September 24, 2025 • 13 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.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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 eighteen Sola's story.
(00:25):
Once within the palace, I drew Sola to the dining hall,
and when she had greeted her father after the formal
manner of the green Men, she told the story of
the pilgrimage and capture of dejah Thoris seven days ago.
After her audience was zat Arras, dejah Thoris attempted to
slip from the palace in the dead of night. Although
I had not heard the outcome of her interview with
zad Ars, I knew that something had occurred then to
(00:47):
cause her the keenest mental agony, and when I discovered
her creeping from the palace, I did not need to
be told her destination. Hastily arousing a dozen of her
most faithful guards, I explained my fears to them, and
as one they enlisted with me to follow our beloved
princess in her wanderings. Even to the sacred iss and
the valley door. We came upon her but a short
(01:08):
distance from the palace. With her was faithful Woola the hound,
but none other. When we overtook her, she feigned anger
and ordered us back to the palace, But for once
we disobeyed her, and when she found that we would
not let her go upon the last long pilgrimage alone,
she wept and embraced us, and together we went out
into the night toward the south. The following day we
(01:28):
came upon a herd of small thoats, and thereafter we
were mounted and made good time. We traveled very fast
and very far due south, until the morning of the
fifth day we sighted a great fleet of battleships sailing north.
They saw us before we could seek shelter, and soon
we were surrounded by a horde of black men. The
princess's guard fought nobly to the end, but they were
(01:50):
soon overcome and slain. Only dejah Thoris and I were spared.
When she realized that she was in the clutches of
the black pirates, she attempted to take her own life,
but one of the blacks tore her dagger from her,
and then they bound us both so that we could
not use our hands. The fleet continued north after capturing us.
There were about twenty large battleships in all, besides a
(02:11):
number of small swift cruisers. That evening, one of the
smaller cruisers that had been far in advance of the
fleet returned with a prisoner, a young red woman, whom
they had picked up in a range of hills. Under
the very noses they said of a fleet of three
red Martian battleships. From scraps of conversation which we overheard,
it was evident that the Black pirates were searching for
(02:31):
a party of fugitives that had escaped them several days prior,
that they considered the capture of the young woman important.
Was evident from the long and earnest interview the commander
of the fleet held with her when she was brought
to him. Later, she was bound and placed in the
compartment with dejah Thoris and myself. The new captive was
a very beautiful girl. She told dejah Thoris that many
(02:53):
years ago she had taken the voluntary pilgrimage from the
court of her father, the Jeddak of Ptarth. She was
thuvia the Princess parth And then she asked dejah Thoris
who she might be, and when she heard she fell
upon her knees and kissed dejah Thoris's fettered hands and
told her that that very morning she had been with
John Carter, Prince of Helium, and Carthoris, her son. Dejah
(03:14):
Thoris could not believe her at first, but finally, when
the girl had narrated all the strange adventures that had
befallen her since she had met John Carter and told
her of the things John Carter and Carthoris and Exodar
had narrated of their adventures in the Land of the
first Born, dejah Thoris knew that it could be none
other than the Prince of Helium, for who, she said
upon all barsoom other than John Carter could have done
(03:36):
the deeds you tell of. And when Thuvia told dejah
Thoris of her love for John Carter and his loyalty
and devotion to the princess of his choice, dejah Thoris
broke down and wept, cursing Zatars and the cruel fate
that had driven her from Helium. But a few brief
days before the return of her beloved Lord, I do
not blame you for loving him thuvia, she said, and
(03:57):
that your affection for him is pure, and sincere I
can well believe from the candor of your avowal of
it to me. The fleet continued north nearly to Helium,
but last night they evidently realized that John Carter had
indeed escaped them, and so they turned toward the south
once more. Shortly thereafter, a guard entered our compartment and
dragged me to the deck. There is no place in
(04:18):
the land of the first Born for a green one,
he said, and with that he gave me a terrific
shove that carried me toppling from the deck of the battleship.
Evidently this seemed to him the easiest way of ridding
the vessel of my presence and killing me at the
same time. But a kind fate intervened, and by a
miracle I escaped with but slight bruises. The ship was
moving slowly at the time, and as I lunged overboard
(04:41):
into the darkness beneath, I shuddered at the awful plunge
I thought awaited me for all day. The fleet had
sailed thousands of feet above the ground, but to my
utter surprise, I struck upon a soft mass of vegetation
not twenty feet from the deck of the ship. In fact,
the keel of the vessel must have been grazing the
surface of the ground at the time. I lay all
night where I had fallen, and the next morning brought
(05:03):
an explanation of the fortunate coincidence that had saved me
from a terrible death. As the sun rose, I saw
a vast panorama of sea bottom and distant hills lying
far below me. I was upon the highest peak of
a lofty range. The fleet, in the darkness of the
preceding night, had barely grazed the crest of the hills,
and in the brief span that they hovered close to
(05:23):
the surface, the black Guard had pitched me as he
supposed to my death. A few miles west of me
was a great waterway. When I reached it, I found
to my delight that it belonged to Helium. Here a
thoat was procured for me. The rest you know. For
many minutes none spoke dejah Thoris in the clutches of
the firstborn. I shuddered at the thought. But of a
(05:44):
sudden the old fire of unconquerable self confidence surged through me.
I sprang to my feet, and with back thrown shoulders
and upraised sword, took a solemn vow to reach, rescue
and revenge my princess. A hundred swords leaped from a
hundred scabbards, and a hun und fighting men sprang to
the table top and pledged me their lives and fortunes
to the expedition. Already my plans were formulated. I thanked
(06:08):
each loyal friend, and, leaving Carthoris to entertain them withdrew
to my own audience chamber with kantos Can, Tars Tarkas, Exodar,
and Horastis. Here we discussed the details of our expedition
until long after dark. Exodar was positive that Issus would
choose both dejah Thoris and Thuvia to serve her for
a year. For that length of time, at least they
(06:30):
will be comparatively safe, he said, and we will at
least know where to look for them. In the matter
of equipping a fleet to enter Omean, the details were
left to kantos Kan and Exodar. The former agreed to
take such vessels as we required into dock as rapidly
as possible where Exodar would direct their equipment with water propellers.
For many years, the Black had been in charge of
(06:52):
the refitting of captured battleships that they might navigate Omean,
and so as familiar with the construction of the propellers,
housings and the auxiliary gearing required. It was estimated that
it would require six months to complete our preparations. In
view of the fact that the utmost secrecy must be
maintained to keep the project from the ears of Zatarras,
(07:12):
kantos Kan was confident now that the man's ambitions were
fully aroused, and that nothing short of the title of
Jeddak of Helium would satisfy him. I doubt, he said,
if he would even welcome dejah Thoris's return, for it
would mean another nearer the throne than he. With you
and Carthoris out of the way, there would be little
to prevent him from assuming the title of Jeddak. And
(07:34):
you may rest assured that so long as he is
supreme here there is no safety for either of you.
There is a way, cried hor Vastus, to thwart him
effectually and forever. What I asked, he smiled, I shall
whisper it here, But some day I shall stand upon
the dome of the Temple of Reward and shout it
to cheering multitudes below. What do you mean, asked kantos
(07:55):
Kan John Carter, Jeddak of Helium, said Horvastes in a
low voice. The eyes of my companions lighted, and grim
smiles of pleasure and anticipation overspread their faces, as each
eye turned toward me questioningly. But I shook my head. No,
my friends, I said, smiling, thank you, But it cannot be,
(08:16):
not yet, at least when we know that Tardos Mors
and mors Kajak are gone to return no more. If
I be here, then I shall join you all to
see that the people of Helium are permitted to choose
fairly their next Jeddak. Whom they choose may count upon
the loyalty of my sword. Nor shall I seek the
honor for myself until then. Tardos Mors is Jeddak of Helium,
(08:37):
and zadarras his representative, as you will, John Carter, said
hor Vastus. But what was that, he whispered, pointing toward
the window overlooking the gardens. The words were scarce out
of his mouth. Ere he had sprung to the balcony
without there he goes, he cried excitedly the guards below.
There the guards we were close behind him, and all
saw the figure of a man run quickly across a
(08:59):
little piece of sword and disappear in the shrubbery beyond.
He was on the balcony when I first saw him,
cried hor Vastus, quick let us follow him. Together we
ran to the gardens. But even though we scoured the
grounds with the entire guard for hours, no trace could
we find of the night marauder. What do you make
of it? Kantos Kan, asked Tars Tarkas, a spy sent
(09:19):
by Zadars. He replied it was ever his way. He
will have something interesting to report to his masters. Then
laughed hor Vastus, I hope he heard only our references
to a new Jeddak, I said. If he overheard our
plans to rescue dejah Thoris, it will mean civil war,
for he will attempt to thwart us, and in that
I will not be thwarted. There would I turn against
(09:40):
Tardos Mors himself were it necessary. If it throws all
Helium into a bloody conflict, I shall go on with
these plans to save my princess. Nothing shall stay me
now short of death. And should I die, my friends,
will you take oath to prosecute the search for her
and bring her back in safety to her grandfather's court.
Upon the hilt of his soul, Howard, each of them
(10:00):
swore to do as I had asked. It was agreed
that the battleships that were to be remodeled should be
ordered to Hastor, another heliumetic city far to the southwest.
Kantos Kan thought that the docks there, in addition to
their regular work, would accommodate at least six battleships at
a time. As he was commander in chief of the navy,
(10:21):
it would be a simple matter for him to order
the vessels there as they could be handled, and thereafter
keep the remodeled fleet in remote parts of the empire
until we should be ready to assemble it for the
dash upon Omean. It was late that night before our
conference broke up, but each man there had his particular
duties outlined, and the details of the entire plan had
(10:41):
been mapped out. Kantos Kan and Exodar were to attend
to the remodeling of the ships tars Tarkas was to
get into communication with Thark and learn the sentiments of
his people toward his return from Dor. If favorable, he
was to return immediately to Thark and devote his time
to the assembling of a great horde of green warriors,
whom it was our plan to send in transports directly
(11:02):
to the valley door and the Temple of Issus while
the fleet entered Omean and destroyed the vessels of the
First Born upon hor Vastus devolved the delicate mission of
organizing a secret force of fighting men, sworn to follow
John Carter wherever he might lead. As we estimated that
it would require over a million men to man the
thousand great battleships we intended to use on Omean and
(11:25):
the transports for the green men, as well as the
ships that were to convoy the transports. It was no
trifling job that hor Vastus had before him. After they
had left, I bid Carthoris good night, for I was
very tired, and going to my own apartments, bathed and
lay down upon my sleeping silks and furs for the
first good night's sleep. I had had an opportunity to
(11:46):
look forward to since I had returned to Barsoom. But
even now I was to be disappointed. How long I
slept I do not know. When I awoke suddenly, it
was to find a half dozen powerful men upon me,
a gag already in my mouth, and a moment later
my arms and legs securely bound. So quickly had they worked,
and to such good purpose, that I was utterly beyond
(12:07):
the power to resist them. By the time I was
fully awake, never a word spoke, they and the gag
effectually prevented me speaking. Silently, they lifted me and bore
me toward the door of my chamber. As they passed
the window through which the farther moon was casting its
brilliant beams, I saw that each of the party had
his face swathed in layers of silk. I could not
(12:28):
recognize one of them. When they had come into the
corridor with me, they turned toward a secret panel in
the wall, which led to the passage that terminated in
the pits beneath the palace. That any knew of this
panel outside my own household, I was doubtful. Yet the
leader of the band did not hesitate a moment. He
stepped directly to the panel touched the concealed button, and
(12:48):
as the door swung open, he stood aside while his
companions entered with me. Then he closed the panel behind
him and followed us down through the passageways to the pits.
We went, the leader wrapped upon it with the hill
of his sword. Three quick sharp blows, a pause, then
three more, another pause, and then two. A second later,
the wall swung in, and I was pushed within a
(13:10):
brilliantly lighted chamber in which sat three richly trapped men.
One of them turned towards me with a sardonic smile
upon his thin, cruel lips. It was sat Arras. End
of Chapter eighteen.
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 eighteen Sola's story.
(00:25):
Once within the palace, I drew Sola to the dining hall,
and when she had greeted her father after the formal
manner of the green Men, she told the story of
the pilgrimage and capture of dejah Thoris seven days ago.
After her audience was zat Arras, dejah Thoris attempted to
slip from the palace in the dead of night. Although
I had not heard the outcome of her interview with
zad Ars, I knew that something had occurred then to
(00:47):
cause her the keenest mental agony, and when I discovered
her creeping from the palace, I did not need to
be told her destination. Hastily arousing a dozen of her
most faithful guards, I explained my fears to them, and
as one they enlisted with me to follow our beloved
princess in her wanderings. Even to the sacred iss and
the valley door. We came upon her but a short
(01:08):
distance from the palace. With her was faithful Woola the hound,
but none other. When we overtook her, she feigned anger
and ordered us back to the palace, But for once
we disobeyed her, and when she found that we would
not let her go upon the last long pilgrimage alone,
she wept and embraced us, and together we went out
into the night toward the south. The following day we
(01:28):
came upon a herd of small thoats, and thereafter we
were mounted and made good time. We traveled very fast
and very far due south, until the morning of the
fifth day we sighted a great fleet of battleships sailing north.
They saw us before we could seek shelter, and soon
we were surrounded by a horde of black men. The
princess's guard fought nobly to the end, but they were
(01:50):
soon overcome and slain. Only dejah Thoris and I were spared.
When she realized that she was in the clutches of
the black pirates, she attempted to take her own life,
but one of the blacks tore her dagger from her,
and then they bound us both so that we could
not use our hands. The fleet continued north after capturing us.
There were about twenty large battleships in all, besides a
(02:11):
number of small swift cruisers. That evening, one of the
smaller cruisers that had been far in advance of the
fleet returned with a prisoner, a young red woman, whom
they had picked up in a range of hills. Under
the very noses they said of a fleet of three
red Martian battleships. From scraps of conversation which we overheard,
it was evident that the Black pirates were searching for
(02:31):
a party of fugitives that had escaped them several days prior,
that they considered the capture of the young woman important.
Was evident from the long and earnest interview the commander
of the fleet held with her when she was brought
to him. Later, she was bound and placed in the
compartment with dejah Thoris and myself. The new captive was
a very beautiful girl. She told dejah Thoris that many
(02:53):
years ago she had taken the voluntary pilgrimage from the
court of her father, the Jeddak of Ptarth. She was
thuvia the Princess parth And then she asked dejah Thoris
who she might be, and when she heard she fell
upon her knees and kissed dejah Thoris's fettered hands and
told her that that very morning she had been with
John Carter, Prince of Helium, and Carthoris, her son. Dejah
(03:14):
Thoris could not believe her at first, but finally, when
the girl had narrated all the strange adventures that had
befallen her since she had met John Carter and told
her of the things John Carter and Carthoris and Exodar
had narrated of their adventures in the Land of the
first Born, dejah Thoris knew that it could be none
other than the Prince of Helium, for who, she said
upon all barsoom other than John Carter could have done
(03:36):
the deeds you tell of. And when Thuvia told dejah
Thoris of her love for John Carter and his loyalty
and devotion to the princess of his choice, dejah Thoris
broke down and wept, cursing Zatars and the cruel fate
that had driven her from Helium. But a few brief
days before the return of her beloved Lord, I do
not blame you for loving him thuvia, she said, and
(03:57):
that your affection for him is pure, and sincere I
can well believe from the candor of your avowal of
it to me. The fleet continued north nearly to Helium,
but last night they evidently realized that John Carter had
indeed escaped them, and so they turned toward the south
once more. Shortly thereafter, a guard entered our compartment and
dragged me to the deck. There is no place in
(04:18):
the land of the first Born for a green one,
he said, and with that he gave me a terrific
shove that carried me toppling from the deck of the battleship.
Evidently this seemed to him the easiest way of ridding
the vessel of my presence and killing me at the
same time. But a kind fate intervened, and by a
miracle I escaped with but slight bruises. The ship was
moving slowly at the time, and as I lunged overboard
(04:41):
into the darkness beneath, I shuddered at the awful plunge
I thought awaited me for all day. The fleet had
sailed thousands of feet above the ground, but to my
utter surprise, I struck upon a soft mass of vegetation
not twenty feet from the deck of the ship. In fact,
the keel of the vessel must have been grazing the
surface of the ground at the time. I lay all
night where I had fallen, and the next morning brought
(05:03):
an explanation of the fortunate coincidence that had saved me
from a terrible death. As the sun rose, I saw
a vast panorama of sea bottom and distant hills lying
far below me. I was upon the highest peak of
a lofty range. The fleet, in the darkness of the
preceding night, had barely grazed the crest of the hills,
and in the brief span that they hovered close to
(05:23):
the surface, the black Guard had pitched me as he
supposed to my death. A few miles west of me
was a great waterway. When I reached it, I found
to my delight that it belonged to Helium. Here a
thoat was procured for me. The rest you know. For
many minutes none spoke dejah Thoris in the clutches of
the firstborn. I shuddered at the thought. But of a
(05:44):
sudden the old fire of unconquerable self confidence surged through me.
I sprang to my feet, and with back thrown shoulders
and upraised sword, took a solemn vow to reach, rescue
and revenge my princess. A hundred swords leaped from a
hundred scabbards, and a hun und fighting men sprang to
the table top and pledged me their lives and fortunes
to the expedition. Already my plans were formulated. I thanked
(06:08):
each loyal friend, and, leaving Carthoris to entertain them withdrew
to my own audience chamber with kantos Can, Tars Tarkas, Exodar,
and Horastis. Here we discussed the details of our expedition
until long after dark. Exodar was positive that Issus would
choose both dejah Thoris and Thuvia to serve her for
a year. For that length of time, at least they
(06:30):
will be comparatively safe, he said, and we will at
least know where to look for them. In the matter
of equipping a fleet to enter Omean, the details were
left to kantos Kan and Exodar. The former agreed to
take such vessels as we required into dock as rapidly
as possible where Exodar would direct their equipment with water propellers.
For many years, the Black had been in charge of
(06:52):
the refitting of captured battleships that they might navigate Omean,
and so as familiar with the construction of the propellers,
housings and the auxiliary gearing required. It was estimated that
it would require six months to complete our preparations. In
view of the fact that the utmost secrecy must be
maintained to keep the project from the ears of Zatarras,
(07:12):
kantos Kan was confident now that the man's ambitions were
fully aroused, and that nothing short of the title of
Jeddak of Helium would satisfy him. I doubt, he said,
if he would even welcome dejah Thoris's return, for it
would mean another nearer the throne than he. With you
and Carthoris out of the way, there would be little
to prevent him from assuming the title of Jeddak. And
(07:34):
you may rest assured that so long as he is
supreme here there is no safety for either of you.
There is a way, cried hor Vastus, to thwart him
effectually and forever. What I asked, he smiled, I shall
whisper it here, But some day I shall stand upon
the dome of the Temple of Reward and shout it
to cheering multitudes below. What do you mean, asked kantos
(07:55):
Kan John Carter, Jeddak of Helium, said Horvastes in a
low voice. The eyes of my companions lighted, and grim
smiles of pleasure and anticipation overspread their faces, as each
eye turned toward me questioningly. But I shook my head. No,
my friends, I said, smiling, thank you, But it cannot be,
(08:16):
not yet, at least when we know that Tardos Mors
and mors Kajak are gone to return no more. If
I be here, then I shall join you all to
see that the people of Helium are permitted to choose
fairly their next Jeddak. Whom they choose may count upon
the loyalty of my sword. Nor shall I seek the
honor for myself until then. Tardos Mors is Jeddak of Helium,
(08:37):
and zadarras his representative, as you will, John Carter, said
hor Vastus. But what was that, he whispered, pointing toward
the window overlooking the gardens. The words were scarce out
of his mouth. Ere he had sprung to the balcony
without there he goes, he cried excitedly the guards below.
There the guards we were close behind him, and all
saw the figure of a man run quickly across a
(08:59):
little piece of sword and disappear in the shrubbery beyond.
He was on the balcony when I first saw him,
cried hor Vastus, quick let us follow him. Together we
ran to the gardens. But even though we scoured the
grounds with the entire guard for hours, no trace could
we find of the night marauder. What do you make
of it? Kantos Kan, asked Tars Tarkas, a spy sent
(09:19):
by Zadars. He replied it was ever his way. He
will have something interesting to report to his masters. Then
laughed hor Vastus, I hope he heard only our references
to a new Jeddak, I said. If he overheard our
plans to rescue dejah Thoris, it will mean civil war,
for he will attempt to thwart us, and in that
I will not be thwarted. There would I turn against
(09:40):
Tardos Mors himself were it necessary. If it throws all
Helium into a bloody conflict, I shall go on with
these plans to save my princess. Nothing shall stay me
now short of death. And should I die, my friends,
will you take oath to prosecute the search for her
and bring her back in safety to her grandfather's court.
Upon the hilt of his soul, Howard, each of them
(10:00):
swore to do as I had asked. It was agreed
that the battleships that were to be remodeled should be
ordered to Hastor, another heliumetic city far to the southwest.
Kantos Kan thought that the docks there, in addition to
their regular work, would accommodate at least six battleships at
a time. As he was commander in chief of the navy,
(10:21):
it would be a simple matter for him to order
the vessels there as they could be handled, and thereafter
keep the remodeled fleet in remote parts of the empire
until we should be ready to assemble it for the
dash upon Omean. It was late that night before our
conference broke up, but each man there had his particular
duties outlined, and the details of the entire plan had
(10:41):
been mapped out. Kantos Kan and Exodar were to attend
to the remodeling of the ships tars Tarkas was to
get into communication with Thark and learn the sentiments of
his people toward his return from Dor. If favorable, he
was to return immediately to Thark and devote his time
to the assembling of a great horde of green warriors,
whom it was our plan to send in transports directly
(11:02):
to the valley door and the Temple of Issus while
the fleet entered Omean and destroyed the vessels of the
First Born upon hor Vastus devolved the delicate mission of
organizing a secret force of fighting men, sworn to follow
John Carter wherever he might lead. As we estimated that
it would require over a million men to man the
thousand great battleships we intended to use on Omean and
(11:25):
the transports for the green men, as well as the
ships that were to convoy the transports. It was no
trifling job that hor Vastus had before him. After they
had left, I bid Carthoris good night, for I was
very tired, and going to my own apartments, bathed and
lay down upon my sleeping silks and furs for the
first good night's sleep. I had had an opportunity to
(11:46):
look forward to since I had returned to Barsoom. But
even now I was to be disappointed. How long I
slept I do not know. When I awoke suddenly, it
was to find a half dozen powerful men upon me,
a gag already in my mouth, and a moment later
my arms and legs securely bound. So quickly had they worked,
and to such good purpose, that I was utterly beyond
(12:07):
the power to resist them. By the time I was
fully awake, never a word spoke, they and the gag
effectually prevented me speaking. Silently, they lifted me and bore
me toward the door of my chamber. As they passed
the window through which the farther moon was casting its
brilliant beams, I saw that each of the party had
his face swathed in layers of silk. I could not
(12:28):
recognize one of them. When they had come into the
corridor with me, they turned toward a secret panel in
the wall, which led to the passage that terminated in
the pits beneath the palace. That any knew of this
panel outside my own household, I was doubtful. Yet the
leader of the band did not hesitate a moment. He
stepped directly to the panel touched the concealed button, and
(12:48):
as the door swung open, he stood aside while his
companions entered with me. Then he closed the panel behind
him and followed us down through the passageways to the pits.
We went, the leader wrapped upon it with the hill
of his sword. Three quick sharp blows, a pause, then
three more, another pause, and then two. A second later,
the wall swung in, and I was pushed within a
(13:10):
brilliantly lighted chamber in which sat three richly trapped men.
One of them turned towards me with a sardonic smile
upon his thin, cruel lips. It was sat Arras. End
of Chapter eighteen.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.