yes, " replied Turan. 

"It is what I would know, " said the officer, and with a curtcommand to his men to follow him he turned and left the cell. 

"Tell me of them!" cried Turan after him. "Tell me of Tara ofHelium! Is she safe?" but the man did not answer and soon thesound of their departure died in the distance. 

"Tara of Helium was safe, but a short time since, " said theprisoner chained at Turan's side. 

The panthan turned toward the speaker, seeing a large man, handsome of face and with a manner both stately and dignified. "You have seen her?" he asked. "They captured her then? She is indanger?"

"She is being held in The Towers of Jetan as a prize for the nextgames, " replied the stranger. 

"And who are you?" asked Turan. "And why are you here, aprisoner?"

"I am A-Kor the dwar, keeper of The Towers of Jetan, " replied theother. "I am here because I dared speak the truth of O-Tar thejeddak, to one of his officers. "

"And your punishment?" asked Turan. 

"I do not know. O-Tar has not yet spoken. Doubtless thegames--perhaps the full ten, for O-Tar does not love A-Kor, hisson. "

"You are the jeddak's son?" asked Turan. 

"I am the son of O-Tar and of a slave, Haja of Gathol, who was aprincess in her own land. "

Turan looked searchingly at the speaker. A son of Haja of Gathol!A son of his mother's sister, this man, then, was his own cousin. Well did Gahan remember the mysterious disappearance of thePrincess Haja and an entire utan of her personal troops. She hadbeen upon a visit far from the city of Gathol and returning homehad vanished with her whole escort from the sight of man. So thiswas the secret of the seeming mystery? Doubtless it explainedmany other similar disappearances that extended nearly as farback as the history of Gathol. Turan scrutinized his companion, discovering many evidences of resemblance to his mother's people. A-Kor might have been ten years younger than he, but suchdifferences in age are scarce accounted among a people who seldomor never age outwardly after maturity and whose span of life maybe a thousand years. 

"And where lies Gathol?" asked Turan. 

"Almost due east of Manator, " replied A-Kor. 

"And how far?"

"Some twenty-one degrees it is from the city of Manator to thecity of Gathol, " replied A-Kor; "but little more than ten degreesbetween the boundaries of the two countries. Between them, though, there lies a country of torn rocks and yawning chasms. "

Well did Gahan know this country that bordered his upon thewest--even the ships of the air avoided it because of thetreacherous currents that rose from the deep chasms, and thealmost total absence of safe landings. He knew now where Manatorlay and for the first time in long weeks the way to his ownGathol, and here was a man, a fellow prisoner, in whose veinsflowed the blood of his own ancestors--a man who knew Manator;its people, its customs and the country surrounding it--one whocould aid him, with advice at least, to find a plan for therescue of Tara of Helium and for escape. But would A-Kor--couldhe dare broach the subject? He could do no less than try. 

"And O-Tar you think will sentence you to death?" he asked; "andwhy?"

"He would like to, " replied A-Kor, "for the people chafe beneathhis iron hand and their loyalty is but the loyalty of a people tothe long line of illustrious jeddaks from which he has sprung. Heis a jealous man and has found the means of disposing of most ofthose whose blood might entitle them to a claim upon the throne, and whose place in the affections of the people endowed them withany political significance. The fact that I was the son of aslave relegated me to a position of minor importance in theconsideration of O-Tar, yet I am still the son of a jeddak andmight sit upon the throne of Manator with as perfect congruity asO-Tar himself. Combined with this is the fact that of recentyears the people, and especially many of the younger warriors, have evinced a growing affection for me, which I attribute tocertain virtues of character and training derived from my mother, but which O-Tar assumes to be the result of an ambition upon mypart to occupy the throne of Manator. 

"And now, I am firmly convinced, he has seized upon my criticismof his treatment of the slave girl Tara as a pretext for riddinghimself of me. "

"But if you could escape and reach Gathol, " suggested Turan. 

"I have thought of that, " mused A-Kor; "but how much better offwould I be? In the eyes of the Gatholians I would be, not aGatholian; but a stranger and doubtless they would accord me thesame treatment that we of Manator accord strangers. "

"Could you convince them that you are the son of the PrincessHaja your welcome would be assured, " said Turan; "while on theother hand you could purchase your freedom and citizenship with abrief period of labor in the diamond mines. "

"How know you all these things?" asked A-Kor. "I thought you werefrom Helium. "

"I am a panthan, " replied Turan, "and I have served manycountries, among them Gathol. "

"It is what the slaves from Gathol have told me, " said A-Kor, thoughtfully, "and my mother, before O-Tar sent her to live atManatos. I think he must have feared her power and influenceamong the slaves from Gathol and their descendants, who numberperhaps a million people throughout the land of Manator. "

"Are these slaves organized?" asked Turan. 

A-Kor looked straight into the eyes of the panthan for a longmoment before he replied. "You are a man of honor, " he said; "Iread it in your face, and I am seldom mistaken in my estimate ofa man; but--" and he leaned closer to the other--"even the wallshave ears, " he whispered, and Turan's question was answered. 

It was later in the evening that warriors came and unlocked thefetter from Turan's ankle and led him away to appear beforeO-Tar, the jeddak. They conducted him toward the palace alongnarrow, winding streets and broad avenues; but always from thebalconies there looked down upon them in endless ranks the silentpeople of the city. The palace itself was filled with life andactivity. Mounted warriors galloped through the corridors and upand down the runways connecting adjacent floors. It seemed thatno one walked within the palace other than a few slaves. Squealing, fighting thoats were stabled in magnificent hallswhile their riders, if not upon some duty of the palace, playedat jetan with small figures carved from wood. 

Turan noted the magnificence of the interior architecture of thepalace, the lavish expenditure of precious jewels and metals, thegorgeous mural decorations which depicted almost exclusivelymartial scenes, and principally duels which seemed to be foughtupon jetan boards of heroic size. The capitals of many of thecolumns supporting the ceilings of the corridors and chambersthrough which they passed were wrought into formal likenesses ofjetan pieces--everywhere there seemed a suggestion of the game. Along the same path that Tara of Helium had been led Turan wasconducted toward the throne room of O-Tar the jeddak, and when heentered the Hall of Chiefs his interest turned to wonder andadmiration as he viewed the ranks of statuesque thoatmen deckedin their gorgeous, martial panoply. Never, he thought, had heseen upon Barsoom more soldierly figures or thoats so perfectlytrained to perfection of immobility as these. Not a musclequivered, not a tail lashed, and the riders were as motionless astheir mounts--each warlike eye straight to the front, the greatspears inclined at the same angle. It was a picture to fill thebreast of a fighting man with awe and reverence. Nor did it failin its effect upon Turan as they conducted him the length of thechamber, where he waited before great doors until he should besummoned into the presence of the ruler of Manator. 

 * * * * *

When Tara of Helium was ushered into the throne room of O-Tar shefound the great hall filled with the chiefs and officers of O-Tarand U-Thor, the latter occupying the place of honor at the footof the throne, as was his due. The girl was conducted to the footof the aisle and halted before the jeddak, who looked down uponher from his high throne with scowling brows and fierce, crueleyes. 

"The laws of Manator are just, " said O-Tar, addressing her; "thusis it that you have been summoned here again to be judged by thehighest authority of Manator. Word has reached me that you aresuspected of being a Corphal. What word have you to say inrefutation of the charge?"

Tara of Helium could scarce restrain a sneer as she answered theridiculous accusation of witchcraft. "So ancient is the cultureof my people, " she said, "that authentic history reveals nodefense for that which we know existed only in the ignorant andsuperstitious minds of the most primitive peoples of the past. Tothose who are yet so untutored as to believe in the existence ofCorphals, there can be no argument that will convince them oftheir error--only long ages of refinement and culture canaccomplish their release from the bondage of ignorance. I havespoken. "

"Yet you do not deny the accusation, " said O-Tar. 

"It is not worthy the dignity of a denial, " she respondedhaughtily. 

"And I were you, woman, " said a deep voice at her side, "Ishould, nevertheless, deny it. "

Tara of Helium turned to see the eyes of U-Thor, the great jed ofManatos, upon her. Brave eyes they were, but neither cold norcruel. O-Tar rapped impatiently upon the arm of his throne. "U-Thor forgets, " he cried, "that O-Tar is the jeddak. "

"U-Thor remembers, " replied the jed of Manatos, "that the laws ofManator permit any who may be accused to have advice and counselbefore their judge. "

Tara of Helium saw that for some reason this man would haveassisted her, and so she acted upon his advice. 

"I deny the charge, " she said, "I am no Corphal. "

"Of that we shall learn, " snapped O-Tar. "U-Dor, where are thosewho have knowledge of the powers of this woman?"

And U-Dor brought several who recounted the little that was knownof the disappearance of E-Med, and others who told of the captureof Ghek and Tara, suggesting by deduction that having been foundtogether they had sufficient in common to make it reasonablycertain that one was as bad as the other, and that, therefore, itremained but to convict one of them of Corphalism to make certainthe guilt of both. And then O-Tar called for Ghek, andimmediately the hideous kaldane was dragged before him bywarriors who could not conceal the fear in which they held thiscreature. 

"And you!" said O-Tar in cold accusing tones. "Already have Ibeen told enough of you to warrant me in passing through yourheart the jeddak's steel--of how you stole the brains from thewarrior U-Van so that he thought he saw your headless body stillendowed with life; of how you caused another to believe that youhad escaped, making him to see naught but an empty bench and ablank wall where you had been. "

"Ah, O-Tar, but that is as nothing!" cried a young padwar who hadcome in command of the escort that brought Ghek. "The thing whichhe did to I-Zav, here, would prove his guilt alone. "

"What did he to the warrior I-Zav?" demanded O-Tar. "Let I-Zavspeak!"

The warrior I-Zav, a great fellow of bulging muscles and thickneck, advanced to the foot of the throne. He was pale and stilltrembling visibly as from a nervous shock. 

"Let my first ancestor be my witness, O-Tar, that I speak thetruth, " he began. "I was left to guard this creature, who satupon a bench, shackled to the wall. I stood by the open doorwayat the opposite side of the chamber. He could not reach me, yet, O-Tar, may Iss engulf me if he did not drag me to him helpless asan unhatched egg. He dragged me to him, greatest of jeddaks, withhis eyes! With his eyes he seized upon my eyes and dragged me tohim and he made me lay my swords and dagger upon the table andback off into a corner, and still keeping his eyes upon my eyeshis head quitted his body and crawling upon six short legs itdescended to the floor and backed part way into the hole of anulsio, but not so far that the eyes were not still upon me andthen it returned with the key to its fetter and after resumingits place upon its own shoulders it unlocked the fetter and againdragged me across the room and made me to sit upon the benchwhere it had been and there it fastened the fetter about myankle, and I could do naught for the power of its eyes and thefact that it wore my two swords and my dagger. And then the headdisappeared down the hole of the ulsio with the key, and when itreturned, it resumed its body and stood guard over me at thedoorway until the padwar came to fetch it hither. "

"It is enough!" said O-Tar, sternly. "Both shall receive thejeddak's steel, " and rising from his throne he drew his longsword and descended the marble steps toward them, while twobrawny warriors seized Tara by either arm and two seized Ghek, holding them facing the naked blade of the jeddak. 

"Hold, just O-Tar!" cried U-Dor. "There be yet another to bejudged. Let us confront him who calls himself Turan with thesehis fellows before they die. "

"Good!" exclaimed O-Tar, pausing half way down the steps. "FetchTuran, the slave!"

When Turan had been brought into the chamber he was placed alittle to Tara's left and a step nearer the throne. O-Tar eyedhim menacingly. 

"You are Turan, " he asked, "friend and companion of these?"

The panthan was about to reply when Tara of Helium spoke. "I knownot this fellow, " she said. "Who dares say that he be a friendand companion of the Princess Tara of Helium?"

Turan and Ghek looked at her in surprise, but at Turan she didnot look, and to Ghek she passed a quick glance of warning, as tosay: "Hold thy peace. "

The panthan tried not to fathom her purpose for the head isuseless when the heart usurps its functions, and Turan knew onlythat the woman he loved had denied him, and though he tried noteven to think it his foolish heart urged but a singleexplanation--that she refused to recognize him lest she beinvolved in his difficulties. 

O-Tar looked first at one and then at another of them; but noneof them spoke. 

"Were they not captured together?" he asked of U-Dor. 

"No, " replied the dwar. "He who is called Turan was found seekingentrance to the city and was enticed to the pits. The followingmorning I discovered the other two upon the hill beyond The Gateof Enemies. "

"But they are friends and companions, " said a young padwar, "forthis Turan inquired of me concerning these two, calling them byname and saying that they were his friends. "

"It is enough, " stated O-Tar, "all three shall die, " and he tookanother step downward from the throne. 

"For what shall we die?" asked Ghek. "Your people prate of thejust laws of Manator, and yet you would slay three strangerswithout telling them of what crime they are accused. "

"He is right, " said a deep voice. It was the voice of U-Thor, thegreat jed of Manatos. O-Tar looked at him and scowled; but therecame voices from other portions of the chamber seconding thedemand for justice. 

"Then know, though you shall die anyway, " cried O-Tar, "that allthree are convicted of Corphalism and that as only a jeddak mayslay such as you in safety you are about to be honored with thesteel of O-Tar. "

"Fool!" cried Turan. "Know you not that in the veins of thiswoman flows the blood of ten thousand jeddaks--that greater thanyours is her power in her own land? She is Tara, Princess ofHelium, great-granddaughter of Tardos Mors, daughter of JohnCarter, Warlord of Barsoom. She cannot be a Corphal. Nor is thiscreature Ghek, nor am I. And you would know more, I can prove myright to be heard and to be believed if I may have word with thePrincess Haja of Gathol, whose son is my fellow prisoner in thepits of O-Tar, his father. "

At this U-Thor rose to his feet and faced O-Tar. "What meansthis?" he asked. "Speaks the man the truth? Is the son of Haja aprisoner in thy pits, O-Tar?"

"And what is it to the jed of Manatos who be the prisoners in thepits of his jeddak?" demanded O-Tar, angrily. 

"It is this to the jed of Manatos, " replied U-Thor in a voice solow as to be scarce more than a whisper and yet that was heardthe whole length and breadth of the great throne room of O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator. "You gave me a slave woman, Haja, who had beena princess in Gathol, because you feared her influence among theslaves from Gathol. I have made of her a free woman, and I havemarried her and made her thus a princess of Manatos. Her son ismy son, O-Tar, and though thou be my jeddak, I say to you thatfor any harm that befalls A-Kor you shall answer to U-Thor ofManatos. "

O-Tar looked long at U-Thor, but he made no reply. Then he turnedagain to Turan. "If one be a Corphal, " he said, "then all of yoube Corphals, and we know well from the things that this creaturehas done, " he pointed at Ghek, "that he is a Corphal, for nomortal has such powers as he. And as you are all Corphals youmust all die. " He took another step downward, when Ghek spoke. 

"These two have no such powers as I, " he said. "They are butordinary, brainless things such as yourself. I have done all thethings that your poor, ignorant warriors have told you; but thisonly demonstrates that I am of a higher order than yourselves, asis indeed the fact. I am a kaldane, not a Corphal. There isnothing supernatural or mysterious about me, other than that tothe ignorant all things which they cannot understand aremysterious. Easily might I have eluded your warriors and escapedyour pits; but I remained in the hope that I might help these twofoolish creatures who have not the brains to escape without help. They befriended me and saved my life. I owe them this debt. Donot slay them--they are harmless. Slay me if you will. I offer mylife if it will appease your ignorant wrath. I cannot return toBantoom and so I might as well die, for there is no pleasure inintercourse with the feeble intellects that cumber the face ofthe world outside the valley of Bantoom. "

"Hideous egotist, " said O-Tar, "prepare to die and assume not todictate to O-Tar the jeddak. He has passed sentence and all threeof you shall feel the jeddak's naked steel. I have spoken!"

He took another step downward and then a strange thing happened. He paused, his eyes fixed upon the eyes of Ghek. His swordslipped from nerveless fingers, and still he stood there swayingforward and back. A jed rose to rush to his side; but Ghekstopped him with a word. 

"Wait!" he cried. "The life of your jeddak is in my hands. Youbelieve me a Corphal and so you believe, too, that only the swordof a jeddak may slay me, therefore your blades are uselessagainst me. Offer harm to any one of us, or seek to approach yourjeddak until I have spoken, and he shall sink lifeless to themarble. Release the two prisoners and let them come to my side--Iwould speak to them, privately. Quick! do as I say; I would aslief as not slay O-Tar. I but let him live that I may gainfreedom for my friends--obstruct me and he dies. "

The guards fell back, releasing Tara and Turan, who came close toGhek's side. 

"Do as I tell you and do it quickly, " whispered the kaldane. "Icannot hold this fellow long, nor could I kill him thus. Thereare many minds working against mine and presently mine will tireand O-Tar will be himself again. You must make the best of youropportunity while you may. Behind the arras that you see hangingin the rear of the throne above you is a secret opening. From ita corridor leads to the pits of the palace, where there arestorerooms containing food and drink. Few people go there. Fromthese pits lead others to all parts of the city. Follow one thatruns due west and it will bring you to The Gate of Enemies. Therest will then lie with you. I can do no more; hurry before mywaning powers fail me--I am not as Luud, who was a king. He couldhave held this creature forever. Make haste! Go!"

CHAPTER XV

THE OLD MAN OF THE PITS

"I shall not desert you, Ghek, " said Tara of Helium, simply. 

"Go! Go!" whispered the kaldane. "You can do me no good. Go, orall I have done is for naught. "

Tara shook her head. "I cannot, " she said. 

"They will slay her, " said Ghek to Turan, and the panthan, tornbetween loyalty to this strange creature who had offered its lifefor him, and love of the woman, hesitated but a moment, then heswept Tara from her feet and lifting her in his arms leaped upthe steps that led to the throne of Manator. Behind the throne heparted the arras and found the secret opening. Into this he borethe girl and down a long, narrow corridor and winding runwaysthat led to lower levels until they came to the pits of thepalace of O-Tar. Here was a labyrinth of passages and chamberspresenting a thousand hiding-places. 

As Turan bore Tara up the steps toward the throne a score ofwarriors rose as though to rush forward to intercept them. "Stay!" cried Ghek, "or your jeddak dies, " and they halted intheir tracks, waiting the will of this strange, uncanny creature. 

Presently Ghek took his eyes from the eyes of O-Tar and thejeddak shook himself as one who would be rid of a bad dream andstraightened up, half dazed still. 

"Look, " said Ghek, then, "I have given your jeddak his life, nor have I harmed one of those whom I might easily have slainwhen they were in my power. No harm have I or my friends done inthe city of Manator. Why then should you persecute us? Give usour lives. Give us our liberty. "

O-Tar, now in command of his faculties, stooped and regained hissword. In the room was silence as all waited to hear the jeddak'sanswer. 

"Just are the laws of Manator, " he said at last. "Perhaps, afterall, there is truth in the words of the stranger. Return him thento the pits and pursue the others and capture them. Through themercy of O-Tar they shall be permitted to win their freedom uponthe Field of Jetan, in the coming games. "

Still ashen was the face of the jeddak as Ghek was led away andhis appearance was that of a man who had been snatched from thebrink of eternity into which he has gazed, not with the composureof great courage, but with fear. There were those in the throneroom who knew that the execution of the three prisoners had butbeen delayed and the responsibility placed upon the shoulders ofothers, and one of those who knew was U-Thor, the great jed ofManatos. His curling lip betokened his scorn of the jeddak whohad chosen humiliation rather than death. He knew that O-Tar hadlost more of prestige in those few moments than he could regainin a lifetime, for the Martians are jealous of the courage oftheir chiefs--there can be no evasions of stern duty, notemporizing with honor. That there were others in the room whoshared U-Thor's belief was evidenced by the silence and the grimscowls. 

O-Tar glanced quickly around. He must have sensed the hostilityand guessed its cause, for he went suddenly angry, and as one whoseeks by the vehemence of his words to establish the courage ofhis heart he roared forth what could be considered as naughtother than a challenge. 

"The will of O-Tar, the jeddak, is the law of Manator, " he cried, "and the laws of Manator are just--they cannot err. U-Dor, dispatch those who will search the palace, the pits, and thecity, and return the fugitives to their cells. 

"And now for you, U-Thor of Manatos! Think you with impunity tothreaten your jeddak--to question his right to punish traitorsand instigators of treason? What am I to think of your ownloyalty, who takes to wife a woman I have banished from my courtbecause of her intrigues against the authority of her jeddak andher master? But O-Tar is just. Make your explanations and yourpeace, then, before it is too late. "

"U-Thor has nothing to explain, " replied the jed of Manatos; "noris he at war with his jeddak; but he has the right that every jedand every warrior enjoys, of demanding justice at the hands ofthe jeddak for whomsoever he believes to be persecuted. Withincreasing rigor has the jeddak of Manator persecuted the slavesfrom Gathol since he took to himself the unwilling Princess Haja. If the slaves from Gathol have harbored thoughts of vengeance andescape 'tis no more than might be expected from a proud andcourageous people. Ever have I counselled greater fairness in ourtreatment of our slaves, many of whom, in their own lands, arepeople of great distinction and power; but always has O-Tar, thejeddak, flouted with arrogance my every suggestion. Though it hasbeen through none of my seeking that the question has arisen nowI am glad that it has, for the time was bound to come when thejeds of Manator would demand from O-Tar the respect andconsideration that is their due from the man who holds his highoffice at their pleasure. Know, then, O-Tar, that you must freeA-Kor, the dwar, forthwith or bring him to fair trial before theassembled jeds of Manator. I have spoken. "

"You have spoken well and to the point, U-Thor, " cried O-Tar, "for you have revealed to your jeddak and your fellow jeds thedepth of the disloyalty that I have long suspected. A-Kor alreadyhas been tried and sentenced by the supreme tribunal ofManator--O-Tar, the jeddak; and you too shall receive justicefrom the same unfailing source. In the meantime you are underarrest. To the pits with him! To the pits with U-Thor the falsejed!" He clapped his hands to summon the surrounding warriors todo his bidding. A score leaped forward to seize U-Thor. They werewarriors of the palace, mostly; but two score leaped to defendU-Thor, and with ringing steel they fought at the foot of thesteps to the throne of Manator where stood O-Tar, the jeddak, with drawn sword ready to take his part in themelee. 

At the clash of steel, palace guards rushed to the scene fromother parts of the great building until those who would havedefended U-Thor were outnumbered two to one, and then the jed ofManatos slowly withdrew with his forces, and fighting his waythrough the corridors and chambers of the palace came at last tothe avenue. Here he was reinforced by the little army that hadmarched with him into Manator. Slowly they retreated toward TheGate of Enemies between the rows of silent people looking downupon them from the balconies and there, within the city walls, they made their stand. 

In a dimly-lighted chamber beneath the palace of O-Tar thejeddak, Turan the panthan lowered Tara of Helium from his armsand faced her. "I am sorry, Princess, " he said, "that I wasforced to disobey your commands, or to abandon Ghek; but therewas no other way. Could he have saved you I would have stayed inhis place. Tell me that you forgive me. "

"How could I do less?" she replied graciously. "But it seemedcowardly to abandon a friend. "

"Had we been three fighting men it had been different, " he said. "We could only have remained and died together, fighting; but youknow, Tara of Helium, that we may not jeopardize a woman's safetyeven though we risk the loss of honor. "

"I know that, Turan, " she said; "but no one may say that you haverisked honor, who knows the honor and bravery that are yours. "

He heard her with surprise for these were the first words thatshe had spoken to him that did not savor of the attitude of aprincess to a panthan--though it was more in her tone than theactual words that he apprehended the difference. How at variancewere they to her recent repudiation of him! He could not fathomher, and so he blurted out the question that had been in his mindsince she had told O-Tar that she did not know him. 

"Tara of Helium, " he said, "your words are balm to the wound yougave me in the throne room of O-Tar. Tell me, Princess, why youdenied me. "

She turned her great, deep eyes up to his and in them was alittle of reproach. 

"You did not guess, " she asked, "that it was my lips alone andnot my heart that denied you? O-Tar had ordered that I die, morebecause I was a companion of Ghek than because of any evidenceagainst me, and so I knew that if I acknowledged you as one ofus, you would be slain, too. "

"It was to save me, then?" he cried, his face suddenly lighting. 

"It was to save my brave panthan, " she said in a low voice. 

"Tara of Helium, " said the warrior, dropping to one knee, "yourwords are as food to my hungry heart, " and he took her fingers inhis and pressed them to his lips. 

Gently she raised him to his feet. "You need not tell me, kneeling, " she said, softly. 

Her hand was still in his as he rose and they were very close, and the man was still flushed with the contact of her body sincehe had carried her from the throne room of O-Tar. He felt hisheart pounding in his breast and the hot blood surging throughhis veins as he looked at her beautiful face, with its downcasteyes and the half-parted lips that he would have given a kingdomto possess, and then he swept her to him and as he crushed heragainst his breast his lips smothered hers with kisses. 

But only for an instant. Like a tigress the girl turned uponhim, striking him, and thrusting him away. She stepped back, herhead high and her eyes flashing fire. "You would dare?" shecried. "You would dare thus defile a princess of Helium?"

His eyes met hers squarely and there was no shame and no remorsein them. 

"Yes, I would dare, " he said. "I would dare love Tara of Helium;but I would not dare defile her or any woman with kisses thatwere not prompted by love of her alone. " He stepped closer to herand laid his hands upon her shoulders. "Look into my eyes, daughter of The Warlord, " he said, "and tell me that you do notwish the love of Turan, the panthan. "

"I do not wish your love, " she cried, pulling away. "I hate you!"and then turning away she bent her head into the hollow of herarm, and wept. 

The man took a step toward her as though to comfort her when hewas arrested by the sound of a crackling laugh behind him. Wheeling about, he discovered a strange figure of a man standingin a doorway. It was one of those rarities occasionally to beseen upon Barsoom--an old man with the signs of age upon him. Bent and wrinkled, he had more the appearance of a mummy than aman. 

"Love in the pits of O-Tar!" he cried, and again his thinlaughter jarred upon the silence of the subterranean vaults. "Astrange place to woo! A strange place to woo, indeed! When I wasa young man we roamed in the gardens beneath giant pimalias andstole our kisses in the brief shadows of hurtling Thuria. We camenot to the gloomy pits to speak of love; but times have changedand ways have changed, though I had never thought to live to seethe time when the way of a man with a maid, or a maid with a manwould change. Ah, but we kissed them then! And what if theyobjected, eh? What if they objected? Why, we kissed them more. Ey, ey, those were the days!" and he cackled again. "Ey, well doI recall the first of them I ever kissed, and I've kissed an armyof them since; she was a fine girl, but she tried to slip adagger into me while I was kissing her. Ey, ey, those were thedays! But I kissed her. She's been dead over a thousand yearsnow, but she was never kissed again like that while she lived, I'll swear, not since she's been dead, either. And then there wasthat other--" but Turan, seeing a thousand or more years ofosculatory memoirs portending, interrupted. 

"Tell me, ancient one, " he said, "not of thy loves but ofthyself. Who are you? What do you here in the pits of O-Tar?"

"I might ask you the same, young man, " replied the other. "Fewthere are who visit the pits other than the dead, except mypupils--ey! That is it--you are new pupils! Good! But neverbefore have they sent a woman to learn the great art from thegreatest artist. But times have changed. Now, in my day the womendid no work--they were just for kissing and loving. Ey, thosewere the women. I mind the one we captured in the south--ey! shewas a devil, but how she could love. She had breasts of marbleand a heart of fire. Why, she--"

"Yes, yes, " interrupted Turan; "we are pupils, and we are anxiousto get to work. Lead on and we will follow. "

"Ey, yes! Ey, yes! Come! All is rush and hurry as though therewere not another countless myriad of ages ahead. Ey, yes! as manyas lie behind. Two thousand years have passed since I broke myshell and always rush, rush, rush, yet I cannot see that aughthas been accomplished. Manator is the same today as it wasthen--except the girls. We had the girls then. There was one thatI gained upon The Fields of Jetan. Ey, but you should have seen--"

"Lead on!" cried Turan. "After we are at work you shall tell usof her. "

"Ey, yes, " said the old fellow and shuffled off down a dimlylighted passage. "Follow me!"

"You are going with him?" asked Tara. 

"Why not?" replied Turan. "We know not where we are, or the wayfrom these pits; for I know not east from west; but he doubtlessknows and if we are shrewd we may learn from him that which wewould know. At least we cannot afford to arouse his suspicions";and so they followed him--followed along winding corridors andthrough many chambers, until they came at last to a room in whichthere were several marble slabs raised upon pedestals some threefeet above the floor and upon each slab lay a human corpse. 

"Here we are, " exclaimed the old man. "These are fresh and weshall have to get to work upon them soon. I am working now on onefor The Gate of Enemies. He slew many of our warriors. Truly ishe entitled to a place in The Gate. Come, you shall see him. "

He led them to an adjoining apartment. Upon the floor were manyfresh, human bones and upon a marble slab a mass of shapelessflesh. 

"You will learn this later, " announced the old man; "but it willnot harm you to watch me now, for there are not many thusprepared, and it may be long before you will have the opportunityto see another prepared for The Gate of Enemies. First, you see, I remove all the bones, carefully that the skin may be damaged aslittle as possible. The skull is the most difficult, but it canbe removed by a skilful artist. You see, I have made but a singleopening. This I now sew up, and that done, the body is hung so, "and he fastened a piece of rope to the hair of the corpse andswung the horrid thing to a ring in the ceiling. Directly belowit was a circular manhole in the floor from which he removed thecover revealing a well partially filled with a reddish liquid. "Now we lower it into this, the formula for which you shall learnin due time. We fasten it thus to the bottom of the cover, whichwe now replace. In a year it will be ready; but it must beexamined often in the meantime and the liquid kept above thelevel of its crown. It will be a very beautiful piece, this one, when it is ready. 

"And you are fortunate again, for there is one to come outtoday. " He crossed to the opposite side of the room and raisedanother cover, reached in and dragged a grotesque looking figurefrom the hole. It was a human body, shrunk by the action of thechemical in which it had been immersed, to a little figure scarcea foot high. 

"Ey! is it not fine?" cried the little old man. "Tomorrow it willtake its place in The Gate of Enemies. " He dried it off withcloths and packed it away carefully in a basket. "Perhaps youwould like to see some of my life work, " he suggested, andwithout waiting for their assent led them to another apartment, alarge chamber in which were forty or fifty people. All weresitting or standing quietly about the walls, with the exceptionof one huge warrior who bestrode a great thoat in the very centerof the room, and all were motionless. Instantly there sprang tothe minds of Tara and Turan the rows of silent people upon thebalconies that lined the avenues of the city, and the noble arrayof mounted warriors in The Hall of Chiefs, and the sameexplanation came to both but neither dared voice the questionthat was in his mind, for fear of revealing by his ignorance thefact that they were strangers in Manator and therefore impostorsin the guise of pupils. 

"It is very wonderful, " said Turan. "It must require great skilland patience and time. "

"That it does, " replied the old man, "though having done it solong I am quicker than most; but mine are the most natural. Why, I would defy the wife of that warrior to say that insofar asappearances are concerned he does not live, " and he pointed atthe man upon the thoat. "Many of them, of course, are broughthere wasted or badly wounded and these I have to repair. That iswhere great skill is required, for everyone wants his dead tolook as they did at their best in life; but you shall learn--tomount them and paint them and repair them and sometimes to makean ugly one look beautiful. And it will be a great comfort to beable to mount your own. Why, for fifteen hundred years no one hasmounted my own dead but myself. 

"I have many, my balconies are crowded with them; but I keep agreat room for my wives. I have them all, as far back as thefirst one, and many is the evening I spend with them--quietevenings and very pleasant. And then the pleasure of preparingthem and making them even more beautiful than in life partiallyrecompenses one for their loss. I take my time with them, lookingfor a new one while I am working on the old. When I am not sureabout a new one I bring her to the chamber where my wives are, and compare her charms with theirs, and there is always a greatsatisfaction at such times in knowing that they will not object. I love harmony. "

"Did you prepare all the warriors in The Hall of Chiefs?" askedTuran. 

"Yes, I prepare them and repair them, " replied the old man. "O-Tar will trust no other. Even now I have two in another roomwho were damaged in some way and brought down to me. O-Tar doesnot like to have them gone long, since it leaves two riderlessthoats in the Hall; but I shall have them ready presently. Hewants them all there in the event any momentous question arisesupon which the living jeds cannot agree, or do not agree withO-Tar. Such questions he carries to the jeds in The Hall ofChiefs. There he shuts himself up alone with the great chiefs whohave attained wisdom through death. It is an excellent plan andthere is never any friction or misunderstandings. O-Tar has saidthat it is the finest deliberative body upon Barsoom--much moreintelligent than that composed of the living jeds. But come, wemust get to work; come into the next chamber and I will beginyour instruction. "

He led the way into the chamber in which lay the several corpsesupon their marble slabs, and going to a cabinet he donned a pairof huge spectacles and commenced to select various tools fromlittle compartments. This done he turned again toward his twopupils. 

"Now let me have a look at you, " he said. "My eyes are not whatthey once were, and I need these powerful lenses for my work, orto see distinctly the features of those around me. "

He turned his eyes upon the two before him. Turan held his breathfor he knew that now the man must discover that they wore not theharness or insignia of Manator. He had wondered before why theold fellow had not noticed it, for he had not known that he washalf blind. The other examined their faces, his eyes lingeringlong upon the beauty of Tara of Helium, and then they drifted tothe harness of the two. Turan thought that he noted anappreciable start of surprise on the part of the taxidermist, butif the old man noticed anything his next words did not reveal it. 

"Come with I-Gos, " he said to Turan, "I have materials in thenext room that I would have you fetch hither. Remain here, woman, we shall be gone but a moment. "

He led the way to one of the numerous doors opening into thechamber and entered ahead of Turan. Just inside the door hestopped, and pointing to a bundle of silks and furs upon theopposite side of the room directed Turan to fetch them. Thelatter had crossed the room and was stooping to raise the bundlewhen he heard the click of a lock behind him. Wheeling instantlyhe saw that he was alone in the room and that the single door wasclosed. Running rapidly to it he strove to open it, only to findthat he was a prisoner. 

I-Gos, stepping out and locking the door behind him, turnedtoward Tara. 

"Your leather betrayed you, " he said, laughing his cacklinglaugh. "You sought to deceive old I-Gos, but you found thatthough his eyes are weak his brain is not. But it shall not goill with you. You are beautiful and I-Gos loves beautiful women. I might not have you elsewhere in Manator, but here there is noneto deny old I-Gos. Few come to the pits of the dead--only thosewho bang the dead and they hasten away as fast as they can. Noone will know that I-Gos has a beautiful woman locked with hisdead. I shall ask you no questions and then I will not have togive you up, for I will not know to whom you belong, eh? And whenyou die I shall mount you beautifully and place you in thechamber with my other women. Will not that be fine, eh?" He hadapproached until he stood close beside the horrified girl. "Come!" he cried, seizing her by the wrist. "Come to I-Gos!"

CHAPTER XVI

ANOTHER CHANGE OF NAME

Turan dashed himself against the door of his prison in a vaineffort to break through the solid skeel to the side of Tara whomhe knew to be in grave danger, but the heavy panels held and hesucceeded only in bruising his shoulders and his arms. At last hedesisted and set about searching his prison for some other meansof escape. He found no other opening in the stone walls, but hissearch revealed a heterogeneous collection of odds and ends ofarms and apparel, of harness and ornaments and insignia, andsleeping silks and furs in great quantities. There were swordsand spears and several large, two-bladed battle-axes, the headsof which bore a striking resemblance to the propellor of a smallflier. Seizing one of these he attacked the door once more withgreat fury. He expected to hear something from I-Gos at thisruthless destruction, but no sound came to him from beyond thedoor, which was, he thought, too thick for the human voice topenetrate; but he would have wagered much that I-Gos heard him. Bits of the hard wood splintered at each impact of the heavy axe, but it was slow work and heavy. Presently he was compelled torest, and so it went for what seemed hours--working almost to theverge of exhaustion and then resting for a few minutes; but everthe hole grew larger though he could see nothing of the interiorof the room beyond because of the hanging that I-Gos had drawnacross it after he had locked Turan within. 

At last, however, the panthan had hewn an opening through whichhis body could pass, and seizing a long-sword that he had broughtclose to the door for the purpose he crawled through into thenext room. Flinging aside the arras he stood ready, sword inhand, to fight his way to the side of Tara of Helium--but she wasnot there. In the center of the room lay I-Gos, dead upon thefloor; but Tara of Helium was nowhere to be seen. 

Turan was nonplussed. It must have been her hand that had struckdown the old man, yet she had made no effort to release Turanfrom his prison. And then he thought of those last words of hers:"I do not want your love! I hate you, " and the truth dawned uponhim--she had seized upon this first opportunity to escape him. With downcast heart Turan turned away. What should he do? Therecould be but one answer. While he lived and she lived he muststill leave no stone unturned to effect her escape and safereturn to the land of her people. But how? How was he even tofind his way from this labyrinth? How was he to find her again?He walked to the nearest doorway. It chanced to be that which ledinto the room containing the mounted dead, awaitingtransportation to balcony or grim room or whatever place was toreceive them. His eyes travelled to the great, painted warrior onthe thoat and as they ran over the splendid trappings and theserviceable arms a new light came into the pain-dulled eyes ofthe panthan. With a quick step he crossed to the side of the deadwarrior and dragged him from his mount. With equal celerity hestripped him of his harness and his arms, and tearing off hisown, donned the regalia of the dead man. Then he hastened back tothe room in which he had been trapped, for there he had seen thatwhich he needed to make his disguise complete. In a cabinet hefound them--pots of paint that the old taxidermist had used toplace the war-paint in its wide bands across the cold faces ofdead warriors. 

A few moments later Gahan of Gathol emerged from the room awarrior of Manator in every detail of harness, equipment, andornamentation. He had removed from the leather of the dead manthe insignia of his house and rank so that he might pass, withthe least danger of arousing suspicion, as a common warrior. 

To search for Tara of Helium in the vast, dim labyrinth of thepits of O-Tar seemed to the Gatholian a hopeless quest, foredoomed to failure. It would be wiser to seek the streets ofManator where he might hope to learn first if she had beenrecaptured and, if not, then he could return to the pits andpursue the hunt for her. To find egress from the maze he mustperforce travel a considerable distance through the windingcorridors and chambers, since he had no idea as to the locationor direction of any exit. In fact, he could not have retraced hissteps a hundred yards toward the point at which he and Tara hadentered the gloomy caverns, and so he set out in the hope that hemight find by accident either Tara of Helium or a way to thestreet level above. 

For a time he passed room after room filled with the cunninglypreserved dead of Manator, many of which were piled in tiersafter the manner that firewood is corded, and as he moved throughcorridor and chamber he noticed hieroglyphics painted upon thewalls above every opening and at each fork or crossing ofcorridors, until by observation he reached the conclusion thatthese indicated the designations of passageways, so that one whounderstood them might travel quickly and surely through the pits;but Turan did not understand them. Even could he have read thelanguage of Manator they might not materially have aided oneunfamiliar with the city; but he could not read them at allsince, though there is but one spoken language upon Barsoom, there are as many different written languages as there arenations. One thing, however, soon became apparent to him--thehieroglyphic of a corridor remained the same until the corridorended. 

It was not long before Turan realized from the distance that hehad traveled that the pits were part of a vast systemundermining, possibly, the entire city. At least he was convincedthat he had passed beyond the precincts of the palace. Thecorridors and chambers varied in appearance and architecture fromtime to time. All were lighted, though usually quite dimly, withradium bulbs. For a long time he saw no signs of life other thanan occasional ulsio, then quite suddenly he came face to facewith a warrior at one of the numerous crossings. The fellowlooked at him, nodded, and passed on. Turan breathed a sigh ofrelief as he realized that his disguise was effective, but he wascaught in the middle of it by a hail from the warrior who hadstopped and turned toward him. The panthan was glad that a swordhung at his side, and glad too that they were buried in the dimrecesses of the pits and that there would be but a singleantagonist, for time was precious. 

"Heard you any word of the other?" called the warrior to him. 

"No, " replied Turan, who had not the faintest idea to whom orwhat the fellow referred. 

"He cannot escape, " continued the warrior. "The woman randirectly into our arms, but she swore that she knew not where hercompanion might be found. "

"They took her back to O-Tar?" asked Turan, for now he knew whomthe other meant, and he would know more. 

"They took her back to The Towers of Jetan, " replied the warrior. "Tomorrow the games commence and doubtless she will be playedfor, though I doubt if any wants her, beautiful as she is. Shefears not even O-Tar. By Cluros! but she would make a hard slaveto subdue--a regular she-banth she is. Not for me, " and hecontinued on his way shaking his head. 

Turan hurried on searching for an avenue that led to the level ofthe streets above when suddenly he came to the open doorway of asmall chamber in which sat a man who was chained to the wall. Turan voiced a low exclamation of surprise and pleasure as herecognized that the man was A-Kor, and that he had stumbled byaccident upon the very cell in which he had been imprisoned. A-Kor looked at him questioningly. It was evident that he did notrecognize his fellow prisoner. Turan crossed to the table andleaning close to the other whispered to him. 

"I am Turan the panthan, " he said, "who was chained beside you. "

A-Kor looked at him closely. "Your own mother would never knowyou!" he said; "but tell me, what has transpired since they tookyou away?"

Turan recounted his experiences in the throne room of O-Tar andin the pits beneath, "and now, " he continued, "I must find theseTowers of Jetan and see what may be done toward liberating thePrincess of Helium. "

A-Kor shook his head. "Long was I dwar of the Towers, " he said, "and I can say to you, stranger, that you might as well attemptto reduce Manator, single handed, as to rescue a prisoner fromThe Towers of Jetan. "

"But I must, " replied Turan. 

"Are you better than a good swordsman?" asked A-Kor presently. 

"I am accounted so, " replied Turan. 

"Then there is a way--sst!" he was suddenly silent and pointingtoward the base of the wall at the end of the room. 

Turan looked in the direction the other's forefinger indicated, to see projecting from the mouth of an ulsio's burrow two largechelae and a pair of protruding eyes. 

"Ghek!" he cried and immediately the hideous kaldane crawled outupon the floor and approached the table. A-Kor drew back with ahalf-stifled ejaculation of repulsion. "Do not fear, " Turanreassured him. "It is my friend--he whom I told you held O-Tarwhile Tara and I escaped. "

Ghek climbed to the table top and squatted between the twowarriors. "You are safe in assuming, " he said addressing A-Kor, "that Turan the panthan has no master in all Manator where theart of sword-play is concerned. I overheard your conversation--goon. "

"You are his friend, " continued A-Kor, "and so I may explainsafely in your presence the only plan I know whereby he may hopeto rescue the Princess of Helium. She is to be the stake of oneof the games and it is O-Tar's desire that she be won by slavesand common warriors, since she repulsed him. Thus would he punishher. Not a single man, but all who survive upon the winning sideare to possess her. With money, however, one may buy off theothers before the game. That you could do, and if your side wonand you survived she would become your slave. "

"But how may a stranger and a hunted fugitive accomplish this?"asked Turan. 

"No one will recognize you. You will go tomorrow to the keeper ofthe Towers and enlist in that game for which the girl is to bethe stake, telling the keeper that you are from Manataj, thefarthest city of Manator. If he questions you, you may say thatyou saw her when she was brought into the city after her capture. If you win her, you will find thoats stabled at my palace and youwill carry from me a token that will place all that is mine atyour disposal. "

"But how can I buy off the others in the game without money?"asked Turan. "I have none--not even of my own country. "

A-Kor opened his pocket-pouch and drew forth a packet ofManatorian money. 

"Here is sufficient to buy them off twice over, " he said, handinga portion of it to Turan. 

"But why do you do this for a stranger?" asked the panthan. 

"My mother was a captive princess here, " replied A-Kor. "I but dofor the Princess of Helium what my mother would have me do. "

"Under the circumstances, then, Manatorian, " replied Turan, "Icannot but accept your generosity on behalf of Tara of Helium andlive in hope that some day I may do for you something in return. "

"Now you must be gone, " advised A-Kor. "At any minute a guard maycome and discover you here. Go directly to the Avenue of Gates, which circles the city just within the outer wall. There you willfind many places devoted to the lodging of strangers. You willknow them by the thoat's head carved above the doors. Say thatyou are here from Manataj to witness the games. Take the name ofU-Kal--it will arouse no suspicion, nor will you if you can avoidconversation. Early in the morning seek the keeper of The Towersof Jetan. May the strength and fortune of all your ancestors bewith you!"

Bidding good-bye to Ghek and A-Kor, the panthan, followingdirections given him by A-Kor, set out to find his way to theAvenue of Gates, nor had he any great difficulty. On the way hemet several warriors, but beyond a nod they gave him no heed. With ease he found a lodging place where there were manystrangers from other cities of Manator. As he had had no sleepsince the previous night he threw himself among the silks andfurs of his couch to gain the rest which he must have, was he togive the best possible account of himself in the service of Taraof Helium the following day. 

It was already morning when he awoke, and rising he paid for hislodgings, sought a place to eat, and a short time later was onhis way toward The Towers of Jetan, which he had no difficulty infinding owing to the great crowds that were winding along theavenues toward the games. The new keeper of The Towers who hadsucceeded E-Med was too busy to scrutinize entries closely, forin addition to the many volunteer players there were scores ofslaves and prisoners being forced into the games by their ownersor the government. The name of each must be recorded as well asthe position he was to play and the game or games in which he wasto be entered, and then there were the substitutes for each thatwas entered in more than a single game--one for each additionalgame that an individual was entered for, that no succeeding gamemight be delayed by the death or disablement of a player. 

"Your name?" asked a clerk as Turan presented himself. 

"U-Kal, " replied the panthan. 

"Your city?"

"Manataj. "

The keeper, who was standing beside the clerk, looked at Turan. "You have come a great way to play at jetan, " he said. "It isseldom that the men of Manataj attend other than the decennialgames. Tell me of O-Zar! Will he attend next year? Ah, but he wasa noble fighter. If you be half the swordsman, U-Kal, the fame ofManataj will increase this day. But tell me, what of O-Zar?"

"He is well, " replied Turan, glibly, "and he sent greetings tohis friends in Manator. "

"Good!" exclaimed the keeper, "and now in what game would youenter?"

"I would play for the Heliumetic princess, Tara, " replied Turan. 

"But man, she is to be the stake of a game for slaves andcriminals, " cried the keeper. "You would not volunteer for such agame!"

"But I would, " replied Turan. "I saw here when she was broughtinto the city and even then I vowed to possess her. "

"But you will have to share her with the survivors even if yourcolor wins, " objected the other. 

"They may be brought to reason, " insisted Turan. 

"And you will chance incurring the wrath of O-Tar, who has nolove for this savage barbarian, " explained the keeper. 

"And I win her O-Tar will be rid of her, " said Turan. 

The keeper of The Towers of Jetan shook his head. "You are rash, "he said. "I would that I might dissuade the friend of my friendO-Zar from such madness. "

"Would you favor the friend of O-Zar?" asked Turan. 

"Gladly!" exclaimed the other. "What may I do for him?"

"Make me chief of the Black and give me for my pieces all slavesfrom Gathol, for I understand that those be excellent warriors, "replied the panthan. 

"It is a strange request, " said the keeper, "but for my friendO-Zar I would do even more, though of course--" hehesitated--"it is customary for one who would be chief to makesome slight payment. "

"Certainly, " Turan hastened to assure him; "I had not forgottenthat. I was about to ask you what the customary amount is. "

"For the friend of my friend it shall be nominal, " replied thekeeper, naming a figure that Gahan, accustomed to the high priceof wealthy Gathol, thought ridiculously low. 

"Tell me, " he said, handing the money to the keeper, "when thegame for the Heliumite is to be played. "

"It is the second in order of the day's games; and now if youwill come with me you may select your pieces. "

Turan followed the keeper to a large court which lay between thetowers and the jetan field, where hundreds of warriors wereassembled. Already chiefs for the games of the day were selectingtheir pieces and assigning them to positions, though for theprincipal games these matters had been arranged for weeks before. The keeper led Turan to a part of the courtyard where themajority of the slaves were assembled. 

"Take your choice of those not assigned, " said the keeper, "andwhen you have your quota conduct them to the field. Your placewill be assigned you by an officer there, and there you willremain with your pieces until the second game is called. I wishyou luck, U-Kal, though from what I have heard you will be morelucky to lose than to win the slave from Helium. "

After the fellow had departed Turan approached the slaves. "Iseek the best swordsmen for the second game, " he announced. "Menfrom Gathol I wish, for I have heard that these be noblefighters. "

A slave rose and approached him. "It is all the same in whichgame we die, " he said. "I would fight for you as a panthan in thesecond game. "

Another came. "I am not from Gathol, " he said. "I am from Helium, and I would fight for the honor of a princess of Helium. "

"Good!" exclaimed Turan. "Art a swordsman of repute in Helium?"

"I was a dwar under the great Warlord, and I have fought at hisside in a score of battles from The Golden Cliffs to The CarrionCaves. My name is Val Dor. Who knows Helium, knows my prowess. "

The name was well known to Gahan, who had heard the man spoken ofon his last visit to Helium, and his mysterious disappearancediscussed as well as his renown as a fighter. 

"How could I know aught of Helium?" asked Turan; "but if you besuch a fighter as you say no position could suit you better thanthat of Flier. What say you?"

The man's eyes denoted sudden surprise. He looked keenly atTuran, his eyes running quickly over the other's harness. Then hestepped quite close so that his words might not be overheard. 

"Methinks you may know more of Helium than of Manator, " hewhispered. 

"What mean you, fellow?" demanded Turan, seeking to cudgel hisbrains for the source of this man's knowledge, guess, orinspiration. 

"I mean, " replied Val Dor, "that you are not of Manator and thatif you wish to hide the fact it is well that you speak not to aManatorian as you did just speak to me of--Fliers! There be noFliers in Manator and no piece in their game of Jetan bearingthat name. Instead they call him who stands next to the Chief orPrincess, Odwar. The piece has the same moves and power that theFlier has in the game as played outside Manator. Remember thisthen and remember, too, that if you have a secret it be safe inthe keeping of Val Dor of Helium. "

Turan made no reply but turned to the task of selecting theremainder of his pieces. Val Dor, the Heliumite, and Floran, thevolunteer from Gathol, were of great assistance to him, since oneor the other of them knew most of the slaves from whom hisselection was to be made. The pieces all chosen, Turan led themto the place beside the playing field where they were to waittheir turn, and here he passed the word around that they were tofight for more than the stake he offered for the princess shouldthey win. This stake they accepted, so that Turan was sure ofpossessing Tara if his side was victorious, but he knew thatthese men would fight even more valorously for chivalry than formoney, nor was it difficult to enlist the interest even of theGatholians in the service of the princess. And now he held outthe possibility of a still further reward. 

"I cannot promise you, " he explained, "but I may say I have heardthat this day which makes it possible that should we win thisgame we may even win your freedom!"

They leaped to their feet and crowded around him with manyquestions. 

"It may not be spoken of aloud, " he said; "but Floran and Val Dorknow and they assure me that you may all be trusted. Listen! WhatI would tell you places my life in your hands, but you must knowthat every man will realize that he is fighting today thegreatest battle of his life--for the honor and the freedom ofBarsoom's most wondrous princess and for his own freedom aswell--for the chance to return each to his own country and to thewoman who awaits him there. 

"First, then, is my secret. I am not of Manator. Like yourselvesI am a slave, though for the moment disguised as a Manatorianfrom Manataj. My country and my identity must remain undisclosedfor reasons that have no bearing upon our game today. I, then, amone of you. I fight for the same things that you will fight for. 

"And now for that which I have but just learned. U-Thor, thegreat jed of Manatos, quarreled with O-Tar in the palace the daybefore yesterday and their warriors set upon one another. U-Thorwas driven as far as The Gate of Enemies, where he now liesencamped. At any moment the fight may be renewed; but it isthought that U-Thor has sent to Manatos for reinforcements. Now, men of Gathol, here is the thing that interests you. U-Thor hasrecently taken to wife the Princess Haja of Gathol, who was slaveto O-Tar and whose son, A-Kor, was dwar of The Towers of Jetan. Haja's heart is filled with loyalty for Gathol and compassion forher sons who are here enslaved, and this latter sentiment she hasto some extent transmitted to U-Thor. Aid me, therefore, infreeing the Princess Tara of Helium and I believe that I can aidyou and her and myself to escape the city. Bend close your ears, slaves of O-Tar, that no cruel enemy may hear my words, " andGahan of Gathol whispered in low tones the daring plan he hadconceived. "And now, " he demanded, when he had finished, "let himwho does not dare speak now. " None replied. "Is there none?"

"And it would not betray you should I cast my sword at thy feet, it had been done ere this, " said one in low tones pregnant withsuppressed feeling. 

"And I!" "And I!" "And I!" chorused the others in vibrantwhispers. 

CHAPTER XVII

A PLAY TO THE DEATH

Clear and sweet a trumpet spoke across The Fields of Jetan. FromThe High Tower its cool voice floated across the city of Manatorand above the babel of human discords rising from the crowdedmass that filled the seats of the stadium below. It called theplayers for the first game, and simultaneously there fluttered tothe peaks of a thousand staffs on tower and battlement and thegreat wall of the stadium the rich, gay pennons of the fightingchiefs of Manator. Thus was marked the opening of The Jeddak'sGames, the most important of the year and second only to theGrand Decennial Games. 

Gahan of Gathol watched every play with eagle eye. The match wasan unimportant one, being but to settle some petty disputebetween two chiefs, and was played with professional jetanplayers for points only. No one was killed and there was butlittle blood spilled. It lasted about an hour and was terminatedby the chief of the losing side deliberately permitting himselfto be out-pointed, that the game might be called a draw. 

Again the trumpet sounded, this time announcing the second andlast game of the afternoon. While this was not considered animportant match, those being reserved for the fourth and fifthdays of the games, it promised to afford sufficient excitementsince it was a game to the death. The vital difference betweenthe game played with living men and that in which inanimatepieces are used, lies in the fact that while in the latter themere placing of a piece upon a square occupied by an opponentpiece terminates the move, in the former the two pieces thusbrought together engage in a duel for possession of the square. Therefore there enters into the former game not only the strategyof jetan but the personal prowess and bravery of each individualpiece, so that a knowledge not only of one's own men but of eachplayer upon the opposing side is of vast value to a chief. 

In this respect was Gahan handicapped, though the loyalty of hisplayers did much to offset his ignorance of them, since theyaided him in arranging the board to the best advantage and toldhim honestly the faults and virtues of each. One fought best in alosing game; another was too slow; another too impetuous; thisone had fire and a heart of steel, but lacked endurance. Of theopponents, though, they knew little or nothing, and now as thetwo sides took their places upon the black and orange squares ofthe great jetan board Gahan obtained, for the first time, a closeview of those who opposed him. The Orange Chief had not yetentered the field, but his men were all in place. Val Dor turnedto Gahan. "They are all criminals from the pits of Manator, " hesaid. "There is no slave among them. We shall not have to fightagainst a single fellow-countryman and every life we take will bethe life of an enemy. "

"It is well, " replied Gahan; "but where is their Chief, and wherethe two Princesses?"

"They are coming now, see?" and he pointed across the field towhere two women could be seen approaching under guard. 

As they came nearer Gahan saw that one was indeed Tara of Helium, but the other he did not recognize, and then they were brought tothe center of the field midway between the two sides and therewaited until the Orange Chief arrived. 

Floran voiced an exclamation of surprise when he recognized him. "By my first ancestor if it is not one of their great chiefs, " hesaid, "and we were told that slaves and criminals were to playfor the stake of this game. "

His words were interrupted by the keeper of The Towers whose dutyit was not only to announce the games and the stakes, but to actas referee as well. 

"Of this, the second game of the first day of the Jeddak's Gamesin the four hundred and thirty-third year of O-Tar, Jeddak ofManator, the Princesses of each side shall be the sole stakes andto the survivors of the winning side shall belong both thePrincesses, to do with as they shall see fit. The Orange Princessis the slave woman Lan-O of Gathol; the Black Princess is theslave woman Tara, a princess of Helium. The Black Chief is U-Kalof Manataj, a volunteer player; the Orange Chief is the dwarU-Dor of the 8th Utan of the jeddak of Manator, also a volunteerplayer. The squares shall be contested to the death. Just are thelaws of Manator! I have spoken. "

The initial move was won by U-Dor, following which the two Chiefsescorted their respective Princesses to the square each was tooccupy. It was the first time Gahan had been alone with Tarasince she had been brought upon the field. He saw herscrutinizing him closely as he approached to lead her to herplace and wondered if she recognized him: but if she did she gaveno sign of it. He could not but remember her last words--"I hateyou!" and her desertion of him when he had been locked in theroom beneath the palace by I-Gos, the taxidermist, and so he didnot seek to enlighten her as to his identity. He meant to fightfor her--to die for her, if necessary--and if he did not die togo on fighting to the end for her love. Gahan of Gathol was noteasily to be discouraged, but he was compelled to admit that hischances of winning the love of Tara of Helium were remote. Already had she repulsed him twice. Once as jed of Gathol andagain as Turan the panthan. Before his love, however, came hersafety and the former must be relegated to the background untilthe latter had been achieved. 

Passing among the players already at their stations the two tooktheir places upon their respective squares. At Tara's left wasthe Black Chief, Gahan of Gathol; directly in front of her thePrincess' Panthan, Floran of Gathol; and at her right thePrincess' Odwar, Val Dor of Helium. And each of these knew thepart that he was to play, win or lose, as did each of the otherBlack players. As Tara took her place Val Dor bowed low. "Mysword is at your feet, Tara of Helium, " he said. 

She turned and looked at him, an expression of surprise andincredulity upon her face. "Val Dor, the dwar!" she exclaimed. "Val Dor of Helium--one of my father's trusted captains! Can itbe possible that my eyes speak the truth?"

"It is Val Dor, Princess, " the warrior replied, "and here to diefor you if need be, as is every wearer of the Black upon thisfield of jetan today. Know Princess, " he whispered, "that uponthis side is no man of Manator, but each and every is an enemy ofManator. "

She cast a quick, meaning glance toward Gahan. "But what of him?"she whispered, and then she caught her breath quickly insurprise. "Shade of the first jeddak!" she exclaimed. "I did butjust recognize him through his disguise. "

"And you trust him?" asked Val Dor. "I know him not; but he spokefairly, as an honorable warrior, and we have taken him at hisword. "

"You have made no mistake, " replied Tara of Helium. "I wouldtrust him with my life--with my soul; and you, too, may trusthim. "

Happy indeed would have been Gahan of Gathol could he have heardthose words; but Fate, who is usually unkind to the lover in suchmatters, ordained it otherwise, and then the game was on. 

U-Dor moved his Princess' Odwar three squares diagonally to theright, which placed the piece upon the Black Chief's Odwar'sseventh. The move was indicative of the game that U-Dor intendedplaying--a game of blood, rather than of science--and evidencedhis contempt for his opponents. 

Gahan followed with his Odwar's Panthan one square straightforward, a more scientific move, which opened up an avenue forhimself through his line of Panthans, as well as announcing tothe players and spectators that he intended having a hand in thefighting himself even before the exigencies of the game forced itupon him. The move elicited a ripple of applause from thosesections of seats reserved for the common warriors and theirwomen, showing perhaps that U-Dor was none too popular withthese, and, too, it had its effect upon the morale of Gahan'spieces. A Chief may, and often does, play almost an entire gamewithout leaving his own square, where, mounted upon a thoat, hemay overlook the entire field and direct each move, nor may he bereproached for lack of courage should he elect thus to play thegame since, by the rules, were he to be slain or so badly woundedas to be compelled to withdraw, a game that might otherwise havebeen won by the science of his play and the prowess of his menwould be drawn. To invite personal combat, therefore, denotesconfidence in his own swordsmanship, and great courage, twoattributes that were calculated to fill the Black players withhope and valor when evinced by their Chief thus early in thegame. 

U-Dor's next move placed Lan-O's Odwar upon Tara's Odwar'sfourth--within striking distance of the Black Princess. 

Another move and the game would be lost to Gahan unless theOrange Odwar was overthrown, or Tara moved to a position ofsafety; but to move his Princess now would be to admit his beliefin the superiority of the Orange. In the three squares allowedhim he could not place himself squarely upon the square occupiedby the Odwar of U-Dor's Princess. There was only one player uponthe Black side that might dispute the square with the enemy andthat was the Chief's Odwar, who stood upon Gahan's left. Gahanturned upon his thoat and looked at the man. He was a splendidlooking fellow, resplendent in the gorgeous trappings of anOdwar, the five brilliant feathers which denoted his positionrising defiantly erect from his thick, black hair. In common withevery player upon the field and every spectator in the crowdedstands he knew what was passing in his Chief's mind. He dared notspeak, the ethics of the game forbade it, but what his lips mightnot voice his eyes expressed in martial fire, and eloquently:"The honor of the Black and the safety of our Princess are securewith me!"

Gahan hesitated no longer. "Chief's Odwar to Princess' Odwar'sfourth!" he commanded. It was the courageous move of a leader whohad taken up the gauntlet thrown down by his opponent. 

The warrior sprang forward and leaped into the square occupied byU-Dor's piece. It was the first disputed square of the game. Theeyes of the players were fastened upon the contestants, thespectators leaned forward in their seats after the first applausethat had greeted the move, and silence fell upon the vastassemblage. If the Black went down to defeat, U-Dor could movehis victorious piece on to the square occupied by Tara of Heliumand the game would be over--over in four moves and lost to Gahanof Gathol. If the Orange lost U-Dor would have sacrificed one ofhis most important pieces and more than lost what advantage thefirst move might have given him. 

Physically the two men appeared perfectly matched and each wasfighting for his life, but from the first it was apparent thatthe Black Odwar was the better swordsman, and Gahan knew that hehad another and perhaps a greater advantage over his antagonist. The latter was fighting for his life only, without the spur ofchivalry or loyalty. The Black Odwar had these to strengthen hisarm, and besides these the knowledge of the thing that Gahan hadwhispered into the ears of his players before the game, and so hefought for what is more than life to the man of honor. 

It was a duel that held those who witnessed it in spellboundsilence. The weaving blades gleamed in the brilliant sunlight, ringing to the parries of cut and thrust. The barbaric harness ofthe duelists lent splendid color to the savage, martial scene. The Orange Odwar, forced upon the defensive, was fighting madlyfor his life. The Black, with cool and terrible efficiency, wasforcing him steadily, step by step, into a corner of thesquare--a position from which there could be no escape. Toabandon the square was to lose it to his opponent and win forhimself ignoble and immediate death before the jeering populace. Spurred on by the seeming hopelessness of his plight, the OrangeOdwar burst into a sudden fury of offense that forced the Blackback a half dozen steps, and then the sword of U-Dor's pieceleaped in and drew first blood, from the shoulder of hismerciless opponent. An ill-smothered cry of encouragement went upfrom U-Dor's men; the Orange Odwar, encouraged by his singlesuccess, sought to bear down the Black by the rapidity of hisattack. There was a moment in which the swords moved with arapidity that no man's eye might follow, and then the Black Odwarmade a lightning parry of a vicious thrust, leaned quicklyforward into the opening he had effected, and drove his swordthrough the heart of the Orange Odwar--to the hilt he drove itthrough the body of the Orange Odwar. 

A shout arose from the stands, for wherever may have been thefavor of the spectators, none there was who could say that it hadnot been a pretty fight, or that the better man had not won. Andfrom the Black players came a sigh of relief as they relaxed fromthe tension of the past moments. 

I shall not weary you with the details of the game--only the highfeatures of it are necessary to your understanding of theoutcome. The fourth move after the victory of the Black Odwarfound Gahan upon U-Dor's fourth; an Orange Panthan was on theadjoining square diagonally to his right and the only opposingpiece that could engage him other than U-Dor himself. 

It had been apparent to both players and spectators for the pasttwo moves, that Gahan was moving straight across the field intothe enemy's country to seek personal combat with the OrangeChief--that he was staking all upon his belief in the superiorityof his own swordsmanship, since if the two Chiefs engage, theoutcome decides the game. U-Dor could move out and engage Gahan, or he could move his Princess' Panthan upon the square occupiedby Gahan in he hope that the former would defeat the Black Chiefand thus draw the game, which is the outcome if any other than aChief slays the opposing Chief, or he could move away and escape, temporarily, the necessity for personal combat, or at least thatis evidently what he had in mind as was obvious to all who sawhim scanning the board about him; and his disappointment wasapparent when he finally discovered that Gahan had so placedhimself that there was no square to which U-Dor could move thatit was not within Gahan's power to reach at his own next move. 

U-Dor had placed his own Princess four squares east of Gahan whenher position had been threatened, and he had hoped to lure theBlack Chief after her and away from U-Dor; but in that he hadfailed. He now discovered that he might play his own Odwar intopersonal combat with Gahan; but he had already lost one Odwar andcould ill spare the other. His position was a delicate one, sincehe did not wish to engage Gahan personally, while it appearedthat there was little likelihood of his being able to escape. There was just one hope and that lay in his Princess' Panthan, so, without more deliberation he ordered the piece onto thesquare occupied by the Black Chief. 

The sympathies of the spectators were all with Gahan now. If helost, the game would be declared a draw, nor do they think betterof drawn games upon Barsoom than do Earth men. If he won, itwould doubtless mean a duel between the two Chiefs, a developmentfor which they all were hoping. The game already bade fair to bea short one and it would be an angry crowd should it be decided adraw with only two men slain. There were great, historic games onrecord where of the forty pieces on the field when the gameopened only three survived--the two Princesses and the victoriousChief. 

They blamed U-Dor, though in fact he was well within his rightsin directing his play as he saw fit, nor was a refusal on hispart to engage the Black Chief necessarily an imputation ofcowardice. He was a great chief who had conceived a notion topossess the slave Tara. There was no honor that could accrue tohim from engaging in combat with slaves and criminals, or anunknown warrior from Manataj, nor was the stake of sufficientimport to warrant the risk. 

But now the duel between Gahan and the Orange Panthan was on andthe decision of the next move was no longer in other hands thantheirs. It was the first time that these Manatorians had seenGahan of Gathol fight, but Tara of Helium knew that he was masterof his sword. Could he have seen the proud light in her eyes ashe crossed blades with the wearer of the Orange, he might easilyhave wondered if they were the same eyes that had flashed fireand hatred at him that time he had covered her lips with madkisses, in the pits of the palace of O-Tar. As she watched himshe could not but compare his swordplay with that of the greatestswordsman of two worlds--her father, John Carter, of Virginia, aPrince of Helium, Warlord of Barsoom--and she knew that the skillof the Black Chief suffered little by the comparison. 

Short and to the point was the duel that decided possession ofthe Orange Chief's fourth. The spectators had settled themselvesfor an interesting engagement of at least average duration whenthey were brought almost standing by a brilliant flash of rapidswordplay that was over ere one could catch his breath. They sawthe Black Chief step quickly back, his point upon the ground, while his opponent, his sword slipping from his fingers, clutchedhis breast, sank to his knees and then lunged forward upon hisface. 

And then Gahan of Gathol turned his eyes directly upon U-Dor ofManator, three squares away. Three squares is a Chief'smove--three squares in any direction or combination ofdirections, only provided that he does not cross the same squaretwice in a given move. The people saw and guessed Gahan'sintention. They rose and roared forth their approval as he moveddeliberately across the intervening squares toward the OrangeChief. 

O-Tar, in the royal enclosure, sat frowning upon the scene. O-Tarwas angry. He was angry with U-Dor for having entered this gamefor possession of a slave, for whom it had been his wish onlyslaves and criminals should strive. He was angry with the warriorfrom Manataj for having so far out-generaled and out-fought themen from Manator. He was angry with the populace because of theiropen hostility toward one who had basked in the sunshine of hisfavor for long years. O-Tar the jeddak had not enjoyed theafternoon. Those who surrounded him were equally glum--they, too, scowled upon the field, the players, and the people. Among themwas a bent and wrinkled old man who gazed through weak and wateryeyes upon the field and the players. 

As Gahan entered his square, U-Dor leaped toward him with drawnsword with such fury as might have overborne a less skilled andpowerful swordsman. For a minute the fighting was fast andfurious and by comparison reducing to insignificance all that hadgone before. Here indeed were two magnificent swordsmen, and herewas to be a battle that bade fair to make up for whatever thepeople felt they had been defrauded of by the shortness of thegame. Nor had it continued long before many there were who wouldhave prophesied that they were witnessing a duel that was tobecome historic in the annals of jetan at Manator. Every trick, every subterfuge, known to the art of fence these men employed. Time and again each scored a point and brought blood to hisopponent's copper hide until both were red with gore; but neitherseemed able to administer the coup de grace. 

From her position upon the opposite side of the field Tara ofHelium watched the long-drawn battle. Always it seemed to herthat the Black Chief fought upon the defensive, or when heassumed to push his opponent, he neglected a thousand openingsthat her practiced eye beheld. Never did he seem in real danger, nor never did he appear to exert himself to quite the pitchneedful for victory. The duel already had been long contested andthe day was drawing to a close. Presently the sudden transitionfrom daylight to darkness which, owing to the tenuity of the airupon Barsoom, occurs almost without the warning twilight ofEarth, would occur. Would the fight never end? Would the game becalled a draw after all? What ailed the Black Chief?

Tara wished that she might answer at least the last of thesequestions for she was sure that Turan the panthan, as she knewhim, while fighting brilliantly, was not giving of himself allthat he might. She could not believe that fear was restraininghis hand, but that there was something beside inability to pushU-Dor more fiercely she was confident. What it was, however, shecould not guess. 

Once she saw Gahan glance quickly up toward the sinking sun. Inthirty minutes it would be dark. And then she saw and all thoseothers saw a strange transition steal over the swordplay of theBlack Chief. It was as though he had been playing with the greatdwar, U-Dor, all these hours, and now he still played with himbut there was a difference. He played with him terribly as acarnivore plays with its victim in the instant before the kill. The Orange Chief was helpless now in the hands of a swordsman sosuperior that there could be no comparison, and the people sat inopen-mouthed wonder and awe as Gahan of Gathol cut his foe toribbons and then struck him down with a blow that cleft him tothe chin. 

In twenty minutes the sun would set. But what of that?

CHAPTER XVIII

A TASK FOR LOYALTY

Long and loud was the applause that rose above the Field of Jetanat Manator, as The Keeper of the Towers summoned the twoPrincesses and the victorious Chief to the center of the fieldand presented to the latter the fruits of his prowess, and then, as custom demanded, the victorious players, headed by Gahan andthe two Princesses, formed in procession behind The Keeper of theTowers and were conducted to the place of victory before theroyal enclosure that they might receive the commendation of thejeddak. Those who were mounted gave up their thoats to slaves asall must be on foot for this ceremony. Directly beneath the royalenclosure are the gates to one of the tunnels that, passingbeneath the seats, give ingress or egress to or from the Field. Before this gate the party halted while O-Tar looked down uponthem from above. Val Dor and Floran, passing quietly ahead of theothers, went directly to the gates, where they were hidden fromthose who occupied the enclosure with O-Tar. The Keeper of theTowers may have noticed them, but so occupied was he with theformality of presenting the victorious Chief to the jeddak thathe paid no attention to them. 

"I bring you, O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator, U-Kal of Manataj, " hecried in a loud voice that might be heard by as many as possible, "victor over the Orange in the second of the Jeddak's Games ofthe four hundred and thirty-third year of O-Tar, and the slavewoman Tara and the slave woman Lan-O that you may bestow these, the stakes, upon U-Kal. "

As he spoke, a little, wrinkled, old man peered over the rail ofthe enclosure down upon the three who stood directly behind TheKeeper, and strained his weak and watery eyes in an effort tosatisfy the curiosity of old age in a matter of no particularimport, for what were two slaves and a common warrior fromManataj to any who sat with O-Tar the jeddak?

"U-Kal of Manataj, " said O-Tar, "you have deserved the stakes. Seldom have we looked upon more noble swordplay. And you tire ofManataj there be always here in the city of Manator a place foryou in The Jeddak's Guard. "

While the jeddak was speaking the little, old man, failingclearly to discern the features of the Black Chief, reached intohis pocket-pouch and drew forth a pair of thick-lensedspectacles, which he placed upon his nose. For a moment hescrutinized Gahan closely, then he leaped to his feet andaddressing O-Tar pointed a shaking finger it Gahan. As he roseTara of Helium clutched the Black Chief's arm. 

"Turan!" she whispered. "It is I-Gos, whom I thought to haveslain in the pits of O-Tar. It is I-Gos and he recognizes you andwill--"

But what I-Gos would do was already transpiring. In his falsettovoice he fairly screamed: "It is the slave Turan who stole thewoman Tara from your throne room, O-Tar. He desecrated the deadchief I-Mal and wears his harness now!"

Instantly all was pandemonium. Warriors drew their swords andleaped to their feet. Gahan's victorious players rushed forwardin a body, sweeping The Keeper of the Towers from his feet. ValDor and Floran threw open the gates beneath the royal enclosure, opening the tunnel that led to the avenue in the city beyond theTowers. Gahan, surrounded by his men, drew Tara and Lan-O intothe passageway, and at a rapid pace the party sought to reach theopposite end of the tunnel before their escape could be cut off. They were successful and when they emerged into the city the sunhad set and darkness had come, relieved only by an antiquated andineffective lighting system, which cast but a pale glow over theshadowy streets. 

Now it was that Tara of Helium guessed why the Black Chief haddrawn out his duel with U-Dor and realized that he might haveslain his man at almost any moment he had elected. The whole planthat Gahan had whispered to his players before the game wasthoroughly understood. They were to make their way to The Gate ofEnemies and there offer their services to U-Thor, the great Jedof Manatos. The fact that most of them were Gatholians and thatGahan could lead rescuers to the pit where A-Kor, the son ofU-Thor's wife, was confined, convinced the Jed of Gathol thatthey would meet with no rebuff at the hands of U-Thor. But evenshould he refuse them, still were they bound together to go ontoward freedom, if necessary cutting their way through the forcesof U-Thor at The Gate of Enemies--twenty men against a smallarmy; but of such stuff are the warriors of Barsoom. 

They had covered a considerable distance along the almostdeserted avenue before signs of pursuit developed and then therecame upon them suddenly from behind a dozen warriors mounted onthoats--a detachment, evidently, from The Jeddak's Guard. Instantly the avenue was a pandemonium of clashing blades, cursing warriors, and squealing thoats. In the first onslaughtlife blood was spilled upon both sides. Two of Gahan's men wentdown, and upon the enemies' side three riderless thoats attestedat least a portion of their casualties. 

Gahan was engaged with a fellow who appeared to have beenselected to account for him only, since he rode straight for himand sought to cut him down without giving the slightest heed toseveral who slashed at him as he passed them. The Gatholian, practiced in the art of combating a mounted warrior from theground, sought to reach the left side of the fellow's thoat alittle to the rider's rear, the only position in which he wouldhave any advantage over his antagonist, or rather the positionthat would most greatly reduce the advantage of the mounted man, and, similarly, the Manatorian strove to thwart his design. Andso the guardsman wheeled and turned his vicious, angry mountwhile Gahan leaped in and out in an effort to reach the covetedvantage point, but always seeking some other opening in his foe'sdefense. 

And while they jockeyed for position a rider swept swiftly pastthem. As he passed behind Gahan the latter heard a cry of alarm. 

"Turan, they have me!" came to his ears in the voice of Tara ofHelium. 

A quick glance across his shoulder showed him the gallopingthoatman in the act of dragging Tara to the withers of the beast, and then, with the fury of a demon, Gahan of Gathol leaped forhis own man, dragged him from his mount and as he fell smote hishead from his shoulders with a single cut of his keen sword. Scarce had the body touched the pavement when the Gatholian wasupon the back of the dead warrior's mount, and galloping swiftlydown the avenue after the diminishing figures of Tara and herabductor, the sounds of the fight waning in the distance as hepursued his quarry along the avenue that passes the palace ofO-Tar and leads to The Gate of Enemies. 

Gahan's mount, carrying but a single rider, gained upon that ofthe Manatorian, so that as they neared the palace Gahan wasscarce a hundred yards behind, and now, to his consternation, hesaw the fellow turn into the great entrance-way. For a momentonly was he halted by the guards and then he disappeared within. Gahan was almost upon him then, but evidently he had warned theguards, for they leaped out to intercept the Gatholian. But no!the fellow could not have known that he was pursued, since he hadnot seen Gahan seize a mount, nor would he have thought thatpursuit would come so soon. If he had passed then, so could Gahanpass, for did he not wear the trappings of a Manatorian? TheGatholian thought quickly, and stopping his thoat called to theguardsmen to let him pass, "In the name of O-Tar!" They hesitateda moment. 

"Aside!" cried Gahan. "Must the jeddak's messenger parley for theright to deliver his message?"

"To whom would you deliver it?" asked the padwar of the guard. 

"Saw you not him who just entered?" cried Gahan, and withoutwaiting for a reply urged his thoat straight past them into thepalace, and while they were deliberating what was best to bedone, it was too late to do anything--which is not unusual. 

Along the marble corridors Gahan guided his thoat, and because hehad gone that way before, rather than because he knew which wayTara had been taken, he followed the runways and passed throughthe chambers that led to the throne room of O-Tar. On the secondlevel he met a slave. 

"Which way went he who carried the woman before him?" he asked. 

The slave pointed toward a nearby runway that led to the thirdlevel and Gahan dashed rapidly on in pursuit. At the same momenta thoatman, riding at a furious pace, approached the palace andhalted his mount at the gate. 

"Saw you aught of a warrior pursuing one who carried a womanbefore him on his thoat?" he shouted to the guard. 

"He but just passed in, " replied the padwar, "saying that he wasO-Tar's messenger. "

"He lied, " cried the newcomer. "He was Turan, the slave, whostole the woman from the throne room two days since. Arousethe palace! He must be seized, and alive if possible. It isO-Tar's command. "

Instantly warriors were dispatched to search for the Gatholianand warn the inmates of the palace to do likewise. Owing to thegames there were comparatively few retainers in the greatbuilding, but those whom they found were immediately enlisted inthe search, so that presently at least fifty warriors wereseeking through the countless chambers and corridors of thepalace of O-Tar. 

As Gahan's thoat bore him to the third Level the man glimpsed thehind quarters of another thoat disappearing at the turn of acorridor far ahead. Urging his own animal forward he racedswiftly in pursuit and making the turn discovered only an emptycorridor ahead. Along this he hurried to discover near itsfarther end a runway to the fourth level, which he followedupward. Here he saw that he had gained upon his quarry who wasjust turning through a doorway fifty yards ahead. As Gahanreached the opening he saw that the warrior had dismounted andwas dragging Tara toward a small door on the opposite side of thechamber. At the same instant the clank of harness to his rearcaused him to cast a glance behind where, along the corridor hehad just traversed, he saw three warriors approaching on foot ata run. Leaping from his thoat Gahan sprang into the chamber whereTara was struggling to free herself from the grasp of her captor, slammed the door behind him, shot the great bolt into its seat, and drawing his sword crossed the room at a run to engage theManatorian. The fellow, thus menaced, called aloud to Gahan tohalt, at the same time thrusting Tara at arm's length andthreatening her heart with the point of his short-sword. 

"Stay!" he cried, "or the woman dies, for such is the command ofO-Tar, rather than that she again fall into your hands. "

Gahan stopped. But a few feet separated him from Tara and hercaptor, yet he was helpless to aid her. Slowly the warrior backedtoward the open doorway behind him, dragging Tara with him. Thegirl struggled and fought, but the warrior was a powerful man andhaving seized her by the harness from behind was able to hold herin a position of helplessness. 

"Save me, Turan!" she cried. "Let them not drag me to a fateworse than death. Better that I die now while my eyes behold abrave friend than later, fighting alone among enemies in defenseof my honor. "

He took a step nearer. The warrior made a threatening gesturewith his sword close to the soft, smooth skin of the princess, and Gahan halted. 

"I cannot, Tara of Helium, " he cried. "Think not ill of me that Iam weak--that I cannot see you die. Too great is my love for you, daughter of Helium. "

The Manatorian warrior, a derisive grin upon his lips, backedsteadily away. He had almost reached the doorway when Gahan sawanother warrior in the chamber toward which Tara was beingborne--a fellow who moved silently, almost stealthily, across themarble floor as he approached Tara's captor from behind. In hisright hand he grasped a long-sword. 

"Two to one, " thought Gahan, and a grim smile touched his lips, for he had no doubt that once they had Tara safely in theadjoining chamber the two would set upon him. If he could notsave her, he could at least die for her. 

And then, suddenly, Gahan's eyes fastened with amazement upon thefigure of the warrior behind the grinning fellow who held Taraand was forcing her to the doorway. He saw the newcomer stepalmost within arm's reach of the other. He saw him stop, anexpression of malevolent hatred upon his features. He saw thegreat sword swing through the arc of a great circle, gatheringswift and terrific momentum from its own weight backed by thebrawn of the steel thews that guided it; he saw it pass throughthe feathered skull of the Manatorian, splitting his sardonicgrin in twain, and open him to the middle of his breast bone. 

As the dead hand relaxed its grasp upon Tara's wrist the girlleaped forward, without a backward glance, to Gahan's side. Hisleft arm encircled her, nor did she draw away, as with readysword the Gatholian awaited Fate's next decree. Before themTara's deliverer was wiping the blood from his sword upon thehair of his victim. He was evidently a Manatorian, his trappingsthose of the Jeddak's Guard, and so his act was inexplicable toGahan and to Tara. Presently he sheathed his sword and approachedthem. 

"When a man chooses to hide his identity behind an assumed name, "he said, looking straight into Gahan's eyes, "whatever friendpierces the deception were no friend if he divulged the other'ssecret. "

He paused as though awaiting a reply. 

"Your integrity has perceived and your lips voiced an unalterabletruth, " replied Gahan, whose mind was filled with wonder if theimplication could by any possibility be true--that thisManatorian had guessed his identity. 

"We are thus agreed, " continued the other, "and I may tell youthat though I am here known as A-Sor, my real name is Tasor. " Hepaused and watched Gahan's face intently for any sign of theeffect of this knowledge and was rewarded with a quick, thoughguarded expression of recognition. 

Tasor! Friend of his youth. The son of that great Gatholian noblewho had given his life so gloriously, however futilely, in anattempt to defend Gahan's sire from the daggers of the assassins. Tasor an under-padwar in the guard of O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator!It was inconceivable--and yet it was he; there could be no doubtof it. "Tasor, " Gahan repeated aloud. "But it is no Manatorianname. " The statement was half interrogatory, for Gahan'scuriosity was aroused. He would know how his friend and loyalsubject had become a Manatorian. Long years had passed sinceTasor had disappeared as mysteriously as the Princess Haja andmany other of Gahan's subjects. The Jed of Gathol had longsupposed him dead. 

"No, " replied Tasor, "nor is it a Manatorian name. Come, while Isearch for a hiding place for you in some forgotten chamber inone of the untenanted portions of the palace, and as we go I willtell you briefly how Tasor the Gatholian became A-Sor theManatorian. 

"It befell that as I rode with a dozen of my warriors along thewestern border of Gathol searching for zitidars that had strayedfrom my herds, we were set upon and surrounded by a great companyof Manatorians. They overpowered us, though not before half ournumber was slain and the balance helpless from wounds. And so Iwas brought a prisoner to Manataj, a distant city of Manator, andthere sold into slavery. A woman bought me--a princess of Manatajwhose wealth and position were unequaled in the city of herbirth. She loved me and when her husband discovered herinfatuation she beseeched me to slay him, and when I refused shehired another to do it. Then she married me; but none would haveaught to do with her in Manataj, for they suspected her guiltyknowledge of her husband's murder. And so we set out from Manatajfor Manatos accompanied by a great caravan bearing all herworldly goods and jewels and precious metals, and on the way shecaused the rumor to be spread that she and I had died. Then wecame to Manator instead, she taking a new name and I the nameA-Sor, that we might not be traced through our names. With hergreat wealth she bought me a post in The Jeddak's Guard and noneknows that I am not a Manatorian, for she is dead. She wasbeautiful, but she was a devil. "

"And you never sought to return to your native city?" askedGahan. 

"Never has the hope been absent from my heart, or my mind emptyof a plan, " replied Tasor. "I dream of it by day and by night, but always must I return to the same conclusion--that there canbe but a single means for escape. I must wait until Fortunefavors me with a place in a raiding party to Gathol. Then, oncewithin the boundaries of my own country, they shall see me nomore. "

"Perhaps your opportunity lies already within your grasp, " saidGahan, "has not your fealty to your own Jed been undermined byyears of association with the men of Manator. " The statement washalf challenge. 

"And my Jed stood before me now, " cried Tasor, "and my avowalcould be made without violating his confidence, I should cast mysword at his feet and beg the high privilege of dying for him asmy sire died for his sire. "

There could be no doubt of his sincerity nor any that he wascognizant of Gahan's identity. The Jed of Gathol smiled. "And ifyour Jed were here there is little doubt but that he wouldcommand you to devote your talents and your prowess to the rescueof the Princess Tara of Helium, " he said, meaningly. "And hepossessed the knowledge I have gained during my captivity hewould say to you, 'Go, Tasor, to the pit where A-kor, son of Hajaof Gathol, is confined and set him free and with him arouse theslaves from Gathol and march to The Gate of Enemies and offeryour services to U-Thor of Manataj, who is wed to Haja of Gathol, and ask of him in return that he attack the palace of O-Tar andrescue Tara of Helium and when that thing is accomplished that hefree the slaves of Gathol and furnish them with the arms and themeans to return to their own country. ' That, Tasor of Gathol, iswhat Gahan your Jed would demand of you. "

"And that, Turan the slave, is what I shall bend my every effortto accomplish after I have found a safe refuge for Tara of Heliumand her panthan, " replied Tasor. 

Gahan's glance carried to Tasor an intimation of his Jed'sgratification and filled him with a chivalrous determination todo the thing required of him, or die, for he considered that hehad received from the lips of his beloved ruler a commission thatplaced upon his shoulders a responsibility that encompassed notalone the life of Gahan and Tara but the welfare, perhaps thewhole future, of Gathol. And so he hastened them onward throughthe musty corridors of the old palace where the dust of ages layundisturbed upon the marble tiles. Now and again he tried a dooruntil he found one that was unlocked. Opening it he ushered theminto a chamber, heavy with dust. Crumbling silks and furs adornedthe walls, with ancient weapons, and great paintings whose colorswere toned by age to wondrous softness. 

"This be as good as any place, " he said. "No one comes here. Never have I been here before, so I know no more of the otherchambers than you; but this one, at least, I can find again whenI bring you food and drink. O-Mai the Cruel occupied this portionof the palace during his reign, five thousand years before O-Tar. In one of these apartments he was found dead, his face contortedin an expression of fear so horrible that it drove to madnessthose who looked upon it; yet there was no mark of violence uponhim. Since then the quarters of O-Mai have been shunned for thelegends have it that the ghosts of Corphals pursue the spirit ofthe wicked Jeddak nightly through these chambers, shrieking andmoaning as they go. But, " he added, as though to reassure himselfas well as his companions, "such things may not be countenancedby the culture of Gathol or Helium. "

Gahan laughed. "And if all who looked upon him were driven mad, who then was there to perform the last rites or prepare the bodyof the Jeddak for them?"

"There was none, " replied Tasor. "Where they found him they lefthim and there to this very day his mouldering bones lie hid insome forgotten chamber of this forbidden suite. "

Tasor left them then assuring them that he would seek the firstopportunity to speak with A-Kor, and upon the following day hewould bring them food and drink. *

* Those who have read John Carter's description of the GreenMartians in A Princess of Mars will recall that these strangepeople could exist for considerable periods of time without foodor water, and to a lesser degree is the same true of allMartians. 

After Tasor had gone Tara turned to Gahan and approaching laid ahand upon his arm. "So swiftly have events transpired since Irecognized you beneath your disguise, " she said, "that I have hadno opportunity to assure you of my gratitude and the high esteemthat your valor has won for you in my consideration. Let me nowacknowledge my indebtedness; and if promises be not vain from onewhose life and liberty are in grave jeopardy, accept my assuranceof the great reward that awaits you at the hand of my father inHelium. "

"I desire no reward, " he replied, "other than the happiness ofknowing that the woman I love is happy. "

For an instant the eyes of Tara of Helium blazed as she drewherself haughtily to her full height, and then they softened andher attitude relaxed as she shook her head sadly. 

"I have it not in my heart to reprimand you, Turan, " she said, "however great your fault, for you have been an honorable and aloyal friend to Tara of Helium; but you must not say what my earsmust not hear. "

"You mean, " he asked, "that the ears of a Princess must notlisten to words of love from a panthan?"

"It is not that, Turan, " she replied; "but rather that I maynot in honor listen to words of love from another than him towhom I am betrothed--a fellow countryman, Djor Kantos. "

"You mean, Tara of Helium, " he cried, "that were it not for thatyou would--"

"Stop!" she commanded. "You have no right to assume aught elsethan my lips testify. "

"The eyes are ofttimes more eloquent than the lips, Tara, " hereplied; "and in yours I have read that which is neither hatrednor contempt for Turan the panthan, and my heart tells me thatyour lips bore false witness when they cried in anger: 'I hateyou!'"

"I do not hate you, Turan, nor yet may I love you, " said thegirl, simply. 

"When I broke my way out from the chamber of I-Gos I was indeedupon the verge of believing that you did hate me, " he said, "foronly hatred, it seemed to me, could account for the fact that youhad gone without making an effort to liberate me; but presentlyboth my heart and my judgment told me that Tara of Helium couldnot have deserted a companion in distress, and though I still amin ignorance of the facts I know that it was beyond your power toaid me. "

"It was indeed, " said the girl. "Scarce had I-Gos fallen at thebite of my dagger than I heard the approach of warriors. I ranthen to hide until they had passed, thinking to return andliberate you; but in seeking to elude the party I had heard I ranfull into the arms of another. They questioned me as to yourwhereabouts, and I told them that you had gone ahead and that Iwas following you and thus I led them from you. "

"I knew, " was Gahan's only comment, but his heart was glad withelation, as a lover's must be who has heard from the lips of hisdivinity an avowal of interest and loyalty, however little tingedby a suggestion of warmer regard it may be. To be abused, even, by the mistress of one's heart is better than to be ignored. 

As the two conversed in the ill-lit chamber, the dim bulbs ofwhich were encrusted with the accumulated dust of centuries, abent and withered figure traversed slowly the gloomy corridorswithout, his weak and watery eyes peering through thick lenses atthe signs of passage written upon the dusty floor. 

CHAPTER XIX

THE MENACE OF THE DEAD

The night was still young when there came one to the entrance ofthe banquet hall where O-Tar of Manator dined with his chiefs, and brushing past the guards entered the great room with theinsolence of a privileged character, as in truth he was. As heapproached the head of the long board O-Tar took notice of him. 

"Well, hoary one!" he cried. "What brings you out of your belovedand stinking burrow again this day. We thought that the sight ofthe multitude of living men at the games would drive you back toyour corpses as quickly as you could go. "

The cackling laugh of I-Gos acknowledged the royal sally. "Ey, ey, O-Tar, " squeaked the ancient one, "I-Gos goes out not uponpleasure bound; but when one does ruthlessly desecrate the deadof I-Gos, vengeance must be had!"

"You refer to the act of the slave Turan?" demanded O-Tar. 

"Turan, yes, and the slave Tara, who slipped beneath my hide amurderous blade. Another fraction of an inch, O-Tar, and I-Gos'ancient and wrinkled covering were even now in some apprenticetanner's hands, ey, ey!"

"But they have again eluded us, " cried O-Tar. "Even in the palaceof the great jeddak twice have they escaped the stupid knaves Icall The Jeddak's Guard. " O-Tar had risen and was angrilyemphasizing his words with heavy blows upon the table, dealt witha golden goblet. 

"Ey, O-Tar, they elude thy guard but not the wise old calot, I-Gos. "

"What mean you? Speak!" commanded O-Tar. 

"I know where they are hid, " said the ancient taxidermist. "Inthe dust of unused corridors their feet have betrayed them. "

"You followed them? You have seen them?" demanded the jeddak. 

"I followed them and I heard them speaking beyond a closed door, "replied I-Gos; "but I did not see them. "

"Where is that door?" cried O-Tar. "We will send at once andfetch them, " he looked about the table as though to decide towhom he would entrust this duty. A dozen warrior chiefs arose andlaid their hands upon their swords. 

"To the chambers of O-Mai the Cruel I traced them, " squeakedI-Gos. "There you will find them where the moaning Corphalspursue the shrieking ghost of O-Mai; ey!" and he turned his eyesfrom O-Tar toward the warriors who had arisen, only to discoverthat, to a man, they were hurriedly resuming their seats. 

The cackling laughter of I-Gos broke derisively the hush that hadfallen on the room. The warriors looked sheepishly at the foodupon their plates of gold. O-Tar snapped his fingers impatiently. 

"Be there only cravens among the chiefs of Manator?" he cried. "Repeatedly have these presumptuous slaves flouted the majesty ofyour jeddak. Must I command one to go and fetch them?"

Slowly a chief arose and two others followed his example, thoughwith ill-concealed reluctance. "All, then, are not cowards, "commented O-Tar. "The duty is distasteful. Therefore all three ofyou shall go, taking as many warriors as you wish. "

"But do not ask for volunteers, " interrupted I-Gos, "or you willgo alone. "

The three chiefs turned and left the banquet hall, walking slowlylike doomed men to their fate. 

Gahan and Tara remained in the chamber to which Tasor had ledthem, the man brushing away the dust from a deep and comfortablebench where they might rest in comparative comfort. He had foundthe ancient sleeping silks and furs too far gone to be of anyservice, crumbling to powder at a touch, thus removing any chanceof making a comfortable bed for the girl, and so the two sattogether, talking in low tones, of the adventures through whichthey already had passed and speculating upon the future; planningmeans of escape and hoping Tasor would not be long gone. Theyspoke of many things--of Hastor, and Helium, and Ptarth, andfinally the conversation reminded Tara of Gathol. 

"You have served there?" she asked. 

"Yes, " replied Turan. 

"I met Gahan the Jed of Gathol at my father's palace, " she said, "the very day before the storm snatched me from Helium--he was apresumptuous fellow, magnificently trapped in platinum anddiamonds. Never in my life saw I so gorgeous a harness as his, and you must well know, Turan, that the splendor of all Barsoompasses through the court at Helium; but in my mind I could notsee so resplendent a creature drawing that jeweled sword inmortal combat. I fear me that the Jed of Gathol, though a prettypicture of a man, is little else. "

In the dim light Tara did not perceive the wry expression uponthe half-averted face of her companion. 

"You thought little then of the Jed of Gathol?" he asked. 

"Then or now, " she replied, and with a little laugh; "how itwould pique his vanity to know, if he might, that a poor panthanhad won a higher place in the regard of Tara of Helium, " and shelaid her fingers gently upon his knee. 

He seized the fingers in his and carried them to his lips. "O, Tara of Helium, " he cried. "Think you that I am a man of stone?"One arm slipped about her shoulders and drew the yielding bodytoward him. 

"May my first ancestor forgive me my weakness, " she cried, as herarms stole about his neck and she raised her panting lips to his. For long they clung there in love's first kiss and then shepushed him away, gently. "I love you, Turan, " she half sobbed; "Ilove you so! It is my only poor excuse for having done this wrongto Djor Kantos, whom now I know I never loved, who knew not themeaning of love. And if you love me as you say, Turan, your lovemust protect me from greater dishonor, for I am but as clay inyour hands. "

Again he crushed her to him and then as suddenly released her, and rising, strode rapidly to and fro across the chamber asthough he endeavored by violent exercise to master and subduesome evil spirit that had laid hold upon him. Ringing through hisbrain and heart and soul like some joyous paean were those wordsthat had so altered the world for Gahan of Gathol: "I love you, Turan; I love you so!" And it had come so suddenly. He hadthought that she felt for him only gratitude for his loyalty andthen, in an instant, her barriers were all down, she was nolonger a princess; but instead a--his reflections wereinterrupted by a sound from beyond the closed door. His sandalsof zitidar hide had given forth no sound upon the marble floor hestrode, and as his rapid pacing carried him past the entrance tothe chamber there came faintly from the distance of the longcorridor the sound of metal on metal--the unmistakable herald ofthe approach of armed men. 

For a moment Gahan listened intently, close to the door, untilthere could be no doubt but that a party of warriors wasapproaching. From what Tasor had told him he guessed correctlythat they would be coming to this portion of the palace but for asingle purpose--to search for Tara and himself--and it behoovedhim therefore to seek immediate means for eluding them. Thechamber in which they were had other doorways beside that atwhich they had entered, and to one of these he must look for somesafer hiding place. Crossing to Tara he acquainted her with hissuspicion, leading her to one of the doors which they foundunsecured. Beyond it lay a dimly-lighted chamber at the thresholdof which they halted in consternation, drawing back quickly intothe chamber they had just quitted, for their first glancerevealed four warriors seated around a jetan board. 

That their entrance had not been noted was attributed by Gahan tothe absorption of the two players and their friends in the game. Quietly closing the door the fugitives moved silently to thenext, which they found locked. There was now but another doorwhich they had not tried, and this they approached quickly asthey knew that the searching party must be close to the chamber. To their chagrin they found this avenue of escape barred. 

Now indeed were they in a sorry plight, for should the searchershave information leading them to this room they were lost. Againleading Tara to the door behind which were the jetan playersGahan drew his sword and waited, listening. The sound of theparty in the corridor came distinctly to their ears--they must bequite close, and doubtless they were coming in force. Beyond thedoor were but four warriors who might be readily surprised. Therecould, then, be but one choice and acting upon it Gahan quietlyopened the door again, stepped through into the adjoiningchamber, Tara's hand in his, and closed the door behind them. Thefour at the jetan board evidently failed to hear them. One playerhad either just made or was contemplating a move, for his fingersgrasped a piece that still rested upon the board. The other threewere watching his move. For an instant Gahan looked at them, playing jetan there in the dim light of this forgotten andforbidden chamber, and then a slow smile of understanding lightedhis face. 

"Come!" he said to Tara. "We have nothing to fear from these. Formore than five thousand years they have sat thus, a monument tothe handiwork of some ancient taxidermist. "

As they approached more closely they saw that the lifelikefigures were coated with dust, but that otherwise the skin was inas fine a state of preservation as the most recent of I-Gos'groups, and then they heard the door of the chamber they hadquitted open and knew that the searchers were close upon them. Across the room they saw the opening of what appeared to be acorridor and which investigation proved to be a short passageway, terminating in a chamber in the center of which was an ornatesleeping dais. This room, like the others, was but poorlylighted, time having dimmed the radiance of its bulbs and coatedthem with dust. A glance showed that it was hung with heavy goodsand contained considerable massive furniture in addition to thesleeping platform, a second glance at which revealed whatappeared to be the form of a man lying partially on the floor andpartially on the dais. No doorways were visible other than thatat which they had entered, though both knew that others might beconcealed by the hangings. 

Gahan, his curiosity aroused by the legends surrounding thisportion of the palace, crossed to the dais to examine the figurethat apparently had fallen from it, to find the dried andshrivelled corpse of a man lying upon his back on the floor witharms outstretched and fingers stiffly outspread. One of his feetwas doubled partially beneath him, while the other was stillentangled in the sleeping silks and furs upon the dais. Afterfive thousand years the expression of the withered face and theeyeless sockets retained the aspect of horrid fear to such anextent, that Gahan knew that he was looking upon the body ofO-Mai the Cruel. 

Suddenly Tara, who stood close beside him, clutched his arm andpointed toward a far corner of the room. Gahan looked and lookingfelt the hairs upon his neck rising. He threw his left arm aboutthe girl and with bared sword stood between her and the hangingsthat they watched, and then slowly Gahan of Gathol backed away, for in this grim and somber chamber, which no human foot had trodfor five thousand years and to which no breath of wind mightenter, the heavy hangings in the far corner had moved. Not gentlyhad they moved as a draught might have moved them had there beena draught, but suddenly they had bulged out as though pushedagainst from behind. To the opposite corner backed Gahan untilthey stood with their backs against the hangings there, and thenhearing the approach of their pursuers across the chamber beyondGahan pushed Tara through the hangings and, following her, keptopen with his left hand, which he had disengaged from the girl'sgrasp, a tiny opening through which he could view the apartmentand the doorway upon the opposite side through which the pursuerswould enter, if they came this far. 

Behind the hangings there was a space of about three feet inwidth between them and the wall, making a passageway entirelyaround the room, broken only by the single entrance oppositethem; this being a common arrangement especially in the sleepingapartments of the rich and powerful upon Barsoom. The purposes ofthis arrangement were several. The passageway afforded a stationfor guards in the same room with their master without intrudingentirely upon his privacy; it concealed secret exits from thechamber; it permitted the occupant of the room to hideeavesdroppers and assassins for use against enemies that he mightlure to his chamber. 

The three chiefs with a dozen warriors had had no difficulty infollowing the tracks of the fugitives through the dust of thecorridors and chambers they had traversed. To enter this portionof the palace at all had required all the courage they possessed, and now that they were within the very chambers of O-Mai theirnerves were pitched to the highest key--another turn and theywould snap; for the people of Manator are filled with weirdsuperstitions. As they entered the outer chamber they movedslowly, with drawn swords, no one seeming anxious to take thelead, and the twelve warriors hanging back in unconcealed andshameless terror, while the three chiefs, spurred on by fear ofO-Tar and by pride, pressed together for mutual encouragement asthey slowly crossed the dimly-lighted room. 

Following the tracks of Gahan and Tara they found that thougheach doorway had been approached only one threshold had beencrossed and this door they gingerly opened, revealing to theirastonished gaze the four warriors at the jetan table. For amoment they were on the verge of flight, for though they knewwhat they were, coming as they did upon them in this mysteriousand haunted suite, they were as startled as though they hadbeheld the very ghosts of the departed. But they presentlyregained their courage sufficiently to cross this chamber too andenter the short passageway that led to the ancient sleepingapartment of O-Mai the Cruel. They did not know that this awfulchamber lay just before them, or it were doubtful that they wouldhave proceeded farther; but they saw that those they sought hadcome this way and so they followed, but within the gloomyinterior of the chamber they halted, the three chiefs urgingtheir followers, in low whispers, to close in behind them, andthere just within the entrance they stood until, their eyesbecoming accustomed to the dim light, one of them pointedsuddenly to the thing lying upon the floor with one foot tangledin the coverings of the dais. 

"Look!" he gasped. "It is the corpse of O-Mai! Ancestor ofancestors! we are in the forbidden chamber. " Simultaneously therecame from behind the hangings beyond the grewsome dead a hollowmoan followed by a piercing scream, and the hangings shook andbellied before their eyes. 

With one accord, chieftains and warriors, they turned and boltedfor the doorway; a narrow doorway, where they jammed, fightingand screaming in an effort to escape. They threw away theirswords and clawed at one another to make a passage for escape;those behind climbed upon the shoulders of those in front; andsome fell and were trampled upon; but at last they all gotthrough, and, the swiftest first, they bolted across the twointervening chambers to the outer corridor beyond, nor did theyhalt their mad retreat before they stumbled, weak and trembling, into the banquet hall of O-Tar. At sight of them the warriors whohad remained with the jeddak leaped to their feet with drawnswords, thinking that their fellows were pursued by many enemies;but no one followed them into the room, and the three chieftainscame and stood before O-Tar with bowed heads and trembling knees. 

"Well?" demanded the jeddak. "What ails you? Speak!"

"O-Tar, " cried one of them when at last he could master hisvoice. "When have we three failed you in battle or combat? Haveour swords been not always among the foremost in defense of yoursafety and your honor?"

"Have I denied this?" demanded O-Tar. 

"Listen, then, O Jeddak, and judge us with leniency. We followedthe two slaves to the apartments of O-Mai the Cruel. We enteredthe accursed chambers and still we did not falter. We came atlast to that horrid chamber no human eye had scanned before infifty centuries and we looked upon the dead face of O-Mai lyingas he has lain for all this time. To the very death chamber ofO-Mai the Cruel we came and yet we were ready to go farther; whensuddenly there broke upon our horrified ears the moans and theshrieking that mark these haunted chambers and the hangings movedand rustled in the dead air. O-Tar, it was more than human nervescould endure. We turned and fled. We threw away our swords andfought with one another to escape. With sorrow, but withoutshame, I tell it, for there be no man in all Manator that wouldnot have done the same. If these slaves be Corphals they are safeamong their fellow ghosts. If they be not Corphals, then alreadyare they dead in the chambers of O-Mai, and there may they rotfor all of me, for I would not return to that accursed spot forthe harness of a jeddak and the half of Barsoom for an empire. Ihave spoken. "

O-Tar knitted his scowling brows. "Are all my chieftains cowardsand cravens?" he demanded presently in sneering tones. 

From among those who had not been of the searching party achieftain arose and turned a scowling face upon O-Tar. 

"The jeddak knows, " he said, "that in the annals of Manator herjeddaks have ever been accounted the bravest of her warriors. Where my jeddak leads I will follow, nor may any jeddak call me acoward or a craven unless I refuse to go where he dares to go. Ihave spoken. "

After he had resumed his seat there was a painful silence, forall knew that the speaker had challenged the courage of O-Tar theJeddak of Manator and all awaited the reply of their ruler. Inevery mind was the same thought--O-Tar must lead them at once tothe chamber of O-Mai the Cruel, or accept forever the stigma ofcowardice, and there could be no coward upon the throne ofManator. That they all knew and that O-Tar knew, as well. 

But O-Tar hesitated. He looked about upon the faces of thosearound him at the banquet board; but he saw only the grim visagesof relentless warriors. There was no trace of leniency in theface of any. And then his eyes wandered to a small entrance atone side of the great chamber. An expression of relief expungedthe scowl of anxiety from his features. 

"Look!" he exclaimed. "See who has come!"

CHAPTER XX

THE CHARGE OF COWARDICE

Gahan, watching through the aperture between the hangings, sawthe frantic flight of their pursuers. A grim smile rested uponhis lips as he viewed the mad scramble for safety and saw themthrow away their swords and fight with one another to be firstfrom the chamber of fear, and when they were all gone he turnedback toward Tara, the smile still upon his lips; but the smiledied the instant that he turned, for he saw that Tara haddisappeared. 

"Tara!" he called in a loud voice, for he knew that there was nodanger that their pursuers would return; but there was noresponse, unless it was a faint sound as of cackling laughterfrom afar. Hurriedly he searched the passageway behind thehangings finding several doors, one of which was ajar. Throughthis he entered the adjoining chamber which was lighted morebrilliantly for the moment by the soft rays of hurtling Thuriataking her mad way through the heavens. Here he found the dustupon the floor disturbed, and the imprint of sandals. They hadcome this way--Tara and whatever the creature was that had stolenher. 

But what could it have been? Gahan, a man of culture and highintelligence, held few if any superstitions. In common withnearly all races of Barsoom he clung, more or less inherently, toa certain exalted form of ancestor worship, though it was ratherthe memory or legends of the virtues and heroic deeds of hisforebears that he deified rather than themselves. He neverexpected any tangible evidence of their existence after death; hedid not believe that they had the power either for good or forevil other than the effect that their example while living mighthave had upon following generations; he did not believe thereforein the materialization of dead spirits. If there was a lifehereafter he knew nothing of it, for he knew that science haddemonstrated the existence of some material cause for everyseemingly supernatural phenomenon of ancient religions andsuperstitions. Yet he was at a loss to know what power might haveremoved Tara so suddenly and mysteriously from his side in achamber that had not known the presence of man for five thousandyears. 

In the darkness he could not see whether there were the imprintsof other sandals than Tara's--only that the dust wasdisturbed--and when it led him into gloomy corridors he lost thetrail altogether. A perfect labyrinth of passages and apartmentswere now revealed to him as he hurried on through the desertedquarters of O-Mai. Here was an ancient bath--doubtless that ofthe jeddak himself, and again he passed through a room in which ameal had been laid upon a table five thousand years before--theuntasted breakfast of O-Mai, perhaps. There passed before hiseyes in the brief moments that he traversed the chambers, awealth of ornaments and jewels and precious metals that surprisedeven the Jed of Gathol whose harness was of diamonds and platinumand whose riches were the envy of a world. But at last his searchof O-Mai's chambers ended in a small closet in the floor of whichwas the opening to a spiral runway leading straight down intoStygian darkness. The dust at the entrance of the closet had beenfreshly disturbed, and as this was the only possible indicationthat Gahan had of the direction taken by the abductor of Tara itseemed as well to follow on as to search elsewhere. So, withouthesitation, he descended into the utter darkness below. Feelingwith a foot before taking a forward step his descent wasnecessarily slow, but Gahan was a Barsoomian and so knew thepitfalls that might await the unwary in such dark, forbiddenportions of a jeddak's palace. 

He had descended for what he judged might be three full levelsand was pausing, as he occasionally did, to listen, when hedistinctly heard a peculiar shuffling, scraping sound approachinghim from below. Whatever the thing was it was ascending therunway at a steady pace and would soon be near him. Gahan laidhis hand upon the hilt of his sword and drew it slowly from itsscabbard that he might make no noise that would apprise thecreature of his presence. He wished that there might be even theslightest lessening of the darkness. If he could see but theoutline of the thing that approached him he would feel that hehad a fairer chance in the meeting; but he could see nothing, andthen because he could see nothing the end of his scabbard struckthe stone side of the runway, giving off a sound that thestillness and the narrow confines of the passage and the darknessseemed to magnify to a terrific clatter. 

Instantly the shuffling sound of approach ceased. For a momentGahan stood in silent waiting, then casting aside discretion hemoved on again down the spiral. The thing, whatever it might be, gave forth no sound now by which Gahan might locate it. At anymoment it might be upon him and so he kept his sword inreadiness. Down, ever downward the steep spiral led. The darknessand the silence of the tomb surrounded him, yet somewhere aheadwas something. He was not alone in that horrid place--anotherpresence that he could not hear or see hovered before him--ofthat he was positive. Perhaps it was the thing that had stolenTara. Perhaps Tara herself, still in the clutches of somenameless horror, was just ahead of him. He quickened his pace--itbecame almost a run at the thought of the danger that threatenedthe woman he loved, and then he collided with a wooden door thatswung open to the impact. Before him was a lighted corridor. Oneither side were chambers. He had advanced but a short distancefrom the bottom of the spiral when he recognized that he was inthe pits below the palace. A moment later he heard behind him theshuffling sound that had attracted his attention in the spiralrunway. Wheeling about he saw the author of the sound emergingfrom a doorway he had just passed. It was Ghek the kaldane. 

"Ghek!" exclaimed Gahan. "It was you in the runway? Have you seenTara of Helium?"

"It was I in the spiral, " replied the kaldane; "but I have notseen Tara of Helium. I have been searching for her. Where isshe?"

"I do not know, " replied the Gatholian; "but we must find her andtake her from this place. "

"We may find her, " said Ghek; "but I doubt our ability to takeher away. It is not so easy to leave Manator as it is to enterit. I may come and go at will, through the ancient burrows of theulsios; but you are too large for that and your lungs need moreair than may be found in some of the deeper runways. "

"But U-Thor!" exclaimed Gahan. "Have you heard aught of him orhis intentions?"

"I have heard much, " replied Ghek. "He camps at The Gate ofEnemies. That spot he holds and his warriors lie just beyond TheGate; but he has not sufficient force to enter the city and takethe palace. An hour since and you might have made your way tohim; but now every avenue is strongly guarded since O-Tar learnedthat A-Kor had escaped to U-Thor. "

"A-Kor has escaped and joined U-Thor!" exclaimed Gahan. 

"But little more than an hour since. I was with him when awarrior came--a man whose name is Tasor--who brought a messagefrom you. It was decided that Tasor should accompany A-Kor in anattempt to reach the camp of U-Thor, the great jed of Manatos, and exact from him the assurances you required. Then U-Thor wasto return and take food to you and the Princess of Helium. Iaccompanied them. We won through easily and found U-Thor morethan willing to respect your every wish, but when Tasor wouldhave returned to you the way was blocked by the warriors ofO-Tar. Then it was that I volunteered to come to you and reportand find food and drink and then go forth among the Gatholianslaves of Manator and prepare them for their part in the planthat U-Thor and Tasor conceived. "

"And what was this plan?"

"U-Thor has sent for reinforcements. To Manatos he has sent andto all the outlying districts that are his. It will takea month to collect and bring them hither and in the meantime theslaves within the city are to organize secretly, stealing andhiding arms against the day that the reinforcements arrive. Whenthat day comes the forces of U-Thor will enter the Gate ofEnemies and as the warriors of O-Tar rush to repulse them theslaves from Gathol will fall upon them from the rear with themajority of their numbers, while the balance will assault thepalace. They hope thus to divert so many from The Gate thatU-Thor will have little difficulty in forcing an entrance to thecity. "

"Perhaps they will succeed, " commented Gahan; "but the warriorsof O-Tar are many, and those who fight in defense of their homesand their jeddak have always an advantage. Ah, Ghek, would thatwe had the great warships of Gathol or of Helium to pour theirmerciless fire into the streets of Manator while U-Thor marchedto the palace over the corpses of the slain. " He paused, deep inthought, and then turned his gaze again upon the kaldane. "Heardyou aught of the party that escaped with me from The Field ofJetan--of Floran, Val Dor, and the others? What of them?"

"Ten of these won through to U-Thor at The Gate of Enemies andwere well received by him. Eight fell in the fighting upon theway. Val Dor and Floran live, I believe, for I am sure that Iheard U-Thor address two warriors by these names. "

"Good!" exclaimed Gahan. "Go then, through the burrows of theulsios, to The Gate of Enemies and carry to Floran the messagethat I shall write in his own language. Come, while I write themessage. "

In a nearby room they found a bench and table and there Gahan satand wrote in the strange, stenographic characters of Martianscript a message to Floran of Gathol. "Why, " he asked, when hehad finished it, "did you search for Tara through the spiralrunway where we nearly met?"

"Tasor told me where you were to be found, and as I have exploredthe greater part of the palace by means of the ulsio runways andthe darker and less frequented passages I knew precisely whereyou were and how to reach you. This secret spiral ascends fromthe pits to the roof of the loftiest of the palace towers. It hassecret openings at every level; but there is no livingManatorian, I believe, who knows of its existence. At least neverhave I met one within it and I have used it many times. Thricehave I been in the chamber where O-Mai lies, though I knewnothing of his identity or the story of his death until Tasortold it to us in the camp of U-Thor. "

"You know the palace thoroughly then?" Gahan interrupted. 

"Better than O-Tar himself or any of his servants. "

"Good! And you would serve the Princess Tara, Ghek, you may serveher best by accompanying Floran and following his instructions. Iwill write them here at the close of my message to him, for thewalls have ears, Ghek, while none but a Gatholian may read what Ihave written to Floran. He will transmit it to you. Can I trustyou?"

"I may never return to Bantoom, " replied Ghek. "Therefore I havebut two friends in all Barsoom. What better may I do than servethem faithfully? You may trust me, Gatholian, who with a woman ofyour kind has taught me that there be finer and nobler thingsthan perfect mentality uninfluenced by the unreasoning tuitionsof the heart. I go. "

 * * * * *

As O-Tar pointed to the little doorway all eyes turned in thedirection he indicated and surprise was writ large upon the facesof the warriors when they recognized the two who had entered thebanquet hall. There was I-Gos, and he dragged behind him one whowas gagged and whose hands were fastened behind with a ribbon oftough silk. It was the slave girl. I-Gos' cackling laughter roseabove the silence of the room. 

"Ey, ey!" he shrilled. "What the young warriors of O-Tar cannotdo, old I-Gos does alone. "

"Only a Corphal may capture a Corphal, " growled one of the chiefswho had fled from the chambers of O-Mai. 

I-Gos laughed. "Terror turned your heart to water, " he replied;"and shame your tongue to libel. This be no Corphal, but only awoman of Helium; her companion a warrior who can match bladeswith the best of you and cut your putrid hearts. Not so in thedays of I-Gos' youth. Ah, then were there men in Manator. Well doI recall that day that I--"

"Peace, doddering fool!" commanded O-Tar. "Where is the man?"

"Where I found the woman--in the death chamber of O-Mai. Let yourwise and brave chieftains go thither and fetch him. I am an oldman, and could bring but one. "

"You have done well, I-Gos, " O-Tar hastened to assure him, forwhen he learned that Gahan might still be in the haunted chambershe wished to appease the wrath of I-Gos, knowing well thevitriolic tongue and temper of the ancient one. "You think she isno Corphal, then, I-Gos?" he asked, wishing to carry the subjectfrom the man who was still at large. 

"No more than you, " replied the ancient taxidermist. 

O-Tar looked long and searchingly at Tara of Helium. All thebeauty that was hers seemed suddenly to be carried to every fibreof his consciousness. She was still garbed in the rich harness ofa Black Princess of Jetan, and as O-Tar the Jeddak gazed upon herhe realized that never before had his eyes rested upon a moreperfect figure--a more beautiful face. 

"She is no Corphal, " he murmured to himself. "She is no Corphaland she is a princess--a princess of Helium, and, by the goldenhair of the Holy Hekkador, she is beautiful. Take the gag fromher mouth and release her hands, " he commanded aloud. "Make roomfor the Princess Tara of Helium at the side of O-Tar of Manator. She shall dine as becomes a princess. "

Slaves did as O-Tar bid and Tara of Helium stood with flashingeyes behind the chair that was offered her. "Sit!" commandedO-Tar. 

The girl sank into the chair. "I sit as a prisoner, " she said;"not as a guest at the board of my enemy, O-Tar of Manator. "

O-Tar motioned his followers from the room. "I would speak alonewith the Princess of Helium, " he said. The company and the slaveswithdrew and once more the Jeddak of Manator turned toward thegirl. "O-Tar of Manator would be your friend, " he said. 

Tara of Helium sat with arms folded upon her small, firm breasts, her eyes flashing from behind narrowed lids, nor did she deign toanswer his overture. O-Tar leaned closer to her. He noted thehostility of her bearing and he recalled his first encounter withher. She was a she-banth, but she was beautiful. She was by farthe most desirable woman that O-Tar had ever looked upon and hewas determined to possess her. He told her so. 

"I could take you as my slave, " he said to her; "but it pleasesme to make you my wife. You shall be Jeddara of Manator. Youshall have seven days in which to prepare for the great honorthat O-Tar is conferring upon you, and at this hour of theseventh day you shall become an empress and the wife of O-Tar inthe throne room of the jeddaks of Manator. " He struck a gong thatstood beside him upon the table and when a slave appeared he badehim recall the company. Slowly the chiefs filed in and took theirplaces at the table. Their faces were grim and scowling, forthere was still unanswered the question of their jeddak'scourage. If O-Tar had hoped they would forget he had beenmistaken in his men. 

O-Tar arose. "In seven days, " he announced, "there will be agreat feast in honor of the new Jeddara of Manator, " and he wavedhis hand toward Tara of Helium. "The ceremony will occur at thebeginning of the seventh zode* in the throne room. In themeantime the Princess of Helium will be cared for in the tower ofthe women's quarters of the palace. Conduct her thither, E-Thas, with a suitable guard of honor and see to it that slaves andeunuchs be placed at her disposal, who shall attend upon all herwants and guard her carefully from harm. "

* About 8:30 P. M. Earth Time. 

Now E-Thas knew that the real meaning concealed in these finewords was that he should conduct the prisoner under a strongguard to the women's quarters and confine her there in the towerfor seven days, placing about her trustworthy guards who wouldprevent her escape or frustrate any attempted rescue. 

As Tara was departing from the chamber with E-Thas and the guard, O-Tar leaned close to her ear and whispered: "Consider wellduring these seven days the high honor I have offered you, and--its sole alternative. " As though she had not heard him thegirl passed out of the banquet hall, her head high and her eyesstraight to the front. 

After Ghek had left him Gahan roamed the pits and the ancientcorridors of the deserted portions of the palace seeking someclue to the whereabouts or the fate of Tara of Helium. Heutilized the spiral runway in passing from level to level untilhe knew every foot of it from the pits to the summit of the hightower, and into what apartments it opened at the various levelsas well as the ingenious and hidden mechanism that operated thelocks of the cleverly concealed doors leading to it. For food hedrew upon the stores he found in the pits and when he slept helay upon the royal couch of O-Mai in the forbidden chambersharing the dais with the dead foot of the ancient jeddak. 

In the palace about him seethed, all unknown to Gahan, a vastunrest. Warriors and chieftains pursued the duties of theirvocations with dour faces, and little knots of them werecollecting here and there and with frowns of anger discussingsome subject that was uppermost in the minds of all. It was uponthe fourth day following Tara's incarceration in the tower thatE-Thas, the major-domo of the palace and one of O-Tar'screatures, came to his master upon some trivial errand. O-Tar wasalone in one of the smaller chambers of his personal suite whenthe major-domo was announced, and after the matter upon whichE-Thas had come was disposed of the jeddak signed him to remain. 

"From the position of an obscure warrior I have elevated you, E-Thas, to the honors of a chief. Within the confines of thepalace your word is second only to mine. You are not loved forthis, E-Thas, and should another jeddak ascend the throne ofManator what would become of you, whose enemies are among themost powerful of Manator?"

"Speak not of it, O-Tar, " begged E-Thas. "These last few days Ihave thought upon it much and I would forget it; but I havesought to appease the wrath of my worst enemies. I have beenvery kind and indulgent with them. "

"You, too, read the voiceless message in the air?" demanded thejeddak. 

E-Thas was palpably uneasy and he did not reply. 

"Why did you not come to me with your apprehensions?" demandedO-Tar. "Be this loyalty?"

"I feared, O mighty jeddak!" replied E-Thas. "I feared that youwould not understand and that you would be angry. "

"What know you? Speak the whole truth!" commanded O-Tar. 

"There is much unrest among the chieftains and the warriors, "replied E-Thas. "Even those who were your friends fear the powerof those who speak against you. "

"What say they?" growled the jeddak. 

"They say that you are afraid to enter the apartments of O-Mai insearch of the slave Turan--oh, do not be angry with me, Jeddak;it is but what they say that I repeat. I, your loyal E-Thas, believe no such foul slander. "

"No, no; why should I fear?" demanded O-Tar. "We do not know thathe is there. Did not my chiefs go thither and see nothing ofhim?"

"But they say that you did not go, " pursued E-Thas, "and thatthey will have none of a coward upon the throne of Manator. "

"They said that treason?" O-Tar almost shouted. 

"They said that and more, great jeddak, " answered the major-domo. "They said that not only did you fear to enter the chambers ofO-Mai, but that you feared the slave Turan, and they blame youfor your treatment of A-Kor, whom they all believe to have beenmurdered at your command. They were fond of A-Kor and there aremany now who say aloud that A-Kor would have made a wondrousjeddak. "

"They dare?" screamed O-Tar. "They dare suggest the name of aslave's bastard for the throne of O-Tar!"

"He is your son, O-Tar, " E-Thas reminded him, "nor is there amore beloved man in Manator--I but speak to you of facts whichmay not be ignored, and I dare do so because only when yourealize the truth may you seek a cure for the ills that drawabout your throne. "

O-Tar had slumped down upon his bench--suddenly he lookedshrunken and tired and old. "Cursed be the day, " he cried, "thatsaw those three strangers enter the city of Manator. Would thatU-Dor had been spared to me. He was strong--my enemies fearedhim; but he is gone--dead at the hands of that hateful slave, Turan; may the curse of Issus be upon him!"

"My jeddak, what shall we do?" begged E-Thas. "Cursing the slavewill not solve your problems. "

"But the great feast and the marriage is but three days off, "plead O-Tar. "It shall be a great gala occasion. The warriors andthe chiefs all know that--it is the custom. Upon that day giftsand honors shall be bestowed. Tell me, who are most bitteragainst me? I will send you among them and let it be known that Iam planning rewards for their past services to the throne. Wewill make jeds of chiefs and chiefs of warriors, and grant thempalaces and slaves. Eh, E-Thas?"

The other shook his head. "It will not do, O-Tar. They will havenothing of your gifts or honors. I have heard them say as much. "

"What do they want?" demanded O-Tar. 

"They want a jeddak as brave as the bravest, " replied E-Thas, though his knees shook as he said it. 

"They think I am a coward?" cried the jeddak. 

"They say you are afraid to go to the apartments of O-mai theCruel. "

For a long time O-Tar sat, his head sunk upon his breast, staringblankly at the floor. 

"Tell them, " he said at last in a hollow voice that sounded notat all like the voice of a great jeddak; "tell them that I willgo to the chambers of O-Mai and search for Turan the slave. "

CHAPTER XXI

A RISK FOR LOVE

"Ey, ey, he is a craven and he called me 'doddering fool'!" Thespeaker was I-Gos and he addressed a knot of chieftains in one ofthe chambers of the palace of O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator: "If A-Korwas alive there were a jeddak for us!"

"Who says that A-Kor is dead?" demanded one of the chiefs. 

"Where is he then?" asked I-Gos. "Have not others disappearedwhom O-Tar thought too well beloved for men so near the throne asthey?"

The chief shook his head. "And I thought that, or knew it, rather; I'd join U-Thor at The Gate of Enemies. "

"S-s-st, " cautioned one; "here comes the licker of feet, " and alleyes were turned upon the approaching E-Thas. 

"Kaor, friends!" he exclaimed as he stopped among them, but hisfriendly greeting elicited naught but a few surly nods. "Have youheard the news?" he continued, unabashed by treatment to which hewas becoming accustomed. 

"What--has O-Tar seen an ulsio and fainted?" demanded I-Gos withbroad sarcasm. 

"Men have died for less than that, ancient one, " E-Thas remindedhim. 

"I am safe, " retorted I-Gos, "for I am not a brave and popularson of the jeddak of Manator. "

This was indeed open treason, but E-Thas feigned not to hear it. He ignored I-Gos and turned to the others. "O-Tar goes to thechamber of O-Mai this night in search of Turan the slave, " hesaid. "He sorrows that his warriors have not the courage for somean a duty and that their jeddak is thus compelled to arrest acommon slave, " with which taunt E-Thas passed on to spread theword in other parts of the palace. As a matter of fact the latterpart of his message was purely original with himself, and he tookgreat delight in delivering it to the discomfiture of hisenemies. As he was leaving the little group of men I-Gos calledafter him. "At what hour does O-Tar intend visiting the chambersof O-Mai?" he asked. 

"Toward the end of the eighth zode*, " replied the major-domo, andwent his way. 

* About 1:00 A. M. Earth Time. 

"We shall see, " stated I-Gos. 

"What shall we see?" asked a warrior. 

"We shall see whether O-Tar visits the chamber of O-Mai. "

"How?"

"I shall be there myself and if I see him I will know that he hasbeen there. If I don't see him I will know that he has not, "explained the old taxidermist. 

"Is there anything there to fill an honest man with fear?" askeda chieftain. "What have you seen?"

"It was not so much what I saw, though that was bad enough, aswhat I heard, " said I-Gos. 

"Tell us! What heard and saw you?"

"I saw the dead O-Mai, " said I-Gos. The others shuddered. 

"And you went not mad?" they asked. 

"Am I mad?" retorted I-Gos. 

"And you will go again?"

"Yes. "

"Then indeed you are mad, " cried one. 

"You saw the dead O-Mai; but what heard you that was worse?"whispered another. 

"I saw the dead O-Mai lying upon the floor of his sleepingchamber with one foot tangled in the sleeping silks and furs uponhis couch. I heard horrid moans and frightful screams. "

"And you are not afraid to go there again?" demanded several. 

"The dead cannot harm me, " said I-Gos. "He has lain thus for fivethousand years. Nor can a sound harm me. I heard it once andlive--I can hear it again. It came from almost at my side where Ihid behind the hangings and watched the slave Turan before Isnatched the woman away from him. "

"I-Gos, you are a very brave man, " said a chieftain. 

"O-Tar called me 'doddering fool' and I would face worse dangersthan lie in the forbidden chambers of O-Mai to know it if he doesnot visit the chamber of O-Mai. Then indeed shall O-Tar fall!"

The night came and the zodes dragged and the time approached whenO-Tar, Jeddak of Manator, was to visit the chamber of O-Mai insearch of the slave Turan. To us, who may doubt the existence ofmalignant spirits, his fear may seem unbelievable, for he was astrong man, an excellent swordsman, and a warrior of greatrepute; but the fact remained that O-Tar of Manator was nervouswith apprehension as he strode the corridors of his palace towardthe deserted halls of O-Mai and when he stood at last with hishand upon the door that opened from the dusty corridor to thevery apartments themselves he was almost paralyzed with terror. He had come alone for two very excellent reasons, the first ofwhich was that thus none might note his terror-stricken state norhis defection should he fail at the last moment, and the otherwas that should he accomplish the thing alone or be able to makehis chiefs believe that he had, the credit would be far greaterthan were he to be accompanied by warriors. 

But though he had started alone he had become aware that he wasbeing followed, and he knew that it was because his people had nofaith in either his courage or his veracity. He did not believethat he would find the slave Turan. He did not very much want tofind him, for though O-Tar was an excellent swordsman and a bravewarrior in physical combat, he had seen how Turan had played withU-Dor and he had no stomach for a passage at arms with one whomhe knew outclassed him. 

And so O-Tar stood with his hand upon the door--afraid to enter;afraid not to. But at last his fear of his own warriors, watchingbehind him, grew greater than the fear of the unknown behind theancient door and he pushed the heavy skeel aside and entered. 

Silence and gloom and the dust of centuries lay heavy upon thechamber. From his warriors he knew the route that he must take tothe horrid chamber of O-Mai and so he forced his unwilling feetacross the room before him, across the room where the jetanplayers sat at their eternal game, and came to the short corridorthat led into the room of O-Mai. His naked sword trembled in hisgrasp. He paused after each forward step to listen and when hewas almost at the door of the ghost-haunted chamber, his heartstood still within his breast and the cold sweat broke from theclammy skin of his forehead, for from within there came to hisaffrighted ears the sound of muffled breathing. Then it was thatO-Tar of Manator came near to fleeing from the nameless horrorthat he could not see, but that he knew lay waiting for him inthat chamber just ahead. But again came the fear of the wrath andcontempt of his warriors and his chiefs. They would degrade himand they would slay him into the bargain. There was no doubt ofwhat his fate would be should he flee the apartments of O-Mai interror. His only hope, therefore, lay in daring the unknown inpreference to the known. 

He moved forward. A few steps took him to the doorway. Thechamber before him was darker than the corridor, so that he couldjust indistinctly make out the objects in the room. He saw asleeping dais near the center, with a darker blotch of somethinglying on the marble floor beside it. He moved a step farther intothe doorway and the scabbard of his sword scraped against thestone frame. To his horror he saw the sleeping silks and fursupon the central dais move. He saw a figure slowly arising to asitting posture from the death bed of O-Mai the Cruel. His kneesshook, but he gathered all his moral forces, and gripping hissword more tightly in his trembling fingers prepared to leapacross the chamber upon the horrid apparition. He hesitated justa moment. He felt eyes upon him--ghoulish eyes that bored throughthe darkness into his withering heart--eyes that he could notsee. He gathered himself for the rush--and then there broke fromthe thing upon the couch an awful shriek, and O-Tar sanksenseless to the floor. 

Gahan rose from the couch of O-Mai, smiling, only to swingquickly about with drawn sword as the shadow of a noise impingedupon his keen ears from the shadows behind him. Between theparted hangings he saw a bent and wrinkled figure. It was I-Gos. 

"Sheathe your sword, Turan, " said the old man. "You have naughtto fear from I-Gos. "

"What do you here?" demanded Gahan. 

"I came to make sure that the great coward did not cheat us. Ey, and he called me 'doddering fool;' but look at him now! Strickeninsensible by terror, but, ey, one might forgive him that who hadheard your uncanny scream. It all but blasted my own courage. Andit was you, then, who moaned and screamed when the chiefs camethe day that I stole Tara from you?"

"It was you, then, old scoundrel?" demanded Gahan, movingthreateningly toward I-Gos. 

"Come, come!" expostulated the old man; "it was I, but then I wasyour enemy. I would not do it now. Conditions have changed. "

"How have they changed? What has changed them?" asked Gahan. 

"Then I did not fully realize the cowardice of my jeddak, or thebravery of you and the girl. I am an old man from another age andI love courage. At first I resented the girl's attack upon me, but later I came to see the bravery of it and it won myadmiration, as have all her acts. She feared not O-tar, shefeared not me, she feared not all the warriors of Manator. Andyou! Blood of a million sires! how you fight! I am sorry that Iexposed you at The Fields of Jetan. I am sorry that I dragged thegirl Tara back to O-Tar. I would make amends. I would be yourfriend. Here is my sword at your feet, " and drawing his weaponI-Gos cast it to the floor in front of Gahan. 

The Gatholian knew that scarce the most abandoned of knaves wouldrepudiate this solemn pledge, and so he stooped, and picking upthe old man's sword returned it to him, hilt first, in acceptanceof his friendship. 

"Where is the Princess Tara of Helium?" asked Gahan. "Is shesafe?"

"She is confined in the tower of the women's quarters awaitingthe ceremony that is to make her Jeddara of Manator, " repliedI-Gos. 

"This thing dared think that Tara of Helium would mate with him?"growled Gahan. "I will make short work of him if he is notalready dead from fright, " and he stepped toward the fallen O-Tarto run his sword through the jeddak's heart. 

"No!" cried I-Gos. "Slay him not and pray that he be not dead ifyou would save your princess. "

"How is that?" asked Gahan. 

"If word of O-Tar's death reached the quarters of the women thePrincess Tara would be lost. They know O-Tar's intention oftaking her to wife and making her Jeddara of Manator, so you mayrest assured that they all hate her with the hate of jealouswomen. Only O-Tar's power protects her now from harm. ShouldO-Tar die they would turn her over to the warriors and the maleslaves, for there would be none to avenge her. "

Gahan sheathed his sword. "Your point is well taken; but whatshall we do with him?"

"Leave him where he lies, " counseled I-Gos. "He is not dead. Whenhe revives he will return to his quarters with a fine tale of hisbravery and there will be none to impugn his boasts--none butI-Gos. Come! he may revive at any moment and he must not find ushere. "

I-Gos crossed to the body of his jeddak, knelt beside it for aninstant, and then returned past the couch to Gahan. The two quitthe chamber of O-Mai and took their way toward the spiral runway. Here I-Gos led Gahan to a higher level and out upon the roof ofthat portion of the palace from where he pointed to a high towerquite close by. "There, " he said, "lies the Princess of Helium, and quite safe she will be until the time of the ceremony. "

"Safe, possibly, from other hands, but not from her own, " saidGahan. "She will never become Jeddara of Manator--first will shedestroy herself. "

"She would do that?" asked I-Gos. 

"She will, unless you can get word to her that I still live andthat there is yet hope, " replied Gahan. 

"I cannot get word to her, " said I-Gos. "The quarters of hiswomen O-Tar guards with jealous hand. Here are his most trustedslaves and warriors, yet even so, thick among them are countlessspies, so that no man knows which be which. No shadow fallswithin those chambers that is not marked by a hundred eyes. "

Gahan stood gazing at the lighted windows of the high tower inthe upper chambers of which Tara of Helium was confined. "I willfind a way, I-Gos, " he said. 

"There is no way, " replied the old man. 

For some time they stood upon the roof beneath the brilliantstars and hurtling moons of dying Mars, laying their plansagainst the time that Tara of Helium should be brought from thehigh tower to the throne room of O-Tar. It was then, and thenalone, argued I-Gos, that any hope of rescuing her might beentertained. Just how far he might trust the other Gahan did notknow, and so he kept to himself the knowledge of the plan that hehad forwarded to Floran and Val Dor by Ghek, but he assured theancient taxidermist that if he were sincere in his oft-repeateddeclaration that O-Tar should be denounced and superseded hewould have his opportunity on the night that the jeddak sought towed the Heliumetic princess. 

"Your time shall come then, I-Gos, " Gahan assured the other, "andif you have any party that thinks as you do, prepare them for theeventuality that will succeed O-Tar's presumptuous attempt to wedthe daughter of The Warlord. Where shall I see you again, andwhen? I go now to speak with Tara, Princess of Helium. "

"I like your boldness, " said I-Gos; "but it will avail younaught. You will not speak with Tara, Princess of Helium, thoughdoubtless the blood of many Manatorians will drench the floors ofthe women's quarters before you are slain. "

Gahan smiled. "I shall not be slain. Where and when shall wemeet? But you may find me in O-Mai's chamber at night. That seemsthe safest retreat in all Manator for an enemy of the jeddak inwhose palace it lies. I go!"

"And may the spirits of your ancestors surround you, " said I-Gos. 

After the old man had left him Gahan made his way across the roofto the high tower, which appeared to have been constructed ofconcrete and afterward elaborately carved, its entire surfacebeing covered with intricate designs cut deep into the stone-likematerial of which it was composed. Though wrought ages since, itwas but little weather-worn owing to the aridity of the Martianatmosphere, the infrequency of rains, and the rarity of duststorms. To scale it, though, presented difficulties and dangerthat might have deterred the bravest of men--that would, doubtless, have deterred Gahan, had he not felt that the life ofthe woman he loved depended upon his accomplishing the hazardousfeat. 

Removing his sandals and laying aside all of his harness andweapons other than a single belt supporting a dagger, theGatholian essayed the dangerous ascent. Clinging to the carvingswith hands and feet he worked himself slowly aloft, avoiding thewindows and keeping upon the shadowy side of the tower, away fromthe light of Thuria and Cluros. The tower rose some fifty feetabove the roof of the adjacent part of the palace, comprisingfive levels or floors with windows looking in every direction. Afew of the windows were balconied, and these more than the othershe sought to avoid, although, it being now near the close of theninth zode, there was little likelihood that many were awakewithin the tower. 

His progress was noiseless and he came at last, undetected, tothe windows of the upper level. These, like several of the othershe had passed at lower levels, were heavily barred, so that therewas no possibility of his gaining ingress to the apartment whereTara was confined. Darkness hid the interior behind the firstwindow that he approached. The second opened upon a lightedchamber where he could see a guard sleeping at his post outside adoor. Here also was the top of the runway leading to the nextlevel below. Passing still farther around the tower Gahanapproached another window, but now he clung to that side of thetower which ended in a courtyard a hundred feet below and in ashort time the light of Thuria would reach him. He realized thathe must hasten and he prayed that behind the window he nowapproached he would find Tara of Helium. 

Coming to the opening he looked in upon a small chamber dimlylighted. In the center was a sleeping dais upon which a humanform lay beneath silks and furs. A bare arm, protruding from thecoverings, lay exposed against a black and yellow striped orlukskin--an arm of wondrous beauty about which was clasped an armletthat Gahan knew. No other creature was visible within thechamber, all of which was exposed to Gahan's view. Pressing hisface to the bars the Gatholian whispered her dear name. The girlstirred, but did not awaken. Again he called, but this timelouder. Tara sat up and looked about and at the same instant ahuge eunuch leaped to his feet from where he had been lying onthe floor close by that side of the dais farthest from Gahan. Simultaneously the brilliant light of Thuria flashed full uponthe window where Gahan clung silhouetting him plainly to the twowithin. 

Both sprang to their feet. The eunuch drew his sword and leapedfor the window where the helpless Gahan would have fallen an easyvictim to a single thrust of the murderous weapon the fellowbore, had not Tara of Helium leaped upon her guard dragging himback. At the same time she drew the slim dagger from its hidingplace in her harness and even as the eunuch sought to hurl heraside its keen point found his heart. Without a sound he died andlunged forward to the floor. Then Tara ran to the window. 

"Turan, my chief!" she cried. "What awful risk is this you taketo seek me here, where even your brave heart is powerless to aidme. "

"Be not so sure of that, heart of my heart, " he replied. "While Ibring but words to my love, they be the forerunner of deeds, Ihope, that will give her back to me forever. I feared that youmight destroy yourself, Tara of Helium, to escape the dishonorthat O-Tar would do you, and so I came to give you new hope andto beg that you live for me through whatever may transpire, inthe knowledge that there is yet a way and that if all goes wellwe shall be freed at last. Look for me in the throne room ofO-Tar the night that he would wed you. And now, how may wedispose of this fellow?" He pointed to the dead eunuch upon thefloor. 

"We need not concern ourselves about that, " she replied. "Nonedares harm me for fear of the wrath of O-Tar--otherwise I shouldhave been dead so soon as ever I entered this portion of thepalace, for the women hate me. O-Tar alone may punish me, andwhat cares O-Tar for the life of a eunuch? No, fear not upon thisscore. "

Their hands were clasped between the bars and now Gahan drew hernearer to him. 

"One kiss, " he said, "before I go, my princess, " and the prouddaughter of Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, and The Warlord ofBarsoom whispered: "My chieftain!" and pressed her lips to thelips of Turan, the common panthan. 

CHAPTER XXII

AT THE MOMENT OF MARRIAGE

The silence of the tomb lay heavy about him as O-Tar, Jeddak ofManator, opened his eyes in the chamber of O-Mai. Recollection ofthe frightful apparition that had confronted him swept to hisconsciousness. He listened, but heard naught. Within the range ofhis vision there was nothing apparent that might cause alarm. Slowly he lifted his head and looked about. Upon the floor besidethe couch lay the thing that had at first attracted his attentionand his eyes closed in terror as he recognized it for what itwas; but it moved not, nor spoke. O-Tar opened his eyes again androse to his feet. He was trembling in every limb. There wasnothing on the dais from which he had seen the thing arise. 

O-Tar backed slowly from the room. At last he gained the outercorridor. It was empty. He did not know that it had emptiedrapidly as the loud scream with which his own had mingled hadbroken upon the startled ears of the warriors who had been sentto spy upon him. He looked at the timepiece set in a massivebracelet upon his left forearm. The ninth zode was nearly halfgone. O-Tar had lain for an hour unconscious. He had spent anhour in the chamber of O-Mai and he was not dead! He had lookedupon the face of his predecessor and was still sane! He shookhimself and smiled. Rapidly he subdued his rebelliously shakingnerves, so that by the time he reached the tenanted portion ofthe palace he had gained control of himself. He walked with chinhigh and something of a swagger. To the banquet hall he went, knowing that his chiefs awaited him there and as he entered theyarose and upon the faces of many were incredulity and amaze, forthey had not thought to see O-Tar the jeddak again after what thespies had told them of the horrid sounds issuing from the chamberof O-Mai. Thankful was O-Tar that he had gone alone to thatchamber of fright, for now no one could deny the tale that heshould tell. 

E-Thas rushed forward to greet him, for E-Thas had seen blacklooks directed toward him as the tals slipped by and hisbenefactor failed to return. 

"O brave and glorious jeddak!" cried the major-domo. "We rejoiceat your safe return and beg of you the story of your adventure. "

"It was naught, " exclaimed O-Tar. "I searched the chamberscarefully and waited in hiding for the return of the slave, Turan, if he were temporarily away; but he came not. He is notthere and I doubt if he ever goes there. Few men would choose toremain long in such a dismal place. "

"You were not attacked?" asked E-Thas. "You heard no screams, normoans?"

"I heard hideous noises and saw phantom figures; but they fledbefore me so that never could I lay hold of one, and I lookedupon the face of O-Mai and I am not mad. I even rested in thechamber beside his corpse. "

In a far corner of the room a bent and wrinkled old man hid asmile behind a golden goblet of strong brew. 

"Come! Let us drink!" cried O-Tar and reached for the dagger, thepommel of which he was accustomed to use to strike the gong whichsummoned slaves, but the dagger was not in its scabbard. O-Tarwas puzzled. He knew that it had been there just before heentered the chamber of O-Mai, for he had carefully felt of allhis weapons to make sure that none was missing. He seized insteada table utensil and struck the gong, and when the slaves camebade them bring the strongest brew for O-Tar and his chiefs. Before the dawn broke many were the expressions of admirationbellowed from drunken lips--admiration for the courage of theirjeddak; but some there were who still looked glum. 

 * * * * *

Came at last the day that O-Tar would take the Princess Tara ofHelium to wife. For hours slaves prepared the unwilling bride. Seven perfumed baths occupied three long and weary hours, thenher whole body was anointed with the oil of pimalia blossoms andmassaged by the deft fingers of a slave from distant Dusar. Herharness, all new and wrought for the occasion was of the whitehide of the great white apes of Barsoom, hung heavily withplatinum and diamonds--fairly encrusted with them. The glossymass of her jet hair had been built into a coiffure of statelyand becoming grandeur, into which diamond-headed pins were stuckuntil the whole scintillated as the stars in heaven upon amoonless night. 

But it was a sullen and defiant bride that they led from the hightower toward the throne room of O-Tar. The corridors were filledwith slaves and warriors, and the women of the palace and thecity who had been commanded to attend the ceremony. All the powerand pride, wealth and beauty of Manator were there. 

Slowly Tara, surrounded by a heavy guard of honor, moved alongthe marble corridors filled with people. At the entrance to TheHall of Chiefs E-Thas, the major-domo, received her. The Hall wasempty except for its ranks of dead chieftains upon their deadmounts. Through this long chamber E-Thas escorted her to thethrone room which also was empty, the marriage ceremony inManator differing from that of other countries of Barsoom. Herethe bride would await the groom at the foot of the steps leadingto the throne. The guests followed her in and took their places, leaving the central aisle from The Hall of Chiefs to the throneclear, for up this O-Tar would approach his bride alone after ashort solitary communion with the dead behind closed doors in TheHall of Chiefs. It was the custom. 

The guests had all filed through The Hall of Chiefs; the doors atboth ends had been closed. Presently those at the lower end ofthe hall opened and O-Tar entered. His black harness wasornamented with rubies and gold; his face was covered by agrotesque mask of the precious metal in which two enormous rubieswere set for eyes, though below them were narrow slits throughwhich the wearer could see. His crown was a fillet supportingcarved feathers of the same metal as the mask. To the leastdetail his regalia was that demanded of a royal bridegroom by thecustoms of Manator, and now in accordance with that same customhe came alone to The Hall of Chiefs to receive the blessings andthe council of the great ones of Manator who had preceded him. 

As the doors at the lower end of the Hall closed behind him O-Tarthe Jeddak stood alone with the great dead. By the dictates ofages no mortal eye might look upon the scene enacted within thatsacred chamber. As the mighty of Manator respected the traditionsof Manator, let us, too, respect those traditions of a proud andsensitive people. Of what concern to us the happenings in thatsolemn chamber of the dead?

Five minutes passed. The bride stood silently at the foot of thethrone. The guests spoke together in low whispers until the roomwas filled with the hum of many voices. At length the doorsleading into The Hall of Chiefs swung open, and the resplendentbridegroom stood framed for a moment in the massive opening. Ahush fell upon the wedding guests. With measured and impressivestep the groom approached the bride. Tara felt the muscles of herheart contract with the apprehension that had been growing uponher as the coils of Fate settled more closely about her and nosign came from Turan. Where was he? What, indeed, could heaccomplish now to save her? Surrounded by the power of O-Tar withnever a friend among them, her position seemed at last withoutvestige of hope. 

"I still live!" she whispered inwardly in a last brave attempt tocombat the terrible hopelessness that was overwhelming her, buther fingers stole for reassurance to the slim blade that she hadmanaged to transfer, undetected, from her old harness to the new. And now the groom was at her side and taking her hand was leadingher up the steps to the throne, before which they halted andstood facing the gathering below. Came then, from the back of theroom a procession headed by the high dignitary whose office itwas to make these two man and wife, and directly behind him arichly-clad youth bearing a silken pillow on which lay the goldenhandcuffs connected by a short length of chain-of-gold with whichthe ceremony would be concluded when the dignitary clasped ahandcuff about the wrist of each symbolizing their indissolubleunion in the holy bonds of wedlock. 

Would Turan's promised succor come too late? Tara listened to thelong, monotonous intonation of the wedding service. She heard thevirtues of O-Tar extolled and the beauties of the bride. Themoment was approaching and still no sign of Turan. But what couldhe accomplish should he succeed in reaching the throne room, other than to die with her? There could be no hope of rescue. 

The dignitary lifted the golden handcuffs from the pillow uponwhich they reposed. He blessed them and reached for Tara's wrist. The time had come! The thing could go no further, for alive ordead, by all the laws of Barsoom she would be the wife of O-Tarof Manator the instant the two were locked together. Even shouldrescue come then or later she could never dissolve those bondsand Turan would be lost to her as surely as though deathseparated them. 

Her hand stole toward the hidden blade, but instantly the hand ofthe groom shot out and seized her wrist. He had guessed herintention. Through the slits in the grotesque mask she could seehis eyes upon her and she guessed the sardonic smile that themask hid. For a tense moment the two stood thus. The people belowthem kept breathless silence for the play before the throne hadnot passed un-noticed. 

Dramatic as was the moment it was suddenly rendered trebly so bythe noisy opening of the doors leading to The Hall of Chiefs. Alleyes turned in the direction of the interruption to see anotherfigure framed in the massive opening--a half-clad figure bucklingthe half-adjusted harness hurriedly in place--the figure ofO-Tar, Jeddak of Manator. 

"Stop!" he screamed, springing forward along the aisle toward thethrone. "Seize the impostor!"

All eyes shot to the figure of the groom before the throne. Theysaw him raise his hand and snatch off the golden mask, and Taraof Helium in wide-eyed incredulity looked up into the face ofTuran the panthan. 

"Turan the slave, " they cried then. "Death to him! Death to him!"

"Wait!" shouted Turan, drawing his sword, as a dozen warriorsleaped forward. 

"Wait!" screamed another voice, old and cracked, as I-Gos, theancient taxidermist, sprang from among the guests and reached thethrone steps ahead of the foremost warriors. 

At sight of the old man the warriors paused, for age is held ingreat veneration among the peoples of Barsoom, as is true, perhaps, of all peoples whose religion is based to any extentupon ancestor worship. But O-Tar gave no heed to him, leapinginstead swiftly toward the throne. "Stop, coward!" cried I-Gos. 

The people looked at the little old man in amazement. "Men ofManator, " he cackled in his thin, shrill voice, "wouldst be ruledby a coward and a liar?"

"Down with him!" shouted O-Tar. 

"Not until I have spoken, " retorted I-Gos. "It is my right. If Ifail my life is forfeit--that you all know and I know. I demandtherefore to be heard. It is my right!"

"It is his right, " echoed the voices of a score of warriors invarious parts of the chamber. 

"That O-Tar is a coward and a liar I can prove, " continued I-Gos. "He said that he faced bravely the horrors of the chamber ofO-Mai and saw nothing of the slave Turan. I was there, hidingbehind the hangings, and I saw all that transpired. Turan hadbeen hiding in the chamber and was even then lying upon the couchof O-Mai when O-Tar, trembling with fear, entered the room. Turan, disturbed, arose to a sitting position at the same timevoicing a piercing shriek. O-Tar screamed and swooned. "

"It is a lie!" cried O-Tar. 

"It is not a lie and I can prove it, " retorted I-Gos. "Didstnotice the night that he returned from the chambers of O-Mai andwas boasting of his exploit, that when he would summon slaves tobring wine he reached for his dagger to strike the gong with itspommel as is always his custom? Didst note that, any of you? Andthat he had no dagger? O-Tar, where is the dagger that youcarried into the chamber of O-Mai? You do not know; but I know. While you lay in the swoon of terror I took it from your harnessand hid it among the sleeping silks upon the couch of O-Mai. There it is even now, and if any doubt it let them go thither andthere they will find it and know the cowardice of their jeddak. "

"But what of this impostor?" demanded one. "Shall he stand withimpunity upon the throne of Manator whilst we squabble about ourruler?"

"It is through his bravery that you have learned the cowardice ofO-Tar, " replied I-Gos, "and through him you will be given agreater jeddak. "

"We will choose our own jeddak. Seize and slay the slave!" Therewere cries of approval from all parts of the room. Gahan waslistening intently, as though for some hoped-for sound. He sawthe warriors approaching the dais, where he now stood with drawnsword and with one arm about Tara of Helium. He wondered if hisplans had miscarried after all. If they had it would mean deathfor him, and he knew that Tara would take her life if he fell. Had he, then, served her so futilely after all his efforts?

Several warriors were urging the necessity for sending at once tothe chamber of O-Mai to search for the dagger that would prove, if found, the cowardice of O-Tar. At last three consented to go. "You need not fear, " I-Gos assured them. "There is naught thereto harm you. I have been there often of late and Turan the slavehas slept there for these many nights. The screams and moans thatfrightened you and O-Tar were voiced by Turan to drive you awayfrom his hiding place. " Shamefacedly the three left the apartmentto search for O-Tar's dagger. 

And now the others turned their attention once more to Gahan. They approached the throne with bared swords, but they cameslowly for they had seen this slave upon the Field of Jetan andthey knew the prowess of his arm. They had reached the foot ofthe steps when from far above there sounded a deep boom, andanother, and another, and Turan smiled and breathed a sigh ofrelief. Perhaps, after all, it had not come too late. Thewarriors stopped and listened as did the others in the chamber. Now there broke upon their ears a loud rattle of musketry and itall came from above as though men were fighting upon the roofs ofthe palace. 

"What is it?" they demanded, one of the other. 

"A great storm has broken over Manator, " said one. 

"Mind not the storm until you have slain the creature who daresstand upon the throne of your jeddak, " demanded O-Tar. "Seizehim!"

Even as he ceased speaking the arras behind the throne parted anda warrior stepped forth upon the dais. An exclamation of surpriseand dismay broke from the lips of the warriors of O-Tar. "U-Thor!" they cried. "What treason is this?"

"It is no treason, " said U-Thor in his deep voice. "I bring you anew jeddak for all of Manator. No lying poltroon, but acourageous man whom you all love. "

He stepped aside then and another emerged from the corridorhidden by the arras. It was A-Kor, and at sight of him there roseexclamations of surprise, of pleasure, and of anger, as thevarious factions recognized the coup d'etat that had beenarranged so cunningly. Behind A-Kor came other warriors until thedais was crowded with them--all men of Manator from the city ofManatos. 

O-Tar was exhorting his warriors to attack, when a bloody anddisheveled padwar burst into the chamber through a side entrance. "The city has fallen!" he cried aloud. "The hordes of Manatospour through The Gate of Enemies. The slaves from Gathol havearisen and destroyed the palace guards. Great ships are landingwarriors upon the palace roof and in the Fields of Jetan. The menof Helium and Gathol are marching through Manator. They cry aloudfor the Princess of Helium and swear to leave Manator a blazingfuneral pyre consuming the bodies of all our people. The skiesare black with ships. They come in great processions from theeast and from the south. "

And then once more the doors from The Hall of Chiefs swung wideand the men of Manator turned to see another figure standing uponthe threshold--a mighty figure of a man with white skin, andblack hair, and gray eyes that glittered now like points of steeland behind him The Hall of Chiefs was filled with fighting menwearing the harness of far countries. Tara of Helium saw him andher heart leaped in exultation, for it was John Carter, Warlordof Barsoom, come at the head of a victorious host to the rescueof his daughter, and at his side was Djor Kantos to whom she hadbeen betrothed. 

The Warlord eyed the assemblage for a moment before he spoke. "Lay down your arms, men of Manator, " he said. "I see my daughterand that she lives, and if no harm has befallen her no blood needbe shed. Your city is filled with the fighting men of U-Thor, andthose from Gathol and from Helium. The palace is in the hands ofthe slaves from Gathol, beside a thousand of my own warriors whofill the halls and chambers surrounding this room. The fate ofyour jeddak lies in your own hands. I have no wish to interfere. I come only for my daughter and to free the slaves from Gathol. Ihave spoken!" and without waiting for a reply and as though theroom had been filled with his own people rather than a hostileband he strode up the broad main aisle toward Tara of Helium. 

The chiefs of Manator were stunned. They looked to O-Tar; but hecould only gaze helplessly about him as the enemy entered fromThe Hall of Chiefs and circled the throne room until they hadsurrounded the entire company. And then a dwar of the army ofHelium entered. 

"We have captured three chiefs, " he reported to The Warlord, "whobeg that they be permitted to enter the throne room and report totheir fellows some matter which they say will decide the fate ofManator. "

"Fetch them, " ordered The Warlord. 

They came, heavily guarded, to the foot of the steps leading tothe throne and there they stopped and the leader turned towardthe others of Manator and raising high his right hand displayed ajeweled dagger. "We found it, " he said, "even where I-Gos saidthat we would find it, " and he looked menacingly upon O-Tar. 

"A-Kor, jeddak of Manator!" cried a voice, and the cry was takenup by a hundred hoarse-throated warriors. 

"There can be but one jeddak in Manator, " said the chief who heldthe dagger; his eyes still fixed upon the hapless O-Tar hecrossed to where the latter stood and holding the dagger upon anoutstretched palm proffered it to the discredited ruler. "Therecan be but one jeddak in Manator, " he repeated meaningly. 

O-Tar took the proffered blade and drawing himself to his fullheight plunged it to the guard into his breast, in that singleact redeeming himself in the esteem of his people and winning aneternal place in The Hall of Chiefs. 

As he fell all was silence in the great room, to be brokenpresently by the voice of U-Thor. "O-Tar is dead!" he cried. "LetA-Kor rule until the chiefs of all Manator may be summoned tochoose a new jeddak. What is your answer?"

"Let A-Kor rule! A-Kor, Jeddak of Manator!" The cries filled theroom and there was no dissenting voice. 

A-Kor raised his sword for silence. "It is the will of A-Kor, " hesaid, "and that of the Great Jed of Manatos, and the commander ofthe fleet from Gathol, and of the illustrious John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom, that peace lie upon the city of Manator andso I decree that the men of Manator go forth and welcome thefighting men of these our allies as guests and friends and showthem the wonders of our ancient city and the hospitality ofManator. I have spoken. " And U-Thor and John Carter dismissedtheir warriors and bade them accept the hospitality of Manator. As the room emptied Djor Kantos reached the side of Tara ofHelium. The girl's happiness at rescue had been blighted by sightof this man whom her virtuous heart told her she had wronged. Shedreaded the ordeal that lay before her and the dishonor that shemust admit before she could hope to be freed from theunderstanding that had for long existed between them. And nowDjor Kantos approached and kneeling raised her fingers to hislips. 

"Beautiful daughter of Helium, " he said, "how may I tell you thething that I must tell you--of the dishonor that I have allunwittingly done you? I can but throw myself upon your generosityfor forgiveness; but if you demand it I can receive the dagger ashonorably as did O-Tar. "

"What do you mean?" asked Tara of Helium. "What are you talkingabout--why speak thus in riddles to one whose heart is alreadybreaking?"

Her heart already breaking! The outlook was anything butpromising, and the young padwar wished that he had died beforeever he had had to speak the words he now must speak. 

"Tara of Helium, " he continued, "we all thought you dead. For along year have you been gone from Helium. I mourned you truly andthen, less than a moon since, I wed with Olvia Marthis. " Hestopped and looked at her with eyes that might have said: "Now, strike me dead!"

"Oh, foolish man!" cried Tara. "Nothing you could have done couldhave pleased me more. Djor Kantos, I could kiss you!"

"I do not think that Olvia Marthis would mind, " he said, his facenow wreathed with smiles. As they spoke a body of men had enteredthe throne room and approached the dais. They were tall mentrapped in plain harness, absolutely without ornamentation. Justas their leader reached the dais Tara had turned to Gahan, motioning him to join them. 

"Djor Kantos, " she said, "I bring you Turan the panthan, whoseloyalty and bravery have won my love. "

John Carter and the leader of the new come warriors, who werestanding near, looked quickly at the little group. The formersmiled an inscrutable smile, the latter addressed the Princess ofHelium. "'Turan the panthan!'" he cried. "Know you not, fairdaughter of Helium, that this man you call panthan is Gahan, Jedof Gathol?"

For just a moment Tara of Helium looked her surprise; and thenshe shrugged her beautiful shoulders as she turned her head tocast her eyes over one of them at Gahan of Gathol. 

"Jed or panthan, " she said; "what difference does it make whatone's slave has been?" and she laughed roguishly into the smilingface of her lover. 

 * * * * *

His story finished, John Carter rose from the chair opposite me, stretching his giant frame like some great forest-bred lion. 

"You must go?" I cried, for I hated to see him leave and itseemed that he had been with me but a moment. 

"The sky is already red beyond those beautiful hills of yours, "he replied, "and it will soon be day. "

"Just one question before you go, " I begged. 

"Well?" he assented, good-naturedly. 

"How was Gahan able to enter the throne room garbed in O-Tar'strappings?" I asked. 

"It was simple--for Gahan of Gathol, " replied The Warlord. "Withthe assistance of I-Gos he crept into The Hall of Chiefs beforethe ceremony, while the throne room and Hall of Chiefs werevacated to receive the bride. He came from the pits through thecorridor that opened behind the arras at the rear of the throne, and passing into The Hall of Chiefs took his place upon the backof a riderless thoat, whose warrior was in I-Gos' repair room. When O-Tar entered and came near him Gahan fell upon him andstruck him with the butt of a heavy spear. He thought that he hadkilled him and was surprised when O-Tar appeared to denouncehim. "

"And Ghek? What became of Ghek?" I insisted. 

"After leading Val Dor and Floran to Tara's disabled flier whichthey repaired, he accompanied them to Gathol from where a messagewas sent to me in Helium. He then led a large party includingA-Kor and U-Thor from the roof, where our ships landed them, downa spiral runway into the palace and guided them to the throneroom. We took him back to Helium with us, where he still lives, with his single rykor which we found all but starved to death inthe pits of Manator. But come! No more questions now. "

I accompanied him to the east arcade where the red dawn wasglowing beyond the arches. 

"Good-bye!" he said. 

"I can scarce believe that it is really you, " I exclaimed. "Tomorrow I will be sure that I have dreamed all this. "

He laughed and drawing his sword scratched a rude cross upon theconcrete of one of the arches. 

"If you are in doubt tomorrow, " he said, "come and see if youdreamed this. "

A moment later he was gone. 

JETAN, OR MARTIAN CHESS

For those who care for such things, and would like to try thegame, I give the rules of Jetan as they were given me by JohnCarter. By writing the names and moves of the various pieces onbits of paper and pasting them on ordinary checkermen the gamemay be played quite as well as with the ornate pieces used uponMars. 

THE BOARD: Square board consisting of one hundred alternate blackand orange squares. 

THE PIECES: In order, as they stand upon the board in the firstrow, from left to right of each player. 

Warrior: 2 feathers; 2 spaces straight in any direction orcombination. 

Padwar: 2 feathers; 2 spaces diagonal in any direction orcombination. 

Dwar: 3 feathers; 3 spaces straight in any direction orcombination. 

Flier: 3 bladed propellor; 3 spaces diagonal in any direction orcombination; and may jump intervening pieces. 

Chief: Diadem with ten jewels; 3 spaces in any direction;straight or diagonal or combination. 

Princess: Diadem with one jewel; same as Chief, except may jumpintervening pieces. 

Flier: See above. 

Dwar: See above. 

Padwar: See above. 

Warrior: See above. 

And in the second row from left to right:

Thoat: Mounted warrior 2 feathers; 2 spaces, one straight and onediagonal in any direction. 

Panthans: (8 of them): 1 feather; 1 space, forward, side, ordiagonal, but not backward. 

Thoat: See above. 

The game is played with twenty black pieces by one player andtwenty orange by his opponent, and is presumed to have originallyrepresented a battle between the Black race of the south and theYellow race of the north. On Mars the board is usually arrangedso that the Black pieces are played from the south and the Orangefrom the north. 

The game is won when any piece is placed on same square withopponent's Princess, or a Chief takes a Chief. 

The game is drawn when either Chief is taken by a piece otherthan the opposing Chief, or when both sides are reduced to threepieces, or less, of equal value and the game is not won in theensuing ten moves, five apiece. 

The Princess may not move onto a threatened square, nor may shetake an opposing piece. She is entitled to one ten-space move atany time during the game. This move is called the escape. 

Two pieces may not occupy the same square except in the finalmove of a game where the Princess is taken. 

When a player, moving properly and in order, places one of hispieces upon a square occupied by an opponent piece, the opponentpiece is considered to have been killed and is removed from thegame. 

The moves explained. Straight moves mean due north, south, east, or west; diagonal moves mean northeast, southeast, southwest, ornorthwest. A Dwar might move straight north three spaces, ornorth one space and east two spaces, or any similar combinationof straight moves, so long as he did not cross the same squaretwice in a single move. This example explains combination moves. 

The first move may be decided in any way that is agreeable toboth players; after the first game the winner of the precedinggame moves first if he chooses, or may instruct his opponent tomake the first move. 

Gambling: The Martians gamble at Jetan in several ways. Of coursethe outcome of the game indicates to whom the main stake belongs;but they also put a price upon the head of each piece, accordingto its value, and for each piece that a player loses he pays itsvalue to his opponent.