A PRINCESS OF MARS
BATTLING IN THE ARENA
Slowly I my and again to attempt to remove the keys from the of my jailer. But as I out into the to it I to my that it was gone. Then the truth on me; the owners of those had my prize away from me to be in their lair; as they had been waiting for days, for weeks, for months, through all this of my to my to their feast.
For two days no food was me, but then a new messenger appeared and my on as before, but not again did I allow my to be by the of my position.
Shortly after this another was in and near me. By the light I saw that he was a red Martian and I the of his to address him. As their died away in the distance, I called out the Martian word of greeting, kaor.
"Who are you who speaks out of the darkness?" he answered
"John Carter, a friend of the red men of Helium."
"I am of Helium," he said, "but I do not your name."
And then I told him my as I have it here, only any to my love for Dejah Thoris. He was much by the news of Helium's and positive that she and Sola easily have a point of safety from where they left me. He said that he the place well the through which the Warhoon had passed when they us was the only one used by them when to the south.
"Dejah Thoris and Sola entered the not five miles from a great and are now safe," he me.
My was Kantos Kan, a (lieutenant) in the of Helium. He had been a of the ill-fated which had into the hands of the Tharks at the time of Dejah Thoris' capture, and he related the events which the of the battleships.
Badly and only they had slowly toward Helium, but while near the city of Zodanga, the of Helium's among the red men of Barsoom, they had been by a great of and all but the to which Kantos Kan were either or captured. His was for days by three of the Zodangan ships but the of a night.
Thirty days after the of Dejah Thoris, or about the time of our to Thark, his had Helium with about ten of the original of seven hundred officers and men. Immediately seven great fleets, each of one hundred ships, had been to search for Dejah Thoris, and from these two thousand smaller had been out in search for the missing princess.
Two green Martian had been off the of Barsoom by the fleets, but no of Dejah Thoris had been found. They had been among the northern hordes, and only the past days had they their to the south.
Kantos Kan had been to one of the small one-man and had had the to be by the Warhoons while their city. The and of the man my respect and admiration. Alone he had at the city's and on had to the the plaza. For two days and nights he had their and their in search of his only to into the hands of a party of Warhoons as he was about to leave, after assuring himself that Dejah Thoris was not a there.
During the period of our Kantos Kan and I well acquainted, and a warm personal friendship. A days only elapsed, however, we were from our for the great games. We were early one to an amphitheater, which of having been upon the surface of the ground was the surface. It had with so that how large it had originally been was difficult to say. In its present condition it the entire twenty thousand Warhoons of the assembled hordes.
The was but and unkempt. Around it the Warhoons had from some of the of the city to prevent the animals and the from into the audience, and at each end had been to them until their came to meet some death upon the arena.
Kantos Kan and I were together in one of the cages. In the others were wild calots, thoats, zitidars, green warriors, and of other hordes, and many and wild of Barsoom which I had seen. The of their roaring, and was and the of any one of them was to make the forebodings.
Kantos Kan to me that at the end of the day one of these would and the others would about the arena. The in the of the day would be against each other until only two alive; the in the last being set free, animal or man. The the would be with a new of victims, and so on the ten days of the games.
Shortly after we had been the to and an hour every available part of the seating space was occupied. Dak Kova, with his and chieftains, sat at the center of one of the upon a large platform.
At a from Dak Kova the doors of two were open and a dozen green Martian were to the center of the arena. Each was a and then, at the end, a pack of twelve calots, or wild dogs were upon them.
As the brutes, and foaming, upon the almost I my that I might not see the sight. The and of the green to the excellent quality of the sport and when I to the arena, as Kantos Kan told me it was over, I saw three calots, and over the of their prey. The had a good account of themselves.
Next a was among the dogs, and so it the long, hot, day.
During the day I was against men and then beasts, but as I was with a long-sword and always my in and in as well, it proved but child's play to me. Time and time again I the of the multitude, and toward the end there were that I be taken from the and be a of the of Warhoon.
Finally there were but three of us left, a great green of some northern horde, Kantos Kan, and myself.
The other two were to and then I to the for the which was the final winner.
Kantos Kan had times the day and like myself had always proven victorious, but occasionally by the smallest of margins, when against the green warriors. I had little that he best his who had all him the day. The nearly sixteen in height, while Kantos Kan was some under six feet. As they to meet one another I saw for the time a of Martian which Kantos Kan's every of victory and life on one of the dice, for, as he came to about twenty of the he his arm him over his and with a his point at the green warrior. It true as an and the devil's him upon the arena.
Kantos Kan and I were now against each other but as we approached to the I to him to the until nearly dark in the that we might some means of escape. The that we had no to each other and so they in as neither of us a thrust. Just as I saw the of dark I to Kantos Kan to his my left arm and my body. As he did so I the with my arm and thus to the ground with his from my chest. Kantos Kan my and to my he his upon my and his from my gave me the final death through the which is to the vein, but in this the cold into the of the arena. In the which had now none tell but that he had me. I to him to go and his and then look for me in the east of the city, and so he left me.
When the had I to the top and as the great from the and in an of the great city I had little trouble in the beyond.
