Part 2 (2/2)
”No, not this,” he explained, touching his body; ”this is a rykor; but this,” and he touched his head, ”is a kaldane It is the brain, the intellect, the power that directs all things The rykor,” he indicated his body, ”is nothing It is not so much even as the jewels upon our harness; no, not so much as the harness itself It carries us about It is true that ould find difficulty getting along without it; but it has less value than harness or jewels because it is less difficult to reproduce” He turned again to the other kaldanes ”Will you notify Luud that I aone to Luud He will tell him,” replied one ”Where did you find this rykor with the strange kaldane that cannot detach itself?”
The girl's captor narrated once more the story of her capture He stated facts just as they had occurred, without embellishment, his voice as expressionless as his face, and his story was received in the same manner that it was delivered The creatures see in emotion, or, at least, the capacity to express it It was ie what impression the storyeyes simply stared and occasionally the muscles of their mouths opened and closed Fairl felt for them The more she saw of them the more repulsive they seemed Often her body was shaken by convulsive shudders as she looked at the kaldanes, but when her eyes wandered to the beautiful bodies and she could for a e the heads fro, though when the bodies lay, headless, upon the floor they were quite as shocking as the heads rewso about upon their spider legs If one of these should approach and touch her Tara of Helium was positive that she should screah! the very idea induced a feeling of faintness
Sept returned to the chamber ”Luud will see you and the captive Coh which Tara of Helium had entered the chairl's captor
”I am Ghek, third foreman of the fields of Luud,” he answered
”And hers?”
”I do not know”
”It makes no difference Coh It made no difference, indeed! She, a princess of Heliuhter of The Warlord of Barsoom!
”Wait!” she cried ”Itme into the presence of your jed you hter of John Carter, The Warlord of Barsoom”
”Hold your peace!” commanded Sept ”Speak when you are spoken to Coer of Tara of Helium all but choked her ”Come,” admonished Ghek, and took her by the arht but a prisoner Her rank and titles h a short, S-shaped passageway into a chamber entirely lined with the white, tile-like ht as faced Close to the base of the walls were nuer than those of similar aspect that she had noted elsewhere The majority of these apertures were sealed Directly opposite the entrance was one fraold, and above it a peculiar device was inlaid in the same precious irl between the in the opposite wall On the floor beside the aperture lay a headless male body of almost heroic proportions, and on either side of this stood a heavily armed warrior, with draord For perhaps fiveappeared in the opening It was a pair of large chelae and immediately thereafter there crawled forth a hideous kaldane of enore as any that Tara of Helium had yet seen and his whole aspect infinitely ray--this one was of a little bluer tinge and the eyes were ringed with bands of white and scarlet, as was its mouth
From each nostril a band of white and one of scarlet extended outward horizontally the width of the face
No one spoke or moved The creature crawled to the prostrate body and affixed itself to the neck Then the two rose as one and approached the girl He looked at her and then he spoke to her captor
”You are the third foreman of the fields of Luud?” he asked
”Yes, Luud; I am called Ghek”
”Tell me what you know of this,” and he nodded toward Tara of Heliuirl
”What were you doing within the borders of Bantooreat storm that injured my flier and carried ht for food and drink The banths came and drove htto leave the valley I do not knohy they took o my way in peace”
”None who enters Bantoom ever leaves,” replied Luud
”But my people are not at ith yours I arandfather a jed; and ht to keep me and I demand that you liberate me at once”
”None who enters Bantoom ever leaves,” repeated the creature without expression ”I know nothing of the lesser creatures of Barsooh race--the race of Bantoomians All Nature exists to serve them You shall do your share, but not yet--you are too skinny We shall have to put some fat upon it, Sept I tire of rykor Perhaps this will have a different flavor The banths are too rank and it is seldom that any other creature enters the valley And you, Ghek; you shall be rewarded I shall promote you froround as every Bantoos to No more shall you be forced to endure the hated sun, or look upon the hideous sky, or the hateful growing things that defile the surface For the present you shall look after this thing that you have broughtelse You understandelse!”
”I understand, Luud,” replied the other
”Take it away!” commanded the creature
Ghek turned and led Tara of Heliuirl was horrified by contemplation of the fate that awaited her--a fate from which it seemed, there was no escape It was only too evident that these creatures possessed no gentle or chivalric sentiht escape froround burrows appeared impossible
Outside the audience chamber Sept overtook them and conversed with Ghek for a brief period, then her keeper led her through a confusing web of winding tunnels until they came to a small apartment
”We are to remain here for a while It ain If he does you will probably not be fattened--he will use you for another purpose” It was fortunate for the girl's peace offor me,” said Ghek, presently
Tara of Heliu, nevertheless, for there was always the hope that she iven the opportuntiy and if she could win the friendshi+p of one of the creatures, her chances would be increased proportionately All during the ordeal, for such it was to the overwrought girl, Ghek stood with his eyes fixed upon her
”It is wonderful,” he said, when she had finished; ”but I did not tell Luud--you noticed that I did not tell Luud about it Had he known, he would have had you sing to hi kept with hi whenever he wished; but now I can have you all the ti?” she asked
”He would have to,” replied Ghek ”If I like a thing he has to like it, for are we not identical--all of us?”
”The people of irl
”How strange!” cos and dislike the sa new and like it I know that all kaldanes will like it That is how I know that Luud would like your singing You see we are all exactly alike”
”But you do not look like Luud,” said the girl
”Luud is king He is larger and eously marked; but otherwise he and I are identical, and why not? Did not Luud produce the egg froirl; ”I do not understand you”
”Yes,” explained Ghek, ”all of us are fros, just as all the swars”
”Oh!” exclaily; ”youof one of them”
”No, not that at all,” replied Ghek ”Luud has no wife He lays the eggs himself You do not understand”
Tara of Helium admitted that she did not
”I will try to explain, then,” said Ghek, ”if you will pro to me later”