A PRINCESS OF MARS
A COSTLY RECAPTURE
As the he to the by the door where I was standing, but I needed to wait no longer; I had to my with dread, and away I returned to the by the way I had come. My plan of action was upon the instant, and the square and the upon the opposite I soon the of Tal Hajus.
The of the told me where to seek, and to the I within. I soon that my approach was not to be the easy thing I had hoped, for the rooms the were with and women. I then up at the above, that the third was unlighted, and so to make my entrance to the from that point. It was the work of but a moment for me to the above, and soon I had myself the of the third floor.
Fortunately the room I had was untenanted, and to the I a light in the ahead of me. Reaching what appeared to be a I that it was but an opening upon an which from the floor, two me, to the dome-like of the building, high above my head. The of this great was with chieftains, and women, and at one end was a great upon which the most I had put my upon. He had all the cold, hard, cruel, terrible of the green warriors, but and by the animal to which he had himself over for many years. There was not a mark of or upon his countenance, while his spread itself out upon the where he like some fish, his six the in a and manner.
But the that me with was that of Dejah Thoris and Sola there him, and the of him as he let his great upon the lines of her figure. She was speaking, but I not what she said, I make out the low of his reply. She there him, her high held, and at the I was from them I read the and upon her as she let her without of upon him. She was the proud of a thousand jeddaks, every of her dear, little body; so small, so the around her, but in her them into insignificance; she was the among them and I that they it.
Presently Tal Hajus a that the be cleared, and that the be left alone him. Slowly the chieftains, the and the melted away into the of the chambers, and Dejah Thoris and Sola alone the of the Tharks.
One alone had departing; I saw him in the of a column, his with the of his great-sword and his in upon Tal Hajus. It was Tars Tarkas, and I read his as they were an open book for the upon his face. He was of that other woman who, years ago, had this beast, and I have spoken a word into his ear at that moment the of Tal Hajus would have been over; but he also from the room, not that he left his own at the of the he most loathed.
Tal Hajus arose, and I, fearing, his intentions, to the runway which to the below. No one was near to me, and I the main of the unobserved, taking my station in the of the same that Tars Tarkas had but just deserted. As I the Tal Hajus was speaking.
"Princess of Helium, I might a ransom from your people would I but return you to them unharmed, but a thousand times would I watch that in the of torture; it shall be long out, that I promise you; ten days of were all too to the love I for your race. The terrors of your death shall the of the red men through all the to come; they will in the of the night as their fathers tell them of the of the green men; of the power and might and and of Tal Hajus. But the you shall be mine for one hour, and word of that too shall go to Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium, your grandfather, that he may upon the ground in the of his sorrow. Tomorrow the will commence; tonight art Tal Hajus'; come!"
He from the and her by the arm, but had he touched her than I them. My short-sword, and was in my right hand; I have it into his he that I was upon him; but as I my arm to I of Tars Tarkas, and, with all my rage, with all my hatred, I not him of that sweet moment for which he had and all these long, years, and so, instead, I my good right full upon the point of his jaw. Without a he to the as one dead.
In the same I Dejah Thoris by the hand, and Sola to we from the and to the above. Unseen we a window and with the and leather of my I lowered, Sola and then Dejah Thoris to the ground below. Dropping after them I them around the in the of the buildings, and thus we returned over the same I had so from the of the city.
We came upon my in the where I had left them, and the upon them we through the to the beyond. Mounting, Sola upon one beast, and Dejah Thoris me upon the other, we from the city of Thark through the to the south.
Instead of around the city to the and toward the nearest which so a from us, we to the and out upon the waste across which, for two hundred and miles, another main leading to Helium.
No word was spoken until we had left the city behind, but I the of Dejah Thoris as she to me with her dear against my shoulder.
"If we make it, my chieftain, the of Helium will be a one; than she can pay you; and should we not make it," she continued, "the is no less, though Helium will know, for you have saved the last of our line from than death."
I did not answer, but to my and pressed the little of her I loved where they to me for support, and then, in silence, we over the yellow, moss; each of us with his own thoughts. For my part I not be other than had I tried, with Dejah Thoris' warm pressed close to mine, and with all our my was as as though we were already entering the gates of Helium.
Our plans had been so sadly that we now ourselves without food or drink, and I alone was armed. We therefore our to a speed that must tell on them we to the of the stage of our journey.
We all night and all the day with only a rests. On the second night we and our animals were fagged, and so we upon the and slept for some five or six hours, taking up the once more daylight. All the day we rode, and when, late in the we had no trees, the mark of the great all Barsoom, the terrible truth upon us—we were lost.
Evidently we had circled, but which way it was difficult to say, did it possible with the sun to us by day and the and by night. At any no was in sight, and the entire party was almost to from hunger, thirst and fatigue. Far ahead of us and a to the right we the of low mountains. These we to attempt to in the that from some we might the missing waterway. Night upon us we our goal, and, almost from and weakness, we and slept.
I was early in the by some pressing close to mine, and opening my with a start I my old Woola close to me; the had us across that waste to our fate, it might be. Putting my arms about his I pressed my close to his, am I that I did it, of the that came to my as I of his love for me. Shortly after this Dejah Thoris and Sola awakened, and it was that we push on at once in an to the hills.
We had gone a mile when I noticed that my was to and in a most manner, although we had not to them out of a walk since about of the day. Suddenly he to one and to the ground. Dejah Thoris and I were clear of him and upon the soft with a jar; but the was in a condition, not being able to rise, although of our weight. Sola told me that the of the night, when it fell, together with the would him, and so I not to kill him, as was my intention, as I had it to him alone there to die of and thirst. Relieving him of his trappings, which I him, we left the to his fate, and pushed on with the one as best we could. Sola and I walked, making Dejah Thoris ride, much against her will. In this way we had to about a mile of the we were to when Dejah Thoris, from her point of upon the thoat, out that she saw a great party of men from a pass in the miles away. Sola and I looked in the direction she indicated, and there, discernible, were hundred warriors. They to be in a direction, which would take them away from us.
They were Thark who had been sent out to us, and we a great of that they were traveling in the opposite direction. Quickly Dejah Thoris from the thoat, I the animal to and we three did the same, as small an object as possible for of the attention of the toward us.
We see them as they out of the pass, just for an instant, they were to view a ridge; to us a most ridge; since, had they been in view for any great length of time, they have failed to us. As what proved to be the last came into view from the pass, he and, to our consternation, his small but powerful to his and the sea in all directions. Evidently he was a chieftain, for in among the green men a up the of the column. As his toward us our stopped in our breasts, and I the cold start from every in my body.
Presently it full upon us and—stopped. The on our nerves was near the point, and I if any of us for the moments he us by his glass; and then he it and we see him a to the who had passed from our the ridge. He did not wait for them to join him, however, he his and came in our direction.
There was but one and that we must take quickly. Raising my Martian to my I and touched the which the trigger; there was a as the its goal, and the from his mount.
Springing to my I the to rise, and Sola to take Dejah Thoris with her upon him and make a to the the green were upon us. I that in the ravines and they might a temporary place, and though they died there of and thirst it would be so than that they into the hands of the Tharks. Forcing my two revolvers upon them as a means of protection, and, as a last resort, as an for themselves from the death which recapture would surely mean, I Dejah Thoris in my arms and her upon the Sola, who had already at my command.
"Good-bye, my princess," I whispered, "we may meet in Helium yet. I have from than this," and I to as I lied.
"What," she cried, "are you not with us?"
"How may I, Dejah Thoris? Someone must these off for a while, and I can them alone than the three of us together."
She from the and, her dear arms about my neck, to Sola, saying with dignity: "Fly, Sola! Dejah Thoris to die with the man she loves."
Those are upon my heart. Ah, would I give up my life a thousand times I only them once again; but I not then give a second to the of her sweet embrace, and pressing my to hers for the time, I her up and her to her seat Sola again, the in to her there by force, and then, the upon the flank, I saw them away; Dejah Thoris to the last to free herself from Sola's grasp.
Turning, I the green the and looking for their chieftain. In a moment they saw him, and then me; but had they me than I firing, upon my in the moss. I had an hundred in the magazine of my rifle, and another hundred in the at my back, and I up a of fire until I saw all of the who had been to return from the either or to cover.
My was short-lived however, for soon the entire party, some thousand men, came into view, toward me. I until my was empty and they were almost upon me, and then a me that Dejah Thoris and Sola had among the hills, I up, my gun, and started away in the direction opposite to that taken by Sola and her charge.
If Martians had an of jumping, it was those on that day long years ago, but while it them away from Dejah Thoris it did not their attention from to me.
They raced after me until, finally, my a piece of quartz, and I upon the moss. As I looked up they were upon me, and although I my long-sword in an attempt to sell my life as as possible, it was soon over. I their which upon me in perfect torrents; my swam; all was black, and I them to oblivion.
