Part 10 (2/2)
The other bull, still squealing and enraged, followed after his fellow There was no bridle upon either, for these strange creatures are controlled entirely by suggestion--when they are controlled at all
Even in the hands of the giant green ainst the th of the thoat, and so they are guided by that strange telepathic pohich the men of Mars have learned to communicate in a crude ith the lower orders of their planet
With difficulty Carthoris urged the two beasts to the gate, where, leaning down, he raised the latch Then the thoat that he was riding placed his great shoulder to the skeel-wood planking, pushed through, and asilently down the avenue to the edge of the plaza, where Kar Komak hid
Here Carthoris found considerable difficulty in subduing the second thoat, and as Kar Komak had never before ridden one of the beasts, it seeed to scraain the two beasts fled softly down the rown avenues toward the open sea-botto day and the second night they rode toward the north-east No indication of pursuit developed, and at dawn of the second day Carthoris saw in the distance the waving ribbon of great trees thatBarsoomian water-ways
Immediately they abandoned their thoats and approached the cultivated district on foot Carthoris also discarded the ht serve to identify him as a Heliumite, or of royal blood, for he did not knohat nation belonged this ay, and upon Mars it is alell to assume every man and nation your enemy until you have learned the contrary
It was mid-forenoon when the two at last entered one of the roads that cut through the cultivated districts at regular intervals, joining the arid wastes on either side with the great, white, central highway that follows through the centre fro, threadlike far the fields served as a protection against surprise by raiding green hordes, as well as keeping the savage banths and other carnivora fros upon the farate he ca h he looked with considerable wonder upon the white skin and auburn hair of the bowman
After he had listened for a moment to a partial narration of their escape from the Torquasians, he invited them within, took them to his house and bade the servants there prepare food for the room of the farmhouse until the meal should be ready, Carthoris drew his host into conversation that he ht learn his nationality, and thus the nation under whose dominion lay the here circu man, ”son of Vas Kor, of Dusar, a noble in the retinue of Astok, Prince of Dusar At present I am Dwar of the Road for this district”
Carthoris was very glad that he had not disclosed his identity, for though he had no idea of anything that had transpired since he had left Helium, or that Astok was at the bottom of all his misfortunes, he well knew that the Dusarian had no love for him, and that he could hope for no assistance within the dominions of Dusar
”And who are you?” asked Hal Vas ”By your appearance I take you for a fighting nia upon your harness Can it be that you are a panthan?”
Now, these wandering soldiers of fortune are coht They sell their services wherever war exists, and in the occasional brief intervals when there is no organized warfare between the red nations, they join one of the nuainst the green men in protection of the ays that traverse the wilder portions of the globe
When their service is over they discard theuntil they shall have found a new nia, their orn harness and gri
The suggestion was a happy one, and Carthoris embraced the chance it afforded to account satisfactorily for hile drawback In times of war such panthans as happened to be within the donia of that nation and fight with her warriors
As far as Carthoris knew Dusar was not at ith any other nation, but there was never any telling when one red nation would be flying at the throat of a neighbour, even though the great and powerful alliance at the head of which was his father, John Carter, had reater portion of Barsoohted Hal Vas' face as Carthoris ad man, ”that you chanced to co service in short order My father, Vas Kor, is even noith ainst Helium”
CHAPTER XII
TO SAVE DUSAR
Thuvia of Ptarth, battling for lance over her shoulder toward the forest frorowl Jav looked, too
What they saw filled each with apprehension It was Ko wide-jawed upon them!
Which had he chosen for his prey? Or was it to be both?
They had not long to wait, for though the Lotharian attes, the great beast found hi, he atte Thuvia bodily into the face of the ht was of short duration In ahis throat and chest with deirl reached their side a moment later, but it ith difficulty that she tore the lances back upon Jav, the banth at last periant protector by her side Thuvia set forth to find the passage through the cliffs, that shefar-distant Ptarth across the e Barsoom
She could not believe that Carthoris had deliberately deserted her, and so she kept a constant watch for him; but as she bore too far to the north in her search for the tunnel she passed the Heliu to Lothar in search of her
Thuvia of Ptarth was having difficulty in deter the exact status of the Prince of Helium in her heart She could not admit even to herself that she loved him, and yet she had permitted him to apply to her that term of endearment and possession to which a Barsoomian maid should turn deaf ears when voiced by other lips than those of her husband or fiance--”my princess”
Kulan tith, Jeddak of Kaol, to whom she was affianced, commanded her respect and admiration Had it been that she had surrendered to her father's wishes because of pique that the handsoe of his visits to her father's court to push the suit for her hand that she had been quite sure he had conteether upon the carved seat within the gorgeous Garden of the Jeddaks that graced the inner courtyard of the palace of Salensus Oll at Kadabra?
Did she love Kulan tith? Bravely she tried to believe that she did; but all the while her eyes wandered through the co rey-eyed Black was the hair of Kulan tith; but his eyes were brown
It was almost dark when she found the entrance to the tunnel Safely she passed through to the hills beyond, and here, under the bright light of Mars' two moons, she halted to plan her future action
Should she wait here in the hope that Carthoris would return in search of her? Or should she continue her way north-east toward Ptarth? Where, first, would Carthoris have gone after leaving the valley of Lothar?
Her parched throat and dry tongue gave her the answer--toward Aaanthor and water Well, she, too, would go first to Aaanthor, where she ht find more than the water she needed
With Komal by her side she felt little fear, for he would protect her froreat white apes would flee the hty banth in terror Men only need she fear, but she must take this and many other chances before she could hope to reach her father's court again
When at last Carthoris found her, only to be struck down by the long-sword of a green ht overtake her
The sight of the red warriors leaping from their fliers had, for a moment, filled her with renewed hope--hope that Carthoris of Heliuht be only stunned and that they would rescue him; but when she saw the Dusarian ht only to escape with her alone froave up
Komal, too, was dead--dead across the body of the Heliumite She was, indeed, alone now There was none to protect her
The Dusarian warriors dragged her to the deck of the nearest flier All about theed in an attempt to wrest her from the red
At last those who had not died in the conflict gained the decks of the two craft The engines throbbed and purred--the propellers whirred Quickly the swift boats shot heavenward
Thuvia of Ptarth glanced about her A asp of recognition she looked full into his eyes, and then with a littleshe buried her face in her hands and sank to the polished skeel-wood deck It was Astok, Prince of Dusar, who bent above her
Sere the fliers of Astok of Dusar, and great the need for reaching his father's court as quickly as possible, for the fleets of war of Helium and Ptarth and Kaol were scattered far and wide above Barsooo ith Astok or Dusar should any one of them discover Thuvia of Ptarth a prisoner upon his own vessel
Aaanthor lies in fifty south latitude, and forty east of Horz, the deserted seat of ancient Barsoorees north of the equator and twenty degrees east froh the distance is, the fliers covered it without a stop Long before they had reached their destination Thuvia of Ptarth had learned several things that cleared up the doubts that had assailed her mind for nized one of the crew as a member of the crew of that other flier that had borne her froardens to Aaanthor The presence of Astok upon the craft settled the whole question She had been stolen by emissaries of the Dusarian prince--Carthoris of Heliu to do with it
Nor did Astok deny the charge when she accused him He only smiled and pleaded his love for her