A Princess of Mars (26 page)

We now signaled the flagship of Helium's navy to approach, and
when she was within hailing distance I called out that we had the
Princess Dejah Thoris on board, and that we wished to transfer her
to the flagship that she might be taken immediately to the city.

As the full import of my announcement bore in upon them a great cry
arose from the decks of the flagship, and a moment later the colors
of the Princess of Helium broke from a hundred points upon her upper
works. When the other vessels of the squadron caught the meaning of
the signals flashed them they took up the wild acclaim and unfurled
her colors in the gleaming sunlight.

The flagship bore down upon us, and as she swung gracefully to and
touched our side a dozen officers sprang upon our decks. As their
astonished gaze fell upon the hundreds of green warriors, who now
came forth from the fighting shelters, they stopped aghast, but at
sight of Kantos Kan, who advanced to meet them, they came forward,
crowding about him.

Dejah Thoris and I then advanced, and they had no eyes for other
than her. She received them gracefully, calling each by name, for
they were men high in the esteem and service of her grandfather,
and she knew them well.

"Lay your hands upon the shoulder of John Carter," she said to them,
turning toward me, "the man to whom Helium owes her princess as well
as her victory today."

They were very courteous to me and said many kind and complimentary
things, but what seemed to impress them most was that I had won the
aid of the fierce Tharks in my campaign for the liberation of Dejah
Thoris, and the relief of Helium.

"You owe your thanks more to another man than to me," I said, "and
here he is; meet one of Barsoom's greatest soldiers and statesmen,
Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark."

With the same polished courtesy that had marked their manner toward
me they extended their greetings to the great Thark, nor, to my
surprise, was he much behind them in ease of bearing or in courtly
speech. Though not a garrulous race, the Tharks are extremely
formal, and their ways lend themselves amazingly well to dignified
and courtly manners.

Dejah Thoris went aboard the flagship, and was much put out that I
would not follow, but, as I explained to her, the battle was but
partly won; we still had the land forces of the besieging Zodangans
to account for, and I would not leave Tars Tarkas until that had
been accomplished.

The commander of the naval forces of Helium promised to arrange to
have the armies of Helium attack from the city in conjunction with
our land attack, and so the vessels separated and Dejah Thoris was
borne in triumph back to the court of her grandfather, Tardos Mors,
Jeddak of Helium.

In the distance lay our fleet of transports, with the thoats of the
green warriors, where they had remained during the battle. Without
landing stages it was to be a difficult matter to unload these
beasts upon the open plain, but there was nothing else for it, and
so we put out for a point about ten miles from the city and began
the task.

It was necessary to lower the animals to the ground in slings and
this work occupied the remainder of the day and half the night.
Twice we were attacked by parties of Zodangan cavalry, but with
little loss, however, and after darkness shut down they withdrew.

As soon as the last thoat was unloaded Tars Tarkas gave the command
to advance, and in three parties we crept upon the Zodangan camp
from the north, the south and the east.

About a mile from the main camp we encountered their outposts and,
as had been prearranged, accepted this as the signal to charge.
With wild, ferocious cries and amidst the nasty squealing of
battle-enraged thoats we bore down upon the Zodangans.

We did not catch them napping, but found a well-entrenched battle
line confronting us. Time after time we were repulsed until, toward
noon, I began to fear for the result of the battle.

The Zodangans numbered nearly a million fighting men, gathered
from pole to pole, wherever stretched their ribbon-like waterways,
while pitted against them were less than a hundred thousand green
warriors. The forces from Helium had not arrived, nor could we
receive any word from them.

Just at noon we heard heavy firing all along the line between the
Zodangans and the cities, and we knew then that our much-needed
reinforcements had come.

Again Tars Tarkas ordered the charge, and once more the mighty
thoats bore their terrible riders against the ramparts of the enemy.
At the same moment the battle line of Helium surged over the
opposite breastworks of the Zodangans and in another moment they
were being crushed as between two millstones. Nobly they fought,
but in vain.

The plain before the city became a veritable shambles ere the last
Zodangan surrendered, but finally the carnage ceased, the prisoners
were marched back to Helium, and we entered the greater city's
gates, a huge triumphal procession of conquering heroes.

The broad avenues were lined with women and children, among which
were the few men whose duties necessitated that they remain within
the city during the battle. We were greeted with an endless round
of applause and showered with ornaments of gold, platinum, silver,
and precious jewels. The city had gone mad with joy.

My fierce Tharks caused the wildest excitement and enthusiasm.
Never before had an armed body of green warriors entered the gates
of Helium, and that they came now as friends and allies filled the
red men with rejoicing.

That my poor services to Dejah Thoris had become known to the
Heliumites was evidenced by the loud crying of my name, and by the
loads of ornaments that were fastened upon me and my huge thoat as
we passed up the avenues to the palace, for even in the face of the
ferocious appearance of Woola the populace pressed close about me.

As we approached this magnificent pile we were met by a party of
officers who greeted us warmly and requested that Tars Tarkas and
his jeds with the jeddaks and jeds of his wild allies, together with
myself, dismount and accompany them to receive from Tardos Mors an
expression of his gratitude for our services.

At the top of the great steps leading up to the main portals of the
palace stood the royal party, and as we reached the lower steps one
of their number descended to meet us.

He was an almost perfect specimen of manhood; tall, straight as an
arrow, superbly muscled and with the carriage and bearing of a ruler
of men. I did not need to be told that he was Tardos Mors, Jeddak
of Helium.

The first member of our party he met was Tars Tarkas and his first
words sealed forever the new friendship between the races.

"That Tardos Mors," he said, earnestly, "may meet the greatest
living warrior of Barsoom is a priceless honor, but that he
may lay his hand on the shoulder of a friend and ally is a far
greater boon."

"Jeddak of Helium," returned Tars Tarkas, "it has remained for a man
of another world to teach the green warriors of Barsoom the meaning
of friendship; to him we owe the fact that the hordes of Thark can
understand you; that they can appreciate and reciprocate the
sentiments so graciously expressed."

Tardos Mors then greeted each of the green jeddaks and jeds, and to
each spoke words of friendship and appreciation.

As he approached me he laid both hands upon my shoulders.

"Welcome, my son," he said; "that you are granted, gladly, and
without one word of opposition, the most precious jewel in all
Helium, yes, on all Barsoom, is sufficient earnest of my esteem."

We were then presented to Mors Kajak, Jed of lesser Helium, and
father of Dejah Thoris. He had followed close behind Tardos Mors
and seemed even more affected by the meeting than had his father.

He tried a dozen times to express his gratitude to me, but his voice
choked with emotion and he could not speak, and yet he had, as I was
to later learn, a reputation for ferocity and fearlessness as a
fighter that was remarkable even upon warlike Barsoom. In common
with all Helium he worshiped his daughter, nor could he think of
what she had escaped without deep emotion.

For ten days the hordes of Thark and their wild allies were feasted
and entertained, and, then, loaded with costly presents and escorted
by ten thousand soldiers of Helium commanded by Mors Kajak, they
started on the return journey to their own lands. The jed of lesser
Helium with a small party of nobles accompanied them all the way to
Thark to cement more closely the new bonds of peace and friendship.

Sola also accompanied Tars Tarkas, her father, who before all his
chieftains had acknowledged her as his daughter.

Three weeks later, Mors Kajak and his officers, accompanied by Tars
Tarkas and Sola, returned upon a battleship that had been dispatched
to Thark to fetch them in time for the ceremony which made Dejah
Thoris and John Carter one.

For nine years I served in the councils and fought in the armies of
Helium as a prince of the house of Tardos Mors. The people seemed
never to tire of heaping honors upon me, and no day passed that
did not bring some new proof of their love for my princess, the
incomparable Dejah Thoris.

In a golden incubator upon the roof of our palace lay a snow-white
egg. For nearly five years ten soldiers of the jeddak's Guard had
constantly stood over it, and not a day passed when I was in the
city that Dejah Thoris and I did not stand hand in hand before our
little shrine planning for the future, when the delicate shell
should break.

Vivid in my memory is the picture of the last night as we sat there
talking in low tones of the strange romance which had woven our
lives together and of this wonder which was coming to augment our
happiness and fulfill our hopes.

In the distance we saw the bright-white light of an approaching
airship, but we attached no special significance to so common a
sight. Like a bolt of lightning it raced toward Helium until its
very speed bespoke the unusual.

Flashing the signals which proclaimed it a dispatch bearer for the
jeddak, it circled impatiently awaiting the tardy patrol boat which
must convoy it to the palace docks.

Ten minutes after it touched at the palace a message called me to
the council chamber, which I found filling with the members of that
body.

On the raised platform of the throne was Tardos Mors, pacing back
and forth with tense-drawn face. When all were in their seats he
turned toward us.

"This morning," he said, "word reached the several governments of
Barsoom that the keeper of the atmosphere plant had made no wireless
report for two days, nor had almost ceaseless calls upon him from a
score of capitals elicited a sign of response.

"The ambassadors of the other nations asked us to take the matter
in hand and hasten the assistant keeper to the plant. All day a
thousand cruisers have been searching for him until just now one
of them returns bearing his dead body, which was found in the pits
beneath his house horribly mutilated by some assassin.

"I do not need to tell you what this means to Barsoom. It would
take months to penetrate those mighty walls, in fact the work has
already commenced, and there would be little to fear were the engine
of the pumping plant to run as it should and as they all have for
hundreds of years now; but the worst, we fear, has happened. The
instruments show a rapidly decreasing air pressure on all parts of
Barsoom—the engine has stopped."

"My gentlemen," he concluded, "we have at best three days to live."

There was absolute silence for several minutes, and then a young
noble arose, and with his drawn sword held high above his head
addressed Tardos Mors.

"The men of Helium have prided themselves that they have ever shown
Barsoom how a nation of red men should live, now is our opportunity
to show them how they should die. Let us go about our duties as
though a thousand useful years still lay before us."

The chamber rang with applause and as there was nothing better to
do than to allay the fears of the people by our example we went our
ways with smiles upon our faces and sorrow gnawing at our hearts.

When I returned to my palace I found that the rumor already had
reached Dejah Thoris, so I told her all that I had heard.

"We have been very happy, John Carter," she said, "and I thank
whatever fate overtakes us that it permits us to die together."

The next two days brought no noticeable change in the supply of air,
but on the morning of the third day breathing became difficult at
the higher altitudes of the rooftops. The avenues and plazas of
Helium were filled with people. All business had ceased. For
the most part the people looked bravely into the face of their
unalterable doom. Here and there, however, men and women gave
way to quiet grief.

Toward the middle of the day many of the weaker commenced to succumb
and within an hour the people of Barsoom were sinking by thousands
into the unconsciousness which precedes death by asphyxiation.

Dejah Thoris and I with the other members of the royal family had
collected in a sunken garden within an inner courtyard of the
palace. We conversed in low tones, when we conversed at all, as
the awe of the grim shadow of death crept over us. Even Woola
seemed to feel the weight of the impending calamity, for he
pressed close to Dejah Thoris and to me, whining pitifully.

The little incubator had been brought from the roof of our palace
at request of Dejah Thoris and now she sat gazing longingly upon
the unknown little life that now she would never know.

As it was becoming perceptibly difficult to breathe Tardos Mors
arose, saying,

"Let us bid each other farewell. The days of the greatness of
Barsoom are over. Tomorrow's sun will look down upon a dead world
which through all eternity must go swinging through the heavens
peopled not even by memories. It is the end."