A Princess of Mars

ound with one huge foot, while it jabbered and gesticulated at some answering creature behind me. This other, which wa

upper and lower limbs. Their eyes were close together and non-protruding; their ears were high set, but more laterally located than those of the Martians, whil

upon the breast of my executioner. With a shriek of fear the ape which held me leaped through the open window, but its mate closed in a terrific

nown to earthly man. My beast had an advantage in his first hold, having sunk his mighty fangs far into the breast of his adversary; but the great arms and paws of the ape, backed by muscles far transcending those of the Mart

pon the floor they rolled, neither one emitting a sound of fear or pain. Presently I saw the great eyes of my beast bulging completely from their sockets

cudgel, which had fallen to the floor at the commencement of the battle, and swinging it with all the power of

e of the encounter by way of the interior of the building. I glimpsed him just before he reached the doorway and the sight of him, now roaring as he percei

ither glory nor profit in pitting my relatively puny strength against the iron muscles and brutal ferocity of this enraged de

and safety before the creature could overtake me; at least there was a chance for safet

I break one of them with my first blow, for I figured that he would attempt to ward off the cudge

thoughts of flight to the four winds. He lay gasping upon the floor of the chamber, his great eyes fastened upon me in what seemed a pitiful appeal for protection.

e of any effective assistance, so I merely threw it as heavily as I could at his advancing bulk. It struck him just below the knees, eli

left to the pit of his stomach. The effect was marvelous, for, as I lightly sidestepped, after delivering the second blow, he reeled and fell upon the flo

as, Sola, and three or four warriors standing in the doorway of the chamber. As my eyes

et out immediately with a handful of warriors to search for me. As they had approached the limits of th

h my set-to with the Martian warrior on the previous day and my feats of jumping placed me upon a high pinnacle in their regard. Evidently devoid of all the finer sentiments of friendship, love, or affection,

r my life. She, on the contrary, was sober with apparent solicitude and, as soon as I had finished the monster, rushed to me and carefully examined my body for

ife I, in turn, had rescued. They seemed to be deep in argument, and finally one of them addressed me, but remembering my ignorance of hi

d so, for the warrior drew an evil looking pistol from its holster and was on the point of putting an end to the creature when I sprang forwa

udicrous; they could not understand, except in a feeble and childish way, such attributes as gratitude and compassion. The warrior whose gun I had struck up looked enquiringly at Tar

hich, as I later came to know, held in its poor ugly carcass more love, more loyalty, more gratitude than could ha