Part 1 (2/2)
Nor did Gahan see the society of his fair companion His eyes seemed chained to her exquisite features, from which they moved no further than to a rounded breast, part hid beneath its jeweled covering, a naked shoulder or the symmetry of a perfect arnificence
”Your ancient history has doubtless told you that Gathol was built upon an island in Throxeus, htiest of the five oceans of old Barsoom As the ocean receded Gathol crept down the sides of the mountain, the summit of which was the island upon which she had been built, until today she covers the slopes froreat hill are honeyco us is a great salt ed and oftti of hostile airshi+ps a precarious undertaking”
”That, and your brave warriors?” suggested the girl
Gahan smiled ”We do not speak of that except to eneues of steel rather than of flesh”
”But what practice in the art of war has a people which nature has thus protected fro jed's answer to her previous question, but yet in whose ue conviction of the possible effenificence of his trappings and weapons which carried a suggestion of splendid show rather than grim utility
”Our natural barriers, while they have doubtless saved us from defeat on countless occasions, have not by any reat is the wealth of Gathol's diamond treasury that there yet may be found those ill risk almost certain defeat in an effort to loot our unconquered city; so thus we find occasional practice in the exercise of arms; but there is more to Gathol than the mountain city My country extends from Polodona (Equator) north ten karads and from the tenth karad west of Horz to the twentieth west, including thus a reater proportion of which is fine grazing land where run our great herds of thoats and zitidars
”Surrounded as we are by predatory enemies our herdsmen must indeed be warriors or we should have no herds, and youThen there is our constant need of workers in the mines The Gatholians consider themselves a race of warriors and as such prefer not to labor in the ive an hour a day in labor to the government That is practically the only tax that is levied upon them They prefer however, to furnish a substitute to perform this labor, and as our own people will not hire out for labor in the mines it has been necessary to obtain slaves, and I do not need to tell you that slaves are not ithout fighting We sell these slaves in the public overn them in The purchasers are credited with the amount of labor perforood slave will have performed the labor tax of his master for six years, and if slaves are plentiful he is freed and perht in platinus with a quizzical shed ”We are a vain people,” he adood-naturedly, ”and it is possible that we place too much value on personal appearances We vie with one another in the splendor of our accoutrehter duties of life, though e take the field our leather is the plainest I ever have seen worn by fighting men of Barsoom We pride ourselves, too, upon our physical beauty, and especially upon the beauty of our wo for the day when you will visit Gathol that my people may see one who is really beautiful?”
”The woht to froith displeasure upon the tongue of the flatterer,” rejoined the girl, but Gahan, Jed of Gathol, observed that she sle sounded, clear and sweet, above the laughter and the talk ”The Dance of Barsoo warrior ”I clailanced in the direction of the bench where she had last seen Djor Kantos He was not in sight She inclined her head in assent to the claiuests, distributing s Upon each instruth of its tone The instruut, and were shaped to fit the left forearm of the dancer, to which it was strapped There was also a ring wound with gut which orn between the first and second joints of the index finger of the right hand and which, when passed over the string of the instrule note required of the dancer
The guests had risen and were slowlytheir way toward the expanse of scarlet sward at the south end of the gardens where the dance was to be held, when Djor Kantos came hurriedly toward Tara of Helium ”I claim--” he exclaiesture
”You are too late, Djor Kantos,” she cried in ard may claim Tara of Helium; but haste now lest thou lose also Olvia Marthis, who to be claimed for this or any other dance”
”I have already lost her,” admitted Djor Kantos ruefully
”And youlost Olvia Marthis?” de displeasure
”Oh, Tara of Heliu man ”Was it not natural that I should assume that you would expect me, who alone has claimed you for the Dance of Barsoom for at least twelve times past?”
”And sit and play with my thumbs until you saw fit to come for me?” she questioned ”Ah, no, Djor Kantos; Tara of Heliuard,” and she threw hi dancers with Gahan, Jed of far Gathol
The Dance of Barsoo functions of Mars that The Grand March does to ours, though it is infinitely more intricate and more beautiful Before a Martian youth of either sex , he must have become proficient in at least three dances--The Dance of Barsoom, his national dance, and the dance of his city In these three dances the dancers furnish their own ures vary, having been handed down from time immemorial All Barsoomian dances are stately and beautiful, but The Dance of Barsoorotesque posturing, no vulgar or suggestive movehest ideals of a world that aspired to grace and beauty and chastity in wonity and loyalty in man
Today, John Carter, Warlord of Mars, with Dejah Thoris, his , and if there was another couple that vied with theuests it was the resplendent Jed of Gathol and his beautiful partner In the ever-changing figures of the dance the ain with an arm about the lithe body that the jeweled harness but inadequately covered, and the girl, though she had danced a thousand dances in the past, realized for the first tiainst her naked flesh It troubled her that she should notice it, and she looked up questioningly and alh it was his fault Their eyes met and she saw in his that which she had never seen in the eyes of Djor Kantos It was at the very end of the dance and they both stopped suddenly with the ht into each other's eyes It was Gahan of Gathol who spoke first
”Tara of Heliuirl drew herself to her full height ”The Jed of Gathol forgets hihtily
”The Jed of Gathol would forget everything but you, Tara of Helium,” he replied Fiercely he pressed the soft hand that he still retained from the last position of the dance ”I love you, Tara of Helium,” he repeated ”Why should your ears refuse to hear what your eyes but just now did not refuse to see--and answer?”
”What meanest thou?” she cried ”Are the men of Gathol such boors, then?”
”They are neither boors nor fools,” he replied, quietly ”They knohen they love a woman--and when she loves theer ”Go!” she said, ”before it is necessary to acquaint uest”
She turned and walked away ”Wait!” cried the y?” she asked
”Of prophecy,” he said
”I do not care to hear it,” replied Tara of Heliu and shortly thereafter returned to her own quarter of the palace, where she stood for a long ti out beyond the scarlet tower of Greater Heliurily away ”I hate hied Uthia
Tara of Helium stamped her foot ”That ill-mannered boor, the Jed of Gathol,” she replied
Uthia raised her slireat beast rose from the corner of the roo up into her face She placed her hand upon the ugly head ”Dear old Woola,” she said; ”no love could be deeper than yours, yet it never offends Would that ht pattern themselves after you!”
CHAPTER II
AT THE GALE'S MERCY
TARA of Heliuuests, but awaited in her own aparting her to return to the gardens She would then refuse, haughtily But no appeal cary, then she was hurt, and always she was puzzled She could not understand Occasionally she thought of the Jed of Gathol and then she would stary indeed with Gahan The presumption of the man! He had insinuated that he read love for him in her eyes Never had she been so insulted and huhly hated aleather!” she coirl ”Your father, The Warlord, will expect you to return”
”He will be disappointed,” snapped Tara of Helium
The slave hesitated ”He does not approve of your flying alone,” she re to her feet and seized the unhappy slave by the shoulders, shaking her ”You are beco unbearable, Uthia,” she cried ”Soon there will be no alternative than to send you to the public slave-”
Tears cairl ”It is because I love you, my princess,” she said softly Tara of Helium melted She took the slave in her arms and kissed her
”I have the disposition of a thoat, Uthia,” she said ”Forgivethat I would not do for you and nothing would I do to harain, as I have so often in the past, I offer you your freedom”
”I do not wish my freedom if it will separate me from you, Tara of Helium,” replied Uthia ”I am happy here with you--I think that I should die without you”
Again the girls kissed ”And you will not fly alone, then?” questioned the slave