THE JEDDAK OF LOTHAR
The girl looked her incredulity.
“They in piles,” she murmured. “There were thousands of them but a minute ago.”
“And now,” Carthoris, “there but the and the of the green men.”
“They must have sent and the away while we were talking,” said the girl.
“It is impossible!” Carthoris. “Thousands of there upon the but a moment since. It would have many hours to have them. The thing is uncanny.”
“I had hoped,” said Thuvia, “that we might an with these fair-skinned people. Notwithstanding their upon the of battle, they did not me as a or people. I had been about to that we entrance to the city, but now I know if I to among people into thin air.”
“Let us it,” Carthoris. “We can be no off their than without. Here we may to the or the no less Torquasians. There, at least, we shall beings after our own images.
“All that me to hesitate,” he added, “is the of taking you past so many banths. A single would were a of them to simultaneously.”
“Do not on that score,” the girl, smiling. “The will not us.”
As she spoke she from the platform, and with Carthoris at her out upon the in the direction of the city of mystery.
They had but a when a banth, looking up from its feast, them. With an angry the walked in their direction, and at the of its voice a score of others its example.
Carthoris his long-sword. The girl a quick at his face. She saw the upon his lips, and it was as to nerves; for upon Barsoom where all men are brave, woman to to danger—to dare-deviltry that is without bombast.
“You may return your sword,” she said. “I told you that the would not us. Look!” and as she spoke she toward the nearest animal.
Carthoris would have after her to protect her, but with a she him back. He her calling to the in a low, voice that was purr.
Instantly the great up and all the were upon the of the girl. Then, stealthily, they moving toward her. She had stopped now and was waiting them.
One, closer to her than the others, hesitated. She spoke to him imperiously, as a master might speak to a hound.
The great let its droop, and with its came to the girl’s feet, and after it came the others until she was by the man-eaters.
Turning she them to where Carthoris stood. They a little as they the man, but a of put them in their places.
“How do you do it?” Carthoris.
“Your father once asked me that same question in the of the Golden Cliffs the Otz Mountains, the temples of the therns. I not answer him, can I answer you. I do not know comes my power over them, but since the day that Sator Throg me among them in the of the Holy Therns, and the great upon of me, I have had the same power over them. They come at my call and do my bidding, as the Woola the of your sire.”
With a word the girl the pack. Roaring, they returned to their feast, while Carthoris and Thuvia passed among them toward the city.
As they the man looked with wonder upon the of those of the green men that had not been or by the banths.
He called the girl’s attention to them. No from the great carcasses. Nowhere upon any of them was the of wound, or abrasion.
Before the bowmen’s had the of the Torquasians had with the of their foes. Where had the of death departed? What hand had them from the of the slain?
Despite himself Carthoris a of as he toward the city them. No longer was of life visible upon or top. All was quiet—brooding, quiet.
Yet he was sure that them from that blank wall.
He at Thuvia. She was with wide upon the city gate. He looked in the direction of her gaze, but saw nothing.
His upon her to her as from a lethargy. She up at him, a quick, her lips, and then, as though the act was involuntary, she came close to his and one of her hands in his.
He that something her that was her was to him for protection. He an arm about her, and thus they the field. She did not away from him. It is that she that his arm was there, so was she in the of the city them.
They stopped the gate. It was a thing. From its Carthoris but upon its antiquity.
It was circular, a aperture, and the Heliumite from his study of Barsoomian that it rolled to one side, like a wheel, into an in the wall.
Even such world-old as Aaanthor were as yet of when the that such gates as these.
As he upon the identity of this city, a voice spoke to them from above. Both looked up. There, over the of the high wall, was a man.
His was auburn, his skin fair—fairer than that of John Carter, the Virginian. His was high, his large and intelligent.
The language that he used was to the two below, yet there was a marked it and their Barsoomian tongue.
“Who are you?” he asked. “And what do you here the gate of Lothar?”
“We are friends,” Carthoris. “This be the princess, Thuvia of Ptarth, who was by the Torquasian horde. I am Carthoris of Helium, Prince of the house of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium, and son of John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and of his wife, Dejah Thoris.”
“‘Ptarth’?” the man. “‘Helium’?” He his head. “I have of these places, did I know that there upon Barsoom a of colour. Where may these lie, of which you speak? From our tower we have another city than Lothar.”
Carthoris pointed toward the north-east.
“In that direction Helium and Ptarth,” he said. “Helium is over eight thousand from Lothar, while Ptarth nine thousand five hundred north-east of Helium.”[1]
Still the man his head.
“I know of nothing the Lotharian hills,” he said. “Naught may live there the green of Torquas. They have all Barsoom this single and the city of Lothar. Here we have them for ages, though they their to us. From you come I cannot unless you be from the the Torquasians in early times when they the world to their vassalage; but we had that they all other but their own.”
Carthoris to that the Torquasians but a part of the surface of Barsoom, and this only their nothing to the red race; but the Lotharian not to of anything the of Lothar other than a waste by the green of Torquas.
After he to admit them to the city, and a moment later the wheel-like gate rolled its niche, and Thuvia and Carthoris entered the city of Lothar.
All about them were of wealth. The of the upon the the were carven, and about the and doors were set foot-wide borders of stones, mosaics, or of gold bas-reliefs what may have been of the history of this people.
He with they had across the was in the to them. About him were a hundred or more men of the same race. All were in and all were beardless.
Their was more of than antagonism. They the new-comers with their eyes; but spoke no word to them.
Carthoris not but notice the that though the city had been but a time by a of yet none of the citizens appeared to be armed, was there of about.
He if all the men had in one to the foe, the city all unguarded. He asked their host.
The man smiled.
“No other than a score or so of our has left Lothar to-day,” he replied.
“But the soldiers—the bowmen!” Carthoris. “We saw thousands from this very gate, the of Torquas and them to with their and their banths.”
Still the man his smile.
“Look!” he cried, and pointed a him.
Carthoris and Thuvia the direction indicated, and there, in the sunlight, they saw toward them a great army of bowmen.
“Ah!” Thuvia. “They have returned through another gate, or these be the that to the city?”
Again the his smile.
“There are no soldiers in Lothar,” he said. “Look!”
Both Carthoris and Thuvia had toward him while he spoke, and now as they again toward the their wide in astonishment, for the them was as as the tomb.
“And those who out upon the to-day?” Carthoris. “They, too, were unreal?”
The man nodded.
“But their the green warriors,” Thuvia.
“Let us go Tario,” the Lotharian. “He will tell you that which he it best you know. I might tell you too much.”
“Who is Tario?” asked Carthoris.
“Jeddak of Lothar,” the guide, leading them up the which they had but a moment since the army marching.
For an hour they walked along the most that the two had seen. Few people were in evidence. Carthoris not but note the of the city.
At last they came to the palace. Carthoris saw it from a distance, and the nature of the that here there should be so little of activity and life.
Not a single was visible the great entrance gate, in the gardens beyond, into which he see, was there of the life that the of the of the red jeddaks.
“Here,” said their guide, “is the of Tario.”
As he spoke Carthoris again let his upon the palace. With a he his and looked again. No! He not be mistaken. Before the gate a score of sentries. Within, the leading to the main was on either by ranks of bowmen. The gardens were with officers and soldiers moving to and fro, as though upon the of the minute.
What manner of people were these who an army out of thin air? He toward Thuvia. She, too, had the transformation.
With a little she pressed more closely toward him.
“What do you make of it?” she whispered. “It is most uncanny.”
“I cannot account for it,” Carthoris, “unless we have gone mad.”
Carthoris toward the Lotharian. The was broadly.
“I that you just said that there were no soldiers in Lothar,” said the Heliumite, with a toward the guardsmen. “What are these?”
“Ask Tario,” the other. “We shall soon be him.”
Nor was it long they entered a at one end of which a man upon a rich that upon a high dais.
As the approached, the man upon them. Twenty from the their halted, and, to Thuvia and Carthoris to his example, himself to the floor. Then to hands and knees, he toward the of the throne, his to and and his as you have a do when its master.
Thuvia toward Carthoris. He was erect, with high-held and arms across his chest. A his lips.
The man upon the was him intently, and Carthoris of Helium was looking in the other’s face.
“Who be these, Jav?” asked the man of him who upon his along the floor.
“O Tario, most Jeddak,” Jav, “these be who came with the of Torquas to our gates, saying that they were of the green men. They tell of Lothar.”
“Arise, Jav,” Tario, “and ask these two why they not to Tario the respect that is his due.”
Jav and the strangers. At of their positions his livid. He toward them.
“Creatures!” he screamed. “Down! Down upon your the last of the of Barsoom!”
[1] On Barsoom the ad is the of measurement. It is the of an Earthly foot, about 11.694 Earth inches. As has been my in the past, I have Barsoomian of time, distance, etc., into their Earthly equivalent, as being more easily by Earth readers. For those of a more turn of mind it may be to know the Martian table of measurement, and so I give it here:
10 = 1 ad
200 = 1 haad
100 = 1 karad
360 = 1 of Mars at equator.
A haad, or Barsoomian mile, about 2,339 Earth feet. A is one degree. A about 1.17 Earth inches.
