The Gods of Mars

hat single tell-tale glance the battleship would have been directly above us in another moment, and the boarding party which was doubtless even

w for the right manoeuvre. Simultaneously I reversed the

ing party as the battleship raced over us. Then I rose at

at the whirring propellers of the giant above us. If I could but touch th

izon, disclosing a hundred grim, black faces p

hroats. Orders were shouted, but it was too late to sav

n the hole it had made in the battleship's stern. Only a second I hung there befo

ight. We were simply submerged by numbers. Then as swords men

e said, "but do

erly bound. At least he thought that the binding was secure. It would have been had I been a Martian, but I had to sm

n the meantime they had brought our craft alongside the disable

n. Her decks were crowded with them as they pressed forward as f

ts. It was evident that these self-thought supermen were far i

f much comment. When Xodar told his fellow nobles of my fighting abi

ed by a member of my party convinced them that I was an enemy of their

through the wondrous magnificence of their resplendent trappings. Many harnesses were so enc

e. The whole scene was enchanting. The handsome men; the barbaric splendour of the accoutrements; the polished skeel wood of the deck; the gloriously grained sorapu

e were thrown into a small compartment which contained a single

ellers, and from the port-hole we could see that

d with his own thoughts. For my part I was wonderin

the hands of either red men or green, and as fugitives from the Valley

ould not fail to impress upon the intelligent red men of Barsoom the wick

racter assured me. Dejah Thoris would believe me. Not a doubt as to that entered my head. Then there were a thousand of my red and

pirates it might be to fall into the hands of unfriendly

n that score, for the likelihood of my eve

rtment we had seated ourselves upon a low bench beneath the porthole. The bench was the only furniture of the room. It was of sorapus wood. The floor

was just level with them as I sat. Suddenly I looked toward Phaidor. She was regarding me

delicate flush tingeing her cheek. Evidently she was embarrassed at hav

the lower orders interes

with a nervous but r

pecially when they have

poking fun at me, and I admired a brave heart that could loo

here we are go

f the eternal hereafter

ate than that," she said

do you

ates during the ages they have raided our domains has ever returned to narrate her experiences among them. That the

etribution?" I coul

do you

pilgrimage down the River of Mystery? Was not Thuvia for fifteen years a plaything and

ure to be a slave among us. Did we not occasionally save a few of the lower orders that stupidly fl

those of the outside world?" I argued. "That is the wickedest of

race of therns. How else could we live did the outer world not furnish our

t you eat human fles

pitying commiserat

esh of the lower ord

yes," I replied, "but

so may gods eat of the flesh of man. T

and I imagine

the black pirates and come again to the court of Matai Shang I think that we shall find an argument to convinc

d not understand her meaning; nor did I for a long time. Dejah Thoris was wont to

n would be to set an armed guard at the mouth of the River Iss to escort the poor deluded voyagers back to the outer world. Al

t me really

r guess that you entertained such frightful thoughts, should we chance to regain the temples of the therns, they would

They only worshipped a beautiful hope for a life of love and peace and happiness in the hereafter. The therns worshipped t

oor of our prison o

n he smiled his expression was kind

ome on deck. You will witness something very interesting, and as you never shall return to the outer world it will do no harm to permit you to see it. You

the therns," he added, "for she shall see the Templ

s head w

cried. "Issus would wipe out your entire bree

odar, with an ugly smile, "nor do I envy y

s passing over a great field of snow and ice. As far as th

poles of Mars is there ice or snow upon the planet. No sign of life appeared below us. Evidently we

as I stood looking ou

rse?" I a

ou will see the Otz Valley directly. We

, is not there where lie the domains of

of feet below the level of the surrounding country, like a great round bowl. A hundred miles from its northern boundary rise the Otz Mountains which circle the inner Valley of Do

ed from the Valley Dor. My only wonder was that even the one had been successful. To

ld the journey be mad

one times; but none has ever escaped the First Bor

housands of feet high at the base of which stretched a level valley, broken here and there by low rolling h

north across the valley as far as the eye could reach. "That is the bed of the River Iss," said Xodar.

be a village, and pointing it out

sidered neutral ground. Some turn off from their voluntary pilgrimage down the Iss, and, scaling the awful walls of

this outer valley, and as a matter of fact they fear the patrolling

ce they have nothing that we desire, nor are they numerically stron

ve increased in numbers but little in many years

ly I discerned over our starboard bow what appeared to be a black mountain risin

and Phaidor and I stood alone beside the rail. The girl

een telling me tr

alse. If it is not false-" she hesitated. "Oh it cannot be true, it cannot be true. For if it were true then for countless ages have my people gone to tortur

or, so may it be that the therns themselves have been lured by the First Born to an equally h

believe it

we were rapidly approaching the black mountains, which in some

barely moved. Then we topped the crest of the mountain and below us I saw yawning

thousand feet. The walls were smooth and app

to the black chasm. Lower and lower she sank until as darkness enveloped us her lights were thrown on and in the dim halo o

us rose and fell the billows of a buried sea. A phosphorescent radiance illuminated the scene. Thousands of ships dotted the

ed during our descent of the shaft and in their place had been run out the smaller but more powerful water propellers. As these c

ad either heard or dreamed that such a wo

ew lighters and barges, but none of the great merchantmen su

n," said a voice behind us, and turning we saw Xo

ep it from filling above a certain level we have four great pumping stations that force the oversupply ba

le that caused great columns of water to spurt from the solid rock of their reservoir sides

ce of this enormous volume of water. As ages passed they had simply co

y between the ground and their tops with small, heavily barred windows. They bore the earmarks of prisons, which we

sighted a much larger one directly ahead. This proved to be our desti

icers and men we left the battleship and approached a larg

she selects slaves from among them to replenish the ranks of her handmaidens. None serves Issus above a single ye

ain doubts and fears. She clung very closely to me, no longer the proud daughter of the Master o

vel of the floor like the swimming pool of a natatorium. Near one side of the pool floated an odd-looking black o

ng, Xodar cried out a few words in a strange tongue. Immediately a hatch cover was raised fr

ressed th

to him that Dator Xodar, with officers and men, escorting two prisoners

even as thou sayest," and raising both hands, palms backward, above his head after the manner of sa

ings of his rank appeared on deck and welcomed Xodar to the

low the water line. No sooner were all below than a number of commands were given, in accordance with which

in such a tiny pool o

ularly that while the building is roofless

e?" she as

the craft I judge we are

tion only that even this daughter of the therns, born as she had been within sight of Mars' o

. Now we could hear the water rushing past the port-holes, and in the dim light tha

graspe

ing within the power of the Holy Therns to give will be yours. Phaidor-" she s

presume my motive was misunderstood, for with a swift glance about the apartment to assure her