Part 2 (2/2)

She knew, too, that reenthem all was no city that the red men did not shun, for without exception they stood amidst vast, waterless tracts, unsuited for the continued sustenance of the doing her to such a place? There was but a single answer Such was the nature of their work that they irl treht

For two days her captors kept her within a huge palace that even in decay reflected the splendour of the age which its youth had known

Just before dawn on the third day she had been aroused by the voices of two of her abductors

”He should be here by dawn,” one was saying ”Have her in readiness upon the plaza--else he will never land The e country he will turn about--methinks the prince's plan is weak in this one spot”

”There was no other way,” replied the other ”It is wondrous work to get the hiround, we shall have accoht the eyes of Thuvia upon hiht cast by Thuria in her n to the other, he ceased speaking, and advancing toward the girl, ht toward the centre of the great plaza

”Stand here,” he co, and should you atteo ill with you--much worse than death Such are the prince's orders”

Then he turned and retraced his steps toward the palace, leaving her alone in the midst of the unseen terrors of the haunted city, for in truth these places are haunted in the belief ofto an ancient superstition which teaches that the spirits of Holy Therns who die before their allotted one thousand years, pass, on occasions, into the bodies of the great white apes

To Thuvia, however, the real danger of attack by one of these ferocious, er believed in the weird soul transht her before she was rescued from their clutches by John Carter; but she well knew the horrid fate that awaited her should one of the terrible beasts chance to spy her during its nocturnal prowlings

What was that?

Surely she could not behad reat monoliths that line the avenue where it entered the plaza opposite her!

Thar Ban, jed aetation of the dead sea-bottom toward the ruins of ancient Aaanthor

He had ridden far that night, and fast, for he had but coreen horde hich the hordes of Torquas were perpetually warring

His giant thoat was far froht Thar Ban, to perreater height within the protected courtyards of deserted cities, where the soil is richer than on the sea-botto the cloudless Martian day

Within the tiny ste plant is sufficient hty thoats, which can exist for ht moisture which the ochre moss contains

As Thar Ban rode noiselessly up the broad avenue which leads froreat central plaza, he and his ht have been rotesque the reat thoat's padded, nailless feet upon theof the ancient pavement

The man was a splendid speciht froreen hide, sparkling the jewels of his heavy harness and the ornahted his fourtusks that protruded froleamed white and terrible

At the side of his thoat were slung his long radiureat, forty-foot, -sword and his short-sword, as well as his lesser weapons

His protruding eyes and antennae-like ears were turning constantly hither and thither, for Thar Ban was yet in the country of the enereat white apes, which, John Carter ont to say, are the only creatures that can arouse in the breasts of these fierce denizens of the dead sea-bottoms even the remotest semblance of fear

As the rider neared the plaza, he reined suddenly in His slender, tubular ears pointed rigidly forward An unwonted sound had reached them Voices! And where there were voices, outside of Torquas, there, too, were eneht but enemies for the fierce Torquasians

Thar Ban disreatAaanthor, he approached the plaza Directly behind hirey thoat, his white belly shadowed by his barrel, his vivid yellow feetinto the yellow of the moss beneath theure of a red wo with her Now the man turned and retraced his steps toward the palace at the opposite side of the plaza

Thar Ban watched until he had disappeared within the yawning portal Here was a captive worth having! Seldom did a fereen man Thar Ban licked his thin lips

Thuvia of Ptarth watched the shadow behind theto the avenue opposite her She hoped that it ination

But no! Now, clearly and distinctly, she saw itshelter of the ersite shaft

The sudden light of the rising sun fell upon it The girl trereen warrior!

Swiftly it sprang toward her She screamed and tried to flee; but she had scarce turned toward the palace when a giant hand fell upon her ared, half carried toward a huge thoat that was slowly grazing out of the avenue's mouth on to the ochre moss of the plaza

At the sa sound of so toward her, the head and shoulders of afar over the side; but the nize them

Now from behind her ca madly after him who dared to steal what they already had stolen

As Thar Ban reached the side of hisradiu, poured three shots into the onco red men

Such is the uncanny es that three red warriors dropped in their tracks as three projectiles exploded in their vitals

The others halted, nor did they dare return the fire for fear of wounding the girl

Then Thar Ban vaulted to the back of his thoat, Thuvia of Ptarth still in his are cry of triumph disappeared down the black canyon of the Avenue of Quays between the sullen palaces of forgotten Aaanthor

Carthoris' flier had not touched the ground before he had sprung fros were sending it down the avenue at the rate of an express train; but the men of Dusar who still remained alive had no mind to permit so valuable a capture to escape theirl That would be a difficult thing to explain to Astok; but soht be expected could they carry the Prince of Helium to their master instead

So the three who re to hiht as successfully have cried aloud to Thuria to cease her h the Barsoomian sky, for Carthoris of Helium was a true son of the Warlord of Mars and his inco-sword had been already in his hand as he leaped from the deck of the flier, so the instant that he realized the menace of the three red warriors, he wheeled to face theht have done

So swift his sword, so ile his half-earthlythe ochre le pass at Carthoris

Now the two re Dusarians rushed si-swords clashed and sparkled in the reat white apes, roused fro s of the dead city to view the bloody scene beneath them

Thrice was Carthoris touched, so that the red blood ran down his face, blinding hi his broad chest With his free hand he wiped the gore fro his lips, leaped upon his antagonists with renewed fury

A single cut of his heavy sword severed the head of one of the away clear of that point of death, turned and fled toward the palace at his back

Carthorisof even well-deserved punishe men who masqueraded in the metal of his own house, for he had seen that these nia thatquickly toward his flier, he was soon rising from the plaza in pursuit of Thar Ban