Part 11 (1/2)

CHAPTER XVII

A PLAY TO THE DEATH

CLEAR and sweet a truh Tower its cool voice floated across the city of Manator and above the babel of hu from the crowded mass that filled the seats of the stadiuame, and simultaneously there fluttered to the peaks of a thousand staffs on tower and battleay pennons of the fighting chiefs of Manator Thus wasof The Jeddak's Games, the most important of the year and second only to the Grand Decennial Gale eye Thebut to settle some petty dispute between two chiefs, and was played with professional jetan players for points only No one was killed and there was but little blood spilled It lasted about an hour and was ter side deliberately perht be called a draw

Again the truame of the afternoon While this was not considered an i reserved for the fourth and fifth days of the games, it proaa men and that in which inanimate pieces are used, lies in the fact that while in the latter theof a piece upon a square occupied by an opponent piece terht together engage in a duel for possession of the square Therefore there enters into the fory of jetan but the personal prowess and bravery of each individual piece, so that a knowledge not only of one's ownside is of vast value to a chief

In this respect was Gahan handicapped, though the loyalty of his players did norance of the the board to the best advantage and told hiht best in a losing game; another was too slow; another too impetuous; this one had fire and a heart of steel, but lacked endurance Of the opponents, though, they knew little or nothing, and now as the two sides took their places upon the black and orange squares of the great jetan board Gahan obtained, for the first tie Chief had not yet entered the field, but his men were all in place Val Dor turned to Gahan ”They are all criminals fro thele fellow-countryman and every life we take will be the life of an enemy”

”It is well,” replied Gahan; ”but where is their Chief, and where the two Princesses?”

”They are co now, see?” and he pointed across the field to where touard

As they came nearer Gahan saw that one was indeed Tara of Heliunize, and then they were brought to the center of the field e Chief arrived

Floran voiced an exclanized hireat chiefs,” he said, ”and ere told that slaves and criame”

His words were interrupted by the keeper of The Tohose duty it was not only to announce the games and the stakes, but to act as referee as well

”Of this, the second game of the first day of the Jeddak's Games in the four hundred and thirty-third year of O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator, the Princesses of each side shall be the sole stakes and to the survivors of the winning side shall belong both the Princesses, to do with as they shall see fit The Orange Princess is the slave woman Lan-O of Gathol; the Black Princess is the slave woman Tara, a princess of Helium The Black Chief is U-Kal of Manataj, a volunteer player; the Orange Chief is the dwar U-Dor of the 8th Utan of the jeddak of Manator, also a volunteer player The squares shall be contested to the death Just are the laws of Manator! I have spoken”

The initialwhich the two Chiefs escorted their respective Princesses to the square each was to occupy It was the first tiht upon the field He saw her scrutinizing him closely as he approached to lead her to her place and wondered if she recognized hin of it He could not but remember her last words--”I hate you!” and her desertion of him when he had been locked in the room beneath the palace by I-Gos, the taxiderhten her as to his identity He ht for her--to die for her, if necessary--and if he did not die to go on fighting to the end for her love Gahan of Gathol was not easily to be discouraged, but he was co the love of Tara of Helium were remote Already had she repulsed hiain as Turan the panthan Before his love, however, caround until the latter had been achieved

Passing a the players already at their stations the two took their places upon their respective squares At Tara's left was the Black Chief, Gahan of Gathol; directly in front of her the Princess' Panthan, Floran of Gathol; and at her right the Princess' Odwar, Val Dor of Helium And each of these knew the part that he was to play, win or lose, as did each of the other Black players As Tara took her place Val Dor bowed low ”My sword is at your feet, Tara of Helium,” he said

She turned and looked at him, an expression of surprise and incredulity upon her face ”Val Dor, the dwar!” she exclaimed ”Val Dor of Helium--one of my father's trusted captains! Can it be possible that my eyes speak the truth?”

”It is Val Dor, Princess,” the warrior replied, ”and here to die for you if need be, as is every wearer of the Black upon this field of jetan today Know Princess,” he whispered, ”that upon this side is no man of Manator, but each and every is an enelance toward Gahan ”But what of hiht her breath quickly in surprise ”Shade of the first jeddak!” she exclaiuise”

”And you trust him?” asked Val Dor ”I know him not; but he spoke fairly, as an honorable warrior, and we have taken him at his word”

”You have made no mistake,” replied Tara of Helium ”I would trust him with my life--with my soul; and you, too, may trust him”

Happy indeed would have been Gahan of Gathol could he have heard those words; but Fate, who is usually unkind to the lover in such ame was on

U-Dor ht, which placed the piece upon the Black Chief's Odwar's seventh The --a game of blood, rather than of science--and evidenced his contempt for his opponents

Gahan folloith his Odwar's Panthan one square straight forward, a more scientific h his line of Panthans, as well as announcing to the players and spectators that he intended having a hand in the fighting hiame forced it upon him The move elicited a ripple of applause from those sections of seats reserved for the co perhaps that U-Dor was none too popular with these, and, too, it had its effect upon the morale of Gahan's pieces A Chief a his own square, where, mounted upon a thoat, he may overlook the entire field and direct each e should he elect thus to play the game since, by the rules, were he to be slain or so badly wounded as to be coht otherwise have been won by the science of his play and the prowess of his men would be drawn To invite personal combat, therefore, denotes confidence in his oordse, two attributes that were calculated to fill the Black players with hope and valor when evinced by their Chief thus early in the game

U-Dor's next move placed Lan-O's Odwar upon Tara's Odwar's fourth--within striking distance of the Black Princess

Another e Odas overthrown, or Tara moved to a position of safety; but to move his Princess noould be to ade In the three squares allowed him he could not place himself squarely upon the square occupied by the Odwar of U-Dor's Princess There was only one player upon the Black side that ht dispute the square with the enemy and that was the Chief's Odho stood upon Gahan's left Gahan turned upon his thoat and looked at the eous trappings of an Odwar, the five brilliant feathers which denoted his position rising defiantly erect from his thick, black hair In common with every player upon the field and every spectator in the crowded stands he kneas passing in his Chief's aht not voice his eyes expressed in martial fire, and eloquently: ”The honor of the Black and the safety of our Princess are secure with er ”Chief's Odwar to Princess' Odwar's fourth!” he coeous auntlet thron by his opponent

The warrior sprang forward and leaped into the square occupied by U-Dor's piece It was the first disputed square of the game The eyes of the players were fastened upon the contestants, the spectators leaned forward in their seats after the first applause that had greeted the e If the Black went down to defeat, U-Dor could move his victorious piece on to the square occupied by Tara of Heliuame would be over--over in four e lost U-Dor would have sacrificed one of his e the first iven him

Physically the twofor his life, but from the first it was apparent that the Black Odas the better swordsreater advantage over his antagonist The latter was fighting for his life only, without the spur of chivalry or loyalty The Black Odwar had these to strengthen his ar that Gahan had whispered into the ears of his players before the gaht for what is more than life to the man of honor

It was a duel that held those itnessed it in spellbound silence The weaving blades glea to the parries of cut and thrust The barbaric harness of the duelists lent splendid color to the savage, e Odwar, forced upon the defensive, was fighting madly for his life The Black, with cool and terrible efficiency, was forcing him steadily, step by step, into a corner of the square--a position from which there could be no escape To abandon the square was to lose it to his opponent and win for hi populace Spurred on by the seee Odwar burst into a sudden fury of offense that forced the Black back a half dozen steps, and then the sword of U-Dor's piece leaped in and drew first blood, from the shoulder of his eed by his single success, sought to bear down the Black by the rapidity of his attack There was a moment in which the swords ht follow, and then the Black Odwarparry of a vicious thrust, leaned quickly forward into the opening he had effected, and drove his sword through the heart of the Orange Odwar--to the hilt he drove it through the body of the Orange Odwar

A shout arose from the stands, for wherever may have been the favor of the spectators, none there ho could say that it had not been a pretty fight, or that the better h of relief as they relaxed from the tension of the past ah features of it are necessary to your understanding of the outcome The fourth move after the victory of the Black Odwar found Gahan upon U-Dor's fourth; an Orange Panthan was on the adjoining square diagonally to his right and the only opposing piece that could engage him other than U-Dor himself

It had been apparent to both players and spectators for the past two ht across the field into the enee Chief--that he was staking all upon his belief in the superiority of his oordse, the outcoe Gahan, or he could move his Princess' Panthan upon the square occupied by Gahan in he hope that the forame, which is the outco Chief, or he could move away and escape, temporarily, the necessity for personal combat, or at least that is evidently what he had inthe board about him; and his disappointment was apparent when he finally discovered that Gahan had so placed himself that there was no square to which U-Dor could move that it was not within Gahan's power to reach at his own next move

U-Dor had placed his own Princess four squares east of Gahan when her position had been threatened, and he had hoped to lure the Black Chief after her and away from U-Dor; but in that he had failed He now discovered that he ht play his oar into personal combat with Gahan; but he had already lost one Odwar and could ill spare the other His position was a delicate one, since he did not wish to engage Gahan personally, while it appeared that there was little likelihood of his being able to escape There was just one hope and that lay in his Princess' Panthan, so, without more deliberation he ordered the piece onto the square occupied by the Black Chief

The sympathies of the spectators were all with Gahan now If he lost, the game would be declared a draw, nor do they think better of drawn games upon Barsoom than do Earth men If he won, it would doubtless mean a duel between the two Chiefs, a developary crowd should it be decided a draith only two ames on record where of the forty pieces on the field when the game opened only three survived--the two Princesses and the victorious Chief

They blahts in directing his play as he saw fit, nor was a refusal on his part to engage the Black Chief necessarily an ireat chief who had conceived a notion to possess the slave Tara There was no honor that could accrue to hi in combat with slaves and criminals, or an unknoarrior from Manataj, nor was the stake of sufficient import to warrant the risk

But now the duel between Gahan and the Orange Panthan was on and the decision of the next er in other hands than theirs It was the first tiht, but Tara of Helium knew that he was ht in her eyes as he crossed blades with the wearer of the Orange, he ht easily have wondered if they were the same eyes that had flashed fire and hatred at him that time he had covered her lips with mad kisses, in the pits of the palace of O-Tar As she watched hireatest swordsinia, a, Prince of Helium, Warlord of Barsoom--and she knew that the skill of the Black Chief suffered little by the comparison

Short and to the point was the duel that decided possession of the Orange Chief's fourth The spectators had settled thee duration when they were brought al by a brilliant flash of rapid swordplay that was over ere one could catch his breath They saw the Black Chief step quickly back, his point upon the ground, while his opponent, his sword slipping froers, clutched his breast, sank to his knees and then lunged forward upon his face

And then Gahan of Gathol turned his eyes directly upon U-Dor of Manator, three squares away Three squares is a Chief's move--three squares in any direction or combination of directions, only provided that he does not cross the sauessed Gahan's intention They rose and roared forth their approval as hesquares toward the Orange Chief

O-Tar, in the royal enclosure, sat frowning upon the scene O-Tar was angry He was angry with U-Dor for having entered this game for possession of a slave, for whom it had been his wish only slaves and criry with the warrior froht the ry with the populace because of their open hostility toward one who had basked in the sunshi+ne of his favor for long years O-Tar the jeddak had not enjoyed the afternoon Those who surrounded hilum--they, too, scowled upon the field, the players, and the people Ah weak and watery eyes upon the field and the players

As Gahan entered his square, U-Dor leaped toward hiht have overborne a less skilled and powerful swords was fast and furious and by coone before Here indeed were two nificent swordsmen, and here was to be a battle that bade fair to make up for whatever the people felt they had been defrauded of by the shortness of the ga before many there ould have prophesied that they itnessing a duel that was to become historic in the annals of jetan at Manator Every trick, every subterfuge, known to the art of fence these ht blood to his opponent's copper hide until both were red with gore; but neither seerace

From her position upon the opposite side of the field Tara of Heliu-drawn battle Always it seeht upon the defensive, or when he assus that her practiced eye beheld Never did he seeer, nor never did he appear to exert himself to quite the pitch needful for victory The duel already had been long contested and the day was drawing to a close Presently the sudden transition fro to the tenuity of the air upon Barsooht of Earth, would occur Would the fight never end? Would the game be called a draw after all? What ailed the Black Chief?

Tara wished that she ht answer at least the last of these questions for she was sure that Turan the panthan, as she knew hi of hiht She could not believe that fear was restraining his hand, but that there was so beside inability to push U-Dor more fiercely she was confident What it was, however, she could not guess

Once she saw Gahan glance quickly up toward the sinking sun In thirty minutes it would be dark And then she saw and all those others saw a strange transition steal over the swordplay of the Black Chief It was as though he had been playing with the great dwar, U-Dor, all these hours, and now he still played with him but there was a difference He played with him terribly as a carnivore plays with its victie Chief was helpless now in the hands of a swordsman so superior that there could be no comparison, and the people sat in open-mouthed wonder and awe as Gahan of Gathol cut his foe to ribbons and then struck him doith a blow that cleft him to the chin

In twenty minutes the sun would set But what of that?

CHAPTER XVIII

A TASK FOR LOYALTY