A Fighting Man Of Mars – Martian Tales 07
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Contents
FOREWORD
1. SANOMA TORA
2. BROUGHT DOWN
3. CORNERED
4. TAVIA
5. TO THE PITS
6. SENTENCED TO DIE
7. THE DEATH
8. THE SPIDER OF GHASTA
9. PHOR TAK OF JHAMA
10. THE FLYING DEATH
11. "LET THE FIRE BE HOT!"
12. THE CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY
13. TUL AXTAR'S WOMEN
14. THE CANNIBALS OF U-GOR
15. THEBATTLE OF JAHAR

16. DESPAIR
17. I FIND A PRINCESS
FOREWORD
TO JASONGRIDLEY OF TARZANA, discoverer othfe Gridley Wave, belonged the credit of establishing radio communication between Pellucidar and the outer
world.
It wasmy good fortune to be much inlahbios ratory while he was carrying on hisexperiments and to bea,lso, the recipient ohfis confidences, so
that I was fulalyware that while he hoped to establish communication with Pellucidarhe was also reaching out toward aneven more stupendous accomplishment– hewas gropingthrough spacefor contactwith another planet; nordid he attempt tdoeny that the presengtoal of his ambition
was radio communication with Mars.
Gridley had constructed a simple, automatic device for broadcasting signals intermittentlyand forrecording whatever mightbe receivedduring his
absence.
For a period ofifve minutes the Gridley Wave carried a simple code signal consistingof twoletters, "J.G.,"out intothe ether,following which
therewas a pauseof ten minutesH. our afterhour, day afterday, week
after weekt,hese silent,invisible messengers sped outto the uttermost

reaches ofinfinite space, and after JasoGnridley left Tarzana to embark upon hisexpedition to Pellucidar, I founmdyself drawn to his laboratory by thelure of the tantalizinpgossibilities of his dreama,s well as by
the promiseI had made himthat I would looikn occasionally to see that thedevice was functioning properly and to examine the recording instrumentsfor anyindication that thesignals hadbeen received and answered.
Myconsiderable association withGridley had given mea fairworking knowledgeof hisdevices andsufficient knowledgeof the MorseCode to enable me to receive with moderate accuracy and speed.
Months passed; dust accumulatethdickly upon everything except the working parts of Gridley's devicaen, d the white ribbon of ticker tape that was to receive ananswering signal retainedits virgin purity; theIn went away
for a short trip intoArizona .
I was absent foabr out ten days and upon my return one of the first things with which I concerned myself was an inspection of Gridley's laboratory and the instruments he haledft in my care. As I entered the familiar room and switched on the lights it was with the expectation of meeting with the same blank unresponsiveness to which I was by now quite accustomed.
Asa matter of fact,hope of success hadnever been raised toany
considerable degree in mbyreast, nor had Gridley been over sanguine – his

was merely an experiment. He considered it well worth while to make it, and
I consideredit equallyworth while tolend him whast mall assistance I
might.
It was, therefore, with feelings of astonishment that assumed the magnitude of adistinct shock that I saw upon ttihceker tape the familiar tracings
which stand for the dots and dashes of code.
Ofcourse Irealized that someother researchermight have duplicated Jason'sdiscovery ofthe Gridley Waveand thatthe messagemight have originated upon earth, oarg, ain, it might be a message from Jason himself
in Pellucidar, but when I had deciphered it, all doubts were quickly put to
rest. Itwas from Ulysses Paxtono,ne time captain,
t–he U.S. Infantry,
who, miraculously transported froam battlefield inFrance to the bosom of thegreat Red Planeth, ad become theright handman of RasThavas, the mastermind ofMars, andlater the husbandof Valla Diad, aughter of Kor San, Jeddak of Duhor.
In brief, the message explained that for months mysterious signals had been received at Helium, and while they were unable to interpret them, they felt that theycame fromJasoom, the nameby which the planeEtarth is known
upon Mars.
John Carterbeing absent from Helium, a faflsiter had been dispatched to Duhorbearing anurgent requestto Paxtonto comeat once tothe twin citiesand endeavor to determine ifin truth the signals theywere

receiving actually originated upon the planet of his birth.
Upon hisarrival atHelium, Paxton immediately recognizetdhe Morse Code signals andno doubt was left in the minodf sthe Martian scientists that atlast something tangiblehad beenaccomplished toward thesolution of
inter-communication between Jasoom and Barsoom.
Repeated attemptsto transmit answering signaltso Earth proved fruitless
and then the best minds of Helium settled down to the task of analyzing and reproducing the Gridley Wave.
They felt that laatst they had succeeded. Paxton had sent his message and they were eagerly awaiting an acknowledgment.
I havesince been in almosctonstant communication with Marsb,ut out of
loyalty to Jason Gridletyo,
whom all the credit and honor are due, I have
madeno official announcement, nor shall I give out any important information,leaving allthat for hisreturn tothe outer world;but I believethat I am betraying noconfidence if I narrate to youthe
interesting story of Hadron of Hastor, which Paxton told me one evening not long since.
I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did.
Butbefore I goon with thestory abrief description ofthe principal

races of Mars, thepirolitical and military organization and some of their
customs mayprove of interest to many of
rmeayders. The dominant race in
whose hands rest the progress and civilization – yes, the very life of Mars
– differbut little inphysical appearance from ourselvesT.he fact that their skinsare a light reddischopper color and thatthey are oviparous
constitute the two momstarked divergences from Anglo-Saxon standards. No, there is another – their longevity. A thousand years is the natural span of life ofa Martian, although, because othfeir war-like activities and the prevalenceof assassination amongthem, few livetheir allottedspan.
Their general political organizatiohnas changed little in countless ages, the unisttill being thetribe, at the heaodf which is cahief or jed,
corresponding in modern timetos
our king. The princes are known as lesser
jeds, while the chief of chiefs, or the head of consolidated tribes, is the jeddak, or emperor, whose consort is a jeddara.
The majorityof red Martians live in wallceidties, though there are many who residein isolated, though well walleadnd defended, farm homes along
those rich irrigated ribbons of land that we of earth know as the Canals of
Mars.
In the far soutthh,at is in the south polar region, dwells a race of very handsome and highly intelligent black men. There, also, is the remnant of a white race; while the north polar regions are dominated by a race of yellow men.

In between the twpooles and scattered over all the and waste lands of the dead seabottoms, often inhabitingthe ruined cities oafnother age, are
the feared green hordes of Mars.
The terriblegreen warriors ofBarsoom are the hereditareynemies of all theother races ofthis martial planetT. hey areof heroic sizeand in
addition to being equippewdith two legs and two arms apiece, they have an
intermediary pairof limbs,which may beused at will eithears arms or
legs.Their eyes areset at theextreme sidesof their headsa,
trifle
above thecenter, and protrude in such a mantnheart they may be directed
eitherforward or back and also independently of each other, thus
permitting theseremarkable creatures to look
ainny direction, or in two
directionsat once without the necessity of turning their heads.
Their ears, which are slightly above the eyes and closer together are small cupped-shape antennae, protruding several inches from the head, while their nosesare butlongitudinal slits inthe centerof theirfaces, midway
between their mouths and ears.
Theyhave no hair on their bodies, which are of a very light yellowish-greencolor in infancy, deepeningto an olive greentoward maturity,the adult males being darker in color than the females.
The iris of the eyes is blood red, as an Albino's, while the pupil is dark. The eyebaliltself is very white, as are the teaentdh it is these latter

which add a most ferocious appearance to an otherwise fearsome and terrible countenance,as thelower tuskscurve upwardto sharp pointswhich end
about where the eyeosf earthly human beings are located. The whiteness of the teethis not that oifvory, but of thsenowiest and most gleaming of
china. Againsthe dark background of theoirlive skins their tusks stand outin a most striking manner, causing these weaponsto present a singularly formidable appearance.
They area cruel and taciturrnace, entirely devoid olfove, sympathy or pity.
They arean equestrian race, never walking oththeran to move about their camps.
Theirmounts, calledthoats, aregreat savage beastsw'
hose proportions
harmonize with those of their giant masters. They have eight legs and broad flattails larger athe tips thanat theroots. They holdthese tails
straightout whilerunning. Their mouthsare enormous,splitting their
heads fromtheir snouts to their lonmg,assive necks. Like their masters, they are entirely devooidf hair, their skins being a dark slate color and exceedingly smoothand glossy, withthe exception of thbeelly, which is white, andthe legs, which shade from the sloaftethe shoulders and hips
to avivid yellow at thfeeet. The feet arheeavily padded and nailless.
Like the red men, the green hordes are ruled by jeds and jeddaks, but their military organization is not carried to the same detail of perfection as is

that of the red men.
The military forces othfe red men are highly organized, the principal arm ofthe servicebeing the navy,an enormous airforce ofbattleships,
cruisersand aninfinite varietyof lessercraft down toone-man scout
fliers. Next in sizaend importance is the infantry branch of the service, while thecavalry, mountedon a breedof small thoatss, imilar to those
used by the green Martian giants, is utilized principally in patrolling the avenues ofthe cities andthe rural districts thabtorder the irrigating
systems.
The principabl asic unit,although not thesmallest one ofthe military organization, is a utacno, nsisting of one hundred men, which is commanded bya dwarwith severalpadwars orlieutenants juniorto him.An odwar
commands a umak otefn thousand men, while next above him is a jedwar, who is junior only to the jed or king.
Science, literature, art anadrchitecture are in some of their departments
further advancedupon Marsthan upon Eartha,
remarkable thingwhen one
considersthe constant battle for survivalwhich is the mostmarked characteristic of life upon Barsoom.
Not only are they waging a continual battle against Nature, which is slowly diminishing theiralready scantatmosphere, but from birttho death they
are constantly faced by the stern necessity of defending themselves against

enemynations oftheir own raceand thegreat hordes ofroving green
warriors of the dead sea bottom; while within the walls of their own cities are countlessprofessional assassins, whose callinigs so well recognized
that in some localities they are organized into guilds.
But notwithstanding all the grim realities with which they have to contend, the redMartians are a happy, social peopTleh.ey have their games, their dances andtheir songs, and the social lifeaogf reat capital of Barsoom
is as gay anmdagnificent as any that may be found in the rich capitals of
Earth.
That theyare a brave, noble and generous peoipsleindicated by the fact that neitherJohn Carter nor Ulysses Paxton wourledturn to Earth if they might.
And nowto returnto the talethat I had fromPaxton across forty-three million miles of space.
One
SANOMA TORA
THIS IS THE STORY OF HADRON OF HASTOR, Fighting Man of Mars, as narrated by him to Ulysses Paxton:
I am Tan Hadron of Hastor, my father is Had Urtur, Odwar of the 1st Umak of

the Troopsof Hastor. He commands the largest sohfipwar that Hastor has
ever contributed to the navy of Helium, accommodating as it does the entire tenthousand men ofthe 1st Umak, togetherwith five hundredlesser
fighting ships and all the paraphernalia of war. My mother is a princess of
Gathol.
As afamily we are nortich except in honora,nd, valuing this above all
mundane possessions, I chose the profession of my father rather than a more
profitable career. The bettteor
further my ambition I came to the capital
ofthe empire ofHelium and tookservice inthe troops ofTardos Mors,
Jeddak of Helium, thIatmight be nearer the great John Carter, Warlord of
Mars.
Mylife inHelium andmy careerin thearmy weresimilar tothose of hundredsof otheryoung men.I passedthrough my trainingdays without
notable accomplishment, neither heading nor trailing my fellows, and in due
course I was made a Padwar in the 91st Umak, being assigned to the 5th Utan of the 11th Dar.
What withbeing of noble lineagbey my father andinheriting royal blood from mymother, the palaces of the twin citoifesHelium were always open
to me and I entered much into the gay life of the capital. It was thus that
Imet Sanoma Tora, daughter ofTor Hatan, Odwar of the 91stUmak.
Tor Hatan is only of the lower nobility, but he is fabulously rich from the

loot of many citiewsell invested in farm land and mines, and because here in the capital oHfelium riches count for more than they do in Hastor, Tor Hatan is a powerfmulan, whose influence reaches even to the throne of the Jeddak.
Never shall I forgtehte occasion upon which I first laid eyes upon Sanoma
Tora. It was upon the occasion of a great feast at the marble palace of The
Warlord. Therewere gatheredunder one roofthe most beautifuwl omen of
Barsoom, wheren, otwithstanding thegorgeous and radiantbeauty of Dejah
Thoris, Tara of Helium and Thuvid of Ptarth, the pulchritude of Sanoma Tora was suchas to arrest attention. I shall not tshaayt it was greater than
that of those acknowledged queens of Barsoomian loveliness, for I know that my adorationof Sanoma Tora might easiilnyfluence my judgment, but there
were others there whroemarked her gorgeous beauty which differs from that of Dejah Thoris athse chaste beauty of a polar landscape differs from the beauty ofthe tropics,as the beautyof a white palacien the moonlight
differs from the beauty of its garden atmidday .
When atmy solicitation I wapsresented to her, shgelanced first at the insignia uponmy armor, and noting therefrom thawt aIs but a Padwar, she vouchsafed mebut a condescendingword and turned hearttention again to the Dwar with whom she had been conversing.
I musat dmit thatI was piquedand yet it wasin, deed, the contumelious treatment sheaccorded me that fixed my determinatitoon win her, for the goalmost difficult of attainment hasalways seemed to me themost

desirable.
And soit was thatI fell in lovwe ith Sanoma Tora, thdeaughter of the commander of the Umak to which I was attached.
For along time I founidt difficult to furthemr y suit in the slightest
degree; in fact I did not even see Sanoma Tora for several months after our first meeting, since whesnhe found that I was poor as well as low in rank
I found it impossible to gain an invitation to her home and it chanced that
I did not meet her elsewhere for a long time, but the more inaccessible she
became themore I loved her until every waking momoefnmt
y time that was
not actually occupied bthye performance of my military duties was devoted to thedevising of new and ever increasingly rpaslahns to possess her. I
even had the madness to consider abducting her, and I believe that I should eventually have gone thfiasr had there been no other way in which I could
see her, but about this time a fellow officer of the 91st, in fact the Dwar
of the Utan to which I was attached, took pity on me and obtained for me an invitation to a feast in thepalaceofTor Hatan .
My hostw,
ho was also mcyommanding officer, had nevenroticed me before
this eveningand I was surprised to note wthaermth and cordiality of his greetings.
"We must see more of you here, Hadron of Hastor," he had said. "I have been watching you and I prophesy that you will go far in the military service of

the Jeddak."
Now I knew hweas lying when he said that he had been watching me, for Tor
Hatan wasnotoriously laxin his dutiesas a commandingofficer, all of
which wereperformed by the senior Teedwar of Uthme ak. While I could not
fathom thecause of this suddeinnterest in me,
wit as nevertheless very
pleasing since through Iitmight in some degree further my pursuit of the heart and hand of Sanoma Tora.
Sanoma Tora herself was slightly more cordial than upon the occasion of our first meeting, though shneoticeably paid more attention to Sil Vagis than
she did to me.
Nowif there isany man inHelium whomI particularly detestmore than anotherit isSil Vagis, anasty littlesnob who holdsthe title of Teedwar,though sofar asI wasever ableto ascertain hecommands no troops, butis merely on thsetaff of Tor Hatanp,rincipally, I presume, because of the great wealth of his father.
Such creatures we have to put up with in times of peace, but when war comes and thegreat Warlordtakes command itis the fighting mewn ho rank and
riches do not count.
But bethat as it mayw, hile Sil Vagis spoiled theisvening for me as he
would spoiml
any others in thfeuture, nevertheless I leftthe palace of
TorHatan thatnight witha feelingbordering uponelation, forI had

SanomaTora's permissionto see heragain inher father's homewhen my duties would permit me to pay my respects to her.
Returning to my quarters I was accompanied by my friend, the Dwar, and when
Icommented onthe warmth ofTor Hatan'sreception of mehe laughed.
"You find it amusing," I said. "Why?"
"Tor Hatana, s you know," he said, "is very arincdh powerful, and yet it
is seldoma, s you may havneoticed, that he is invitetod
any one of the
fourplaces ofHelium in whichambitious menmost crave tobe seen."
"You mean the palaces of the Warlord, the Jeddak, the Jed and Carthoris?" I
asked.
"Of course,"he replied. "What othefrour in Helium counftor so much as these?Tor Hatan,"he continued, "issupposed to comefrom thelower
nobility, but there ais question in my mind as to whether there is a drop of nobleblood inhis veins, andone of thefacts upon whichI base my conjecture is his cringing and fawning reverence for anything pertaining to royalty –he would give hifsat soul to bceonsidered an intimate of any
one of the four."
"But what has that to do with me?" I demanded.

"A great deal," he replied; "in fact, because of it you were invited to his palace tonight."
"I do not understand," I said.
"I chanced to be talking with Tor Hatan the morning of the day you received your invitationand in the course of ocuornversation I mentioned you. He
had neverheard of youa, nd as a Padwairn the 5th Utaynou aroused his interestnot aparticle, but whenI toldhim that yourmother was a
princess ofGathol, be pricked uhpis ears, and whehne learned that you
were received as fraiend and equal in the palaces of the four demigods of Helium, he became almost enthusiastic about you. Now do you understand?" he concluded with a short laugh.
"Perfectly," I replied, "bnuot ne the less, I thank you. All that I wanted
was the opportunity and inasmuch as I was prepared to achieve it criminally if necessary, I cannqout ibble over any means that were employed to obtain
it, however unflattering they may be to me."
For monthsI haunted thepalaceofTor Hatan , anbdeing naturally a good
conversationalist and well schooleind
the stately dances and joyous games
of Barsoom, I wabsy no means an unwelcome visitor. Also I made it a point often totake Sanoma Tora tone or another otfhe four great palaces of
Helium.I was alwayswelcome because of theblood relationshipwhich existedbetween mymother and Gahanof Gathol,who had marriedTaraof
Helium.

Naturally I felt thIatwas progressing well with my suit, but my progress was notfast enoughto keep pacewith the racing desireosf my passion. Never hadI known love beforaend I felt thaIt should die iIf did not
soon possess Sanoma Tora, and so it was that upon a certain night I visited the palace of her father definitely determined to lay my heart and sword at herfeet beforeI left, anda, lthough thenatural complexes ofa lover
convincedme that Iwas an unworthy worm,that she would bewholly justified inspurning, Iwas yet determinedto declare myselfso that I might openlybe accounteda suitor, whicha, fter all, givesone greater freedom even though he be not entirely a favored suitor.
It wasone of those lovely nights that transfoorlmd Barsoom into a world
of enchantmentT. huria and Cluros werreacing through the heavens casting
theirsoft lightupon thegarden of Tor Hatan
e, mpurpling thevivid,
scarlet swardand lending strangehues to the gorgeoubslooms of pimalia
and sorapus, while thweinding walks, gravelled with semi-precious stones, shotback a thousand scintillantrays that, clothed inever-changing colors,danced atthe feet ofthe marblestatuary that lentan added
artistic charm to the ensemble.
In oneof the spacious halltshat overlooked the gardeonf the palace, a
youth anda maiden sat upoan massive bench orfich sorapus wood, such a benchas mighthave graced thehalls ofthe great Jeddakhimself, so
intricate itsrich design, so perfect thcearving of the master craftsman

who produced it.
Upon theleathern harness of thyeouth were the insignioaf his rank and
service – a Padwar in the 91st Umak. The youth was I, Hadron of Hastor, and with me was SanomTaora, daughter of Tor Hatan. I had come filled with the determination boldly to pleamdy cause, but suddenly I had become aware of
my unworthinessW.
hat had I toffer this beautiful daughteorf the rich
Tor Hatan?I was only Paadwar, and a poor onaet that. Of course, there was theroyal bloodof Gathol in mvyeins, and that, kInew, would have
weight with Tor Hatabnu, t I am not given to boasting and I could not have reminded Sanoma Tora of the advantages to be derived because of it even had I knownpositively that it would influencheer. I had, therefore, nothing
to offer but my great love, which is, perhaps, after all, the greatest gift that manor womancan bring toanother, and Ihad thoughtof late that
Sanoma Tora might love me. Upon several occasions she had sent for me, and, although in each instancsehe had suggested going to thepalaceofTara of
Helium, Ihad been vain enougtho hope that thiws as not her sole reason for wishing to be with me.
"Youare uninteresting tonight, Hadron ofHastor," she said aftera
particularly long silence, during which I had been endeavoring to formulate my proposal in some convincing and graceful phrases.
"Perhaps," I replied, "it is because I am trying to find the words in which toclothe the most interesting thought I have ever entertained."

"Andwhat isthat?" she askedpolitely, thoughwith no greatshow of interest.
"I love you, Sanoma Tora," I blurted awkwardly.
She laughedI.t was like thteinkling of silver upocnrystal – beautiful but cold". That hasbeen apparent fora long while," shseaid, "but why speak of it?"
"And why not?" I asked.
"Because even if I returned your love, I am not for you, Hadron of Hastor," she replied coldly.
"You cannot love me then, Sanoma Tora?" I asked.
"I did not say that," she replied.
"You could love me?"
"I could love yoifu I permitted myself the weakness," she said, "but what is love?"
"Love is everything," I told her.

Sanoma Toralaughed. "If you think that I would mlinykself for life to a threadbarePadwar even if I lovedhim, you are mistaken," shesaid
haughtily. "I am thdeaughter of Tor Hatan, whose wealth and power are but littleless thanthose of theroyal familiesof Helium. Ihave suitors
whose wealthis sogreat that theycould buy you tahousand times over.
Within the year an emissary of the Jeddak Tul Axtar of Jahar waited upon my father; hehad seen me anhde said that hwe ould return, and, merely for
love, you would asmke, who may some day be Jeddara of Jahar to become the wife of a poor Padwar."
I arose". Perhaps youare right," Isaid. "You are sboeautiful that it
does notseem possiblethat you couldbe wrong, butdeep inmy heart I
cannotbut feelthat happiness isthe greatest treasurethat onemay
possess, andlove the greatestpower. Without these, SanomTa ora, even a
Jeddara is poor indeed."
"I shall take my chance," she said.
"Ihope thatthe Jeddakof Jahar isnot asgreasy as hisemissary," I
remarked rather peevishly, I am afraid.
"He maybe an animatedgrease-pot for all cIare if he wimll ake me his
Jeddara," said Sanoma Tora.
"Then there is no hope for me?" I asked.

"Not while you have so little to offer, Padwar," she replied.
It wasthen that a slavaennounced Sil Vagis, andtoIok my leave. I had
never beforeplumbed such depths of despondencays that which engulfed me
as Imade my unhappy way back to my quartbeurst, even though hope seemed deadI hadnot relinquished mydetermination towin her. Ifwealth and
power were her price, then I would achieve wealth and power. Just how I was going to accomplish it was not entirely clear, but I was young and to youth
all things are possible.
I hadtossed in wakefulness upon my sleeping sialnkds
furs for some time
when an officer of the guard burst suddenly into myquarters.
"Hadron!" he shouted, "are you here?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Praised bethe ashes of mayncestors!" he exclaimed. "fIeared that you were not."
"Whyshould I not be?" I demanded. "What is this all about?"
"Tor Hatan,the fat old treasure bag, is gonemad," he exclaimed.
"Tor Hatangone mad? What dyoou mean? What has thgaot t to do with me?"

"He swears that you have abducted his daughter."
In aninstant Iwas upon myfeet. "Abducted Sanoma Tora!I" cried. "Has something happened to her? Tell me, quickly."
"Yes, sheis gone, all right," said minyformant, "and there is something mighty mysterious about it."
But I did not wait to hear more. Seizing my harness, I adjusted it as I ran up the spiral runwatoyward the hangars on the roof of the barracks. I had
no authority or permit to take out a flier, but what did that mean to me if
Sanoma Tora was in danger?
The hangar guards sougthot
detain and question me. I do not recall what I
told them; I knotwhat I must have lied to them, for they let me run out a swift one-manflier andan instant laterI was racingthrough the night
toward thepalaceofTor Hatan .
As it stands bluittle more than two haads from the barracks, I was there inbut afew moments, and,as Ilanded in thegarden, whichwas now
brilliantly lighted, I saw a number of people congregated there, among whom were Tor Hatan and Sil Vagis.
As I leaped fromthe deck of the flier, the former came angrily toward me. "So it iysou!" he cried. "What have you to fsoaryyourself? Where is my

daughter?"
"That is what I have come to ask, Tor Hatan," I replied.
"You are at thbeottom of this," he cried. "You abducted her. She told Sil
Vagis thathis very night you had demanded haenr d in marriage and that she had refused you."
"I did asfkor her hand," I said, "and she refumseed. That part is true;
but ifshe has been abductedin,
the name oyfour first ancestor, do not
waste time trying
ctoonnect me with the diabolical plot. I had nothing to
do with it. How did it happen? Who was with her?"
"SilVagis waswith her. Theywere walkingin the garden,"replied Tor
Hatan.
"You sawher abducted," I askedtu, rning to Sil Vagis",and you are here unwounded and alive?"
Hestarted to stammer. "There were many of them," he said. "They overpowered me."
"You saw them?" I asked.
"Yes."

"Was I among them?" I demanded.
"Itwas dark. Icould not recognize anyof them, perhaps theywere disguised."
"They overpowered you?" I asked him.
"Yes," he said.
"Youlie!" Iexclaimed. "Hadthey laidhands uponyou theywould have killedyou. You ranaway and hidn, ever drawing a weapon tdoefend the girl."
"That is a lie," cried Sil Vagis. "I fought with them, but they overpowered me."
I turned to ToHratan. "We are wasting time," I said. "Is there no one who can give uas clue as to the identity of thmeseen and the direction they
took intheir flight?How and whencecame they? How anwd hence did they
depart?"
"He is trying
thorow you off the track, Tor Hatan," said Sil Vagis. "Who
else couldit have been but a disgruntled suitor? Wwhoaut ld you say if I
should telyl ou thatthe metal of thme en who stole SanomTa ora was the metal of the warriors of Hastor?"

"I would say thyaot u are a liar," I replied. "Iwf aist
so dark that you
could notrecognize faces, how could yoduecipher the insignia upon their harness?"
At this juncture another officer of the 91st Umak joined us. "We have found one whomay, perhaps, shed somleight upon the subject,h"e said, "if he
lives long enough to speak."
Men hadbeen searchingthe grounds ofTor Hatan and thaptortion of the
city adjacent to his palace, and now several approached bearing a man, whom theylaid uponthe swardat ourfeet. Hisbroken and mangledbody was
entirely nakeda, nd ashe lay theregasping feebly for breathh,e was a pitiful spectacle.
A slave dispatched inthoe palace returned with stimulants, and when some ofthese hadbeen forced betweenhis lips, theman revivedslightly.
"Who are you?" asked Tor Hatan.
"I am a warrior of the city guard," replied the man feebly.
An officer approached Tor Hatan excitedly. "My men have just found six more bodies close to thpeoint at which we discovered this man," he said. "They
are all naked and similarly broken and mangled."

"Perhapswe shall geto the bottomof thisyet," said TorHatan, and,
turning again to the poor, broken thing upon the scarlet sward, he directed him to proceed.
"We were on nigphat trol over the city when we saw a craft running without lights. As we approacheitd and turned our searchlight upon it, I caught a single, briefglimpse of it. Ibtore no colors oirnsignia to denote its
origin and its desigwnas unlike that of any ship I have ever seen. It had along, low,enclosed cabin uponeither sideof which weremounted two
peculiar looking guns. This was all I had time to note, except that I saw a man directingone of the gunisn our direction. Thpeadwar in command of
our ship immediately gave orders to fire upon the stranger, and at the same time he hailed himA.t that instant our ship dissolved in mid-air; even my harnessfell fromme. I rememberfalling, thatis all," andwith these
words he gasped once and died.
Tor Hatan called his people around him. "There must have been someone about the palaceor the grounds who saw somethionfg this occurrence," he said.
"I commandthat no matter whmo ay be involved, whoevehras any knowledge whatsoever of this affair, shall speak."
Aslave steppedforward, andas heapproached TorHatan eyedhim with haughty arrogance.
"Well," demanded the odwar, "what have you to say? Speak!"

"You have commanded it, Tor Hatan," said the slave; "otherwise I should not speak, for whenhIave told what I saw I shall have incurred the enmity of
a powerful noble," and he glanced quickly toward Sil Vagis.
"And ifyou speakthe truth, man, yowu ill have won thferiendship of a
padwar whose sworids not so mean but that it mpraoytect you even from a powerful noble,"I said quickly, and I, too, glancaet dSil Vagis, for it
wasin my mindthat what the fellowhad to tell mightbe nonetoo
flattering to the soffotp who masqueraded beneath the title of a warrior.
Speak!" commanded Tor Hataimn patiently. "And see to it that thou dost not lie."
"For fourteenyears I haveserved faithfully in youpralace, Tor Hatan," repliedthe man, "eversince I wasbrought toHelium a prisonerof war
after the falland sack of Kobol, where I servetdheinbody guard of the Jed ofKobol, and in althl at time you have hando reason to question my truthfulness. Sanoma Tora trustemde, and had I had a sword this night she might still be with us."
"Come!Come! cried Tor Hatan; "get to the point. What saw you?"
"The fellowsaw nothing," snapped Sil Vagis. "Wwhyaste time upon him? He seeks but to glory in a little brief notoriety.

"Let him speak," I exclaimed.
"I hadjust ascendedthe first rampto the second leveolf the palace," explained theslave, "on my watyo the sleeping quarterosf Tor Hatan to arrange hissleeping silksand furs forthe night as ims y custom, and,
pausing for a moment to look out into the garden, I saw Sanoma Tora and Sil
Vagis walkingin the moonlightC. onscious that I shoulndot thus observe
them, I was abotuot
continue on my way about my duties when I saw a flier
droppingsilently outof the nighttoward thegarden. Itsmotors were noiseless,it showedno light. Itseemed aspectral ship andof such
strange designthat even if for no other reasitonwould have arrested my attention, buthere were other reasonsU. nlighted ships move through the night for no good purpose, and so I paused to watch it.
"It landedsilently and quickly behind Sanoma Toarnad Sil Vagis; nor did they seem aware oitfs presence until their attention was attracted by the slight clankingof theaccoutrements of oneof the severalwarriors who
sprang from its low cabin as it grounded. Then Sil Vagis wheeled about. For justan instanthe stood asthough petrifiedand then asthe strange
warriorsleaped toward him, he turned and fledinto the concealing shrubbery of the garden."
"It is a lie," cried Sil Vagis.
"Silence, coward!" I commanded.

"Continue, slave!" directed Tor Hatan.
"Sanoma Torawas not aware otfhe presence of thsetrange warriors until shewas seizedroughly frombehind. Itall happenedso quicklythat I scarce hadtime to realizethe purpose of thseinister visitation before theylaid handsupon her. WhenI comprehendedthat my mistresswas the object ofthis night attack, rIushed hurriedly down threamp, but ere I reachedthe gardenthey had draggedher aboard theflier. Eventhen, however, hadI had asword I might alet ast have died itnhe service of SanomaTora, for Ireached the shipof mysteryas the lastwarrior was
clambering aboard. I seized him by the harness and attempted to drag him to the grounda, t the same time shouting loudtoly attract the palace guard,
but ereI didso one ofhis fellows onthe deck above mderew his long sword andstruck viciously at my head. The blacdaueght me but a glancing
blow which, however, sufficed to stun me for a moment, so that I relaxed my holdupon thestrange warrior andfell tothe sward. WhenI regained
consciousness the ship had gone and the tardy palace guard was pouring from the guard room. I have spoken – and spoken truthfully."
Tor Hatan's cold gazseought out the lowered eyes of Sil Vagis. "What have you to say to this?" he demanded.
"The fellowis in the employ of HadronHoafstor," shouted Sil Vagis. "He speaks nothingbut lies.I attacked themwhen they cameb, ut there were

many and they overpowered me. This fellow was not present."
"Let me see thhyead," I said to the slave, and when he had come and knelt before me I saaw great red welt the length of soinde of his head above
the ear, just sucah welt as a glancing blow from fltahte side of a long sword mighht ave made. "Here," I said to THoartan, pointing to the great
welt, "is the proof of a slave's loyalty and courage. Let us see the wounds receivedby a noble of Heliumwho by his own testimony engagedin
single-handedcombat against greatodds. Surelyin such anencounter he must have received at least a single scratch."
"Unless heis as marvelous a swordsman tahse great John Carter himself," saidthe dwar of the palace guard with a thinly veiled sneer.
'It is all palot," cried Sil Vagis. "Do you take the word of a slave, Tor
Hatan, against that of a noble of Helium?"
"I rely on thtestimony of my eyes and my senses," replied the odwar, and he turnedhis backupon Sil Vagisand again addressedthe slave. "Didst
thou recognizeany ofthose who abductedSanoma Tora," hedemanded, "or note their harness or their metal?"
"I got no goolodok at the face of any of thbeumt, I did see the harness and the metal of him whom I tried to drag from the flier."
"Was it the metal of Hastor?" asked Tor Hatan.

"By myfirst ancestor, itwas not," replied thselave emphatically; "nor
was it the metoafl
any other city of the Empire of Helium. The design and
the insigniawere unknown to mea,nd yet there waas certain familiarity about themthat tantalizesme. I feetlhat I have seetnhem before, but
when and wherecaInnot recall. In the service of my jed I fought invaders from many landasnd it may be that upon sometheosfe I saw similar metal many years ago."
"Are you satisfied, ToHratan," I demanded, "that the aspersions cast upon me by Sil Vagis are without foundation?"
"Yes, Hadron of Hastor," replied the odwar. "Then with your leave, I shall depart," I said. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"To find Sanoma Tora," I replied.
"Andif youfind her,"he said,"and returnher safelyto me,she is yours."
I madeno other acknowledgment ohfis generous offer thatno bow deeply,
for I had iint
my mind that Sanoma Tora might have something to say about

that,and whethershe had ornot, I wishedno matewho came noto me willingly.
Leaping to the decokf the flier that brought me I rose into the night and sped in the directioonf the marble palace of the Warlord of Barsoom, for, eventhough thehour waslate, Iwas determinedto see himwithout an
instant's unnecessary loss of time.
Two
BROUGHT DOWN
AS IAPPROACHED THE WARLORD'S PALACEI saw signs oafctivity unusual for thathour ofthe night. Flierswere arrivingand departing, andwhen I
alighted uponthat portion of the roof reservfeodr military ships, I saw thefliers of a number of high officers of the Warlord's staff.
Beinga frequent visitorat the palaceand beingwell known byall the officersof theWarlord's body guard,I had nodifficulty ingaining
admission to the palacaen, d presently I was waiting in the hall, just off the smalcl ompartment inwhich the Warlordis accustomed togive small, private audiences, while a slave announced me to his master.
I do not knohwow long I waited. It could not hbaeveen a long while, yet
it seemedto me a veritable eternity, because
miynd was harassed by the
conviction that the womaInloved was in dire danger. I was possessed by a

conviction, ridiculous perhaps, bnuot ne the less real, that I alone could saveher andthat everyinstant Iwas delayedreduced herchances for succor before it was too late.
But at last I was invited to enter, and when I stood in the presence of the great Warlord I found him surrounded by men high in the councils of Helium.
"Iassume," saidJohn Carter,coming directlyto the point", that what brings youhere tonight, Hadron oHf astor, pertains to thme atter of the abductionof thedaughter ofTor Hatan.Have youany knowledgeor any theory that might cast any light upon the subject?"
"No," I replied. h"Iave come merely to obtain your authority to depart at once inan attempt to pick up the trailthoef abductors of Sanoma Tora."
"Where do you intend to search?" he demanded.
"Ido not yet know, sir," I replied, "but I shall find her."
He smiled. "Such assurancise at least an asset," he said, "and knowing as
I dowhat prompts it, sIhall grant you thpeermission you desire. While
the abduction of a daughter of Helium is in itself of sufficient gravity to warrant the use of every resource to apprehend her abductors and return her to her home, theirse also involved in this occurrence an element that may portend highdanger to theempire. As you doubtlesksnow, the mysterious

ship thabt ore her away mounted a gun frwomhich emanated some force that entirely disintegrated all thmeetal parts of the patrol flier that sought
to interceptand question it. Evetnhe weapons and thme etal portions of theharness ofthe crewwere dissipatedinto nothing,a factthat was
easily discernible from an examination of the wreck of the patrol flier and the bodies of itscrew. Wood, leather, flesh, everything of the animal and vegetable kingdom that was aboard the flier, has been found scattered about the groundwhere it fell, but no traocfe any metallic substance remains.
"I amimpressing this upon yobuecause it suggests tmo y mind a possible
clue to the generlaolcation of the city of these new enemies of Helium. I
am convincedthat thisis but thefirst blow, since annyavy armed with such gunscould easilyhold Helium aitts mercy, and fewindeed are the
cities of Barsoom outside the empire that would not seize with avidity upon anyinstrument that would give them the sack of the Twin Cities.
"For sometime now we have been deepcloyncerned by the increasing number ofmissing shipsof the navyI.n nearlyall instances thesewere ships
engagedin chartingair currentsand recording atmosphericpressures in different parts of Barsoomfar from the empire, and recently it has become apparentthat thevast majorityof theseships which nevereturn were thosecruising in the southern part of the western hemisphere, an
unhospitable portionof our planet concerninwg hich we have unfortunately
but little knowledge owing to the fact that we have developed no trade with the unfriendly people inhabiting this vast domain.

"This, Hadronof Hastor, is only a suggestioonn;ly the vaguest of clues,
but I offer it to you for what it is worth. A thousand one-man scout fliers
will be dispatched between now and noon tomorrow in search of the abductors of SanomaTora; nor will these be aCllr.uisers and battleships will take
theair as well,for Helium must knowwhat city orwhat nationhas developeda weaponof destruction suchas thatused aboveHelium this night.
"Itis mybelief thatthe weaponis ofvery recent inventionand that
whatever power possesses it, must be bending every effort to perfect it and produce it in sucqhuantities as to make them masters of the world. I have spoken. Go, and may fortune be with you."
You may believe that I lost no time in setting out upon my mission now that
Ihad authorityfrom John Carter.Going tomy quarters Ihastened my preparation for departure, whicchonsisted principally of making a careful selection ofweapons and of exchanging a rathoerrnate harness I had been wearing for one osifmpler design and of heavier and more durable leather. My fighting harness aislways the best and plainest that I can procure and
is madefor me by a famous harnessmakerLoefsser Helium. My equipment of weapons wasstandard, consisting of a long sworad,short sword, a dagger and a pistol.alIso provided myself with extra ammunition and a supply of the concentrated ration used by all Martian fighting men.
AsI gathered togetherthese simple necessities which,with asingle

sleepingfur, wouldconstitute myequipment, mymind was givenover to consideration of various explanations for the disappearance of Sanoma Tora. Isearched my brain for anyslightest memory that might suggestan
explanation, or point toward the possible identity of her abductors. It was while thusengaged that I recalled her referentcoe the jeddak, Tul Axtar ofJahar norwas there withinthe scopeof my recollectionany other
incident that might point a clue. I distinctly recalled the emissary of Tul Axtar whohad visited the court of Helium not lsoince. I had heard him boast ofthe riches and poweorf his jeddak antdhe beauty of his women. Perhaps, theni,t might be as well to searchthein direction of Jahar as
elsewhere, but before departing I determined once again to visit the palace of TorHatan andquestion the slave whhoad been the lastto see Sanoma
Tora.
As I waasbout to set out, another thought occurredmeto. I knew that in the Temple of Knowledgmeight be found either illustrations or replicas of the metaal nd harness ofevery nation of Barsoomc,oncerning which aught was knownin Helium.I therefore repairedimmediately to thetemple and
with theassistance of a clerk I presently fouanddrawing of the harness
and metal of a warrior of Jahar. By an ingenious photostatic process a copy of thisillustration wasmade for mein a fewseconds, andwith this I
hastened to the palace of Tor Hatan.
The odwarwas absent,having gone tothe palace of thWe arlord, but his
major-domo summonedthe slave, Kal Tavanw, ho had witnessed the abduction of Sanoma Tora and grappled with one of her abductors.

Asthe man approached I noticed him more particularly than I had previously. Hewas well built, with clear cfueat tures and that air which definitely bespeaks the fighting man.
"You said, I believe, that you were from Kobol?" I asked.
"I wasborn in Tjanath," he replied. "I hawdifae and daughter there. My wife felbl efore the hand of an assassainnd my daughter disappeared when
she was very young. I never knew what became of her. The familiar scenes of
Tjanath reminded me ohfappier days and so increased my grief that I could not remain. I turnepdanthan then and sought service in other cities; thus
I served in Kobol."
"Andthere youbecame familiarwith theharness andthe metalof many cities and nations?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied.
"What harness and metal are these?" I demanded, handing him the copy of the illustration I had brought from the Temple of Knowledge.
He examinedit briefly and then his eyleigshted with recognition. "It is the same," he said. "It is identical."

"Identical with what?" I asked.
"With the harness worn by the warrior with whom I grappled at the time that
Sanoma Tora was stolen," he replied.
"The identity of thaebductors of Sanoma Tora is established," I said, and then Iturned to the major-domo. "Send a messenagteronce to the Warlord informing himthat the daughter of Tor Hatan wstaoslen by men from Jahar and that it misy belief that they are the emissaries of Tul Axtar, Jeddak ofJahar," andwithout morewords Iturned andleft thepalace, going
directly to my flier.
As Iarose above the towers and domes alonfdty landing stages of Greater Helium, I turned theprow of my flier toward the west and opening wide the throttle spedswiftly throughthe thin airof dying Barsoomtoward that greatunknown expanseof her remotesouthwestern hemisphere,somewhere withinthe vast reachesof which lay Jahartoward which, I wasnow
convinced, SanomaTora wasbeing borne tobecome not theJeddara of Tul Axtar, buthis slave,for jeddaks takenot their jeddarasby force upon Barsoom.
I believed that I understood the explanation of Sanoma Tora's abduction, an explanation thawt ould have caused her intensivcehagrin since it was far
from flatteryI.
believedthat Tul Axtar'semissary had reportedto his
master the charm anbdeauty of the daughter of Tor Hatan, but that she was
notof sufficientlynoble birth tobecome hisjeddara, and sohe had

adopted theonly expedient by which he migphotssess her. My blood boiled at thesuggestion, butmy judgment toldme that iwt as doubtless right.
During the pasftew years – I should say the tleanst or twenty – greater strides havebeen takenin the advancemenot f aeronautics thanhad been previously achieved in the preceding five hundred years.
The perfection of the destination control compass by Carthoris of Helium is considered by many authorities to have marked the beginning of a new era of invention. Forcenturies weseemed to havestagnated in aquiet pond of
self sufficiencya, s though wehad reached the acmoef perfection beyond which iwt as useless to seefkor improvement upon whawt e considered the highest possible achievements of science.
Carthorisof Helium, inheriting the restless, inquiringmind of his
earth-born sirea, woke us.Our best mindstook up thechallenge and the
result was rapid improvement in design and construction of air ships of all classes, leading to a revolution in motor building.
We had thought thoaut r light, compact, powerful radium motors never could beimproved upon and that mannever would travel, either safelyor
economically, aat
speed greaterthan that attained boyur swift one-man
scout fliers – about eleven hundred haads per zode (Note: Approximately one hundredand sixty-sixearth miles perhour), when avirtually unknown
padwar in the navoyf Helium announced that he had perfected a motor that,

with one-halfthe weightof our presentmotors, would developtwice the speed.
Itwas thistype ofmotor withwhich myscout flierwas equipped– a seemingly fuellessmotor, since it deriveidts invisible and imponderable energy from the inexhaustible and illimitable magnetic field of the planet.
There arecertain basic features otfhe new motor thaotnly the inventor
and thegovernment of Helium are fully conversawnitth and these are most jealously guarded. The propellsehraft, which extends well within the hull of theflier, isconstructed of numerous lateraslegments insulated from oneanother. Around this shaft and supporting it is a series of
armature-like bearings, through the center of which it passes.
These areconnected in series with daevice called an accumulator through which theplanet's magneticenergy is directed ttohe peculiar armatures which encircle the propeller shaft.
Speedis controlled byincreasing ordiminishing the numberof armature bearingsin series with the accumulator – all of which is simply
accomplished bya leverwhich the pilomt
oves from hisposition on deck
where he ordinarily lies upon his stomach, his safety belt snapped to heavy rings in the deck.
The limit of speed, the inventor claims, is dependent solely upon the ratio
of strengthto weightin the constructionof the hullM.
y one-man scout

fliereasily attains aspeed of two thousandhaads per zode (Note: Approximately threehundred miles perhour), nor couldit have withstood
the tremendousstrain of a more powerful motothro, ugh it would have been
easy to have increasebdoth the power of one and the speed of the other by thesimple expedient ofa longerpropeller shaft carryingan additional
number of armature bearings.
In experimentingwith thenew motor atHastor last yeara, n attempt was madeto drivea scout flierat the exceptionalspeed ofthirty-three
hundred haads per zod(Ne ote: Approximately five hundred miles per hour; a
haad being1949.0592 earth feet anad
zode 2462 earthours), but before
the ship had attainead speed of three thousand haads per zode it was torn topieces byits own motor.Now weare tryingto attainthe greatest
strength withthe minimum of weight and oausr engineers succeed we shall seespeed increaseduntil, Iam sure,we shalleasily attainto seven
thousand haads per zode (Note: Over one thousand miles per hour), for there seemsto be no limit to the power of these marvelous motors.
Little lessmarvelous isthe destination control compasosf Carthoris of Helium.Set yourpointer uponany spoton either hemisphereo; pen your throttle andthen liedown and goto sleep ifyou will.Your ship will
carry youto yourdestination, drop withina hundred yards osro of the ground andstop, whilean alarm awakensyou. It is reallay very simple
device, but I believe that John Carter has fully described it in one of his
numerous manuscripts.

In the adventure upownhich I had embarked the destination control compass wasof littlevalue tome, since Idid notknow the exactlocation of Jahar.However, Iset it roughlyat apoint about thirtydegrees south
latitude, thirty-five degrees ealsotngitude, as I believed that Jahar lay somewhere to the southwest of that point.
Flying at high speed I had long since left behind the cultivated areas near Helium andwas crossing above a desolate adnedserted waste of ocher moss that clothed the deasdea bottoms where once rolled a mighty ocean bearing upon itsbosom theshipping of ahappy and prosperous peoplen,ow but a
half-forgotten memory in the legends of Barsoom.
Upon theedges of plateaus that once had marked sthhoere line of a noble continent Ipassed above the lonelmy onuments of that ancient prosperity, the sadd, eserted citiesof old BarsoomE. ven in their ruintshere is a
grandeur andmagnificence that still hapsower to awe
ma odern man. Down
toward thelowest sea bottoms other ruins matrhke tragic trail that that
ancient civilization had followeind
pursuit of the receding waters of its
ocean towhere the last city finalslyuccumbed, bereft of commerce, shorn
of power, to fall at last an easy victim to the marauding hordes of fierce, green tribesmen, whose descendants now are the sole rulers of many of these desertedsea bottoms.Hating and hated,ignorant oflove, laughter or
happiness, theylead their long, fiercleives quarreling among themselves andtheir neighborsand preyingupon anychance adventurerswho happen
within the confines of their bitter and desolate domain.

Fierce and terrible as are all green men, there are few whose cruel natures and bloodyexploits have horrified the minds of mreedn to such an extent
as have the green hordes of Torquas.
The city of Torquas, from which they derive their name, was one of the most
magnificent andpowerful ofancient Barsoom. Though
hitas been deserted
for agesby all but roamintgribes of green menit,
is still marked upon
every map, and as it lay directly in the path of my search for Jahar and as
I hadnever seen it, hIad purposely laid my courstoe
pass over it, and
when, farahead, I saw its lofty towers abnadttlements I felt the thrill
of excitement and thluere of adventure which these dead cities of Barsoom proverbially exert upon us red men.
As I approached thceity I reduced my speed and dropped lower that I might obtain a better vieowf it. What a beautiful city it must have been in its time!Even today,after allthe agesthat havepassed sinceits broad
avenuessurged with thelife of happy, prosperousthrongs, itsgreat palacesstill standin all theirglorious splendor,that timeand the elements have softened and mellowed, but not yet destroyed.
As I circled loawbove the city I saw miles of avenues that have not known the footof man for countlesasges. The stone flagginogf their pavement wasovergrown with ochermoss, with hereand therea stunted treeor a
grotesque shrubof one of those varietiethsat somehow find sustenance in

the andwasteland. Silent,deserted courtyards looked uapt me, gorgeous gardens ofanother happier day. Here and there rtohoef of a building had fallen in, but for the most part they remained intact, dreaming, doubtless, ofthe wealthand beautythat theyhad knownin daysof yore,and in imagination I could sethee gorgeous sleeping silks and furs spread out in the sunlightw, hile the womenidled beneath gay canopieosf silks, their
jeweled harnessesscintillating with each move othfeir bodies. I saw the pennons wavingfrom countless thousandsof staffs and thgereat ships at anchor in the harbororse and fell to the undulations of the restless sea. Therewere swaggering sailorsupon theavenues, and burlyf,ighting men before the doors oevf ery palace. Ali, what a picture imagination conjured fromthe deathlikesilence of thadt eserted city,and then, asa long,
swinging circlebrought me abovethe courtyard of saplendid palace that facedupon thecity's great centralsquare, myeyes beheldthat which shattered mybeautiful dream of the past. Directly belmowe I saw a score of greathoats pennedin what once mahyave been the royaglarden of a jeddak.
The presenceof these huge beastms eant but one thinga,nd that was that their green masters were to be found nearby.
As I passed abovthee courtyard one of the restless, vicious beasts looked
up and saw me and instantly he commenced to squeal angrily. Immediately the other thoatst,heir short temper aroused bthye squealing of their fellow
and their attention directed by his upward gaze, discovered me and set up a
perfect pandemonium of grunatsnd squeals, which brought the result that I

had immediatelyforeseen. Agreen warrior leaped inttohe courtyard from
the interiorof the palace anldooked up just in timtoe
see me before I
passedfrom his line of vision above the roof of the building.
Realizing immediately that thwisas no place for me to loiter, I opened my throttle and at thseame time rose swiftly toward a greater altitude. As I passed overthe building and ouatcross the avenue ifnront of it, I saw sometwenty greenwarriors pourout ofthe building, theirupward gaze
searching the skies. The warrior on guard had apprised them of my presence.
I cursedmyself for a stupid fool hianving taken this unnecessary chance merely tosatisfy myidle curiosity. InstantlyI took azig-zag, upward
course, risingas swiftlyas I couldw,
hile from below saavage war cry
rose plainlyto my ears. I saw long, wicked lookriflges aimed at me. I
heard the hiss opfrojectiles hurtling by me, but, though the first volley
passed close to unso, t a bullet struck the ship. In a moment more I would
be out of range and safe and I prayed to a thousand ancestors to protect me for the few brimefinutes that would be necessary to place me entirely out ofharm's way. Ithought that I hadmade it and wasjust aboutto
congratulate myselfupon mygood luck whenI heard the thuodf a bullet
against the metal of my ship and almost simultaneously the explosion of the projectile, and then I was out of range.
Angry criesof disappointmentcame faintly tomy ears asI sped swiftly toward thesouthwest, relieved that I had beenfosortunate as to be able

to get away without suffering any damage.
I had already flowanbout seventy karads (Note: A karad is equivalent to a degree of longitude) from Helium, but I was aware that Jahar might still be fifty toseventy-five karadsdistant and Imade up my mintdhat I would
take nomore chancessuch as thosefrom which I hajdust so fortunately escaped.
Iwas now moving at greatspeed again and I had scarcelyfinished
congratulating myself upon my good fortune when it suddenly became apparent to me that I was having difficulty in maintaining my altitude. My flier was losing buoyancy and almoismt mediately I guessed, what investigation later
revealed, that one of my buoyancy tanks had been punctured by the explosive bullet of the green warriors.
To reproachmyself formy carelessness seemeda useless wasteof mental
energy, though I caanssure you that I was keenly aware of my fault and of itspossible bearing upon the fateof Sanoma Tora, from theactive
prosecution of whose rescue I might now be entirely eliminated. The results
as they affected me did not appall me half so much as did the contemplation ofthe unquestioneddanger in whichSanoma Toramust be, fromwhich my determination torescue her had so obsessed mtheat there had not entered
into my thoughts any slightest consideration of failure.
The mishapwas a severe blowto my hopes and yiett did not shatter them entirely, for I am so constituted that I know I shall never give up hope of

success in any issue as long as life remains to me.
How muchlonger my ship would remain afloawt aits difficult to say, and, having nomeans of making sucrhepairs as would bneecessary to conserve theremaining contentsof thepunctured buoyancytank, the besthat I
could do was to increase my speed so that I might cover as much distance as possible beforeI wasforced down. Theconstruction of myship was such
that athigh speed it tended to maintain itseltfheinair with a minimum
of the EightRh ay in its buoyancy tanks; yet I kntheawt the time was not far distantwhen I should have to makelanading in this dreary, desolate wasteland.
I hadcovered something in the neighborhood towfo thousand haads since I
had been fired upon above Torquas, crossing what had been a large gulf when thewaters ofthe oceanrolled overthe vastplains that nowlay moss
coveredand arid beneathme. Far aheadI couldsee the outlinesof low
hills that must have marked the southwestern shore line of the gulf. Toward the northwesthe dead sea bottom extended as afsarthe eye could reach,
but thiswas not the directioIn wished to take, ansdo I sped on toward the hillshoping that I might maintasinufficient altitude to cross them, butas theyswiftly loomed closerthis hopedied in mybreast and I
realized that the enodf my flight was now but a matter of moments. At the same time I discernethde ruins of a deserted city nestling at the foot of
the hills; nor wathsis an unwelcome sight since water is almost always to
befound in thewells of these ancient citiesw, hich have beenkept in

repair by the green nomads of the wasteland.
By now I was skimming but a few ads above the surface of the ground. (Note: An ad is about 9.75 earth feet.) I had greatly diminished my speed to avoid
a serious accident in landing and because of tthheis end was hastened so that presentlyI came gently to rest uptohne ocher vegetation scarcely a haad from the water-front of the deserted city.
Three
CORNERED
MY LANDINGwas most unfortunate itnhat it left mien plain sight of the city without any placoef concealment in the event that the ruins happened to beoccupied by one otfhe numerous tribes ogfreen men who infest the deadsea bottomsof Barsoom, often makingtheir headquarters inone or another of the deserted cities that line the ancient shore.
Thefact that they usually choose to inhabit thelargest and most magnificentof the ancienpt alaces andthat these ordinarilystand back some littledistance from the water-fronrtendered it quite possible that even in thevent that there were green men in ctihtye I might reach the
concealing safety of one of the nearer buildings before I was discovered by them.
My flier being now useless, there was nothing to do but abandon it, and so,

withonly myweapons, ammunition anda littleconcentrated rations, I
walked quickly in thdeirection of the age old water-front. Whether or not I reachedthe buildings unobserved, I was unabtole determine, but at any rate Idid reach them without seeing any soigfna living creature about.
Portions ofmany ofthese ancient, desertedcities are inhabitedby the
great whiteapes of Barsoom, which are in marnesypects more to be feared thanthe green warriors themselves, fornot only are theseman-like creaturesendowed with enormousstrength and characterized byintense
ferocity, but they are also voracious man-eaters. So terrible are they that it issaid that they artehe only living creaturetshat can instill fear
within the breasts of the green men of Barsoom.
Knowing thepossible dangers that might lurwkithin the precincts of this
ruin, imt
ay be wondered thaIt approached it at abllu, t as a matter of
fact there was no safe alternative. Out upon the dead monotony of the ocher moss ofthe sea bottom, sIhould have been discoverebdy the first white
ape or green Martiathnat approached the city from that direction, or that chanced to come fromthe interior of the ruins to the water-front. It was, therefore,necessary for meto seekconcealment until nighht ad fallen,
since only by night might I travel in safety across the sea bottom, and, as the city offered thoenly concealment nearby, I had no choice but to enter
it. Ican assure you thait was not withoufteelings of extreme concern
that Iclambered to the surface of the broaavdenue that once skirted the
shore of a busy harbor. Across its wide expanse rose the ruins of what once

had beenshops and warehousesb, ut whose eyeless windownsow looked down upon ascene of and desolation. Gone were gthreat ships! Gone the busy, hurrying throngs! Gone the ocean!
Crossing the avenueenI tered one of the taller buildings, which I noticed was surmounted by haigh tower. The entire structure, including the tower, seemed tobe in an excellensttate of preservation anidt occurred to me
thatif Icould ascendinto the latterI,
shouldbe able toobtain an
excellent viewof thecity and of thceountry that lay beyonidt to the
southwest, which was thdeirection in which I intended to pursue my search forJahar Ireached the buildingapparently unobserved,and, entering,
found myself in laarge chamber, the nature and purpose of which it was no longer possibleto determine, since sucdhecorations as may possibly have
adornedits wallsin the pastwere nolonger discernibleand whatever
furniture imt
ay havecontained to givea clue to itisdentity had long
since beenremoved. There was an enormous fireplacethien far end of the room andat one side otfhis fireplace a ramlped downward, and upon the other a similar ramp led upward.
Listening intently for maoment I heard no sound, either within or without the building, so that it was with considerable confidence that I started to ascend the ramp.
Upward I continued from floor to floor, each of which consisted of a single large chamber, a fact which finally convinced me that the building had been
a warehousefor thestoring of goodspassing through thisancient port.

From the upper flooar wooden ladder extended upward through the center of the tower above. It was of solid skeel, which is practically
indestructible,so thatthough I knewit might beanywhere fromfive
hundred thousand to a million years old, I did not hesitate to trust myself to it.
The circularinterior core ofthe tower, upward througwh hich the ladder extended, wasrather dark. At eaclhanding there was aonpening into the
tower chamber at that point, but as many of these openings were closed only a subdued light penetrated to the central core.
I had ascended to the second level of the tower when I thought that I heard a strange noise beneath me.
Just thesuggestion of a noise it was, sbuucth utter silence had reigned over thedeserted city that the faintessot und must have been appreciable to me.
Pausing inmy ascent, I looked down, listening; tbhuet sound which I had beenunable totranslate was notrepeated, andI continued myway on upward.
Having iitn my mind tcolimb as high up in tthoewer as possible, I did not stop to examine any of the levels that I passed.

Continuingupward for aconsiderable distance myprogress wasfinally blocked byheavy planking that appeared to forthme ceiling of the shaft. Some eight otren feet below me was a small dtohoatr probably led to one
of the upper leveolsf the tower and I could not but wonder why the ladder had beencontinued on upward abovtehis doorway, since ictould serve no practical purpose if miterely ended at the ceiling. Feeling above me with myfingers Itraced the outlinesof whatappeared tobe atrap door.
Obtaining afirm footingupon the ladder ahsigh up as cIould climb, I
placed a shoulder against the barrier. In this position I was able to exert considerablepressure upwardwith theresult thatpresently Ifelt the
planking rise above maend a moment later, to the accompaniment of subdued groans, the trap dooswr ung upward upon ancient wooden hinges long unused. Clambering intothe apartment above fIound myself upon thteop level of
the tower, which rose to a height of some two hundred feet above the avenue below. Before me wetrhee corroded remains of an ancient and long obsolete beacon-light, suchas were used by thaencients long before the discovery
ofradium andits practicaland scientificapplication tothe lighting
requirements of modern civilizatiounpon Barsoom. These ancient lamps were operated byexpensive machineswhich generated electricitya, nd this one
was doubtlessused as a beacofnor the safe guidancoef ancient mariners
into the harbor, whosweaters once rolled almost to the foot of the tower.
This upper level of the tower afforded an excellent view in all directions. To thenorth andnortheast stretched avast expanse. To thseouth was a
range of low hills that curved gently in a northeasterly direction, forming

in by-gone days thseouthern shore line of what is still known as the Gulf of TorquasT. oward the west lIooked out over threuins of a great city, which extended far bacinkto low hills, the flanks of which it had mounted asit expanded fromthe sea shoreT. here inthe distance Icould still
discern theancient villas of the wealthwy,hile in the nearer foreground were enormouspublic buildings,the most pretentious owf hich were built upon thefour sidesof a largequadrangle that I couledasily discern a short distancefrom thewater-front. Here, doubtlesss, tood the official
palace of the jeddak who once ruled the rich country of which this city was the capital and the principal port. There, now, only silence reigns. It was indeed a depressing sigahnt d one fraught with poignant prophecy for us of present day Barsoom.
Wherethey battled valiantly but futilely against the menace of a
constantly diminishingwater supply, we are facewdith a problem that far transcends theirs in thime portance of its bearing upon the maintenance of lifeupon ourplanet. During thepast severalthousand yearsonly the
courage, resourcefulness and wealothf the red men of Barsoom have made it possible forlife to exist upon our dying planet,wfeorre it not for the
great atmosphere plants conceiveadnd built and maintained by the red race of Barsoom, all formosf air breathing creatures would have become extinct thousands of years ago.
As I gazed oouvt er the city, my mind occupied with these dismal thoughts, Iagain becameaware ofa soundcoming fromthe interior ofthe tower

beneath mea, nd, stepping to thoepen trap, I lookedown into the shaft
and there, directly below me, I saw that which might well make the stoutest Barsoomian heart quail – the hideous, snarling face of a great white ape of Barsoom.
Asour eyesmet the creaturevoiced anangry growl anda, bandoning its formerstealthy approach, rushedswiftly up theladder. Actingalmost mechanically I did thoene and only thing that might even temporarily stay
its rush upomn e – I slammed down the heavy
dtroaopr above its head, and
as Idid soI saw forthe first timethat the door waesquipped with a
heavy wooden bar, anydou may well believe that I lost no time in securing this, thus effectually barring the creature's ascent by this route into the veritable cul de sac in which I had placed myself.
Now, indeedw,
as Iin a prettypredicament – two hundrefdeet above the
city with my only avenue of escape cut off by one of the most feared of all the savage beasts of Barsoom.
I had hunted these creatures in Thark as a guest of the great green Jeddak, Tars Tarkasa, nd I knew something othfeir cunning and resourcefulness as
well asof theirferocity. Extremely man-like icnonformation, they also approach manmore closely than anoyther of the loweorrders in the size and developmentof their brain. Occasionalltyhese creatures are captured when youngand trained to performa,nd so intelligent artehey that they
can betaught to do almosatnything that man cadno that lies within the
rangeof their limitedreasoning capacity.Man has, howevern, ever been

ableto subdue their ferocious natureand they are always themost dangerousof animalsto handle,which probablyaccounts moreeven than their intelligencefor the interest displayebdy the large audiences that they unfailingly attract.
In Hastor I havpeaid a good price to see one of these creatures and now I
found myself in paosition where I should very gladly pay a good deal more
not to see one, but from the noise he was making in the shaft beneath me it appeared to me that he was determined that I should have a free show and he a free meal. He was hurling himself as best he could against the trap door, above which I stoowdith some misgivings which were presently allayed when Irealized thatnot eventhe vaststrength ofa white apecould avail
againstthe still staunch and sturdy skeel of the ancient door.
Finally convinced that hceould not come at me by this avenue, I set about taking stockof mysituation. Circling thetower I examinedits outward architecture bythe simple expedient of leaninfgar outward above each of thefour sides.Three sides terminatedat theroof of thebuilding a
hundred and fifty febeet low me, while the fourth extended to the pavement of thecourtyard two hundred feet below. Limkeuch of the architecture of ancient Barsoomt,he surface of the towweras elaborately carved from top
to bottomand ateach level therewere window embrasuress, ome of which were equipped with smasltlone balconies. As a rule there was but a single window toa level, and as the window tfhoer level directly beneath never
opened uponthe same side of the tower as wthinedow for the level above,

there wasalways a distance offrom thirty to fortfyeet between windows
upon the same side, and, as I was examining the outside of the tower with a viewto itsoffering me anavenue ofescape, thispoint wasof great
importance to me, since a series of window ledges, one below another, would have proved a most welcome sight to a man in my position.
By the timehIad completed my survey of the exterior of the tower the ape had evidently come to the conclusion that he could not demolish the barrier that kepthim from me and I hoped thatwhoeuld abandon the idea entirely
and depart. But when I lay down on the floor and placed an ear close to the door Icould plainly hear himjust below as hoeccasionally changed from
one uncomfortableposition to another upon thsemall ladder beneath me. I
didnot know to what extent these creatures might have developed pertinacity ofpurpose, but I hopetdhat he might sootnire of his vigil
and histhoughts be diverted into some othcehrannel. However, as the day wore to a clostheis possibility seemed to grow more and more remote until at lastI became almost convinced that tchreeature had determined to lay
siege until hunger or desperation forced me from my retreat.
How longinglyI gazed at the beckoning hills beyothned city where lay my route toward the southwest – toward fabled Jahar.
The sunwas lowin the westS. oon would come thseudden transition from
daylight to darkness, and then what? Perhaps the creature would abandon its vigil; hunger or thirmstight attract it elsewhere, but how was I to know?
How easily it migdhet scend to the bottom of the tower and await me there,

confident that sooner or later I must come down.
One unfamiliar with thtreaits of these savage creatures might wonder why, armed asI was withsword and pistol, dIid not raise thterap door and
give battle to my jailer. Had I known positively that he was the only white ape inthe vicinity I shoulndot have hesitated tdoo so, but experience
assured me that there was doubtless an entire herd of them quartered in the ruined cityS. o scarce is thfelesh they crave thait is their ordinary
custom to hunatlone, so that in the event that tmheayke a kill they may bemore certainof retaining theprize forthemselves, but ifI should attackhim hewould mostcertainly raisesuch arow as toattract his
fellows, in which event my chance for escape would have been reduced to the ultimate zero.
A single shot fromy pistol might have dispatched him, but it was equally possiblethat itwould not,for thesegreat whiteapes ofBarsoom are
tremendous creaturese, ndowed withalmost unbelievable vitalityM.
any of
themstand fullyfifteen feet inheight andare endowed bynature with tremendousstrength. Theirvery appearanceis demoralizing toan enemy; their whiteh, airless bodies are itnhemselves repulsive to theye of a
red man;the greatshock of whitehair bristling erecut pon their pates accentuates thebrutality of their countenancesw, hile their intermediary set oflimbs, which they useeither as arms olregs as necessity or whim
suggests,render themmost formidableantagonists. Quitegenerally they
carrya club, inthe use ofwhich theyare terribly proficientO.
ne of

them, therefores, eemed sufficiently a menace in itseslof, that I had no desireto attract othersof its kind,though I wasfully awarethat eventually I might be forced to carry the battle to him.
Justas the sun was setting my attention wasattracted toward the
water-frontwhere thelong shadowsof thecity were stretchingfar out
across the dead sebaottom. Riding up the gentle acclivity toward the city wasa partyof greenwarriors, mountedupon their greatsavage thoats.
There were perhaps twenotyf them, moving silently over the soft moss that carpeted the bottom othfe ancient harbor, the padded feet of their mounts givingforth nosound. Like specterst,hey movedin the shadowsof the
dyingday, giving me furtherproof that Fate hadled me to amost
unfriendly shorea, nd then, as though
ctoomplete the trilogy of fearsome
Barsoomian menaces, the roar of a banth rolled down out of the hills behind
the city.
Safe from observation
tihne high tower above them, I watched the party as
it emerged from the hollow of the harbor and rode out upon the avenue below me, and thefnor the first time I noted a smfigalulre seated in front of
one of the warriors. Darkness was coming swiftly now, but before the little cavalcadepassed out of sight momentarily behind thecorner of the
building,as itentered anotheravenue leadingtoward the heartof the city, Ithought that I recognized the little figurethats of a woman of
my ownrace. That she was a captive wafsoraegone conclusion and I could
notbut shudderas Icontemplated thefate thatlay in storefor her.
Perhaps myown Sanoma Tora waisn equal jeopardy. Perhap–s
but no, that

could not be possible – how could Sanoma Tora have fallen into the clutches of warriors of the fierce horde of Torquas?
It couldnot be she. Noth, at was impossible. Butht e fact remained that
the captivewas a red woman, and whether swheere Sanoma Tora or another, whether she were from Helium or Jahar, my heart went out in sympathy to her and Iforgot my own predicament as something witmhien urged me to pursue
her captors and seetok
snatch her from them; but, alas, how futile seemed
myfancy. Howmight I,who mightnot evensave himself, aspireto the rescue of another?
The thought galled me, it hurt my pride, and forthwith I determined that if
I would nocthance dying to save myself, I mighlteaastt chance it for a woman ofmy own racea, nd always in thbeack of my heawd as the thought thatperhaps theobject of mysolicitude might,indeed, be thewoman I
loved.
Darkness hadfallen asI pressed my eaargain to the tradpoor. All was silentbelow sothat presently Ibecame assuredthat thecreature had departed. Perhapshe waslying in waiftor me further downb,ut what of that? Imust facehim eventually ifhe elected to remainI. loosened my pistolin itsholster andwas uponthe pointof slipping thebar that
secured thedoor whenI distinctly heardthe beast directlybeneath me.
For an instantpIaused. What was the use? It meant certain death to raise

that doora, nd in what way might I be profietiinthger myself or the poor captive ifI gave my liftehus uselessly? But therwe as an alternative –
one that I habdeen planning to adopt in case of necessity from the moment thatI hadfirst examined theexterior construction ofthe tower.It
offereda slenderchance of escapefrom mypredicament and evena very slender chancewas better than whawt ould confront me shoulId raise the trap door.
I stepped to one of the windows of the tower and looked down upon the city. Neither moonwas in the skyI; could see nothingT.oward the interior of
the city I heard the squealing of thoats. There would the camp of the green men belocated. Thus by thsequealing of their vicioums ounts would I be
guided toit. Againa hunting banth roareidn the hills. sIat upon the silland swungboth legs acrossand thenturning on mybelly slipped silentlyover theedge untilI hungonly bymy hands. Gropingwith my
sandaledtoes, Ifelt for afoothold uponthe deep-cut carvingsof the
tower's faceA.
bove me was balue-black void shot witshtars; below me a
blankand empty voidI.t might havebeen athousand sofads tothe roof
below me, or mitight have been one; but though I could see nothing I knew
that iwt
as one hundredand fifty and thaatt the bottom ladyeath if a
foot or a hand slipped.
Indaylight thesculpturing had seemedlarge anddeep and boldb, ut by nighthow different!My toesseemed tofind buthollow scratchesin a smooth surfaceof polished stone. My arms afnidngers were tiring. I must find afoothold orfall, and then, whehnope seemed gone, thteoe of my

right sandal slipped inato horizontal groove and an instant later my left found a hold.
Flattened against the shewerall of the tower I lay there resting my tired fingersand armsfor amoment and whenI feltthat they wouldbear my weightagain I sought for hand holds. Thus painfully,perilously, monotonously,I descended inchby inch. I avoidedthe windows,which naturally greatly increased thdeifficulty and danger of my descent; yet I
did not care
ptoass directly in front of them for fear that by chance the
ape mighht ave descended from thseummit of the laddearnd would see me.
I cannotrecall thatever in mylife I felmt
ore alone thanI did that
night asI was descendingthe ancient beacon-tower otfhat deserted city
for noteven hope was with me. So precarious wmeyre holds upon the rough stone thatmy fingers were soon numb and exhaustHedo.w they clung at all
to thoseshallow cuts,I do notknow. The only redeeminfgeature of the
descent was the darknesasn, d a hundred times I blessed my first ancestors thatI couldnot seethe dizzy depthsbelow me;but on theother hand
it wasso dark that cIould not tell howfar I had descendedn;or did I
dare tolook up where thseummit of the towemr ust have been silhouetted against the starlit skfyor fear that in doing so I should lose my balance
and be precipitated
thoe courtyard or the roof below. The air of Barsoom
isthin; itdoes notgreatly diffusethe starlight,and so,while the
heavens above were shwotith brilliant points of light, the ground beneath

was obliterated in darkness.
YetI must havebeen nearer theroof thanI thought whenthat happened
which I had been assiduously endeavoring to prevent the scabbard of my long sword patterednoisily against the face of tthoewer. In the darkness and
the silenceit seemed averitable din, but, howeveerxaggerated it might
appear to me,kInew that it was sufficient to reach the ears of the great ape in the toweWr. hether a suggestion of its import would occur to him, I could not guess – I could only hope that he would be too dull to connect it with me or my escape.
But I was ntoot
be left long in doubt, for almost immediately afterward a
sound camefrom the interior of the towtherat sounded to my over-wrought nerves likea heavy body rapidldyescending a ladder. rIealize now that imagination mighet asily haveconstrued utter silence intsouch a sound,
since Ihad been listening siontensely for that vertyhing that I might easily haveworked myself intosuch a state onfervous apprehension that almost any sort of an hallucination was possible.
With redoubledspeed andwith a measureof recklessness thatwas almost suicidal, I hastened mdyescent and an instant later I felt the solid roof beneath my feet.
I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was destined to be but a short sigh and but brief relief, for almost instantly I was made aware that the sound from the interiorof the tower had been no hallucinationtheas huge bulk of a

great whiteape loomed suddenly from a doorway
anodt ozen paces from me.
As hecharged mehe gave forthno sound. Evidentlyhe hadnot held his solitaryvigil thislong with anyintention ofsharing hisfeast with
another. Hewould dispatch me in silence, anwdi,th similar intent I drew mylong sword, rather than my pistol, to meet his savage charge.
What apuny, futile thingI must have appearecdonfronting that towering mountain of bestial ferocity.
Thanks be to a thousand fighting ancestors that I wielded a long sword with swiftness and with strengtoht;herwise I must have been gathered into that savageembrace in thebrute's first charge. Fourpowerful handswere
reached out tsoeize me, but I swung my long swinorda terrific cut that severed oneof them cleanly at the wrist andtheat same instant I leaped
quickly to one side, and as the beast rushed past me, carried onward by its momentum, Iran my blade deep into its body. Wa itshavage scream of rage andpain itsought toturn upon meb, ut itsfoot slipped uponits own dismemberedhand and it stumbled awkwardly on tryingto regain its
equilibrium,but that it never accomplished, and still stumbling grotesquely iltunged overthe edge ofthe roof tothe courtyard below.
Fearing thathe beast'sscream might attracot thers of itskind to the roof, Iran swiftlyto the north edgoef the building wherIe had noted fromthe tower earlierin the afternoon aseries of lowerbuildings

adjoining, overthe roofs of whichmIight possibly accomplish my descent to the street level.
Cold Cluroswas rising above the distahnot rizon, shedding his pale light upon the city sthoat I could plainly see the roofs bemloew as I came to the north edgoef the building. It was a long dbroupt, there was no safe alternative, sinceit was quite probable thsaht ould I attempt to descend
through the building,wIould meet other members of the ape's herd who had been attracted by the scream of their fellow.
Slipping over thedge of the roof I hung an insbtayntmy hands and then dropped. The distance wabout two ads, but I alighted safely and without injury. Uponyour own planet, with its largbeurlk and greater gravity, I presumethat a fallof that distance mightbe serious, but notso,
necessarily, upon Barsoom.
From this roofhIad a short drop to the next, and from that I leaped to a low wall and thence to the ground below.
Had itnot beenfor the fleeting glimpsoef the girl captivtehat I had
caught just at sunset, I should have set out directly for the hills west of the townb, anth orno banth, butnow I felst trongly uponme a certain
moral obligationto make the besetfforts that I coulfdor succoring the poor unfortunatethat hadfallen into theclutches of thesecruelest of
creatures.

Keeping well within thsehadows of the buildings I moved stealthily toward thecentral plaza ofthe city, fromwhich direction Ihad heardthe
squealing of the thoats.
The plaza was a full haad from the water-front and I was compelled to cross several intersecting avenues aIscautiously made my way toward it, guided
by anoccasional squeal from the thoaqtsuartered in some deserted palace courtyard.
Ireached theplaza in safetyc, onfident thatI had notbeen observed.
Upon theopposite side I saw light within oonfethe great buildings that faced itb, ut Idared not crossthe open spacein themoonlight and so stillclinging to theshadows I movedto thefar end ofthe quadrangle whereCluros casthis densest shadows,and thusat lastI wonto the building inwhich the green mewn ere quartered. Directly beforme e was a
low window that must have opened into a room adjoining the one in which the warriors werecongregated. Listeningintently I heardnothing within the
chamber andslipping a leg over the siellntIered the dark interior with the utmost stealth.
Tiptoeing acrossthe room to finad door through whicIh might look into the adjoiningchamber, I was suddenlayrrested as my foottouched a soft
body andI frozeinto rigidity, my handupon my long sworads,
the body
moved.

Four
TAVIA
THERE AREOCCASIONS IN THE LIFE OF EVERY MAwNhen he becomes impressed by the evidence of the existence of an extraneous power which guides his acts,
whichis sometimes describedas the hand ofprovidence, or isagain explained onthe hypothesis of a sixth senwsehich transports to the part of ourbrain thatcontrols our actionsp, erceptions of whichwe are not
objectively aware; but, account for it as one may, the fact remains that as
I stoodthere that night in the dark chamberthoef ancient palace of the deserted cityI hesitated to thrust my sword itnhteo soft body moving at my feetT. his mightafter all havebeen the mostreasonable and logical course forme to pursue. InsteaId pressed my sworpdoint firmly against yielding flesh and whispered a single word: "Silence!"
A thousand times sinctheen have I given thanks to my first ancestors that
I didnot follow my naturaiml
pulse, for, in responsteo my admonition a
voicewhispered: "Donot thrust,red man; Iam ofyour own raceand a prisoner," and the voice was that of a girl.
Instantly I withdrew mbylade and kneeled beside her. "If you have come to help mec, ut my bonds," she said, "and be qufoicrkthey will soon return
for me."

Feelingrapidly overher bodyI foundthat herwrists andankles were
secured with leather thongasnd drawing my dagger I quickly severed these. "Are you alone?" I asked as I helped her to her feet.
"Yes," she replied. "Ithne next room they are playing for me to decide to
which one I shall belong." At that moment there came the clank of side arms from theadjoining room. "They are coming," sshaeid. "They must not find
us here."
Taking herby the hand mI oved to the windowthrough which I had entered the apartment, but fortunately I reconnoitered before stepping out into the avenue and it wawsell for us that I did so,afsorI looked to the right
along the face of the building, I saw a green Martian warrior emerging from the main entrance. Evidently it had been the rattling of his side arms that
we hadheard ashe moved acrossthe adjoining apartmento the doorway.
"Isthere another exit from thisroom?" I asked in a lowwhisper.
"Yes," she replied. "Opposite this window there is a doorway leading into a corridor.It was openwhen they broughtme in, butthey closedit."
"We shall be better off inside the building than out for a while at least," I said". Come!" And togetherwe crossed the apartmengt,roping along the
wall forthe doorwhich I soonlocated. With theutmost careI drew it
ajar, fearing that its ancient hinges might betray us by their complaining.

Beyond the doorway lay a corridor dark as the depths of Omean and into this
I drewthe girl, closing thdeoor silently behind usG. roping our way to
the right away frotmhe apartment occupied by the green warriors, we moved slowlythrough ablack voiduntil presentlywe sawjust aheada faint
light, whichinvestigation revealed as comintghrough the open doorway of an apartmenthat faced upon thceentral courtyard of thedifice. I was aboutto passthis doorwayand seeka hidingplace furtherwithin the remoteinterior ofthe buildingwhen myattention was attractedby the
squealing of a thoat in the courtyard beyond the apartment we were passing.
From earliest boyhoodhIave had a great deal of experience with the small breed ofthoats used as saddlaenimals by the men omfy race and while I
was visiting Tars Tarkaosf Thark I became quite familiar with the methods employed bythe greenmen in controllingtheir own hugevicious beasts.
Fortravel overthe surfaceof theground thethoat comparesto other
methods of land transportation as the one-man scout flier does to all other ships ofthe air in aerial navigation. He ios nacte the swiftest and the mostdangerous, so that, facedas I was with a problem of land
transportation, itwas only natural that thsequeal of the thoats, should suggest a plan to my mind.
"Why do you hesitate?a"sked the girl. "We cannot escape in that direction since we cannot cross the courtyard."
"On the contrary," I replied, "I believe that in this direction may lie our

surest avenue of escape."
"Buttheir thoatsare pennedin thecourtyard," sheremonstrated, "and green warriors are never far from their thoats."
"Itis because thethoats are there thatI wish to investigatethe courtyard," I replied.
"The moment they catch our scent," she said, "they will raise a disturbance that wilal ttract the attention of themirasters and we shall immediately
be discovered and captured."
"Perhaps," I said; "but if my plan succeeds it will be well worth the risk, but if you are very much afraid I will abandon it."
"No,"she said,"it isnot forme tochoose ordirect. Youhave been
generous enough thoelp me and I may only follow whyeorue lead, but if I
knew your plan perhaps I might follow more intelligently."
"Certainly," Isaid; "it is versyimple. There are thoatsW. e shall take one ofthem andride away. Itwill be mucheasier thanwalking and our
chances for escape wiblel
considerably greater, at the same time we shall
leave the courtyard gates open, hoping that the other thoats will follow us
out, leaving their masters unable to pursue us."

"Itis a madplan," said thegirl, "but isa brave one.If weare
discovered, therewill befighting and Iam unarmed. Giveme your short sword, warriort,hat wemay at leastmake the bestaccount of ourselves that is possible."
I unsnapped the scabbarodf my short sword from my harness and attached it to hersat her left hipa,nd, as I touched her boidny doing so, I could
not butnote that there was no sign of trembsliuncgh as there would have been hadshe been affectedby fright or excitemenSt.he seemed perfectly
cool and collected anhder tone of voice was almost reassuring to me. That shewas notSanoma ToraI hadknown whenshe hadfirst spokenin the
darkness of the room in which I had stumbled upon her, and while I had been keenly disappointedI was still determined to do btheest that I could to
assist inthe escapeof the strangera, lthough I wasconfident that her
presence might greatly delaaynd embarrass me while it subjected me to far greater dangerthan wouldhave fallen tothe lot ofa warrior traveling
alone.It was, thereforereassuring tofind that myunwelcome companion would not prove entirely helpless.
"I trusyt ou willnot have touse it," Isaid as Ifinished hooking my short sword to her harness.
"Youwill find," shesaid, "that ifnecessity arises Ican useit."
"Good," I said. "Now follow me and keep close to me."

Acareful survey of the courtyard from the window of the chamber overlooking irtevealed abouttwenty huge thoats, bunto green warriors,
evidence that they felt perfectly secure against enemies.
The thoats were congregateind
the far end of the courtyard; a few of them
had laindown for the night, but tbhaelance were moving restlessly about
as is their habit. Across the courtyard from us and at the same end stood a pair ofmassive gates.As far asI could determine thebyarred the only
opening into the courtyard large enough to admit a thoat and I assumed that beyondthem lay an alley leading to one of the avenues nearby.
To reach the gateusnobserved by the thoats, was the first step in my plan
and the better
dtoo this I decided to seek an apartment near the gate, on
either side ofwhich Isaw windowssimilar tothat from whichwe were
looking. Therefore, motioning mcyompanion to follow me, I returned to the corridor andagain groping through the darkness wmeade our way along it.
In thethird apartment which I explored I fouandwindow letting into the courtyard close beside thgeate. And in the wall which ran at right angles to thatin which the windowwas set I found daoorway that opened into a large vaultedcorridor upon the opposite sidoef the gate. This discovery greatly encouraged me sincite harmonized perfectly with the plan I had in
mind, at the same time reducing the risk which my companion must run in the attempted adventure of escape.
"Remain here," I said to her, placing her just behind the gate. "If my plan

is successful I shall ride into this corridor upon one of the thoats and as I doso you must breeady to seize mhyand and mount behinmd e. If I am discovered andfail Ishall cry ou'tFor Helium!' and thamt ust be your
signal to escape as best you may.
She laid her hand upon my arm. "Let me go into the courtyard with you," she begged. "Two swords are better than one."
"No," I said. "AlonIehave a better chance of handling the thoats than if their attention is distracted by another."
"Verywell," shesaid, and withthat Ileft her, andre-entering the chamber,went directlyto thewindow. Fora moment Ireconnoitered the interiorof the courtyardand finding conditionsunchanged, Islipped
stealthily through the windoawnd edged slowly toward the gate. Cautiously
Iexamined thelatch and discoveringit easyto manipulate, Iwas soon
silently pushing one othfe gates back upon its hinges. When it was opened sufficiently wideto permit the passage ofthaoat, I turned my attention
tothe beasts withinthe enclosure. Practicallyuntamed, thesesavage creaturesare as wildas their uncaptured fellowsof the remotesea bottoms,and, being controlled solely by telepathicmeans, they are
amenable only to the suggestion of the more powerful minds of their masters and even so it requires considerable skill to dominate them.
Ihad learnedthe methodfrom TarTarkas himselfand had cometo feel considerable proficiency so that I approached this crucial test of my power

with the confidence that was absolutely requisite to success.
Placing myselfclose beside thegate, I concentrated everfyaculty of my mind tothe directionof my willt,elepathically, upon thebrain of the
thoat I had selectefdor my purpose, the selection being determined solely bythe factthat hestood nearestto me.The effectof myeffort was immediatelyapparent. The creature, whichhad been searching forthe occasionaltufts of moss that grew between the stoneflags of the courtyard,raised his head and lookedabout him. At once hebecame
restless, buthe gave forth nsoound since I waws illing him to silence.
Presently his eyes moveind
my direction and halted upon me. Then, slowly,
I drew him towarmde. It was slow work, for he evidently sensed that I was
not his master, but on he came. Once, when he was quite near me, he stopped and snorted angrily. Hmeust have caught my scent then and realized that I
was not eveonf the same race as that to whhiechwas accustomed. Then it
was that I exerted to their fullest extent every power of my mind. He stood there shaking his ughlyead to and fro, his snarling lips baring his great
fangs. Beyond himcoI uld see that the other thoats, had been attracted by hisactions. Theywere looking towardus andmoving about restlessly,
always drawingcloser. Should they discover maend start to squeal, which is thefirst and always readsyign of their easilayroused anger, I knew
that Ishould have their rideruspon me in ntoime, since because of his
nervous and irritable nature the thoat is the watchdog as well as the beast of burden of the green Barsoomians.

Fora moment thebeast I hadselected hesitated beforeme asthough undecided whetherto retreat or to charge, bhuet did neither; instead he came slowlyup tome and asI backed throughthe gateinto the vaulted
corridor beyond, he followed me. This was better than I had expected for it permitted me to compel him to lie down, so that the girl and I were able to mount with ease.
Beforeus laya longvaulted corridor athe farend of whichI could
discern amoonlit archway, through which wperesently passed onto a broad avenue.
To the left lathye bills, and, turning this way, I urged the fleet animal alongthe ancient desertedthoroughfare between rowsof statelyruins toward the west and – what?
Where the avenue turnetod
wind upward into the hills, I glanced back; nor
could Irefrain a feeling oefxultation as I sawstrung out behind us in
the moonlight a file of great thoats, which I was confident would well know what to do with their new found liberty.
"Your captorswill not pursue us far," I staoidthe girl, indicating the thoats with a nod of my head.
"Our ancestorsare with us tonight," she said. "uLsetpray that they may never desert us."

Now, for the first time, I had a fairly good look at my companion, for both Cluros and Thuria were in the heavens and it was quite light. If I revealed my surpriseit is not to be wondered at ifnort,he darkness, having only
my companion's voice for a guide, I had been perfectly confident that I had
given aidto a female, buntow as I looked
tahtat short hair and boyish
face Idid not know whatto think; nor ditdhe harness that my companion wore aid me in justifying my first conclusion, since it was quite evidently the harness of a man.
"I thought you were a girl," I blurted out.
A fine mouth spread into a smile that revealed strong, white teeth. "I am," she said.
"Butyour hair– your harness– evenyour figure beliesyour claim."
Shelaughed gayly.That, Iwas tofind later,was one ofher chiefest charms– that she could laugh so easily, yet never to wound.
"My voice betrayed me," she said. "It is too bad."
"Why is it too bad?" I asked.
"Because youwould havefelt better witha fighting manas a companion, whereas now you feel that you have only a burden."

"Alight one," Ireplied, recalling howeasily Ihad lifted herto the
thoat's back". But tell me whyoou are and whyou are masquerading as a boy."
"I am a slave girl," she said; "just a slave girl who has run away from her master. Perhapsthat willmake a difference,"she added alittle sadly.
"Perhapsyou willbe sorrythat youhave defendedjust aslave girl."
"No," Isaid, "that makes no difference. I mysaemlf, only a poor padwar,
not rich enough to afford a slave. Perhaps you are the one to be sorry that you were not rescued by a rich man."
She laughed. "I raanway from the richest man in the world," she said. "At
least I guess he must have been the richest man in the world, for who could be richer than Tul Axtar, Jeddak of Jahar?"
"You belong to Tul Axtar, Jeddak of Jahar?" I exclaimed.
"Yes," shesaid. Iwas stolen whenI was veryyoung froma city called
Tjanath and ever since I have lived in the palace of Tul Axtar. He has many women– thousandsof them.Sometimes theylive alltheir livesin his
palace and never see him. I have seen him," she shuddered; "he is terrible. I wasnot unhappy there foIr had never known mmyother; she died when I
was young, and my father was only a memory. You see I was very, very young,
indeed, when the emissarieosf Tul Axtar stole me from my home in Tjanath.

I made friends wiethveryone about the palace of Tul Axtar. They all liked me, theslaves and the warriorasnd the chiefs, anbdecause I was always boyish it amusetdhem to train me in the usearmofs and even to navigate
the smaller fliers; but then came a day when my happiness was ended forever
– TuAl
xtar saw me. Hseaw me and he sent for mI ep.retended that I was
ill and did not go, and when night came I went to the quarters of a soldier whom I knew to be on guard and stole harness and I cut off my long hair and painted my face thIatmight look more like a man, tahnedn I went to the
hangarson the palaceroof and bya rusedeceived the guardsthere and stole a one-man flier.
"I thought," she continued, "that if they searched for me at all they would search in the direction of Tjanath and so I flew in the opposite direction, towardthe northeast,intending to makea great circleto thenorth,
turning backtoward Tjanath.After I passedover Xanator Idiscovered a largegrove of mantalia growingout upon thedead sea bottom andI immediately descendedto obtain some otfhe milk from thespelants, as I
had left the palace so hurriedly that I had no opportunity to supply myself with provisionsT. he mantalia grove was an unusualalyrge one and as the
plants grewto a height of from eighttwtoelve sofads, the grove offered
excellentprotection from observationI.
hadno difficulty infinding a
landing place well withitns confines. In order to prevent detection from above, Iran my plane in among tchoencealing foliage of two over-arching
mantalias and then set about obtaining a supply of milk.

"Asnear objectsnever appear asattractive as thosemore distant,I
wandered some little distancfreom my flier before I found the plants that seemed to offer a sufficiently copious supply of rich milk.
"A band of greewnarriors had also entered the grove to procure milk, and,
as I watsapping the tree I had selected, onethoemf
discovered me and a
moment laterI wascaptured. From theirquestions I becameassured that they hadnot seenme enter thegrove and thathey knewnothing of the presence ofmy flier. They mushtave been in paortion of the grove very
thickly overhung by foliage while I was approaching from above by making my landing; bubt e that as imt ay, they were ignoranotf the presence of my
flier and I determined to keep them in ignorance of it.
"Whenthey hadobtained as muchmilk asthey required theyreturned to
Xanator, bringing me with them. The rest you know."
"This is Xanator?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"And what is your name?" I asked. "Tavia," she replied. "And what is yours?" "Tan Hadron of Hastor," I replied.

"It isa nice name," she said. There waascertain boyish frankness about the wayshe saidit that convincedme that shewould havebeen just as quick totell mehad she notliked my nameT. here wasno suggestion of brainlessflattery inher toneand Iwas tolearn, as Ibecame better acquaintedwith her, thathonesty and candor weretwo of hermarked
characteristics, but at the moment I was giving such matters little thought sincemy mind wasoccupied with aportion of hernarrative thathad
suggested tome an easy ansdwift method of escapferom our predicament.
"Do you believe,"asIked, "that you can find the mantalia grove where you hid your flier?"
"I am positive of it," she replied.
"Will the craft carry two?" I asked.
"It is a one-man flier," she replied, "but it will carry both of us, though both its speed and altitude will be reduced."
She told me thtahte grove lay to the southeast of Xanator and accordingly
I turned the thoath'sead toward the east. After we had passed well beyond the limitsof the city wme oved in a southerldyirection down out of the
hills onto the dead sea bottom.
Thuria waswinging herswift flight through thheeavens, casting strange

and ever moving shadowuspon the ocher moss that covered the ground, while
far abovecold Cluros took his slow and stately wTahye.
light of the two
moons clearly illuminated the landscape and I was sure that keen eyes could easily havedetected usfrom the ruinsof Xanator, althoughthe swiftly
moving shadows cast by Thuria were helpful to us since the shadows of every shrub and stunted treperoduced a riot of movement upon the surface of the
sea bottomin whichour own movingshadow was lessconspicuous, but the hopethat I entertainedmost fondly wasthat all ofthe thoats,had
followed ourbeast from the courtyard anthdat the green Martian warriors wereleft dismounted, in which event no pursuitcould overtake us.
The great beast thwatas carrying us moved swiftly and silently so that it wasnot longbefore wesaw inthe distancethe shadowy foliageof the
mantalia grove and shortly afterward we entered its gloomy confines. It was notwithout considerable difficulty,however, that we locatedTavia's
flier, andmighty glad was I, too, when we foiutnidn good condition for
we had seen more than a single shadowy form slinking through the forest and
I knew that the fierce animals of the barren hills and the great white apes of the ruined cities were equally fond of the milk of the mantalia and that we should be fortunate, indeed, if we escaped an encounter.
I rode as clostoe
the flier as possible, and, leaving Tavia on the thoat,
slippedquickly tothe ground anddragged thesmall craft ouitnto the
open. An examination of the controls showed that they had not been tampered with, which waas great relief to me as I fheaadred that the flier might
havebeen damaged bythe great apes, whichare inclined to beboth

inquisitive and destructive.
Assuredthat all waswell I assistedTavia tothe ground, anda moment laterwe were upon the deck of the flier. The craft responded satisfactorily,though a little sluggishly, to the controls, and
immediately wewere floating gently upward inthoe temporary safety of a
Barsoomian night.
The flierw, hich wasof a designnow almost obsolete iHn elium, was not equipped witha destinationcontrol compass, whichrendered it necessary
for the pilot
btoe constantly at the controls. Our quarters on the narrow
deck wereexceedingly crampedand I foresaw ma ost uncomfortable journey ahead of us. Ousarfety belts were snapped to the same deck ring as we lay almost touchingone another upon the harsdkeel. The cowl which protected ourfaces from therush of the windthat was generatedeven byour
relatively slow speed wansot sufficiently high to permit us to change our positionsto any considerabledegree, thoughoccasionally we foundit a
relief to sit uwpith our backs toward the bow and thus relieve the tedium ofremaining constantlyprone in oneposition. When Ithus restedmy crampedmuscles, Tavia guided theflier, but the coldwind of the Barsoomiannight alwaysbrought medown behindthe cowlin avery few
moments.
By mutuacl onsent, we were heading
ain south-westerly direction while we
discussed our eventual destination.

I hadtold Tavia that wI ished to go to Jahanr d why. She appeared much interestedin thestory of theabduction ofSanoma Tora, andf,rom her knowledgeof TulAxtar and thecustoms ofJahar, she thoughtit most probablethat the missinggirl might be foundthere, but as tothe
possibility ofrescuing her, that was anothmeratter over which she shook
her head dubiously.
It was obvious
mtoe that Tavia did not desire to return to Jahar, yet she
put noobstacles in the path of my searchthfiosr my great objective; in fact, shegave me Jahar's positioannd herself set thneose of the flier upon the right course.
"Will there be any great danger to you in returning to Jahar?" I asked her.
"The danger will bveery great," she said, "but where the master goes, the slave must follow."
"I am not youmraster," I said, "and you are not my slave. Let us consider ourselves rather as comrades in arms."
"That will be nice," she said simply, and then after a pause, and if we are to becomrades then let me warn you agaignositng directly to Jahar. This
flier wouldbe recognized immediatelyY. our harness would marykou as an alienand you wouldaccomplish nothingmore toward rescuingyour Sanoma
Tora than to achieve the pits of Tul Axtar and sooner or later the games in

the great arena, where eventually you must be slain."
"What would you suggest then?" I asked.
"Beyond Jahar, to the southwest, lies Tjanath, the city of my birth. Of all thecities uponBarsoom that isthe onlyone where Imay hopeto be
received in a friendmlyanner and as they receive me, so will they receive you.There youmay better prepareto enterJahar, which youmay only accomplish bydisguising yourself as a Jahariafno,r Tul Axtar permits no
alien within the confines of his empire other than those who are brought as prisoners ofwar and as slaves. In Tjanath ycoaun obtain the harness and
metal of Jahar anthdere I can coach you in the customs and manners of the empire ofTul Axtarso that ina short timeyou may enterit with some
reasonably slight assurance thyaot u may deceive them as to your identity. To enter without proper preparation would be fatal."
I saw the wisdom of her counsel and accordingly we altered our course so as to pass south oJafhar, as we headed straight toward Tjanath, six thousand
haads away.
All the balance othfe night we traveled steadily at the rate of about six hundred haadsper zode – a slow speed when compawreitdh that of the good one-man flier that I had brought out of Helium.
As the sun rosthee first thing that attracted my particular attention was

the ghastly blue of the flier.
"What a color for a flier!" I exclaimed.
Tavia lookedup at me. "There is an excellreenatson for it, though," she said; "areason thatyou must fullyunderstand before youenter Jahar."
Five
TO THE PITS
BELOW US, in theever changing light of the two moons, stretched the weird landscape of Barsoomian night as our little craft sorely overloaded, winged slowly awayfrom Xanatorabove the lowbills that markthe southwestern
boundary of the fierce, green hordes of Torquas. With the coming of the new day wediscussed theadvisability of makinga landing andwaiting until
night before proceeding upoonur journey, since we realized that should we besighted by anenemy craft we couldnot possibly hope toescape.
"Few flierspass this way," said Tavia, "and ifkweeep a sharp lookout I believe that wsehall be as safe in the aironasthe ground for although we havepassed beyond the limitosf Torquas, there woulsdtill be danger from their raiding parties, which often go far afield."
And so we proceeded slowly in the direction of Tjanath, our eyes constantly scanning the heavens in all directions.

The monotonyof thelandscape, combined withour slow rateof progress,
would ordinarily have renderesduch a journey unendurable to me, but to my surprise thetime passed quickly, a fact whiIchattributed solely to the
wit andintelligence of my companion for thewreas no gainsaying the fact that Taviawas excellent company. tIhink that we mushtave talked about everythingupon Barsoomand naturallya greatdeal ofthe conversation revolved aboutour own experiences anpdersonalities, so that long before we reachedTjanath I felt thaIt knew Tavia bettetrhan I had ever known anyother woman and Iwas quite sure thatI had never confidedso completely in any other person.
Tavia hada way with her that seemed to comcpoenlfidences so that, to my
own surpriseI,
foundmyself discussing themost intimate detailsof my
past lifem,
y hopes, ambitions anadspirations, as well atshe fears and
doubts which, I presume, assail the minds of all young men.
When I realized how fully I had unbosomed myself to this little slave girl, Iexperienced adistinct shock ofembarrassment, butthe sincerity of
Tavia's interest dispelled this feeling as did the realization that she had been almost as equally free with her confidences as had I.
Wewere twonights and aday coveringthe distance betweenXanator and Tjanath andas the towersand landing stages oofur destination appeared upon thedistant horizontoward the endof the first zodoef the second

day, Irealized thatthe hours thatstretched away behindus to Xanator were,for someunaccountable reason, ashappy aperiod as Ihad ever experienced.
Nowit was over.Tjanath lay before us,and with the realizationI experienced adistinct regret thaTt janath did not liuepon the opposite side of Barsoom.
With the exception of Sanoma Tora, I had never been particularly keen to be much in the company of women. I do not mean to convey the impression that I did notlike them,for that wouldnot be trueT. heir occasional company
offered adiversion, whichI enjoyed andof which Itook advantage, but
that I could be for so many hours in the exclusive company of a woman I did not loveand thoroughly enjoy evermy inute of it woulhdave seemed to me
quite impossibley; et such had been the faacntd I found myself wondering if Tavia had shared my enjoyment of the adventure.
"Thatmust beTjanath," I saidnodding inthe direction ofthe distant city.
"Yes," she replied.
"You must be glad that the journey is over," I ventured.
She looked up
mate quickly, her brows contracting suddenly in conjecture.
"Perhaps I should be," she replied enigmatically.

"It is your home," I reminded her.
"I have no home," she replied.
"But your friends are here," I insisted.
"I have no friends," she said.
"You forget Hadron of Hastor," I reminded her.
"No,"she said,"I do notforget that youhave beenkind to meb, ut I rememberthat I amonly an incidentin your searchfor SanomaTora. Tomorrow,perhaps, youwill begone andwe shallnever seeeach other again."
I hadnot thought of thaatnd I found that I dniodt like to think about
it, and yeIt knew that it was true. "You swoiolln make friends here," I
said.
I hope so," shreplied; "but I have been gone a vloenryg time and I was
so young whenwIas taken away that I have but the faintest of memories of my life in Tjanath. Tjanath really means nothing to me. I could be as happy anywhere else in Barsoom with – with a friend."

We were now close above the outer wall of the city and our conversation was interrupted by the appearancoef a flier, evidently a patrol, bearing down
uponus. Shewas soundingan alarm– theshrill screaming ofher horn
shattering the silence of the early morning. Almost immediately the warning was taken up bgyongs and shrieking sirens throughout the city. The patrol boatchanged hercourse and roseswiftly aboveus, whilefrom landing
stagesall aboutrose scoresof fightingplanes until wewere entirely surrounded.
I triedto hailthe nearer of themb,ut the infernal dionf the warning
signals drowned my voice. Hundreds of guns covered us, their crews standing ready to hurl destruction upon us.
"Does Tjanathalways receive visitors inthis hostile manner?" I inquired of Tavia.
She shookher head. "I do not know," she repl"ieHda.d we approached in a strange ship of war, I might understand it; but why this little scout flier should attract half the navy of Tjanath is – Wait!" she exclaimed suddenly. "The design and colof our flier mark its origin as Jahar. The people of Tjanath have seen thcisolor before and they fear it; yet if that is true,
why is it that they have not fired upon us?"
I do not knowhy they did not fire upon ufsirast," I replied, "but it
is obvious why they do not now. Their ships are so thick about us that they could not fire without endangering their own craft and men."

"Can'tyou make them understand that we are friends?" she asked.
Immediately I made thseigns of friendship and of surrender, but the ships seemedafraid to approach.The alarms had ceasedand the shipswere
circling silently about us.
Again Ihailed a nearby ship. "Do not fireI,"shouted; "we are friends."
"Friends do not comtoe
Tjanath in the blue death ships of Jahar," replied
an officer upon the deck of the ship I had hailed.
"Let us come alongsideI,"insisted, "and at least I can prove to you that we are harmless."
"You will not comaelongside my ship," he replied. "If you are friends you can prove it by doing as I instruct you."
"What are your wishes?" I asked.
"Come about and takyeour flier beyond the city walls. Ground her at least
a haad beyond theeast gate and then, with your companion, walk toward the city."
"Can you promise that we will be well received?" I asked.

"You wilbl e questioned," he replied, "and if yaoreu all right, you have nothing to fear."
"Very well," I replie"dw, e will do as you say. Signal your other ships to make wayfor us," and thenth, rough the lane thatthey opened, we passed
slowly back above thwealls of Tjanath and came to the ground about a haad beyond the east gate.
As we approached the city the gates swung open and a detachment of warriors marched outo meet us. It was evident tthhaety were very suspicious and
fearful of us. Thpeadwar in charge of them ordered us to halt while there were yet fully a hundred sofads between us.
"Throwdown your weapons," he commanded, "and then come forward."
"But we are not enemies," I replied. "Do not the people of Tjanath know how to receive friends?"
"Doas youare toldor we wildl estroy youboth," was hisonly reply.
I could not refraain shrug of disgust as I divested myself of my weapons, while Taviathrew down the shorstword that I haldoaned her. Unarmed we advanced towardthe warriors,but even thenthe padwar wasnot entirely satisfied,for he searched our harness carefully before he finally
conductedus into the city, keepingus well surrounded bywarriors.

Asthe eastgate of Tjanathclosed behindus Irealized thatwe were prisoners ratherthan the guests that we had hoptoedbe, but Tavia tried
to reassure me binysisting that when they had heard our story we would be
set at liberty anadccorded the hospitality that she insisted was our due.
Our guards conducted utos
a building that stood upon the opposite side of
the avenuef,acing the east gate, and presenwtlye found ourselves upon a broadlanding stageupon the roofof thebuilding. Here apatrol flier
awaited usand our padwar turneuds over to thoefficer in charge, whose attitudetoward us was marked by ill-concealedhatred and distrust.
Assoon as wehad been received onboard the patrolflier roseand proceeded toward the center of the city.
Below uslay Tjanath,giving the impressionof a city thahtad not kept abreast ofmodem improvements.It was markedby signs ofantiquity; the buildings reflected the architectuoref the ancients and many of them were in astate of disrepair, though much of cthitey's ugliness was hidden or softened bythe foliage of great trees and climbvininges, so that on the
whole the aspect was more pleasing than otherwise. Toward the center of the city wasa large plaza, entirelsyurrounded by imposing public buildings,
includingthe palaceof the Jed. It wauspon theroof of oneof these
buildings that the flier landed.

Under astrong guard we werceonducted into the interioorf the building andafter a briefwait were ushered intothe presence of somehigh official.Evidently he had alreadybeen advised of thecircumstances surrounding ourarrival at Tjanath, fohre seemed to bexpecting us and wasfamiliar with allthat had transpired upto the presentmoment.
"What do you at Tjanath, Jaharian?" he demanded.
"I am not from Jahar," I replied. "Look at my metal."
"A warrior may change his metal," he replied, gruffly.
"This man has not changed his metal," said Tavia. "He is not from Jahar; he isfrom Hastor, one of the cities of Helium. Iam from Jahar."
Theofficial lookedat her insurprise. "Soyou admit it!"he cried.
"But first I was from Tjanath," said the girl.
"What do you mean?" he demanded.
"As a little chiIldwas stolen from Tjanath," replied Tavia. "All my life
since I have been a slave in the palace of Tul Axtar, Jeddak of Jahar. Only recently I escaped in the same flier upon which we arrived at Tjanath. Near the deadcity ofXanator I landedand was capturedby thegreen men of Torquas.This warrior,who is Hadronof Hastor,rescued mefrom them.

Together we came to Tjanath, expecting a friendly reception."
"Who are your people in Tjanath?" demanded the official.
"I donot know," replied Tavia; "I wvaesry young. I remember practically nothing about my life in Tjanath."
"What is your name?"
"Tavia."
Theman's interestin her story,which hadseemed wholly perfunctory, seemed suddenly altered and galvanized.
"Youknow nothing about your parents or yourfamily?" he demanded.
"Nothing," replied Tavia.
He turnedto the padwar whwo as in charge oofur escort. "Hold them here until I return," he said, and, rising from his desk, he left the apartment.
"He seemed to recognize your name," I said to Tavia.
"How could he?" she asked.

"Possibly he knew your family," I suggested; "at least his manner suggested that we are going to be given some consideration."
"I hope so," she said.
"I feetlhat our troubles are about over, TaviIa,a"ssured her; "and for your sake I shall be very happy."
"And you, I supposes,h"e said, "will endeavor to enlist aid in continuing your search for Sanoma Tora?"
"Naturally,"I replied. "Could anything less be expected of me?"
"No," she admitted in a very low voice.
Notwithstanding the fact that something in the demeanor of the official who hadinterrogated us hadraised my hope forour future, I wasstill
consciousof a feelingof depressionas our conversationemphasized the near approachof ourseparation. It seemedas though Ihad always known Tavia, forthe fewdays that wehad been thrown togethehrad brought us very closeindeed. I knew that I should mhiessr sparkling wit, her ready sympathyand the quiet companionship of her silences,and then the
beautiful features of SanomTaora were projected upon memory's screen and, knowing where my duty lay, I cast vain regrets aside, for love, I knew, was
greater than friendship and I loved Sanoma Tora.

After a considerable lapse of time the official re-entered the apartment. I searched hisface toread the firstidings of good newtshere, but his expressionwas inscrutable;however, his firstwords, addressedto the
padwar, were entirely understandable.
"Confine thewoman in the EasTtower," he said, "ansdend the man to the pits."
That was all. It was like a blow in the face. I looked at Tavia and saw her wideeyes upon the official. "Youmean that we are to be heldas
prisoners?" shedemanded; "I, a daughter oTfjanath, and this warrior who camehere from a friendly nation seeking youraid and protection?"
"You will each havae hearing later before the Jed," snapped the official. "I have spoken. Take them away."
Several ofthe warriorsseized me ratheroughly by thearms. Tavia had
turned awayfrom the official and was lookiantg me. "Good-bye, Hadron of
Hastor!"she said. "Itis my faulthat youare here. Maymy ancestors forgive me!"
"Donot reproachyourself, Tavia," Ibegged her, "forwho mighthave foreseen such a stupid reception?"
We were taken from the apartment by different doorways and there we turned,

each fora last look atthe other, and iTn avia's eyes there were tears,
and in my heart.
The pits of Tjanattho,
which I was immediately conducted, are gloomy, but
they arenot envelopedin impenetrable darknessas are thepits beneath mostBarsoomian cities. Intothe dungeondim light filteredthrough the
iron grating from the corridors, where ancient radium bulbs glowed faintly. Yet itwas lightand I gave thankfsor that, for hIave always believed
that I should go mad imprisoned in utter darkness.
Iwas heavilyfettered andunnecessarily so,it seemedto me,as they chainedme toa massiveiron ringset deepin themasonry wallof my dungeon,and then,leaving me, lockedalso theponderous iron grating before the doorway.
As the footfalls othfe warriors diminished to nothingness in the distance
I heardthe faint sound of something moving neamrbey in my dungeon. What could it be? I strained my eyes into the gloomy darkness.
Presently, as my eyes became more accustomed to the dim light in my cell, I saw the figure of what appeared to be a man crouching against the wall near me. Again hIeard a sound as he moved and ttihmise it was accompanied by
the rattleof a chain, antdhen I saw a face tutronward me, but I could not distinguish the features.
"Another guest to share the hospitality of Tjanath," said a voice that came

from theblurred figure beside meI.t was a clear voic–e the voice of a man – and there was a quality to its timbre that I liked.
"Do our hosts entertain many such as we?" I asked.
"In thiscell there was but one," he replied; "nthoewre are two. Are you from Tjanath or elsewhere?"
"I amfrom Hastor, city otfhe Empire of TardoMs ors, Jeddak of Helium."
"You are a long way from home," he said.
"Yes," I replied; "and you?"
"I am from Jahar," he answered. My name is Nur An."
"And mine is Hadron," I said. "Why are you here?"
"Iam aprisoner because Iam fromJahar," hereplied. "Whatis your crime?"
"It is that they think I am from Jahar," I told him.
"Whatmade them think that? Do you wear the metal of Jahar?"

"No, Iwear themetal of Heliumb, ut I chancedto come toTjanath in a
Jaharian flier."
He whistled. "That would be hard to explain," he said.
"I foundit so," I admitted".They would not believae word of my story, nor of that of my companion."
"You had a companion, then?" he asked. "Where is he?"
"It wasa woman. Shewas born in Tjanathb,ut for long yearhsad been a slavein Jahar.Perhaps later theywill believeher story, butfor the
present weare in prison. I heard them order toherthe East Tower, while they sent me here to the prison."
"And hereyou will stay untyilou rot, unless yoaure lucky enough to be calledfor thegames, or unluckyenough tobe sentenced toThe Death."
"What isThe Death?" I askedm, y curiosity piqued bhyis emphasis of the words.
"I do not knowh,"e replied. "The warriors who come here often speak of it as thoughit was something quite horrible. Perhatphsey do it to frighten
me, but if thiast true, then they have had very little satisfaction, for,
whetheror notI have beenfrightened, Ihave not letthem see it."

"Let us hope for the games, then," I said.
"They are dull ansdtupid people here in Tjanath," said my companion. "The warriors have told me that sometimes many years elapse between games in the arena, but we may hope at least, for surely it would be better to die there witha goodlong sword inone's handrather than torot herein the
darkness, or die The Death, whatever it may be."
"Youare right," Isaid. "Let usbeseech ourancestors that theJed of
Tjanath decrees games in the near future."
"Soyou arefrom Hastor,"he said,musingly, after amoment's silence.
"That is a lonwgay from Tjanath. Pressing must have been the service that brought you so far afield!"
"I was searching for Jahar," I replied.
"Perhaps you are awsell off that you found Tjanath first," he said, "for, thoughI am a Jaharian, I cannot boast thehospitality of Jahar."
"You think I would not have been accorded a cordial welcome there, then?" I
asked.
"Bymy firstancestor, no,"he exclaimedmost emphatically."Tul Axtar would have haydou in the pits before he asked ynoaumr e, and the pits of

Jahar are not as light nor as pleasant as these."
"I didnot intend that TuAl xtar should know thaIt was visiting him," I
said.
"You are a spy?" he asked.
"No," I replied. "Thdeaughter of the commander of the umak to which I was attached wasabducted by Jaharians, and, I harveeason to believe, by the ordersof Tul Axtarhimself. To effecht er rescuewas the objectof my
journey."
"You tell this to a Jaharian?" he asked lightly.
"With perfecitmpunity," Ireplied. "In thefirst place, Ihave read in
your wordsand yourtone that you arneo friend to TuAl xtar, Jeddak of Jahar, ands, econdly, there is evidently littclehance that you ever will return to Jahar."
"You areright inboth conjectures," hesaid. "I mostassuredly have no
love for Tul Axtar. He is a beast, hated by all decent men. The cause of my hatred for him scolosely parallels your own reason to hate Tul Axtar that
we are indeed bound by a common tie."
"How is that?" I demanded.

"All my lifehIave never felt aught but contempt for Tul Axtar, Jeddak of Jahar, buthis contempt was notrtansmuted into hatred unthile stole a woman, andit was the stealing of a womaalns,o, that directed your venom against him."
"A woman of your family?" I asked.
"My sweetheartt,he woman I was to marry," replied
ANnu.r "I am a noble.
My familyis ofancient lineage andgreat wealth. Forthese reasons Tul
Axtar knew that he had good cause to fear me, and urged on by this fear, he confiscated my property ansdentenced me to death, but I have many friends
in Jaharand one of thesea, common warrior otfhe guard, connived at my escape after I had been imprisoned in the pits.
"I mademy wayto Tjanath andtold my storyto Haj Osist,he Jed, and, laying my sworadt his feet, I offered him my servibcuest, Haj Osis is a suspicious old fooalnd saw in me only a spy frJoamhar. He ordered me to the pits and here I have lain for a long time."
"Jahar musbt e, indeed, an unhappcyountry," I said, "ruleodver, as she
is, by such maan as Tul Axtar. Recently I have hemarudch of him, but as yet I have not heard him credited with a single virtue."
"He hasnone," said Nur An. "He iscruael tyrant, rotten with corruption
and vice. If any of the great powers of Barsoom could have guessed what was

inhis mind, Jaharwould havebeen reduced long ago and TulAxtar destroyed."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"For at least two hundred years Tul Axtar has fostered a magnificent dream, the conquest of aBllarsoom. During all this time he has made manpower his
fetish; no eggs migbhet
destroyed, each woman being compelled to preserve
all that she laid. (Note: Martians are oviparous.) An army of officials and inspectors tooka record of the production eoafch female. Those that had thegreatest number of males were rewarded; the unproductive were destroyed.When it wasdiscovered that marriage tendedto reducethe productivity ofthe femalesof Jahar, marriage amonagny classes beneath
the nobility was proscribed by imperial edict.
"The resulht as been an apalling increase pionpulation until many of the provinces of Jahar cannsoutpport the incalculable numbers that swarm like antsin ahill. The richestagricultural land uponBarsoom couldnot
support suchnumbers; every natural resourcheas been exhausted; millions are starving, and in large districts cannibalism is prevalent.
"During all this time Tul Axtar's officers have been training the males for war.From earliestconsciousness thethought ofwar hasbeen implanted
within theirminds. To war antdo war alone dtohey look for relief from the hideousconditions whichoppress them untitloday countless millions
are clamoringfor war,realizing that victorymeans loot, andthat loot

meansfood andriches. Already TuAl xtar commandsan army ofsuch vast proportions thathe fate of Barsoom might readily inliethe palm of his hand were it not for but a single obstacle."
"And what is that?" I asked.
"Tul Axtar is acoward," replied NurAn. "Having fulfilledhis dream of manpower, he is afraid to use it lest by some accident of fate his military plansshould failand histroops meetdefeat. Therefore, hehas waited
while he urged on the scientists of Jahar to produce some weapon that would be sofar superior in itdsestructive power to anythinpgossessed by any
other nation of Barsoom that his armies would be invincible.
"For yearsthe best minds of Jahar labored wthiteh problem until at last
one of our moesmt inent scientists, an old man named Phor Tak, developed a rifle of amazing properties.
The successof PhorTak aroused thejealousies of otherscientists, and thoughthe oldman hadgiven TulAxtar whathe sought, yethe tyrant showed nogratitude, andPhor Tak wassubjected to suchindignities and oppressions that eventually he fled from Jahar.
"That, howeveri,s of no import; all that Phor
cToaukld do for Tul Axtar
he had done, anwdith the new rifle in his possession, the Jeddak was glad
to be rid of the old scientist."

Naturally I was much interested in the rifle which Nur An had mentioned and
I hopedthat he would gionto a further anmd ore detailed description of it, butI dared not suggestthat for fear thatht e natural loyalty which everyman feelsfor the countryof hisbirth might restrainhim from
divulging her military secrets to a stranger. I was to learn, however, that thoselofty sentimentsof patriotism, whichare apart of everyman of
Helium, wereinduced as much by the love and respinecwt hich we held our great jeddaks as by our natural attachment to the land of our birth; while, upon theother hand, the Jaharians lookeodnly with contempt and loathing
upon thehead oftheir state and feelinngo loyalty for himw, ho was in
effect the state, they looked upon patriotism as nothing more than an empty catchword, whichan unworthy master haudsed to his owennd until it had
become meaninglessa, nd so, while atthe moment I wassurprised, I later
came tounderstand why it was that NAunr
voluntarily explained in detail
to me all thhaet
knew about the strange new weapon of Jahar and the means
of defense against it.
"This newrifle," he continued after maoment's silence, would render all
the otherarmies and navies of Barsoom impotebnetfore us. It projects an invisibleray, the vibrations of whicheffect such a change inthe
constitutionof metals asto cause themto disintegrate. Iam nota scientist;I do not fully understand the exact explanation of the
phenomenon, butfrom whatI was ableto gather while thneew weapon was being discussedin Jahar I am under tihmepression that these rays change
thepolarity of theprotons inmetallic substances, releasingthe whole

mass asfree electrons. I havaelso heard the theoreyxpounded that Phor
Tak,in his investigation, discovered thatthe fundamental principle
underlying timem,
atter andspace are identicala, nd that whathe rays
projectedfrom hisrifle reallyaccomplish isto translate anymass of metal uponwhich it isdirected into the mosetlementary constituents of space.
"But bethat asit may, TuAl xtar had themanpower andthe weapon, yet
still he hesitated. Hweas afraid and he sought for some excuse further to delaythe warof conquestand lootwhich hismillions ofsubjects now demanded,and tothis endhe hitupon theplan of insistingupon some mediumof defenseagainst this newrifle, basinghis demandsupon the possibilitythat someother powermight alsohave discovereda similar
weapon orwould eventually,by the useof spies orinformers, learn the secret fromJahar. Probably greatly thois surprise and unquestionably to
his embarrassment, a man who had been an assistant in Phor Tak's laboratory presentlydeveloped a substancewhich dissipated the raysof thenew
weapon, rendering them harmlesWs. ith this substance, which is of a bluish color, themetal portions of thsehips, weapons and harnesosf Jahar are
now painted.
"But yeat gain Tul Axtar postponed hwisar, insisting upon the production of anenormous quantity of thenew rifles and maighty fleet of warships
upon which to mount them. Then, he says, he will sail forth and conquer all
Barsoom."

The destruction of thpeatrol boat above Helium the night of the abduction of SanomaTora was nowquite clear to me,and when Nur Atonld me later
that Tul Axtar had sent experimental fliers to attack Tjanath, I understood why it was thtahte blue flier in which Tavia and I had arrived had caused suchconsternation, butthe thought thatupset my mindalmost tothe
exclusion ofthe plight of Sanoma Tora was tshoamt ewhere in the thin air
of dying Barsoom a great Heliumetic fleet was moving to attack Jahar, or at least thatwas whatI supposed sinceI had noreason todoubt that the
message thatI hadgiven to themajordomo of Tor Hatan'psalace had not beendelivered to theWarlord. To liehere enchained inthe pitsof
Tjanath, while the great fleet of Helium sped to its destruction, filled me
with horrorW.
ith my own eyes had I seen etfhfects of this terrible new
weapon and I knew that it was no idle dream upon the part of Nur An when he had statedthat with it TuAl xtar could conquer wa orld; but there was a
defense against it. If I could but regain my freedom, I might not only warn
theships of Heliumand save themfrom inevitable doom,but alsoin
connectionwith my quesftor Sanoma Torain thecity of JaharI,
might
discover thesecret of the defense againtshte weapon which the Jaharians had evolved.
Freedom! Beforeit had only seemed the modsetsirable thing in the world;
now it had become imperative.
Six

SENTENCED TO DIE
I WASNOT LONG in the pits of Tjanbaethfore warriors came, and, removing
my fetters, led me from my dungeon. There were only two of them and I could not but note their carelessness and the laxness of their discipline as they
escorted me taon upper level of the palace, buttheattime I thought it
meant only that the attitude of the officials had altered and that I was to be free.
There was nothing remarkable about the palace of the Jed of Tjanath. It was a poor place bcyomparison with the palaces of some of the great nobles of Helium,yet never before, I imagined,had I challenged withgreater
interest everydetail of architecture, evercyorridor and doorway, or the manners, harness and decorationosf the people that passed us, for, though
in my heart was the hope that I was about to be free, yet I considered this place my prison anthdese people my jailers, and, as my one object in life
was toescape, I was determinetdo let no detaiellude my eye that might
possibly in any way aid me if the time should come when I must make a break for liberty.
Itwas suchthoughts that wereuppermost inmy mindas Iwas ushered through wideportals into the presence ofbeajeweled warrior. As my eyes
first alightedupon him I knewat once that I wains
the presence of Haj
Osis, Jed of Tjanath.

As my guard halted me before him, the Jed scrutinized me intently with that air of suspicion which is his most marked characteristic.
"Your name and country?" he demanded.
"Iam Hadron of Hastor, padwarin the navy of Helium," Ireplied.
"You are from Jahar," he accused. "You came here from Jahar with a woman of
Jahar in a flier of Jahar. Can you deny it?"
Itold HajOsis indetail everything thaht ad ledup to myarrival at Tjanath. Itold him Tavia's story as well, anmduIst at least credit him with listeningto me in patienceth, ough I was constantliympressed by a
feeling thamt
y appeal was being directed aatmind already so prejudiced
againstme thatnothing that Imight saycould alterits convictions.
The chiefs and courtietrhsat surrounded the Jed evidenced open skepticism
in their manner until I became convinced that fear of Tul Axtar so obsessed them thathey were unable tcoonsider intelligently any matter connected
with the activities of the Jeddak of Jahar. Terror made them suspicious and suspicion sees everything through distorted lenses.
When I had finished my story, Haj Osis ordered me removed from the room and
Iwas held ina small ante-chamberfor sometime while, Iimagined, he discussed my case with his advisors.

When I was again ushered into his presence I felt that the whole atmosphere of thechamber was charged witahntagonism, as for thseecond time I was
halted beforethe dais upon which the Jesdat in his carved throne-chair.
"The lawsof Tjanath are just,p"roclaimed Haj Osis, glarinagt me, "and theJed ofTjanath is merciful.The enemies ofTjanath shallreceive
justice, buthey may not expecmt ercy. You, who cayllourself Hadron of
Hastor, have been adjudgead spy of our most malignant enemy, Tul Axtar of
Jahar, andas suchI, Haj Osis, Jeodf Tjanath, sentence yotuo die The
Death. I have spoken." With an imperious gesture he signalled the guards to remove me.
There wasno appeal. My doom was sealed, andsiliennce I turned and left
the chamber, escorted by a guard of warriors, but for the honor of Helium I
may say that my step was firm and my chin high.
On myreturn tothe pits I questionetdhe padwar in chargoef my escort relativeto Tavia,but ifthe fellowknew aughtof her, herefused to
divulge it to maend presently I found myself again fettered in the gloomy dungeon by the side of Nur An of Jahar.
"Well?" he asked.
"The Death," I replied.

He extended a manaclehdand through the darkness and placed it upon one of mine. I am sorry, my friend," he said.
"Man has but one life," I replied; "if he is permitted to give it in a good cause, he should not complain."
"You die for a woman," he said.
"I die for a woman of Helium," I corrected.
"Perhaps we shall die together," he said. "What do you mean?"
"Whileyou weregone a messengercame fromthe majordomo ofthe palace advising me to makpeeace with my ancestors as I should die The Death in a short time."
"I wonder what The Death is like," I said.
"I donot know," replied NuAr n, "but from thaewe-hushed tones in which they mention it, I imagine that it must be very terrible."
"Torture, do you imagine?" I asked.
"Perhaps," he replied.
"They will fintdhat the men of Helium who knowwseoll how to live, know

also how to die," I said.
"I shalhl ope torender a goodaccount of myselfalso," saidNur An. I shall nogt ive themthe satisfaction ofknowing that Isuffer. Still, I wishI mightknow beforehand whatit islike that Imight better be prepared to meet it."
"Let us not depress our thoughts by dwelling upon it," I suggested. "Let us rathertake thepart ofmen andconsider onlyplans forthwarting our
enemies and effecting our escape."
"I am afraid that is hopeless," he said.
"I may answer thatI,"said, "in the famous words of John Carter: 'I still live!'"
"The blindphilosophy ofabsolute courage," he saiaddmiringly, "but yet futile."
"It served him wemllany a time," I insisted, "for it gave him the will to
attempt the impossible and to succeed. We still live, Nur An; do not forget that – we still live!"
"Make the best oitf while you can," said a gruff voice from the corridor, "for it will not long be true."

The speaker entered oudrungeon – a warrior of the guard, and with him was asingle companion.I wondered howmuch of ourconversation theyhad
overheard, but I was soon reassured, for the very next words of the warrior that had first spokernevealed the fact that they had heard nothing but my assertion that we still lived.
"What did you mean by that," he asked, "'remember, Nur An, we still live?'"
I pretendednot tohear his question anhde did not repeait, but came
directly to me anudnlocked my fetters. As he turned to unlock those which heldNur An,he turned hisback tome and Icould not butnote his inexcusablecarelessness. Hiscompanion lolledat the doorwaywhile the firstwarrior bentover the padlockthat heldthe fetters ofNur An.
My ancestors were kintod
me; little had I expected such an opportunity as
this, yet wI aited – like a great banth readysptroing I waited until he should havereleased NurAn, and thena, s the fetters feallway from my
companion, I flung myself upon the back of the warrior. He sprawled forward upon his face on the stone flagging, falling heavily beneath my weight, and
as hedid so I snatched his dagger fromshietsath and plunged it between
his shoulder blades. Wiath single cry he died, but I had no fear that the echo ofthat cry would carruypward out of thgeloomy pits of Tjanath to warn his fellows upon the level above.
Butthe fellow'scompanion hadseen andheard andwith a boundhe was

across the dungeon, hliosng sword ready in his hand, and now I was to see the mettle of which Nur An was made.
The affair had occurred so quickly, like a bolt of lightning out of a clear sky, thatany man might have been excusheadd he been momentarily stunned
into inactivity by the momentousness of my act, but Nur An was guilty of no fatal delay. As thougwhe had planned the thing together it seemed that he leaped forwardthe instant that sIprang for the warrioarnd ran to meet hiscompanion. Barehanded,he faced thelong swordof his antagonist.
The gloomof the dungeon reduced the advantage of atrhmeed man. He saw a figure leapingto meet his attack and in ethxecitement of the moment and
inthe darkof thecell, hedid notknow thatNur An wasunarmed. He hesitated, pausedand stepped back troeceive the impetuous attack coming out ofthe darkness, and itnhat instant I hawd hipped the long sword of thefallen warriorfrom itsscabbard andwas chargingthe fellowat a
slightly different angle from Nur An.
An instant later wweere engaged and I found the fellow no mean swordsman;
yet fromthe instant that our blades crossed I kntheawt I was his master and bemust soonhave realized itt,oo, for hefell back,fully on the defensive, evidentlybent upon escaping ttohe corridor. This, however, I
was determined not
ptoermit and so I pressed him so closely that he dared
not turn troun; nor did he call for help, tahnisd, I guess, was because
he realized the futility of so doing.

With thedesperation of caged animalNs ur An and wI ere fighting for our lives. There could bneo question here of the scrupulous observance of the nicetiesof combat. Itwas his lifeor ours. Realizingthis, NurAn
snatchedthe shortsword fromthe corpseof thefallen warriorand an instantlater the second manwas lying ina pool ofhis ownblood.
"And now what?" asked Nur An.
"Are you familiar with the palace?" I asked.
"No," he replied.
"Thenwe must depend uponwhat little I wasable to glean frommy
observation of it," I said. "Let us get into the harnesses of these two men atonce. Perhapsthey will offera sufficientdisguise to permiut s to
reach oneof the upper levels at leafsotr,
without an intimate knowledge
ofthe pitsit isuseless for usto tryto seek escapebelow ground."
"Youare right,"he said,and afew momentslater we emergedinto the
corridors, toall intents and purposestw,
o warriors of thgeuard of Haj
Osis,Jed ofTjanath. Believing thaut p toa certain pointboldness of demeanorwould beour best safeguardagainst detection,I ledthe way towardthe groundlevel of thepalace withoutattempting in anyway to
resort to stealth or secrecy.

"There aremany warriors at thme ain entrance of thpealace," I told Nur
An, "and without knowinsgomething of the regulations governing the coming and goingof the inmates of the buildingw, oituld be suicidal to attempt
to reach the avenue beyond the palace by that route."
"What do you suggest then?" he asked.
"Theground level ofthe palace isa busyplace, people arecoming and
going constantly through thceorridors. Doubtless some of the upper levels are lessfrequented. Letus therefore seeka hiding placehigher up and fromthe vantagepoint of somebalcony wemay be ableto workout a feasible plan of escape."
"Good!" he said. "Lead on!"
Ascending the winding ramp from the lower pits, we passed two levels before we reached the ground level of the palace, without meeting a single person, butthe instant thatwe emerged uponthe ground levelwe sawpeople
everywhere; Officersc, ourtiers, warriors,slaves and merchantsmoved to and froupon their various dutieosr in pursuit otfhe business that had brought themto the palace, but their venruymbers proved a safeguard for us.
Upon theside of the corridor opposite from pthoeint at which we entered itlay anarched entrance toanother ramp runningupward. Withoutan

instant's hesitation I crossethdrough the throng of people, and, with Nur
Anat myside, passed beneaththe archand entered theascending ramp.
Scarcely hadwe started upward when we maetyoung officer descending. He accorded us scarcely galance as we passed and I breathed more easily as I realized that our disguises did, in fact, disguise us.
There were fewer peopolen the second level of the palace, but yet far too manyto suitme andso we continuedon upwardto the thirdlevel, the
corridors of which we found almost deserted.
Near the mouth of the ramp lay the intersection of two main corridors. Here we hesitatedfor an instant troeconnoiter. There were people approaching
from bothdirections along the corridor into whiwche had emerged, but in onedirection the transverse corridorseemed deserted and wequickly enteredit. Itwas avery longcorridor, apparently extendingthe full
lengthof thepalace. It wasflanked atintervals upon bothsides by
doorways, the doors to some of which were open, while others were closed or ajar. Through some of the open doorways we saw people, while the apartments revealedthrough others appearedvacant. Thelocation of thesewe noted
carefully aswe moved slowly alongc,arefully observing every detail that might later prove of value to us.
We had traversed abotuwt o-thirds of this long corridor when a man stepped
into iftrom adoorway a coupleof hundred feetahead of usH.
e was an
officer, apparentlya padwar of the guard. He halitnedthe middle of the

corridor as a fiolef warriors emerged from the same doorway, and, forming in a column otwf os, marched in our direction, the officer bringing up the rear.
Here was a test for our disguises that I did not care to risk. There was an open doorway aotur left; beyond it I could seeoneo. "Come!" I said to
Nur An, and withoauctcelerating our speed we walked nonchalantly into the
chamber, and as NuArn crossed the threshold, I closed the door behind him
and asI did so sIaw a young woman standing thaet
opposite side of the
apartment looking squarely at us.
"What do you here, warriors?" she demanded.
Here,indeed, wasan embarrassingsituation. Inthe corridorwithout I
could hear the clank of the accoutrements of the approaching warriors and I
knewthat the girlmust hearit, too. IfI did aughtto arouseher suspicion,she had butto call for help,and how mightI allayher
suspicion whenI had not the faintest conceptionwohfat might pass for a
valid excuse for the presence of two warriors in this particular apartment, which forall Iknew, might be thaepartment of a princesosf the royal
house,to enterwhich without permissionmight easilymean deathto a
common warrior. I thought quickly, or perhaps I did not think at all; often we act rightly upon impulse and then credit the result to
super-intelligence.

"Wehave come for the girl," I stated brusquely. "Where is she?"
"What girl?" demanded the young woman in surprise.
"The prisoner, of course," I replied.
"The prisoner?" she looked more puzzled than before.
"Of course," said Nur An, "the prisoner. Where is she?" and I almost smiled for Iknew that Nur Ahnad not the faintest idea wohf at was in my mind.
"Thereis no prisoner here," said the young woman."These are the apartments of the infant son of Haj Osis."
"The fool misdirected usI,"said. "We are sorry that we intruded. We were sentto fetch the girl, Tavia, who is a prisonerin the palace."
It wasonly a guess. dIid not know that Tavwiaas a prisoner, but after the treatment that had been accorded me I surmised as much.
"She isnot here," said thyeoung woman, "and afsor you, you had better leave theseapartments at once foirf you are discoverehdere it will go
ill with you."
Nur Anw,
ho wasstanding beside meh, ad been looking atht e young woman
intently. He stepped forward now, closer to her.

"Bymy first ancestor,"he exclaimed in alow voice, "it isPhao!"
Thegirl stepped back, her eyeswide with surprise and thenslowly recognition dawned within them. "Nur An!" she exclaimed.
Nur An camcelose to the girl and took her hianndhis. "All these years,
Phao, I have thougthhtat you were dead," he said. "When the ship returned thecaptain reported that you anda number of others werekilled."
"He lied,"said thegirl. "He soldus into slavery herien Tjanath; but you,Nur An, what are you doing here in theharness of Tjanath?"
I ama prisoner," replied my companion, "asthiiss warrior also. We have
been confined in the pits beneath the palace and today we were to have died The Death, but we killed the two warriors who were sent to fetch us and now we are trying to find our way out of the palace."
"Then you are not looking for the girl, Tavia?" she asked.
"Yes," I said, "we are looking for her, too. She was made a prisoner at the same time that I was."
"Perhaps Ican help you,"said Phao; "perhaps," shaedded wistfully, "we may all escape together."

I shall not escape without you, Phao," said Nur An. "My ancestors have been good to me at last," said the girl. "Where is Tavia?" I asked.
"She is in the East Tower," replied Phao.
"Canyou lead usthere, or tell ushow we may reachit?" Iasked.
"Itwould dono good tolead you toit," shereplied, "as thedoor is locked and guards stand before it. But there is another way."
"And that?" I asked.
"I knowwhere the keys ares,he said, "and kInow other things that will prove helpful."
"May our ancestors proteacnt d reward you, Phao," I said. "And now tell me where I may find the keys."
I shalhl ave to lead you to the place myseslhfe," replied, "but we shall standa betterchance tosucceed ifthere arenot toomany ofus. I,
therefore, suggesthat NurAn remain hereI.
shall placehim in hiding
where he winllot be found. I will then lead tyoouthe prisoner, and, if

possible, we will make our way back to this apartment. I am in charge here. Only at regular hours, twice a day, night and morning, does any other visit
the apartment of thliettle prince. Here I can hide you and feed you for a long timeand perhaps eventually we shall abbele to evolve some feasible plan for escape."
"We arein yourhands, Phao," said NuAr n. "If there itso be fighting, though, I should like to accompany Hadron."
"If wesucceed there will bneo fighting," replied thgeirl. She stepped quicklyacross theroom to adoor, whichshe opened, revealinga large closet."Here, NurAn," she said,"is whereyou must remainuntil we
return. There is nroeason why anyone should open this door, and in so far as Iknow, it never has been opened sinI cheave occupied these quarters, except by me."
"I donot like the ideaof hiding," said Nur An waithgrimace, "but – I
have had to dmoany things recently that I did not like," and without more words hecrossed the apartment and entered tchleoset. Their eyes met for
an instanbt efore Phaoclosed the door, anId read in thdeepth of both
that whichmade me wonder, remembering as I did stoery that Nur An had told meof theother woman whom TuAl xtar had stolen fromhim. But such
matters were no concern of mine, nor had they any bearing upon the business
at hand.

"Here is my plan, warrior," said Phao as she returned to my side. "When you
enteredthis apartmentyou came sayingthat you werelooking forthe
prisoner, TaviaA. lthough shewas not hereI,
believed youW.
e will go,
therefore, toYo Seno, the keepeorf the keys, anydou will tell him the
same story that you have been sent to fetch the prisoner, Tavia. If Yo Seno believesyou, all wilbl e well, forhe willgo himself andrelease the
prisoner, turning her over to you."
"And if he does not believe me?" I asked.
"He isa beast," she said",who is better deatdhan alive. Therefore you will know what to do."
"I understand," I said. "Lead the way."
The office of Yo Seno, the keeper of the keys, was upon the fourth level of the palace, almost directly above the quarters of the infant prince. At the doorway Phaohalted, anddrawing my eardown to herlips, whispered her finalinstructions. "I shalel nter first,"she said, "uponsome trivial
errand. A moment later you may enter, but payattneontion to me. It must not appear that we have come together."
"I understand," I said, and walked a few paces along the corridor so that I should not be in sight when the door opened. She told me afterward that she asked Yo Seno thoave a new key made for onethoef numerous doors in the apartment of the little prince.

I waitedbut amoment, and then Ito, o, entered the apartmenIt.t was a
gloomy roomwithout windows. Upon its walhlsung keys of every imaginable
size and shape. Behind a large desk sat a coarse-looking man, who looked up quickly and scowled at the interruption as I entered.
"Well?" he demanded.
"Ihave comefor the womanT, avia," Isaid, "the prisonerfrom Jahar."
"Who sent you? What do you want of her?" he demanded.
"I have orders to bring her to Haj Osis," I replied.
Helooked atme suspiciously. "Youbring a writtenorder?" heasked.
"Of coursenot," I replied, "its not necessary. Shies not to be taken out of the palace; merely from one apartment to another."
"I must have a written order," he snapped.
"HajOsis willnot bepleased," Isaid, "whenhe learns thatyou have refused to obey his command."
"I amnot refusing," saidYo Seno. "Do nodtare to say thaIt refuse. I

cannot turn a prisoner over without a written order. Show me your authority and I will give you the keys."
I saw that the plan had failed; other measures must be taken. I whipped out my longsword. "Hereis my authority!"I exclaimed, leapingtoward him.
With anoath he drewhis own sword, buint stead of facing mwe ith it he steppedquickly back,the deskstill betweenus and, turnings, truck a copper gong heavily with the flat of his blade.
As I rushed towarhdim I heard the sound of hurrying feet and the clank of metalfrom an adjoining room. Yo Seno, stillbacking away, sneered sardonically,and thenthe lightswent outand the windowlessroom was
plunged intodarkness. Soft fingers graspemd y left hand anad low voice whispered in my ear, "Come with me."
Quickly Iwas drawnto one side antdhrough a narrow aperturjeust as a door uponthe opposite side otfhe chamber was flunogpen, revealing the forms of half daozen warriors silhouetted against the light from the room behind themT. hen the door closedirectly in front omf y face and I was againin utter darkness, but Phao's fingers stillgrasped my hand.
"Silence!" a soft voice whispered.
From beyondthe panels I heard angry aenxdcited voices. Above the others one voice rose in tones of authority. "What is wrong here?"

There were muttered exclamations and curses as men bumped against pieces of furniture and ran into one another.
"Give usa light,"cried a voicea, nd a moment later",That is better." "Whereis YoSeno? Oh,there youare, youfat rascal. Whatis amiss?" "By Issus! he is gone." The voice was that of Yo Seno.
"Whois gone?" demanded the other voice. "Why didyou summon us?"
I wasattacked by a warrior,e"xplained Yo Seno, "whcoame demanding the
key to the apartmewnthere Haj Osis keeps the daughter of– –." I could not hear the rest of the sentence.
"Well, where is the man?" demanded the other.
"He isgone –and the keyt,oo. The keyis gone," YoSeno's voice rose almost to a wail.
"Quick,then, to theapartment where the girlis kept," criedfirst
speaker, doubtlessthe officerof the guarda, nd almost atonce I heard them hasten from the apartment.

The girl at msyide moved a little and I heard a low laugh. "They will not find the key," she said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I have it," she replied.
"Little good it will do us," I said ruefully. "They will keep the door well guarded now and we cannot use the key."
Phao laughed again. "Wdeo not need the key," she said. I took it to throw them offthe track.They will watchthe door while we enter elsewhere."
"I do not understand," I said.
"This corridor leads betweethne partitions to the room where the prisoner is kept. kInow that because, when I was a prisoinerthat room, Yo Seno
came thus to visit me. He is a beast. I hope he has not visited this girl – I hope it for your sake, if you love her."
"I donot love her," sIaid. "She is only fraiend." But I scarcely knew
what Iwas saying, the words seemed to come mechanicfaollryI was in the grip ofsuch an emotion aIs never before haedxperienced or endured. It
had seizedme the instant that Phao had suggesttheadt Yo Seno might have visited Tavia through thsiescret corridor. I experienced a sensation that
was almostakin to a convulsion – a sensation ltehfatt me a changed man.

Before, Icould havekilled Yo Senowith my swordand beenglad; now I
wanted to tear him to pieces; I wanted to mutilate him and make him suffer. Never beforein mylife had Iexperienced such a bestiadlesire. It was
hideous, and yet I gloated in its possession.
"What is the matter?e"xclaimed Phao. "I thought I felt you tremble then."
"I trembled," I said.
"For what?" she asked.
"For Yo Seno," I replied, "but let us hasten. If this corridor leads to the apartment whereTavia is in prisonI, cannot reach hetro soon, for when
Haj Osislearns that the kehyas been stolen hwe ill have her removed to another prison."
"He will not learitn if Yo Seno and the padwar of the guard can prevent," said Phao", for if this reached the ears of OHsaijs it might easily cost
them boththeir lives. They wiwll ait for you tcoome that they may kill you andget thekey, but they wiwll ait outside the prisodnoor and you will not come that way."
As shespoke she started to walk alotnhge narrow, dark corridor, leading
me by the hanbdehind her. It was slow work for Phhaado to grope her way slowly becausethe corridor turned sharply raitght angles as it followed

the partitionsof the apartmentsbetween which it passeda,nd there were numerous stairwaysthat led up ovedroorways and finally laadder to the level above.
Presently shehalted. "We arethere," she whispered, "buwt e must listen firstto make sure that no onehas entered the apartment withthe prisoner."
I could see absolutenlyothing in the darkness, and how Phao knew that she had reached her destination, I could not guess.
"Itis allright," shesaid presently,and simultaneously shepushed a
wooden panel ajaarnd in the opening I saw a porotifonthe interior of a circularapartment with narrow windows heavily barred. Opposite the opening, upona pile of sleeping silks and fuIrss,aw a woman reclining. Only abare shoulder, a tiny ear and a hoefadtousled hair were visible. At the first glance I knew that they were Tavia's.
As we stepped into the apartment Phao closed the panel behind us. Attracted by the sound our entrance, quietly executed though it was, Tavia sat up
and lookedat us and thena,s she recognized mes,prang to her feet. Her eyes werewide with surprise antdhere was an exclamatiounpon her lips, which Isilenced by a warning forefinger placaegdainst my own. I crossed the apartmentoward her,and she cameto meet me, almosrtunning. As I looked intoher eyes I sawan expression there thaIt have never seen in
the eyesof anyother woman –at least notfor me– and ifI had ever

doubtedTavia's friendship, sucha doubt would havevanished inthat
instant, buIt
had not doubted it and I wonalsy surprised now to realize
the depth of
Hit.ad Sanoma Tora ever looked at me like that I should have
read love in the expression, but I had never spoken of love to Tavia and so
I knewthat itwas only friendship thasthe felt. I haadlways been too
much engrossed in my profession to make any close friendships so that I had never realizeduntil thatmoment what a wonderfuthl ing friendship might
be.
As we metin the centerof theroom her eyes,moist withtears were upturned tomine. "Hadron,"she whispered, her voicheusky with emotion, and thenI put my armabout her slender shoulders anddrew her to me and something thawt as quite beyond mvyolition impelled me tkoiss her upon
the foreheadI.nstantly she disengagedherself and I fearetdhat she had misunderstoodthat impulsive kiss of friendship, buther next words reassured me.
"I thoughnt ever to see you again, HadronHoafstor," she said. "I feared that they hakdilled you. How comes it that you haerree and in the metal of a warrior of Tjanath?"
I toldher briefly of what had occurred to sminece we had been separated and ofhow Ihad temporarily, atleast, escaped The DeathS.he asked me what The Death was, but I could not tell her.

"It is very horrible," said Phao.
"What is it?" I asked.
I donot know,"replied the girl, "onltyhat it is horribleT.here is a
deep pit, some saay bottomless pit, beneath the lower pits of the palace; horrible noises – groanasnd moans arise perpetually from it and into this pit thosethat are to diTe he Death are cast, but siunch a way that the
fall will not kill them. They must reach the bottom alive to endure all the horrorsof TheDeath that awaithem there.That the tortureis almost interminableis evidencedby the facthat themoans and groansof the
victims nevercease, no matter how longpeariod may have elapsed between executions."
"And you have escaped it," exclaimed Tavia. "My prayers have been answered. For daysand nights have I been praying to amncyestors that you might be
spared. Nowif youcan but escapethis hateful place. Havyeou a plan?"
"We havea plan that with the help of Phhearoe may prove successful. Nur An, of whomtoIld you, is hiding in a closeot nien of the apartments of thelittle prince. We shall return to that apartmentat the first
opportunity and here Phawoill hide all three of us until some opportunity for escape presents itself."
"And we should lose no more time in returning," said Phao. "Come, let us go at once."

As weturned toward the panetlhrough which we haedntered I saw that it was ajart,hough I was confident that Phao had cloist eadfter us when we entered andsimultaneously I could havseworn that I sawan eye glued to the narrowcrack, as though someonwe atched us from thdeark interior of the secret corridor.
In a singlbeound I was across the room and dhraadwn the panel aside. My sword wasready in my handb,ut there was none in the corridor beyond.
Seven
THE DEATH
WITH PHAO IN THLEEAD and Tavia between us, we traversed the dark corridor back toward the apartment of Yo Seno. When we reached the panel marking the
end ofour journey, Phao halted and togethweer
listened intently for any
sound thatmight evidence the presence of oacncupant in the room beyond. All was silent as the tomb.
"I believe," said Phao, "that it will be safer if you and Tavia remain here
until nightI.
shall return to my apartment andabgoout my duties in the
usual mannerand after the palacheas quieted down, thesleevels will be almostdeserted; thenI can comeand getyou withfar lessdanger of
detection than were I to take you to the apartment now."

Weagreed that herplan was a goodone, and biddingus atemporary farewell, sheopened thepanel sufficiently topermit her tosurvey the apartmentbeyond. It wasquite empty. She steppedfrom thecorridor,
closing the panel behinhder, and once again Tavia and I were plunged into darkness.
Thelong hours ofour wait inthe darknessof the corridorshould have
seemed interminable, but thedyid not. We made ourselves as comfortable as possible uponthe floor, our backs against oonfe the walls, and, leaning
close togetherso thatwe might conversein low whispersw, e found more entertainment than I should have guessed possible, both in our conversation and inthe long silences thabtroke it, so that rietally did not seem a
long timeat all beforethe panel was swunogpen and we sawPhao in the subdued light of thaepartment beyond. She motioned us to follow her, and, insilence, weobeyed. Thecorridor beyondthe chamberof YoSeno was deserted, as also wathse ramp leading to the level below and the corridor upon whichit opened. Fortune seemetdo favor us aetvery step and there
wasa prayer ofthanksgiving upon mylips asPhao pushed openthe door leadinginto the apartment of theprince and motioned us toenter.
But athe sameinstant my hearst ank within mef,or, asI entered the
apartment with Tavia,saIw warriors standing upon either side of the room awaitingus. Withan exclamation ofwarning Idrew Tavia behindme and
backed quickly toward thdeoor, but as I did so I heard a rush of feet and
the clank of accoutremenitns
the corridor behind me, and, casting a quick

glance overmy shoulder, I saw other warriorursnning from the doorway of an apartment upon the opposite side of the corridor.
We weresurrounded. We were losat,nd my first thoughwt as that Phao had betrayed us, leading us into this trap from which there could be no escape. They hustledus backinto the roomand surrounded us, anfdor the first
time I saw YSoeno. He stood there, a sneering grin upon his face, and but for the fact thTatavia had assured me that he had not harmed her I should
have leaped upon him there, though a dozen swords had been at my vitals the next instant.
"So!" sneered Yo Sen"oY. ou thought to fool me, did you? Well, I am not so easily fooled. I guessethde truth and I followed you through the corridor
and overheardall your plans as you discusstehdem with the woman, Tavia. We haveyou all now," antdurning to one otfhe warriors, he motioned to the closetupon theopposite side ofthe chamber. "Fetchthe other," he commanded.
The fellow crossed to the door and, opening it, revealed Nur An lying bound and gagged upon the floor.
"Cut hisbonds and remove thgeag," ordered Yo Seno".It is too late now for him to thwart my plans by giving the others a warning."
Nur Ancame towardus, with afirm step, hishead high anda glance of

haughty contempt for our captors.
The fourof usstood facing Yo Senoth, e sneer upon whosfeace had been replaced by a glare of hatred.
"You havebeen sentenced to die The Death," he s"aIitd.is the death for spies. Nomore terriblepunishment can beinflicted. Could therebe, it
would bemeted to you two,a"s he looked first at maned then at Nur An, "thatyou might suffer more for the murder of our two comrades."
Sothey had foundthe warriors wehad dispatched. Well,what ofit? Evidentlyit hadnot renderedour positionany worsethan ithad been before. Wewere todie The Death antdhat was the worstthat they could accord us.
"Have you anything to say?" demanded Yo Seno.
"We still live" I exclaimed, and laughed in his face.
"Before long you will be beseeching your first ancestors for death," hissed
the keeper of the keys, "but you will not have death too soon, and remember that no one knows how long it takes to die The Death. We cannot add to your physical suffering, but for the torment of your mind let me remind you that
we aresending you to The Death without letting kynoouw what the fate of
youraccomplices will be," and he nodded toward Tavia and Phao.

That wasa nice point, wecllhosen. He could nohtave hit upon any means more certainto inflict acute torturuepon me than thisb,ut I would not givehim thesatisfaction of witnessingmy trueemotion, andso, once
again, Ilaughed in his face. His patience haabdout reached the limit of
its endurance, for htuerned abruptly to a padwar of the guard and ordered him to remove us at once.
As wewere hustled from the room, Nur An caallebdrave good-bye to Phao.
"Good-bye, Tavia!" I cried, "and remember that we still live."
"We stillive, Hadron of Hastor!s"he called back. "Wsetill live!" and
then she was swefprtom my view as we were pushed along down the corridor.
Downramp afterramp wewere conductedto theuttermost depthsof the
palace pits and then into a great chamber where I saw Haj Osis sitting upon a thrones, urrounded again by his chiefs and choisurtiers as he had been
upon the occasion thhaet
had interviewed me. Opposite the Jed, and in the
middle of the chamber, hung a great iron cage, suspended from a heavy block set inthe ceiling.Into this cagewe were roughly pushedt;he door was
closed and secured wiath large lock. I wondered what it was all about and
what this had to do with The Death, and while I wondered a dozen men pushed ahuge trap doorfrom beneath the cage.A rush ofcold, clammyair
enveloped usand I experienced a chill that seemtoedenter my marrow, as
thoughI layin the coldarms ofdeath. Hollowmoans andgroans came

faintly to meyars and I knew that we were abtohvee pits where The Death lay.
No word was spoken within the chamber, but at a signal from Haj Osis strong men lowered the cage slowly into the aperture beneath us. Here the cold and the dampwere more obvious and penetratinthgan before, while the ghastly
sounds appeared to redouble in volume.
Down, down we slindto an abyss of darkness. The horror of the silence in
the chamber above was forgotten in the horror of the pandemonium of uncanny sounds that rose from beneath.
How far we welroewered thus I may not even guess, but to Nur An it seemed atleast a thousand feet andthen we commenced to detect aslight
luminosity abouut s. Themoaning and thegroaning had becomea constant
roar. As we approacheidt, seemed less like moans and groans and more like the sound of wind and rushing waters.
Suddenly,without theslightest warning,the bottomof thecage, which evidently musht ave beenhinged upon oneside, and held bay catch that
could be sprung fromabove, swung downward. It happened so quickly that we hardly hadtime for conjecture before wweere plunged into rushing water.
As Irose to the surface I discovered thcaot uIld see. Wherever we were, itwas not shroudedin impenetrable darkness, butwas lighteddimly.

Almostimmediately NurAn's headbobbed upat arm'slength fromme. A
strong current was bearing us onward and I realized at once that we were in the grip of gareat underground river, one of those to which the remaining watersof dying Barsoom have receded.In the distance I descrieda
shoreline dimlyvisible in the subdueldight, and, shouting tNo ur An to
follow me, I struck out toward it. The water was cold, but not sufficiently soto alarmme andI hadno doubtbut thatwe would reachthe shore.
By thetime that we haadttained our goal ancdrawled out upon the rocky
shore, our eyes had become accustomed to the dim light of the interior, and
now, withastonishment, wegazed about usW.
hat a vastcavern! Far, far
aboveus itsceiling was discerniblein thelight of theminute radium particleswith which therock that formed itswalls and ceilingwas impregnated, buthe opposite bankof the rushing torrenwt as beyond the range of our vision.
"So this is The Death!" exclaimed Nur An.
"I doubt if thekynow what it is themselves," I replied. "From the roaring ofthe riverand the moaningof thewind, they haveconjured something horrible in their own imaginations."
"Perhaps thegreatest sufferingthat the victimmust endure liesin his anticipationof what awaits him in these seemingly horrid depths,"
suggested Nur An, "whereathse worst that realization might bring would be

death by drowning."
"Or by starvation," I suggested.
Nur Annodded. "Nevertheless,"he said, Iwish I mighrteturn just long enough tomock them andwitness their disappointment whetnhey find that The Death is not so horrible after all."
"What amighty river," he addeadfter a moment's silence".Could it be a tributary of Iss?"
"Perhaps it is Iss herself," I said.
"Then weare bound upon thleast long pilgrimage dowtno the lost sea of Korus in the valleDyor," said Nur An gloomily. "It may be a lovely place, but I do not wish to go there yet."
"It is a place of horror," I replied.
"Hush," he cautioned; "that is sacrilege."
"It issacrilege no longer since John Caratenrd Tars Tarkas snatched the veilof secrecy fromthe valley Dorand disposedof the mythof Issus,
Goddess of Life EternalE."ven after I had told him the whole tragic story of thefalse gods of MarsN, ur An remained skepticasl,o closely are the
superstitions of religion woven into every fiber of our being.

We were both traifle fatigued after our battle with the strong current of theriver, andperhaps, too, wewere sufferingfrom reactionfrom the
nervous shockof theordeal through whichwe had passedS. o we remained there, resting upon the rocky shore of the river of mystery. Eventually our conversationturned towhat was uppermostin theminds of bothand yet whicheach hesitated to mention – the fate of Tavia and Phao.
I wish that thetyo,o, had been sentenced to The Death," I said, "for then at least we might be with them and protect them."
I amafraid that we shanllever see them again,s"aid Nur An gloomingly. "What acruel fatethat I should havfeound Phao only tloose her again irretrievably so quickly."
"It isindeed a strange trick of fate that aTftuelr Axtar stole her from you, heshould havelost her tooa, nd then thatyou shouldfind her in Tjanath."
He lookedat me with salightly puzzled expression foar Moment and then
his face cleared. "Phaiso not the woman of whom I told you in the dungeon at Tjanath,"he said."Phao I lovedlong before; she wams y first love.
After I loshter I thought that I never could cfoar a woman again, but
this other one came into my life and, knowing that Phao was gone forever, I
found someconsolation in my new love, but I reanliozwe
that was not the

same,that no lovecould ever displacethat which Ifelt forPhao."
"You losht er irretrievably oncebefore," I reminded him",but you found her again; perhaps you will find her once more."
"I wish that I might share your optimism," he said.
"We have little else to buoy us up," I reminded him.
"You areright," he said, antdhen with a laugha,dded, "we still live!"
Presently, feeling rested, we set out along the shore in the direction that the river ranf,or we had decided that that wouldoubre course if for no
other reason than that it would be easier going down hill than up. Where it
would leadw,
e hadnot the slightesitdea; perhaps toKorus; perhaps to
Omean,the buried sea where lay the ships of the First Born.
Over tumbledrock masses we clambered anadlong level stretches of smooth gravel wepursued our ratheraimless course, knowing nowt hither we were going, havingno goal towardwhich to strive. Therwe as some vegetation,
weird and grotesque, baultmost colorless for want of sunlight. There were tree-likeplants with strangea, ngular branchesthat snapped offat the lightesttouch, andas the treesdid notlook like trees,there were
blossoms that did not look like flowers. It was a world as unlike the outer
world as the figments of imagination are unlike realities.

But whatevermusing uponthe flora ofthis strange land mI ay have been
indulging in was brought to a sudden termination as we rounded the shoulder of a jutting promontory and came face to face with as hideous a creature as ever I had lamidy eyes upon. It was a great white lizard with gaping jaws
large enough to engulf a man at a single swallow. At sight of us it emitted an angry hiss and advanced menacingly toward us.
Being unarmed and absolutely at the mercy of any creature that attacked us, we pursued the only plan that our intelligence could dictate – we retreated
– and I am not ashamed to admit that we retreated rapidly.
Running quickly around theend of the promontory, we turned sharply up the bank awayfrom the river. Thbeottom of the caverrnose sharply and as I clambered upwardI glanced behindme occasionally to nottehe actions of
our pursuerH. e was now in plain sight, havfionlglowed us around the end of thepromontory and there he stood looking abaosutthough in search of
us. Though we wenreot far from him, he did not seem to see us, and I soon became convincedthat his eyesighwt as faulty; but nowt ishing to depend
upon thisI kepton climbing untipl resently we cameto thetop of the promontory, andl,ooking downupon the otherside, I sawa considerable stretch ofsmooth gravel, stretchingout into the dimdistance along the
river shore. If wceould clamber down the opposite side of the barrier and reachthis level stretchof gravel, Ifelt that wemight escapethe
attentionsof thehuge monster. Afinal glanceat him showedhim still
standing, peeringfirst in one direction and thienn another as though in

search of us.
Nur Anhad followed close behinmd e and now togethewr e slipped over the edge of the escarpmenatn, d, though the rough rocks scratched us severely, we finally reached thgeravel below, whereupon, having eluded our menacer, we setout upon a brisrkun down the riverW. e had covered scarcely more
than fifty paces wheNnur An stumbled over an obstacle and as I stooped to
givehim ahand up, Isaw that thething thathad tripped himwas the
rotting harness oaf warrior and a moment later I
tshaew hilt of a sword
protruding fromthe gravel. Seizing it, I wrenchietdfrom the ground. It
was a good long sword and I may tell you that the feel of it in my hand did moreto restore my self-confidence than aught elsethat might have
transpired.Being made of noncorrosive metal, asare all Barsoomian weapons,it remained assound today as themoment that it hadbeen abandoned by its owner.
"Look,"said NurAn, pointing, andthere ata little distancewe saw
another harnessand another sword. This time thewreere two, a long sword and ashort sword,and these NurAn took. Nolonger did werun. I have always felt that theirse little upon Barsoom that two well-armed warriors need run from.
As we continued alonogur way across the level stretch of gravel we sought to solvethe mystery of these abandoned weaponas,mystery that was still
further heightened by our discovery of many more. In some cases the harness
had rottedaway entirely,leaving nothing buthe metal partsw, hile in

others itwas comparatively sound and newP.resently we discerned a white mound ahead of us, but in the dim light of the cavern we could not at first determine ofwhat it consisted. Whewn e did, we werfeilled with horror,
for thewhite mound was of the bones and skoufllshuman beings. Then, at last, I thoughthIad an explanation of the abandoned harness and weapons. This was the lair of the great lizard. Here he took his toll of the unhappy creatures thatpassed downthe river, buthow was it thaatrmed men had
come here. We habdeen cast into the cavern unarmed, as I was positive all
of the condemned prisoneorsf Tjanath must have been. From whence came the others? I do nkont ow, doubtless I shall never know. It was a mystery from
the first. It will remain a mystery to the last.
As we passed on we found harness and weapons scattered all about, but there was infinitely more harness than weapons.
I had added a good short sword to my equipment, as well as a dagger, as had alsoNur An, andI was stoopingto examineanother weapon whichwe had
found –a short sword with a beautifully ornamenhteildt and guard – when
Nur An suddenly voiced an exclamation of warning.
"On guard," he cried, "Hadron! It comes!"
Leaping to my feeIt,wheeled about, the short sword still in my hand, and there, bearingdown upon us at considerabslepeed and with wide distended jaws,came thegreat white lizardhissing ominously.He wasa hideous

sight, asight such as tmo ake even a brave man tuarnnd run, which I am
now convinced is what practically all of his victims did; but here were two who didnot run. Perhaps he was so close wtheatrealized the futility of
flight without giving thmeatter conscious thought, but be that as it may,
we stood here – Nur An with his long sword in his hand, I with the ornately carved shortsword that I had beeenxamining, though instantly I realized
that iwt as not the weapon with whichdetofend myself against this great hulking brute.
Yet Icould not bear two aste a weapon alreadiyn my hand, especially in viewof anaccomplishment of minein whichI tookconsiderable pride.
InHelium, both officersand men often wagerlarge amounts uponthe
accuracy with which thecyan hurl daggers and short swords and I have seen considerable sums change hands within an hour, but so proficient was I that I hadadded considerablyto my paythrough my winning untmil y fame had
spread to such aenxtent that I could find no one willing to pit his skill against mine.
Never had I hurlead weapon with a more fervent prayer for the accuracy of
my throw than now as I launched the short sword swiftly at the mouth of the oncoming lizardI.t was not gaood throw. It woulhdave lost me money in
Helium, but in this instance, I think, it saved my life. The sword, instead ofspeeding ina straight linep, oint first,as it shouldhave, turned
slowlyupward untilit was travellingat anangle ofabout forty-five
degrees, withthe point forwardand downward. In thipsosition the point

struck just inside othfe lower jaw of the creature, while the heavy hilt, carried forwardby its own momentumlo, dged in the roooff the monster's mouth.
Instantly iwt as helpless; the poinotf the sword hapdassed through its
tongue into the bonsyubstance of its lower jaw, while the hilt was lodged in its upper jabwehind its mighty fangs. It could not dislodge the sword, either forward or backward, and for an instant it halted in hissing dismay, and simultaneouslyNur Anand I leapedto opposite sidesof its ghastly
white body. It tried to defend itself with its tail and talons, but we were too quickfor it andpresently it was lyinign a pool oifts own purple
blood in the final spasmodic muscular reaction of dissolution.
There wassomething peculiarlydisgusting and loathsomeabout the purple blood ofthe creature, not only in its appearanbcuet, in its odor, which
was almost nauseating, anNdur An and I lost no time in quitting the scene of ourvictory. Atthe river wewashed our blades antdhen continued on
upon our fruitless quest.
As we hawd ashed our blades we had noticed fishthein river and after we had putsufficient distance between the laoirf the lizard and ourselves,
we determined to bend our energies for awhile toward filling our larder and our stomachs.
Neither oneof us hadever caught a fisohr eaten one, buwt e knew from

historythat they could be caughtand that they were edible.Being swordsmen,we naturally looked to ourswords as the best meansfor procuring ourflesh and so we waded into rtihveer with drawn long swords prepared toslaughter fish to our heart'csontent, but whereverwe went
there was no fish. We could see them elsewhere, but not within reach of our swords.
"Perhaps," saidNur An, "fish are not such foaoslsthey appear. They may see us approaching and question our motive."
"Ican readilybelieve that youare right,"I replied. "Supposewe try strategy."
"How?" he asked.
"Come withme," Isaid, "and returnto the bank." Aftear little search
down stream I founad rocky ledge overhanging the river. "We will lie here at intervals,"I said,"with only oureyes and the pointosf our swords
over the edgoef the bank. We must not talkmove, lest we frighten the
fish. Perhaps in this way we shall procure one," for I had long since given up the idea of a general slaughter.
To my gratification my plan worked and it was not long before we each had a large fish.
Naturally, likeother men, we prefer ouflresh cooked, but being warriors

we were accustomed to it either way, and so we broke our long fast upon raw fish from the river of mystery.
BothNur Anand I felgt reatly refreshedand strengthened byour meal,
however unpalatable it mighat ve been. It had been some time since we had slept andthough we had no idea whether it wsatisll night upon the outer surface of Barsoom, owrhether dawn had already broken, we decided that it would bebest for usto sleep and sNo ur An stretched ouwt here we were
while Iwatched. After he awoke, I took my tuI rtnh.ink that neither one
of us slept more than a single zode, but the rest did us quite as much good as the food that we had eaten and I am sure that I have never felt more fit than I did when we set out again upon our goalless journey.
I do noktnow how long we had been travelling aofuterr sleep, for by now the journeywas mostmonotonous, there beinglittle change inthe dimly
seen landscape surrounding uasnd only the ceaseless roar of the river and the howling of the wind to keep us company.
Nur Anwas the first tdoiscern the change; hseeized my arm and pointed ahead. Imust have been walkinwg ith my eyes upotnhe ground in front of me, else I must have seen what he saw simultaneously.
"It is daylight," I exclaimed. "It is the sun."
"It can be nothing else," he said.

There, far ahead oufs, lay a great archway of light. That was all that we
could see from thpeoint at which we discovered it, but now we hastened on
almost at a rusno,
anxious were we for a solution, so hopeful that it was
indeed thesunlight and thaitn some inexplicable anmd ysterious way the river hadfound its way to the surface of BarsoIomkn. ew that this could notbe true and Nur Anknew it, and yet each knew how greathis disappointmentwould be whenthe trueexplanation of thephenomenon was revealed.
When we approached the great patch of light it became more and more evident that theriver had broken from its dark cavern inotuot the light of day,
and whenwe reachedthe edge of thamt ighty portal we lookeodut upon a scenethat filled our hearts with warmth and gladness, for there,
stretching before usla, y a valley – a small valleiys ittrue – a valley hemmed ina, s far as wceould see, by mighty cliffbsu, t yet a valley of lifeand fertility and beauty bathedin the hot light of thesun.
"It is not quitthee surface of Barsoom," said Nur An, "but it is the next best thing."
"And there must bae way out," I said. "There must be. If there is not, we will make one."
"Right youare, Hadron of Hastor,h"e cried. "We wimll ake a way. Come!"

Before usthe banks of the roaring rivweer re lined with lush vegetation;
greattrees raised their leafy branches far above the waters; the
brilliant, scarlest ward was lapped btyhe little wavelets and everywhere
bloomed gorgeousflowers andshrubs of manyhues and shapesH.
ere was a
vegetation suchas Ihad never seenbefore upon thesurface of Barsoom. Herewere formssimilar tothose withwhich Iwas familiarand others totallyunknown tome, yet allwere lovely,though somewere bizarre.
Emerging,as we hadf,rom the darkand gloomybowels of theearth, the
scene beforeus presented a view owfondrous beauty, and, while doubtless enhanced by contrast, it was nevertheless such an aspect as is seldom given
to theeyes, of aBarsoomian of today tvoiew. To me
siteemed a little
garden spotupon a dying world preserved froman ancient era when Barsoom
was young and meteorological conditions were such as to favor the growth of vegetation thaht as since become extincotver practically the entire area
ofthe planet. Inthis deep valley, surroundedby lofty cliffs,the
atmosphere doubtlesswas considerably denser thaunpon the surface of the planet above. The sund'says were reflected by the lofty escarpment, which mustalso hold theheat during thecolder periods ofnight, and,in
addition tothis, there was ample watfeorr irrigation which nature might
easily have achieved through percolation of the waters of the river through and beneath the top soil of the valley.
For severalminutes Nur An and I stosopdellbound by the bewitching view, and then, espying luscious fruit hanging in great clusters from some of the

trees, andbushes loaded with berries wseubordinated the esthetic to the corporealand set forthto supplement ourmeal of rawfish withthe
exquisite offerings which hung so temptingly before us.
Aswe startedto move throughthe vegetationwe became awareof thin
threads of a gossamerlike substance festooned from tree to tree and bush to bush. Sofine asto be almostinvisible, yet theywere sostrong as to
impede our progress. wItas surprisingly difficult to break them, and when
there were a dozen or more at a time barring our way, we found it necessary to use our daggers to cut a way through them.
We hadtaken only a few steps into dtheeper vegetation, cutting our way throughthe gossamer strands, when wewere confronted by a newand surprising obstacle to ouadr vance – a large, venomous-looking spider that scurried towardus in an inverted position, clingiwngith a dozen legs to
oneof thegossamer strands,which servedboth asits supportand its pathway, andif its appearance was any indteox its venomousness it must, indeed, have been a deadly insect.
Asit cametoward me, apparentlywith themost sinisterintentions, I
hastily returnedmy dagger to itsscabbard and drew msyhort sword, with which I struck tahte fearsome looking creature. As the blow descended, it drew back so thmaty point only slightly scratched it, whereupon it opened
its hideous mouth and emitted a terrific scream so out of proportion to its size andto the nature osfuch insects with whicIh was familiar that it
hada mostappalling effect uponmy nerves. Instantlythe screamwas

answeredby an unearthly chorus of similar cries allabout us and immediatelya swarmof thesehorrid insectscame racing towardus upon theirgossamer threads. Evidentlythis wasthe only positionwhich they assumedin moving abouat nd their websthe onlymeans to thatend, for
their twelve legs greuwpward from their backs, giving them a most uncanny appearance.
Fearingthat thecreatures might bepoisonous, NurAn andI retreated
hastily to the mouothf the cavern, and as the spiders could not go beyond the endsof their threads, wwe ere soon quite safferom them and now the luscious fruit looked more tempting than ever, since it seemed to be denied to us.
"The road down the river is well guarded," said Nur An with a rueful smile, "which might indicate a most desirable goal."
"At presenthat fruit is the most desirable thingthein world to me," I
replied, "andI am going ttory to discover somme eans of obtaining it."
Moving to the right, away from the river, I sought for an entrance into the forest thatwould be free from the threadsthoef spiders and presently I
came toa pointwhere there wasa well-defined trail abouftour or five
feet widea, pparently cut by man from tvheegetation. Across the mouth of
it, howeverw,
ere strung thousands of gossamsetrrands. To touch them, we
knew, wouldbe the signal fomr yriads of the angrsypiders to swarm upon

us.While ourgreatest fearwas, ofcourse, thatthe insectsmight be poisonous, theircruelly fangedmouths also suggestedthat, poisonous or not,they might in their great numbers constitute a real menace.
"Doyou notice,"I saidto NurAn, "thatthese threadsseem stretched
across theentrance to the pathway only. Beyotnhdem I cannot detect any, though of course they are so tenuous that they might defy one's vision even at a short distance."
"I do nostee any spiders here," said Nur An. "Perhwapes can cut our way through with impunity at this point."
"We shall experiment," I said, drawing my long sword.
Advancing, Icut a few strands, when immediatethlyere swarmed out of the treesand bushesupon eitherside greatcompanies of theinsects, each
racing alongits own individual strand. Whetrhee strands were intact the creaturescrossed and recrossed the trail,staring at us withtheir
venomous, beadyeyes, theirpowerful, gleaming fangsbared threateningly toward us.
The cutstrands floated in thaeir until borne dowbny the weight of the approaching spiderswho followed to the severeednds but no further. Here
they either hung glaring at us or else clambered up and down excitedly, but
not one of them ever ventured from his strand.

As Iwatched them, their antics suggestedplaan. "They are helpless when
their webis severed,"I said to NuAr n. "Therefore if wceut all their
webs theycannot reachus." Whereupon, advancingI,
swung mylong sword
above my head and cut downward through the remaining strands. Instantly the creatures set up their infernal screaming. Several of them, torn from their
webs by the blow of my sword, lay upon the ground upon their bellies, their feet stickingstraight up into the aiTr.hey seemed utterly helpless, and
thoughthey screamed loudlyand franticallywaved their legst,hey were clearlyunable tomove; nor couldthose hanging,at either sideof the
trail reachus. With my sworId destroyed those thaltay in the path and
then, followed by NuArn, I entered the forest. Ahead of us I could see no webs; the way seemecdlear, but before we advanced further into the forest
I turnedabout to have a last look at dtihsecomfited insects to see what theymight be about.They had stopped screamingnow and wereslowly returning into the foliage, evidently to their lairs, and as they seemed to offer nofurther menacewe continued uponour way. Thetrees and bushes along thepathway wereinnocent of fruiot r berries, thoughjust beyond
reach we saw themgrowing in profusion, behind a barrier of those gossamer webs that we had so quickly learned to avoid.
"This trail appears to have been made by man," said Nur An.
"Whoevermade it,or when," Isaid, "thereis nodoubt butthat some
creature still uses
Tit.he absence of fruit along it would alone be ample
proof of that."

We moved cautiously alonthge winding trail, not knowing at what moment we mightbe confrontedby some newmenace inthe form ofman or beast.
Presently wesaw ahead of us what appeared toanbeopening in the forest
and a moment latwere emerged into a clearing. Looming in front of us at a distance of perhaps less than a haad was a towering pile of masonry. It was a gloomypile, apparentlybuilt of blackvolcanic rock. Forsome thirty
feetabove theground therewas ablank wall,pierced by buta single
opening – a smadlol orway almost directly in front of us. This part of the structureappeared tobe a wellb, eyond itrose buildings ofweird and
grotesque outlines and dominating all was a lofty tower, from the summit of which a wisp of smoke curled upward into the quiet air.
From this new vantagpeoint we had a better view of the valley than had at firstbeen accorded us, and now, more marked than ever, were the
indicationsthat itwas the craterof some giganticand longextinct
volcano. Between us and the buildings, which suggested a small walled city, the clearingcontained a few scatteretdrees, but most otfhe ground was
givenover tocultivation, beingtraversed byirrigation ditchesof an archaictype whichhas been abandonedupon thesurface formany ages, having beensuperseded bya system of subirrigatiown hen the diminishing water supply necessitated the adoption of conservation measures.
Satisfied that no further information could be gained by remaining where we were, Istarted boldly into thcelearing toward the city".Where are you
going?" asked Nur An.

I amgoing to find out who dwells in gthloaot my place," I replied. "Here
are fields and gardensso,
they must have food and that, after all, is the
only favor that I shall ask of them."
Nur An shook his head. "The very sight of the place depresses me," he said. But he came wimthe as I knew he would, for Nur An is a splendid companion upon whose loyalty one may always depend.
Wehad traversedabout two-thirds ofthe distanceacross the clearing toward thecity beforewe saw anysigns of lifeand thena few figures
appeared at the top of the wall above the entrance. They carried long, thin scarfs, whichthey seemed to bwe aving in greeting tuos and when we had comeyet closer Isaw that theywere youngwomen. They leanedover the
parapet and smiled and beckoned to us.
As we came within speaking distance below the wall, I halted. "What city is this," I asked, "and who is jed here?"
"Enter, warriors,"cried oneof the girls", and we will leaydou to the jed."She was verypretty and she wassmiling sweetly, as wereher companions.
"This is not such a depressing place as you thought," I said in a low voice to Nur An.

"Iwas mistaken,"said Nur An."They seemto be akindly, hospitable people. Shall we enter?"
"Come," calledanother of thegirls; "behind these gloomwy alls lie food and wine and love."
Food! I would haveentered a far more forbidding place than this for food.
As NurAn andI strode toward thsemall door, it slowlwy ithdrew to one
side. Beyond, across a black paved avenue, rose buildings of black volcanic rock. Theavenue seemed deserted as we steppwedithin. We beard the faint
click ofa lock as thdeoor slid into place behind uasnd I had a sudden foreboding ofill that made my right hand seekhtihlte of my long sword.
Eight
THE SPIDER OF GHASTA
FOR A MOMENT wsetood undecided in the middle of the empty avenue, looking about us, and then our attention was attracted to a narrow stairway running
up the inside othfe wall, upon the summit of which the girls had appeared and welcomed us.
Downthe stairwaythe girls werecoming. Therewere six ofthem. Their beautiful faceswere radiantwith happy smiles owf elcome that instantly

dispelled thegloom of the dark surroundingas the rising sun dissipates night'sdarkness and replaces her shadowswith light and warmthand happiness.
Beautifullywrought harness, enriched by many a sparkling jewel, accentuatedthe loveliness offaultless figures. Asthey approacheda
vision of Tavia sprantog
my mind. Beautiful as these girls unquestionably
were, how much more beautiful was Tavia!
I recall distinctly, evennow, that in that very instant with all that was transpiring to distract mayttention, I was suddenly struck by wonder that
it should have been Tavia's face and figure that I saw rather than those of Sanoma Tora. You may believe that I brought myself up with a round turn and thereafterit wasa vision ofSanoma Torathat Isaw, andthat, too,
without any disloyalty to my friendship for Tavia – that blessed friendship which Ilooked upon as onoef my proudest anmd ost valuable possessions.
As thegirls reached thepavement they came eagerltyoward us. "Welcome, warriors," cried one, "to happy Ghasta. After your long journey you must be hungry. Comewith usand you shall bfeed, but first thgereat jed will
wish togreet you and welcome you to our cfiotry,visitors to Ghasta are few."
Asthey led us alongthe avenue I couldnot but note thedeserted appearanceof the city.There was no signof life aboutany ofthe

buildings thawt
e passed nor diwd e see another humabneing until we had
cometo anopen plaza, inthe centerof whichrose amighty building surmounted bythe lofty tower that we had sewehnen we first emerged from theforest. Herewe sawa number ofpeople, bothmen and women– sad, dejected lookingpeople, who moved witbhent shoulders and downcast eyes. There wasno animation in their step atnhdeir whole demeanor seemed that
of utter hopelessness. What contrast they presented to the gay and happy girlswho sojoyously conductedus towardthe mainentrance ofwhat I
assumed tobe the palace of the jed. Here, buwralyrriors were on guard –
fat, oily looking fellows, whose appearance was not at all to my liking. As we approached them an officer emerged from the interior of the building. If possible, hewas even fatter and more greasy looktihnagn his men, but he
smiled and bowed as he welcomed us.
"Greetings!" heexclaimed. "May the peace oGfhasta be upon the strangers who enter her gates."
"Send word to Ghron, the great jed," said one of the girls to him, "that we arebringing twostrange warriors whowish todo honor tohim before
partaking of the hospitality of Ghasta."
As theofficer dispatcheda warrior tonotify the jed oofur coming, we wereescorted into the interior ofthe palace. The furnishingswere
striking, but extremely fantastiinc
design and execution. The native wood
ofthe forestshad beenused tofine advantagein theconstruction of
numerouspieces of beautifullycarved furniture,the grain ofthe woods

showing lustrouslyin their various naturaclolors, the beauties of which weresometimes accentuatedby delicatestain andby highpolishes, but
perhapsthe moststriking feature ofthe interiordecorations was the
gorgeously paintedfabric thatcovered the wallsand ceilings. Iwt
as a
fabric of unbelievable lightness, which gave the impression of spun silver. So closely woven waits that, as I was to learn later, it would hold water andof suchgreat strength thatit wasalmost impossible totear it.
Upon itwere paintedin brilliant colorsthe most fantasticscenes that imagination might conceive. Thewreere spiders with the heads of beautiful women, andwomen with the headosf spiders. There werfelowers and trees thatdanced beneath agreat red suna, nd greatlizards, such aswe had
passed withinthe gloomy cavern oonur journey down fromTjanath. In all
the figures that wedreepicted there was nothing represented as nature had createdit. It wasas though somemad mind hadconceived thewhole.
As we waiteidn the great entrance hall of the paolafcethe jed, four of thegirls danced forour entertainment –a strangedance such asI had
never beforeseen upon Barsoom. Its steps amndovements were as weird and fantastic asthe mural decorations otfhe room in whiciht was executed,
andyet withall therewas acertain rhythmand suggestivenessin the undulationsof those lithe bodies thatimparted to us a feelingof
well-being and content.
Thefat andgreasy padwarof theguard moistenedhis thick lipsas he

watchedthem and though he haddoubtless seen them dance uponmany occasions, heseemed to be much more affected thwaen, but perhaps he had no Phao or Sanoma Tora to occupy his thoughts.
Sanoma Tora!The chiseled beauty of her nobfalece stood out clearly upon the screen of memorfyor a brief instant and then slowly it began to fade. I triedto recallit, to see agaitnhe short, haughty liapnd the cold,
level gaze, but it receded into a blur from which there presently emerged a pairof wondrouseyes, moistwith tears,a perfectface and ahead of
tousled hair.
It wasthen thatthe warrior returnedto say that Ghronth, e Jed, would
receive us at once. Only the girls accompanied us, the fat padwar remaining behind,though I could have sworn that it wasnot through choice.
The roomin whichthe jed receivedus was uponthe secondlevel of the palace. Itwas alarge room, evenmore grotesquely decoratedthan those through whichwe had passed. The furniture woafs weird shapes and sizes, nothing harmonizedwith anything else and yet trheesult was a harmony of discord that was not at all unpleasing.
The jedsat upona perfectly enormousthrone of volcanicglass. It was,
perhaps, the most ornate and remarkable piece of furniture that I have ever seen andwas the outstanding specimen ocrfaftsmanship in the entire city
of Ghasta, but iitf caught my eye at the timwe aist
only for an instant
as nothing could for long distract one's attention from the jed himself. In

thefirst glancehe looked morelike ahairy ape thana man.He was
massively built with great, heavy, stooping shoulders and long arms covered with shaggy, black haitrh,e more remarkable, perhaps, because there is no race ofhairy men upon BarsoomH. is face was broaadnd flat and his eyes
were so far apart that they seemed literally to be set in the comers of his face.As wewere halted beforehim, hetwisted hismouth intowhat I
imagined at the timweas intended for a smile, but which only succeeded in making him look more horrible than before.
As is customary, we laid our swords at his feet and announced our names and our cities.
"Hadron of Hastor, Nur An of Jahar," he repeated. "Ghron, the Jed, welcomes you toGhasta. Feware the visitorswho find their watyo our beautiful
city. Itis an event, therefore, whetwn o such illustrious warriors honor
us witha visit. Seldom do we receive word frthoem outer world. Tell us,
then of your journey and of what is transpiring upon the surface of Barsoom above us."
His wordsand hismanner were thoseof a most solicitouhsost bent upon extending aproper and cordial welcomteo strangers, but cIould not rid myselfof the belyingsuggestion ofhis repulsive countenancet,hough I could dono less than play the partaogf rateful and appreciative guest.
We toldour storiesand gave himmuch news of thospeortions of Barsoom

with which eacohf us was familiar and as Nur sAponke, I looked about me
at the assemblage othfe great chamber. They were mostly women and many of themwere young and beautiful. The men, for the most part, were
gross-looking, fat and oilayn, d there were certain lines of cruelty about theireyes andtheir mouthsthat didnot escapeme, though Itried to attribute ito the first depressing impressiothnat the black and somber buildings and the deserted avenues had conveyed to my mind.
When we had finisheodur recitals, Ghron announced that a banquet had been preparedin our honorand in person heled the procession fromthe
throne-room down a long corridor to a mighty banquet hall, in the center of whichstood a great table, down the entire length ofwhich was a
magnificent decoration consisting entirely of the fruits and flowers of the forest throughwhich we had passed. At one endthoef table was the jed's throne andat the other wersemaller thrones, one foNr ur An and one for me. Seated oenither side of us were the girls whahdo welcomed us to the city and whose business, it seemed, now was to entertain us.
The design of thdeishes with which the table was set was quite in keeping with altlhe othermad designs of thpealace of Ghron. Ntowo plates or
goblets orplatters were of thseame shape or sizoer design and nothing
seemed suited to thpeurpose for which it was intended. My wine was served in ashallow, triangular-shaped saucerw, hile my meat wacsrammed into a
tall, slender-stemmedgoblet. However, I watsoo hungry to be particular, and, Ihoped, too well conversant with tahme enities of polite society to
reveal the astonishment that I felt.

Here,as inother partsof thepalace, thewall coverings wereof the gossamer-like silver fabric thhaat d attracted my attention and admiration the momenthat I had enteretdhe building and sfoascinated was I by it thatI couldnot refrainfrom mentioning ito thegirl who saat t my
right.
"There is no such fabric anywhere else in Barsoom," she said.
"It is made here and only here."
"Itis verybeautiful," I said". Other nationswould pay welflor it."
"If wecould get it ttohem," she said, "buwt e have no intercourse with the world above us."
"Of what is it woven?" I asked.
"When you entered thvealley Hohr," she said, "you saw a beautiful forest, running down to thbeanks of the river Syl. Doubtless you saw fruit in the forest and, being hungry, you sought to gather it, but you were set upon by huge spidersthat sped alongsilver threads, finer thaan woman's hair."
"Yes," I said, "that is just what happened."

"Itis from thisweb, spun bythose hideousspiders, that weweave our fabric. It is as strong alesather and as endurinags the rocks of which Ghasta is built."
"Do women of Ghasta spin this wonderful fabric?" I asked.
"The slaves," she said, "both men and women."
"And fromwhence come your slaves?I" asked, "if yohuave no intercourse with the upper world?"
"Many ofthem come down threiver from Tjanath, whertehey have died The
Death, andthere areothers who comefrom further up threiver, but why
they comeor from whence wneever know. They arseilent people, who will
not tell us, and sometimes they come from down the river, but these are few and usually are so crazed by the horrors of their journey that we can glean no knowledge from them."
"And do any evgero on down the river from Ghasta?" I asked; for it was in thatdirection thatNur An andI hopedto make ourway insearch of
liberty, as deep withmine was the hope that we might reach the valley Dor and thelost sea of Korusf,rom which I wacsonvinced I could escape, as
did John Carter and Tars Tarkas.
"A fewp, erhaps," she said, "but we never knwowhat becomes of these, for none returns."

"You are happy here?" I asked.
She forced a smitloe
her beautiful lips, but I thought that a shudder ran
through her frame.
The banquet was elaborate and the food delicious. There was a great deal of laughter at the far end of the table where the jed sat, for those about him watched himclosely, and when hleaughed, which he alwaydsid at his own
jokes, the others all laughed uproariously.
Toward theend of the meaal troupe of danceresntered the apartment. My
firstview ofthem almosttook mybreath away,for, with buat
single
exception, they were all horribly deformed. That one exception was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen – the most beautiful girl I have ever seen,
with the saddest factheat I have ever seen. She danced divinely and about her hoppedand crawledthe poor, unhappy creaturews hose sad afflictions should have made thetmhe objects of sympathy rather than ridicule and yet itwas obvious thathey had beenselected fortheir part forthe sole
purpose ofgiving theaudience an opportunityto vent itsridicule upon
them.The sightof themseemed toincite Ghronto a pitchof frenzied
mirth, and, to adtod
his own pleasure and to the discomforts of the poor,
pathetic performers, he hurled food and plates at them as they danced about
the banquet table.

Itried not to lookat them, but therewas a fascination intheir
deformities which attracted mgyaze and presently it became apparent to me that themajority of themwere artificially deformed, thatht ey had been
thus broken and bent at the behest of some malign mind and as I looked down the long board at the horrid face of Ghron, distorted by maniacal laughter,
I could not but guess the author of their disfigurement.
When atlast they were goneth, ree large goblets owf ine were borne into thebanquet ballby aslave; two ofthem werered goblets andone was
black. The black goblet was set before Ghron and the red ones before Nur An
andme. Then Ghronrose and the wholecompany followed hisexample.
"Ghron, the jed, drinktos
the happiness of his honored guests," announced
theruler, and,raising the gobletto hislips, hedrained itto the bottom.
It seemed obvious thtahtis little ceremony would conclude the banquet and that it waisntended Nur An and I should drink htehaelth of our host. I, therefore, raisedmy goblet. It was the fitrismt e that anything had been
served to mien the proper receptacle and I was gthlaadt at last I might drink without incurring thdeanger of spilling most of the contents of the receptacle into my lap.
"To the health and power of the great jed, Ghron," I said, and following my host's example, drained the contents of the goblet.

As Nur An followemdy example with some appropriate words, I felt a sudden lethargy stealing over maend in the instant before I lost consciousness I
realized that I had been given drugged wine.
When I regained consciousness I found myself lying upon the bare floor of a room of a peculisahr ape that suggested it was the portion of the arc of a
circle lying between thpeeripheries of two concentric circles. The narrow end ofthe room curved inward, the wider end outwIanrdt.he latter was a single, gratedwindow; nodoor or otheropenings appeared inany of the walls, whichwere covered with thseame silver fabric thaIt had noticed upon the wallasnd ceilings of the palace of the Njeeda.r me lay Nur An, evidentlystill under the influence of the opiate that had been
administered to us in the wine.
Again I looked about the room. I arose and went to the window. Far below me
Isaw the roofsof the cityE. vidently wewere imprisoned inthe lofty
tower thatrose from the centeorf the palace of thjed, but how had we been broughtinto the room?Certainly not through thwe indow, which must
have been fully two hundred feet above the city. While I was pondering this seemingly unanswerable problem, NuArn regained consciousness. At first he
did not speak; he just lay there looking at me with a rueful smile upon his lips.
"Well?" I asked.

NurAn shook hishead. "We stillive," hesaid dismally, "buthat is about the best that one may say."
"We are in thpealace of a maniac, Nur An," I s"aTidh.ere is no doubt in my mindas to that. Everoyne here lives icnonstant terror of Ghron and fromwhat I have seen todaythey are warranted in feelingterror."
"YetI believe we saw little or nothing at that," said Nur An.
"I saw enough," I replied.
"Those girls were so beautiful," he said after a moment's silence. "I could notbelieve thatsuch beautyand suchduplicity couldexist together."
"Perhaps theywere theunwilling tools ofa cruel master,"I suggested.
"I shall always like to think so," he said.
The daywaned and night felnl;o one came near ubsu, t in the meantime I
discovered somethingA. ccidentally leaning against thwe all at the narrow
end of our roomI found that it was very warm, in fact quite hot, and from this Iinferred thatthe flue of thcehimney from which whead seen the smokeissuing rose throughthe center ofthe towerand the walol f the
chimney formedthe rear wall of our apartment.wIats a discovery, but at
the moment it meant nothing to us.

There were nolights inour apartment,and, asonly Cluros wasin the
heavens andupon the opposite side of the towoeurr,
prison was in almost
total darkness. We were sitting in gloomy contemplation of our predicament, each wrapped in his own unhappy thoughts, when I heard footsteps apparently approachingfrom below.They camenearer andnearer untilfinally they
ceased in an adjoininagpartment, seemingly the one next to ours. A moment later there was a scraping sound and a line of light appeared at the bottom of one of the side walls. It kept growing in width until I finally realized
that theentire partition wall was rising. In othpeening we saw at first the sandaled feet owfarriors, and finally, little by little, their entire bodieswere revealed – two stalwart, brawny men, heavily armed.
They carriedmanacles andwith them theyfastened our wristsbehind our backs. Theydid not speak, buwt ith a gesture onoef them directed us to follow hima, nd, as we fileodut of the roomth, e second warrior fell in behind usI.n silence we entered a steespiral ramp, which we descended tothe main bodyof the palaceb, ut yetour escorts conductedus still loweruntil I knewthat we must bein the pitsbeneath thepalace.
Thepits! InwardlyI shuddered.I muchpreferred thetower forI have always possessedan inherenthorror of thepits. Perhaps thesewould be utterly dark and doubtless overrun by rats and lizards.
The rampended in a gorgeously decorateadpartment in which was assembled about thesame company of meannd women that hapdartaken of the banquet

with usearlier in the day. Here, too, was Ghurpoonn a throne. This time he didnot smile aswe entered the roomH. e did not seemto realize our
presence. He was sitting, leaning forward, his eyes fixed upon something at the far end othfe room over which hung a deadly silence that was suddenly shattered by a piercinsgcream of anguish. The scream was but a prelude to
a series of similar cries of agony.
Ilooked quickly in the directionfrom which the screams came,the
direction inwhich Ghron's gaze was fastened.saIw a naked woman chained to a grill before a hot fire. Evidently they had just placed her there as I had enteredthe room and it was her first shscrirlelam of agony that had attracted my attention.
Thegrill wasmounted upon wheelsso thatit couldbe removedto any distance from the fitrheat the torturer chose, or completely turned about presenting the other side of the victim to the blaze.
As my eyews andered back to the audience I saw mthoastt of the girls sat there glaring straight aheatdh,eir eyes fixed with horror upon the horrid scene. Ido notbelieve that they enjoyeidt; I know thatthey did not.
They wereequally the unwillingvictims of the cruevlagaries of Ghron's diseasedmind, but like the poorcreature upon the grill theywere helpless.
Next tothe torture itself, thme ost diabolical conceit otfhe mind that
had directed it wathse utter silence enjoined upon all spectators against

thebackground ofwhich the shrieksand moans ofthe torturedvictim evidently achieved their higheesftfectiveness upon the crazed mind of the jed.
The spectaclewas sickening. I turnemd y eyes away. Presentloyne of the
warriors who had fetched us touched me on the arm and motioned me to follow him.
He ledus fromthis apartment toanother and there wwe itnessed a scene infinitely moreterrible than thegrilling of the humavnictim. I cannot describeit; it torturesmy memory evento thinkof it. Longbefore we reachedthat hideousapartment we heardthe screamsand cursesof its
inmates. In utter silencoeu, r guard ushered us within. It was the chamber
of horrors in which the Jed of Ghasta was creating abnormal deformities for his cruel dance of the cripples.
Stillin silence, wewere led fromthis horridplace and nowour guide conducted usupward to a luxuriouslfyurnished apartment. Upon divans lay two of the beautiful girls who had welcomed us to Ghasta.
Forthe firsttime since wehad left ouroom inthe tower oneof our escort brokethe silence."They will explain,"he said, pointingto the girls. "Donot tryto escape. There iosnly one exit fromthis room. We willbe waiting outside. He thenremoved our manacles and withhis companion left the apartment, closing the door after them.

One of the occupanotsf the room was the same girl who had sat at my right during thebanquet. I had founhder most gracious anidntelligent and to
her I now turned.
"What isthe meaning of this? I demanded. "Wahrey we made prisoners? Why have we been brought here?"
Shebeckoned meto come tothe divanon which shereclined andas I
approached she motioned to me to sit down beside her.
"What youhave seen tonight,"she said, "represents thtehree fates that
lie in store foyrou. Ghron has taken a fancy to aynodu he is giving you your choice."
I do not yet quite understand," I said.
"You saw the victim before the grill?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"Would you care to suffer that fate?"
"Scarcely."
"Yousaw theunhappy ones beingbent andbroken forthe danceof the

cripples," she pursued.
"I did," I answered.
"And nowyou seethis luxurious room– and me. Whicwh ould you choose?"
"Icannot believe,"I replied, "thatthe finalalternative is without
conditions, whichmight make it appear leassttractive than it now seems, forotherwise therecould beno possiblequestion asto whichI would chose."
"You are right," she said. "There are conditions."
"What are they?" I asked.
"You will becomaen officer in the palace of the ajnedd as such you will conduct torturessimilar tothose you havewitnessed in thepits of the palace.You willbe guided bywhatever whimmay possessyour master."
Idrew myself to my full height. "I choose the fire," I said.
"I knewthat you would," shseaid sadly, "and yeIt hoped that you might not."
"It isnot becauseof you," Isaid quickly. "It itshe other conditions

which no man of honor could accept."
Iknow," shesaid, "and hadyou acceptedthem I musteventually have despised you as I despise the others."
"You are unhappy here?" I asked.
"Ofcourse," she said". Who but amaniac couldbe happy inthis horrid
place? There are, perhapssi,x hundred people in the city and there is not one whoknows happiness.A hundred of ufsorm the court otfhe jed; the
others are slaves. As a matter of fact, we are all slaves, subject to every mad whim or caprice of the maniac who is our master."
"And there is no escape?" I asked.
"None."
"I shall escape," I said.
"How?"
"The fire," I replied.
She shuddered. "I do not know why I should care so much," she said, "unless it is that I liked you from the first. Even while I was helping to lure you
into thecity for the humasnpider of Ghasta, wI ished that I might warn

you not to enter, but I was afraid, just as I am afraid to die. I wish that
I had your courage to escape through the fire."
I turnedto Nur An, who had been listentiongour conversation. "You have reached your decision?" I asked.
"Certainly," he said. "There could be but one decision for a man of honor."
"Good!" I exclaimed, and then I turned to the girl. "You will notify, Ghron of our decision?" I asked.
"Wait," shesaid; "askfor time in whictho consider it. kInow that it
will make no differencine
the end, but yet – Oh, even yet there is a germ
ofhope within me that even utter hopelessness cannot destroy."
"You are right," I said. "There is always hope. Let him think that you have half persuaded us to accept the life of luxury and ease that he has offered as analternative to death or torture, and thaytouif are given a little
more time you masyucceed. In the meantime we may be able to work out some plan of escape."
"Never," she said.
Nine

PHOR TAK OF JHAMA
BACK IN OUR quarters in the chimney tower, Nur An and I discussed every mad plan of escape that entered our brains. For some reason our fetters had not beenreplaced, which gaveus at leastas muchfreedom of actionas our
apartment afforded and yomuay rest assured that we took full advantage of it, examining minutely evesryquare inch of the floor and the walls as far
up aswe could reach, but our combined effofartisled to reveal any means for raisingthe partition which closed the onalvyenue of escape from our prison, withthe exception ofthe window which, whilheeavily barred and sometwo hundred feetabove the ground, wasby no means,therefore, eliminated from our plans.
The heavyvertical bars which protectetdhe window withstood our combined
efforts when we sought to bend them, though Nur An is a powerful man, while
I havealways beenlauded for myunusual muscular developmentT. he bars were set a litttloeo close together to permit our bodies to pass through,
but the removal of one of them would leave an opening of ample size; yet to what purpose? Perhaps the same answer was in Nur An's mind that was in mine
– thatwhen hope was gone and the saollternative remaining was the fire
within the grill, we might at least cheat Ghron could we but hurl ourselves from this high window to the ground far below.
But whatever end each of us may have had in view, he kept it to himself and when I started digginagt the mortar at the bottom of one of the bars with
the prong of a buckle from my harness, Nur An asked no questions but set to

work similarlyupon themortar at the toopf the same barW. e worked in
silence and with little fear of discovery, as no one had entered our prison since we had been incarcerated there. Once a day the partition was raised a few inchesand food slippedin to us beneatiht, but we dindot see the
person whobrought it,nor did anyonecommunicate with usfrom the time thatthe guardshad takenus to thepalace thatfirst night upto the
moment that we hafdinally succeeded in loosening the bar so that it could by easily removed from its seat.
I shalnl ever forget with what impatience wawe aited the coming of night,
that we might remove the bar and investigate the surrounding surface of the tower, for it haodccurred to me that it might offer a means of descent to theground below, or rather to the roof of thebuilding which it
surmounted, fromwhere we might hope to make our wtoaythe summit of the city walul ndetected. Already, in view othfis possibility, I had planned
to tear strips fromthe fabric covering our walls wherewith to make a rope down whichwe mightlower ourselves tothe ground beyondthe city wall.
As nighat pproached I commenced troealize how high hIad built my hopes upon this idea. aIltready seemed as good as accomplished, especially when I hadutilized the possibilities of the rotpoe its fullest extent, which
included makingone of sufficient lengttho reach from ouwr indow to the
bottom of the tower. Thus every obstacle was overcome. It was then, just at dusk, that I explained my plan to Nur An.

"Fine," heexclaimed. "Let us staratt once making ourrope. We know how strongthis fabric isand that aslender strandof it wilsl upport our weight.There isenough upon onewall tomake allthe ropewe need."
Success seemedalmost assured as we started rteomove the fabric from one of thelarger walls, but herwe e met with oufrirst obstacle. The fabric wasfastened at thetop and athe bottomwith large headednails, set
close together, which withstood our every effort to tear it loose. Thin and light in weight, thriesmarkable fabric appeared absolutely indestructible
and we were almoesxt hausted by our efforts when we were finally forced to admit defeat.
The quickBarsoomian night hadfallen and we mighntow, with comparative safety, removethe bar from the window arnedconnoiter for the first time beyond therestricted limits of our cell, but howpaes now low within our breasts andit was withlittle anticipation of encouragementthat I drew myselfto the sill and projectedmy head and shoulders throughthe
aperture.
Below melay the somber, gloomy city, its blacknreeslsieved by but a few
dim lightsm,
ost of which shone faintly frotmhe palace windows. I passed
mypalm over thesurface of thetower thatlay within arm'sreach, and
againmy heart sankwithin me.Smooth, almost glass-likevolcanic rock,
beautifully cut and laid, offerendot the slightest handhol–d
indeed an
insect might have found it difficult to have clung to its polished surface.

"It is quitheopeless," I said as I drew my hbeaacdk into the room. "The tower is as smooth as a woman's breast."
"What is above?" asked Nur An.
Again I leaned outht,is time looking upward. Just above me were the eaves ofthe tower –our cell was atthe highest levelof thestructure.
Something impelledme to investigatein that direction
a–n insane urge,
perhaps, born of despair.
"Hold myankles, Nu An," I said, "and in ntahme e of your first ancestor, hold tightly!"
Clingingto two ofthe remaining barsI raised myselfto astanding
position uponthe window ledge, whilNe ur An clung tmo y ankles. I could just reachthe top of the eaves wmithy extended fingers. Lowering myself again to thseill, I whispered to Nur An. "I gaoming to attempt to reach the roof of the tower," I exclaimed.
"Why?" he asked.
Ilaughed. "Ido not know,"I admitted,"but something withinmy inner consciousness seems insistently to urge me on."
"If you fall," he said, "you will have escaped the fire – and I will follow

you. Good luck, my friend from Hastor!"
Once again I raised myself to a standing position upon the sill and reached
upward untiml
y fingersbent above theedge of the loftryoof. Slowly I
drew myselfupward; belowme, two hundredfeet, lay thepalace roof and death.I amvery strong– onlya verystrong mancould havehoped to succeed, forI had at best but a precarious buoplodn the flat roof above me, but, altast, I succeeded in getting an elbow oavnedr then I drew my body slowlyover theedge until, altast, I lay pantinugpon the basalt flagging that topped the slender tower.
Resting afew moments,I arose tomy feet. Madp, assionate Thuria raced across thecloudless sky; Cluros, her cosldpouse, swung his aloof circle
in splendid isolation; belomwe lay the valley of Hohr like some enchanted fairyland of ancient loraeb; ove me frowned the beetling cliff that hemmed in this madman's world.
A puff of hot air struck me suddenly in the face, recalling to my mind that far below in the pits of Ghasta an orgy of torture was occurring. Faintly a scream arosefrom the black mouth of the fblueehind me. I shuddered, but
my attention was centered upon the yawning opening now and I approached it. Almost unbearable waves of heat were billowing upward from the mouth of the chimney. Therewas little smokes, o perfect was thceombustion, but what
there wasshot intothe air aterrific velocity. Iat lmost seemed that
wereI to cast myself upon it I should be carried far aloft.

It wasthen that a thoughwt as born – ma ad, impossible idea, it seemed,
and yet it cluntog
me as I lowered myself gingerly over the outer edge of
thetower and finally regained the greater security of my cell.
I was aboutto explain my insane plan to Nur wAhnen I was interrupted by soundsfrom the adjoiningchamber and an instantlater thepartition
startedto rise.I thought theywere bringingus food again,but the partitionrose further than was necessary for the passing of food
receptacles beneathit and a moment later we saw atnhkeles and legs of a woman beneath the basoef the rising wall. Then a girl stooped and entered our cellI.n the light from the adjoining roomrecoI gnized her – she who
had beenselected byGhron to lureme to hiswill. Hername was Sharu.
Nur An had quickly replaced the bar on the window and when the girl entered there wasnothing to indicate that aught was amisst,hoatr one of us had
sorecently beenoutside ourcell, Thepartition remainedhalf raised, permitting light to enttehre apartment, and the girl, looking at me, must have noticed my gaze wandering to the adjoining room.
"Donot let yourhopes rise," shesaid witha rueful smile". There are guards waiting at the level next below."
"Why are you here, Sharu?" I asked.
"Ghronsent me," she replied. "He is impatientfor your decision."

I thoughqt uickly. Our only hopleay in the sympathoyf this girl, whose attitude in the pahsat d at least demonstrated her friendliness. "Had we a dagger anda needle,"I said in laow whisper. "we coulgdive Ghron his answer upon the morning of the day after tomorrow."
"Whatreason can Igive him forthis furtherdelay?" she askedafter a moment's thought.
"Tell him,"said NurAn," "that weare communing withour ancestors and that upon their advice shall depend our decision."
Sharu smiledS. he drewa dagger from itssheath at her sidaend laid it
upon the floor and from a pocket pouch attached to her harness she produced a needle, which she laid beside the dagger. "I shall convince Ghron that it
is best to wait," she said. "My heart had hoped, Hadron of Hastor, that you would decide to remain with me, but I am glad that I have not been mistaken in myestimate of your characterY. ou will die, mwy arrior, but at least
you will die as a brave man should and undefiled. Good-bye! I look upon you in lifefor thelast time, but untIil am gathered tmo y ancestors your
image shall remain enshrined within my heart."
Shewas gone; thepartition dropped, and againwe were left inthe
semi-darkness of a moonlit night, but now we had the two things that I most desired – a dagger and a needle.

"Of what good atrheose?" asked Nur An as I gathered the two articles from the floor.
"You will see," I replied, and immediately I set to work cutting the fabric from thewalls of our ceallnd then, standing upoNn ur An's shoulders, I removed alsothat which covered thceeiling. I worked quicklfyor I knew
that we had litttlieme in which to accomplish that which I had set out to do.A mad scheme it was, and yet withal within the realms of
practicability.
Working in the darmk,ore by sense of feel than by sight, I must have been inspiredby somehigher power tohave accomplishedwith anydegree of perfection the task that I had set myself.
The balance of that night and all of the following day Nur An and I labored without resut ntil we had fashioneadn enormous bag fromthe fabric that
hadcovered the wallsand ceiling ofour celland from thescraps that remained wefashioned longropes and whennight fell againour task was completed.
"May luck be with us," I said.
"The scheme is worthy of the mad brain of Ghron himself," said Nur An; "yet it has within it the potentialities of success."

"Nighthas fallen,"I said; "weneed notdelay longer. Ofone thing,
however, wemay be sure, whether we succeedfaoirl we shall have escaped thefire and in either eventmay our ancestors look with loveand compassionupon Sharu,whose friendshiphas made possibleour attempt."
"Whose love," corrected Nur An.
Onceagain Imade the perilousascent tothe roof,taking oneof our
new-made ropes with mTe.hen, from the summit, I lowered it to Nur An, who fastened thegreat bag to it; after which I dtrheew fruits of our labors
carefully to the roof beside me. It was as light as a feather, yet stronger thanthe well-tannedhide of azitidar. Next,I lowered therope and
assisted Nur Atno my side, but not until he rheapdlaced the bar that we had removed from the window.
Attached tothe bottom of oubrag, which was openw, ere a number of long
cords, terminating in loops. Through these loops we passed the longest rope thatwe had made – arope so long that it entirely encircledthe
circumference of the tower – when we lowered it below the projecting eaves. Wemade itfast there, butwith aslip knot thatcould be instantly
released with a single jerk.
Next, we slitdhe loops at the end of the roaptteasched to the bottom of the bagalong the cord thaetncircled the tower belowthe eaves until we had maneuveredthe opening of the bag directly otvheer mouth of the flue
leading down into the furnace of death in the pits of Ghasta. Standing upon

either side otfhe flue Nur An and I lifted btahge until it commenced to fillwith the hot air rushing from the chimney. Presently it was
sufficiently inflatedto remainin an erectposition, whereupon, leaving
Nur Anto steady it, I moved the loops uthnetiyl
were at equal distances
from oneanother, thus anchoring thbeag directly over thceenter of the
flue. Then I passeadnother rope loosely through the loops and secured its
end togethera, nd to opposite sides of this rope
ANnur and I snapped the
boarding hooks that aare part of the harness of every Barsoomian warrior,
the primary purpose owfhich is to lower boarding parties from the deck of
one ship to thoaft
another directly below, but which in practice are used
in countless ways and numerous emergencies.
Then we waited; Nur An ready to slip the knot that held the rope around the tower beneaththe eaves and I, upon tohpeposite side, with Sharu's sharp
dagger prepared to cut the rope upon my side.
Isaw thegreat bagthat wehad madefilling withhot air.At first,
loosely inflated, it rocked and swayed, but presently, its sides distended, it strainedupward. Its fabricstretched tightly until tIhought that it
shouldburst. Ittugged and pulledat itsrestraining cords, andyet I
waited.
Downin thevalley ofHohr therewas littleor no windw, hich greatly facilitated the carrying out of our rash venture.

The greatbag, almost as large as the roomwhinich we had been confined, bellied aboveus. It strained upoints guy ropes iints impatience to be aloftuntil I wondered that they held, and then Igave the word.
SimultaneouslyNur Anslipped his knotand Isevered the ropeupon the opposite side. Freed, thgereat bag leaped aloft, snapping us in its wake.
It shot upward with a velocity that was astounding until the valley of Hohr was buta little hollow itnhe surface of thgereat world that lay below
us.
Presently awind caught us anydou may be assuretdhat we gave thanks to our ancestorsas we realized that we werelaast drifting from above the cruel city of GhastTa.he wind increased until it was blowing rapidly in a northeasterly direction, but littdleid we care where it wafted us as long asit took us away from the river Syl and the valley of Hohr.
After we had passebdeyond the crater of the ancient volcano, which formed
the bed otfhe valley in which lay somber Ghasta,sawwe
below us, in the
moonlight, arough volcanic country thaptresented a weird and impressive appearance of unreality; deecphasms and tumbled piles of basalt seemed to present anunsurmountable barrierto man, whichmay explain whyin this remoteand desolatecorner ofBarsoom thevalley ofHohr hadlain for
countless ages undiscovered.
The windincreased. Floating at a great altituwdee were being carried at considerable speed, yet I could see that we were very slowly falling as the

hot air within oubrag cooled. How much longer it would keep us up I could notguess, but Ihoped it wouldbear usat least beyondthe uninviting
terrain beneath us.
With thecoming of dawn we were floating bufet wa hundred feet above the ground; thevolcanic country was far behind us andfaar sas we could see stretchedlovely, rolling hills, sparsely timbered with the drought
resisting skeel upon which it has been said the civilization of Barsoom has
been erected.
As wetopped a lowhill, passing over
bity a scant fiftsyofads we saw
below usa buildingof gleaming whiteL. ike all thecities and isolated buildingsof Barsoom,it wassurrounded bya loftywall, butin other respectsit differed materially from the usual Barsoomian type of
architecture. The edifice, whicwhas made up of a number of buildings, was notsurmounted bythe usual towers,domes and minaretsthat markall
Barsoomian cities and which only in recent ages have been giving way slowly to theflat landing stages of an aerial woTrldh.e structure below us was
composed ofa number of flat roofed buildinogfs various heights, none of which, howevera, ppeared torise over four levelsB. etween the buildings
and the outer walls and in several open courts between the buildings, there was aprofusion oftrees and shrubberywith scarlet swardand well kept
paths.It was,in fact,a strikingand beautifulsight, yethaving so
recently beenlured tonear destruction bythe beauties ofHohr and the
engaging allurements of hbereautiful women, we had no mind to be deceived

againby external appearances. We would float over the palace of enchantment and take our chances in the open country beyond.
But fatewilled otherwise. The wind haadbated; we were dropping rapidly; beneath us we sapweople in the garden of the building and simultaneously, asthey discovered us, it was evident that they were filled with
consternation. They hastened quickly to the nearest entrances and there was
not ahuman being in sighwt hen we finally came
rtoest upon the roof of
one of the taller sections of the structure.
As we extricated ourselves from the loops in which we had been sitting, the great bagr,elieved of our weighrt,ose quickly into thaeir for a short
distance, turned completely ovaenr d dropped to the ground just beyond the outer wallI.t hadserved us well anndow it seemed likae living thing
that had given up its life for our salvation.
We wereto have little time, howevefro,r sentimental regrets, for almost immediately a head appearethdrough a small opening in the roof upon which
we stood. The heawdas followed by the body of a man, whose harness was so scant as tloeave him almost nude. He was an moaldn with a finely shaped
head, covered with scant, gray locks.
Apparentphysical oldage is sorare uponBarsoom as alwaysto attract immediateattention. In thenatural span oflife we liveoften toa
thousand yearsb, ut during that lonpgeriod our appearance seldom changes
but littleI.t is true thamt ost of us meevtiolent death long before we

reach oldage, but there arseome who pass thaellotted span of life and
others who do ncoat re for themselves so well and these few constitute the physically old amongus; evidentlyof suchwas thelittle oldman who
confronted us.
At sighot f himNur An voicedan exclamation ofpleased surprise. "Phor
Tak!" he cried.
"Heigh-oo!" cackledthe old man ian high falsetto. "Whcoometh from the high heavens who knows old Phor Tak?"
"It is I – Nur An!" exclaimed my friend.
"Heigh-oo!"cried Phor Tak. "Nur An – one of Tul Axtar's pets."
"As you once were, Phor Tak."
"But not now n–ot now," almost screamed the old man. "The tyrant squeezed me likesome juicy fruit and then cast ethmepty rind aside. Heigh-oo! He
thought it was empty, but I pray daily to all my ancestors that he may live
to know that he was wrong. I can say this with safety to you. Nur An, for I
have you imn y power and I promise you that syhoaull never live to carry word of my whereabouts to Tul Axtar."
"Donot fear,Phor Tak,"said NurAn. "I,too, have sufferedfrom the

villainy of the Jeddak of Jahar. You were permitted to leave the capital in peace, butall my property was confiscated aIndwas sentenced to death."
"Heigh-oo! Then you hate him, too," exclaimed the old man.
"Hateis a weakword to describemy feelingfor Tul Axtar,"replied my friend.
"It iswell," said Phor Tak".When I saw yoduescending from the skies I
thought that mayncestors had sent you to help me, Iankdnow that it was
indeed true. Be this another warrior from Jahar?" he added, nodding his old head toward me.
"No,Phor Tak,"replied NurAn. "Thisis Hadronof Hastor, anoble of
Helium, but he, too, has been wronged by Jahar."
"Good!" exclaimedthe oldman. "Now thereare three ofus. Heretofore I havehad onlyslaves andwomen toassist me,but now withtwo trained warriors,young andstrong, the goalof my triumphappears almostin
sight."
As the two mecnonversed I had recalled that part of the story that Nur An hadtold mein thepits ofTjanath whichrelated toPhor Takand his
inventionof the riflethat projectedthe disintegrating rayswhich had
proved sodeadly against the patrol boat aboHveelium the night of Sanoma
Tora's abduction. Strange, indeewd,as fate that it should have brought me

into the palacoef the man who held the secret mthiagtht mean so much to Heliumand toall Barsoom. Stranget,oo, anddevious had beenthe path along whichfate had led me, yet I knew mthyat ancestors were guiding me and that all must have been arranged to some good end.
When PhorTak hadheard only a portioonf our story hiensisted that we
must be both fatigueadnd hungry and, like the good host that he proved to be,he conductedus downto theinterior ofhis palaceand, summoning slaves,ordered thatwe be bathedand fedand then permittedto retire
until we were rested. We thanked him for his kindness and consideration, of which we were glad to avail ourselves.
Thedays thatfollowed wereboth interestingand profitable.Phor Tak, surroundedonly bya few faithfusl laves whohad followed himinto his exile,was delightedwith ourcompany andwith the assistancewhich we could givehim inhis experiment, whicho, nce assured ofour loyalty he explained to us in detail.
He told utshe story of his wanderings after he lheaftd Jahar and of how
he had stumbled upon this long deserted castle, whose builder and occupants hadleft no recordother than their bones.He told usthat whenhe
discovered itskeletons had strewn the courtyaradnd in the main entrance were piledthe bones of a score wofarriors, attesting the fierce defense
that theoccupants had waged against some unknowennemy, while in many of
the upperooms he had found other skeletonsthe– skeletons of women and

children.
"I believe,"he said, "that the place was bebsyet members of some savage
horde ofgreen warriorsthat left noat
single survivorT. he courts and
gardenswere overgrownwith weedsand theinterior of thebuilding was filledwith dust,but otherwise littledamage hadbeen done. Icall it Jhama, and here I am carrying on my life's work."
"And that?" I asked.
"Revenge upon Tul Axtars,a"id the old man. "I gave him the disintegrating ray;I gavehim the insulatingpaint thatprotects his ownships and weaponsfrom it,and now someday Ishall give himsomething else – somethingthat will be as revolutionary in the art ofwar as the
disintegratingray itself;something thatwill castthe fleetof Jahar
broken wrecks upon the ground; something that will search out the palace of
Tul Axtar and bury the tyrant beneath its ruins.
We hadnot beenlong at Jhama beforbeoth Nur An anId became convinced
that Phor Tak's mind was at least slightly deranged from long brooding over the wrongs inflicted upon him by Tul Axtar; though naturally possessed of a kindly disposition he waosbsessed by a maniacal desire to wreak vengeance upon the tyrant withutter disregard of the consequences to himself and to others. Upon this singsleubject he was beyond the influence of reason and having established to his own satisfaction that Nur An and I were potential factors in the successful accomplishment of his design, he would fly into a

perfect frenzyof rage wheneverI broached the subjecotf our departure.
Fretting asI was beneath thuerge to push on
Jtoahar and the rescue of
Sanoma ToraI,
could but illy brook this enforcdeedlay, but Phor Tak was
adamant –he would not permmit e to depart
a–nd the absolute loyalty of
his slaves made piot ssible for him to enforce his will. In our bearing he explained to them thwate were guests, honored guest as long as we made no effort to depart withohuits permission, but should they discover us in an attemptto leave Jhama surreptitiously they were to destroy us.
Nur Anand I discussed thme atter at length. Whead discovered that four thousandhaads ofdifficult and unfriendlycountry laybetween us and
Jahar. Being without sahip and without thoats there was little likelihood
that weshould be able troeach Jahar in time
btoe of service to Sanoma
Tora, ifwe everreached it atall, and sowe agreed tobide our time, impressingPhor Takwith our willingnessto aidhim in thehope that eventuallywe should beable to enlist hisaid and support, andso
successful were we that within a short time we had so won the confidence of the oldscientist thatwe began toentertain hope that hwe ould take us
into hisinnermost confidence andreveal the nature otfhe instrument of destruction which he was preparing for Tul Axtar.
I musat dmit that I was principally interestiend his invention because I
was confidenthat in order tuotilize it against TuAl xtar he must find
some means of transporting it to Jahar and in this I saw an opportunity for

reaching the capital of the tyrant myself.
We hadbeen in Jhama aboutet n days during whicthime Phor Tak exhibited signsof extreme nervousness and irritability. He keptus with him
practicallyall ofthe timethat hewas notcloseted inthe innermost recesses of his secret laboratory.
During the evening meuapl on the tenth day Phor Tak seemed more distraught than everT. alking, as usual, interminably abohuits hatred of Tul Axtar,
his countenance assumed an expression of maniacal fury.
"But Iam helpless,"he almost screamedat last. "Iam helpless because
there is none to whom I may entrust my secwrehto,
also has the courage
and intelligenceto carry out mpylan. I am toold, too weak to undergo
the hardships that would mean nothing to young men like you, but which must be undergoneif I amto fulfill my destinays the savior oJfahar. If I
could but trust you! If I could but trust you!"
"Perhaps you can, Phor Tak," I suggested.
Thewords or mytone seemed to soothehim. "Heigh-oo! heexclaimed. "Sometimes I almost think that I can."
"We have a commoanim," I said; "or at least different aims which converge at thesame point– Jahar. Letus work togetherthen. Wewish to reach
Jahar. If you can help us, we will help you.

Hesat in silentthought for a longmoment. "I'll doit," hesaid.
"Heigh-oo! I'ldl o it. Come," anrdising from his chaihre led us toward thelocked doorwaythat barred theentrance tohis secret laboratory.
Ten
THE FLYING DEATH
PHOR TAK'S laboratory occupied an entire wing of the building and consisted of a single, immensroeom fully fifty feet in height. His benches, tables,
instruments andcabinets, locatedin one cornerw,
ere lost inthe great
interior. Near the ceilinagnd encircling the room was a single track from which was suspended a miniature cruiser, painted the ghastly blue of Jahar. Upon oneof thebenches was acylindrical object about alsong as one's
hand. These were thoenly noticeable features of the laboratory other than its immense emptiness.
As Phor Tak ushered us within he closed the door behind him and I heard the ominous click of thpeonderous lock. There was something depressing in the suggestivenessof thesituation induced,perhaps, by ourknowledge that
Phor Tak was mad and accentuated by the eerie mystery of the vasty chamber.
Leading usto thebench upon whichlay the cylindricaol bject which had attracted myattention, helifted it carefullya, lmost caressingly, from

its restingplace. "This,"he said, "isa model of thdeevice that will destroyJahar. Init youbehold theconcentrated essenceof scientific achievement. In appearance isit but a small metal cylinder, but within it
is a mechanism as delicate and as sensitive as the human brain and you will perceivethat itfunctions almost asthough animatedby amind within
itself,but itis purely mechanicaland maybe producedin quantities quickly andat low cost. BeforIe explain it furtheIr shall demonstrate one phase of its possibilities. Watch!"
Stillholding thecylinder inhis hand,Phor Takstepped toa shallow
cabinet against the waalnl d opening it revealed an elaborate equipment of switches, levers and push buttons. "Now watch the miniature flier suspended from thetrack near the ceiling," he directed,thaet same time closing a switch.Immediately the fliercommenced to travel alongthe trackat considerablespeed. NowPhor Takpressed abutton uponthe topof the
cylinder, which immediately spefdrom his extended palm, turned quickly in the airand rushedstraight for thespeeding flier. Slowlythe distance
between thetwo closed; thecylinder, curving gradually inttohe line of flight of the fliewr,as now trailing directly behind it, its pointed nose
but a few feet from the stern of the miniature ship. Then Phor Tak pulled a tiny lever upon his switchboard and the flier leaped forward at accelerated speed. Instantlythe speed of the cylinder increasaendd I could see that
itwas gainingin velocitymuch morerapidly thanthe flier.Half way around theroom again its nossetruck the stem otfhe fleeing craft with sufficient severityto cause the ship to trembfrleom stem to stern; then
the cylinder fell away and floated gently toward the floor. Phor Tak opened

a switchthat stopped the flieirn its flight antdhen, running forward, caught the descending cylinder in his hand.
"Thismodel," heexplained, as hereturned towhere we stood,"is so constructed that when mitakes contact with the flier it will float gently downward tothe floor, but as you hadvoeubtless fully realized ere this, the finishedproduct in practicaluse will explode upocnontact with the ship. Notethese tinybuttons with whichit is covered. Wheanny one of
these comes in contact with an object the model stops and descends, whereas thefull-sized device, properly equipped, will explode, absolutely
demolishing whateverit mayhave come incontact with. Asyou are aware everysubstance inthe universehas itsown fixed vibratoryrate. This
mechanism can be so attuned as to be attracted by the vibratory rate of any substance.The model,for example,is attractedby theblue protective
paint with which thfleier is covered. Imagine a fleet of Jaharian warship
moving majestically through the air in battle formation. From an enemy ship
or fromthe ground and aat distance so far atos
be unobservable by the
ships ofJahar, I release ams any of these deviceass there are ships in
the fleeta, llowing a few moments
etolapse between launchings. The first
torpedorushes towardthe fleetand destroysthe nearest shipA. ll the torpedoes inthe rear, strung ouitn line, are attractebdy the combined masses of all thbelue protecting coverings of the entire fleet. The first
ship is falling to the ground and though all of its paint may not have been destroyed, it has not the power to deflect any of the succeeding torpedoes,
which one by one destroy the nearest of the remaining ships until the fleet

has been absolutely eraseId.have destroyed a great fleet without risking the life of a single man of my own following."
"But theywill see the torpedoes coming," suggestNedur An, and they will devise some defense. Even gunfire might stop many of them."
"Heigh-oo!But Ihave thoughtof that,"cackled PhorTak. Helaid the torpedo upon a bench and opened another cabinet.
Inthis cabinetwere a numberof receptacles,some tightlysealed and othersopened, revealingtheir contents whichappeared tobe different
colored paints. From a number of these receptacles protruded the handles of paint brushes. One suchhandle, however, appeared to hang in midair, a few inches above one of the shelves, while just beneath it was a section of the rim of a receptacle that also appeared to be resting upon nothing. Phor Tak placed his open hand directly beneath this floating rim and when he removed his hand from the cabinet, the rim of the receptacle and the portion of the handle of the paibnrtush, floating just above it, followed, hovering just
overhis extendedfingers, whichwere cupped in the positiotnhat they might assumewere they holding a glass jsaur,ch as would ordinarily have belonged to a rimlike that which I could see floating about an inch above his fingers.
Going tothe bench where hhead laid the cylinderP,hor Tak went through the motions of settinag jar upon it, and, though there was no jar visible other than the floatinrgim, I distinctly heard a noise that was identical

with the sound which the bottom of a glass jar would have made in coming in contact with the bench.
I canassure youthat I was greatlmy ystified, but still morseo by the
events immediately following. Phor Tak seized the handle of the paint brush and madea pass a few inches above mthetal torpedo. Instantly a portion
of thetorpedo, about an inchwide and three or four incheslong,
disappeared. Pass after pass he made until finally the whole surface of the torpedo had disappeared. Wherite had rested the bench was empty. Phor Tak returned the handle othfe paint brush to its floating position just above thefloating jarrim and thenhe turnedto us withan expression of
child-like pride upon his face, as much to say, "Well, what do you think of that? AmI not wonderful?" AnId was certainly forcetdo concede that it
was wonderfual nd that I was entirely baffled amnydstified by what I had seen.
"There, NurAn," exclaimed Phor Tak",is the answer tyoour criticism of
The Flying Death."
"I do not understand," said Nur An with a puzzled expression upon his face.
"Heigh-oo!"cried Phor Tak."Have you not seenme render thedevice invisible?"
"But it is gone," said Nur An.

Phor Taklaughed hishigh cackling laugh". It is stiltlhere," he said,
"but youcannot see it. Here," anhde took NurAn's handand guided it toward the spot where the device had been.
Icould see NurAn's fingers apparently feelingover the surfaceof
something several inches above the top of the table. "By my first ancestor, it is still there!" he exclaimed.
"It is wonderful," I exclaimed. "You did not even touch it; you merely made passesabove itwith thehandle ofa paintbrush andit disappeared."
"But I did toucith," insisted Phor Tak. "The brush was there, but you did
not see it because it was covered by the substance which renders the Flying
Death invisibleN. otice this transparent glasrseceptacle in which I keep
the compound of invisibility and all that you can see of it is that part of therim which, by chance, has not been coatedwith the compound."
"Marvelous!" Iexclaimed. "Even now, althoughhIave witnessed it with my owneyes Ican scarceconceive ofthe possibilityof sucha miracle."
"Itis no miracle,"said Phor Tak."It is merelythe applicationof
scientific principles well known to me for hundreds of years. Nothing moves in straight lines; lighvti,sion, electromagnetic forces follow lines that
curve.The compound ofinvisibility merely bowsoutward thereflected
light,which, entering oureyes and impinging uponour opticnerves,

results inthe phenomenon which wceall vision, so thatthey pass around
any object which is coated with the compound. When I first started to apply the compound to ThFelying Death, your line of vision was deflected around
the smalpl ortions so coated, but when I coattheed entire surface of the
torpedo, the curve of your vision passed completely around it on both sides so that you could plainly see the bench upon which it was resting precisely as though the device had not been there."
Iwas astounded at the apparentsimplicity of the explanation,and, naturally,being a soldier, I sawthe tremendous advantage thatthe
possession of these two scientific secrets would impart to the nation which controlled themF. or the safety; yes, for tvheery existence of Helium, I mustpossess themand if thatwere impossible,then Phor Takmust be
destroyed beforethe secret of thiisnfernal power could bpeassed on to
any other nation. Perhaps I could so ingratiate myself with old Phor Tak as to beable to persuade him to turn these secorevtesr to Helium in return forHelium's assistancein thework ofwreaking his vengeanceupon Tul
Axtar.
"Phor Tak,"I said, "you hold here within ygoruarsp two secrets which in the handsof a kindly anbdeneficient power would brinegternal peace to Barsoom."
"Heigh-oo!he cried. I do not want peace. I wantwar. War! War!"

"Very well,"I agreed, realizing thamt y suggestion had nobteen in line
with the mad processes of his crazed brain. "Let us have war then, and what country uponBarsoom isbetter equipped towage war thanHelium? If you
want war, form an alliance with Helium."
"I do not neeHdelium," he cried. I do not need to form alliances. I shall make war– I shall makwe ar alone. With thienvisible Flying Death I can destroywhole navies,whole cities,entire nations.I shallstart with
Jahar. TulAxtar shall be thfeirst to feel thwe eight of my devastating
powers. When the fleet of Jahar has tumbled upon the roofs of Jahar and the wallsof Jaharhave fallen aboutthe earsof TulAxtar, thenshall I
destroy TjanathH. elium shall know me nexPtr.oud and mighty Helium shall tremble andbow atthe feet ofPhor Tak. Ishall beJeddak of Jeddaks,
ruler of wa orld." As he spoke his voice rosea tpoiercing shriek and he trembled in the grip of the frenzy that held him.
He must be destroyed, not alone for the sake of Helium, but for the sake of allBarsoom; this mad mindmust be removed ifI found that itwas
impossible to direct or cajole it to my own ends. I determined, however, to omit no sacrifice thmatight tend to bring about a satisfactory conclusion
tothis strangeadventure. Iknew thatmad minds weresometimes fickle
minds and I hopethdat in a moment of insane caprice Phor Tak might reveal to me the secret of the Flying Death and the compound of invisibility. This hope washis temporary reprievefrom death; its fulfillmenwt ould be his pardon,but I knewthat I must workwarily – thatat theslightest
suggestion of duplicity, PhoTrak's suspicions would be aroused and that I

should then be the one to be destroyed.
Itossed longupon my sleepingsilks andfurs that nightin troubled thought andplanning. I felt thaIt must possess thesseecrets; yet how? That theyexisted within his brain alone, I knew,hfeorhad told me that there wereno written formulaso, r plans or specificationfsor either of
them. Somehow I muwstheedle them out of him and the best way to start was to ingratiate myself with him. To this end I must further his plans insofar
as I possibly could.
Just beforeI fell asleep mtyhoughts reverted to SanomTa ora and to the urgent missionthat had led mteo enter upon whahtad developed into the strangest adventureof mycareer. I felta twinge ofself-reproach as I
suddenly realized that SanomTaora had not been uppermost in my mind while
I had lain themreaking plans for the future, but now with recollection of hera planwas suggestedwhereby Imight notonly succor herbut also advance myselfin the good graces of Phor Taktheat same time, and, thus relieved, I fell asleep.
It was late the following morning before I had an opportunity to speak with the old inventor when I immediately broached the subject that was uppermost in mymind. "Phor Tak," I said, "you haarendicapped by lack of knowledge
of conditions existing in Jahar and the size and location of the fleet. Nur
An and I wgilol
to Jahar for you and obtain the information that you must
have ifyour plans areto be successful. Itnhis way, Nur Aannd I will

also bestriking ablow at TuAl xtar while wewill be ina position to attend to those matters which require our presence in Jahar."
"But how will you get to Jahar?" demanded Phor Tak.
"Could not you let us take a flier?" I asked.
"Ihave none,"replied PhorTak. "Iknow nothingabout them. Iam not interested in them. I could not even build one."
To saythat I was botshurprised and shocked woulbde putting it mildly, but ifI had previously entertaineadny doubts that PhoTr ak's brain was abnormallydeveloped, it wouldhave vanishedwith his admissionthat he
knew nothingabout fliers, for
siteemed to me thatthere was scarcely a
man, woman or chiilnd
any of the flying nations of Barsoom but could have
constructed some sort of a flier.
"But how without fliers did you expect to transport The Flying Death to the vicinity ofthe Jaharian fleet? How did yeoxupect to demolish the palace
of Tul Axtar, or reduce the city of Jahar to ruins?
"Now that you anNdur An are here to help mcea, nI set my slaves to work underyou andeasily turn outa dozentorpedoes a day.As these are
completed theywill immediately be launcheadnd eventually they will find their wayto Jahar andthe fleet. Of thatthere is no doubet,ven if it
takes a year they will eventually find their prey."

"If nothingchances to get itnheir way," I suggested";but even so what
pleasure will you derive from your revenge if you are unable to witness any part of it?"
"Heigh-oo! I have thought of that," replied Phor Tak, "but one may not have everything."
"You may have that," I told him.
"And how?" he demanded.
"By takingyour torpedoes aboard
sahip and flying tJoahar," I replied.
"No," heexclaimed stubbornly, "I shall do it
omwyn way. What right have
you to interfere with my plans?"
"Imerely wantto help you,"I said,attempting to mollifyhim by a conciliatory tone and attitude.
"And thereis another thought," said Nur A"nth,at suggests that it might be expedient to follow Hadron's plans."
"You are both against me," said Phor Tak.

"By no means,N" ur An assured him. "It is our kdeeesnire to aid you that prompts the suggestion."
"Well, what is yours then?" asked the old man.
"Your plan contemplates the destruction of the navies of Tjanath and Helium
following the fall
Joafhar," exclaimed Nur An. "This, at least in respect
to the navy of Helium, you cannot possibly hope to accomplish at so great a distance and without ankynowledge of the number of ships to be destroyed,
nor wilyl our torpedoes be similarly attracted to thaesmthey are to the ships ofJahar because the ships of theosteher nations are not protected by theblue paintof Jahar. Itwill, therefore, be necessarfyor you to proceed tothe vicinityof Tjanath andlater to Helium anfdor your own
protection you will use the blue paint of Jahar upon your ship, for you may never becertain unlessyou are on thgeround at the timtehat you have
destroyedall ofthe navy ofJahar, orall of theirdisintegrating ray rifles."
"That is true," said Phor Tak thoughtfully.
"Andfurthermore," continued Nur An, "ifyou dispatch more thanthe
necessary number of torpedoes, those that remain at large will certainly be attracted bythe blue paint of your own ship yaonud will be destroyed by
your own devices."
"You ruinall my plans," screamePdhor Tak. "Why diydou think of this?"

"If I had not thought of it you would have been destroyed," Nur An reminded him.
"Well, whaat m I to daobout it? I have no shIipc. annot build a ship."
"We can get you one," I said.
"How?"
The conversation between Nur An and Phor Tak had suggested a plan to me and thisI nowexplained roughly tothem. NurAn was enthusiasticover the
idea, but Phor Tak was not particularly keen for it. I could not understand the grounds for hoisbjection, nor, as a matter of fact, did they interest
me greatlysince he finally admitted that he wobueld compelled to act in accordance with my suggestion.
Immediately adjacento Phor Tak's laboratorwy as a well equipped machine shop andhere Nur An anId labored for weekustilizing the services of a
dozen slaves until whead succeeded in constructing what I am sure was the mostremarkable lookingairship that ithad everfallen to mylot to
behold.Briefly, it was a cylinderpointed at each end andclosely
resembled the model of The Flying Death. Within the outer shell was another smaller cylinderb; etween thewalls of thesetwo we placedthe buoyancy
tanks.The tanks andthe sides ofthe two envelopeswere piercedby

observation portsalong eachside of theship and at thbeow and stern. Theseports could be completely coveredby shutters hinged uponthe
outside, but operated from within. There were two hatchways in the keel and two abovewhich led to a narrow walkway along tothpe of the cylinder. In
turrets, forward, and aft were mounted two disintegrating ray rifles. Above
the controlswas aperiscope that transmittedan image ofall that came
within its range
ato ground glass plate in front of the pilot. The entire
outside ofthe ship was first painted tghheastly blue that would protect
it from the disintegratinrgay rifles of Jahar, while over this was spread a coatingof the compoundof invisibility. The shuttertshat covered the portsbeing similarly coated,the ship couldattain practicallytotal
invisibility byclosing them,the only point remaininvgisible being the tiny eye of the periscope.
Not possessing sufficient technickanl owledge to enable me to build one of the new typme otors, I had to content myself with oofnethe old types of much less efficiency.
At lasthe work was done. We had a sthaipt would accommodate four with ease and it wausncanny to realize this fact and yet, at the same time, be unable tosee anything but the tiny eyesthoef periscope when the covers werelowered over theports, and even theeye of the periscopewas invisibleunless it was turned in the direction of the observer.
As thework neared completion I had notictehdat Phor Tak's manner became more marked by nervousness and irritability. He found fault with everything

andon several occasions he almoststopped the work upon theship.
Now, at last, wweere ready to sail. The ship was stocked with ammunition, waterand provisions,and atthe lastminute I installeda destination controlcompass for which I was afterward tobe devoutly thankful.
When I suggested immediate departure, however, Phor Tak demurred, but would give me no reason for his objection.
Presently, however, I lost patience and told the old man that we were going anyway whether he liked it or not.
He didnot flyinto a rageas I hadexpected, butlaughed instead, and therewas somethingin thelaugh thatseemed more terriblethan anger.
"You think I aam fool," he said, "and that I will let you go and carry my secrets to Tul Axtar, but you are mistaken."
"So are you," I snapped. "You are mistaken in thinking that we would betray youand you arealso mistaken in thinkingthat you can preventour
departure."
"Heigh-oo!" he cackled. "I do not need to prevent your departure, but I can prevent your arrival Jaathar or elsewhere. I have not been idle while you worked uponthis ship. I have constructedfuall-size Flying Death. It is

attuned tosearch out this ship. If you depaagratinst my wishes, it will follow and destroy you. Heigh-oo! What do you think of that?"
"I think that yoaure an old fool," I cried in exasperation. "You have the opportunity toenlist the loyal aid of twhonorable warriors and yet you choose to turn them into enemies."
"Enemies whocannot harmme," he remindedme. "I hold youlrives in the hollow ofmy hand. Well have you concealed ytohuorughts from me, but not
quite well enough. I have read enough of them to know that you think me mad and Ihave also received the impression that ywoouuld stop at nothing to
prevent me from using my power against Helium. I have no doubt but that you will help me againJsathar, and against Tjanath, too, perhaps, but Helium,
the mightiest and proudest empire of Barsoom, is my real goal. Helium shall proclaim meJeddak of Jeddaks if I have to wraecwk orld to accomplish my design."
"Then all our worhkas been for nothing?" I demanded. "We are not going to use the ship we have constructed?"
"We may use it," he said, "but under my terms."
"And what are they?" I asked.
"You may go alone to Jahar, but I shall keep Nur An here as hostage. If you betray me, he dies."

Therewas no moving him; no amount of argument could alter his
determination.I tried toconvince him that oneman couldaccomplish
little, that, in fachte,
might not be able to accomplish anything, but he
was adamant – I should go alone or not at all.
Eleven
"LET THE FIRE BE HOT!"
AS I AROSE thnaitght into the starlit splendor of a Barsoomian night, the white castle of Phor Tak lay a lovely gem below me bathed in the soft light ofThuria. Iwas alone;Nur Anremained behindthe hostage ofthe mad
scientist. Becauseof himI must returnto Jhama. Nur Ahnad exacted no promise from me, but he knew that I would return.
Twenty-five hundredhaads to theeast lay Jahar anSdanoma Tora. Fifteen
hundred haads to the southwest were Tjanath and Tavia. I turned the nose of myflier towardthe goalof duty,toward thewoman I loveda, nd, with
throttle wide, my invisible craft sped toward distant Jahar.
But mythoughts I could not control. Despite
emvyery effort to keep them
concentrated upon the purposoef my adventure, they persisted in wandering toa prisontower, toa tousledhead ofrefractory hair, toa rounded
shoulder that had once pressed mine. I shook myself to be rid of the vision

as Isped throughthe night, buitt constantly returned anidn its wake
came harrowing thoughts othfe fate that might have overtaken Tavia during my absence.
Iset mydestination controlcompass uponJahar, the exactposition of
which Ihad obtained from Phor Tak, and threulsieved of the necessity of constantly remaining at the controls, I busied myself about the interior of
the shipI.
looked to the ammunition tohfe disintegrating ray rifles and
rearranged it to suit my own ideas.
Phor Takhad equipped me with three typoefs rays; one would disintegrate metal,another woulddisintegrate woodand the thirdwould disintegrate
human flesh. I haadlso brought along something which Phor Tak had refused me when I haadsked him for it. I pressed the pocpkoeutch in which I had placed it tmo ake sure that I still had the vthiael, contents of which I
imagined might prove of inestimable value to me.
I raisedall the port shutterasnd adjusted the ventilatorsf,or at best
the interiorof this strange shispeemed close and stufftyo one who was accustomedto the opendeck of thefast scoutfliers of HeliumT. hen I
spread my sleeping silkasnd furs and settled myself down to rest, knowing that when I arriveadt Jahar my destination control compass would stop the ship andan alarmwould awaken me iIf still slept, bustleep would not
come. Ithought of Sanoma Tora. I visualizheedr cold and stately beauty, but alwaysher haughtyeyes dissolved intothe eyes ofTavia, sparkling
with the joy of life, soft with the light of friendship.

I wasfar from Jhama wheant last I sprandgeterminedly from my sleeping silksand furs,and going tothe controls,I cut offthe destination
control compassand with a single, swift turn swuthneg nose of the flier toward Tjanath.
Thedie was cast.I felt that Ishould experience remorse andself
loathing,but Iexperienced neither. Ijoyed inthe thought thaIt
was
rushingto theservice of afriend andI knew inthe most innermost recessesof my heartthat of the two,Tavia had moreclaim uponmy friendship thanhad SanomaTora, from, whomI had receivedat best only scant courtesy.
Idid notagain tryto sleep. Idid notfeel like sleepingi;nstead I
remained athe controls andwatched the desolate landscapaes it rushed
forward to pass beneamthe. With the coming of dawn I saw Tjanath directly ahead of me and as I approached the city it was difficult for me to realize that Icould doso with utter impunitaynd that my shiwp ith its closed
ports was entirely invisible. Moving slowly now, I circled above the palace of HajOsis. Those portions otfhe palace that werteopped by flat roofs
revealed sleepyguardsmen. At the maihnangar a single guardsman watched.
I floatedabove the east tower; beneath mceu,ddled in her sleeping silks
and furs, I coupldicture Tavia. How surprised she would he could she know that I hovered thus close above her.

Dropping lowerI circled the tower, coming atostop finally opposite the
windows of the room in which Tavia had been confined. I maneuvered the ship to bring one of the ports opposite the window and close enough to give me a viewof the interiorof the roomB. ut thoughI remained therefor some
time, I could see no one and at last I became convinced that Tavia had been
removedto other quartersI.
wasdisappointed for thismust necessarily
greatlycomplicate my plans for rescue. I had foreseen but little
difficulty intransferring Tavia by night througthe tower window to the flier; nowI mustmake my plansall anew. Everythinghinged, of course, upon myability tolocate Tavia. Todo that itwas evidentthat I must
enter the palace. The moment that I quitted the invisibility of my flier, I
should bemenaced by the greatest danger at evteurryn, and, clothed as I
was in home-made harnefsasshioned by the hands of the slaves of Phor Tak, I should arouse the active suspicion of the first person who laid eyes upon me.
I must enter thpealace and to do it in any degree of safety I must have a disguise.
All my ports wenreow closed, the periscope being my only eye. I turned it slowly abouat s I tried tpolan some method opfrocedure that might have
within it some tiny seed of success.
Asthe panoramaslowly unfoldeditself uponthe ground glassbefore me there appearedthe main palacehangar and the singlwe arrior upon watch.

Here my periscope camtoe
rest, for here was an entrance to the palace and
here a disguise.
Slowly maneuveringmy shipin the directionof the hangarI,
brought it
down uponthe roof of that structure. I should hbaeveen glad to moor it,
but here there were no means at hand. I must depend upon its own weight and hope that no high wind would rise.
Realizing that the instanthat I emerged from the interior of the flier I should beentirely visible, I waitedw, atching through my periscope until the warriorupon theroof just belowme turned his backt;hen I emerged
quickly fromthe ship through one of the upbpaetrches and dropped to the
roof uponthe side closest to the warrior. I
awbaosut four feet from the
edge ofthe roof and he was standing almost bemloew, his back toward me.
Shouldhe turnhe woulddiscover meinstantly andwould givean alarm
beforeI could beupon him. Myonly hopeof success, thereforew,
as to
silence him before he realized that he was menaced.
I have learned fromthe experiences of John Carter that first thoughts are ofteninspirations, while soberafterthought maylead to failureo, r so
delay action as to nullify all its effect.
Therefore, in this instancIe,acted upon inspiration. I did not hesitate.
I stepped quickly to the edge of the roof and hurled myself straight at the broadshoulders of the sentry. In my hand was a slim dagger.

The endcame quickly. I think the poor fellnoewver knew what happened to him. Dragging his body to the interior of the hangar I stripped the harness from ita, t the same timeth, ough almost mechanically, nIoted the ships
within the hangar. Withe exception of one, a patrol boat, they all bore
the personalinsignia of the Jed of Tjanath. Thweeyre the king's ships –
anornate cruiser heavilyarmed, twosmaller pleasure craftsa,
two-man
scout flierand a one-man scouftlier. They were nomt uch, of course, by comparison withthe ships of Heliumb,ut I was quitseure that they were
absolutely the best that Tjanath could afford. However, having my own ship, I wasnot particularlyconcerned with theseother than thatI am always
interested in ships of all descriptions.
Not far from where I stood was the entrance to a ramp leading down into the palace.Realizing thatonly throughboldness mightI succeed,I walked
directly tothe rampand entered itA.
s I roundedthe firstturn I was
appalled tosee that the rampassed directly through gauard room. Upon thefloor fullya scoreof warriorswere stretched upontheir sleeping
silks and furs.
I did not datroe
pause; I must keep on. Perhaps I could pass them without
arousing their curiosity.hIad had but a brief glimpse of the room before
I entered it anind
that glimpse I had seen only men apparently wrapped in
sleep andan instant later, as I emerged into rothoem itself, I saw that
it contained only thoswehom I had first seen. No one within it was awake, butI heardvoices in anadjoining room. Hurryingquickly acrossthe

apartment I entered the ramp upon the opposite side.
Ithink my hearht ad stood stillas Istrode silently acrossthat room
among thosesleeping men, for haad single one otfhem awakened he would haveinevitably known that I was no fellow member of the guard.
Further downwithin the palace itselIf should be ilness danger, for so great isthe number ofretainers in the palacoef a jed thanto one may
know them all bsyight, so that strange and unfamiliar faces are almost as customary as they are upon the avenues of a city.
Myplan was totry toreach the towerroom in whichTavia hadbeen confined, forI was positive that, from my positiinonthe flier, I could
not see the entiirneterior and it was just possible that Tavia was there.
Owingto theconstruction ofmy shipI hadbeen unable toattract her attention withourtaising ahatch and takingthe chance ofrevealing my presence, which would havIe,felt, jeopardized Tavia's chances for escape far too greatly to warrant my doing so.
Perhaps I should havweaited until night; perhaps I was overanxious and in
my zeal I might be running far greater risks than were necessary. I thought of these things noawnd perhaps I upbraided myself, but I had gone too far nowto retreat. I was properly in for it, whatever might follow.

As Ifollowed the ramp dowtno different levels tIried to discover some familiar landmarkthat might lead mteo the east towera,nd as I emerged
into a corridor at one of the levels I saw almost directly in front of me a door whichI instantlyrecognized – it watshe door to thoeffice of Yo
Seno, the keeper of the keys.
"Good!" I thought. "Fate certainly has led me here."
Crossingto thedoor Iopened itand steppedquickly withinthe room,
closing the door behinmde. Yo Seno was sitting at his desk. He was alone. He did not looukp. He was one of those arrogant m– ean small man with a little authority – whlioked to impress his importance upon all inferiors. Therefore, doubtless, it was his way to ignore his visitors for a moment or two. This time hmeade a mistake. After quietly locking the door behind me
I crossed ttohe door at the opposite end of rothoem and bolted it, too.
It wasthen that, doubtless compelled by curiosiYtyo,
Seno looked up. At
first hedid notrecognize me. "Whadt o you want?"he demanded gruffly.
"You, Yo Seno," I said.
He looked at mseteadily for a moment with growing astonishment, then with
his eyes wide he leaped to his feet. "You?" he screamed. "By Issus, no! You are dead!"
"I have returned from the grave, Yo Seno. I have come back to haunt you," I

said.
"Whatdo youwant?" he demanded."Stand aside!You areunder arrest."
"Where is Tavia?" I asked.
"How do I know?" he demanded.
"You arethe keeper of the keys, Yo Seno. Wshhoould know better than you where the prisoners are?"
"Well, what if I do know? I shall not tell," he said.
"You shall tell, Yo Seno, or you shall die." I warnedhim.
He hadwalked from behind his desk and was standniontg far from me when. without warningand with far greatecrelerity than I gavheim credit for possessing, hesnatched his long sword from sictsabbard and was upon me.
I wasforced to jump backward quickly to avoidfihrsist cut, but when he
swung the second timmey own sword was out and I
ownasmy guard. Yo Seno
proved himself no mean antagonist. He was clever with the sword and he knew that he was fightinfgor his life. I wondered at first why he did not call
for helpand then I came to the conclusion itthawt as because there were
no warriors in the adjoining room, as there had been upon my previous visit

to YoSeno's quarters.We fought insilence, only the dionf metal upon metal reflecting the deadliness of the combat.
I was in a hurry to be done with him and I was pressing him closely when he resorted to a trick which came near to proving my undoing. I had backed him up against his desk and thought that I had him where he could not escape. I could not see his left hand behind him; nor the heavy vase for which it was groping, buat n instant later sIaw the thing flyinsgtraight at my head
and I alssoaw the opening which Yo Seno madethein instant that he cast the missilef,or sooccupied was hewith his aimthat helet his point
drop. Stoopingbeneath the vaseI sprang into closqeuarters, driving my sword through the heart of Yo Seno.
As I wiped thbelood from my blade upon the hairmoyf victim I could not
repress a feeling of elation that it had been my hand that had cut down the seducer of Phao and in some measure avenged the honor of my friend, Nur An.
Now, however, was ntiome for meditation. I heard footsteps approaching in thecorridor withoutand hastily seizingthe harnessof thecorpse, I
dragged itoward the panel which hid tehnetrance to the secret corridor
that led to the room in the east tower – that familiar corridor where I had passed happy moments alone with Tavia.
With morehaste thanreverence, I dumpedthe corpse of YSoeno into the
dark interior and then, closing the panel after me, I groped my way through thedarkness toward thetower room, myheart highwith the hopethat I

might find Tavia still there.
As I approached thpeanel at the tower end of the corridor I could feel my heart beating rapidly – a sensation to which I was unaccustomed and which I couldnot explain. I was positivethat I was in excellentphysical
condition, andw, hile it is noatt all unusual thasturprise or imminent
danger causesthe heart of some men to palpitaetvee,n though they may be endowed with exceptional courage, yet, for my part, I had never experienced sucha sensation and I must admit that I was deeply mystified.
Theanticipation of seeingTavia again soon causedme to forgetthe unpleasant sensationand as I stoppebdehind the panel mwy hole mind was
occupied with pleasurable consideration of what I hoped awaited me beyond –
the longed for reunion with this best of friends.
I wasupon the point of springing the catch oapnedning the panel when my attention wasattracted byvoices from theroom beyond. Iheard a man's voice andthat of a woman, but I counldderstand no words. Cautiously, I
openedthe panelsufficiently to permimt
e toview the interiorof the
apartment.
The scenethat met my gaze sent the fhigoht ting blood surging through my frame.In the centerof the rooma youngwarrior in richtrappings had
Tavia in his grasp and was dragging her across the room toward the doorway.
Tavia struggled, striking at him.

"Don't be a fool," snarled the man. "Haj Osis has given you to me. You will lead a better life as my slave than most free women live."
"I prefer prison or death," replied Tavia.
Phao wasstanding helplessly at one sidhee, r eyes filled with compassion for TaviaI.t was obvious that she could ndoothing to defend her friend,
for the trappings of the warrior proclaimed him of high rank, but just what that rank wasdIid not discern at the time for I was not interested. In a
bound Iwas in the centeorf the room ansdeizing the warrior roughly by
the shoulderI,
hurled him backwarsdo heavily that hfeell sprawling to
the floorI.
heard gasps oafstonishment from both Phaaond Tavia and my
name breathed in the soft accents of the latter.
As Idrew mysword the warrior scrambletdo his feet, budtid not draw.
"Fool! Idiot! Knave!" hsehrieked. "Do you not realize what you have done? Do you not know who I am?"
"In amoment it will b'ewho you were'," tIold him in laow voice. "On guard!"
"No,"he cried, backingaway. "You wear the harnessand the metaol f a warrior ofthe guard. You cannodtare draw your sworadgainst the son of Haj Osis. Back, fellow, I am Prince Haj Alt."

"I could pray to Issus that you might be Haj Osis himself," I replied, "but atleast there willbe some recompensein the knowledgethat Ihave
destroyedhis spawn. Onguard, you foolu, nless youwish to dielike a sorak."
He wasstill backing away and now he lookaebdout him with every evidence of terror written upohnis weak countenance. He espied the panel door that Ihad inadvertentlyleft open andbefore Icould prevent hehad darted
through andclosed itbehind him. Ileaped in pursuit, butthe lock had clickedand Idid notknow whereto findthe mechanism torelease it.
"Quick, Phao!" I crie"dY. ou know the secret of the panel. Open it for me. We must not permtihtis fellow to escape or he will sound the alarm and we shall all be lost."
Phao ranquickly tomy side andplaced her thumb upona button cleverly hidden in the ornactearving of the wood paneling that covered the wall. I waited inbreathless expectancy, buthe panel did nootpen. Phao pushed frantically againand again, and thesnhe turned to mwe ith a gesture of helplessness and defeat.
"He hastampered withthe lock upon thoether side," she said".He is a clever rogue and he would have thought of that."
"We musftollow," I said, anrdaising my long sworId struck the panel a

heavy blow that would have shattered much thicker planking, but I only made ascratch uponit, tearing awaya littlepiece scarce thickerthan a
fingernail, but the scar that I had made revealed the harrowing truth – the panel was constructed of forandus, the hardest and the lightest metal known toBarsoomians. Iturned away."It isuseless," Isaid "toattempt to
pierce forandus with cold steel."
Tavia hadcrossed tous and wasstanding in silence, lookinugp into my face. Hereyes were bathed wituhnshed tears and sIaw her lips tremble.
"Hadron!" she breathed. "Yohuave come back from the dead. Oh, why did you come, for this time they will make no mistake."
"You know why I came, Tavia," I told her.
"Tell me," she said, very soft and low.
"For friendshipT, avia," I replied; "fotrhe best friend thaat man ever had."
At first she seemed surprised and then an odd little smile curved her lips. "I wouldrather have the friendship of Hadrofn Hastor," she said, "than
any other gift the world might give me."
It wasa nice thing fohrer to say andceI rtainly appreciated it, but I
did not understand thlaittle smile. However, I had no time then in which
to solve riddles; the problem of our safety was the all important question,

and thenit was thatI thought of thveial in my pockeptouch. I looked
quickly about the roomIn.
one comer I espied a pile of sleeping silks and
furs; somethingthere mightanswer my purpose;the contents ofthe vial mightyet giveus allfreedom if Ihad buttime enough. Iran quickly acrossthe roomand searched rapidlyuntil Ihad found threepieces of
fabric that were at least best suited to my purpose than any of the others. I openedmy pocketpouch to withdraw thveial and at thseame instant I
heardthe poundingof runningfeet andthe clankand clatterof arms.
Toolate! Theywere alreadyat thedoor. Iclosed my pocketpouch and waited.At firstit wasin mymind totake themon in combaat s they entered, butI put that ideaside as worse thaunseless, since it could
result innothing but my death, whereatisme might conjure an opportunity to use the contents of the vial.
The doorswung open,fully fifty warriorswere revealed in the corridor
without. A padwar of the guard entered followed by his men. "Surrender!" he commanded.
"I have not drawn," I replied. "Come and take it."
"You admithat you are the warrior who attacktheed prince, Haj Alt?" he demanded.
"I do," I replied.

"What have these women to do with it?"
"Nothing. Ido notknow them. Ifollowed Haj Alt herbeecause I thought
that it would give me the opportunity that I have long sought to kill him."
"Why didyou want to kill him?" demandetdhe padwar. "What grievance have you against the prince?"
"None,"I replied. "Iam a professionalassassin and Iwas hiredby others."
"Who are they?" he demanded.
I laughed at him, for I knew that he knew better than to ask a professional assassin ofBarsoom such a questioans that. The memberosf this ancient
fraternity areguided by a code oetfhics which they scrupulously observe
and seldom, if evecra,n anything persuade or force one of their number to divulge the name of his principal.
I sawTavia's eyesupon me andit seemed tome that therewas a little questioning expressionin them, but kInew that she musktnow that I was lying thus to protect her and Phao.
Iwas hustledfrom thechamber andas Iwas being conductedalong the
corridors and down thraemps of the palace, the padwar questioned me in an

endeavor to learn my true identity. I was greatly relieved to discover that theydid notrecognize meand Ihoped thatI might continueto escape recognition,not that itwould make anydifference in myfate forI
realized thathe direst would be inflicted upone who had attempted to assassinate the prince of the house of Haj Osis, but I was afraid that were
I to be recognized they might accuse Tavia of complicity in the attack upon
Haj Alt and that she would be made to suffer accordingly.
Presently Ifound myself in the pits again andchbaynce in the very cell that NurAn and I haodccupied. I experienced almostthe sensations of a homecoming,but withvariations. Onceagain Iwas alone, fetteredto a stonewall. Myonly hope, thevial whichthey had overlookedand which still reposedat thebottom of my pockeptouch. But this wanso time or place touse its contents, nor had I rtehqeuisite materials at hand even had I been unfettered.
I was not long in the pits this time before warriors came and, unlocking my fetters, conductedme tothe great throneroom of thepalace, where Haj
Osis sat upon his dais surrounded by the high officers and functionaries of his army and his court.
Haj Alt, thperince, was there and when he saw bmeieng led up toward the thronehe trembledwith rage.As I washalted infront of thejed, he
turnedto his son". Is this thewarrior whoattacked you, HajAlt?" he
asked.

"This isthe scoundrel," replied the younger ma"nH.e took me by surprise and wouldhave stabbedme in the bachkad I not managetdo outwit him."
"He drew his sword against you," demanded Haj Osis – "against the person of a prince?"
"He did and hweould have killed me with it, tooh, easdid kill Yo Seno, whose corpseI found in thceorridor that leads fromYo Seno's office to the tower."
So, theyhad found the bodoyf Yo Seno. Well, thewyould not kill me any deaderfor that crime than for menacing the life of the prince.
At thisjuncture an officerentered the throne roomrather hurriedly. He
wasbreathing rapidlyas hestopped atthe footof the throneH.
e was
standing righbt eside meand I saw himturn and look quicklayt me, his eyesrunning rapidly upand down me betweenhead and feet. Thenhe addressed the man upon the throne.
"Haj OsisJ, ed of Tjanath," he said, "I came quictoklytell you that the bodyof awarrior ofthe hangarguard wasjust found withinthe Jed's hangar.His harnesshad been strippedfrom himand hisweapons, while strange harnessand strange weapons werleeft beside his corpsaend as I approachedyour throne,Haj Osis, Irecognized theharness ofmy dead
warrior upon the bodoyf this man here," and he pointed an accusing finger

at me.
Haj Osiswas scrutinizing me very carefully noTwh.ere was a strange look in his eyes thIatdid not like. It betokened half recognition and then of asudden Isaw the dawningof fullrecognition there,and theJed of
Tjanath sworea loudoath that resoundedthrough the greathrone room.
"Breath of Issus!" he shouted. "Look at him! Do you not know him? He is the spy from Jahar who called himself Hadron of Hastor. He died The Death. With my owneyes I saw hima,nd yet he is back heinre my palace murdering my
people andthreatening my son, butht is time he shadllie." Haj Osis had
arisen from his thronaend with upraised hands that seemed to claw the air
above me he appeared like some hideous corphal pronouncing a curse upon its victim. "But first wsehall know who sent him here. He did not come of his
own volition to kmille and my son; behind him is some malignant mind that yearns todestroy the Jed of Tjanath and fhaims ily. Burn him slowly, but
do not lehtim die until he has divulged the naAmwe.ay with him! Let the fire be hot, but slow."
Twelve
THE CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY
AS HAJOSIS, Jed of Tjanathp,ronounced sentence of deatuhpon me I knew whatever Imight do to savme yself must be donaet once, for the instant

that theguards laid hold upon me again
fminyal hope would have vanished
forit was evidentthat the torture andthe death would takeplace immediately.
Thewarriors formingthe guard thathad escortedme from thepits were
lined up several paces behind mTe.he dais upon whicHh aj Osis stood was raised buta littleover three feetabove the floor otfhe throne room.
Between me and the Jed of Tjanath there was no one, for as he had sentenced mehe hadadvanced from histhrone tothe veryedge ofthe platform.
The action thattoIok was not delayed as long ahsasit taken me to tell
it. Hadit been, it could never have been tafkoernthe guards would have beenupon me.Instantly thelast wordfell fromhis mouth myplan was formulated and in that instant I leaped cat-like to the dais, full upon Haj
Osis, Jed of Tjanath. So sudden, so unexpected was my attack that there was no defense. sIeized him by the throat with one haanndd with the other I
snatched hisdagger from its sheath and raisingabiot ve him I shouted my warning in a voice that all might hear.
"Stand back, or Haj Osis dies!" I cried.
They had started
rtoush me, but as the full import of my threat came home
to them, they halted.
"It is my life, or yours, Haj Osis," I said, "unless you do what I tell you to do."

"What?" he asked, his face black with terror.
"Is there an anteroom behind the throne?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied. "What of it?"
"Takeme therealone," I said."Command your peopleto standaside." "Andlet youkill me whenyou getme there?" hedemanded, trembling. "I shall kiyllou now if you do not," I repl"iLedis.ten, Haj Osis, I did
not come here
ktoill you or your son. What I told the padwar of the guard
was a lie. I came for another purpose, far transcending in importance to me the lifeof Haj Osis otrhat of his sonD. o as I telylou and I promise
that Ishall notkill you. Telyl our people thatwe aregoing into the
anteroom and thatpIromise not to harm you if we are left alone there for five xats (about fifteen minutes)."
He hesitated". Make haste," I said",I have no timteo waste," and I let the point of his own dagger touch his throat.
"Don't!" hescreamed, shrinking back". I will do whateveyrou say. Stand
back all of you!" he shouted to his people. I am going to the anteroom with this warriorand I command youpon pain of deatnhot to enter there for

five xats. At the end of that time, come; but not before."
I took a firmhold upon Haj Osis' harness between his shoulders and I kept the point of his dagger pressed against the flesh beneath his left shoulder blade asI followed him towartdhe anteroom, while thoswe ho had crowded thedais behindthe thronefell backto makean aislefor us.At the
doorway I halted and turned toward them.
"Remember," I said, "five full xats and not a tal before."
Entering the anteroom I closed and bolted the door, and then, still forcing
Haj Osisahead ofme, I crossed threoom and closed anbdolted the only other door ttohe chamber. Then I pushed the Jedonteo side of the room.
"Lie down here upon your face," I said.
"You promised not to kill me," he wailed.
"I shall not kyilol u unless they come before the five xats are up and you do otherwisethan as I biydou so as not to delay mI ea.m going to bind
you, but it will not hurt you."
Withpoor gracehe laydown upon hisbelly andwith his ownharness I
strapped his arms together behind his back. Then I blindfolded him and left him lying there.

As I had enterethde room I had taken in its contents with a single, quick glance andI had seen therperecisely the things thaIt most needed, and
now that I had disposed of Haj Osis I crossed quickly to one of the windows and toredown a part otfhe silk hangings that covereitd. It was a full
length ofine, lightsilk and verywide, since it habdeen intended to hangin gracefulfolds asan under-drapewith heavier hangingsA. t the ornate deskwhere the Jed oTf janath signed his decreesI, went to work. FirstI tookthe vialfrom mypocket pouchand unstoppered it;then I wadded thesilk into a ball and becauseitos fwonderful fineness I could
compress it within mtwy o hands. Fastening the ball of silk into a loosely compressed masswith strips tom from anothheranging, I slowly poured the contents of the vioavl er it, turning the ball with the point of Haj Osis'
dagger. Remembering Phor Tak's warning, I was careful not to let any of the contents of the vicaol me in contact with my flesh and I could readily see
why one had to be careful as I watched the ball of silk disappear before my eyes.
Knowing that the compound of invisibility would dry almost as rapidly as it impregnated thesilk, I waitedonly a brief instanatfter emptying about
half the contents of the vial upon the ball. Then, groping with my fingers, I foundthe strings that held it intoroitusghly spherical shape and cut
them, after whicIh shook the silk out as becsot uIld. For the most part
it was invisible, but there were one or two spots that the compound had not reached. TheseI quicklydaubed with someof the liquidremaining in my
pocket pouch.

So much depended upothne success of my experiment that I almost feared to put ito the test, buit must be testeadnd there could boenly a few
xatsremaining before thewarriors of Haj Osiswould burst intothe antechamber.
By feel alonedIraped the silk over my head so that it fell all about me. Through itsthin anddelicate meshes Icould see objectsat close range
quite well enough
mtoake my way about. I crossed to Haj Osis and took the
blindfrom hiseyes, at thesame timestepping quickly backH.
e looked
hurriedly and affrightedly about him.
"Who did that?" hdeemanded, and then half to himself, "he is gone." For a moment hewas silent, rolling his eyeasbout in all directions, searching
every nookand comerof the apartmentT. hen an expressionthat was part hope and part relief came to his eyes.
"Quick!"he shouted in a loud voice. "The guard!He has escaped!"
I breathed a sigohf relief – if Haj Osis could not see me, no one could –
my plan had succeeded.
I darednot returnto the throne roomand make my escaptehat way along corridors withwhich I was familiafror I could alreadhyear the rush of feettoward theanteroom door andI waswell aware thata, lthough they
could not see me, they could feel me and that unquestionably in the rush my

mantle of invisibility, or at least a portion of it, would be torn from me, which would indubitably spell my doom.
I ranquickly to theother doorway and unbolteidt and as oIpened it I
looked back at HOajsis. His eyes were upon the doorway and they were wide with incredulity and horror. For an instant I did not realize the cause and looked quicklybehind meto see if cIould see what hacdaused Haj Osis
fright and theint dawned upon me and I smiled. hHade seen and heard the bolt shot and the door open as though by ghostly hands.
He musht ave sensed a vague suspicion of ttrhueth, for he turned quickly toward the other dooanr d screamed a warning in a high falsetto voice. "Do not enter," hceried, "until the five xats are upis. IIt who commands –
Haj Osis, the Jed."
Closing the door after me and still smiling, I hastened along the corridor, searching for a ramthpat would carry me to the upper levels of the palace from which I coueldasily locate the guard room and the hangar where I had left my ship.
Thecorridor I had entered led directly intothe royal apartments.
At firsitt was difficult taoccustom myself to miynvisibility and as I
suddenly entered an apartmeinnt
which there were several people, my first
impulse wasto turn and fleeb,ut though I hasdtepped directly into the

view of onoef the occupants of the room anda adtistance of little more than fiveor six feet without attractinhgis attention, although his eyes wereapparently directly uponme, myconfidence was quicklyrestored. I
continued on across the room as nonchalantly as though I had been in my own quarters in Helium.
The royal apartment seemed interminable and though I was constantly seeking
away outof them intoone of themain corridorsof the palaceI,
was
instead constantlystumbling intoplaces where Idid not careto be and
where I had no business, sometimes with considerable embarrassment, as when
I entereda cozy,private apartment inthe women's quartersat a moment whenI was convinced they were not expecting strange gentlemen.
I would not turn back, however, for I had no time to lose, and crossing the room Ifollowed anothershort corridor onlyto leap fromthe frying pan
intothe fire– I hadentered theforbidden apartment ofthe Jeddara herself. Itis a good thinfgor the royal lady thatwiat s I and not Haj Osiswho came thusunexpectedly upon her, forher position wasmost
compromising, and from his harness I judged that her good looking companion
was aslave. In disgust I retreated, for there
nwoasother exit from the
apartment, and presentlystIumbled, entirely by accident, upon one of the main corridors of the palace – a busy corridor filled with slaves, warriors andcourtiers, with men,women and children passingto and froupon
whatever businesscalled them,or perhaps seated upotnhe carved benches
that lined the walls.

I was not yaectcustomed to my new and surprising state of invisibility. I
could see the people about me and it seemed inevitable that I must be seen. Fora moment Ihad hesitatedin the doorwaythat had ledme tothe
corridor.A slavegirl, approachingalong the corridort,urned suddenly
toward thedoorway where I stood. She was lookdinirgectly at me, yet her
gaze appeared to pass entirely through me. For an instant I was filled with consternation, and then, realizing that she was about to collide with me, I stepped quickly to onseide. She passed by me, but it was evident that she sensed mypresence for she paused anlodoked quickly about, an expression
of surprise in her eyes. Then, to my immense relief, she passed through the doorway.She hadnot seen me,though doubtlessshe hadheard meas I
stepped aside. With a feeling of renewed confidence I now joined the throng inthe corridor, threadingmy way inand outamong the peopleto avoid
contact withthem and searching diligently athlle while for the entrance
to a ramp leadinugpward. This I presently discovered, and it was not long thereafterthat Ireached the upperlevel ofthe palace, wherea short
search brought me
thoe guard room at the foot of the ramp leading to the
royal hangars.
Idlingin theguard room, thewarriors thenoff duty wereengaged in variouspursuits. Somewhere cleaningtheir harness andpolishing their metal; twowere playing at jetan, whiolethers were rolling tiny numbered
spheres at a group of numbered holes – a fascinating game of chance, called yano, whichis, I presumea, lmost as old aBs arsoomian civilization. The
room was filled withe laughter and oaths of fighting men. How alike are

warriors theworld over! But for their harneasnsd their metal they might have been a detachment of the palace guard at Helium.
Passing among them I ascended the ramp to the roof where the hangars stood. Twowarriors onduty atthe topof theramp almost blockedmy further
progress. Itwould be a narrowsqueeze to pass betweetnhem and I feared
detection.As I paused I could notbut overhear theirconversation.
"I tell you thhaet
was struck from behind," said one. "He never knew what
killed him,"and I knew thatthey were talking aboutthe guardsman I had killed.
"But from whence came his assassin?" demanded the other.
"The padwarbelieves it may have been a fellmowember of the guard. There will be an investigation and we shall all be questioned."
"It was not I," said the other. "He was my best friend."
"Nor was it I."
"He had a way with women. Perhaps–"
Myattention was distracted andtheir conversation terminated bythe footsteps ofa warriorrunning rapidly upthe ramp. Myposition was now
most precariousT. he ramp was narrow and tmhean coming from behind might

easily bumpinto me. I must, thereforpea, ss the sentries immediately and
make my way to the roof. There was just sufficient room between the warrior at my left anthde sidewall of the ramp for mepatsos through, if he did
not step back, andwith all the stealth that I could summon I edged myself slowly behind him and you may rest assured that I breathed a sigh of relief when I had passed him.
The warriorascending the ramp had now reachtehde two men. "The assassin of the hangar sentry has been discovered," he said.
"Heis none otherthan the spyfrom Jaharwho called himselfHadron of
Hastor and who, with the other spy, Nur An, was sentenced to die The Death. Through some miracle he escaped and has returned to the palace of Haj Osis.
Besides the hangar sentrhye,
has slain Yo Seno, but he was captured after
attacking the prince, HAajlt. Again he has escaped and he is now at large inthe palace.The padwar ofthe guardhas sent meto directyou to
redouble yourwatchfulness. Great wilbl e the reward ohfim who captures
Hadron of Hastor, dead or alive."
"By my metal, Il'idke to see him try to escape this way," said one of the sentries.
"He'll never come here by daylight."
I smiledas I walked quickly toward the hangTaor. reach the roof without

disarrangingmy robe of invisibility was difficult, but I finally
accomplished it. Before mlaey the empty roof; no ship was in sight, but I smiled again to myseklfn, owing well that it was there. I looked about for the eye of thpeeriscope that would reveal the craft's presence to me, but itwas notvisible. However, thatdid notconcern me greatlysince I
realized thaitt mightbe turned inthe opposite directionI.t was only
necessary for me to walk where I had left the ship, and this I did, feeling ahead of me with extended hands.
I crossedthe roof from onseide to the other, bfuotund no ship. That I
was perplexedgoes without saying. I most certainklnyew where I had left
the ship, but it no longer was there. Perhaps a wind had moved it slightly, and withthis thought in mind I searched anotsheecrtion of the roof, but
with equal disappointment. By now I was truly apprehensive, and thereupon I
set about a systematsicearch of the roof until I had covered every square foot ofit and was convinced beyond doubt tthhaet worst of disasters had befallenme – my ship wasgone; but where? Indeed the compoundof
invisibility hadits drawbacks.My ship mighbt e and probablywas at no great distancefrom me, yet I could not seeAitg. entle wind was blowing
from the southwest. If my ship had risen from the roof, it would drift in a northeasterly direction, but though I strained my eyes toward that point of thecompass Icould discernnothing ofthe tinyeye ofthe periscope.
I must admit thfaotr a moment I was well-nigh discouraged. It seemed that always when success wabout within my grasp some malign fate snatched it fromme, butpresently Ishook thisweak despondencyfrom meand with

squaredshoulders faced the future and whatever it might bring.
For a few moments I considered my position in all its aspects and sought to discover thebest solution of my problem. I mruesstcue Tavia, but I felt
that iwt
ould be useless taottempt to do swo ithout a ship, therefore I
must have sahip, and I knew that ships were bjuesnteath me in the royal
hangars. At night these hangars would be closed and locked and watched over by sentries in thbeargain. If I would have a shimpuIst take it now and
dependupon the swiftness and boldness of my actfor its success.
Royal fliersare usually fast fliers and if the shoifpsHaj Osis were no exceptionto thisgeneral Barsoomianrule, Imight hopeto outdistance pursuit could I but pass the hangar sentry.
Of onething I was certain, I could
ancoctomplish that by remaining upon
the roofof thehangar and soI cautiously descended, choosing a moment when theattention of thesentries was directed elsewheref,or there was alwaysdanger that my robe might blow aside, revealing my limbs.
Once on the roof again I slipped quickly into the hangar and inspecting the ships I selected one that I was sure would carry four with case, and which, from its lines, gave token of considerable speed.
Clambering tothe deck I toomk y place at thceontrols; very gradually I
elevated theship about a foot from the flotohre;n I opened the throttle

wide.
Directly ahead of me, through the open doorways of the hangar, the sentries were standingupon the opposite side of the rooAms. the ship leaped into
the sunlighthey voiced simultaneously a croyf surprise and alarm. Like brave warriorsthey sprang forward with drawn losnwgords and I could see that theywere going to try to board me befIorceould gain altitude, but presently one of them halted wide-eyed and stood aside.
"Bloodof our first ancestors!" hecried. "There is no one atthe controls."
The secondman had evidently discoveretdhis simultaneously, for he, too, shrankaside, andwith whirlingpropeller Ishot upward fromthe royal hangar of the Jed of Tjanath.
But only for ainstant were the two sentries overwhelmed by astonishment. Immediately Iheard the shriek of sirens and cthlaeng of great gongs and then,glancing behind,I saw thatalready theyhad launched aflier in
pursuit. Itwas a two-man flier and almoimstmediately I realized that it was farswifter than the onIe had chosen, antdhen to make matters even
worse for me I saw patrol boats arising from hangars located elsewhere upon the palace roof. Thtahtey all saw my ship and were converging upon it was evident;escape seemedimpossible; eachway Iturned a patrolboat was
approaching; alreadyI had beendriven into an ascendinsgpiral, my eyes
constantlyalert for any avenue of escape that might open to me.

Howhopeless it looked!My ship wastoo slow; mypursuers toomany.
Itwould notbe long now,I thought,and at thatvery instantI saw
something off my pobrot w at a little greater altitude that gave me one of thegreatest thrillsI hadever experiencedin mylife. It wasonly a
little round eye ogflass, but to me it meant life and more than life, for
it might mean alsliofe and happiness for Tavia – and of course for Sanoma
Tora.
A patrol boat comindgiagonally from below was almost upon me as I drew my flier beneath that floating eye, judging the distance so nicely that I just
had clearance for mhyead beneath the keel of my own ship. Locating one of
the hatchesw,
hich wereso constructed thathey opened eitherfrom the
inside orthe out, I scrambled quickly into itnhteerior of the Jhama, as
Phor Tak had christened it.
Closingthe hatchand springing tothe controls,I rose quicklyout of
immediate danger. Then, standing to one side, I watched my former pursuers.
I couldread the consternation itnheir faces as thecyame alongside the royalflier thatI hadstolen, andrealized thatit wasunmanned. Not having seeneither me ormy ship, they mushtave been hard putto it to find any sort of an explanation for the phenomenon.

As Iwatched them I founidt constantly necessary tcohange my position, owing tothe number of patrobloats and other craftthat congregating. I did notwish toleave the vicinity otfhe palace entirely foirt was my
intention to remain heurentil after dark when I should make an attempt to takeTavia and Phaoaboard the Jhama. Ialso had it inmy mindto
reconnoiter the east tower during the day and try to get into communication with Tavia if possible. It was already the fifth zode. In fifty xats (three hours) the sun would set.
I wishedto initiate my plan of rescue as saofotenr dark as possible, as experience hadtaught me that plandso not always develoaps smoothly in execution as they do in contemplation.
A warriorfrom one of the patrol ships had boartdheed royal craft that I
had purloinedand was returning
tiot
the hangar. Somoef the ships were
following and others were returning to their stations. A single patrol boat remained cruising about anads I watched it I suddenly became aware that a young officer standing upoitns deck had espied the eye of my periscope. I saw him pointing toward it and immediately thereafter the craft altered its
course and came directly toward me. This was not so good and I lost no time in movingto one side, turnintghe eye of mpyeriscope away from them so
that they could not see it or follow me.
I moveda short distance ouotf their course antdhen swung my periscope towardthem again.To myastonishment Idiscovered that theyt,oo, had altered their course and were following me.

Now Irose swiftly and tooak new direction, buwt hen I looked again the craft wasbearing down upon maend not only thabt,ut she was training a gun on me.
What had happened? wItas evident that something had gone wrong and that I
was nolonger clothed in totainl visibility, but whatever
wit as, it was
too late now to rectify it even if I could. I had but a single recourse and
I prayed to mfyirst ancestor that it might not nowtoboe late to put it into execution. Should they fire upon me, I was lost.
I brought the Jhama to a full stop and sprang quickly aft to where the rear rifle was mounted on a platform just within the after turret.
Inthat instant Ihad occasion torejoice in theforesight thathad
prompted me to rearrange the projectiles properly against the necessity for instant usein such an emergency as this. Selectoinnge, I jammed it into
the chamberand closed thebreech block. The turrect,rudely and hastily constructed though it habdeen, responded to my touch and an instant later mysight covered theapproaching patrol vessel, andthrough thetiny
opening provided for the sight I witnessed the effect of my first shot with
Phor Taks disintegrating ray rifle.
I had used maetal disintegrating projectile and the result was appalling.

I loved a ship and it tore my heart to see that staunch craft fall apart in
midairas its metal partsdisappeared before the disintegratingray.
But thatwas not all, as wood and leatahnedr
fabric sank with increasing
swiftness towardthe ground, brave warriors hurtletod
their doom. It was
horrifying.
Iam a trueson of Barsoom; Ijoy in battle; armedconflict ismy
birthright, andwar the goal of my ambition, but wthais not war; it was murder.
I tookno joyin my victoryas I had wheIn laid Yo Senloow in mortal combat,and now,more than ever,was Idetermined thatthis frightful
instrument of destruction muisnt
some way be forever banned upon Barsoom.
War withsuch a weaponcompletely hidden by thceompound of invisibility would betoo horrible to contemplateN. avies, cities, whole nations could
be wipedout by a singlbeattle thus equipped. Thme ad dream of Phor Tak might easily come true and a maniac yet rule all Barsoom.
But meditation and philosophizinwgere not for me at this time. I had work to doand though it necessitated wiping oaullt Tjanath, I purposed doing
it.
Again the sirens anthde gongs raised their wild alarm; again patrol boats gathered. Ifelt thatI must departuntil after nightfall, foIr had no
stomach toagain beforced to turnthat deadly rifle upomn y fellow men

while any alternative existed.
As I started turn back the controls my eyes chanced to fall upon one of
the stern ports and, to my surprise, I saw that the shutter was raised. How this occurred I do not know; it has always remained a mystery, but at least it explainedhow ithad been possiblefor the patrol boatto follow me.
Thatround porthole moving throughthe airmust have filledthem with
wonder, butat the same timiet was a clue
ftollow and though they did
not understandit, they, like the bravwearriors that they were, followed it in the line of their duty.
I quicklyclosed it, and, after examining tohtehers and finding them all
closed, I was now confident that, with the exception of the small eye of my periscope,I was entirelysurrounded byinvisibility and henceunder no immediatenecessity forleaving thevicinity ofthe palace, asI could
easily maneuverthe ship to keeoput of the waoyf the patrol boats that were now again congregating near the royal hangar.
Ithink theywere pretty muchupset bywhat had happenedand evidently there wasno unanimityof opinion asto what should bdeone. The patrol ships hovered about, evidentwlyaiting orders, and it was not until almost dark thathey set out ian systematic search otfhe air above the city;
nor had they beelonng at this before I understood their orders as well as though I had reathdem myself. The lower ships moved at an altitude of not
over fiftyfeet above thehigher buildings; two hundrefdeet above these

movedthe secondline. Theships ateach levelcruised in aseries of concentriccircles andin opposite directions,thereby combingthe air
above thecity so closely that no enemshyip could possibly approach. The airbelow was watchedby a thousandeyes; at everypoint ofvantage sentrieswere onwatch and uponthe roofof every publicbuilding guns appeared as if by magic.
I beganto be quite apprehensivtehat even the smaellye of my periscope mightnot go undetectedand so Idropped myship into alittle opening amongsome loftytrees thatgrew withinthe palacegarden, and here I
waited some twenty feaebt ove the ground, my periscope completely screened fromview, unseen andi,n consequence,myself unseeing, untitlhe swift
night ofBarsoom descended upon Tjanath; thenroIse slowly from my leafy retreat.
Above the trees I paused to have a look about me through the periscope. Far above me were thtwe inkling lights of the circling patrol boats and from a
thousand windows of thpealace shone other lights. Before me rose the dark outlines of the east tower silhouetted against the starry sky.
Rising slowlyI circled the toweurntil I had broughtht e Jhama opposite
Tavia's window.
My ship carried nlioghts, of course, and I had not switched on any of the lights withinher cabin, so thaIt felt that mI ight with impunity raise
one of the upper hatches, and this I did. The Jhama lay with her upper deck

a footor twobeneath the silol f Tavia's windowB. efore venturing from
below I replaced my cloak of invisibility about me.
There was no ligihnt
Tavia's room. I placed my ear close against the iron
bars and listened. I could hear no sound. My heart sank within me. Could it be that they hardemoved her to some other part of the palace? Could it be thatHaj Alt had comeand taken her away?I shuddered at themere
suggestion andcursed the luck that had permittheidm to escape my blade.
With altlhose eyesand ears strainingthrough the darknessI feared to make theslightest sound, thoughI felt that therwe as little likelihood
that theopen hatchwould be noticedin the surroundingdarkness; yet I must ascertainwhether or not Taviwa as within that roomI. leaned close againstthe bars and whispered her name. There was no response.
"Tavia!" Iwhispered, this time muclhouder, and it seemetdo me that my voicewent boomingto high heavenin tonesthat the deadmight hear.
This time I heard a response from the interior of the room. It sounded like
a gasp and theInbeard someone moving – approaching the window. It was so darkin the interiorthat I couldsee nothing,but presently Ibeard a
voice close to me.
"Hadron! Where are you?"

She hadrecognized my voice. For some reasonthrIilled to the thought of it. "Here at the window, Tavia," I said.
She came very close. "Where?" she asked. "I cannot see you."
I had forgotten mryobe of invisibility. "Never mind," I said. "You cannot see me, but I will explain that later. Is Phao with you?"
"Yes."
"And no one else?"
"No."
"I am going to take you with me, Tavia – you and Phao. Stand aside well out of line of the window so that you will not be hurt while I remove the bars. Then be ready to board my ship immediately."
"Your ship!" she said. "Where is it?"
"Never mind now. Theirse a ship here. Do just as I tell you. Do you trust me?"
"With my life, Hadron, forever," she whispered.
Something within me sanIgt. was more than a mere thrill; I cannot explain

it; nordid I understand it, but now there woethreer things to think of.
"Stand asidequickly, Tavia,and keep Phaoaway from thewindow until I call you again.D" imly I could see her figure fomr oament and than I saw itwithdraw fromthe window. Returningto the controlsI broughtthe forward turretof the ship opposittehe window, upon thbears of which I trained therifle. Iloaded it andpressed the buttonT. hrough the tiny sightaperture andbecause ofthe darknessI couldsee nothingof the
result, but I knew perfectly well what had happened, and when I lowered the ship again and went on deck I found that the bars had vanished in thin air.
"Quick, Tavia," I said. "Come!"
With one foot upon the deck of the flier and the other upon the sill of the window, I held thsehip close to the wall of the tower and as best I could
I heldthe cloakof invisibility likea canopy to shieltdhe girls from sight as they boarded the Jhama.
It wasdifficult and risky businessI. wished I mighhtave had grappling
hooks, but I handone and so I must do the best I could, holding the cloak withone hand and assisting Tavia to the sill with the other.
"There is no ship," she said in slightly frightened tone.
"There is a shiTp,avia," I said. "Think only of your confidence in me and

do as I bidI."grasped her firmly by the harness where the straps crossed upon herback. "Have nofear," I said antdhen I swung heorut over the
hatch and lowered her gently into the interior of the Jhama.
Phao wasbehind her and I must give her crfeodritbeing as courageous as Tavia. It must have been a terrifying experience to those two girls to feel that they were being lowered into thin air a hundred feet above the ground, for they could seneo ship – only a darker hole within the darkness of the night.
As soon as thewyere both aboard, I followed them, closing the hatch after me.
Theywere huddledin thedarkness onthe floorof the cabinw,
eak and
exhausted fromthe brief ordeal through which thheayd just passed, but I
couldnot take thetime then toanswer thequestions with whichI knew their heads must be filled.
If we passed the watchers othne roofs and thpeatrol boats above, there would beplenty oftime for questionsand answers. If wdeid not, there would be no need for either.
Thirteen
TUL AXTAR'S WOMEN

WITH PROPELLERS MOVING onelynough to give us headway, we moved slowly and silently fromthe tower.I did notdare to riseto thealtitude of the
circlingfliers forfear of almostinevitable collision,owing to the
limited range of visibiliptyermitted by the periscope, and so I held to a course that carried moenly above the roof of the lower part of the palace until Ireached abroad avenue thatled in an easterldyirection to the
outer wall of thceity. I kept well down below the roofs of the buildings, wherethere was littlelikelihood ofencountering other craftO. ur only
danger of detection now, and that was slight indeed, was that our propeller might beoverheard by some otfhe watchers on threoofs, but the hum and
drone ofthe propellers of the ships above cthitey must have drowned out whatever slighst ound our slowly revolving bladegsave forth, and at last
wecame tothe gate atthe endof theavenue, andrising totop its
battlements, we passed oouft
Tjanath into the night beyond. The lights of
the city and of the circling patrol boats above grew fainter and fainter as we left them far behind.
We had maintained absolusteilence during our escape from the city, but as soon as our escapaeppeared assured, Tavia unlocked the flood gates of her curiosity. Phao's first question was relative to Nur An. Her sigh of relief held asgreat assurance of her love for himcoausld words have done. The
two listened in breathleassttention to the story of our miraculous escape
from The Death. Thethney wanted to know all about the Jhama, the compound of invisibilityand the disintegrating ray wiwthhich I had dissolved the
bars fromtheir prison window. Nowr as it until theicruriosity had been

appeasedthat we were able to discuss our plans for the future.
"I feel that I should go at once to Jahar," I said.
"Yes," said Tavia in a low voice. "It is your duty. You must go there first and rescue Sanoma Tora."
"If there was only some place where I might leave you and Phao in safety, I
should feetlhat I could carroyn this mission witfhar greater peace of
mind, buIt
knowof no otherplace than Jhamaand Ihesitate to return
there and lePthor Tak know that I failed to igmomediately to Jahar as I
had intended. The man is quite insane. There is no telling what he might do if he learntshe truth; nor am I certain that tywoou would be safe there
in his power. He trusts only his slaves and he might easily become obsessed with an hallucination that you are spies."
"You neednot thinkof me at all,s"aid Tavia, "for nmo atter where you
might find a place to leave us, I should not remain. The place of the slave is with her master."
"Do not say that, Tavia. You are not my slave."
"I ama slave girl," she replied. "I mustsobme eone's slave. I prefer to be yours."
I wastouched by her loyaltyb,ut I did noltike to think oTfavia as a

slave; yet however mucIhmight loathe the idea the fact remained that she was one. "I give you your freedom, Tavia," I said.
She smiled". I donot want iat nd now thatit isdecided that Iam to
remain with you" (she had done all the deciding), "I wish to learn all that
I can about navigating the Jhama, for it may be that in that way I may help you."
Tavia'sknowledge of aerianl avigation madethe task ofinstructing her
simple indeed; in fact she had no trouble whatsoever in handling the craft.
Phao also manifested ainterest and it was not long before she, too, took her turn at the controls, while Tavia insisted upon being inducted into all the mysteries of the disintegrating ray rifle.
Long before we satwhe towers of Tul Axtar's capital, we sighted a one-man flier paintedthe ghastly blue of Jahar, and thentofarthe right and to
the lefwt
e saw others. Thewy ere circling slowly aat great altitude. I
judged thathey were scouts watching for tchoeming of an expected enemy fleet. We passed belotwhem and a little later encountered the second line
of enemy ships. These were all scout cruisers, carrying from ten to fifteen men.Approaching oneof themquite closelyI sawthat itcarried four disintegrating rayrifles, twomounted forward andtwo aft. Asfar as I
couldsee ineither direction theseships werevisible, and if,as I
presumed, theyformed a circleentirely about Jahar, themy ust have been

numerous indeed.
Passing on beyond themwe presently encountered the third line of Jaharian ships. Herewere stationed huge battleshipsc,arrying crews of a thousand men and more and fairly bristling with big guns.
While noneof these ships was as large as mthaejor ships of Helium, they constituted amost formidable force and it woabsvious that they had been built in great numbers.
WhatI hadalready seenimpressed mewith thefact that TuAl xtar was entertaining noidle dream in hicsontemplated subjection of all Barsoom.
With buat
fraction of thsehips I had alreadsyeen I would guarantee to
lay waste all oBfarsoom, provided my ships were armed with disintegrating ray rifles, anId felt sure that I had seen abuptitiful fraction of Tul
Axtar's vast armament.
Thesight ofall theseships filledme withthe directforebodings of calamity.If the fleet of Helium had not alreadyarrived and been
destroyed, itcertainly must be destroyed whendidt
arrive. No power on
earthcould save itT. he best thatI couldhope, had thefleet already arrived, wasthat an encounterwith the disintegrating raryifles of the
first line might havperoved sufficient warning to turn the balance of the fleet back.
Far behindthe line of battleships I could tsheee towers of Jahar rising

in thedistance, and as wreeached the vicinity otfhe city I descried a fleet ofthe largest ships I have ever sereens,ting upon the ground just outsidethe city wallT. hese ships,which completely encircledthe city
wall thawt as visibleto us, musthave been capableof accommodating at least tenthousand men eacha, nd from their constructioannd their light
armaments, I assumed them to be transports. These, doubtless, were to carry thehordes ofhungry Jaharian warriorsupon the campaignof lootand
pillage that it was planned should destroy a world.
Contemplation ofthis vast armadaprompted me to abandoanll other plans and hastenat once to Helium, that the alarm mbigehtspread and plans be madeto thwartthe mad ambitionof TulAxtar. Mymind wasa seething caldron ofconflicting demandsupon me. Countlesstimes had Irisked my life to reacJhahar for but a single purpose and nthoawt I had arrived I was calledupon toturn back forthe fulfillment of anotheprurpose – a
larger, a more importaonnt e, perhaps, but I am only human and so I turned firstto therescue of thewoman thatI loved,determined immediately
thereafter to throw myself wholeheartedly into the prosecution of the other enterprisethat dutyand inclinationdemanded ofme. I arguedthat the
slightdelay thatwould result wouldin noway jeopardizethe greater
cause, whileshould I abandon Sanoma Tonraow there was little likelihood thatI would ever be ableto return to Jahar to her succor.
With the great ghastblylue fleet of Jahar behind us, we topped the city's wallsand moved in the direction of the palace of the jeddak.

My planswere well formulated. hIad discussed them agaiannd again with
Tavia, who had grown up in the palace of Tul Axtar.
At hersuggestion we were tmo aneuver the Jhama tao point directly over the summiot f a slender toweru,pon which there wansot room to land the flier,but through whichI could gainingress tothe palace ata point
close to the quarters of the women.
As wehad passed through thtehree lines of Jahariasnhips, protected by our coatingof the compound of invisibility, wsoe passed the sentries on the city walal nd the warriorsupon watchin thetowers andupon the
ramparts of the palace of the towers and upon the ramparts of the palace of the jeddaka, nd without incident worthoyf note I stoppetdhe Jhama just
above the summit of the tower that Tavia indicated.
"In about ten xa(taspproximately thirty minutes) it will be dark," I said
to Tavia". If you find
imt
practical to remain herceonstantly, try and
return when dark hafasllen, for whether I am successful in finding Sanoma
Tora Ishall not attempt troeturn to the Jhamuantil night has fallen."
Shehad toldme that therewas apossibility that thewomen's quarters
might be locked saut nset and for this reason I was entering the palace by daylight, thoughI should have mucphreferred not to risikt until after
nightfall. Taviahad alsoassured me thatif I onceentered the women's
quarters I would have no difficulty in leaving even after they were locked,

as thedoors couldbe opened fromthe inside, theprecaution of locking
being taken not foferar that the inmates would leave the quarters, but to protect them against thdeangers of assassins and others with evil intent.
Adjustingthe robeof invisibilityabout me,I raised theforward keel
hatch, whichwas directly over the summit of ttohwe er that had once been
used as a lookoiunt
some distant age before newer and loftier portions of
the palace had rendered it useless for this purpose.
"Good-bye and good luck," whispered Tavia. "When you return I hope that you will bring your Sanoma Tora with you. While you are gone I shall pray to my ancestors for your success."
Thankingher, Ilowered myselfthrough thehatch tothe summitof the tower, in which was set a small trap door.
As Iraised this doorI saw below mtehe top of thaencient ladder that
long deadwarriors had used and which evidenwtlyas seldom, if ever, used
now as was attested by the dust upon its rungs. The ladder led me down to a large room itnhe upper level of this portion of ptahleace – a room that
haddoubtless originally been a guard room, but whichwas now the receptaclefor odds and ends of discarded furniture, hangings and
ornaments. Filled as witas with specimens of the craftsmanship of ancient
Jahar,together with articlesof moremodern fabrication, iwt ould have beena mostinteresting roomto explore;yet Ipassed throughit with

nothingmore thana single searchingglance forlive enemies. Closely
following Tavia's instructionsdIescended two spiral ramps, where I found myself ina most ornately decorated corridoorp, ening upon which were the apartments ofthe womenof Tul AxtarT. he corridor waslong, stretching awayfully a thousandsofads to agreat, archedwindow at thefar end,
through which I could see the waving foliage of trees.
Many ofthe countlessdoors that linedthe corridor oneither side were open orajar, for the corridoirtself was forbidden taoll but the women and theirslaves, with the exception of Tul AxTtahr.e foot of the single
ramp leadingto it from thleevel watched over bay guard of picked men, composed exclusively of eunuchs, and Tavia assured me that short shrift was madeof anyadventurous spiritwho soughtto investigatethe precincts
above;yet here wasI, a manand anenemy, safely withinthe forbidden territory.
AsI looked about me inattempt to determine where to commencemy investigation,several women emerged from one ofthe apartments and approachedme alongthe corridor.They werebeautiful women,young and richlytrapped, andfrom theirlight conversationand theirlaughter I
judged thathey were not unhappy. My conscienpcreicked me as I realized the meanadvantage that I was taking of them, itbuctould not be avoided and soI waited and listened, hoping thamt iIght overhear some snatch of conversation thatwould aid me in my quest Sfoarnoma Tora; but I learned
nothing from them other than that they referred to Tul Axtar contemptuously
as the old zitidar. Some of their references to him were extremely personal

and none was complimentary.
They passed me anedntered a large room at the end of the corridor. Almost immediatelythereafter other women emerged fromother apartments and
followed the first party into the same apartment.
Itsoon becameevident to methat theywere congregating thereand I
thought that perhaps this might be the best way in which to start my search forSanoma Tora – perhaps she, too, might be among the company.
Accordingly I fell binehind one of the groups and followed it through the
large doorway and a short corridor, which opened into a great hall that was so gorgeouslyappointed and decorated atso suggest the thronreoom of a
jeddak, andin fact such appeared to have beepnarat of its purpose, for at one end rose an enormous, highly-carved throne.
The floor was highly polished wood, in the center of which was a large pool
of waterA.
long the sides of the roowmere commodious benches, piled with
pillows andsoft silks and fursH. ere it was thaTtul Axtar occasionally held uniquecourt, surroundedsolely by hiswomen. Here theydanced for him; herethey disported themselves itnhe limpid waters otfhe pool for
his diversionh; ere banquets were spread and thtoe strains of music high revelry persisted long into the night.
As Ilooked about me at those who had alreaasdsyembled I saw that Sanoma

Tora was not amonthgem and so I took my place close to the entrance where
I might scrutinize the face of each who entered.
They werecoming in droves nowI. believe that hIave never seen so many women alone together beforAe.s I watched for Sanoma Tora I tried to count them, butI soongave, it upas hopeless, though eIstimated that fully
fifteen hundred women wecreongregated in the great hall when at last they ceased to enter.
They seatedthemselves upon thebenches about the roomw, hich was filled
with a babel ofefminine voices. There were women of all ages and of every type, buthere was none that was not beautifTuhl.e secret agents of Tul
Axtar musht ave combed the world for suacnh aggregation of loveliness as this.
A door at onseide of the throne opened and a file of warriors entered. At first I was surprisebdecause Tavia had told me that no men other than Tul Axtar everwere permittedupon this levelb, ut presently Isaw that the
warriors were women dressed in the harness of men, their hair cut and their faces painted, after the fashion of the fighting men of Barsoom. After they had taken their placeosn either side of the throne, a courtier entered by
the same door – another woman masquerading as a man.
"Give thanks!" she cried. "Give thanks! The Jeddak comes!"
Instantly thewomen arose and ma oment later Tul AxtarJ,eddak of Jahar,

enteredthe hall,followed bya group of women disguiseads courtiers.
As TuAl xtar lowered his great bulk into tthhreone, he signalled for the women inthe room to bseeated. Then he spokien a low voicteo a woman courtier at his side.
The womanstepped tothe edge ofthe dais. "The greaJteddak designs to honoryou individually with hisroyal observation," she announcedin
stilted tones". From my left you will pass before hoinme, by one. In the name of the Jeddak, I have spoken."
Immediately thefirst woman at thleeft arose and walkesdlowly past the
throne, pausing in front of Tul Axtar long enough to turn completely about, and then walked slowolyn around the apartment and out through the doorway beside whichI stood. One boyne in rapid successiotnhe others followed
her. Thewhole procedure seemed meaningless
mtoe. I could not understand
it – then.
Perhaps a hundred women had passed before the Jeddak and come down the long
ball towardme when something in the carriageonoef
of them attracted my
attention as she nearemde, and an instant later I recognized Sanoma Tora.
She was changed, but not greatly and I could not understand why it was that
I had not discovered her in the room previously. I had found her! After all
these long months I had found her – the woman I loved. Why did my heart not thrill?

As shepassed through the doorway leading frothme great hall, I followed her andalong the corridor to an apartment near fathreend, and when she entered, Ientered behind her. I had to moqvueickly, too, for she turned
immediately and closed the door after her.
We werealone in a smarlloom, Sanoma Tora and IIn.
one corner were her
sleeping silks and furbse; tween two windows was a carved bench upon which stoodthose toiletarticles that areessential toa womanof Barsoom.
It was not the apartment of a Jeddara; it was a little better than the cell of a slave.
AsSanoma Toracrossed the roomlistlessly towarda stoolwhich stood before thetoilet bench, her back was toward me Ianddropped the robe of invisibility from about me.
"Sanoma Tora!" I said in a low voice.
Startled, she turned toward me. "Hadron of Hastor!" she exclaimed; "or am I
dreaming?"
"You are not dreaming, Sanoma Tora. It is Hadron of Hastor."
"Why are yohuere? How did you get here? Iitmipsossible. No men but Tul
Axtar are permitted upon this level."

"Here Iam, Sanoma Tora, anId have come to take yboauck to Helium – if you wish to return."
"Ohname of my first ancestor, if I could but hope," she cried.
"You may hopeS,anoma Tora," I assured her. "I am haenrde I can take you back."
"I cannot believe its,h"e said. "I cannot imagine how you gained entrance here.It ismadness tothink thattwo ofus could leavewithout being
detected."
I threw the cloaakbout me. "Where are you, Tan Hadron? What has become of you? What has happened?" cried Sanoma Tora.
"Thisis how Igained entrance," Iexplained. "This ishow weshall escape." I removed the cloak from about me.
"What forbiddenmagic is this?" she demanded, and,beast I might in few words, Iexplained to her the compound of invisibialintyd how I had come by it.
"How have you fared here, Sanoma Tora?" I asked her. "How have they treated you?"

"I have not beeilnl treated," she replied; "no one has paid any attention
to me." I cousldcent the wounded vanity in her tone. "Until tonight I had not seenTul Axtar.I have just comferom the hall wherhee holds court
among his women."
"Yes," I said, k"Inow. I was there. It was from there that I followed you here."
"When can you take me away?" she asked.
"Very quickly now," I replied.
"I am afraid that it will have to be quickly," she said.
"Why?" I asked.
"When I passeTd ul Axtar he stopped me for a momaenndt I heard him speak to one otfhe courtiers at his side. He told toherascertain my name and
where I was quartereTd.he women have told me what happens after Tul Axtar has noticed one of us, and I am afraid; but what difference does it make, I am only a slave."
Whata change hadcome over thehaughty SanomaTora! Was thisthe same arrogant beautywho had refused my hand? Was tthes Sanoma Tora who had aspired tobe a jeddara? Shwe as humbled now – I reiatdin the droop of

her shoulders, in the trembling of her lips, in the fear-haunted light that shone from her eyes.
Myheart wasfilled withcompassion forher, butI wasastonished and dismayed todiscover that noother emotion overwhelmed meT.he last time
that I had seen Sanoma Tora I would have given my soul to have been able to take herinto my arms. Hatdhe hardships that hIad undergone so changed
me?Was SanomaTora, a slave,less desirableto me thanSanoma Tora, daughter of threich Tor Hatan? No; I knew that cthoautld not be true. I
had changed, but doubtless it was only a temporary metamorphosis induced by the nervous strain which I was undergoing consequent upon the
responsibility imposed upon me by the necessity for carrying word to Helium in timeto save her fromdestruction at the hands oTful Axtar – to save
not only Helium, baut world. It was a grave responsibility. How might one thus burdenedhave time for thoughts of love? Nwo,asI not myself; yet I knew that I still loved Sanoma Tora.
Realizing the necessity fohraste, I made a speedy examination of the room and discoveredthat I couldeasily effect Sanoma Tora'rsescue by taking
her throughthe window, just aIs had taken Taviand Phao from the east tower at Tjanath.
Briefly,but carefully,I explained myplan toher and bidher prepare
herself while wI as gone that there might be no dewlahyen I was ready to take her aboard the Jhama.

"And now, Sanoma ToraI,"said, "for a few moments, goodbye! The next that
you will hear wbilel
a voice at your window, but wyoilul see no one nor
any shipE. xtinguish the light iynour room and stetpo the sill. I will takeyour hand. Put your trust in me then and do as I bid."
"Good-bye, Hadron!"she said. "I cannot exprenssow in adequate words the gratitude that I feeblu, t when we are returned to Helium there is nothing you candemand of me thaIt shall not granytou, not only willingly, but
gladly."
I raised her fingetros
my lips and had turned toward the door when Sanoma
Toralaid adetaining handupon myarm. "Wait!"she said."Someone is coming."
Hastily Iresumed my cloak of invisibility and stepptoedone side of the
room as the door, leading into the corridor, was thrown open, revealing one of the female courtiers of Tul Axtar in gorgeous harness. The woman entered theroom andstepped to oneside ofthe doorway whichremained opened.
"The Jeddak! Tul Axtar, Jeddak of Jahar!" she announced.
A moment later TAulxtar entered the room, followed by half a dozen of his femalecourtiers. He was a grossman with repulsive features,which
reflected a combination ostfrength and weakness, of haughty arrogance, of
prideand of doubt – an innate questioning of his own ability.

As he faced Sanoma Tora his courtiers formed behind him.
They were masculine lookinwgomen, who had evidently been selected because of this very characteristiTc.hey were good looking in a masculine way and their physiques suggested that they might prove a very effective body guard for the Jeddak.
For several minutes Tul Axtar examined Sanoma Tora with appraising eyes. He came closer to her and there was that in his attitude which I did not like,
and whenhe laid a hand upon her shouldIerc,ould scarce retrain myself.
"Iwas notwrong," hesaid. "Youare gorgeous.How long haveyou been here?"
She shuddered, but did not reply.
"You are from Helium?"
No answer.
"The shipsof Heliumare on theirway to Jahar." Hleaughed. "My scouts
bring word that thewyill soon be here. They will meet with a warm welcome from thegreat fleet of TuAl xtar." He turned thois courtiers. "Go!" he
said, "and let none return until I summon her."

They bowedand retired,closing the doorafter them, andthen Tul Axtar laidhis hand again upon thebare flesh of Sanoma Tora'sshoulder.
"Come!" hesaid. "I shalnl ot war with aollf Helium – wityhou I shall love –by myfirst ancestor, butyou are worthythe loveof a jeddak."
Hedrew hertoward him. Myblood boiled –so hotwas my angerthat it boiled overand without thought otfhe consequences I letthe cloak fall from me.
Fourteen
THE CANNIBALS OF U-GOR
As I DROPPED THE CLOAK of invisibility aside I drew my long sword and as it slithered fromits sheath, Tul Axtar beard afnadced me. His craven blood
rushed to his heart and left his face pale at the sight of me. A scream was in his throat when my point touched him in warning.
"Silence!" I hissed.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"Silence!"

Even inthe instantmy plans were formedI. made him turwn ith his back toward meand thenI disarmed hima, fter which I bounhdim securely and gagged him.
"Where can I hide him, Sanoma Tora?" I asked.
"There is a littcleloset here," she said, pointing toward a small door in one sideof the rooma, nd then she crossetdo it and openeidt, while I
dragged Tul Axtar behind her and cast him into the closet – none too gently
I can assure you.
AsI closed thecloset door I turnedto find SanomaTora whiteand trembling. "Iam afraid," she said. "If they cobmaeck and find him thus, they will kill me."
"His courtiers will not return until he summons them," I reminded her. "You heardhim tell them that such were his wishes – his command."
She nodded.
"Here ishis dagger,"I told her. "Iwf orse comes to worsytou can hold
them off by threatenintog
kill Tul Axtar," but the girl seemed terrified,
she trembled ienvery limb and I feared that she mfiagihlt if put to the test. HowI wished that Taviwa ere here. I knewthat she would not fail,
and,in thename of myfirst ancestor,how much dependedupon success!

"I shall return soonI,"said, as I groped about the floor for the robe of invisibility. "Leavethat large window open anwdhen I return, be ready."
As I replacetdhe cloak about me I saw that wshaes trembling so that she could notreply; infact, she waseven having difficultyin holding the dagger,which I expected momentarily tosee drop from hernerveless
fingers, buthere was naught that I could do hbausten to the Jhama and try to return before it was too late.
I gainedthe summit of thteower without incident. Abovme e twinkled the brilliant starsof aBarsoomian night, whilejust above thepalace roof
hung the gorgeous planet, Jasoom (Earth).
TheJhama, ofcourse, was invisibleb, ut sogreat was myconfidence in Tavia thawt hen Istretched a hand upwarId knew that sIhould feel the keel ofthe craft and sure enough I did. Thtirmeees I rapped gently upon
the forward Hatch, whicwhas the signal that we had determined upon before
I had entered the palace. Instantly the hatch was raised and a moment later
I had clambered aboard.
"Where is Sanoma Tora?" asked Tavia.
"No questions now," I replied. "We must work quickly. Be ready to take over the controls the moment that I leave them."

In silenceshe tookher place atmy side, her sofsthoulder touching my
arm, and in silencIedropped the Jhama to the level of the windows in the women's quartersI.n ageneral way Iknew the locationof Sanoma Tora's apartment, and asmIoved slowly along I kept the periscope pointed toward the windowsand presently I saw the figureSoafnoma Tora upon the ground glass before me. I brought the Jhama close to the sill, her upper deck just below it.
"Hold her here, TaviaI,"said. Then I raised the upper hatch a few inches and called to the girl within the room.
Atthe soundof my voiceshe trembledso thatshe almostdropped the dagger,although she musthave known thatI was comingand hadbeen awaiting me.
"Darkenyour room,"I whisperedto her.I sawher stagger acrossto a
button that was set in the wall and an instant later the room was enveloped in darknessT. hen Iraised the hatch ansdtepped to the silIl. did not
wish to be bothered with the enveloping folds of the mantle of invisibility
and so I had folded it up and tucked it into my harness, where I could have it instantlyready foruse in theevent of an emergencyI. found Sanoma
Tora in the darkness and so weak with terror was she that I had to lift her
in my arms and carry her to the window, where with Phao's help I managed to draw herthrough the open hatch into the interTiohr.en I returned to the
closet whereTul Axtar lay bounadnd gagged. I stoppeadnd cut the bonds

which held his ankles.
"Do precisely as I tell you, Tul Axtar," I said, "or my steel will have its way yetand find your hearIt.t thirsts for youbrlood, Tul Axtar, and I havedifficulty in restrainingit, but ifyou donot fail meperhaps I
shall beable tosave you yetI.
can useyou, Tul Axtara, nd upon your
usefulnessto medepends yourlife, fordead youare no valueto me."
I madehim riseand walk tothe window andthere I assistedhim to the
sill. He was terror-strickewnhen I tried to make him step out into space,
as he thought, but when I stepped to the deck of the Jhama ahead of him and he saw me apparentflyloating there in the air, he took a little heart and
I finally succeeded in getting him aboard.
Following him I closethde hatch and lighted a single dim light within the hull. Tavia turned and looked at me for orders.
"Hold her where she is, Tavia," I said.
There wasa tiny desk itnhe cabin of the Jhamwahere the officer of the shipwas supposedto keep hislog andattend toany otherrecords or reports thatit might benecessary to make. Herwe ere writing materials,
and as I gtohtem out of the drawer in which they were kept, I called Phao to my side.
"Youare of Jahar."I said. "You canwrite in thelanguage ofyour

country?"
"Of course," she said.
"Then write what I dictate," I instructed her.
She prepared to do my bidding.
"If a single ship of Helium is destroyed," I dictated, "Tul Axtar dies. Now sign it Hadron of Hastor, Padwar of Helium."
Tavia andPhao looked at maend then at thperisoner, their eyes wide in astonishment,for inthe dim lighot f theship's interior theyhad not recognized the prisoner.
"Tul Axtar of Jaharb."reathed Tavia incredulously. "Tan Hadron of Hastor, you have saved Helium and Barsoom tonight."
I couldnot but note howquickly her mind functionedw, ith what celerity
she had seen thpeossibilities that lay in the possession of the person of
Tul Axtar, Jeddak of Jahar."
I tookthe notethat Phao hadwritten, and, returningquickly to Sanoma
Tora's room, I laitd upon her dressing table. A moment later I was again in thecabin ofthe Jhama and wwe ere rising swiftly abovtehe roofs of

Jahar."
Morning found us beyond the uttermost line of Jaharian ships, beneath which we hadpassed, guided by their lights – evidencemeto that the fleet was
poorly officeredf,or no trainedman, expecting an enemiyn force, would show lights aboard his ships at night.
We werespeeding now in the direction foafr Helium, following the course that Ihoped would permit us to intercept the folefethe Warlord in the eventthat itwas alreadybound forJahar asTul Axtarhad announced.
Sanoma Torahad slightlyrecovered her poiseand control ofher nerves.
Tavia's sweet solicitude for her welfare touched me deeply. She had soothed and quietedher asshe might havesoothed and quieteda younger sister,
though sheherself wasyounger than SanomaTora, but withthe return of confidence Sanoma Tora's ohldaughtiness was returning and it seemed to me that sheshowed toolittle gratitude toTavia for herkindliness, but I
realized that that waSsanoma Tora's way, that it was born in her and that doubtlessdeep in herheart she was fullyappreciative andgrateful.
However that may bIe,cannot but admit that I wished at the time that she wouldshow it bysome slight wordor deed. Wewere flyingsmoothly,
slightly above the normaalltitude of battleships. The destination control
compasswas holdingthe Jhamato hercourse, andafter all thaIt
had
passedthrough, Ifelt theneed ofsleep. Phao,at mysuggestion, had rested earlierin the night, anads all that wanseeded was a lookout to
keep acareful watch for shipsI, entrusted this duttyo Phao, and Tavia

andI rolledup in oursleeping silksand fursand weresoon asleep.
Taviaand I were about mid-ship,Phao was forward at thecontrols, constantly swingingthe periscope to and frsoearching the sky for ships. WhenI retiredSanoma Torawas standingat oneof thestarboard ports looking ouitnto the night, whilTeul Axtar lay dowinn the stern of the
ship. Ihad long since removetdhe gag from hims outh, but he seemed too utterlycowed evento address usand laythere in morosesilence, or
perhaps he was asleep, I do not know.
I wasthoroughly fatigued and mushtave slept like laog from the moment
that I laid down until I was suddenly awakened by the impact of a body upon me. As I struggled to free myself, I discovered to my chagrin that my hands had beendeftly bound while I slept, a ftehaatt had been rendered simple
by the fact that it is my habit to sleep with my hands together in front of my face.
A man'sknee was upon mcyhest, pressing me heavilaygainst the deck and
one of his hands clutched me by the throat. In the dim light of the cabin I
sawthat it was Tul Axtarand that his other hand held adagger.
"Silence!" hewhispered. "If you woulldive, make no sound,a"nd then to makeassurance doublysure he gaggedme andbound my ankles.Then he crossed quicklyto Tavia.and bound her, anads he did smo y eyes moved quickly abouthe interiorof the cabinin search of aidO. n the floor,

near the controls,saIw Phao lying bound and gagged as was I. Sanoma Tora crouched againsthe wall, apparently overcombey terror. She was neither
bound norgagged. Why hadshe not warned meW? hy had she noctome to my
help? If it had been Tavia who remained unbound instead of Sanoma Tora, how different wouldhave been the outcomoef Tul Axtar's bifdor liberty and
revenge.
How had it ahlal ppened? I was sure that I had bound Tul Axtar so securely that hecould notpossibly have freedhimself, and yet mI ust have been
mistaken andI cursedmyself for thecarelessness that hadupset all my plansand that might easily eventually spell the doomof Helium.
Havingdisposed ofPhao, Taviaand me,Tul Axtarmoved quicklyto the controls, ignoringSanoma Tora as he passed by hIenr.view of the marked terrorthat shedisplayed, I couldreadily understand whyhe didnot
consider her anmy enace to his plans – she washaarsmless to him free as bound.
Putting theship about he turnebdack toward Jahar antdhough he did not understand themechanism of the destinatiocnontrol compass and could not
cut it out, this made no difference as long as he remained at the controls, the only effect that the compass might have being to return the ship to its former course should thceontrols be again abandoned while the ship was in motion.
Presently he turned toward me. "I should destroy you, Hadron of Hastor," he

said,"had I not given the word of a jeddak that I would not."
Vaguely I had wondered to whom he had given his word that he would not kill me,but otherand moreimportant thoughtswere racing throughmy mind,
crowdingall else intothe background.Uppermost among themo, f course, wereplans for regaining control of the Jhama and, secondarily, apprehension as to the fate of Tavia, Sanoma Tora and Phao.
"Give thanksfor the magnanimity of TAulxtar," he continued, "who exacts
no penalty for the affront you have put upon him. Instead you are to be set free.I shallland you." Helaughed. "Free!I shall landyou in the
province of U-Gor!"
There wassomething nasty in the tone of vhoisice which made his promise
sound more like a threat. I had never heard of U-Gor, but I assumed that it was some remote province from which it would be difficult or impossible for
me to make my way either to Jahar or Helium. Of one thing I was confident – that Tul Axtar would not set me free any place that I might become a menace to him.
For hours the Jhammaoved on in silence. Tul Axtar had not had the decency or thehumanity to remove our gags. He wenags rossed with the business of
the controlsa, nd SanomaTora, crouching againsthe side ofthe cabin, never spoke;nor once in atlhl at time did heeryes turn toward me. What
thoughts werepassing in that beautiful head? Wsahse trying to find some

plan bywhich she might turn the tables upon ATxutlar, or was she merely crushed bythe hopelessoutlook – theprospect of beingreturned to the slavery of JaharI? did not know; I could not gusehses; was an enigma to me.
How far we traveledor in what directionI, did not knowT.he night had
long sincepassed and the sun was high whebnecIame aware that Tul Axtar was bringingthe ship down. Presently the purrionfg the motor ceased and the shipcame toa stop. Leaving thceontrols he walked bactko where I
lay.
"We have arrived
Uin-Gor," he said. "Here I shall set you at liberty, but
first give me thsetrange thing that rendered you invisible in my palace."
The cloak of invisibilityH!ow had he learned of that? Who could have told him? Thereseemed but one explanation, but evefriyber of my being shrank even fromconsidering it. I had rolled it up aintsomall ball and tucked
it intothe bottom of my pocket pouch, its shseilekr permitting it to be compressedinto a verysmall space. He tookthe gag from mymouth.
"When youreturn toyour palace atJahar," I said, "looukpon the floor beneath thewindow in the apartmentthat was occupied bSyanoma Tora. If you findit there you arwe elcome to it. As far Iasam concerned it has served its purpose well."
"Why did you leave it there?" he demanded.

"I was in gareat hurry when I quit the palace and accidents will happen."
I will admit that my lie may not have been very clever, but neither was Tul
Axtar and he was deceived by it.
Grumbling,he openedone of thekeel hatchesand very unceremoniously dropped methrough it. Fortunately the ship lay cltoosethe ground and I was notinjured. Next he lowereTdavia to my sidea,nd then he, himself, descended tothe ground. Stoopingh, e cut the bondtshat secured Tavia's wrists.
"I shalkl eep the other," he said. "She pleaseasn,"d somehow I knew that
he meant Phao. "Thoisne looks like a man and I swear that she would be as
easy tosubdue asa she banthI.
know thetype. I shalleave her with
you." It was evidetnhtat he had not recognized Tavia as one of the former occupants of the womenq'suarters in his palace and I was glad that he had not.
Here-entered the Jhamab, ut before heclosed thehatch he spoketo us again. "Ishall dropyour weapons whenwe are where yocuannot use them
against me and you may thank the future Jeddara of Jahar for the clemency I
have shown you!"
Slowly theJhama rose.Tavia was removingthe cords fromher ankles and
when she was free she came and fell to work upon the bonds that secured me,

but Iwas too dazedt,oo crushed by thbelow that had beesntruck me to realizeany other factthan thatSanoma Tora,the woman Iloved, had betrayed mef,or I fully realizendow what any onbeut a fool would have guessedbefore –that TulAxtar had bribedher toset him freeby the promise that be would make her Jeddara of Jahar.
Well, herambition would be fulfilled, but waht at a hideous cost. Never, if shelived for a thousanydears could she looukpon herself or her act
with aught but contempt and loathing, unless she was far more degraded than
I couldpossible believe.No; she wouldsuffer, of that wI as sure; but
that thought gave me no pleasure. I loved her and I could not even now wish her unhappiness.
As Isat there on thgeround, my head bowed in miseIryf.elt a soft arm
steal about my shoulders and a tender voice spoke close to my ear. "My poor
Hadron!"
That wasall; but those fewwords embodied such wa ealth of sympathy and understanding that, like some miraculous balm, they soothed the agony of my tortured heart.
No onebut Taviacould have spoken themI. turned and takinogne of her
littlehands in mineI,
pressed ito mylips. "Loved friend,"I said.
"Thanks be to all my ancestors that it was not you."
I donot know what made me say that.
wThoerds seemed to speak themselves

withoutmy volition,and yetwhen theywere spokenthere came tome a
sudden realizationof the horror that I would hafevlet had it been Tavia
who hadbetrayed me. I coulndot even contemplate
wit ithout an agony of
pain. Impulsively I took her in my arms.
"Tavia," Icried, "promise me thaytou will never desermt e. I could not live without you."
She puther strong, young arms about my neck calnudng to me. "Never this side of death," shwehispered, and then she tore herself from me and I saw that she was weeping.
What a friend! I knew that I could never again love a woman, but what cared
I for that if I could have Tavia's friendship for life.
"We shall never paargt ain, Tavia," I said. "If our ancestors are kind and
we are permitted to return to Helium, you shall find a home in the house of my father and a mother in my mother."
She dried her eyeasnd looked at me with a strange wistful expression that
I couldnot fathom,and then, throughher tears, she smile–d
that odd,
quizzical little smile that I had seen before and that I did not understand
any more than I understood a dozen of her moods and expressions, which made her so different froomther girls and which, I think, helped to attract me
toward herH.
er characteristics lay not all uptohne surface – there were

depths and undercurrents whicohne might not easily fathom. Sometimes when
I expected her to cry, she laughed; and when I thought she should be happy, shewept, butshe neverwept asI haveseen otherwomen weep– never hysterically,for Tavianever lost controlof herself,but quietly as
though from a fuhlel art rather than from over-wrought nerves, and through her tears there might burst a smile at the end.
I think that Tavia was quite the most wonderful girl that I have ever known and asI had come tkonow her better and see morehoerf, I had grown to
realize thadt espite herattempt at mannishdisguise to whichshe still clung,she was quitethe most beautifugl irl thatI had everseen. Her
beauty was not liktheat of Sanoma Tora, but as she looked up into my face now the realization came to me quite suddenly, and for what reason I do not know, that the beauotyf Tavia far transcended that of Sanoma Tora because
of the beauty othfe soul that, shining through her eyes, transfigured her whole countenance.
Tul Axtart,rue to his promise, dropped owureapons through a lower hatch ofthe Jhama and aswe buckled them onwe listened to therapidly
diminishing soundof the propellers of thdeeparting craft. We were alone andon foot in a strange and, doubtless, an unhospitable country,
"U-Gor!"I said. "I have never heard of it. Have you, Tavia?"
"Yes," she said. "Thiiss one of the outlaying provinces of Jahar. Once it was arich and thriving agriculturaclountry, but as iftell beneath the

curse ofTul Axtar'smad ambition forman power, thepopulation grew to suchenormous proportions thatU-Gor couldnot support itspeople. Then
cannibalism started. It begajunstly with the eating of the officials that
Tul Axtar had setnot
enforce his cruel decrees. An army was dispatched to
subdue theprovince, but thepeople were so numeroutshat they conquered the armyand ate the warriors. By this titmheeir farms were ruined. They hadno seedand theyhad developeda tastefor human fleshT. hose who wishedto till theground were set uponby bands ofroving menand
devoured. For a hundred years they have been feeding upon one another until nowit isno longera populaceprovince, buta wastelandinhabited by
roving bands, searching for one another that they may eat."
Ishuddered at herecital. It wasobvious that wemust escapethis accursedplace asrapidly as possible.I askedTavia if sheknew the location ofU-Gor and she told me that it sloauytheast of Jahar, about a thousandshaads and about two thousand haads southwest of Xanator.
I saw that it would be useless to attempt to reach Helium from here. Such a journey onfoot, if it could be accomplishaetd all, would require years.
The nearestfriendly city toward whicwh e could turn waGs athol, which I
estimated laysome seven thousand haadaslmost due north. The possibility
of reachingGathol seemed remote in the extreme,
ibtuwt as our only hope
and so wteurned our faces toward the north andosuett upon our long and
seeminglyhopeless journey toward the city of my mother's birth.

The country about us was rolling, with here and there a range of low hills, while far to the north I could see the outlines of higher hills against the horizon. The land waesntirely denuded of all but noxious weeds, attesting
the grimbattle forsurvival waged byits unhappy peopleT. here were no reptiles; noinsects; no birds – all hbaeden devoured during the century of misery that had lain upon the land.
As weplodded onward through this desolaatend depressing waste, we tried
to keep up onaenother's spirit as best we could and a hundred times I had reason to give thankthsat it was Tavia who was my companion and no other.
What could I havdeone under like circumstances burdened with Sanoma Tora? I doubthat she could have walked a dozheanads, while Tavia swung along
at my side withe lithe grace of perfect health and strength. It takes a
good man to keep up with me on a march, but Tavia never lagged; nor did she show signs of fatigue more quickly than I.
"We are well matched, Tavia," I said.
"Ihad thought of that – a long time ago," she said quietly.
We continued on until almost dusk without seeing a sign of any living thing and were congratulating ourselveuspon our good fortune when Tavia glanced back, as one of us often did.
Shetouched myarm and noddedtoward therear. "They come!"she said

simply.
I looked back ansdaw three figures upon our trail. They were too far away for meto be ableto do more thaindentify them as humabneings. It was
evident that they had seen us and they were closing the distance between us at a steady trot.
"What shalwl e do?"asked Tavia. "Standand fight, or tryto elude them until night falls?"
"We shaldl o neither," I said".We shall elude themnow without exerting ourselves in the least."
"How?" she asked.
"Through the inventive genius of Phor Tak, and the compound of invisibility that I filched from him."
"Splendid!" exclaimed Tavia. "I had forgotten your cloak. With it we should haveno difficulty in eluding alldangers between here andGathol."
I opened my pocket pouch and reached in to withdraw the cloak. It was gone! As was the vial containing the remainder of the compound. I looked at Tavia and she must have read the truth in my expression.

"You have lost it?" she asked.
"No, it has been stolen from me," I replied.
She cameagain and laid hehrand upon my arm
sinympathy and I knew that
she wasthinking what I watshinking, that it coulhdave been none other than SanomaTora who had stoleint. I hung my hea"dA. nd to think that I jeopardized your safety, Tavia, to save such as she."
"Do notjudge her hastily," shseaid. "We cannot knowhow sorely she may have beentempted, or what threats were used to thuerrn from the path of honor. Perhaps she is not as strong as we."
"Let usnot speak of her," I said. "Iat ihsideous, sensation, Tavia, to feel love turned to hatred."
She pressedmy arm."Time heals alhl urts," she said, "ansdome day you will find a woman worthy of you, if such a one exists."
I looked down
haet r. "If such a one exists," I mused, but she interrupted
my meditation with a question.
"Shall we fight or run, Hadron of Hastor?" she demanded.
"I shouldprefer to fight andie," I replied, "buIt must think of you, Tavia."

"Then we shall remain and fight," she said; "but Hadron, you must not die."
There was a nootef reproach in her tone that did ensocat pe me and I was ashamed ofmyself for having seemetdo forget the greadtebt that I owed her for her friendship.
"I amsorry," Isaid. "Tavia, Icould not wishto diewhile you live."
"That isbetter," she said. "Howshall we fight? ShaIll stand upon your right or upon your left?"
"You shalsl tand behind me, Tavia," I told her. "Wmhiyle hand can hold a sword, you will need no other defense."
"Along timeago, afterwe first met,"she said,"you told methat we
should be comrades
ainrms. That means that we fight together, shoulder to
shoulder, or back
btoack. I hold you to your word, Tan Hadron of Hastor."
I smileda, nd, though I fetlht at I could fighbtetter alone than with a
woman at my sidIe,admired her courage. "Very well," I said; "fight at my right, for thus you will be between two swords."
The threeupon our trail had approached us so closbeylythis time that I
could discern what mannoerf creatures they were and I saw before me naked

savages withtangled, unkempt hair, filthbyodies and degraded faces. The wild light in theeiyr es, their snarling lips exposing yellow fangs, their stealthy, slinkingcarriage gavethem more the appearancoef wild beasts than men.
Theywere armedwith swords whichthey carriedin theirhands, having neitherharness norscabbard. Theyhalted ata short distancefrom us,
eyeing us hungrily, and doubtless they were hungry for their flabby bellies suggested that they went often empty and were then gorged when meat fell to their lot in sufficieqnut antities. Tonight these three had hoped to gorge
themselves; Icould see it itnheir eyes. They whisperetdogether in low tones for a few minutes and then they separatotedrush us from different points simultaneously.
"We'll carry the battle to them, Tavia," I whispered. "When they have taken their positions around uIs,shall give the word and then I shall rush the
one in fronotf me and try to dispatch him befthoere others can set upon us. Keep close beside me so that they cannot cut you off."
"Shoulder to shoulder until the end," she said.
Fifteen
THE BATTLE OF JAHAR
GLANCING ACROSSMY SHOULDER I sawthat the two circlintgo our rear were

already further away from us than he who stood facing us and realizing that the unexpectedness of our act would greatly enhance the chances of success, I gave the word.
"Now, Tavia," I whispered, and together we leaped forward at a run straight for the naked savage facing us.
It wasevident that he had not expected this iatnwd as also evident that
he was salow witted beast, for as he sawcoums ing his lower jaw dropped and hejust stood there, waiting to receive us; wherifeahse had had any intelligence hewould have fallen back to gihvies fellows time to attack
us from the rear.
As ourswords crossed I heard a savage growl frboemhind, such a growl as might issuefrom the throat oaf wild beast. From thceorner of my eye I
saw Taviaglance back and thebnefore I could realizwe hat she intended,
she sprangforward and ran her sword through the bofdythe man in front of meas he lunged at me with his owwenapon, and now, wheeling together,
we faced the othtewr o who were running rapidly toward us and I can assure you that it wawsith a feeling of infinite relief that I realized that the
odds were no longer so greatly against us.
Asthe twoengaged us,I washandicapped atfirst by thenecessity of constantly keeping an eye upon Tavia, but not for long.

In aninstant I realized thaat master hand waws ielding that blade. Its
point wove in and out past the clumsy guard of the savage and I knew, and I
guessed he must havsensed, that his life lay in the hollow of the little handthat gripped the hilt. Then I turned my attentionto my own
antagonist.
These werenot the best swordsmen that I have evmeret, but they were far frombeing poor swordsmen.Their defense, however,far excelledtheir
offense and this, I think, was due to two things, natural cowardice and the fact thathey usually hunted in packws,hich far outnumbered the quarry.
Thus a good defense only was required, since the death blow might always be struck from behind by a companion of the one who engaged the quarry from in front.
Never beforehad Iseen a womanfight and Ishould havethought that I
should havebeen chagrined to have one fightingmayt
side, but instead I
felt a strange thrtihllat was partly pride and partly something else that
I could not analyze.
At firstI,
think, the fellow facing Tavia did renaoltize that she was a
woman, buthe must have soon as the schaanrtness of Barsoom hides little and certainlydid not hidethe rounded contours oTfavia's girlish body. Perhaps, therefore, it wasusrprise that was his undoing, or possibly when hediscovered hersex he becameoverconfident, but atany rateTavia
slipped her point inhtois heart just an instant before I finished my man.

I cannot say thwate were greatly elated over our victory. Each of us felt compassionfor thepoor creatureswho hadbeen reduced totheir horrid
state bythe tyrannyof cruel Tul Axtarb,ut it had beetnheir lives or ours and we were glad it had not been ours.
As a matter opfrecaution I took a quick look aboutasusthe last of our antagonists felal nd Iwas glad thatI had, forI immediately discerned threecreatures crouching atthe top ofa low hillnot fardistant.
"We are not donyeet, Tavia," I said. "Look!" and pointed in the direction of the three.
"Perhaps theydo not care tsohare the fate otfheir fellows," she said. "They are not approaching."
"They canhave peace ifthey want it afsar as I amconcerned," I said. "Come,let usgo on. Ifthey followus, then willbe timeenough to consider them."
As we walked on toward the north we glanced back occasionally and presently we sawthe threerise and come dowtnhe hill toward thbeodies of their
slain fellows, and as they did so we saw that they were women and that they were unarmed.
When they realized that we were departing and had no intention of attacking

them,they brokeinto arun and,uttering loud, uncannyshrieks, raced madly toward the corpses.
"Howpathetic," said Taviasadly. "Even thesepoor degradedcreatures possess humanemotions. They,too, can feelsorrow at theloss of loved ones."
"Yes," I said. "Poor things, I am sorry for them."
Fearingthat inthe frenzy oftheir griefthey might attempto avenge
their fallenmates, wekept a closeeye upon themor wemight not have witnessedthe horrid sequel of the fray. I wish thatwe had not.
When the three womerneached the corpses they fell upon them, but not with weeping and lamentation – they fell upon them to devour them.
Sickened, weturned awayand walked rapidlytoward the northuntil long after darkness had descended.
We felt that there was little danger of attack at night since there were no savage beasts in a country where there was nothing to support them and also
that iwt
as reasonable to assumtehat the hunting mewn ould be abroad by
day ratherthan bynight, since at nightht ey would be falress able to find quarry or follow it.
I suggested to Tavia that we rest for a short time and then push on for the

balanceof the nightf,ind a placeof concealmentearly in theday and remainthere untilnight had fallenagain, asI was surethat if we
followed this plan wweould make better time and suffer less exhaustion by traveling throughthe coolhours of darknessand at thesame time would greatlyminimize the dangerof discoveryand attack bywhatever hostile
people lay between us and Gathol.
Tavia agreedwith meand so we restefdor a short timeta, king turns at sleeping and watching.
Later wepushed on and aIm sure that wceovered a great distance before dawn, though the highhills to the north of us still looked as far away as they had upon the previous day.
We now set abosuetarching for some comfortable place of concealment where wemight spendthe daylighthours. Neitherof uswas sufferingto any
extent from either hungoer thirst, as the ancients would have done under like circumstances, for withe gradual diminution of water and vegetable matter uponMars duringcountless ages alhl er creatures haveby a slow process ofevolution beenenabled to gofor long periodswithout either
food or drinaknd we have also learned so to conotruorl minds that we do
not think of food or drink until we are able to procure it, which doubtless greatlyassists us in controlling the cravings of our appetite.
After considerable search wfoeund a deep and narrow ravine which seemed a

most favorableplace inwhich to hideb, ut, scarcely hadwe entered it,
when I chanced
stoee two eyes looking down upon us from the summit of one
of the ridges that flanked it. As I looked, the head in which the eyes were set was withdrawn below the summit.
"That puts aennd to this place," I said to Tatveilali,ng her what I had seen. "We must move on and look for a new sanctuary."
As we emerged fromthe ravine at its upper end I glanced back, and again I saw the creature looking at us and once again he tried to hide himself from us. As we moveodn I kept glancing back and occasionally I would see him – oneof thehunting menof U-Gor. Hewas stalkingus as thewild beast
stalks its prey. The very thought of it filled me with disgust. Had he been a fighting man stalking us merely to kill, I should not have felt as I did, but thethought that he wasstealthily trailing us becaushee desired to
devour us was repellent – it was horrifying.
Hourafter hourthe thingkept uponour trail;doubtless hefeared to
attack becausewe outnumbered himo, r perhaps he thoughwt e might become separated, orlie downto sleep ordo one ofthe numberof things that
travelers might do that would give him the opportunity he sought, but after awhile hemust have given up hope. He lonnoger sought to conceal himself fromus and oncea, s he mounteda lowhill, he stoodthere silhouetted
againstthe sky andthrowing his headback, hegave voice toa shrill,
uncanny cry that madthee short hairs upon my neck stand erect. It was the hunting cry of the wild beast calling the pack to the kill.

I couldfeel Tavia shudder anpdress more closely to maend I put my arm about her in gaesture of protection, and thus we walked on in silence for a long time.
Twiceagain thecreature voiced hisuncanny cryuntil at lastit was answered ahead of us and to the right.
Again wewere forced to fight, but this time otwnloy, and when we pushed
on again
wit as with a feeling of depression thcaot uIld not shake off –
depression for the utter hopelessness of our situation.
At thesummit of a higher hill than we bheafdore crossed, I halted. Some
tall weeds grew there. "Let us lie down here, Tavia," I said. "From here we can watch; let ubse the watchers for a while. Sleep, and when night comes
we shall move on."
She lookedtired and that worriemd e, but I thinskhe was suffering more
from the nervous strain of the eternal stalking than from physical fatigue. I know thatit affected me and how much more mitigahftfect a young girl than atrained fighting man. She lay very closemeto, as though she felt
safer thus and was soon asleep, while I watched.
From thishigh vantagepoint I couldsee a considerablearea of country aboutus and iwt as not longbefore Idetected figures ofmen prowling

about likehunting banths and often it waapsparent that one was stalking
another. There were at least a half dozen such visible to me at one time. I
saw oneovertake his prey anldeap upon it frombehind. They were at too great adistance from me fomr e to discern accurateltyhe details of the encounter, but I judgethdat the stalker ran his sword through the back of hisquarry andthen, like ahunting banth,he fellupon hiskill and
devoured itI.
donot know that hfeinished it, but hwe as still eating
when darkness fell.
Tavia had had loang sleep and when she awoke she reproached me for having permittedher to sleep so long and insisted that I must sleep.
From necessityI have learned to do wliitthtle sleep when conditions are such thatI cannot spare thteime, though I alwayms ake up for it later,
and Ihave alsolearned to limimt
y sleep toany length oftime that I
choose, so that noIwawoke promptly when my allotted time had elapsed and again we set out toward far Gathol.
Again thisnight, as uponthe preceding one, wme oved unmolested through thehorrid land ofU-Gor and whenmorning dawnedwe saw thehigh hills rising close before us.
"Perhapsthese hillsmark the northernlimits ofU-Gor," I suggested.
"I think they do," replied Tavia.

"They are only a short distance away now," I said; "let us keep on until we have passedthem. I cannot leavtehis accursed land behinmd e too soon."
"NorI," saidTavia. "I sickenat thethought of whatI have seen."
We hadcrossed a narrow valleaynd were entering thheills when we heard thehateful huntingcry behindus. Turning,I sawa singleman moving acrossthe valleytoward us.He knew thatI hadseen him, buht e kept steadily ono, ccasionally stopping to voice hwiseird scream. He heard an answercome fromthe east andthen anotherand anotherfrom different
directions. We hastened onwarcdl,imbing the low foothills that led upward toward thesummit far above, and as we looked bwaceksaw the hunting men converging upon us from all sides. We had never seen so many of them at one time before.
"Perhaps ifwe get well up into the mountainscwane elude them," I said.
Tavia shookher head."At least wehave made a goofdight, Hadron," she said.
I saw that shweas discouraged; nor could I wonder; yet a moment later she looked up at me and smiled brightly. "We still live, Hadron of Hastor!" she exclaimed.
"We still live and we have our swords," I reminded her.

Aswe climbedthey pressed upwardbehind usand presently Isaw others coming throughthe hills from the right and frtohme left. We were turned fromthe lowsaddle overwhich I hadhoped tocross the summiot f the range,for huntingmen hadentered itfrom aboveand werecoming down
toward us. Directly aheaodf us now loomed a high peak, the highest in the range as far aIscould see, and only there, up its steep side, were there
no hunting men to bar our way.
As we climbed, thseides of the mountain grew steeper until the ascent was
not only most arduous, but sometimes difficult and dangerous; yet there was no alternativeand wepressed onward towardthe summit, whilebehind us
came thehunting menof U-Gor. They werneot rushing us anfdrom that I
felt confident that thekynew that they had us cornered. I was looking for a placein which we mighmt ake a stand, buIt found none anadt last we reachedthe summit,a circular, levelspace perhapsa hundredfeet in
diameter.
As ourpursuers were yet somleittle distance below usI, walked quickly around theoutside of the table-like top tohfe peak. The entire northern
face dropped sheer from the summit for a couple of hundred feet, definitely blocking our retreat. Aevt ery other point the hunting men were ascending. Oursituation appearedhopeless; itwas hopeless,and yet Irefused to
admit defeat.
The summit of the mountain was strewn with loose rock. I hurled a rock down

at the nearest cannibaIlt. struck him upon the head and sent him hurtling down themountain side,carrying a coupleof his fellowswith him. Then
Tavia followed my example and together we bombarded them, but more often we scored missesthan hitsand there were smo any of them antdhey were so
fierce andso hungry that we did not evsetenm their advance. So numerous werethey nowthat they remindedme ofinsects, crawling upthere from
below – huge, grotesque insects that would soon fall upon us and devour us.
Asthey camenearer they gavevoice to anew crythat I hadnot heard before. Itwas a cry that differed from hthuenting call, but was equally as terrible.
"Their war-cry," said Tavia.
On and on wirthelentless persistency the throng swarmed upward toward us. We drewour swords; it was our last stand. Tapvreiassed closer to me and
for the first time I thought I felt her tremble.
"Donot letthem take me,"she said."It is notdeath thatI fear."
I knew what she meant and I took her in my arms. "I cannot do it, Tavia," I
said. "I cannot."
"You must,"she repliedin a firmvoice. "If youcare for meeven as a friend, you cannot let these beasts take me alive."

I knowthat I choked thesno that I could not repblyu,t I knew that she was right and I drew my dagger.
"Good-bye, Hadron – my Hadron!"
Her breastwas baredto receive mydagger, her facewas upturned toward mine. It was staill brave face with no fear upon it, and oh how beautiful it was.
Impulsively, guidedby a power I could not contrIolb,ent and crushed my lips tohers. With half closeedyes she pressed heorwn lips upward more tightly against mine.
"Oh,Issus!" shebreathed as shetook themaway, and then", They come! Strike now, Hadron, and strike deep!"
Thecreatures were almostat the summitI.
swungmy hand upwardthat I
might bury the slim dagger deeply in that perfect breast. To my surprise my knucklesstruck something hardabove me. I glancedupward. Therewas nothingthere; yetsomething impelled meto feelagain, tosolve that
uncanny mystery even in that instant of high tragedy.
AgainI feltabove me. ByIssus, therewas something there!My fingers passed over a smooth surface – a familiar surface.

Itcould not be, and yet I knew that it must be – the Jhama.
I asked no questions of myself nor of fate at that instant. The hunting men
of U-Gor were almost upon us as my groping fingers found one of the mooring ringsin thebow of theJhama. QuicklyI swung Taviaabove my head.
"It is the Jhama. Climb to her deck," I cried.
The deargirl, as quick to seize uptohne fortuitous opportunities as any
trained fightingman, did not pause
qtouestion, but swung herself upward
to thedeck withthe agility of aanthlete, and as sIeized the mooring
ring anddrew myself upward she lay flat uphoenr belly and reaching down assistedme; norwas the strengthin thatslender frame unequatlo the
task.
The leadersof the horde had reached tshuemmit. They paused in momentary confusion whenthey saw us climb into thaiinr and stand there apparently
just abovetheir heads, but hungeurrged them on antdhey leaped for us, clambering uponone another's back ansdhoulders to seize uasnd drag us down.
Two almostgained the deck aIs fought them abllack single-handed while
Tavia had raised a hatch and leaped to the controls.
Another foul-facedthing reached the deck upothne opposite side and only

chance revealed him
mtoe before he had run his sword through my back. The
Jhama wasalready rising as I turned to engahgime . There was little room
there in which
ftoight, but I had the advantage in that I knew the extent
of thedeck beneathmy feet, while hceould see nothing butht in air. I
think it frightened him, too, and when I rushed him he stepped backward out intospace and,with a screamof terror, hurtleddownward towardthe
ground.
Wewere saved,but howin the nameof allour ancestors hadthe Jhama chanced to be at this spot.
Perhaps Tul Axtar waboard! The thought filled me with alarm for Tavia's safetyand withmy swordready Ileaped throughthe hatchwayinto the
cabin, but only Tavia was there.
We triedto arrive at somexplanation of the miracltehat had saved us, butno amount ofconjecture brought forthany thing thatwas atall satisfactory.
"Shewas therewhen we neededher most,"said Tavia; "thaftact should satisfy us."
"I guessit will haveto for the timbeeing at least," sIaid, "and now once more we can turn a ship's nose toward Helium."
We hadpassed but a shordtistance beyond the mountainws hen I sighted a

ship in the distance and shortly thereafter another and another until I was aware that we wearepproaching a great fleet moving toward the east. As we came closer I descried the hulls painted with the ghastly blue of Jahar and
I knew that this was Tul Axtar's formidable armada.
And then we saswhips approaching from the east and I knew that it was the fleet ofHelium. It could bneo other; yet I mumstake certain, and so I
sped inthe direction of the nearest ship of oththiser fleet until I saw
the bannersand pennonsof Helium floatingfrom her upperworks and the battle insigniaof the Warlord painted upon hperrow. Behind her came the other ships – a noble fleet moving to inevitable doom.
A Jaharian cruiser wamsoving toward the first great battleship as I raced to intercept them and bring one of my rifles into action.
I was forced tcoome close to my target as was the Jaharian cruiser, since the effectiverange of the disintegratinrgay rifle is extremely limited.
Everything aboard the battleship of Helium was ready for action, but I knew why theyhad not fired gaun. It has ever beethne boast of John Carter,
Warlord of Barsoom, thhaet
would not start a war. The enemy must fire the
first shot. If I could have reached them in time he would have realized the fatal consequences of this magnanimous and chivalrous code and the ships of Helium, withtheir long range gunsm, ight have annihilated Jahar's entire
fleet before it could have brought its deadly rifles within range, but fate

had ordained otherwise anndow the best that I could hope was that I might reach the Jaharian ship before it was too late.
Tavia was at the controls. We were racing toward the blue cruiser of Jahar. I was standing tahte forward rifle. In another moment we should be within range and then I saw the great battleship of Helium crumble in mid-air. Its woodenparts droppedslowly toward theground anda thousand warriors
plunged to a cruel death upon the barren land beneath.
Almost immediatelythe other ships of Helium webrreought to a stop. They had witnessed the catastrophtheat had engulfed the first ship of the line
and the commander of the fleet had realized that they were menaced by a new force of which they had no knowledge.
The shipsof Tul Axtar, encouraged by thifsirst success, were now moving swiftly to the attacTk.he cruiser that had destroyed the great battleship was in the lead, but now I was within range of it.
Realizing that the bluperotective paint of Jahar would safeguard the ship itself against the disintegratingray, I hadrammed home acartridge of
another type in the chamber and swinging the muzzle of the rifle so that it
wouldrake the entire length of the ship, I pressed the button.
Instantly themen upon deck dissolveidnto thin air
o–nly their harness
and their metal and their weapons were left.

Directing Taviato run the Jhamalongside, I raised thuepper hatch and leapedto thedeck ofthe cruiser anda momentlater I hadraised the
signal of surrender above her. One can imagine the consternation aboard the nearer ships of Jahar as they saw that signal flying from her forward mast, forthere wasnone sufficiently closeto havewitnessed what actually
transpired aboard her.
Returning to the cabin of the Jhama I lowered the hatch and went at once to
the periscope. Far
tihne rear of the first line of Jaharian ships I could
just discern the royal insignia upon a great battleship, which told me that
Tul Axtarwas there, but in a safe positiosnh. oIuld have liked to reach
his ship next, btuhte fleet was moving forward toward the ships of Helium and I dared not spare the time.
By now the shiposf Helium had opened fire and shells were exploding about the leading ships othfe Jaharian fleet – shells so nicely timed that they
can be set teoxplode at any point up to the extreme range of the gun that
discharges themI.t takes nice gunnery
stoynchronize the timing with the
target.
As ship after shoipf the Jaharian fleet was hit, the others brought their big guns into actioTn.emporarily, at least, the disintegrating ray rifles
had failedb, ut that they would succeed I knewa sifingle ship could get through theHeliumetic line,where among the greabtattleships she could
destroy a dozen in the space of a few minutes.

The gunneryof the Jaharians was pootrh;eir shells usually exploded high in airbefore theyreached their targetb, ut as thebattle continued it improved;yet Iknew that Jaharnever couldhope to defeatHelium with Helium's own weapons.
A greatbattleship of Tul Axtar's fleet whaist three times in succession
almost alongside of me. I saw her drop by the stern and I knew that she was done fora, nd then I sawher commander rush to thbeow and take the last
long dive and I knew that there were brave men in Tul Axtar's fleet as well as inthe fleet of Heliumb,ut Tul Axtar was not oonfe them, for in the
distance I could see his flagship racing toward Jahar.
Despitethe cowardiceof thejeddak, thegreat fleetpushed onto the attack.If theyhad thecourage theycould stillwin, fortheir ships outnumbered theships ofHelium ten toone and asfar asthe eye could
reach I could see them speeding from the north, from the south and from the west toward the scene of battle.
Closer andcloser theships of Heliumwere pressing towardthe ships of Jahar. In his ignorancthee Warlord was playing directly into the hands of theenemy. With their superior marksmanship and twenty battleships
protected bythe bluepaint of JaharH, elium could wipeout Tul Axtar's
greatarmada; ofthat I wasconfident, andwith that thoughtcame an
inspiration. Imt
ight be done anodnly Tan Hadron oHf astor could do it.

Shells werefalling all about usT.he force of thexplosions rocked the Jhama untisl he tossedand pitched likean ancient shipupon an ancient sea. Againand again were wpeerilously close to thleine of fire of the Jahariandisintegrating rayrifles. Ifelt thatI might nolonger risk Taviathus, yet I must carry out the plan that I had conceived.
It is strange homwen change and for what seemingly trivial reasons. I had
thought alml
y life that I would make any sacriffoicreHelium, but now I
knew that I wounldot sacrifice a single hair of that tousled head for all
Barsoom. This, I soliloquized, is friendship.
Taking thecontrols I turned the bow of the Jhatomwaard one of the ships
of Helium, that was standing temporarily out of the line of fire, and as we approached her sidetuIrned the controls back over to Tavia, and, raising theforward hatch,sprang to thedeck ofthe Jhama, raisingboth hands
above myhead in signal of surrender in the evtheantt they might take me for a Jaharian.
What musthey have thoughwt hen they saw maepparently floating upright upon thin air? Thtahtey were astonished was evident by the expressions on thefaces ofthose nearestto me asthe Jhamatouched the sideof the
battleship.
They kept me covered as I came aboard, leaving Tavia to maneuver the Jhama.

Before Icould announce myself wI as recognized by yaoung officer of my
own umak. With a cry of surprise he leaped forward and threw his arms about me. "Hadron of Hastorh!"e cried. "Have I witnessed your resurrection from
death; butno, you aretoo real, too mucahlive to be anwy raith of the other world."
"I am alive now," I cried, "but none of us will be unless I can get word to your commander. Where is he?"
"Here," saida voice behindme and I turnetdo see an oloddwar who had
been a great friend of my father's. He recognized me immediately, but there was no time even for greetings.
"Warn thefleet that the ships of Jahaarre armed with disintegrating ray
rifles that can dissolve every ship as you saw the first one dissolve. They are only effective at short range.
Keep atleast a haad distancferom them and yoaure relatively safe. And now ifyou will give mtehree men and direct thfiere of your fleet away from theJaharian ships on thseouth of their lineI, will agree to have twenty ships foyrou in an hour – ships protectedthbey blue of Jahar in whichyou may face their disintegrating ray rifles with impunity."
The odwar knew me well and upon his own responsibility he agreed to do what
I asked.

Three padwarsof my own class guaranteed atcocompany me. I fetched Tavia aboardthe battleshipand turned herover tothe protection ofthe old odwar,though she objected strenuously to being parted from me.
"We havegone through so much together, Hadrofn Hastor," she said, "let us go on to the end together."
She hadcome quite close tmo e and spoken in loaw voice that none might overhear.Her eyes, filled with pleading, were upturned to mine.
"I cannot risk you further, Tavia," I said.
"There is so much danger then, you think?" she asked.
"We shall be
dinanger, of course," I said; "this is war and one can never
tell. Do not worry though. I shall come back safely."
"Thenit isthat you fearthat I shalbl e inthe way," shesaid, "and another can do the work better than I."
"Ofcourse not," I replied. "I am thinking only of your safety."
"If you are losIt,shall not live. I swear it," ssahide, "so if you can trust meto dothe work ofa man, let mgeo with you insteaodf one of those."

I hesitated". Oh, Hadronof Hastor, pleasedo not leaveme here without
you," she said.
I couldnot resist her. "Very well, then," I s"aciodm,
e with me. I would
rather haveyou than any other," and so it
twhat Tavia replaced one of
the padwars on the Jhama, much to the officer's chagrin.
Beforeentering theJhama Iturned againto theold odwar. "Ifwe are successful," I said, "naumber of Tul Axtar's battleships will move slowly toward the Helium linbeeneath signals of surrender. Their crews will have beendestroyed. Have boarding parties ready to take them over."
Naturally everyone aboard the battleshiwp as intensely interested in the
Jhama though all thtahtey could see of her was the open hatch and the eye of theperiscope. Officersand men linedthe rail as wwe ent aboard our
invisible craft and aIsclosed the hatch, a loud cheer rang out above me.
My firsat ct thoroughly evidenced mnyeed of Tavia, foIr put her at the after turretin charge of threifle there, while onoef the padwars took
the controlsand turned the prowof the Jhama towartdhe Jaharian fleet.
I wasstanding in a positiown here I could watcthhe changing scene upon the groundglass beneath theperiscope and when gareat battleship swung
slowly into the miniature picture before me, I directed the padwar to lay a
straight course for her, but a moment later I saw another battleship moving

abreast ofher, This was better and we changoeudr course to pass between the two.
They weremoving gallantlytoward the fleetof Helium, firingtheir big guns nowand reservingtheir disintegrating ray riflefsor closer range. Whata magnificent sightthey were, and yethow helpless. Thetiny, invisible Jhamaw, ith herlittle rifles, constituted gareater menace to
them than did the entire fleet of Helium. On they drove, unconscious of the inevitable fate bearing down upon them.
"Sweep thestarboard ship from stem to stern,c"alIled to Tavia. "I will takethis fellow onour port," andthen tothe padwar athe controls, "Half speed!"
Slowly we passed their bows. I touched the button upon my rifle and through the tinysighting apertureI saw thecrew dissolve in thpeath of those
awful rays, atshe two ships passed. We were very cl–osseo close that I could see the expressionosf consternation and horror on the faces of some of the warriors athsey saw their fellows disappear before their eyes, and then theirturn would come and they would snbueffed out in the twinkling
ofan eye, their weapons and their metal clattering to the deck.
As wedropped astern of themo,ur work completed, hIad the padwar bring the Jhamaabout and alongside onoef the ships, whicIh quickly boarded, running upthe signal of surrenderW. ith the death otfhe officer at her

controls shehad fallenoff with thewind, but I quicklbyrought her up
again and, setting her at half speed, her bow toward the ships of Helium, I
locked the controls and left her.
Returningto theJhama wecrossed quicklyto theother ship anda few moments laterit, too, was moving slowly towatrhde fleet of the Warlord, the signal of surrender fluttering above it.
So quicklyhad theblow been struckthat even the nearesrhips of Jahar weresome timein realizingthat anythingwas amiss. Perhapsthey were unableto believe their own eyeswhen they saw two of theirgreat battleshipssurrender beforehaving been struckby asingle shot, but presentlythe commander of a lightcruiser seemed to awaken tothe seriousnessof the situation, even though he could not fully have
understood it. We wearelready moving toward another battleship when I saw the cruiserspeeding directly toward one of our priaznesd I knew that it
would nevereach thefleet of Helium ihfe boarded it, tahing which I
must prevent at all costs. His course would bring him across our bow and as he passed I raked him with the forward rifle.
Isaw that itwould be impossiblefor theJhama to overtakethis swift cruiser, whichwas moving aftull speed and swo e had to lehter go her way. At firsIt was afraid she would ram the neparizre and had she hit her squarelyat therate that shewas traveling, thecruiser would have
plowed half way through the hull of the battleship. Fortunately, she missed
the great shibpy a hair and went speeding on
tihneto midst of the fleet

of Helium.
Instantly shewas the target foar hundred guns, baarrage of shells was burstingabout her and then there must have been a dozen bits simultaneously,for thecruiser simply disappeared– amass of flying debris.
As I turned bactok
our work I saw the havoc being wrought by the big guns
of Heliumupon the enemy shiptso the north of mIen.
the instant that I
glanced Isaw three great battleships take tfhineal dive, while at least
four others were drifting helplessly with the wind, but other ships of that mighty armadawere swinging into actionA. s far as cIould see they were coming fromthe north, from thseouth and from thwe est. There seemed no end tothem andnow, at last, rIealized that only ma iracle could give
victory to Helium.
Inaccordance with my suggestion our own fleet was holding off, concentrating thefire ofits big gunsupon the nearer shiposf Jahar – constantly seeking to keep those deadly rifles out of range.
Againwe fellto work –to thegrim workthat thegod ofbattle had allottedto us.One byone, twentygreat battleshipssurrendered their deserteddecks to usand as we workedI counted fullyas manymore destroyed by the guns of the Warlord.

In theprosecution of our worwk e had been compelletdo destroy at least half a dozen smaclrlaft, such as scout fliers and light cruisers, and now thesewere racing erraticallyamong theremaining ships ofthe Jaharian fleet,carrying consternation anddoubtless terrorto the heartsof Tul
Axtar's warriorsf,or all thenearer ships must havreealized long since thatsome strange, newforce had beenloosed uponthem by theships of Helium.
By thistime we had workesdo far behind thJeaharian first line that we could nolonger see theships of Helium, thougbhursting shells attested the fact that they were still there.
From pastexperience I realized that it woubled necessary to protect the captured Jaharian ships frombeing re-taken and so I turned back, taking a position whereI could watch ams any of them apsossible and it was well
that I did so, for we found it necessary to destroy the crews of three more ships before we reached the battle line of Helium.
Here they had alreadmyanned a dozen of the captured battleships of Jahar, and, withthe bannersand pennons ofHelium above themt,hey had turned
about and were moving into action against their sister ships.
It wasthen thatthe spirit of Jahawr as broken. This, tIhink, was too
much forthem as doubtless the majority tohfem believed that these ships had goneover to the enemy voluntarily waitlhl their officers and crews, forfew, ifany, couldhave knownthat thelatter hadbeen destroyed.

Their Jeddakhad long sincedeserted them. Twenty otfheir largest ships hadgone overto theenemy and nowprotected bythe blue ofJahar and
manned by the best gunners of Barsoom, were plowing through them, spreading death and destruction upon every hand.
A dozenof Tul Axtar'sships surrendered voluntarily antdhen the others turned andscattered; very few otfhem headed toward Jahaarnd I knew by that that they believed that the city must inevitably fall.
TheWarlord made no effort topursue the fleeing craft; insteadhe
stationed theships that we had captured frotmhe enemy, more than thirty all toldnow, entirely around thfeleet of Helium tporotect it from the
disintegrating rayrifles of the enemiyn the event oaf
renewed attack,
and then slowly we moved on Jahar.
Sixteen
DESPAIR
IMMEDIATELY after the close of the battle the Warlord sent for me and a few moments later Tavia and I stepped aboard the flagship.
The Warlordhimself came forward to meet us.kn"eI w," he said, "that the
son of Had Urtuwrould give a good account of himself. Helium can scarcely

pay thedebt ofgratitude that youhave placed upon hetroday. You have been toJahar; yourwork today convincesme of that. Mawy e with safety approach and take the city?"
"No," Ireplied, andthen briefly Iexplained the mightyforce that Tul
Axtar hadgathered and the armamenwt ith which he expectetdo subdue the world. "But there is a way," I said.
"And what is that?" he asked.
"Send one of the captured Jaharian ships with a flag of truce and I believe that TuAl xtar will surrender. He is a coward. flHede in terror when the
battle was still young."
"Will he honor a flag of truce?"
"If it is carrieadboard one of his own ships, protected by the blue paint
of JaharI,
believe that hwe ill," I said; "but tahte same time I shall
accompany the ship in the invisible Jhama.
"I knowhow I may gaienntrance to the palaceI. have abducted Tul Axtar once andperchance I may baeble to do it again. yIofu have him in your hands, youcan dictate terms to the nobles, oafllwhom fear the terrific powerof thehungry multitude thatis heldin check nowonly by the instinctive terror they feel for their Jeddak."

As we waited fothre former Jaharian cruiser that was to carry the flag of truceto come alongside, John Carter told me whathad delayed the
expedition against Jahar for so many months.
The majordomo of Tor Hatan's palace, to whom I had entrusted the message to John Carter and which would have led immediately to the descent upon Jahar, hadbeen assassinatedwhile on hisway tothe palace ofthe Warlord.
Suspicion, therefored, id not fall upon Tul Axatanrd the ships of Helium scouredBarsoom for many months in vain search for Sanoma Tora.
Itwas only byaccident that KalTavan theslave, who hadoverheard my conversation withthe majordomo, learned that thsehips of Helium had not beendispatched toJahar, for aslave ordinarilyis not takeninto the
confidences of his master and the arrogant Tor Hatan was, of all men, least likely todo so; but Kal Tavan did hear eventuaanlldy he went himself to
the Warlord and told his story.
"For his services," saJidohn Carter, I gave him his freedom and as it was apparent fromhis demeanorthat he hadbeen born to thneobility in his
native countryt,hough he did not tell me thI isg,ave him service aboard
the fleetH.
e hasturned out to baen excellent man anrdecently I have
made hima dwar. Having beebnorn in Tjanath ansderved in Kobol, he was more familiarwith this part oBf arsoom than any othemr an in Helium. I, therefore, assignedhim to dutywith the navigating officeorf the fleet
and he is now aboard the flagship."

"Ihad occasion to notice the man immediately after Sanoma Tora's
abduction," I said, "and I was much impressed by him. I am glad that he has found his freedom and the favor of the Warlord."
Thecruiser thatwas tobear theflag oftruce was nowalongside. The officerin command reported to the Warlordand ashe received his
instructions, Tavia and I returned to the Jhama. We had decided to carry on our part of thpelan alone, for if it became necessary to abduct Tul Axtar
again I had hopeadl,so, that I might find Phao and Sanoma Tora, and if so thesmall cabinof theJhama wouldbe sufficiently crowdedwithout the
addition ofthe two padwars. They were reluctantletaove her for I think they hadhad the most glorious experience tohfeir lives during the short timethat theyhad been aboardher, butI gained permissionfrom the Warlord for them to accompany the cruiser to Jahar.
Once againTavia and I weraelone. "Perhaps this wiblle our last cruise aboard the Jhama," I said.
"I think I shall be glad to rest," she replied.
"You are tired?" I asked.
"More tiredthan I realized untIil felt the safetaynd security of that greatfleet ofHelium aboutme. I thinkthat Iam just tiredof being always in danger."

"I shouldnot have brought you now," I said. "Thiseryeet time to return you to the flagship."
She smiled. "You know better than that, Hadron," she said.
I did know better. I knew that she would not leave me. We were silent for a while as the Jhamsalid through the air slightly astern of the cruiser. As
I looked at Taviaf'asce, it seemed to reflect a great weariness and there were littlelines of sadness thertehat I had nosteen before. Presently shespoke again in a dull tone that was most unlike her own.
"I thinkthat Sanoma Tora wiblle glad to comaeway with you this time," she said.
"I donot know," I said. "It makes no differetnoceme whether she wishes to come or not. It is my duty to fetch her."
She nodded. "Perhaps it is best," she said; "her father is a noble and very rich."
I did not understand what that had to do with it and not being particularly interested furtherin either Sanoma Toroar her father, dIid not pursue theconversation. Iknew thatit wasmy dutyto return SanomaTora to
Heliumif possible,and that wasthe onlyinterest thatI hadin the

affair.
We werewell within sight of Jahar befowree encountered any warships and thena cruiser cameto meet ours which borethe flagof truce.The
commanders ofthe twoboats exchanged afew words andthen the Jaharian craftturned andled theway towardthe palaceof Tul AxtarI.t moved
slowly andI forged on ahead, my plans alreamdayde, and the Jhama, being clothedwith invisibility, neededno escort.I steered directlyto that
wing of the palacwehich contained the women's quarters and slowly circled it, my periscope on a line with the windows.
We had roundetdhe end of the wing, in whichgtrheeat hall lay where Tul
Axtarheld courtwith his women,when theperiscope cameopposite the
windows of a gorgeous apartment. I brought the ship to a stop before it, as
I hadbefore some of thoethers which I wishetdo examine, and while the slowly movingperiscope brought differentparts of the largreoom to the
ground glass plate before me I saw the figures of two women and instantly I
recognizedthem. Onewas SanomaTora andthe otherPhao, andupon the
figure of the formherung the gorgeous trappings of a Jeddara. The woman I had lovedhad achieved her goabl,ut it caused mneo pang of jealousy. I searchedthe balanceof theapartment andfinding no otheroccupant, I
brought thedeck of the Jhamcalose below the siollf the window. Then I
raised a hatch and leaped into the room.
At sighot f meSanoma Tora arose fromthe divan upon whicshhe had been
sitting andshrank back in terror. I thought tshhaet
was about to scream

for help, butwIarned her to silence, and at the same instant Phao sprang forward ands, eizing Sanoma Tora's armc,lapped a palm ovehrer mouth. A moment later I had gained her side.
"The fleet of Jahharas gone down to defeat before the ships of Helium," I
told SanomaTora, "and I have come to take
byaocuk to your own country."
She wastrembling sothat she couldnot reply. Ihad neverseen such a picture ofabject terror, inducedno doubt by heorwn guilty conscience.
"I amglad you have comeH, adron of Hastor," saiPdhao, "for I know that you will take me, too."
"Ofcourse," Isaid. "The Jhamalies justoutside that windowCome! We shall soon be safe aboard the flagship of the Warlord."
While I had beetanlking I had become aware of a strange noise that seemed tocome froma distanceand whichrose andfell involume andnow it
appeared to be growing nearer and nearer. I could not explain it; perhaps I
did notattempt to, for abtest I could boenly mildly interested. I had
found twoof thosewhom I sought. wI ould get them aboartdhe Jhama and then I would try to locate Tul Axtar.
At that instant thdeoor burst open and a man rushed into the room. It was
Tul AxtarH.
e was very palaend he was breathing hardA. t sight of me he

halted and shrank back and I thought that he was going to turn and run, but
he onlylooked fearfully back through the open doanodr
then he turned to
me, trembling.
"They arecoming!" hecried in a voicoef terror. "They willtear me to pieces."
"Who is coming?" I demanded.
"The people," he sai"dT. hey have forced the gates and they are coming, Do you not hear them?"
So thatwas the noise that had attracted
amttyention – the hungry hordes
of Jahar searching out the author of their misery.
"The Jhama is outside that window," I said. "If you will come aboard her as aprisoner of war, I will take you to the Warlord of Barsoom."
"He will kill me, too," wailed Tul Axtar.
"He should," I assured him.
He stoodlooking at me foar moment and cIould see in hiesyes and the expression ofhis face thereflection of a dawninigdea. His countenance lightened. He looked almost hopeful. "I will come," he said; "but first let meget one thing to take with me. It is in yonder cabinet."

"Hasten," I said.
He wentquickly to the cabinet, which wastalal affair reaching from the floor almosto the ceiling, anwd hen he opened thdeoor it hid him from our view.
As Iwaited Icould hear the crasohf weapons upon levelbselow and the screams andshrieks and curses omf en and I judgetdhat the palace guard washolding themob, temporarilyat least.Finally Ibecame impatient.
"Hasten, Tul Axtar,"caIlled, but there was no reply. Again I called him, with thesame result, and then I crossed the rotomthe cabinet, but Tul Axtar was not behind the door.
The cabinetcontained many drawersof different sizes, butthere was not onelarge enough toconceal a mann, or anythrough which hecould have
passed to another apartment. Hastily I searched the room, but Tul Axtar was nowhere tobe found and theIn chanced to glancaet Sanoma Tora. She was evidently trying to attract my attention, but she was so terrified that she
could not speak. With trembling fingers she was pointing toward the window. I looked in that direction, but I could see nothing.
"What isit? Whatare you tryingto say, SanomaTora?" Idemanded as I
rushed to her side.

"Gone!" she managed to say. "Gone!"
"Who is gone?" I demanded.
"Tul Axtar."
"Where? What do you mean?" I insisted.
"The hatch of the Jhama – I saw it open and close."
"But it cannot be possible. We have been standing here looking–" and then a thought struck me thlaetft me almost dazed. I turned to Sanoma Tora. "The cloak of invisibility?" I whispered.
She nodded.
Almost ina single bound I crossed the roomtheto window and was feeling
for the decokf the Jhama. It was not there.
sThhipe
had gone. Tul Axtar
had taken it and Tavia was with him.
Iturned backand crossed theroom toSanoma Tora. "Accursedwoman!" I
cried. "Yourselfishness, your vanity, youtreachery has jeopardized the
safety of one whose footprints you are not fit to touch." I wanted to close my fingersupon that perfect throaIt, yearned to setehe agony of death
upon thatbeautiful face;but only turnedaway, my handsdropping at my
sides, forI am a ma–n
a noble oHf elium – and thwe omen of Helium are

sacred, even such as Sanoma Tora.
From below came thseounds of renewed fighting. If the mob broke through I knew that we shoualdll be lost, There was but one hope for even temporary safetyand that was the slender tower above the women's quarters.
"Followme," I saidcurtly. As weentered themain corridor Icaught a glimpse ofthe interior of the great hall whTeruel Axtar had held court. It wasfilled withterrified women. Weltlhey knew what thfeate of the
women of a Jeddak would be at the hands of an infuriated mob. My heart went out tothem, but Icould not save themL.ucky, indeed, should bIe if I
were able to save these two.
Crossing the corridor waescended the spiral ramp to the storeroom, where, after entering, I took the precaution to bolt the door, then I ascended the laddertoward thetrap doorat thesummit ofthe tower, thetwo women
following meA. s I raised the trap and looked abmoeut I could have cried
aloudwith joy,for circlinglow abovethe roofof the palacewas the
cruiser flyingthe flag of truce. I apprehendneod
danger of discovery by
Jaharian warriorssince Iknew that theywere all welol ccupied below –
those who were nfolteeing for their lives – and so I sprang to the summit of thetower and hailed thceruiser in a voictehat they might well hear
above thehowling of the mob. An answering hail cafrmoem the deck of the craft anda moment later she dropped to the leovfelthe tower roof. With
thehelp of the crew I assisted Phao and Sanoma Tora aboard.

The officer in command of the cruiser stepped to my side. "Our mission here
is fruitless," he sai"dW.
ord has just been brought me that the palace has
fallen beforethe onslaughtof a mobof infuriated citizensT. he nobles havecommandeered everycraft uponwhich theycould lay handsand have
fled. There is no one with whom we can negotiate a peace. No one knows what has become of Tul Axtar."
"Iknow," I toldhim, and then Inarrated what hadhappened inthe apartment of the Jeddara.
"We must pursue himh,"e said. "We must overtake him and carry him back to the Warlord."
"Where shall we look?" I asked. "The Jhama may lie within a dozen sofads of us andeven so we coulndot see her. I shaslelarch for him; never fear,
and someday I shall finhdim, but it iusseless now to trtyo find the
Jhama. Let us return to the flagship of the Warlord."
Ido not know thatJohn Carter fully realizedthe loss that Ihad
sustained, but I suspect that he did for he offered me all the resources of
Helium in my search for Tavia.
I thanked him, baustked only for a fast ship; one in which I might devote
theremainder of mylife in whaIt
trulybelieved would provea futile
search for Tavia, fohrow could I know where in all wide Barsoom Tul Axtar

would elect to hide. Doubtless there were known to him many remote spots in hisown empirewhere he couldlive insafety for thebalance of his
allotted timeon Barsoom. To sucah place he woulgdo and because of the
Jhama no man wousldee him pass; there would be no clue by which to follow himand he wouldtake Taviawith him andshe would behis slave.I
shuddered and my nails sank into my palms at the thought.
The Warlordordered one of the newest and swiftfelisetrs of Helium to be brought alongside the flagshiIpt. was a trim craft of the semi-cabin type
that would easily accommodaftoeur or five in comfort. From his own stores
he had provisions and water transferred to it and he added wine from Ptarth and jars of the famous honey of Dusar.
Sanoma Tora anPdhao had been sent at once tcoabain by the Warlord, for the deckof aman-of-war on dutyis no placefor women. Iwas about to departwhen amessenger came sayingthat SanomaTora wished tosee me.
"I do not wish to see her," I replied.
"Hercompanion also beggedthat youwould come," repliedthe messenger.
That wasdifferent. I had almost forgotten Phao,
ibfutshe wished to see
me I would go, and so I went at once to the cabin where the two girls were. AsI enteredSanoma Tora cameforward andthrew herself uponher knees
before me.

"Have pity on me, Hadron of Hastor," she cried. "I have been wicked, but it
was myvanity and not mhyeart that sinned. Do ngoot
away. Come back to
Helium andI will devote my life to yhoaupr piness. Tor Hatan, my father,
isrich. The mate of his only child may liveforever in luxury."
I am afraid thmaty lips curled to the sneer that
iwnasmy heart. What a
petty soulwas hers! Even ihner humiliation and heprenitence she could
see nobeauty and no happiness greater thwanealth and power. She thought thatshe waschanged, butI knewthat SanomaTora nevercould change.
"Forgive me, Tan Hadrons,h" e cried. "Come back to me, for I love you. Now
I know that I love you."
"Your love has come too late, Sanoma Tora," I said.
"You love another?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"The Jeddaraof some of the strange countriyeosu have been through?" she asked.
"A slave girl," I replied.
Her eyeswent wide in incredulityS.he could not conceivtehat one might

choose aslave girl to the daughter Toofr Hatan. "Impossible," she said.
"It is true, though," I assured her; "a little slave girl is more desirable to TanHadron of Hastor thains Sanoma Tora, thdeaughter of Tor Hatan," and withthat Iturned my backupon her and facePdhao. "Good-bye, dear
friend," Isaid. "Doubtless we shall never meet agabiunt,
I shall see to
it that you have a good home in Hastor. I shall speak to the Warlord before
I leave and have him send you directly to my mother."
She laidher hand upon my shoulder. "Let mewgitoh you, Tan Hadron," she said. "forperhaps whileyou are searchingfor Tavia youwill pass near
Jhama.
I understoodinstantly what she meant, anIdreproached myself for having
even temporarily forgotten NuArn. "You shall come with me, Phao," I said,
"and my first duty shall be to return to Jhama. and rescue Nur An from poor old Phor Tak."
Without another glance Satanoma Tora I led Phao from the cabin, and after afew partingwords with theWarlord weboarded mynew shipand with
friendly farewells in our ears, headed west toward Jhama.
Being no longer protectebdy the invisibility compound of Phor Tak, or the disintegrating ray resisting paint of Jahar, we were forced to keep a sharp
lookout for enemy shiposf,
which I had but little fear if we sighted them

in time for I knew that I could outdistance any of them.
I sethe destination controcl ompass upon Jhama anodpened the throttle
wide; the swift Barsoomian night had fallen; the only sound was the rush of thin air along ousirdes which drowned out the quiet purring of our motor.
Forthe firsttime sinceI had foundher againon the quartersof the
Jeddaraat Jahar, Ihad an opportunityto talkwith Phao andthe first
thing Iasked her was foarn explanation of thaebandonment of the Jhama after Tul Axtar had grounded Tavia and me in U-Gor.
"It wasan accident," she said, "that threw Tul Aixnttaor a great fit of rage.We were headedfor Jahar." whenhe sightedone of hisown ships,
which took us aboard as soon as they discovered the identity of the jeddak. Itwas nightand in theconfusion ofboarding the Jaharianwarship Tul
Axtar momentarilyforgot the Jhamawhich must have drifteadway from the larger craft the mometnhtat we left her. They cruised about searching for her for awhileb,ut at last they had to givuepitand the ship proceeded toward Jahar."
The miracle otfhe presence of the Jhama at the otfopthe peak, where we had soprovidentially found it itnime to escape fromthe hunting men of
U-Gor, wasnow no longer ma iracle. The prevailing windisn this part of Barsoom arefrom the northwest at this timeyeoafr. The Jhama had merely drifted withthe windand chanced tolodge upon the highespteak of the
range.

Phao alsotold me why TuAl xtar had originally abducteSdanoma Tora from
Helium. Hehad had his secret agents at Helifuomr some time previous and
they had reportetdo him that the best way to
tlhuerefleet of Helium to
Jahar was to abduct a woman of some noble family. He had instructed them to select abeautiful one, and stohey had decided upotnhe daughter of Tor
Hatan.
"But how did theeyxpect to lure the fleet of Helium to Jahar if they left noclue asto theidentity ofthe abductorsof Sanoma Tora?"I asked.
"They lefnt o clue at the time because Tul Awxtasr
not ready to receive
the attack of Heliume,"xplained Phao; "but he had already sent his agents word todrop a hint atso the whereabout oSfanoma Tora when John Carter learned through other sources the identity of her abductors."
"So iat ll worked out the way Tul Axtar phlaadnned," I said, "except the finish."
We passed the houwrsith brief snatches of conversation and long silences,
each occupiedwith his own thought–s
Phao's doubtless ma ixture of hope
and fearb, ut therewas little roomfor hope in mineT.he only pleasant prospects thatlay before me lay in rescuing NAunr and reuniting him and Phao. Afterthat I would take them to any countotrywhich they wished to
goand thenreturn tothe vicinityof Jaharand prosecutemy hopeless

search.
I heardwhat you said tSoanoma Tora in thceabin of the flagship," said
Phao after a long silence, "and I was glad."
Isaid anumber of things,"I remindedher; "towhich doyou refer?"
"You said that you loved Tavia," she replied.
"Isaid nothingof thekind," Irejoined rathershortly, forI almost loathed that word.
"But youdid," she insisted. "You said that ylovued a little slave girl andI know that you love Tavia. I have seen it in your eyes."
"You have seen nothing of the kind. Because you are in love, you think that everyone must be."
She laughed. "You love her and she loves you."
"We areonly friends – very good friendIs,"insisted, "and furthermore I
know that Tavia does not love me."
"How do you know?"
"Let usnot speak of iatny more," I said, but thouIghdid not speak of

it, I thought about it. I recalled that I had told Sanoma Tora that I loved
a little slave girl and I knew that I had had Tavia in my mind at the time, but Ithought that Ihad said it morteo wound Sanoma Tortahan for any
other purpose. I tried to analyze my own feelings, but at last I gave it up
as a foolish thintog
do. Of course, I did not love Tavia; I loved no one;
love was not for me – Sanoma Tora had killed it within my breast, and I was equally surethat Tavia did not love me; if hsahde, she would have shown
it andI was quite sure that she hnaedver demonstrated any other feeling for methan the finest ocfomradeship. We were juswt hat she had said we were – comrades in arms and nothing else.
It was still darwkhen I saw the gleaming white palace of Phor Tak shining softly in the moonligfhatr below us. Late as it was, there were lights in someof therooms. Ihad hoped thatall wouldhe asleep, formy plans
depended upon my ability to enter the palace secretly. I knew that Phor Tak neverkept any watchat night, feelingthat nonewas needed insuch an
isolated spot.
Silently I dropped thfleier until it rested upon the roof of the building where Nur An anIdhad first landed, for I knew tthhearte I would find a passage to the palace below.
"Wait hereat the controls, Phao," I whispered. "Nur aAndn I may have to come away in a hurry and you must be ready."

Shenodded herhead understandingly, anda momentlater Ihad slipped
quietly to the rooanf d was approaching the opening that led down into the interior.
As I paused
tahte top of the spiral ramp I qfueilct kly of my weapons to
see thateach was in itpslace. John Carter hafditted me out anew. Once
more I stood
tihne leather and metal of Helium, with a full complement of
weapons suchas belong to a fighting man of BarsoMomy. long sword was of the best steel, for it was one of John Carter's own. Beside this, I carried
a short sword and a dagger, and once again a heavy radium pistol hung at my hip.I loosened thelatter in itsholster asI started downthe spiral
ramp.
AsI approached thebottom I heard avoice. It wascoming fromthe directionof PhorTak's laboratory, thedoor ofwhich openedupon the corridorat thebottom ofthe ramp.I creptslowly downward.The door
leadingto thelaboratory wasclosed. Twomen were conversingI.
could
recognize the thin, high voice of Phor Tak; the other voice was not that of
Nur An; yet it was strangely familiar.
"–riches beyond your dream," I heard the second man say.
"I do not neerdiches," cackled Phor Tak. "Heigh-oo! Presently I shall own all the riches in the world."
"You will need help," I could hear the other man say in a pleading tone. "I

cangive you help; you shall have every ship ofmy great fleet."
Thatremark broughtme upstanding –"every shipof my greaftleet!" It could not be possible and yet–
GentlyI tried thedoor. To mysurprise it swungopen revealingthe interior ofthe room. Beneath baright light stood TuAl xtar. Fifty feet fromhim Phor Takwas standing behinda benchupon which wasmounted a disintegrating ray rifle, aimed full at Tul Axtar.
Where was Tavia? Whewreas Nur An? Perhaps this man alone knew where Tavia was and PhoTr ak was about to destroy him. Witchrya of warning I leaped
into the room. TAulxtar and Phor Tak looked at me quickly, surprise large upon their countenances.
"Heigh-oo!"screamed theold inventor. "Soyou havecome back! Knave! Ingrate! Traitor! But you have come back only to die."
"Wait," I cried, raising my hand. "Let me speak."
"Silence!" screamed Phor Tak. "You shall see Tul Axtar die. I hated to kill
him withoust omeone to see
s–omeone to witness hidseath agony. I shall
have my revenge on him first and then on you."
"Stop!" I cried. His finger was already hovering over the button that would

snatch Tul Axtar inotoblivion, perhaps with the secret of the whereabouts of Tavia.
Idrew my pistol.Phor Tak made asudden motion withhis handsand disappeared.He vanished as though turned to thin air by his own disintegratingrays, butI knewwhat hadhappened. Iknew thathe had throwna mantleof invisibility aroundhimself andI fired athe spot where he had last been visible.
Atthe sameinstant thefloor openedbeneath meand I shotinto utter darkness.
Ifelt myself hurtlingalong a smooth surfacewhich graduallybecame horizontaland aninstant laterI shotinto a dimlylighted apartment, whichI knew must be located in the pits beneath the palace.
I had clung to my pistol as I fell and now, as I arose to my feet, I thrust it back into its holster; at least I was not unarmed.
The dimlight in the apartmenwt, hich was little bettetrhan no light at all, Idiscovered, camefrom a ventilatorin the ceilingand that aside fromthe shaftthat had conductedme tothe cell,there wasno other
opening in the waolrl
ceiling or floor. The ventilator was about two feet
in diameter and lesdtraight up from the center of the ceiling to the roof
of the building, several levels above. The lower end of the shaft was about
two feet above my finger tips when I extended them high above my head. This

avenue ofescape, then,was useless, buta, las, how tantalizingI.t was
maddening to see dayligahnt d an open avenue to the outer world just above me and buenable to reach it. I was glad tthheat sun had risen, throwing
its quick light ovtehre scene, for had I fallen here in utter darkness my plight wouldhave seemed infinitely worse thannow, and my first ancestor
knew that it was bad enough. I turned my attention now to the chute through which Ihad descendedand I found thaIt could ascend iqtuite a little
distance, but presently tiutrned steeply upward and its smoothly polished walls were unscalable.
Ireturned to the pits.I must escape, butnow, as my eyesbecame accustomedto thedim light,I sawstrewn aboutthe floor,that which
snatched awaymy last hope and filled mweith horror. Everywhere upon the
stone flagging were heaps and mounds of human bones picked clean by gnawing rats. I shuddered as I contemplated the coming of night. How long before my bones, too, would be numbered among the rest?
The thought made me frantic, not for myself but for Tavia. I could not die. I must not die. I must live until I had found her.
Hastily Icircled the room, searchinfgor some clue thoope, but I found only rough-hewn stone set in soft mortar.
Soft mortar!With the realization, hopdeawned anew. If cIould remove a few of thesbelocks and pile them one on toptheof other, I might easily

reach theshaft that terminated itnhe ceiling above mhyead. Drawing my dagger Ifell to work, scraping and scratchingthaet mortar about one of the stonesin the nearest wall. It seemed slow wbourkt, in reality I had loosened thestone in an incredibly short timTeh.e mortar was poor stuff and crumbledaway easily. As dIrew the block oumt y first plan faded in
the light of what I saw in front of me. Beyond the opening I saw a corridor atthe footof a spiralramp leadingupward, and fromsomewhere above,
daylight was filtering down.
Iknew thatif Icould remove threemore ofthose stones beforeI was
detected I could worm my body through the opening into the corridor beyond, and you may well believe that I worked rapidly.
One byone the blocks were loosened and removed iatnwd as with a feeling of exultationthat Islipped through intothe corridor. Aboveme rose a
spiral ramp. Where lietd, I did not know, but at lietaslet d out of the
pits. Cautiously, and yet without any hesitation, I ascended. I must try to reach the laboratory before Phor Tak had slain Tul Axtar. This time I would make sure of the old inventor before I entered the room and I prayed to all my ancestors that I should be in time.
Doors,leading fromthe ramp tovarious levelsof the palacew,
ere all
locked and I wafosrced to ascend to the roof. As it chanced the wing upon which Ifound myself was more or less detached,thsaot at first glance I
couldsee noway whereby Icould makemy way fromit to anyof the
adjoining roofs.

As Iwalked aroundthe edge ofthe building hurriedlyl,ooking for some
means of descent to the roof below, I saw something one level below me that instantlycharged myattention. It wasa man's legprotruding froma
window, as though hhead thrown one limb across the sill. A moment later I
sawan armemerge, andthe top ofa man'shead and hisshoulders were
visible as he leaned out. He reached down and up and I saw something appear directlybeneath himthat had notbeen therebefore, and atthe same
instant Icaught a glimpse oaf girl, lying faew feet further down, and
then I saw the man slide over the sill quickly and drop down and disappear, and all that lay below me was the flagging of a courtyard.
But in that briienfstant I knew precisely what I had seen. I had seen Tul Axtar raisethe hatch of the Jhama. I had sTeaevnia lying bound upon the floorof theship beneath thehatch. Ihad seen TulAxtar enter the
interior of the craft andclose the hatch above his head.
It takesa long while ttoell it when compared withe time in which it
actually transpired; nor was I so long in acting as I have been in telling.
As the hatch closed, I leaped.
Seventeen
I FIND A PRINCESS

IT WOULD BE AUSNREASONABLE to aver that I fully visualized the outcome of my actas I leaped out into space with nothviinsgible between me and the
flagstones of the courtyarfdorty feet below as it would be to assume that
I acted solely upon unreasoning impulse. There are emergencies in which the mindfunctions with inconceivable celerity. Perceptionsare received,
judgments arrivedat and reasonoperates to a definitceonclusion all so swiftly thathe three actsappear simultaneous. Thus mushtave been the process in this instance.
I knewwhere the narrow walkway upon the upper doefckthe Jhama must lie in the seemingly empstypace below me, for I had jumped almost the instant that the hatchad closed. Of course I know now, Iankdnew then, that it would havebeen a dangerous feaatnd difficult of achievemenetven had I
been able to sethee Jhama below me; yet as I lboaockk upon it now there was nothing elstehat I could have done. It was omney, my last chance to saveTavia from a fate worsethan death – it was perhaps mylast
opportunity everto seeher again. AsI jumped then sIhould jump again
under like conditions evethnough I knew that I should miss the Jhama, for now as thenkInow that I should rather die than lose Tavia; although then I did not know why, while now I do.
But I did not miss. I landed squarely upon my feet upon the narrow walkway. The impacot f myweight upon the uppedreck of the crafmt ust have been
noticeable toTul Axtar, for I could feel Jthaema drop a little beneath
me. Doubtlesshe wonderedwhat had happenedb, ut I do notthink that he

guessed the truth. However, he did not raise the hatch as I hoped he would, butinstead he musthave leaped to thecontrols at once foralmost
immediatelythe Jhama roseswiftly at an acuteangle, which madeit
difficult for me to cling to her since her upper deck was not equipped with harnessrings. Bygrasping the forwardedge ofthe turret,however, I
managed to hold on.
AsTul Axtargained sufficient altitudeand straightenedout upon his coursehe openedthe throttle wideso thatthe windrushing atme at
terrific velocity seemed momentariulypon the point of carrying me from my precarious hold and hurtling me to the ground far below. Fortunately I am a strong man– none other could have survived tohradteal – yet how utterly
helpless I was.
Had TuAl xtar guessed the truthe could have raisetdhe after hatch and
had me at hmisercy, for though my pistol hung at my side I could not have released either hand to use it, but doubtless Tul Axtar did not know, or if he didhe hoped that the high speed of sthhiep would dislodge whoever or whatever it might have been that he felt drop upon it.
I had hung there but a short time before I realized that eventually my hold mustweaken and betorn loose. Somethingmust be doneto rectifymy
position. Taviamust be saved anbdecause I alone coulsdave her, I must
not die.

Straining everythew I dragged myself further forwaurndtil I lay with my
chest uponthe turret. Slowly, inch by incIhw,
ormed myself forward. The
tubular sheetingof the periscope was just in frontmoe.f If I could but reach thatwith one hand mI ight hope to attaignreater safety. The wind was buffetingme, seeking to tear me away. I souaghbtetter hold with my left forearmabout the turret antdhen I reached quicklfyorward with my right hand and my fingers closed about the sheathing.
After thatit was not difficult to stretch a opfartmy harness about the
front of the turret. Now I found that I could have one hand free, but until theship stopped I could not hope to accomplish anything more.
What was transpiring beneamthe? Could Tavia be safe even for a brief time in the power oTful Axtar? The thought drove me frantic. The Jhama must be stopped, and then an inspiration came to me.
With myfree hand I unsnapped my pocket poufrcohm my harness and drawing myself still further forwarId,managed to place the opened pouch over the
eye of the periscope.
ImmediatelyTul Axtarwas blind; hecould seenothing, nor wasit long beforethe reaction thatI had expectedand hopedfor came –the Jhama slowed down and finally came to a stop.
I hadbeen lyingpartially upon theforward hatch and nowI drew myself away fromand in front oift. I hoped that witould be the forward hatch

that hewould open. It was the closer to hIimw.aited, and then glancing forward Isaw that he waospening the ports. In thwisay he could see to navigate the ship and my plan was blocked.
I was disappointed, bIutwould not give up hope. Very quietly I tried the forwardhatch, butit was lockedupon theinside. ThenI mademy way
swiftly and silently to the after hatch. If he should start the Jhama again
at full speed now, doubtless I should be lost, but I felt that I was forced
to risk the chance. Already the Jhama was in motion again as I laid my hand upon thehatch cover. This time I was neitshielernt nor gentle. I heaved
vigorously andthe hatch opened. Not an instant
Ididhesitate and as the
Jhama leaped forward again at full speed, I dropped through the hatchway to the interior of the craft.
As Istruck the deck Tul Axtar heard me wanhdeeling from the controls to
face me, he recognized me. I think I never before beheld such an expression of mingled astonishment, hatreadnd fear as convulsed his features. At his
feetlay Tavia, soquietly still thaIt
thoughther dead, andthen Tul
Axtar reached fohris pistol and I for mine, bhuat dI led a cleaner life than TuAl xtar had. Mymind and muscles coordinatwe ith greater celerity thancan those of one who has wasted his fiber in dissipation.
Point blank I fired at his putrid heart and Tul Axtar, Jeddak and tyrant of
Jahar, lunged forward upon the lower deck of the Jhama dead.

Instantly I sprang
Ttoavia’s side and turned her over. She had been bound
and gagged and, for some unaccountable reason, blindfolded as well, but she was not dead.alImost sobbed for joy when I realized that. How my fingers seemed tofumble in their hastteo free her; yet witas only a matter of
seconds ere it was done and I was crushing her in my arms.
I knowthat my tears fell upon her upturned faasceour lips were pressed together, but I amnot ashamed of that, and Tavia wept too and clung to me and Icould feel her dear body tremble. Htoewrrified she must have been,
and yet I knoswhe had never shown it to Tul AxIt rw. as the reaction – themingling of reliefand joy at the momenthat the despairhad been blackest.
In that instant, as our hearts beat together and she drew me closer to her, a greatruth dawned upon meW. hat a stupid foolhIad been! How could I
ever have thought that the sentiment that I entertained for Sanoma Tora was love? How couldevI er believe that my love for Tavia had been such a weak thingas friendship? I drew her closer, if such were possible.
"My princess," I whispered.
Upon Barsoomthose two words, spokebny man to maidh,ave a peculiar and unalterable significance, for nmoan speaks thus to any woman that he does not wish for wife.
"No, no," sobbeTd avia, "Take me, I am yours; buamt I only a slave girl.

Tan Hadron of Hastor cannot mate with such."
Even thenshe thought only omf e and my happinessa,nd not of herself at all. Howdifferent she was from such as Sanoma ToIrah?ad risked my life to win a clod of dirt and I had found a priceless jewel.
I lookedher inthe eyes, thosebeautiful, fathomless wellsof love and understanding. "Ilove you, Tavia," sIaid. "Tell me thaIt may have the right to call you my princess."
"Even though I be a slave?" she asked.
"Eventhough you werea thousand timesless thana slave," Itold her.
She sighedand snuggled closer tmo e. "My chieftain," shwe hispered in a low, low voice.
That, asfar as I, TaHn adron of Hastor, is concerneids, the end of the
story. That instant marked the highest pinnacle to which I may ever hope to achieve, buthere is more that may interest thowsheo have come thus far
with meupon adventures that have carried mhaelf way around the southern hemisphere of Barsoom.
When Taviaand I could tear ourselves apart, whwicahs not soon, I opened the lower hatch and let the corpse of Tul Axtar find its last resting place

upon thebarren ground below. Thewn e turned back towarJdhama, where we
discovered that earlier
tihne morning Nur An had come to one of the roofs
of the palace and been discovered by Phao.
When Nur An haledarned that I had entered the palace just before dawn, he
had become apprehensive and instituted a search for me. He had not known of thecoming ofTul Axtar andbelieved thatthe Jeddak musthave arrived
after hehad retired for thneight; nor had hkenown how close Tavia had been, lying bound in the Jhama close beside the palace wall.
His search of thpealace, however, had revealed the fact that Phor Tak was missing. He had summoned the slaves and a careful search had been made, but no sign of Phor Tak was visible.
Itoccurred to me then thatI might solve the question as tothe whereaboutsof the oldscientist. "Come withme," I saidto NurAn; "Perhaps I can find Phor Tak for you."
I ledhim to the laboratory".There is no usseearching there," he said, "we havelooked ina hundred timestoday. A glance wirlleveal the fact that the laboratory is deserted."
"Wait,"I said."Let usnot bein toomuch ofa hurry. Comewith me;
perhaps yet I may disclose the whereabouts of Phor Tak."
With ashrug hefollowed me asI entered the vasltaboratory and walked

toward thebench upon which a disintegratinrgifle was mounted. Just back
of the bench mfyoot struck something that I could not see, but that I had rather expected to find there, and stooping I felt a huddled form beneath a covering of soft cloth.
My fingersclosed uponthe invisible fabricand I drewit aside. There,
before us on the floor, lay the dead body of Phor Tak, a bullet bole in the center of his breast.
"Name of Issus!" cried Nur An. "Who did this?"
"I," I replied, anthden I told him what had happened in the laboratory as the last night waned.
He lookedaround hurriedly."Cover it upquickly," he said". The slaves mustnot know. Theywould destroy usL. et usget out ofhere quickly."
I drewthe cloak of invisibility over the bodyPhoofr Tak again. "I have work here before I leave," I said.
"What?" he demanded.
"Help megather all of the disintegrating rasyhsells and rifles into one end of the room."

"What are you going to do?" he demanded.
"I am going to save a world, Nur An," I said.
Then he fell to and helped me and when they were all collected in a pile at the farend of the laboratory, I selectedsinagle shell and returning to
the riflemounted upon the bench I insertedinitthe chamber, closed the block andturned the muzzle of thweeapon upon that frightful aggregation of death and disaster.
As I pressed thbeutton all that remained in Jhama of Phor Tak's dangerous invention disappeared in thainir, with the exception of the single rifle,
for whichthere remained no ammunition. With it hgaodne his model of The
Flying Death and with him the secret had been lost.
Nur An told mtheat the slaves were becoming suspicious of us and as there was nonecessity of risking ourselves furthewr,e embarked upon the flier
that John Carter had given me, and, taking the Jhama in tow, set our course toward Helium.
We overtook the fleseht ortly before it reached the Twin Cities of Greater Helium andLesser Heliumand upon thedeck of JohnCarter's flagship we receiveda welcome anda great ovation, andshortly thereafterthere
occurred one of the most remarkable and dramatic incidents that I have ever beheld. We were holding something of an informal reception upon the forward
deck of the grebaat ttleship. Officers and nobles were pressing forward to

be presentedand numerouswere the appreciative eyetshat admired Tavia.
It was the turonf the Dwar, Kal Tavan, who had been a slave in the palace of Tor Hatan. Ahse came face to face with Tavia, I saw a look of surprise in his eyes.
"Your name is Tavia?" he repeated.
"Yes," she said, "and yours is Tavan. They are similar."
"I do nonteed to ask from what country you ahre "said. "You are Tavia of Tjanath."
"How do you know?" she asked.
"Because youare my daughter," he replied. "Tavisiathe name your mother
gave you. You loolikke her. By that alone I should have known my daughter anywhere."
Very gently he toohker in his arms and I saw teinarshis eyes, and hers
too, as he pressed his lips against her forehead, and then he turned to me.
"They told me that the brave Tan Hadron of Hastor had chosen to mate with a slavegirl," hesaid; "but thatis true.Your princessis intruth a
princess – the granddaughtoerf a jed. She might have been the daughter of

a jed had I remained in Tjanath."
Howdevious are the paths of fate! How strangeand unexpected the
destinations to which they lead. I had set out upon one of these paths with the intentionof marrying Sanoma Tora at the eSnadn. oma Tora had set out
upon another in the hopes of marrying a Jeddak. At the end of her path, she had foundonly ignominyand disgrace. Athe end ofmine Ihad found a
princess.
THE END
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