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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (May 19, 1917)
r v air Twrx SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1917. GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER. PAGE FOUR T.4 Copyright by Frank A. M unsay Co. SYNOPSIS John Carter, who has been translated twice to Mnrs, ruturns to earth nnd leaves the story of IiIb adventures with his neph ew, then sous asuiii to Mars. Cnrter aids a Martian warrior fighting a hordo of plant man. llo dlBeovcn In the warrior an old friend, Tars Tarkas. " CHAPTER III. " A Forest Battle. mAB8 TAUKAS aud I found no time for uu exchange of ex periences bb we stood there be fore the greet bowlder, stir roundod by the corpses of our gro tesque assailants. From ell directions i town the broad valley was streaming a perfect torrent of terrifying crea tures In response to tho weird call of the strange figure fur above us. "Come," criod Tars Tarkas; "we must moke for the cliffs! There lies our only hope of even temporary es cape. There wo may find a cave or a barrow ledge which two may defend forever against this tiotloy, unarmed horde." Together we raced across tho scarlet ward, I timing my speed that I might not outdistance my Blower companion. We had perhaps 800 yards to cover be tween our bowlder end tho cliffs and then to search out a suitable shelter for our stand against the terrifying things that were pursuing us. Tnoy were rapidly overhauling us when Tars Tarkas cried to me to hasten ahead and discover If possible the sanctuary we sought. The sugges tion was a good one, for thus many valuable minutes might bo saved to us, and, throwlug every ounce of my earth ly muscles Into tho effort, I cleared the remaining distance between my elf and tbo cliffs in great loaps that put me at their base In a moment My Orst cursory Inspection of the faco of the cliffs filled my heart with forebodings, sinco nowhero could I dis cern, except whoro the weird herald tood still shrieking his Bhrill sum mons, tho1 faintest indication of oven a bare foothold upon tho lofty escarp ment Tars Tarkas was approaching me rapidly, and still moro rapidly came the awful horde at his heels. It seemed tho forest now or nothing, and I was Just on tho point of motion ing Taro Tarkas to follow me in that direction when tho sun passed tho cliffs Bonlth, and as tho bright rays touched the dull surface it burst out Into a million solntillant lights of bur nished gold of flaming red, of soft greens and gleaming whites n more gorgeous and inspiring spoctacle hu mnn eyo has never rested upon, Tho face of tho entlro cliff was, as later Inspection conclusively proved, so shot with veins nnd patches of solid gold as to present tho appearance of a solid wall of thnt metnl except where It was broken by ontoropplngs of ruby, emerald nnd diamond bowlders. Hut what caught my most Interested attention at the moment that the sun's rnys set tho cliff's faco a-shlmmcr was tho several black spots which now ap peared qulto plainly in evidence high across the gorgeous wall close to tho forest's top and extending apparently Iselow and behind tho branches. Almost immediately I recognized them for what they were tho dark openings of caves entering tho solid walls possible avenues of escape or temporary shelter could wo but reach them. There was but a single, way, nnd that led through the mighty, towering trees upon our right. That 1 could scnlo them I knew full well, but Tars Tar kas, with his mighty bulk and enor mous weight, would -find It a task pos sibly qulto beyond his prowess or his skill. Martians nro at best but poor climb ers. Upon tho entire surface of that ancient planet I before never had neon a hill or mountain that exceeded 4,000 feet In height above tho dead sen lt toms. and as tho ascent was usually gradual nearly to their summits they presented but few opportunities for tho prnctlro of climbing. However, there was nothing dso to consider tlinn an attempt to scnlo the treoa contiguous to tho cliff in nn ef fort to reach tho caves above. Tho Tluirk grasped tho possibilities find tho difficulties of the plan at once, but thcro wns no alternatlro, and so wo Bet out rapidly for tho trees near est the cliff. Our relentless pursuers wero now close to us, so closo thnt It aeemed that It would be nn utter Impossibility for tbo Jeddnk of Thnrk to reach tho forest In adrnnco of them. Nor wns thoro any considerable will In tbo ef forts thnt Tars Tarkas made, for tho green men of Bnrsnom do not relish flight, nor ever lieforo hnd I seen ono 11 owing from death In whatsoever form it might have confronted him. .-At. lengthy however,. wo leached, the shadows 6T"fno" forest, while right Ee- hind us sprang tho swiftest of our pur suers a giant plant man with out Touching claws to fasten his blood sucking mouths upon us. Ho was, I should say, n hundred yards Ju ndvanco of pis closest com panion, and so I called to Tars Tarkas to ascend a great tree that brushed tho cliff's faco while I dispatched the fellow, thus giving tho less agile Tbark an opportunity to reach tho higher branches before tho entire horde should be upon us and every vestige of escape cut off. But I had reckoned without a Just J appreciation either of tho cunning of my immeuinto antagonist or too swirr noes with which his fellows were cov ering the distance which had separat ed them fron mo. As I raised my long sword to deni the creature its dontb thrust it haltcl In Its charge, and as my sword cut harmlessly through the empty air the great tall of the thing swept with the power of a grizzly's arm across tho sward and carried me bodily from my feet to tho ground. In an instant tho bruto was upon me, but ere It could fasten its hideous mouths Into my breast and throat 1 grasped a writhing tentacle In cither hand. The plant man was well muscled, heavy and powerful, but my sinews and greater agility, in conjunction with the deathly strangle hold I bad upon him, would have given me, I think, an eventual victory had wo had time to discuss tlie merits of our relative prowess uninterrupted. But as we strained and struggled about the tree Into which Tars Tarkas was clamber ing I suddenly caught a glimpse over the shoulder of my antagonist of tlie great swarm of pursuers that now were fairly upon me. Now at Inst I saw the naturo of the other monsters who had come with the plant men in responso to tho weird calling of the man upon tho cliff's fnee. They wero that most dreaded of Mar tlun creatures great white apes of Barsoom. They stand fifteen feet In height and walk erect upon their hind feet Liko the green Martians, they have an In termediary sot of arms midway be tween their upper and lower limbs. Their eyes nro very closo set, but do not protrude, as do those of tho green We Strained and Struggled About the Tree. men of Mnrs; their ears nro high set, tint more laterally located than are tho green men's, while their snouts and teeth nro much like those of our African gorilla. Vpon their hrads grows an enormous shock of bristly hair. Tltuo nnd ngnln tho ferocious apes sprang in to close with ns, and time nnd again wo bent them back with our swords. Tho great tnlls of tbo plant men lnshod about us ns they charged from various directions or sprang with tho ngllity of greyhounds above our heads. lint every attack met n glennilng Made In sword hands thnt hnd been reputed for twenty years tbo best that Mars had ever known, for Tars Tarkas and John Carter wero tinmen that the fighting men of this world of warriors loved best to speak. But oven tho two best swords In a world of fighters can avail not for ever against overwhelming numbers of fierce and snvnee brutes, nnd so, stop by step, wo wero forced bnck. At IffiiSth-WCstvoiLnsninst the giant fWll If mm M tree that wo had chosen f r our as cent, and then, ns charge after charge hurled Its weight upon us. we gave back again nnd again until we had been forced halfway round the huge baso of the colossal trunk. Tars Tarkas was In the lead, and suddenly I heard a little cry of ex ultutlon from him. "Hero Is shelter for one at least. John Carter," he enld, and, glancing down, I saw an opening In the base of the tree about three feet In diameter. "In with you, Tars Tarkas!" I cried, but ho would not go, saying thnt his bulk wns too great for the Uttlo aper ture, while I might slip In easily. "Wo shall both dlo If we remain without, John Carter, nere Is a slight chance for ono of us. Tuke it and you muy llvo to nvengo me. It Is useless for mo to nttempt to worm my way into so small an opening with this hordo of demons besetting us on all sides." "Then wo shall dlo together, Tars Tarkas," I replied, "for I shall not go llrst Let mo defend tho opening whllo you get In. Then my smaller stuturo will permit mo to slip in with you before they can prevent." We still wero fighting furiously ns we talked In broken sentences, punc tuated with vicious cuts and thrusts at our swarming enemy. At length ho yielded, for it seemed tho only way In which either of us might bo saved from the ever increas ing numbers of our assailants, who wero still swarming upon us from all directions across tho broad valley. "It was ever your way, John Car ter, bo think lust of your own lire," he said, "but still more your way to command tho lives nnd actions of oth ers, even to tho greatest of Jeddaks who rulo upon Barsoom." There was a grim smile upon his face as he, the greatest Jeddak of them all, turned to obey tho dictates of a creature of another World of a man whoso stature wus less than half his own. "If you foil, John Carter," he said, "know that tho cruel and heartless Thnrk, to whom you taught the mean ing of friendship, will come out to die beside you." "As you will, my friend," I replied. "But quickly now, head first while I cover your retreat." He hesitated a little at that word, for never in his whole life of continual strife bad he before turned bis bacfc upon aught than a dead or defeated enemy. As lo dropped to the ground to force his way Into tho treo the whole howl ing pack of iddeous devils hurled themselves upon me. To right and left flow my shimmering blade, now green with the sticky Juice of a plant man. now red with tho crimson blood of a great white ape. And thus I fought ns I never bad fought before against frightful odds that I cannot renllzo even now. With the fenr that we would escape them, tho creatures redoubled their ef forts to pull mo down, and, though the ground about mo was piled high with their dend and dying comrades, they succeeded nt last In overwhelming me, and I went down benentb them. But scarce had I fallen ere I felt powerful bands grip my ankles, nnd la another second I was being drawn within the shelter of tho tree's Interior. For n woinent It wns a tug of war between Tars Tarkas and n great plant man who clung tenaciously to my breast but presently I got tho point of my long sword beneath him nnd with a mighty thrust pierced bis vltnls. Bleeding from many wounds, I lny panting upon tho ground within the hollow of the tree, whllo Tars Tarkas defended tho opening from the furious mob without. For nn hour they howled about tho opening, but after a few attempts to reach us they confined their efforts to terrorizing shrieks and screams, to lior rid growling on the part of tho great while npes nnd the fearsome nnd In describable purring by the plant men. At length nil but n score, who had apparently been left to prevent our es- enpe, hnd departed, nnd our adventure seemed destined to result In n siege, the only outcome of which could be our death by starvation, tor even should wo be nblo to slip out after dark where, in that unknown nnd hos tile valley, could we hope to turn our steps toward possible escape? As the attacks of our enemies censed and our eyes became accustomed to the semldnrkncss of the interior of our strange retreat 1 took the opportunity to explore our shelter. The tree was hollow to nn extent of about fifty feet In diameter, nnd from Its tint, hard floor I judged that it had often been used to house others. As I raised my eyes toward lis roof to note the height I saw far above me a faint glow of light There was nn opening above. If we could but roach it we might slill hope to make tho shelter of the cliff eaves. My eyes had now become quite used to the subdued light of the Interior, nnd ah I pursued my Investigation I pres ently enmo upon a rousk bidder nt the far side of the tree. Quickly I mounted It to find that it connected nt the top with the lower of n series of horizontal wooden bars that spanned the now narrower and sliuftllko Interior of the tree's stem. These bars were set one above another, about three feet apart, nnd formed a perfect ladder ns far above me ns I could see. Propping to the floor once more, 1 detailed my discovery to Tars Tarkas. who suggested that 1 explore aloft us far ns 1 could go In safety, while lie guarded the entrance against n possi ble attack. As I hastened above to explore the strange shaft I found thnt the ladder o horizontal bars reachcdnhvavs far j above me as my eyes couiu rencu, uiiu as I ascended tho light from above grew brighter and brighter. For fully SOU feet I continued to climb until at length I reached the opening in the stem which admitted the light It wns of about the sumo diameter ns tho entrance at the foot of the tree nnd opeued directly upon a large, flat limb, the well worn surface I Ventured Out Upon the Limb, Then Beat a Hasty Retreat. of which testified to its long continued use as an avenue for some creature to and from this remarkable shaft I ventured out upon the limb, then beat a hasty retreat for fear that I might bo discovered by our enemies below and hurried to retrace my steps to Tars Tarkas. I soon reached him, nnd presently we wero both ascending the long ladder toward the opening nbove. Turs Turkns went in advance, nnd ns I reached the first of the horizontal burs I drew tho ladder up after me, nnd, handing It to him, he carried it a hundred feet farther aloft, where he wedged It safely between ono of the bars and the side of the shaft In liko manner I dislodged tho lower bars us I passed them, so thut we soon hnd the interior of tho tree denuded of all possible means of ascent for a dis tunco of a hundred feet from the base, thus precluding possible pursuit and attack from the rear. CHAPTER IV. The Chamber of Mystery, nEN we reached the opening at the top Tars Tarkas drew to one sido that I might puss out and investigate, as, owing to my lesser weight and greater ngllity, I was better fitted for tho perilous threading of this dizzy, hanging path way. Tho limb upon which I found myself ascended at a slight angle toward tho cliff, and as I followed it I found that it teriulunted n few feet above a nar row ledge which protruded from the cliffs face at the entrance to a narrow cavo. As I approached the slightly more slender extremity of the branch it bent beneath my weight until, as I balanced perilously upon its outer tip, it swayed geU'y on a level with the ledgo nt a distance of a couple of feet. Fivo hundred feet below me lny tho vivid scarlet carpet of tho valley. Nearly 5,000 feet above towered the mighty, gleaming face of the gorgeous cliffs. Tho enve thnt I faced wns not one of those thut 1 hnd seen from the ground, nnd which lay much higher, possibly a thousand feet. But, so far as I might know, it wns ns good for our purpose ns another, and' so I re turned to the treo for Tars Tarkas. Together wo wormed our wny along tho waving pathway, but when we reached the end of tlie branch we found thut our combined weight so de- W Instantly I 6prnng Toward It to Wrench It Open Again. pressed tho limb thnt the envo's mouth wns now too far nbove us to be renched. Wo finally agreed that Tnrs Turkns should return along the branch, lenv lng lila longest leather harness strap with me, and that when the limb had risen to a height thnt would permit me to enter the cave I was to do so, nnd upon Tnrs Tarkas' return I could then lower the strap and haul him up to the safety of the ledge. This we did without mishaps and soon found ourselves together upon the verge of n dizzy Uttlo balcony, with a magnificent view of tlie valley spread ing out below us. Below us upon the river's bank the great white npes were devouring the last remnants of Tars Tarkas' former companions, while great herds of plant men grazed iu ever widening circles about the sward, which they kept as close clipped ns the smoothest of lawns. Knowing that attack from the tree was now Improbable, we determined to explore the cave, which we hud ev ery reason to believe was. but a contlnu- Wmmfli it,., atfon of the path we hnd ahead tra- ersed, leading tne gous anew .-.-, gav(J t0 nlv yearning, ana a but clearly away from this .valley of nJ0Utu sjnce x started upon the Jour feroclty. . ' ney tho end of which you have this As we advanced wo found a well , ' witnessed. Do you understand nronortioned tunnel cut from tho solid cliff. Its walls rose some twenty feet above tho floor, which was about fivo feet in width. Tho roof was arched, We had no means of making a light ond so croned our wny slowly into tne ever increasing darkness, Tars Tarkas keeping in touch with ono wall while I felt along tho otner. to prevent our wandering into diverging branches and becoming separated or lost In some Inti'lcato and labyrinthie maze we clasped hands. How far we traversed the tunnel in j a fcurful disillusionment, such a blast this manner I do not know, but pres- i llg 0f lifelong hopes nnd aspirations, ontlv wo came to nn obstruction which I sueh nn uprooting of old age tradition, blocked our further progress. It seemed more like a partition than a sudden ending of the cave, for It was constructed not of tho material of the cliff, but of something which felt like very hnrd wood. Silently I groped over its surface with my hands and presently was re warded by tho feel of the button, which ns commonly denotes a door on Mnrs ns does a doorknob on earth. Gently pressing It, I had the satis faction of feeling tho door slowly give before me, and In another instant we were looking into a dimly lighted npart- ment which, so fur as we could see, was unoccupied. Without moro ado I swung the door wldo open and, followed by the huge Thnrk, stepped into the chamber- As we stood for a moment in silence gazing nbout tho room n slight noise behind caused me to turn quickly. To my astonishment, I saw the door close with a sharp click as though moved by an unseen hand. Instantly I sprang toward It to wrench it open again, for something in the uncanny movement of the thing and the almost palpable silence of the chamber seemed to portend an evil hidden In this rock bound chamber. My fingers clnwed futtlely nt the uq yleldlng portal, while my eyes sought In vain for a duplicate of the button which had given us Ingress. And then from unseen Hps a cruel and mocking peal of laughter rang through the desolate place. For moments after that awful laugh had ceased reverberating through the room Tars Tarkas and I stood In tense and expectant silence. But no further sound broke the stiHness, nor' within the range of our vision did anything move. At length Tnrs Tarkas laughed softly after the manner of his strango kind when In the presence of the horrible or terrifying. It Is not a hysterical laugh, but rather the genuine expression of tho pleasure they derive from the things that move earth and men to loathing or to tears. I looked up at the Thark, a smile upon my own lips, for hero, In truth, was greater need for a smiling face than a trembling chin. "What do you make of it all?" I asked. "Where In the deuce are we?" no looked at mo In surprise. "Where are we?" ho repeated. "Do you tell mo, John Cnrter, that you know not where you be?" "That I am upon Barsoom Is all that I can guess, and but for you and the great white apes I should not even guess that for the sights I have seen this day are ns unllko the things of my beloved Barsoom as I knew it ten long years ago as they nro unlike the world of my birth. No, Turs Tarkas; I know not where we be." "Where hnvo you been slneo you opened the mighty portals of the at mosphere plant years ago after the keeper had died and the engines stop ped and all Barsoom was dying that had not already died of asphyxiation? "Your body even wns never found, though the men of n whole world sought after it for yours, though tho Jeddak of Helium and his gnuuldnugh ter, your princess, offered sueh fabu lous rewards that even princes of royal blood Joined in the search. J here was but one conclusion to reach when nil efforts to loente yon had fulled-that you had taken the long, last nilgrimnun down ilin mv. terious river Iss to nwnlt in the valley nor uiion the shores of the lost sea of Korus the beautiful Dejah Thorls, your princess. "Why you hnd gone none could guess, for your princess still lived" "Thank heaven!" I Interrupted him. "I did not dare to ask you, for I feared I might hnvo been too late to save her. She was very low when I left her in tho royal gardens of Tardus Mors that long g.me night so very low that I scarcely hoped even then to reach tho atmosphere plant before her dear spirit hnd fled from me forever. And sho lives still!" "Sho lives, John Carter!" "You have not told me where wo are." I reminded him. "We are whero I expected to find you, John Carter and another. Many years ago you heard the story of tho womnu who taught me tho thing that green Martians nro reared to hate tho woman who taught mo to love, j You know the cruel tortures nnd the awful death her love won for her nt the hands of the boast Tal Hajus. Mio, I thought, awaited me bv thn lost sea of Korus." You know that it was left for n mnn from another world for voursoif John Cnrter-to teach this cruel Thnrk what friendship is. and von. I tlmm-hf uiso roameu tne care free vnlley Dor. "Thus were the two I most longed for at the end of the long pilgrlmsye I must take some day, and so ns the time hud elapsed which Dejah Thorls had hoped might bring you once moro to her side for she hns always tried to believe thnt you had but temporarily retnrneii to your own planet I at last , ...., wi1Pr0 Tou are. John Carter?" ; AnA thnt was tlie river Iss, empty- lng int0 the st sea of Korus, in the i vallev Dor?" I usked. I "This is the valley of love and peace .n(i rt.st to which every uarsoominn 8uce time immemorial has louged to l pilgrimage at tho end of a lire or hate an(j strife and uloousueu," no repuuu. I This. John Curter, Is heaven." i iru tone .was cold and Ironical, Its i bitterness but reflecting the terrible 1 dlsannointmont ho hnd suffered, bucn I might have exeuaed a vastly greater demonstration ou the part of the Thark. I laid my hands upon his shoulder. "I am sorry," 1 said, nor did there seem anything else to sny, "Think, John Cnrter. of the count less billions of Barsoomluus who hav taken the voluntary pilgrimage dow this cruel river slneo the beginning of time, only to fall Into the ferocious clutches of the terrible crcutures thut today assailed us. "There is an ancient legend thnt once a red man returned from the bunks of the lost sen of Korus, re turned from tlie valley Dor, bnck through the mysterious river Iss. The legend hns It that ho narrated a fear ful blasphemy of horrid brutes that In habited a vnlley of wondrous loveli ness, brutes that pounced upon each Bnrsoomian as he terminated his pil grimage and devoured him upon the banks of the lost sea, where ho bad "This, John Carter, is heaven." looked to find love nnd peace anff hap piness. "But tho ancients killed the blas phemer, as tradition hns ordained that any shall be killed who return from the bosom of tho river of mystery. "But now we know thnt it was no blasphemy, that the legend Is a true ono and thnt the man told only of what he saw. What does It profit us, John Cnrter, since even should we escape wo also would be treated as blnspbcmers We are between tho wild thont of cer tainty nnd the mad zltldar of fact We can escape neither." "As earth men say, we are between the devil and the deep sea, Tars Tar kas," I replied, nor could I help but smile at our dilemma. "There Is nothing we can do but take things ns they come nnd nt least have tho satisfaction of knowing that what ever race or horde slays us eventually will have great numbers of dead to count "But nbout yourself, John Cnrter, ho cried nt last "If you have not been hero nil these years, where Indeed havej you been, and how Is it that I find you here today?" i nave neen oncic to enrtu," l re plied. "For ten long earth years I have been praying and hoping for the dav that would carry mo once moro to this1 grim old planet of yours, for which with nil its cruel nnd terrible customs I feel n bond of sympathy nnd love even greater than for the world that gnvo me birth. I- or ten years I hnvo been enduring a living death of uncertainty nnd doubt ns to whether Dejah Thorls lived Now, for the first time iu nil these years, my prayers have been answered and my doubt relieved. let I iind myself, through a cruel fute, In the one tiny spot of all Bar soom from which there is apparently no escape and If there is nt a price which would put out forever tho lust flickering hope which I may cling to of swing my princess again. "Only a bare half hour before I saw wu uuiuniif; nun uie plant men I was standing in the moonlight upon the uanivs or a broad river that taps the eastern shore of earth's most blessed lanu. i have answered you, my friend Do you believe?" i Dulleve," replied Tnrs Tarkas, inuugu i cannot understand." As wo talked I had been searching mo interior 01 mo chamber with my eyes. It was perhaps 200 feet In length and half as broad, with what appeared to be a doorway In tlie center of the wall directly opposite that through nuii-u we nuu cntercu. As I extended mv hand tn mo controlling button that cruel and mocking laugh rang out once m close to mo this time that I involunta rily shrnnk back, tightening mv .-H,, upon the hilt of my great sword. And then from the far corner of the great chamber a hollow voice chanted: "There Is no hope, there is no hope; the ueau return not, tho dend return not; nor Is thero any resurrection. Hope not for thero is no hope." Though our eyes Instantly turned to ward the spot from which the voice seemed to emanate, there was no one In sight, and I must admit thnt cold shivers played along my spine and the short hairs at the base of mv head stiffened and rose up, ns do those upon a hound's neck wbeu in the night his eyes see those uncanny things which are. hidden from the sight of roan (Continued next week.) 1. x ;
