Copyright by Frank A. M unsay Co.
- iniiiinimv" -
SYNOPSIS
John Carter, who has been translate
frwloe to Mars, returns to earth and leavea
tho story of bla advanturea with hla oapb
w, than sees again to Mara
Cartar aids a Martian warrior fighting a
fcorOe of plant men. Ho discovers la the
warrior aa old friend, Tare Tarkas.
Carter and Tarkaa escape their enemlea
ky entering a hollow tree and making
taatr way to a cliff cava above.
They explore the cave, and through a
oft door enter a mysterious chamber.
Onaeen voices) threaten them.
Thy engags In desperate fighting with
taenia, people who inhabit that aectlon,
and meet an imprisoned maid, Thuvla.
She tells of her captivity, shoots a them
and Carter dlagulaea himself In the them's
garments.
Carter plans an escape from the mys
terious place. Thuvla leads the way to
still other chamber
The"tiierns ore attacked by an aerial
fleet of Black Pirates, and during the bat
tle Carter, Tarkas, Thuvla and a young
male prisoner, Carthorla, escape In an air
ship. Carter discovers that Carthorla Is his
son by his Martiun wife, Dejah Thorls.
a princess. A fleet from Helium. Carter's
principality, moots his ulrshlp.
Carter Is accused of blasphemy by Zat
Arras, governor of Helium uurlntr carter's
absence. Carter Is condemned, but saved
by powerful friends.
"Cartor Is escorted to his palace. He
louiiiB Unit Dojith TliorlB Is held a prisoner
by the Black Pirates.
Carter and his friends assemble a huge
air fleet and fly to the rescue of Dejah
Thorls.
A fearful aorlnl battle takes place. Car
ter Is also attacked by an air tluut under
Zat Arras, who Is defeated.
"'Together TveTTui to the pardons, but
even though wo scoured the grounds
with tlio entire gourd for liours no
trace could wo find of the night ma
rauder. "What do you ninlto of It, Kantos
Kan?" naked Tars Turkiis.
"A spy sent by Zat Arras," ho re
plied. "It wns ever hlB way."
"He will hnvo something Interesting
to report to his master, then," laughed
Hor Vastus.
"I hopo ho heard only our references
to a new joddfds," I said. "If ho over
heard our pin us to rescue Dejuh Thorls
I Took a 8olemn Vow to Reach, Resoue
and Revenge My Princess.
It will mean civil war, for he will at
tempt to thwart us, and In that I will
not bo thwurtod. There would I turn
against Tardus Mors hlinself 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 Hword each of
them swore to do as I had asked.
It was agreed that the battleships
that were to be remodeled should he
ordered to Hastor. another Hellumetlc
city, far to the southwest. Kantos
Kan thought that the docks there, In
addition to their reguhir work, would
acconunodato at least six battleships at
a time.
As ho was commander In chief of the
navy, It would bo a simple matter for
hlra to order tho vessels there as they
could be handled and thereafter keep
the remodeled fleet In remote parts of
tho empire until we should be ready to
assemble It for the dnsh upon Omean.
It wns late that night before our con
ference broke up, but each man there
had his particular duties outlined, and
tho details of the entire plnu had been
mapped out.
Kantos Kan was to attend to the re
modeling of tho ships. Tars Tarkas
was to get Into communication with
Thark and loarn the sentiments of his
people townrd his return from Dor.
If favorable, he was to repnlr Imme
diately to Thark and devote his time
to the assembling of a great horde of
green warriors whom It was our plan
to tend la transports directly to the
valley Dor and the temple of Iisus
while the fleet entered Omean and de
stroyed the vessels of the Black Pi
rates. Upon Hor Vastus devolved the del
icate mission of organising a secret
force of fighting men sworn to follow
John Carter wherever he might lead.
As we estimated that It would re
quire over a million men to man the
thousand great battleships we Intend-
Nothing Shall Stay Ma Now Short of
Death.
eel to use on Omean and the transports
for tho green men as well ns the ships
Unit were to convoy the transports It
was no trllibig Job that Hor Vastus
ha.l before him.
After they had lert I bid Cnrthorls
good night, for I wns very tired, and,
going to my own apartments, bathed
and hiy down upon my sleeping silks
and furs for the first good night's Bleep
I had hud an opportunity to look for
ward to since I had returned to Bnr
sooin. Six months later Knntos Kan, Tars
Tarkas, nor Vastus, Cnrthorls and my
self met quietly In a room In my pal
ace, and I questioned them regarding
tho preparations for the rescue of
Dejnh Thorls.
"It has been even inoro difficult than
we had expected," said Kantos Kan.
"The fact that wo were compelled to
maintain utter secrecy has handicap
ped us terribly. Zat Arras' spies ore
everywhere. Yet, to tho best of my
knowledge, no word of our real plans
has reached the villain's ear.
"Tonight there lies about the great
docks at Hastor a fleet of n tbousnnd
of the mightiest bnttleshlps that ever
snlled above Itarsoom and ench equip
ped to nnvlgnto tho air to Omean and
tho waters of Omean Itself. Upon
each battleship there are ftvo ten-man
cruisers and ten five-man scouts and
a hundred one-mnn scouts, In nil 110,-
000 craft fltted with both nir and wa
ter propellers.
"At Tluirk Ho tho transports for the
green warriors of Tars TnrkaB, 000
largo troopships, nnd with them their
convoys. Seven days ago all was In
readiness, but we waited In tho hope
that by so doing tho rescue of Dejah
Thorls might be attempted at n time
when tho Ulnck PIratos could be taken
at a disadvantage."
"How Is It, Tars Tarkas," I nsked,
"Unit tho men of Thark tako not tho
accustomed action against one who re
turns from the bosoin of Iss?"
"They sent a council of fifty chief
tains to talk with me here," replied
tho Thark. "We nro a Just people,
and when I had told them tho entire
story they were ns one man In agree
ing that their nctlou toward mo should
he guided by the action of Helium
townrd John Carter.
"In tho mcnntlnie at their request I
was to resume my throne as jeddak
of Thnrk that I might negotiate with
neighboring hordes for warriors to
compose the land forces of the expedi
tion. I have done that which I agreed.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand
fighting men gathered from tho Ice cap
at the north to tho lco cap nt tho south
and, representing a thousand different
communities from a hundred wild and
warlike hordes, fill the great city of
Thark tonight. They are ready to sail
for the land of the Ulack I'lrates when
1 glvo the word and tight there until I
bid them stop.
"All they nsk Is tho loot they ta!:e
and transportation to their own terri
tories when the fighting and the looting
nro over. 1 nm done."
"And thou, Hor Vastus," I asked,
"what has been thy success?"
"A million veteran fighting men from
nelimn's thin waterways man tho bat
tleships, the transports and tho con
voys." he replied. "Each Is sworn to
loyalty and secrecy, nor were enongh
recruited from a single district to cause
suspicion."
-"GcajdJcricd... "Sachjms done his
LA GRANDE EVENINvt OBSERVER.
duty, and now, Kantos Kan. may we
not repair at once to Hastor and get
under way before tomorrow's sun?"
"We should lose no time, prince,"
replied Kantos Kan. "Already the peo
ple of Hastor are questioning the pur
pose of so great a fleet fully manned
with fighting men. I wonder much
that word of It has not before reached
Zat Arras. A cruiser awaits above at
your own dock. Let us leave at"
A fusillade of shots from the palace
gardens just without cut short bis fur
ther words.
Together we rushed to the balcony
In time to sae a dozen members of my
palace guard disappear In the shadows
of some distant Bbrubbery as In pur
suit of one who fled. Directly beneath
ns upon the scarlet sward a handful of
guardsmen were stooping above a still
and prostrate form.
While wo watched they lifted the fig
ure in their arms and at my command
bore it to the audience chamber whero
..webn'd been In council. ' When they
stretched the body at out feet we taw
that It was that of a red man In the
prime of life. His metal was plain,
such as common soldiers wear or those
who have a motive to conceal their
Identity.
"Another of Zat Arras' spies," said
Hor Vastus.
"Bo It would seem," I replied, and
then to the guard, "You may remove
the body." -
"Walt!" said XodaY. "If yon will,
prince, ask that a cloth and ft little
thoat oil be brought."
I nodded to one of the soldiers, who
left the chamber, returning presently
with the things that Xodar had re
quested. The black knelt beside the.
body and, dipping a corner of the cloth
in the thoat oil. rubbed for a moment
on the dead face before him.
Then he turned to me with a smile,
pointing to his work. I looked and
saw that where Xodar had applied
tho thoat oil the face was white as
white as mine and then Xodar seized
the black hair of tho corpse and with
a sudden wrench tore It nil away, re
vealing a hairless pute beneath.
Guardsmen mid nobles pressed close
about tho silent witness upon the mar
ble floor. Many were the exclama
tions of astonishment nod questioning
wonder as Xodnr's nets confirmed the
suspicion which ho had held all the
time.
"A theni!" whispered Tars Tarkas.
"Worso than that, I fear." replied
Xodar. "But let us see."
Willi that ho drew his dagger and
cut open a locked pouch which hnd
dangled from the them's harness, and
from It ho brought forth n circlet of
gold set with n largo gem. It wns the
mate to that which I had taken from
Sator Throg.
"He was a holy tlieru," said Xodar.
"Fortunate, Indeed, It is for us that he
did not escape."
The oHlcer of the guard entered the
chamber at, this Juncfure.
"My" prince." ho snid. "I have to re
port that this fellow's companion es
caped us. I think that It wns with the
connivance of one or more of the men
at the gate I have ordered them all
under arrest."
Zodar handed him the thoat oil and
cloth.
"With this you may discover the spy
among you," ho said.
I nt once ordered a secret senrch
within the city, for every Martian no
ble maintains a secret service of his
own.
A half hour later the officer of the
guard camo to the chamber again to
report. This time It was to confirm
our worst fears half the guards at the
gate that night had been thorns dis
guised as red men.
"Come!" I cried. "We must lose no
time. On to Hastor at once! Should
the therns attempt to check us at the
southern verge of the lco cap It may
result In tho wrecking of all our plans
and the total destruction of the expe
dition." Ten minutes later wo were speeding
through the night toward Hastor, pre
pared to strike the first blow for the
preservation of Dejnh Thorls.
Two hours nfter lenvlng my palace
In ncllum, or about midnight, Kantos
Kan nnd I arrived at Hastor. Cartho
rls, Tars Tnrkas and nor Vastus had
gone directly to Thark upon another
cruiser.
The transports were to get under
way immediately and move slowly
"A thar-l" whispered Tara Tarkaa.
south. The fleet of battleships would
overtake them on the morning of the
second day.
Ajt Hastor we found, all In readiness,
and so perfectly had Kantos Kan pfaS
ned every detail of the campaign that
within ten minutes of our arrival ths
first of the fleet had soared aloft from
its dock. And thereafter, at the rate
of one a second, the great ships Boated
gracofully out into the night to form
a long, thin line which stretched for
mites toward the south.
The expedition could yet do much
besides rescuing Dejah Thorls if It
could but teach the people of Barsoom
the fncts of the cruel deception that
bad been worked npon them for count
less ages and thus save thousands each
year from the horrid fate that awaited
them at the conclusion of the voluntary
pilgrimage.
If it could open to the red men the
fair valley Dor it would have accom
plished much, and in the land of lost
souls, between the mountains of Ott
and the Ice barrier, were man broad
acres that needed no irrigation to bear
rich harvests.
Here at the bottom "of a dyingwbrld
was the only naturally productive area
upon its surface. Here alone were
dews and rains; here alone was an
open sea; here was water In plenty
and all this was but tho stamping
ground of fierce brutes, and from Its
beauteous and fertile expanse the
wicked remnants of two once mighty
races barred all the other millions of
Barsoom.
Could I but succeed In once breaking
down the barrier of religious supersti
tion which had kept the red races from
this 1 Dorado It would be a fitting
memorial to the Immortal virtues of
my princess I should batfe again serv
ed Barsoom, and Dejah Thorls' martyr
dom would not have been In vain.
On the morning of the second day
we raised the great fleet of transports
and their consorts nt the first flood of
dawn and soon were near enough to
exchange signals.
I may mention here thnt radio-aerograms
aro seldom If over used In war
time or for the transmission of secret
dispatches at any time, for ns often ns
ono nntlon discovers a new cipher or
Invents a new Instrument for wireless
purposes Its neighbors bend every ef
fort until theynre nble to Intercept nnd
translate tho messages.
For so long n tune has this gone on
that practically every possibility of
wireless communication had been ex
hausted, nnd no nntlon dares transmit
dispatches of importance In this way.
Tars Tarkas reported nil well with
tho transports. The battleships passed
through to take nn advanced position,
and the combined fleets moved slowly
over tho lco cap, hugging the surface
closely to prevent detection by the
therns whose Innd wo were approach
ing. Far in advance of nil n thin line of
one man nlr scouts protected us from
surprise, and on either sldo they flank
ed us. whllo a smaller number brought
up the rear some twenty miles behind
the transports.
In this formation we bad progressed
toward tho entrance to Omean for sev
eral hours when one of our scouts re
turned from the front to report that
tho conelike summit of the entrance
was In sight At nlmost the snme In
stant another scout from tho left flank
came racing townrd the flagship.
His very speed bespoke the Impor
tance of his Information. Kantos Kan
and I awaited him upon the little for
ward deck which corresponds with the
bridge of enrthly battleships. Scarce
ly had his tiny flier come to rest upon
the broad landing deck of the flagship
ere he was bounding up the stairway
to the deck where we stood.
"A great fleet of bnttleshlps south
southeast, my prince!" he cried. "There
must bo several thousands of them,
and they are bearing down directly
upon us."
"The thern spies were not In the
palace of John Carter for nothing,"
said Kantos Knn to me. "Your or
ders, prince."
"Dispatch ten battleships to guard
the entrance to Omean, with orders to
let no hostile vessel enter or leave
the shaft. That will bottle up the
great fleet of the Black rirates."
"Form the balance of tho battleships
Into a great V, with tho apex pointing
directly south-southeast. Order the
transports, surrounded by their con
voys, to follow closely in tho wake of
the battleships until the point of the
V has entered tho enemy's line; then
tho V must open outwnrd at tho apex,
tho battleships of each leg engage the
enemy fiercely, and drive him back to
form a Iano through his line into
"A great fleet of battleships south
southeast, my princel" he cried.
which the transports, with their con
voys, must race at top speed that they
may gain a position above the temples
and gardens of tho therns.
"Here let them land and teach the
holy therns such a lesson in ferocious
warfare as they will not forget for
countless sees,, U. feadnot J?en my
' -J
r-.nr.;rnn fn h rflsFractedT from the
main Issue of the campaign, but we
must settle this attack with the thorns
once and for all or there will be no
peace for us while our fleet remains
near Dor, and our chances of ever re
turning to the outer world will be
greatly minimized."
Kantos Kan saluted and turned to
deliver my Instructions to bis waiting
aides. In an Incredibly short space of
time the formation of the battleships
changed In accordance with my com
mands, the ten that were to guard the
way to Omean were speeding toward
their destination, and the troop ships
rloslnir ud In prepa-
ration for the spurt through the lane.
The order full speed aneaa was
through th air
like coursing greyhounds, and In an
other moment toe suipb oi mo
were in full view. They formed a
ragged line as far as the eye could
reach in either airecuou um v
three ships deep.
CHAPTER XlV. "
Ths Air Battle.
O sudden was our onslaught that
they had no time to prepare
for It It was as unexpected
a. tiohtnln- from a clear sky.
Ever phase of my plan worked
splendidly. Our huge ships mowed
their way entirely through the line of
thern battle craft; then the V opened
up and a broad lane appeared, through
which the transports leaped toward the
temples of the therns, which could now
be seen glistening In the sunlight
By the time the therns had rallied
from the attack 100,000 green warriors
were already pouring through their
courts and gardens, while 150,000 oth
ers leaned from low swinging trans
ports to direct their almost uncanny
marksmanship upon the thern soldiery
that manned the ramparts or attempt
ed to defend the temples.
Now the two great fleets closed In a
titanic struggle far above the fiendish
din of battle in tho gorgeous gardens
of the therns. Slowly the two lines of
era.J-o
Now the Two Great Fleets Closed In a
Titanio Struggle.
Helium's battleships Joined their ends,
and then commenced the circling with
in the line of the enemy which is so
marked a characteristic of Barsoomlan
naval warfare.
Round and round In each other's
tracks moved the ships under Kantos
Kan until at length they formed near
ly a perfect circle. By this time they
were moving at high speed, so that
they presented a difficult target for
the enemy.
Broadside after broadside they deliv
ered as each vessel came in line with
the ships of the therns. Tho latter at
tempted to rush in and break up the
formation, but It was like stopping a
buzzsaw with a bare band.
From my position on the deck beside
Kantos Kan I saw ship nfter ship of
the enemy take the awful, sickening
dive which proclaims Its total destruc
tion. Slowly wo maneuvered our circle
of death until we hung above the gar
dens, where our green warriors were
engaged.
The order was passed down for them
to embark. Then they rose slowly to a
position within the center of tho cir
cle. In tho meantime the therns' fire had
practically ceased. They had had
enough of us nnd wero only too glad to
let us go on our way In peace.
But our escape was not to be encom
passed with such case, for scarcely had
we got under way once more In the di
rection of the entrance to Omean than
we saw, far to the north, a great black
line topping the horizon. It could be
nothing other than a fleet of war.
Whose or whither bound we could
not even conjecture. When they bad
como close enough to make us out at
all Kantos Kan's operator received a
radio-acrogrnm, which be Immediately
handed to my companion'. He read the
thing and handed It to me:
Kantos Kan Surrender In the name of
the Jeddak of Helium, for you cannot es
cape. ZAT ARRAS.
Tho therns must have caught and
translated the message nlmost as soon
as did we, for they Immediately re
newed hostilities when they realized
that wo were soon to be set upon by
other enemies.
Before Zat Arras had approached
near enough to flro a shot we were
again hotly engaged with tho thern
fleet, and as soon ns he drew near he,
too, commenced to pour a terrific fusil
lade of heavy shot Into us. Ship after
ship reeled and staggered Into useless
ness beneath the pitiless Are that we
were undergoing.
Tho thing could not Inst much longer.
I ordered the transports to descend
again into the gardens of the therns.
"Wreak your vengeance to the ut
most," was my message to the green
allies, "for by night there will be none
left to avenge your wrongs."
Presently I saw the ten battleships
that had been ordered to hold the
shaft of ()menn.TJeyjrejturnlng
SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1917.
af fuff speedT flrQTttenrstern.- Baf
terles almost continuously.
There could bo but one explanation.
Tbey were being pursued by another
hostile fleet Well, the situation could
be no worse. The expedition already
No man that had embarked upon It
would return across that dreary ice
cap. How I wlBbed that I might face
Zat Arras with my long sword for Jurt
an Instant before I dledl It was h
who had caused our failure.
As I watched the oncoming ten I
hir nnrsuers race swiftly into
sight It was another great fleet For
a moment I couio noi ueuuv-
but finally I was forced to admit trtt
tho most fatal calamity bad overtaken
fjbe expedition, for the fleet I saw was
none other tnan we neet ui uj
Pirates that should bare been so safe
ly bottled np In Omean.
What a series of misfortunes and
Musters I What awful fate hovered
over me that I. should have been so
terribly thwarted at every angle ef.
my search for my lost love! uoixa it
be possible that the curse of Issus was
npon me; that there was, Indeed, some
malign divinity In that hideous car
cass?
I would not believe It and, throwing
back my shoulders, I ran to the deck
below to join my men In repelling
boarders from one of the thern craft
that bad grappled us broadside. In
the wild Inst of band to hand combat
my old hopefulness returned, and as
thern after thern went down beneath
my blade I could almost feel that we
should win success in the end even
from apparent failure.
My presence among the men so
greatly Inspirited them that tney reu
upon the luckless whites with such
ferocity that within a few moments
we had turned the .tables upon them,
and a second later as we swarmed
their own decks I had the satisfaction
of seeing their commander take, the
long leap from the bows of his vessel
In token of surrender and defeat
Then I joined Kantos Kan. He had
been watching what had taken place
on the deck below, nnd It seemed to
hnvo given him a now thought. Imme
diately he passed an order to one of;
bis officers, nnd presently the colors
of tho Trlnee of Helium broke from
every point of the flagship.
A great cheer arose from the men
of our own ship, a cheer that was tak
en up by every other vessel of our ex
pedition ns they in turn broke my
colors from their upper works.
Then Knntos Kun sprang his coup.
A signal legible to every sailor of all
tho fleets engnged In that fierco strug
gle was strung aloft upon the flagship.
"Men of Helium for tho Prince of
Helium against all his enemies," it
rend.
Presently my colors broke from one
of Zat Arras' ships; then from another
nnd nnother. On somo wo could see
fierce buttles waging between the Zo-
dnugan soldiery and the Hellumetlc
crews, but eventually the colors of the
Prluco of Helium floated above every
ship thnt hnd followed Znt Arras upon
our trail. Only bis flagship flew them
not
Zat Arras had brought 6,000 ships.
The Bky was black with the three enor
mous fleets. It was Helium against
the Held now, and the fight bad set
tled to countless Individual duels,
There could be little or no maneuver
ing of fleets in thnt crowded, fire split
sky.
Zat Arras' flagship was close to my
own. I could see the thin features of
the man from where I stood.
His Zodnngan crew was pouring
broadside nfter brondsldc into us, and
we were returning their fire with equal
ferocity. Closer and closer came the
two vessels until but a few yards In
tervened. Grnpplers and boarders lined
the contiguous rails of each. We were
preparing for the death struggle with
our bated enemy.
There was but a yard between the
two mighty ships as the first grappling
Irons were hurled. I rushed to the
deck to be with my men as they board
ed. Just as the vessels enme together
with a slight shock I forced my way
through the lines and was the first to
spring to the dock of Znt Arras' ship.
After me poured a yelling, cheering,
cursing throng of Helium's best fight
ing men. Nothing could withstand
them in the fever of battle lust which
enthralled them.
Down went the Zodangans before
that surging tide of war, and as my
men cleared the lower decks I sprang
to the forward deck where stood Zat
Arras.
"You are my prisoner, Zot Arras!"
I cried. "Yield and you shall have
quarter."
For a moment I could not tell wheth
er he contemplated acceding to my de
mand or facing me with drawn sword.
For an instant he stood hesitating, and
then, throwing down his arms, he turn
ed and rushed to tho opposite sldo of
the deck. Before I could overtake him
he had sprung to the rail and hurled
himself headforemost Into the awful
depths below. .
Thus went Zat Arras, Jed of Zodan-
ga, to his end.
On and on went that strange battle.
The therns and blncks had not combin
ed against us. Wherever thern Bhlp
met ship of the Black Pirates was a
battle royal, and In this I thought I
saw our salvation. Wherever mes
sages could be passed between us that
count not De interccptea by our ene
mies 1 passed the word that all our
vessels were to withdraw from the
fight as rapidly as possible, taking t
position to the west nnd south of the
combatants, I also sent an air scout
to the fighting green men In the gar
dens below to re-embark and to the
transports to Join us.
My commanders were further In
I structed that when engaged wltha
(OMtfatsW sxt week. ) ""
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