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Updated: June 5, 2025
"It is fortunate that you left me here, red man," said the bowman. "I but just now intercepted one who seemed over-anxious to reach this door it was he whom they call Astok, Prince of Dusar." Carthoris smiled. "Where is he now?" he asked. "He escaped my blade, and ran down this corridor," replied Kar Komak. "We must lose no time, then!" exclaimed Carthoris. "He will have the guard upon us yet!"
I found the submarine in its pool, and at once placed a strong guard upon it and the island, where I remained to wait the coming of Carthoris and the others. Among the prisoners was Yersted, commander of the submarine. He recognized me from the three trips that I had taken with him during my captivity among the First Born. "How does it seem," I asked him, "to have the tables turned?
"This way," cried the boy, and, without waiting to know that I had heard him, he dashed off at breakneck speed, further into the bowels of the temple. As fast as he went, however, I was still beside him, urging him on to greater speed. At last we came to a great carved door, and through this Carthoris dashed, a foot ahead of me.
"Do the maids of Helium pay court to their men?" asked Thuvia. "You are playing with me!" exclaimed Carthoris. "Say that you are but playing, and that after all you love me, Thuvia!" "I cannot tell you that, Carthoris, for I am promised to another." Her tone was level, but was there not within it the hint of an infinite depth of sadness? Who may say? "Promised to another?"
For several days diplomatic relations had been severed between Helium and her two most powerful neighbors, and with the departure of the ministers had come a total cessation of wireless communication between the disputants, as is usual upon Barsoom. But of all this Carthoris was ignorant. All that interested him at present was the finding of Thuvia of Ptarth.
We must reach the upper levels of the pits in advance of the flood or we shall never reach them. Come." "Lead the way, Carthoris," I cried. "We will follow." At my command, the youth leaped into one of the corridors, and in column of twos the soldiers followed him in good order, each company entering the corridor only at the command of its dwar, or captain.
"There is one," she replied, "who would come, and, coming, dare to cut you down upon your own throne, if he thought that you had offered affront to Thuvia of Ptarth!" "Who, Jav?" asked Tario. "Not Jav, nor any other soft-skinned Lotharian," she replied; "but a real man, a real warrior Carthoris of Helium!" Again the man laughed at her. "You forget the bowmen," he reminded her.
The place of honour at a Martian hoard is always at the hostess's right, and this place was ever reserved by Dejah Thoris for the great Thark upon the occasions that he was in Helium. Hor Vastus sat in the seat of honour upon Carthoris' side of the table. There was little general conversation. It was a quiet and saddened party.
It was evident that he regretted the temerity that had made him the centre of interested observation. But at last, seeing no alternative, he spoke. "It might be tampered with," he said, "by an enemy." Carthoris drew a small key from his leathern pocket-pouch. "Look at this," he said, handing it to the man.
Carthoris sought both to defend Thuvia of Ptarth and reach the side of the hideous Hortan Gur that he might avenge the blow the creature had struck the girl. He succeeded in reaching the rostrum, over the dead bodies of two warriors who had turned to join Thar Ban and his companion in repulsing this adventurous red man, just as Hortan Gur was about to leap from it to the back of his thoat.
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