THROUGH THE CARRION CAVES
Straight toward the north, day and night, our us after the upon which it had set since I it after the fortress.
Early in the second night we noticed the air colder, and from the we had come from the were that we were the north region.
My knowledge of the that had been by to that unknown land me to caution, for had returned who had passed to any the ice-barrier that the southern of the zone.
What of them none knew—only that they passed out of the of man into that and country of the pole.
The from the to the was no more than a should in a hours, and so it was that some those who the "forbidden land," as it had come to be called by the Martians of the world.
Thus it was that I more slowly as we approached the barrier, for it was my to move by day over the ice-pack that I might discover, I had into a trap, if there an country at the north pole, for there only I a spot where Matai Shang might secure from John Carter, Prince of Helium.
We were at a snail's but a above the ground—literally our way along through the darkness, for had set, and the night was black with the clouds that are to be only at Mars's two extremities.
Suddenly a of white rose directly in our path, and though I the hard over, and our engine, I was too late to avoid collision. With a crash we the high three-quarters on.
The over; the engine stopped; as one, the burst, and we plunged, headforemost, to the ground twenty beneath.
Fortunately none of us was injured, and when we had ourselves from the wreckage, and the moon had again from the horizon, we that we were at the of a ice-barrier, from which great of the which it from toward the south.
What fate! With the all but to be thus upon the of that and of and ice!
I looked at Thuvan Dihn. He but his dejectedly.
The of the night we in our sleeping and upon the that at the of the ice-barrier.
With my something of their hopefulness, though I must admit that there was little for them to upon.
"What shall we do?" asked Thuvan Dihn. "How may we pass that which is impassable?"
"First we must its impassability," I replied. "Nor shall I admit that it is I have its entire circle and again upon this spot, defeated. The sooner we start, the better, for I see no other way, and it will take us more than a month to travel the weary, miles that us."
For five days of cold and and we the and way which at the of the ice-barrier. Fierce, fur-bearing us by and by dark. Never for a moment were we safe from the of some of the north.
The was our most and foe.
It is a huge, white-furred with six limbs, four of which, and heavy, it over the and ice; while the other two, from its on either of its long, powerful neck, in white, hands, with which it and its prey.
Its and mouth are more in to those of a than to any other animal, that from the of the two toward the front.
Its two my curiosity. They in two vast, from the center of the top of the either of the to the of the horns, so that these out from the part of the eyes, which are of thousand each.
This in a were upon a of ice and snow, and though I upon minute of that we killed that each is with its own lid, and that the animal can at will close as many of the of his as he chooses, yet I was positive that nature had thus him much of his life was to be in dark, recesses.
Shortly after this we came upon the that we had seen. The eight at the shoulder, and was so and clean and that I have that he had but been groomed.
He head-on us as we approached him, for we had it a waste of time to attempt to the which to these creatures, who the north every thing that comes the scope of their far-seeing eyes.
Even when their are full and they can eat no more, they kill purely for the which they from taking life, and so when this particular failed to us, and and away as we him, I should have been had I not to the of a about its neck.
Thuvan Dihn saw it, too, and it the same message of to us both. Only man have that there, and as no of Martians of which we had to the apt, he must to a people of the north of very we were ignorant—possibly to the yellow men of Barsoom; that once powerful which was to be extinct, though sometimes, by theorists, still to in the north.
Simultaneously we started upon the of the great beast. Woola was to our desires, so that it was to attempt to keep in of the animal over the ground soon put him our vision.
For the part of two hours the the barrier, and then toward it through the and most country I had beheld.
Enormous the way on every hand; in the ice to us at the least misstep; and from the north a to our an that almost us.
For another two hours we were in a hundred yards to the of the barrier.
Then, about the of a wall-like of granite, we came upon a area of two or three the of the of ice and that had us for days, and us the dark and mouth of a cave.
From this portal the was emanating, and as Thuvan Dihn the place he with an of astonishment.
"By all my ancestors!" he ejaculated. "That I should have to the of the Carrion Caves! If these be they, we have a way the ice-barrier.
"The of the of Barsoom—so that we have for them mythology—record the of the yellow men from the of the green that Barsoom as the up of the great the from their strongholds.
"They tell of the of the of this once powerful race, at every step, until at last they a way through the ice-barrier of the north to a at the pole.
"At the opening to the passage that to their of a was in which the yellow men were victorious, and the that gave to their new home they the of the dead, yellow and green, that the might away their from pursuit.
"And since that long-gone day have the of this land been to the Carrion Caves, that in death and they might their country and away enemies. Here, too, is brought, so the runs, all the waste of the nation—everything that is to rot, and that can add to the that our nostrils.
"And death at every step among dead, for here the lair, adding to the with the of their own which they cannot devour. It is a to our goal, but it is the only one."
"You are sure, then, that we have the way to the land of the yellow men?" I cried.
"As sure as may be," he replied; "having only to support my belief. But see how closely, so far, each detail with the world-old of the of the yellow race. Yes, I am sure that we have the way to their place."
"If it be true, and let us pray that such may be the case," I said, "then here may we solve the of the of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium, and Mors Kajak, his son, for no other spot upon Barsoom has by the many and the that have been for them for nearly two years. The last word that came from them was that they Carthoris, my own son, the ice-barrier."
As we talked we had been the entrance to the cave, and as we the I to wonder that the green of the yellow men had been by the of that way.
The of men man high upon the of the cave, and over all was a of flesh, through which the had a toward the entrance to the second beyond.
The of this was low, like all that we subsequently, so that the were and to such an that they to substance. One was almost to his short-sword and his way through in search of pure air beyond.
"Can man breathe this air and live?" asked Thuvan Dihn, choking.
"Not for long, I imagine," I replied; "so let us make haste. I will go first, and you up the rear, with Woola between. Come," and with the I forward, across the of putrefaction.
It was not until we had passed through seven of different and but little in the power and quality of their that we met with any physical opposition. Then, the cave, we came upon a of apts.
A full score of the were about the chamber. Some were sleeping, while others at the fresh-killed of new-brought prey, or among themselves in their love-making.
Here in the light of their home the value of their great was apparent, for these are in that is but little less than darkness.
To attempt to pass through the of that seemed, to me, the of folly, and so I to Thuvan Dihn that he return to the world with Woola, that the two might their way to and come again with a to overcome not only the apts, but any that might us and our goal.
"In the meantime," I continued, "I may some means of my way alone to the land of the yellow men, but if I am one life only will have been sacrificed. Should we all go on and perish, there will be none to a party to Dejah Thoris and your daughter."
"I shall not return and you here alone, John Carter," Thuvan Dihn. "Whether you go on to victory or death, the Jeddak of Ptarth at your side. I have spoken."
I from his that it were to attempt to argue the question, and so I by sending Woola with a note in a small metal case and about his neck. I the to Carthoris at Helium, and though a world and I that if the thing be done Woola would do it.
Equipped as he was by nature with speed and endurance, and with that him a match for any single enemy of the way, his and should easily all else that was needed for the successful of his mission.
It was with that the great to me in with my command, and he had gone I not the to my arms about his great in a hug. He his against mine in a final caress, and a moment later was through the Carrion Caves toward the world.
In my note to Carthoris I had for the Carrion Caves, upon him the for making entrance to the country through this avenue, and not to attempt under any to the ice-barrier with a fleet. I told him that what the I not guess; but I was sure that upon the other of the ice-barrier his mother in the power of Matai Shang, and that possibly his and great-grandfather as well, if they lived.
Further, I him to call upon Kulan Tith and the son of Thuvan Dihn for and ships that the might be to success at the blow.
"And," I concluded, "if there be time Tars Tarkas with you, for if I live until you me I can think of than to once more, to shoulder, with my old friend."
When Woola had left us Thuvan Dihn and I, in the seventh cave, and many plans for the chamber. From where we we saw that the among the was less, and that many that had been had and to sleep.
Presently it that in a time all the might be peacefully slumbering, and thus a opportunity be presented to us to through their lair.
One by one the themselves upon the that the of upon the of their den, until but a single awake. This about, among his and the of the cave.
Occasionally he would stop to toward one of the from the and then the other. His whole was as of one who as sentry.
We were at last to the that he would not sleep while the other of the slept, and so about in our minds for some we might him. Finally I a plan to Thuvan Dihn, and as it as good as any that we had we to put it to the test.
To this end Thuvan Dihn himself close against the cave's wall, the entrance to the chamber, while I myself to the as he looked toward our retreat. Then I to the opposite of the entrance, my close to the wall.
Without a the great moved toward the seventh to see what manner of had thus so the of his habitation.
As he his through the narrow that the two a long-sword was him upon either hand, and he had an opportunity to a single his rolled at our feet.
Quickly we into the chamber—not an had moved. Crawling over the of the that the Thuvan Dihn and I entered the and den.
Like we our and way among the huge, forms. The only above our was the noise of our as we them from the of through which we crept.
Halfway across the and one of the directly me moved at the very that my was above his head, over which I must step.
Breathlessly I waited, upon one foot, for I did not move a muscle. In my right hand was my short-sword, the point an above the thick which the heart.
Finally the relaxed, sighing, as with the of a dream, and the regular of slumber. I planted my the and an later had over the beast.
Thuvan Dihn directly after me, and another moment us at the door, undetected.
The Carrion Caves of a series of twenty-seven chambers, and present the of having been by water in some far-gone age when a river its way to the south through this single in the of and ice that the country of the pole.
Thuvan Dihn and I the without or mishap.
We were to learn that but once a month is it possible to all the of the Carrion Caves in a single chamber.
At other times they or in in and out of the caves, so that it would have been for two men to have passed through the entire twenty-seven without an in nearly every one of them. Once a month they sleep for a full day, and it was our good to by accident upon one of these occasions.
Beyond the last we into a country of and ice, but a well-marked leading north. The way was boulder-strewn, as had been that south of the barrier, so that we see but a ahead of us at any time.
After a of hours we passed a to come to a leading into a valley.
Directly us we saw a dozen men—fierce, black-bearded fellows, with skins the color of a lemon.
"The yellow men of Barsoom!" Thuvan Dihn, as though now that he saw them he it possible to that the very we to in this and land did exist.
We an to watch the of the little party, which at the of another rock, their toward us.
One of them was the of the as though one who approached from the opposite side.
Presently the object of his came the range of my and I saw that it was another yellow man. All were in furs—the six in the black and yellow of the orluk, while he who approached alone was in the pure white skin of an apt.
The yellow men were with two swords, and a was across the of each, while from their left arms no larger than a dinner plate, the of which toward an antagonist.
They and of safety against an ordinary swordsman, but I was later to see the purpose of them and with what the yellow men them.
One of the which each of the my attention. I call it a sword, but it was a sharp-edged with a complete at the end.
The other was of about the same length as the instrument, and that of my long-sword and my short-sword. It was and two-edged. In to the I have each man a in his harness.
As the white-furred one approached, the six their more firmly—the in the left hand, the in the right, while above the left the small was upon a metal bracelet.
As the came opposite them the six out upon him with that nothing more closely than the of the Apaches of the South-west.
Instantly the his swords, and as the six upon him I as as one might to see.
With their the to take of an adversary, but like the would the and into its the would plunge.
Once the an in the with his hook, and him close ran his through him.
But the were too unequal, and, though he who alone was by the best and of them all, I saw that it was but a question of time the five would an opening through his and him down.
Now my have been with the of an argument, and though I nothing of the of the trouble I not by and see a man by numbers.
As a of I I gave little attention to an excuse, for I love a good too well to need any other for joining in when one is afoot.
