September 24, 2025 • 16 mins
Dive into The Gods of Mars, the captivating 1918 science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the second installment of his iconic Barsoom series. This groundbreaking tale not only shaped the landscape of science fiction but also left an indelible mark on beloved franchises like Star Trek and Farscape. While Burroughs drew inspiration from the pulp fiction of his era, particularly westerns and swashbuckling adventures, his unique pacing and compelling themes paved the way for the soft science fiction genre. Join the fearless John Carter, a master of hand-to-hand combat and a charmer of enchanting alien women, whose character set a precedent for later icons such as Captain James T. Kirk and James Bond. Picking up after the events of A Princess of Mars, this sequel follows John Carters unexpected return to Barsoom (Mars) after a decade apart from his wife, Dejah Thoris, and their unborn child. However, his arrival is anything but ordinary, as he finds himself trapped in the Valley Dor‚Aîthe one place on Barsoom where no one is permitted to leave, believed to be the Barsoomian afterlife.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. The Gods of Mars written by
Edgar Rice Burroughs and read by J. D. Weber, on
the south shores of Lake Superior, Chapter seventeen, the death sentence.
(00:24):
A few moments before the appointed time on the following morning,
a strong guard of Zadarras's officers appeared at our quarters
to conduct us to the Great Hall of the Temple.
In twos. We entered the chamber, marched down the broad
Isle of Hope, as it is called, to the platform
in the center of the hall. Before and behind us
marched armed guards, while three solid ranks of Zodangan soldiery
(00:45):
lined either side of the isle from the entrance to
the rostrum. As we reached the ray's enclosure, I saw
our judges, as is the custom upon barsoom, there were
thirty one, supposedly selected by lot from men of the
noble class, for nobles were on trial. But to my amazement,
I saw no single friendly face among them. Practically all
were Zodangans, and it was I to whom Zodanga owed
(01:07):
her defeat at the hands of the Green Hordes, and
her subsequent vassilage to Helium. There could be little justice
here for John Carter or his son, or for the
great Thark who had commanded the savage tribesmen who overran
Zodanga's broad avenues, looting, burning and murdering. About us. The
vast circular colosseum was packed to its full capacity. All
(01:28):
classes were represented, all ages in both sexes. As we
entered the hall, the hum of subdued conversation ceased, until
as we halted upon the platform or throne of righteousness,
the silence of death enveloped the ten thousand spectators. The
judges were seated in a great circle about the periphery
of the circular platform. We were assigned seats with our
(01:49):
backs toward a small platform in the exact center of
the larger one. This placed us facing the judges and
the audience. Upon the smaller platform. Each would take his
place while his case was being heard. Zadars himself sat
in the golden chair of the presiding magistrate. As we
were seated and our guards retired to the foot of
the stairway leading to the platform, he arose and called
(02:11):
my name, John Carter. He cried, take your place upon
the pedestal Truth, to be judged impartially according to your acts,
and here to know the reward you have earned. Thereby, Then,
turning to and fro toward the audience, he narrated the
acts upon the value of which my reward was to
be determined. Know you, o, judges and people of Helium.
(02:31):
He said that John Carter, one time Prince of Helium,
has returned, by his own statement from the valley door
and even from the temple of Issus itself, that in
the presence of many men of Helium, he has blasphemed
against the sacred iss and against the valley door, and
the loss see of Chorus and the Holy Therns themselves,
and even against Issus, Goddess of death and of life eternal.
(02:56):
And know you further by witness of thine own eyes
that see him here now upon the pedestal of Truth,
that he has indeed returned from these sacred precincts in
the face of our ancient customs, and in violation of
the sanctity of our ancient religion. He who be once
dead may not live again. He who attempts. It must
be made dead forever, Judges, Your duty lies plain before you.
(03:19):
Here can be no testimony in contravention of truth. What
reward shall be meeted to John Carter in accordance with
the acts he has committed? Death, shouted one of the judges.
And then a man sprang to his feet in the audience,
and raising his hand on high, cried justice, Justice, Justice.
It was kantos Kan, And as all eyes turned toward him,
(03:40):
he leaped past the Zodangan soldiery and sprang upon the platform.
What manner of justice be this, he cried to Zadars.
The defendant has not been heard, nor has he had
an opportunity to call others in his behalf. In the
name of the people of Helium, I demand fair and
impartial treatment for the Prince of Helium. A great crime
arose from the audience. Then justice, Justice, Justice, and Zadaris
(04:05):
dared not deny them. Speak. Then he snarled, turning to me.
But blasphemy, not against the things that are sacred. Ubon barsoom,
men of Helium, I cried, turning to the spectators and
speaking over the heads of my judges. How can John
Carter expect justice from the men of Zodanga, he cannot,
nor does he ask it. It is to the men
(04:27):
of Helium that he states his case, nor does he
appeal for mercy to any. It is not in his
own cause that he speaks. Now. It is in thine,
in the cause of your wives and daughters, and of
wives and daughters yet unborn. It is to save them
from the unthinkably atrocious indignities that I have seen heaped
upon the fair women of Barsoom in the place men
(04:48):
call the temple of Issus. It is to save them
from the sucking embrace of the plant men, from the
fangs of the great white apes of dor, from the
cruel lust of the holy furns, from all that the cold,
dead ish carries them to, from homes of love and
life and happiness. Sits there no man here who does
not know the history of John Carter, how he came
(05:10):
among you from another world, and rose from a prisoner
among the green men, through torture and persecution, to a
high place among the highest of Barsoom. Nor ever, did
you know John Carter to lie in his own behalf,
or to say aught that might harm the people of Barsoom,
or to speak lightly of the strange religion which he
respected without understanding. There be no man here or elsewhere
(05:33):
upon barsoom to day who does not owe his life
directly to a single act of mine in which I
sacrificed myself and the happiness of my princess, that you
might live. And so, men of Helium, I think that
I have the right to demand that I be heard,
that I be believed, and that you let me serve
you and save you from the false hereafter of Dora
(05:54):
and Issus, as I saved you from the real death
that other day. It is to you of Helium that
I speak. Now. When I am done, let the men
of Zodanga have their will with me. Zadars has taken
my sword from me, So the men of Zodanga no
longer fear me. Will you listen, speak John Carter, Prince
of Helium, cried a great noble from the audience, and
(06:15):
the multitude echoed his permission until the building rocked with
the noise of their demonstration. Zadarras knew better than to
interfere with such a sentiment as was expressed that day
in the Temple of Reward, and so for two hours
I talked with the people of Helium. But when I
had finished, Zadarras arose, and, turning to the judges, said,
in a low tone, my nobles, you have heard John
(06:36):
Carter's plea. Every opportunity has been given him to prove
his innocence if he be not guilty, but instead he
has but utilized the time in further blasphemy. What, gentlemen,
is your verdict? Death to the blasphemer, cried one, springing
to his feet, and in an instant the entire thirty
one judges were on their feet with upraised swords in
(06:57):
token of their unanimity of their verdict. If the people
did not hear Zadarras's charge, they certainly did hear the
verdict of the tribunal. A sullen murmur rose louder and
louder about the packed colosseum. And then kantos Kan, who
had not left the platform since first he had taken
his place near me, raised his hand for silence. When
(07:17):
he could be heard, he spoke to the people in
a cool and level voice. You have heard the fate
that the men of Zodanga would meet to Helium's noblest hero.
It may be the duty of the men of Helium
to accept the verdict as final. Let each man act
according to his own heart. Here is the answer of
Kantos Khan, head of the navy of Helium, to Zadars
(07:38):
and his judges. And with that he unbuckled his scabbard
and threw his sword at my feet. In an instant,
soldiers and citizens, officers and nobles were crowding past the
soldiers of Zodanga and forcing their way to the Throne
of Righteousness. A hundred men surged upon the platform, and
a hundred blades rattled and clanked to the floor at
my feet. Zadars in his offer. Officers were furious, but
(08:01):
they were helpless. One by one I raised the swords
to my lips and buckled them again. Upon their owners come,
said kantos Kan. We will escort John Carter and his
party to his own palace. And they formed about us
and started toward the stairs leading to the Isle of Hope. Stop,
cried Zadars, Soldiers of Helium, Let no prisoner leave the
throne of Righteousness. The soldiery from Zodanga were the only
(08:25):
organized body of Heliumetic troops within the temple, so Zadarras
was confident that his orders would be obeyed. But I
do not think that he looked for the opposition that
was raised. The moment the soldiers advanced towards the throne,
from every quarter of the colosseum, swords flashed and men rushed,
threatening upon the Zodangans. Some one raised a cry, Tardos
(08:46):
Mors is dead a thousand years to John Carter, Jeddak
of Helium. As I heard that, and saw the ugly
attitude of the men of Helium towards the soldiers of Zadarras,
I knew that only a miracle could avert a clash
that would end in civil war. Hold, I cried, leaping
to the pedestal of truth once more. Let no man
move till I am done. A single sword thrust here
(09:07):
to day may plunge Helium into a bitter and bloody war,
the results of which none can foresee. It will turn
brother against brother and father against son. No man's life
is worth that sacrifice. Rather would I submit to the
biased judgment of Zadarras than be the cause of civil
strife in Helium. Let us each give in a point
(09:28):
to the other, and let this entire matter rest until
Tardos Mors returns or Moore's Kajak his son. If neither
be back at the end of a year, a second
trial may be held. The thing has a precedent. And then,
turning to Zadars, I said in a low voice, unless
you be a bigger fool than I take you to be,
you will grasp the chance I am offering you. Ere
(09:50):
it is too late. Once that multitude of swords below
is drawn against your soldiery, no man upon Barsoom, not
even Tardos Morse himself, can avert the consequences. What say
you speak quickly? The Jed of Zodangan Helium raised his
voice to the angry sea beneath us, stay your hands,
men of Helium, he shouted, his voice trembling with rage.
(10:13):
The sentence of the court has passed, but the day
of retribution has not been set. Ay Zadarras, Jed of Zodanga,
appreciating the royal connections of the prisoner and his past
services to Helium and Barsoom, grant a respite of one
year or until the return of Moore's Kajak or Tardos
Mors to Helium. Disperse quietly to your houses. Go no
(10:35):
one moved. Instead, they stood in tense silence, with their
eyes fastened upon me, as though waiting for a signal
to attack. Clear the temple commanded Zadarras in a low
tone to one of his officers. Fearing the result of
an attempt to carry out this order by force, I
stepped to the edge of the platform, and, pointing toward
the main entrance, bid them pass out as one man.
(10:56):
They turned at my request and filed silent and threatening
past the soldiers of Zadarras Jed of Zodanga, who stood
scowling in impotent rage. Kantos Kan, with the others who
had sworn allegiance to me, still stood upon the throne
of righteousness with me. Come, said kantos Kan to me,
we will escort you to your palace. My prince, Come,
(11:17):
Cathoris and Exodar, come Tars Tarkas, And, with a haughty
sneer for Zadarras upon his handsome lips, he turned and
strode to the throne steps and up the isle of Hope.
We four and the hundred loyal ones followed behind him.
Nor was a hand raised to stay us, though glowering
eyes followed our triumphant march through the temple. In the
(11:37):
avenues we found a pressive people, but they opened a
pathway for us. And many were the swords that were
flung at my feet as I passed through the city
of Helium toward my palace upon the outskirts. Here my
old slaves fell upon their knees and kissed my hands
as I greeted them. They cared not where I had been.
It was enough that I had returned to them. Ah Master,
(11:58):
cried one. If our div kine princess were but here,
this would be a day. Indeed, tears came to my eyes,
so that I was forced to turn away that I
might hide my emotions. Carthoris wept openly as the slaves
pressed about him with expressions of affection and words of
sorrow for our common loss. It was now that tars
Tarkas for the first time learned that his daughter Sola
(12:20):
had accompanied dejah Thoris upon the last long pilgrimage. I
had not had the heart to tell him what kantos
Kan had told me. With the stowism of the green Martian,
he showed no sign of suffering, yet I knew that
his grief was as poignant as mine. In marked contrast
to his kind, he had in well developed form the
kindlier human characteristics of love, friendship, and charity. It was
(12:44):
a sad and somber party that sat at the feast
of welcome in the great dining Hall of the Palace
of the Prince of Helium. That day. We were over
a hundred strong, not counting the members of my little court,
for dejah Thoris and I had maintained a household consistent
with our royal rank. The board, according to red Martian custom,
was triangular, for there were three in our family. Carthoris
(13:06):
and I presided in the center of our sides of
the table. Midway of the third side, dejah Thoris's high backed,
carved chair stood vacant except for her gorgeous wedding trappings
and jewels which were draped upon it. Behind stood a slave,
as in the days when his mistress had occupied her
place at the board, ready to do her bidding. It
was the way upon barsoom so I endured the anguish
(13:28):
of it, though it wrung my heart to see that
silent chair where it should have been my laughing and
vivacious princess keeping the great hall ringing with her merry gaiety.
At my right sat kantos Kan, while to the right
of dejah Thoris's empty place, tars Tarkas sat in a
huge chair before a raised section of the board, which
years ago I had had constructed to meet the requirements
(13:49):
of his mighty bulk. The place of honor at a
Martian horde is always at the hostess's right, and this
place was ever reserved by dejah Thoris for the great Thark.
Upon the occasion that he was in Helium, hor Vastus
sat in the seat of honor upon Carthoris's side of
the table. There was little general conversation. It was a
quiet and saddened party. The loss of dejah Thoris was
(14:13):
still fresh in the minds of all, and to this
was added fear for the safety of Tardos, Mors and
mors Kajak, as well as doubt and uncertainty as to
the fate of Helium, should it prove true that she
was permanently deprived of her great Jeddak. Suddenly our attention
was attracted by the sound of distant shouting, as of
many people raising their voices at once, But whether in
(14:34):
anger or rejoicing, we could not tell. Nearer and nearer
came the tumult. A slave rushed into the dining hall
to cry that a great concourse of people was swarming
through the palace gates. A second burst upon the heels
of the first, alternately laughing and shrieking as a madman
dejah Thoris has found he cried a messenger from dejah Thoris,
(14:54):
I waited to hear no more. The great windows of
the dining hall overlook the avenue leading to the main gate.
They were upon the opposite side of the hall from me,
With the table intervening, I did not waste time. Encircling
the great board with a single leap, I cleared table
and diners, and sprang upon the balcony. Beyond thirty feet
below lay the scarlet sword of the Lawn, and beyond
(15:15):
were many people crowding about a great thoat, which bore
a rider headed toward the palace. I vaulted to the
ground below and ran swiftly toward the advancing party. As
I came near to them, I saw that the figure
on the thoat was Sola. Where's the Princess of Helium?
I cried? The green girl slid from her mighty mount
and ran toward me. Oh, my prince, my prince, she cried.
(15:37):
She's gone forever. Even now she may be a captive.
Upon the lesser moon. The black pirates of Barsoom have
stolen her. End of Chapter seventeen.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. The Gods of Mars written by
Edgar Rice Burroughs and read by J. D. Weber, on
the south shores of Lake Superior, Chapter seventeen, the death sentence.
(00:24):
A few moments before the appointed time on the following morning,
a strong guard of Zadarras's officers appeared at our quarters
to conduct us to the Great Hall of the Temple.
In twos. We entered the chamber, marched down the broad
Isle of Hope, as it is called, to the platform
in the center of the hall. Before and behind us
marched armed guards, while three solid ranks of Zodangan soldiery
(00:45):
lined either side of the isle from the entrance to
the rostrum. As we reached the ray's enclosure, I saw
our judges, as is the custom upon barsoom, there were
thirty one, supposedly selected by lot from men of the
noble class, for nobles were on trial. But to my amazement,
I saw no single friendly face among them. Practically all
were Zodangans, and it was I to whom Zodanga owed
(01:07):
her defeat at the hands of the Green Hordes, and
her subsequent vassilage to Helium. There could be little justice
here for John Carter or his son, or for the
great Thark who had commanded the savage tribesmen who overran
Zodanga's broad avenues, looting, burning and murdering. About us. The
vast circular colosseum was packed to its full capacity. All
(01:28):
classes were represented, all ages in both sexes. As we
entered the hall, the hum of subdued conversation ceased, until
as we halted upon the platform or throne of righteousness,
the silence of death enveloped the ten thousand spectators. The
judges were seated in a great circle about the periphery
of the circular platform. We were assigned seats with our
(01:49):
backs toward a small platform in the exact center of
the larger one. This placed us facing the judges and
the audience. Upon the smaller platform. Each would take his
place while his case was being heard. Zadars himself sat
in the golden chair of the presiding magistrate. As we
were seated and our guards retired to the foot of
the stairway leading to the platform, he arose and called
(02:11):
my name, John Carter. He cried, take your place upon
the pedestal Truth, to be judged impartially according to your acts,
and here to know the reward you have earned. Thereby, Then,
turning to and fro toward the audience, he narrated the
acts upon the value of which my reward was to
be determined. Know you, o, judges and people of Helium.
(02:31):
He said that John Carter, one time Prince of Helium,
has returned, by his own statement from the valley door
and even from the temple of Issus itself, that in
the presence of many men of Helium, he has blasphemed
against the sacred iss and against the valley door, and
the loss see of Chorus and the Holy Therns themselves,
and even against Issus, Goddess of death and of life eternal.
(02:56):
And know you further by witness of thine own eyes
that see him here now upon the pedestal of Truth,
that he has indeed returned from these sacred precincts in
the face of our ancient customs, and in violation of
the sanctity of our ancient religion. He who be once
dead may not live again. He who attempts. It must
be made dead forever, Judges, Your duty lies plain before you.
(03:19):
Here can be no testimony in contravention of truth. What
reward shall be meeted to John Carter in accordance with
the acts he has committed? Death, shouted one of the judges.
And then a man sprang to his feet in the audience,
and raising his hand on high, cried justice, Justice, Justice.
It was kantos Kan, And as all eyes turned toward him,
(03:40):
he leaped past the Zodangan soldiery and sprang upon the platform.
What manner of justice be this, he cried to Zadars.
The defendant has not been heard, nor has he had
an opportunity to call others in his behalf. In the
name of the people of Helium, I demand fair and
impartial treatment for the Prince of Helium. A great crime
arose from the audience. Then justice, Justice, Justice, and Zadaris
(04:05):
dared not deny them. Speak. Then he snarled, turning to me.
But blasphemy, not against the things that are sacred. Ubon barsoom,
men of Helium, I cried, turning to the spectators and
speaking over the heads of my judges. How can John
Carter expect justice from the men of Zodanga, he cannot,
nor does he ask it. It is to the men
(04:27):
of Helium that he states his case, nor does he
appeal for mercy to any. It is not in his
own cause that he speaks. Now. It is in thine,
in the cause of your wives and daughters, and of
wives and daughters yet unborn. It is to save them
from the unthinkably atrocious indignities that I have seen heaped
upon the fair women of Barsoom in the place men
(04:48):
call the temple of Issus. It is to save them
from the sucking embrace of the plant men, from the
fangs of the great white apes of dor, from the
cruel lust of the holy furns, from all that the cold,
dead ish carries them to, from homes of love and
life and happiness. Sits there no man here who does
not know the history of John Carter, how he came
(05:10):
among you from another world, and rose from a prisoner
among the green men, through torture and persecution, to a
high place among the highest of Barsoom. Nor ever, did
you know John Carter to lie in his own behalf,
or to say aught that might harm the people of Barsoom,
or to speak lightly of the strange religion which he
respected without understanding. There be no man here or elsewhere
(05:33):
upon barsoom to day who does not owe his life
directly to a single act of mine in which I
sacrificed myself and the happiness of my princess, that you
might live. And so, men of Helium, I think that
I have the right to demand that I be heard,
that I be believed, and that you let me serve
you and save you from the false hereafter of Dora
(05:54):
and Issus, as I saved you from the real death
that other day. It is to you of Helium that
I speak. Now. When I am done, let the men
of Zodanga have their will with me. Zadars has taken
my sword from me, So the men of Zodanga no
longer fear me. Will you listen, speak John Carter, Prince
of Helium, cried a great noble from the audience, and
(06:15):
the multitude echoed his permission until the building rocked with
the noise of their demonstration. Zadarras knew better than to
interfere with such a sentiment as was expressed that day
in the Temple of Reward, and so for two hours
I talked with the people of Helium. But when I
had finished, Zadarras arose, and, turning to the judges, said,
in a low tone, my nobles, you have heard John
(06:36):
Carter's plea. Every opportunity has been given him to prove
his innocence if he be not guilty, but instead he
has but utilized the time in further blasphemy. What, gentlemen,
is your verdict? Death to the blasphemer, cried one, springing
to his feet, and in an instant the entire thirty
one judges were on their feet with upraised swords in
(06:57):
token of their unanimity of their verdict. If the people
did not hear Zadarras's charge, they certainly did hear the
verdict of the tribunal. A sullen murmur rose louder and
louder about the packed colosseum. And then kantos Kan, who
had not left the platform since first he had taken
his place near me, raised his hand for silence. When
(07:17):
he could be heard, he spoke to the people in
a cool and level voice. You have heard the fate
that the men of Zodanga would meet to Helium's noblest hero.
It may be the duty of the men of Helium
to accept the verdict as final. Let each man act
according to his own heart. Here is the answer of
Kantos Khan, head of the navy of Helium, to Zadars
(07:38):
and his judges. And with that he unbuckled his scabbard
and threw his sword at my feet. In an instant,
soldiers and citizens, officers and nobles were crowding past the
soldiers of Zodanga and forcing their way to the Throne
of Righteousness. A hundred men surged upon the platform, and
a hundred blades rattled and clanked to the floor at
my feet. Zadars in his offer. Officers were furious, but
(08:01):
they were helpless. One by one I raised the swords
to my lips and buckled them again. Upon their owners come,
said kantos Kan. We will escort John Carter and his
party to his own palace. And they formed about us
and started toward the stairs leading to the Isle of Hope. Stop,
cried Zadars, Soldiers of Helium, Let no prisoner leave the
throne of Righteousness. The soldiery from Zodanga were the only
(08:25):
organized body of Heliumetic troops within the temple, so Zadarras
was confident that his orders would be obeyed. But I
do not think that he looked for the opposition that
was raised. The moment the soldiers advanced towards the throne,
from every quarter of the colosseum, swords flashed and men rushed,
threatening upon the Zodangans. Some one raised a cry, Tardos
(08:46):
Mors is dead a thousand years to John Carter, Jeddak
of Helium. As I heard that, and saw the ugly
attitude of the men of Helium towards the soldiers of Zadarras,
I knew that only a miracle could avert a clash
that would end in civil war. Hold, I cried, leaping
to the pedestal of truth once more. Let no man
move till I am done. A single sword thrust here
(09:07):
to day may plunge Helium into a bitter and bloody war,
the results of which none can foresee. It will turn
brother against brother and father against son. No man's life
is worth that sacrifice. Rather would I submit to the
biased judgment of Zadarras than be the cause of civil
strife in Helium. Let us each give in a point
(09:28):
to the other, and let this entire matter rest until
Tardos Mors returns or Moore's Kajak his son. If neither
be back at the end of a year, a second
trial may be held. The thing has a precedent. And then,
turning to Zadars, I said in a low voice, unless
you be a bigger fool than I take you to be,
you will grasp the chance I am offering you. Ere
(09:50):
it is too late. Once that multitude of swords below
is drawn against your soldiery, no man upon Barsoom, not
even Tardos Morse himself, can avert the consequences. What say
you speak quickly? The Jed of Zodangan Helium raised his
voice to the angry sea beneath us, stay your hands,
men of Helium, he shouted, his voice trembling with rage.
(10:13):
The sentence of the court has passed, but the day
of retribution has not been set. Ay Zadarras, Jed of Zodanga,
appreciating the royal connections of the prisoner and his past
services to Helium and Barsoom, grant a respite of one
year or until the return of Moore's Kajak or Tardos
Mors to Helium. Disperse quietly to your houses. Go no
(10:35):
one moved. Instead, they stood in tense silence, with their
eyes fastened upon me, as though waiting for a signal
to attack. Clear the temple commanded Zadarras in a low
tone to one of his officers. Fearing the result of
an attempt to carry out this order by force, I
stepped to the edge of the platform, and, pointing toward
the main entrance, bid them pass out as one man.
(10:56):
They turned at my request and filed silent and threatening
past the soldiers of Zadarras Jed of Zodanga, who stood
scowling in impotent rage. Kantos Kan, with the others who
had sworn allegiance to me, still stood upon the throne
of righteousness with me. Come, said kantos Kan to me,
we will escort you to your palace. My prince, Come,
(11:17):
Cathoris and Exodar, come Tars Tarkas, And, with a haughty
sneer for Zadarras upon his handsome lips, he turned and
strode to the throne steps and up the isle of Hope.
We four and the hundred loyal ones followed behind him.
Nor was a hand raised to stay us, though glowering
eyes followed our triumphant march through the temple. In the
(11:37):
avenues we found a pressive people, but they opened a
pathway for us. And many were the swords that were
flung at my feet as I passed through the city
of Helium toward my palace upon the outskirts. Here my
old slaves fell upon their knees and kissed my hands
as I greeted them. They cared not where I had been.
It was enough that I had returned to them. Ah Master,
(11:58):
cried one. If our div kine princess were but here,
this would be a day. Indeed, tears came to my eyes,
so that I was forced to turn away that I
might hide my emotions. Carthoris wept openly as the slaves
pressed about him with expressions of affection and words of
sorrow for our common loss. It was now that tars
Tarkas for the first time learned that his daughter Sola
(12:20):
had accompanied dejah Thoris upon the last long pilgrimage. I
had not had the heart to tell him what kantos
Kan had told me. With the stowism of the green Martian,
he showed no sign of suffering, yet I knew that
his grief was as poignant as mine. In marked contrast
to his kind, he had in well developed form the
kindlier human characteristics of love, friendship, and charity. It was
(12:44):
a sad and somber party that sat at the feast
of welcome in the great dining Hall of the Palace
of the Prince of Helium. That day. We were over
a hundred strong, not counting the members of my little court,
for dejah Thoris and I had maintained a household consistent
with our royal rank. The board, according to red Martian custom,
was triangular, for there were three in our family. Carthoris
(13:06):
and I presided in the center of our sides of
the table. Midway of the third side, dejah Thoris's high backed,
carved chair stood vacant except for her gorgeous wedding trappings
and jewels which were draped upon it. Behind stood a slave,
as in the days when his mistress had occupied her
place at the board, ready to do her bidding. It
was the way upon barsoom so I endured the anguish
(13:28):
of it, though it wrung my heart to see that
silent chair where it should have been my laughing and
vivacious princess keeping the great hall ringing with her merry gaiety.
At my right sat kantos Kan, while to the right
of dejah Thoris's empty place, tars Tarkas sat in a
huge chair before a raised section of the board, which
years ago I had had constructed to meet the requirements
(13:49):
of his mighty bulk. The place of honor at a
Martian horde is always at the hostess's right, and this
place was ever reserved by dejah Thoris for the great Thark.
Upon the occasion that he was in Helium, hor Vastus
sat in the seat of honor upon Carthoris's side of
the table. There was little general conversation. It was a
quiet and saddened party. The loss of dejah Thoris was
(14:13):
still fresh in the minds of all, and to this
was added fear for the safety of Tardos, Mors and
mors Kajak, as well as doubt and uncertainty as to
the fate of Helium, should it prove true that she
was permanently deprived of her great Jeddak. Suddenly our attention
was attracted by the sound of distant shouting, as of
many people raising their voices at once, But whether in
(14:34):
anger or rejoicing, we could not tell. Nearer and nearer
came the tumult. A slave rushed into the dining hall
to cry that a great concourse of people was swarming
through the palace gates. A second burst upon the heels
of the first, alternately laughing and shrieking as a madman
dejah Thoris has found he cried a messenger from dejah Thoris,
(14:54):
I waited to hear no more. The great windows of
the dining hall overlook the avenue leading to the main gate.
They were upon the opposite side of the hall from me,
With the table intervening, I did not waste time. Encircling
the great board with a single leap, I cleared table
and diners, and sprang upon the balcony. Beyond thirty feet
below lay the scarlet sword of the Lawn, and beyond
(15:15):
were many people crowding about a great thoat, which bore
a rider headed toward the palace. I vaulted to the
ground below and ran swiftly toward the advancing party. As
I came near to them, I saw that the figure
on the thoat was Sola. Where's the Princess of Helium?
I cried? The green girl slid from her mighty mount
and ran toward me. Oh, my prince, my prince, she cried.
(15:37):
She's gone forever. Even now she may be a captive.
Upon the lesser moon. The black pirates of Barsoom have
stolen her. End of Chapter seventeen.
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