My son! I could not believe my ears. Slowly I rose and facedthe handsome youth. Now that I looked at him closely Icommenced to see why his face and personality had attractedme so strongly. There was much of his mother's incomparablebeauty in his clear-cut features, but it was stronglymasculine beauty, and his grey eyes and the expression ofthem were mine.

The boy stood facing me, half hope and half uncertaintyin his look.

"Tell me of your mother," I said. "Tell me all you can ofthe years that I have been robbed by a relentless fate of herdear companionship."

With a cry of pleasure he sprang toward me and threw hisarms about my neck, and for a brief moment as I held myboy close to me the tears welled to my eyes and I waslike to have choked after the manner of some maudlinfool--but I do not regret it, nor am I ashamed. A long lifehas taught me that a man may seem weak where womenand children are concerned and yet be anything but aweakling in the sterner avenues of life.

"Your stature, your manner, the terrible ferocity ofyour swordsmanship," said the boy, "are as my mother hasdescribed them to me a thousand times--but even with suchevidence I could scarce credit the truth of what seemedso improbable to me, however much I desired it to be true.Do you know what thing it was that convinced me more thanall the others?"

"What, my boy?" I asked.

"Your first words to me--they were of my mother. Noneelse but the man who loved her as she has told me my fatherdid would have thought first of her."

"For long years, my son, I can scarce recall a momentthat the radiant vision of your mother's face has not beenever before me. Tell me of her."

"Those who have known her longest say that she has notchanged, unless it be to grow more beautiful--were thatpossible. Only, when she thinks I am not about to see her,her face grows very sad, and, oh, so wistful. She thinks everof you, my father, and all Helium mourns with her and forher. Her grandfather's people love her. They loved you also,and fairly worship your memory as the saviour of Barsoom.

"Each year that brings its anniversary of the day that sawyou racing across a near dead world to unlock the secret ofthat awful portal behind which lay the mighty power of lifefor countless millions a great festival is held in your honour;but there are tears mingled with the thanksgiving--tears ofreal regret that the author of the happiness is not with themto share the joy of living he died to give them. Upon allBarsoom there is no greater name than John Carter."

"And by what name has your mother called you, my boy?"I asked.

"The people of Helium asked that I be named with myfather's name, but my mother said no, that you and she hadchosen a name for me together, and that your wish must behonoured before all others, so the name that she called meis the one that you desired, a combination of hers andyours--Carthoris."

Xodar had been at the wheel as I talked with my son,and now he called me.

"She is dropping badly by the head, John Carter," he said."So long as we were rising at a stiff angle it was notnoticeable, but now that I am trying to keep a horizontalcourse it is different. The wound in her bow has openedone of her forward ray tanks."

It was true, and after I had examined the damage I foundit a much graver matter than I had anticipated. Not only wasthe forced angle at which we were compelled to maintainthe bow in order to keep a horizontal course greatly impedingour speed, but at the rate that we were losing our repulsiverays from the forward tanks it was but a question of an houror more when we would be floating stern up and helpless.

We had slightly reduced our speed with the dawning of asense of security, but now I took the helm once more andpulled the noble little engine wide open, so that again weraced north at terrific velocity. In the meantime Carthorisand Xodar with tools in hand were puttering with the greatrent in the bow in a hopeless endeavour to stem the tideof escaping rays.

It was still dark when we passed the northern boundary ofthe ice cap and the area of clouds. Below us lay a typicalMartian landscape. Rolling ochre sea bottom of long deadseas, low surrounding hills, with here and there the grim andsilent cities of the dead past; great piles of mightyarchitecture tenanted only by age-old memories of aonce powerful race, and by the great white apes of Barsoom.

It was becoming more and more difficult to maintain ourlittle vessel in a horizontal position. Lower and lower saggedthe bow until it became necessary to stop the engine to preventour flight terminating in a swift dive to the ground.

As the sun rose and the light of a new day swept awaythe darkness of night our craft gave a final spasmodic plunge,turned half upon her side, and then with deck tiltingat a sickening angle swung in a slow circle, her bow droppingfurther below her stern each moment.

To hand-rail and stanchion we clung, and finally as wesaw the end approaching, snapped the buckles of our harnessto the rings at her sides. In another moment the deckreared at an angle of ninety degrees and we hung in ourleather with feet dangling a thousand yards above the ground.

I was swinging quite close to the controlling devices, so Ireached out to the lever that directed the rays of repulsion.The boat responded to the touch, and very gently we beganto sink toward the ground.

It was fully half an hour before we touched. Directly northof us rose a rather lofty range of hills, toward which wedecided to make our way, since they afforded greateropportunity for concealment from the pursuers we wereconfident might stumble in this direction.

An hour later found us in the time-rounded gullies of thehills, amid the beautiful flowering plants that abound in thearid waste places of Barsoom. There we found numbers ofhuge milk-giving shrubs--that strange plant which serves ingreat part as food and drink for the wild hordes of green men.It was indeed a boon to us, for we all were nearly famished.

Beneath a cluster of these which afforded perfect concealmentfrom wandering air scouts, we lay down to sleep--for me thefirst time in many hours. This was the beginning of myfifth day upon Barsoom since I had found myself suddenlytranslated from my cottage on the Hudson to Dor, thevalley beautiful, the valley hideous. In all this time I hadslept but twice, though once the clock around within thestorehouse of the therns.

It was mid-afternoon when I was awakened by some oneseizing my hand and covering it with kisses. With a start Iopened my eyes to look into the beautiful face of Thuvia.

"My Prince! My Prince!" she cried, in an ecstasy of happiness. "'Tis you whom I had mourned as dead. My ancestorshave been good to me; I have not lived in vain."

The girl's voice awoke Xodar and Carthoris. The boygazed upon the woman in surprise, but she did not seem torealize the presence of another than I. She would havethrown her arms about my neck and smothered me withcaresses, had I not gently but firmly disengaged myself.

"Come, come, Thuvia," I said soothingly; "you are overwroughtby the danger and hardships you have passed through.You forget yourself, as you forget that I am the husbandof the Princess of Helium."

"I forget nothing, my Prince," she replied. "You havespoken no word of love to me, nor do I expect that youever shall; but nothing can prevent me loving you. I wouldnot take the place of Dejah Thoris. My greatest ambition is toserve you, my Prince, for ever as your slave. No greater booncould I ask, no greater honour could I crave, no greaterhappiness could I hope."

As I have before said, I am no ladies' man, and I must admitthat I seldom have felt so uncomfortable and embarrassedas I did that moment. While I was quite familiar with theMartian custom which allows female slaves to Martian men,whose high and chivalrous honour is always ample protectionfor every woman in his household, yet I had never myselfchosen other than men as my body servants.

"And I ever return to Helium, Thuvia," I said, "you shallgo with me, but as an honoured equal, and not as a slave.There you shall find plenty of handsome young nobles whowould face Issus herself to win a smile from you, and we shallhave you married in short order to one of the best ofthem. Forget your foolish gratitude-begotten infatuation,which your innocence has mistaken for love. I like yourfriendship better, Thuvia."

"You are my master; it shall be as you say," she repliedsimply, but there was a note of sadness in her voice.

"How came you here, Thuvia?" I asked. "And where is Tars Tarkas?"

"The great Thark, I fear, is dead," she replied sadly."He was a mighty fighter, but a multitude of green warriorsof another horde than his overwhelmed him. The last that Isaw of him they were bearing him, wounded and bleeding,to the deserted city from which they had sallied to attack us."

"You are not sure that he is dead, then?" I asked."And where is this city of which you speak?"

"It is just beyond this range of hills. The vessel in whichyou so nobly resigned a place that we might find escape defiedour small skill in navigation, with the result that we driftedaimlessly about for two days. Then we decided to abandonthe craft and attempt to make our way on foot to the nearestwaterway. Yesterday we crossed these hills and came uponthe dead city beyond. We had passed within its streets andwere walking toward the central portion, when at an intersectingavenue we saw a body of green warriors approaching.

"Tars Tarkas was in advance, and they saw him, but me they didnot see. The Thark sprang back to my side and forced me intoan adjacent doorway, where he told me to remain in hidinguntil I could escape, making my way to Helium if possible.

"'There will be no escape for me now,' he said,'for these be the Warhoon of the South. When theyhave seen my metal it will be to the death.'

"Then he stepped out to meet them. Ah, my Prince, suchfighting! For an hour they swarmed about him, until theWarhoon dead formed a hill where he had stood; but at lastthey overwhelmed him, those behind pushing the foremost uponhim until there remained no space to swing his great sword.Then he stumbled and went down and they rolled over him likea huge wave. When they carried him away toward the heart ofthe city, he was dead, I think, for I did not see him move."

"Before we go farther we must be sure," I said. "I cannotleave Tars Tarkas alive among the Warhoons. To-night I shallenter the city and make sure."

"And I shall go with you," spoke Carthoris.

"And I," said Xodar.

"Neither one of you shall go," I replied. "It is work thatrequires stealth and strategy, not force. One man alone maysucceed where more would invite disaster. I shall go alone.If I need your help, I will return for you."

They did not like it, but both were good soldiers, and ithad been agreed that I should command. The sun alreadywas low, so that I did not have long to wait before thesudden darkness of Barsoom engulfed us.

With a parting word of instructions to Carthoris and Xodar,in case I should not return, I bade them all farewell andset forth at a rapid dogtrot toward the city.

As I emerged from the hills the nearer moon was wingingits wild flight through the heavens, its bright beams turningto burnished silver the barbaric splendour of the ancientmetropolis. The city had been built upon the gently rollingfoothills that in the dim and distant past had sloped downto meet the sea. It was due to this fact that I had nodifficulty in entering the streets unobserved.

The green hordes that use these deserted cities seldomoccupy more than a few squares about the central plaza,and as they come and go always across the dead sea bottomsthat the cities face, it is usually a matter of comparativeease to enter from the hillside.

Once within the streets, I kept close in the dense shadowsof the walls. At intersections I halted a moment to make surethat none was in sight before I sprang quickly to the shadowsof the opposite side. Thus I made the journey to the vicinityof the plaza without detection. As I approached the purlieusof the inhabited portion of the city I was made aware of theproximity of the warriors' quarters by the squealing andgrunting of the thoats and zitidars corralled within the hollowcourtyards formed by the buildings surrounding each square.

These old familiar sounds that are so distinctive of greenMartian life sent a thrill of pleasure surging through me. It wasas one might feel on coming home after a long absence. Itwas amid such sounds that I had first courted the incomparableDejah Thoris in the age-old marble halls of the dead city of Korad.

As I stood in the shadows at the far corner of the firstsquare which housed members of the horde, I saw warriorsemerging from several of the buildings. They all went inthe same direction, toward a great building which stoodin the centre of the plaza. My knowledge of green Martiancustoms convinced me that this was either the quarters of theprincipal chieftain or contained the audience chamber whereinthe Jeddak met his jeds and lesser chieftains. In either event,it was evident that something was afoot which might have abearing on the recent capture of Tars Tarkas.

To reach this building, which I now felt it imperative thatI do, I must needs traverse the entire length of one squareand cross a broad avenue and a portion of the plaza. Fromthe noises of the animals which came from every courtyardabout me, I knew that there were many people in thesurrounding buildings--probably several communities ofthe great horde of the Warhoons of the South.

To pass undetected among all these people was in itselfa difficult task, but if I was to find and rescue the greatThark I must expect even more formidable obstacles beforesuccess could be mine. I had entered the city from the southand now stood on the corner of the avenue through whichI had passed and the first intersecting avenue south of theplaza. The buildings upon the south side of this square didnot appear to be inhabited, as I could see no lights, and soI decided to gain the inner courtyard through one of them.

Nothing occurred to interrupt my progress through thedeserted pile I chose, and I came into the inner court closeto the rear walls of the east buildings without detection. Within the court a great herd of thoats and zitidars movedrestlessly about, cropping the moss-like ochre vegetation whichovergrows practically the entire uncultivated area of Mars.What breeze there was came from the north-west, so therewas little danger that the beasts would scent me. Had they,their squealing and grunting would have grown to such avolume as to attract the attention of the warriors withinthe buildings.

Close to the east wall, beneath the overhanging balconiesof the second floors, I crept in dense shadows the full lengthof the courtyard, until I came to the buildings at the northend. These were lighted for about three floors up, but abovethe third floor all was dark.

To pass through the lighted rooms was, of course, out ofthe question, since they swarmed with green Martian menand women. My only path lay through the upper floors, andto gain these it was necessary to scale the face of the wall.The reaching of the balcony of the second floor was a matterof easy accomplishment--an agile leap gave my hands a graspupon the stone hand-rail above. In another instant I haddrawn myself upon the balcony.

Here through the open windows I saw the green folk squattingupon their sleeping silks and furs, grunting an occasionalmonosyllable, which, in connection with their wondrous telepathicpowers, is ample for their conversational requirements. As I drew closer to listen to their words a warriorentered the room from the hall beyond.

"Come, Tan Gama," he cried, "we are to take the Thark beforeKab Kadja. Bring another with you."

The warrior addressed arose and, beckoning to a fellowsquatting near, the three turned and left the apartment.

If I could but follow them the chance might come to freeTars Tarkas at once. At least I would learn the locationof his prison.

At my right was a door leading from the balcony into the building.It was at the end of an unlighted hall, and on the impulse of themoment I stepped within. The hall was broad and led straightthrough to the front of the building. On either side were thedoorways of the various apartments which lined it.

I had no more than entered the corridor than I saw thethree warriors at the other end--those whom I had just seenleaving the apartment. Then a turn to the right took themfrom my sight again. Quickly I hastened along the hallwayin pursuit. My gait was reckless, but I felt that Fate had beenkind indeed to throw such an opportunity within my grasp,and I could not afford to allow it to elude me now.

At the far end of the corridor I found a spiral stairwayleading to the floors above and below. The three had evidentlyleft the floor by this avenue. That they had gone down andnot up I was sure from my knowledge of these ancientbuildings and the methods of the Warhoons.

I myself had once been a prisoner of the cruel hordes ofnorthern Warhoon, and the memory of the undergrounddungeon in which I lay still is vivid in my memory. And soI felt certain that Tars Tarkas lay in the dark pits beneathsome nearby building, and that in that direction I should findthe trail of the three warriors leading to his cell.

Nor was I wrong. At the bottom of the runway, or ratherat the landing on the floor below, I saw that the shaftdescended into the pits beneath, and as I glanced down theflickering light of a torch revealed the presence of thethree I was trailing.

Down they went toward the pits beneath the structure, andat a safe distance behind I followed the flicker of their torch.The way led through a maze of tortuous corridors, unlightedsave for the wavering light they carried. We had goneperhaps a hundred yards when the party turned abruptlythrough a doorway at their right. I hastened on as rapidly asI dared through the darkness until I reached the point atwhich they had left the corridor. There, through an opendoor, I saw them removing the chains that secured the greatThark, Tars Tarkas, to the wall.

Hustling him roughly between them, they came immediatelyfrom the chamber, so quickly in fact that I was near tobeing apprehended. But I managed to run along the corridorin the direction I had been going in my pursuit of themfar enough to be without the radius of their meagre lightas they emerged from the cell.

I had naturally assumed that they would return withTars Tarkas the same way that they had come, which wouldhave carried them away from me; but, to my chagrin, theywheeled directly in my direction as they left the room. Therewas nothing for me but to hasten on in advance and keepout of the light of their torch. I dared not attempt to halt inthe darkness of any of the many intersecting corridors, forI knew nothing of the direction they might take. Chance wasas likely as not to carry me into the very corridor they mightchoose to enter.

The sensation of moving rapidly through these dark passageswas far from reassuring. I knew not at what moment I mightplunge headlong into some terrible pit or meet with someof the ghoulish creatures that inhabit these lower worldsbeneath the dead cities of dying Mars. There filtered to mea faint radiance from the torch of the men behind--justenough to permit me to trace the direction of the windingpassageways directly before me, and so keep me fromdashing myself against the walls at the turns.

Presently I came to a place where five corridors divergedfrom a common point. I had hastened along one of them forsome little distance when suddenly the faint light of the torchdisappeared from behind me. I paused to listen for sounds ofthe party behind me, but the silence was as utter as thesilence of the tomb.

Quickly I realized that the warriors had taken one of theother corridors with their prisoner, and so I hastened back witha feeling of considerable relief to take up a much safer andmore desirable position behind them. It was much slowerwork returning, however, than it had been coming, for nowthe darkness was as utter as the silence.

It was necessary to feel every foot of the way back withmy hand against the side wall, that I might not pass the spotwhere the five roads radiated. After what seemed an eternity tome, I reached the place and recognized it by groping acrossthe entrances to the several corridors until I had counted fiveof them. In not one, however, showed the faintest sign of light.

I listened intently, but the naked feet of the green men sentback no guiding echoes, though presently I thought I detectedthe clank of side arms in the far distance of the middle corridor.Up this, then, I hastened, searching for the light, and stoppingto listen occasionally for a repetition of the sound; but soon Iwas forced to admit that I must have been following a blind lead,as only darkness and silence rewarded my efforts.

Again I retraced my steps toward the parting of the ways,when to my surprise I came upon the entrance to threediverging corridors, any one of which I might have traversedin my hasty dash after the false clue I had been following. Here was a pretty fix, indeed! Once back at the pointwhere the five passageways met, I might wait with someassurance for the return of the warriors with Tars Tarkas.My knowledge of their customs lent colour to the belief thathe was but being escorted to the audience chamber to havesentence passed upon him. I had not the slightest doubt butthat they would preserve so doughty a warrior as the greatThark for the rare sport he would furnish at the Great Games.

But unless I could find my way back to that point thechances were most excellent that I would wander for daysthrough the awful blackness, until, overcome by thirst andhunger, I lay down to die, or-- What was that!

A faint shuffling sounded behind me, and as I cast a hastyglance over my shoulder my blood froze in my veins for thething I saw there. It was not so much fear of the presentdanger as it was the horrifying memories it recalled of thattime I near went mad over the corpse of the man I had killedin the dungeons of the Warhoons, when blazing eyes cameout of the dark recesses and dragged the thing that had beena man from my clutches and I heard it scraping over the stoneof my prison as they bore it away to their terrible feast.

And now in these black pits of the other Warhoons I lookedinto those same fiery eyes, blazing at me through theterrible darkness, revealing no sign of the beast behind them.I think that the most fearsome attribute of these awesomecreatures is their silence and the fact that one never seesthem--nothing but those baleful eyes glaring unblinkingly outof the dark void behind.

Grasping my long-sword tightly in my hand, I backed slowlyalong the corridor away from the thing that watched me,but ever as I retreated the eyes advanced, nor was there anysound, not even the sound of breathing, except the occasionalshuffling sound as of the dragging of a dead limb, that hadfirst attracted my attention.

On and on I went, but I could not escape my sinister pursuer.Suddenly I heard the shuffling noise at my right, and,looking, saw another pair of eyes, evidently approaching froman intersecting corridor. As I started to renew my slowretreat I heard the noise repeated behind me, and then beforeI could turn I heard it again at my left.

The things were all about me. They had me surroundedat the intersection of two corridors. Retreat was cut off inall directions, unless I chose to charge one of the beasts.Even then I had no doubt but that the others would hurlthemselves upon my back. I could not even guess the sizeor nature of the weird creatures. That they were of goodlyproportions I guessed from the fact that the eyes were on alevel with my own.

Why is it that darkness so magnifies our dangers? By dayI would have charged the great banth itself, had I thoughtit necessary, but hemmed in by the darkness of these silentpits I hesitated before a pair of eyes.

Soon I saw that the matter shortly would be taken entirelyfrom my hands, for the eyes at my right were moving slowlynearer me, as were those at my left and those behind andbefore me. Gradually they were closing in upon me--butstill that awful stealthy silence!

For what seemed hours the eyes approached graduallycloser and closer, until I felt that I should go mad for thehorror of it. I had been constantly turning this way andthat to prevent any sudden rush from behind, until I wasfairly worn out. At length I could endure it no longer, and,taking a fresh grasp upon my long-sword, I turned suddenlyand charged down upon one of my tormentors.

As I was almost upon it the thing retreated before me,but a sound from behind caused me to wheel in time to seethree pairs of eyes rushing at me from the rear. With a cryof rage I turned to meet the cowardly beasts, but as I advancedthey retreated as had their fellow. Another glance overmy shoulder discovered the first eyes sneaking on me again.And again I charged, only to see the eyes retreat before meand hear the muffled rush of the three at my back.

Thus we continued, the eyes always a little closer in theend than they had been before, until I thought that I shouldgo mad with the terrible strain of the ordeal. That they werewaiting to spring upon my back seemed evident, and that itwould not be long before they succeeded was equally apparent,for I could not endure the wear of this repeated charge andcountercharge indefinitely. In fact, I could feel myself weakeningfrom the mental and physical strain I had been undergoing.

At that moment I caught another glimpse from the cornerof my eye of the single pair of eyes at my back making asudden rush upon me. I turned to meet the charge; there wasa quick rush of the three from the other direction; but Idetermined to pursue the single pair until I should have atleast settled my account with one of the beasts and thus berelieved of the strain of meeting attacks from both directions.

There was no sound in the corridor, only that of my ownbreathing, yet I knew that those three uncanny creatureswere almost upon me. The eyes in front were not retreatingso rapidly now; I was almost within sword reach of them. Iraised my sword arm to deal the blow that should free me,and then I felt a heavy body upon my back. A cold, moist,slimy something fastened itself upon my throat. I stumbledand went down.