Chapter 19 - The God's of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs - The Gods of Mars

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(00:00):
Chapter nineteen, Black Despair, Ah, said zat Arras, to what kindly
circumstance am I indebted for the pleasureof this unexpected visit from the Prince of
Helium. While he was speaking,one of my guards had removed the gag
from my mouth. But I madeno reply to zat Arras, simply standing
there in silence, with level gazefixed upon the jed of Zodanga. And

(00:21):
I doubt not that my expression wascolored by the contempt I felt for the
man. The eyes of those withinthe chamber were fixed first upon me,
and then upon zat Arras, untilfinally a flush of anger crept slowly over
his face. You may go,he said to those who had brought me,
And when only his two companions andourselves were left in the chamber,
he spoke to me again, ina voice of ice, very slowly and

(00:44):
deliberately, with many pauses, asthough he would choose his words cautiously.
John Carter, he said, bythe edict of custom, by the law
of our religion, and by theverdict of an impartial court, you are
condemned to die. The people cannotsave you. I alone may accomplish that

(01:10):
you are absolutely in my power todo with as I wish. I may
kill you or I may free you, And should I elect to kill you,
none would be the wiser. Shouldyou go free in Helium for a
year in accordance with the conditions ofyour reprieve, there is little fear that

(01:34):
the people would ever insist upon theexecution of the sentence imposed upon you.
You may go free within two minutes. Upon one condition. Tardos Mors will
never return to Helium, neither willmors Kajak nor dejah Thoris. Helium must

(01:55):
elect a new Jeddak within the year. Zat Arras would be Jeddak of Helium.
Say that you will espouse my cause. This is the price of your
freedom. I am done. Iknew it was within the scope of zat
Arras's cruel heart to destroy me,and if I were dead, I could

(02:15):
see little reason to doubt that hemight easily become Jeddak of Helium free,
I could prosecute the search for dejahThoris. Were I dead, my brave
comrades might not be able to carryout our plans. So by refusing to
accede to his request, it wasquite probable that not only would I not
prevent him from becoming Jeddak of Helium, but that I would be the means

(02:38):
of sealing dejah Thoris's fate, ofconsigning her through my refusal to the horrors
of the Arena of Issus. Fora moment I was perplexed. But for
a moment, only the proud daughterof a thousand Jeddaks would choose death to
a dishonorable alliance such as this.Nor could John Carter do less for Helium

(02:58):
than his princess would do. ThenI turned to zat Arras there can be
no alliance I said between a traitorto Helium and a prince of the House
of Tardos Mors. I do notbelieve, Zatars that the great Jeddak is
dead. Zadars shrugged his shoulders.It will not be long, John Carter,
He said that your opinions will beof interest even to yourself, So

(03:20):
make the best of them while youcan. Zadars will permit you, in
due time to reflect further upon themagnanimous offer he has made you. Into
the silence and darkness of the pitch. You will enter upon your reflection this
night with the knowledge that should youfail with any reasonable time to agree to
the alternative which has been offered you. Never shall you emerge from the darkness

(03:42):
and the silence again, nor shallyou know at what minute the hand will
reach out through the darkness and thesilence with the keen dagger that shall rob
you of your last chance to winagain the warmth and the freedom and the
joyousness of the outer world. Zadarsclapped his hands as he ceased speaking.
The guards returned. Zadarus waved hishand in my direction to the pits.

(04:03):
He said, that was all.Four men accompanied me from the chamber,
and, with a radium hand lightto illum the way, escorted me through
seemingly interminable tunnels, down ever downbeneath the city of Helium. At length
they halted within a fair sized chamber. There were rings set in the rocky
walls. To them, chains werefastened, and at the ends of many

(04:27):
of the chains were human skeletons.One of these they kicked aside, and
unlocking the huge padlock that had helda chain about what had once been a
human ankle, they snapped the ironband about my own leg. Then they
left me, taking the light withthem. Utter darkness prevailed for a few
minutes, I could hear the clankingof accouterments, but even this grew fainter

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and fainter, until at last thesilence was as complete as the darkness.
I was alone with my gruesome companions, with the bones of dead men whose
fate was likely, but the indexof my own. How long I stood
listening in the darkness, I donot know, but the silence was unbroken,
and at last I sunk to thehard floor of my prison, where,

(05:08):
leaning my head against the stony wall, I slept. It must have
been several hours later that I awakenedto find a young man standing before me.
In one hand he bore a light, in the other a receptacle containing
a gruelike mixture, the common prisonfare of Barsoom Zadars. Sends you greetings,
said the young man, and commandsme to inform you that though he

(05:29):
is fully advised of the plot tomake you Jeddak of Helium, he is,
however, not inclined to withdraw theoffer which he has made you.
To gain your freedom. You havebut to request me to advise zat Arras
that you accept the terms of hisproposition. I but shook my head.
The youth said no more, andafter placing the food upon the floor at
my side, returned up the corridor, taking the light with him. Twice

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a day. For many days,this youth came to my cell with food
and ever the same greetings from zatArras. For a long time I tried
to engage him in conversation upon othermatters, but he would not talk,
and so at length I desisted.For months, I sought to devise methods
to inform Cathars of my whereabouts.For months I scraped and scraped upon a

(06:13):
single link of the massive chain whichheld me, hoping eventually to wear it
through that I might follow the youthback through the winding tunnels to a point
where I could make a break forliberty. I was beside myself with anxiety
for knowledge of the progress of theexpedition which was to rescue dejah Thoris.
I felt that Carthoris would not letthe matter drop were he free to act,

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But in so far as I knew, he also might be a prisoner
in Zatarus's pits. That Zanaris's spyhad overheard our conversation relative to the selection
of a new Jeddak, I knewand scarcely a half dozen minutes prior we
had discussed the details of the planto rescue dejah Thoris. The chances were
that that matter, too was wellknown to him. Carthoris, Kantos,

(06:58):
Kan Tars, Tarkas, or Vastusan exoter, might even now be the
victims of Zadarus's assassins, or elsehis prisoners. I determined to make at
least one more effort to learn something, and to this end I adopted strategy.
When next the youth came to mycell. I had noticed that he
was a handsome fellow about the sizeand age of Carthoris, and I had

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also noticed that his shabby trappings butilly comported with his dignified and noble bearing.
It was with these observation as abasis that I opened my negotiations with
him upon his next subsequent visit.You have been very kind to me during
my imprisonment, here, I saidto him, And as I feel that
I have at best but a veryshort time to live, I wish ere

(07:40):
it is too late to furnish substantialtestimony of my appreciation of all that you
have done to render my imprisonment bearable. Promptly, you have brought my food
each day, seeing that it waspure and of sufficient quantity. Never,
by word or deed have you attemptedto take advantage of my defenseless condition to
insult or torture. You have beenuniformly courteous and considerate. It is this,

(08:03):
more than any other thing, whichprompts my feeling of gratitude, and
my desire to give you some slighttoken of it. In the guard room
of my palace are many fine trappings. Go thou there and select the harness
which most pleases you. It shallbe yours. All I ask is that
you wear it, that I mayknow that my wish has been realized.

(08:24):
Tell me that you will do it. The boy's eyes had lighted with pleasure
as I spoke, and I sawhim glance from his rusty trappings to the
magnificence of my own. For amoment he stood and thought before he spoke,
and for that moment my heart fairlyceased beating. So much for me
there was which hung upon the substanceof his answer. And I went to

(08:45):
the palace of the Prince of Heliumwith any such demand, they would laugh
at me, and into the bargainwould more than likely throw me head foremost
into the avenue. No, itcannot be, though I thank you for
the offer. Why if zat Arraseven dreamed that I contemplated such a thing,
he would have my heart cut outof me. There could be no

(09:05):
harm in it, my boy,I urged. By night, you may
go to my palace with a notefrom me to Carthoris, my son.
You may read the note before youdeliver it, that you may know that
it contains nothing harmful to zat Ar'smy son will be discreet, and so
none but us three need No.It is very simple and such a harmless
act that it could be condemned byno one. Again, he stood silently

(09:28):
in deep thought. And there isa jeweled short sword which I took from
the body of a northern Jeddak.When you get the harness see that Carthoris
gives you that. Also with itand the harness which you may select,
there will be no more handsomely accouterredwarrior in all Zodanga. Bring writing materials
when you come next to my cell, and within a few hours we shall
see you garb in a style befittingyour birth and carriage. Still in thought

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and without speaking, he turned andleft me. I could not guess what
his decision might be, and forhours I sat fretting over the outcome of
the matter. If he accepted amessage to Carthoris, it would mean to
me that Carthoris still lived and wasfree. If the youth returned wearing the
harness and the sword, I wouldknow that Carthoris had received my note,
and that he knew that I stilllived. That the bearer of the note

(10:16):
was as Zodangon would be sufficient toexplain to Carthoris that I was a prisoner
of zat arras it was with feelingsof excited expectancy which I could scarce hide
that I heard the youth's approach uponthe occasion of his next regular visit,
I did not speak beyond my accustomedgreeting of him. As he placed the
food upon the floor by my side, he also deposited writing materials. At

(10:37):
the same time, my heart fairlybounded for joy. I had won my
point. For a moment I lookedat the materials in feigned surprise, But
soon I permitted an expression of dawningcomprehension to come into my face, and
then picking them up, I penneda brief order to Carthoris to deliver to
Carthac a harness of his selection andthe short sword which I described. That

(10:58):
was all, but it meant everythingto me and to Carthoris. I laid
the note open upon the floor.Parthak picked it up, and without a
word left me. As nearly asI could estimate, I had at this
time been in the pits for threehundred days. If anything was to be
done to save dejah Thoris, itmust be done quickly, for were she

(11:18):
not already yet, her end mustsoon come. Since those whom Issus chose
lived but a single year. Thenext time I heard approaching footsteps, I
could scarce await to see if Parthakwore the harness in the sword, but
judge if he can. My chagrinand disappointment when I saw that he who
bore my food was not Parthak.What has become of Parthak? I asked?

(11:39):
But the fellow would not answer,And as soon as he had deposited
my food, turned and retraced hissteps to the world above. Days came
and went, and still my newjailer continued his duties. Nor would he
ever speak a word to me either, in reply to the simplest question or
of his own initiative. I couldonly speculate on the case of Parthak's removal,

(12:01):
but that it was connected in someway directly with the note I had
given him was most apparent to me. After all my rejoicing, I was
no better off than before. Fornow I did not even know that Carthoris
lived. For if Parthak had wishedto raise himself in the estimation of zat
Arras, he would have permitted meto go on precisely as I did,
so that he could carry my noteto his master in proof of his own

(12:22):
loyalty and devotion. Thirty days hadpassed since I had given the youth the
note. Three hundred and thirty dayshad passed since my incarceration. As closely
as I could figure, there remaineda bare thirty days ere dejah Thoris would
be ordered to the Arena for therights of Issus. As the terrible picture
forced itself vividly across my imagination,I buried my face in my arms,

(12:46):
and only with the greatest difficulty wasit that I repressed the tears that welled
to my eyes. Despite my everyeffort to think of that beautiful creature torn
and rendered by the cruel fangs ofthe hideous white apes. It was unthinkable
such a horrid fact could not be. And yet my reason told me that
within thirty days, my incomparable princesswould be fought over in the arena of

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the first Born by those very wildbeasts, that her bleeding corpse would be
dragged through the dirt and the dust, until at last a part of it
would be rescued to be served asfood upon the tables of the black nobles.
I think that I should have gonecrazy, but for the sound of
my approaching jailer. It distracted myattention from the terrible thoughts that had been
occupying my entire mind. Now anew and grim determination came to me.

(13:31):
I would make one superhuman effort toescape, kill my jailer by a ruse,
and trust to Fate to lead meto the outer world in safety.
With the thought came instant action.I threw myself upon the floor of my
cell, close by the wall,in a strained and distorted posture, as
though I were dead after a struggleor convulsions. When he should stoop over

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me, I had but to grasphis throat with one hand and strike him
a terrific blow with the slack ofmy chain, which I gripped firmly in
my right hand for the purpose.Nearer and nearer came the doomed man.
Now I heard him halt before me. There was a muttered exclamation, and
then a step. As he cameto my side. I felt him kneel
beside me. My grip tightened uponthe chain. He leaned close to me.

(14:16):
I must open my eyes to findhis throat, grasp it, and
strike one mighty final blow, allat the same instant. The thing worked
just as I had planned. Sobrief was the interval between the opening of
my eyes and the fall of thechain that I could not check it,
though in that minute interval I recognizedthe face so close to mine as that
of my son Carthoris. God,what cruel and maligned fate had worked to

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such a frightful end. What deviouschain of circumstances had led my boy to
my side at this one particular minuteof our lives, when I could strike
him down and kill him in ignoranceof his identity. A benign, though
tardy providence blurred my vision and mymind as I sank into unconsciousness across the
lifeless body of my only son.When I regained consciousness, it was to

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feel a cool, firm hand pressedupon my forehead. For an instant I
did not open my eyes. Iwas endeavoring to gather the loose ends of
many thoughts and memories which flitted elusivelythrough my tired and overwrought brain. At
length came the cruel recollection of thething that I had done in my last
conscious act. And then I darednot to open my eyes, for fear

(15:22):
of what I should see lying besideme. I wondered who it could be
who ministered to me. Carthoris musthave had a companion whom I had not
seen. Well, I must facethe inevitable sometime, so why not now?
And with a sigh I opened myeyes. Leaning over me was Carthoris,
a great bruise upon his forehead wherethe chain had struck, but alive,

(15:43):
thank God, alive. There wasno one with him. Reaching out
my arms, I took my boywithin them, And if ever there arose
from any planet a fervent prayer ofgratitude, it was there beneath the crust
of dying mars As I thanked theeternal mystery for my son's life. The
brief instant in which I had seenand recognized Carthoris before the chain fell must

(16:04):
have been ample to check the forceof the blow. He told me that
he had lain unconscious for a time. How long he did not know?
How came you here at all?I asked, mystified that he had found
me without a guide. It wasby your wit in appraising me of your
existence and imprisonment through the youth Parthak. Until he came for his harness and

(16:25):
his sword. We had thought youdead. When I had read your note,
I did as you had bid,giving Parthak his choice of the harness
in the guard room, and laterbringing the jeweled short sword to him.
But the minute that I had fulfilledthe promise you evidently had made him,
my obligation to him ceased. ThenI commenced to question him, but he
would give me no information as toyour whereabouts. He was intensely loyal to

(16:45):
zat Arras. Finally I gave hima fair choice between freedom and the pits
beneath the palace. The price offreedom to be full information as to where
you were imprisoned and directions which wouldlead us to you. But still he
maintained his stubborn partisanship. Despairing,I had him removed to the pits,
where he still is. No threatsof torture or death, no bribes,

(17:08):
however fabulous, would move him.His only reply to all our importunities was
that whenever Parthak died, were ittomorrow or a thousand years. Hence no
man could truly say a traitor isgone to his deserts. Finally, Exodar,
who is a fiend of subtle craftiness, evolved a plan whereby we might
worm the information from him, andso I caused Horvastus to be harnessed in

(17:33):
the metal of a Zodangan soldier andchained in Parthak's cell beside him for fifteen
days. The noble Horvastus has languishedin the darkness of the pits, but
not in vain. Little by littlehe won the confidence and friendship of the
Zodangon until only today. Parthak,thinking that he was speaking not only to
a countryman but to a dear friend, revealed to Horvastus the exact cell in

(17:56):
which you lay. It took mebut a short time to locate the plans
of the pits of Helium among thyofficial papers. To come to you,
though, was a trifle more difficultmatter, As you know, while all
the pits beneath the city are connected, there are but single entrances from those
beneath each section and its neighbor,and that at the upper level just underneath
the ground. Of course, theseopenings, which lead from contiguous pits to

(18:21):
those beneath government buildings, are alwaysguarded. And so while I easily came
to the entrance to the pits beneaththe palace which Zadar's is occupying, I
found there as though Dangon soldier onguard there. I left him when I
had gone by, but his soulwas no longer with him. If here
I am just in time to benearly killed by you, he ended,

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laughing as he talked. Carthoris hadbeen working at the lot which held my
fetters, And now, with anexclamation of pleasure, he dropped the end
of the chain to the floor,and I stood up, once more,
freed from the galling irons I hadchafed in for almost a year. He
had brought a long sword and adagger for me, and thus armed,

(19:03):
we set out upon the return journeyto my palace. At the point where
we left the pits of zat Arras, we found the body of the guard
Cathoris had slain. It had notyet been discovered, and in orders to
still further delay search and mystify theJed's people, we carried the body with
us for a short distance, hidingit in a tiny cell off the main
corridor of the pits, beneath anadjoining estate. Some half hour later we

(19:26):
came to the pits beneath our ownpalace, and soon thereafter emerged in the
audience chamber itself, where we foundkantos Kan, tars Tarkas, hor vast
Us and Exoter awaiting us most impatiently. No time was lost in fruitless recounting
of my imprisonment. What I desiredto know was how well the plans we
had laid nearly a year ago hadbeen carried out. It has taken much

(19:48):
longer than we had expected, repliedkantos Kan. The fact that we were
compelled to maintain utter secrecy has handicappedus terribly. Zat arras As spies are
everywhere yet to the best of myknowledge, no word of our real plans
has reached the villain's ear. Tonight, there lies about the great docks
at Hastor a fleet of a thousandof the mightiest battleships that ever sailed above

(20:11):
Barsoom, and each equipped to navigatethe air of Omean and the waters of
Omean itself. Upon each battleship thereare five ten man cruisers and ten five
man scouts, and a hundred oneman scouts. In all, one hundred
and sixteen thousand craft fitted with bothair and water propellers. At Thark lie
the transport for the Green warriors ofTars Tarkas, nine hundred large troopships,

(20:36):
and with them their convoys. Sevendays ago all was in readiness, but
we waited in the hope that byso doing, your rescue might be encompassed
in time for you to command theexpedition. It is well we waited,
my prince, how is it tarsTarkas. I asked that the men of
Thark take not the accustomed action againstone who returns from the bosom of Ish.

(20:57):
They sent a council fifty chief's totalk with me. Here, replied
the Thark we are a just people, and when I had told them the
entire story, they were as oneman in agreeing that their action toward me
would be guided by the action ofHelium towards John Carter. In the meantime,
at their request, I was toresume my throne as Jeddak of Tharp,

(21:17):
that I might negotiate with neighboring hordesof warriors to compose the land forces
of the expedition. I have donethat which I agreed. Two hundred and
fifty thousand fighting men, gathered fromthe ice cap at the north to the
ice cap at the south, andrepresenting a thousand different communities from a hundred
wild and warlike hordes, fill thegreat city of Thark to night. They

(21:38):
are ready to sail for the landof the first Born when I give the
word, and fight there until Ibid them stop. All they ask is
the lute they take and transportation totheir own territories. When the fighting and
the looting are over, I amdone, and thou hor vastest I asked,
what has been thy success? Amillion veteran fighting men from Helium's thin

(22:00):
waterways, manned the battleships, thetransports, and the convoys. He replied,
each is sworn to loyalty and secrecy. Nor were enough recruited from a
single district to cause suspicion. Good, I cried, Each has done his
duty, and now, kantos Kan, may we not repair at once to
Hastor and get under way before tomorrow'ssun. We should lose no time,

(22:21):
Prince, replied kantos Kan. Alreadythe people of Hastor a questioning the purpose
of so great a fleet, fullymanned with fighting men. I wonder much
that word of it has not beforereached at Ars. A cruiser waits above
at your own dock. Let usleave it a fusillative shots from the palace
gardens, just without cut short hisfurther words. Together we rushed to the

(22:41):
balcony in time to see a dozenmembers of my palace guard disappear in the
shadows of some distant shrubbery, asin pursuit of one who fled directly beneath
us. Upon the scarlet sward,a handful of guardsmen were stooping above a
still and prostrate form. While wewatched, they lifted the figure in their
arms, and, at my command, bore it to the audience chamber,

(23:03):
where we had been in council.When they stretched the body at our feet,
we saw that it was that ofa red man in the prime of
life. His metal was plain,such as common soldiers wear, or those
who wished to conceal their identity.Another of Zadarus's spies said Harvastus, so
it would seem, I replied.And then to the guard you may remove
the body, wait, said Exodar. If you will, Prince, ask

(23:27):
that a cloth and a little thoatoil be brought. I nodded to one
of the soldiers who left the chamber, returning presently with the things that Exodar
had requested. The black kneeled besidethe body, and, dipping in corner
of the cloth and the thoat oil, rubbed for a moment on the dead
face before him. Then he turnedto me with a smile, pointing to
his work. I looked and sawthat where Exodar had applied the thoat oil,

(23:51):
the face was white, as whiteas mine. And then Exodar seized
the black hair of the corpse,and with a sudden wrench, tore it
all away, revealing a hairless patebeneath. Guardsmen and nobles pressed close about
the silent witness upon the marble floor. Many were the exclamations of astonishment and
questioning wonder as Exodar's axe confirmed thesuspicions which he had held. A thern

(24:15):
whispered Tars tarkas worse than that,I fear, replied Exodar. But let
us see with that. He drewhis dagger and cut open a locked pouch
which had dangled from the thern's harness, and from it he brought forth a
circlet of gold set with a largegem. It was the mate to that
which I had taken from Sator Throg. He was a holy thern, said

(24:37):
Exodar. Fortunate, indeed, itis for us that he did not escape.
The officer of the guard entered thechamber at this juncture, My Prince,
he said, I have to reportthat this fellow's companion escaped us.
I think that it was with theconnivance of one or more of the men
at the gate. I have orderedthem all under arrest. Exodar handed him
the thoat, oil and cloth.With this you may discover the spy among

(25:00):
you, he said, I atonce ordered a secret search within this city,
for every martian noble maintains a secretservice of his own. A half
hour later, the officer of theguard came again to report. This time
it was to confirm our worst fears. Half the guards at the gate that
night had been Therns disguised as redmen. Come. I cried, we

(25:22):
must lose no time on to Hastorat once. Should the Thorns attempt to
check us at the southern verge ofthe ice cap, it may result in
the wrecking of all our plans andthe total destruction of the expedition. Ten
minutes later we were speeding through thenight toward Hastor, prepared to strike the
first blow for the preservation of dejahThoris. End of Chapter nineteen

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Chapter 19 - The God's of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Chapter 19 - The God's of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs