A PRINCESS OF MARS
WE PLAN ESCAPE
The of our to Thark was uneventful. We were twenty days upon the road, two sea and through or around a number of cities, mostly smaller than Korad. Twice we the famous Martian waterways, or canals, so-called by our astronomers. When we approached these points a would be sent ahead with a powerful glass, and if no great of red Martian was in we would as close as possible without of being and then until dark, when we would slowly approach the tract, and, one of the numerous, which these at regular intervals, and across to the lands upon the other side. It five hours to make one of these without a single halt, and the other the entire night, so that we were just the of the high-walled when the sun out upon us.
Crossing in the darkness, as we did, I was unable to see but little, as the nearer moon, in her wild and through the Barsoomian heavens, up little of the from time to time, and low, buildings, much the of farms. There were many trees, arranged, and some of them were of height; there were animals in some of the enclosures, and they their presence by and as they our queer, wild and beings.
Only once did I a being, and that was at the of our with the wide, white which each at its exact center. The must have been sleeping the road, for, as I came of him, he upon one and after a single at the to his and the road, a with the of a cat. The Tharks paid him not the attention; they were not out upon the warpath, and the only that I had that they had him was a of the of the as we toward the which marked our entrance into the of Tal Hajus.
Not once did I have speech with Dejah Thoris, as she sent no word to me that I would be welcome at her chariot, and my me from making any advances. I that a man's way with is in to his among men. The and the have often great ability to the sex, while the man who can a thousand unafraid, in the like some child.
Just thirty days after my upon Barsoom we entered the city of Thark, from long-forgotten people this of green men have their name. The of Thark number some thirty thousand souls, and are into twenty-five communities. Each has its own and chieftains, but all are under the of Tal Hajus, Jeddak of Thark. Five make their at the city of Thark, and the are among other of Mars the by Tal Hajus.
We our entry into the great early in the afternoon. There were no for the returned expedition. Those who to be in spoke the names of or with they came in direct contact, in the of their kind, but when it was that they two a was aroused, and Dejah Thoris and I were the of groups.
We were soon to new quarters, and the of the day was to settling ourselves to the conditions. My home now was upon an leading into the from the south, the main which we had from the gates of the city. I was at the end of the square and had an entire to myself. The same of which was so a of Korad was in here, only, if that were possible, on a larger and scale. My would have been for the of emperors, but to these nothing about a to them but its size and the of its chambers; the larger the building, the more desirable; and so Tal Hajus what must have been an public building, the largest in the city, but for purposes; the next largest was for Lorquas Ptomel, the next for the of a rank, and so on to the of the list of five jeds. The the with the to retinues they belonged; or, if they preferred, among any of the thousands of in their own of town; each being a of the city. The selection of had to be in with these divisions, in so as the were concerned, they all which upon the plaza.
When I had put my house in order, or that it had been done, it was sunset, and I out with the of Sola and her charges, as I had upon having speech with Dejah Thoris and trying to on her the of our at least up a until I some way of her to escape. I in until the upper of the great red sun was just the and then I the of Woola from a second-story window on the opposite of the very where I was quartered, but nearer the plaza.
Without waiting for a I up the runway which to the second floor, and entering a great at the of the was by the Woola, who his great upon me, nearly me to the floor; the old was so to see me that I he would me, his from ear to ear, his three of in his smile.
Quieting him with a word of and a caress, I looked through the for a of Dejah Thoris, and then, not her, I called her name. There was an from the of the apartment, and with a of quick I was her where she among the and upon an seat. As I waited she rose to her full and looking me in the said:
"What would Dotar Sojat, Thark, of Dejah Thoris his captive?"
"Dejah Thoris, I do not know how I have you. It was from my to or you, I had to protect and comfort. Have none of me if it is your will, but that you must me in your escape, if such a thing be possible, is not my request, but my command. When you are safe once more at your father's you may do with me as you please, but from now on until that day I am your master, and you must and me."
She looked at me long and and I that she was toward me.
"I your words, Dotar Sojat," she replied, "but you I do not understand. You are a mixture of child and man, of and noble. I only wish that I might read your heart."
"Look at your feet, Dejah Thoris; it there now where it has since that other night at Korad, and where it will alone for you until death it forever."
She took a little step toward me, her hands in a strange, gesture.
"What do you mean, John Carter?" she whispered. "What are you saying to me?"
"I am saying what I had promised myself that I would not say to you, at least until you were no longer a among the green men; what from your toward me for the past twenty days I had to say to you; I am saying, Dejah Thoris, that I am yours, and soul, to you, to for you, and to die for you. Only one thing I ask of you in return, and that is that you make no sign, either of or of of my until you are safe among your own people, and that you toward me they be not or by gratitude; I may do to you will be from selfish motives, since it me more to you than not."
"I will respect your wishes, John Carter, I the which them, and I accept your service no more than I to your authority; your word shall be my law. I have twice you in my and again I ask your forgiveness."
Further of a personal nature was by the entrance of Sola, who was much and her and self.
"That Sarkoja has been Tal Hajus," she cried, "and from what I upon the there is little for either of you."
"What do they say?" Dejah Thoris.
"That you will be to the wild [dogs] in the great as soon as the have assembled for the yearly games."
"Sola," I said, "you are a Thark, but you and the of your people as much as we do. Will you not us in one to escape? I am sure that Dejah Thoris can offer you a home and protection among her people, and your can be no among them than it must be here."
"Yes," Dejah Thoris, "come with us, Sola, you will be off among the red men of Helium than you are here, and I can promise you not only a home with us, but the love and your nature and which must always be you by the of your own race. Come with us, Sola; we might go without you, but your would be terrible if they you had to us. I know that that would not you to in our escape, but we want you with us, we want you to come to a land of and happiness, a people who know the meaning of love, of sympathy, and of gratitude. Say that you will, Sola; tell me that you will."
"The great which leads to Helium is but fifty miles to the south," Sola, to herself; "a might make it in three hours; and then to Helium it is five hundred miles, most of the way through settled districts. They would know and they would us. We might among the great trees for a time, but the are small for escape. They would us to the very gates of Helium, and they would take of life at every step; you do not know them."
"Is there no other way we might Helium?" I asked. "Can you not me a map of the country we must traverse, Dejah Thoris?"
"Yes," she replied, and taking a great diamond from her she upon the marble the map of Barsoomian I had seen. It was in every direction with long lines, sometimes and sometimes toward some great circle. The lines, she said, were waterways; the circles, cities; and one to the of us she pointed out as Helium. There were other closer, but she said she to enter many of them, as they were not all toward Helium.
she upon the marble the map of Barsoomian I had seen.
She upon the marble the map
of Barsoomian I had seen.
Finally, after studying the map in the moonlight which now the room, I pointed out a to the north of us which also to lead to Helium.
"Does not this your grandfather's territory?" I asked.
"Yes," she answered, "but it is two hundred miles north of us; it is one of the we on the to Thark."
"They would that we would try for that waterway," I answered, "and that is why I think that it is the best for our escape."
Sola with me, and it was that we should Thark this same night; just as quickly, in fact, as I and my thoats. Sola was to one and Dejah Thoris and I the other; each of us food and drink to last us for two days, since the animals not be too for so long a distance.
I Sola to with Dejah Thoris along one of the less to the southern of the city, where I would overtake them with the as as possible; then, them to what food, silks, and we were to need, I to the of the floor, and entered the courtyard, where our animals were moving about, as was their habit, settling for the night.
In the of the and out the of the Martian moved the great of and zitidars, the their low and the occasionally the which the almost of in which these passed their existence. They were now, to the of man, but as they me they more and their noise increased. It was risky business, this entering a of alone and at night; first, their might the that something was amiss, and also for the cause, or for no at all some great might take it upon himself to lead a upon me.
Having no to their upon such a night as this, where so much upon and dispatch, I the of the buildings, at an instant's to into the safety of a door or window. Thus I moved to the great gates which opened upon the at the of the court, and as I the I called to my two animals. How I thanked the which had me the to win the love and of these wild brutes, for presently from the of the I saw two their way toward me through the of flesh.
They came close to me, their against my and for the of food it was always my to them with. Opening the gates I ordered the two great to pass out, and then after them I closed the me.
I did not or the animals there, but walked in the of the toward an which toward the point I had to meet Dejah Thoris and Sola. With the of we moved along the streets, but not until we were of the plain the city did I to breathe freely. I was sure that Sola and Dejah Thoris would no in our undetected, but with my great I was not so sure for myself, as it was for to the city after dark; in there was no place for them to go any but a long ride.
I the meeting place safely, but as Dejah Thoris and Sola were not there I my animals into the entrance of one of the large buildings. Presuming that one of the other of the same may have come in to speak to Sola, and so their departure, I did not any until nearly an hour had passed without a of them, and by the time another hour had away I was with anxiety. Then there upon the of the night the of an party, which, from the noise, I be no toward liberty. Soon the party was near me, and from the black of my I a score of warriors, who, in passing, a dozen that my clean into the top of my head.
"He would likely have to meet them just without the city, and so—" I no more, they had passed on; but it was enough. Our plan had been discovered, and the for from now on to the end would be small indeed. My one now was to return to the of Dejah Thoris and learn what had overtaken her, but how to do it with these great upon my hands, now that the city was by the knowledge of my was a problem of no proportions.
Suddenly an idea to me, and acting on my knowledge of the of the of these Martian with a the center of each square, I my way through the dark chambers, calling the great after me. They had in some of the doorways, but as the the city's were all designed upon a scale, they were able to through without fast; and thus we the where I found, as I had expected, the of moss-like which would provide their food and drink until I return them to their own enclosure. That they would be as and here as I was confident, was there but the possibility that they would be discovered, as the green men had no great to enter these buildings, which were by the only thing, I believe, which them the of fear—the great white of Barsoom.
Removing the trappings, I them just the of the through which we had entered the court, and, the loose, my way across the to the of the upon the side, and to the beyond. Waiting in the of the until I was that no one was approaching, I across to the opposite and through the to the beyond; thus, through after with only the of which the necessary of the entailed, I my way in safety to the in the of Dejah Thoris' quarters.
Here, of course, I the of the who in the buildings, and the themselves I might to meet if I entered; but, for me, I had another and method of the upper where Dejah Thoris should be found, and, after as nearly as possible which of the she occupied, for I had them from the side, I took of my relatively great and and until I the of a second-story window which I to be in the of her apartment. Drawing myself the room I moved toward the of the building, and not until I had the of her room was I aware by voices that it was occupied.
I did not in, but without to myself that it was Dejah Thoris and that it was safe to within. It was well that I took this precaution, for the I was in the low of men, and the which came to me proved a most timely warning. The was a and he was orders to four of his warriors.
"And when he returns to this chamber," he was saying, "as he surely will when he she not meet him at the city's edge, you four are to upon him and him. It will the of all of you to do it if the reports they from Korad are correct. When you have him fast him to the the jeddak's and him where he may be when Tal Hajus him. Allow him to speak with none, permit any other to enter this he comes. There will be no of the girl returning, for by this time she is safe in the arms of Tal Hajus, and may all her have upon her, for Tal Hajus will have none; the great Sarkoja has done a night's work. I go, and if you fail to him when he comes, I your to the cold of Iss."
