The evening world. Newspaper, February 1, 1916, Page 15

accesses * walled Sa feesn era ut H RAA AAA MIIRE (Copyright, the Frank A, Munsey Co,) SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS, a] ‘er arena, fo lotites revolt, CHAPTER Ill. The Rites of Issus. SH HE racks that stood without ‘were stripped of ty swords with which the prisoners were to have been armed to enter their allotted combats, and a swarm of determined warriors sped to our support. The great apes, towering in all their fifteen foot of height, had gone down before my sword while the charging “Bilards were still some distance away. loso behind them pursued the youth. ‘At my back were the young girls, and as tt was in their service that I fought, I remained standing there to meet my inevitable death, but with the determination to give such an ac- count of myself as would long be jembered in the land of the First young red man as he raced after the rts Never had I seen such speed In any Martian. His leaps and bounds were little short of those which my ly muscles had produced to create such awe and respect on the part of the green Martians into whose hands Thad fallen on that long-gone day that had seen my first advent upon Mars. The guards had not reached me When be fell upon them from the rear, and as they turned, thinking from tho fierceness of his onslaught that a dozen were attacking them, I rushed them from my side. In the rapid fiehting that followed I had little chance to note aught else than the movements of my immediato adversaries, but now and again caught a fleeting glimpse of a purring sword, and a lightly-springing figure of sinewy steel that filled my heart with # strange yearning and a mighty but unaccountable pride. On the handsome face of the boy a «rim smile played, and ev and anon he threw a taunting challenge to the foes that faced him. Jn this and other ways his manner of fighting was similar to that which had always marked me on the field of combat. Perhaps it was this vague likeness which made me love the boy, while the awfpl havoc that his sword played iK the blacks filled my soul with tremendous respect for him. For my part, | was fighting as I had fought a thousand times before—now side-stopping a wicked thrust, now ‘stepping quickly in to let my sword’s point drink deep in a foeman’s heart before {t buried itself in the throat of his companion. were having a merry time of it, we tvo, when a-Kreat body of Issus’s own guards were ordered into. the arena, On they came with flerce cies, while from every side the armed pris- oners swarmed upon them. Bor half an bour it was as though the inferno had broken loose. In the confines of the arena wo fought iu an inextricable mass howling, cursing, —bleod-streaked demons, and ever the sword of the young red man flashed beside me. Slowly and by repeated commands I had succeeded {n drawing the pris- oners into a rough formation about us, 8o that at last we fought formed into a rude circle, in the centre of which were the doomed maids. Many had gone down on both sides, but by far the greater havoc had been wrought in the ranks of the guards of Issus, 1 could see messengers running swiftly through the audience, and as Uiey passed the nobles there, -un- sheathed their swords and sprang nto the arena, They were going to apuihilate us by force of numbe: u) was quite evidently their plan. 1<* wht a glimpse of Issus leaning fay fo. ard upon her throne, her hideous countenance disterted in & worrid gtimace of hate and rage, in whith I thought I could distinguish an expression of fear, It was that face that inspired me to the thing that followed. Quickly 1 ordered fifty of the pris- oners to drop back behind us and form a new circle about tho maidens. ain and protect them until ! return,” 1 commanded. turning to those thh outer line I cried: “Down with Igsus. Follow me to the throne! We will reap vengeance where vengeance ved.” 1 ne youth at my side was the first to take up the.cry of “Down with Iseus!" and then at my back and from all sides rose a hoarse shout: "To the thrond! To the throne!” ‘As one man we moved, an irresist- dle fighting mass, over the bodies of dead and dying foes toward the gor- geous throne of tho Martian deity. Hordes of tho doughtiest fighting men, of the First Born poured from the audience to check our progres: We mowed them down before us 43 if they had been paper men, “my the seats, some of you!” I eried proached the arena’s barrier . “Ten of us can take the throne," for I had seen that Issus’s guards had for the most part entered ¢o fray within the arena. On hoth sides of me tho prisoners broke to left and right for the seats, vaulting the low wall with dripping swords lusting for the crowded vic- tims who awaited them, In another moment the entire am- phitheatre was filled with the shrieks of the dying and the wounded, mingled with the clash of arms and the triumphant shouts of the victors, Side by side the young red man and I; with perhaps a dozen others, fought our way to the foot of the ho formed throne. . The remaining guards, reinforced by the high dighttaries and nobles of tho First Born, ¢losed tn between us and Issus, who sat leaning far for- ward upon her carved sorapus bench, now screaming high pitched cam- mands to her following, now hurling biighting curses upon those who sought to desecrate her godhood, ‘The frightened slaves about her trembled in wide eyed expectancy, knowing not whether to pray for our vietory or our defeat. Several among them, proud daugh- ters, no doubt, of some of Barsoom's noblest’ Warriors, ‘snatched swords from the hands of the fallen and fell yoon the guards of Issus, but they The “TARZAN” Man Is at His Best in This. Wonder Sto By Edgar Rice Burroughs of “TARZAN OF THE APES, Ete, r RRA RRS were soon cut down, glorious martyrs to @ hopeless caus The men wita us fought well, but never since ‘Lars Yarkas and | fought out that long, hot atternvon shoulus: to snoulder against vhe hordes of Warhvon in the dead sea bottom be- fore bark, bad | seen two men ngot to such good purpose and with such unconquerable ferocity as tbe young red man and 1 fought that day betore the throne of issus, Goadess of Death and of Life Bternal, Man by man those who stood be- tween us and the carven sorapus woud bench went down before our blades. Otners swarmed in to fill the breach, but inch by inch, foot by foot, we Won fearer and mearer to our goal, Presently @ cry went up from a seotion of the stands near by, “Hise, slaves “Rise, slaves!" it rose and fe until 4t swelled to & mighty vol- ume of sound that swept in grewt bil- luws round the entire ainphitheatre, For an instant, as though by com. mon assent, We ceased our fighting to note; nor did it take but a moment to transiate its significance, In ali paris of the structure the female eiaves were falling upon tcir mas- ters with whatever weapon came first to hand, A dagger snuiched from the har- eas of her mistress was waved aloft by some fair clave, its shimmering blade crimson with the life-biood of 1s owner; swords plucked from tho bodies of the dead about them; heavy orpamenta which could bo turned into bludgeons—such were the impie- ments with which these fuir women wreaked the long-pent vengeance whioh at best could but partially rec- ompense them for the unepeakable crueltics and indignities which their bhuwck masters had heaped upon them, their gleaming teeth, It way @t once a sight to mako one shudder and to cheer; but in a brief second we were engaged once more ] *# our own batue, With only the un- quenchable battle cry of the women to remind us that they still fought— “Rise, slaves!” “Rise, slaves!" Only a single thin rank of men now stood between us and Iswus. Her face was blue with terror, Foam flecked her lips. She seemed too par- alyzed with fear to move, Unly the youth and | fought noty, The others ali had fallen, and L was like to have gone down, too, from @ nasty long sword-cut had not @ hand reached out from behind my adver- @ary and clutched his elbow as the blade was falling upon mé. The youth sprang to my side and ran his eword through the fellow be- fore he could recover to deliver an- other blow. 1 should have died even then, for my sword was tight wedged in the breastbone of a dutor of the First Born. As the fellow went down I snatched his sword from him, and over his prostrate body looked into the eyes of the ono whose quick hand had saved me from the first cut of his sword. It was Phaidor, the daughter of Matai Shang. “Fly, my prince!” she cried. “It ts useless to fight them longer. Au within the arena are dead. All who charged the throne are dead but you and this youth. Only among the seats are there left any of your fighting men, and they and the slave women are fast being cut down. ‘Listen! ou can scarce hear the battle-cry of the women now, for nearly all are dead. For each one of you there are ten thousand blacks within the domains of the First Born, Break for the open and the Sea of Korus. ‘With your mighty eword-arm you may yet win to the Golden Cliffs and the templed gardens of the holy therns. There tell your story to Matai Shang, my futher. He will keep you and together you may find a way to rescue me. Fly while there is yet a bare Cr tgeed ior ene aee But that was not my mission, could 1 seo much to be preferred in the cruel hospitality of the holy therns to that of the First Born. “Down with Issus!" 1 shouted, together the boy and I took up the fight once more, Two blacks went down with our sword#ein their vitals and we stood face to face with Issus, As my sword went up to end her horrid career her paralysis left her and, with an ear- piercing shriek, she turned to flee. Directly behind her a black gulf suddenly yawned in the flooring of the dais. She sprang for the opening with the youth and I close at her heels, Her soattered guard rallied at her ery and rushed for us. A blow fell upon the head of the youth, He etaggered and would have fallen, but I caught him in my left arm and turned alone to face an in- furiated mob of religious fanatics crazed by the affront I had put upon their goddess just as Issus disap- peared into the black depths beneath me, CHAPTER IV. Back to Shador. R an instant I stood there before they fell upon me, but the first rush of them forced me back a step or two, My foot felt’ for the floor, but found only empty space. I had backed into the pit which had received Issus. For a second I toppled there upon the brink. Then I, too, with the boy still tightly clutched in my arms, pitched backward into the black abyss. We struck a polished chute, the opening above us closed as magically as it had opened, and we shot down, unharmed, into a dimly lighted apart- ment far below the arena. As I rose to my feet the first thing I. saw was the malignant countenance of Issus glaring at me through the heavy bars of a grated door at one side of the chamber. “Rash mortal!" she shrilled, “You shall pay the awful penalty for yout blasphemy in this secret cell, Here you shall lie alone and in darkness with the carcass of your accomplice festering in its rottenness by your side until, crazed by loneliness and hunger, you feed upon the crawling maggots that were once a man.” ‘That was all, In another instant he was gone and the dim light which The Evening World ‘ RE CAREFUL QHE HAS A TEMPER Nice TIME To BE GETTING IN dator had filled the cell faded into Cimme- rian blackness, “Pleasant old lady,” eald @ voice at my side. Who speaks?” I asked. ‘Tis I, your companion, who has had the honor this day of fighting shoulder to shoulder with the greatest warrior that ever wore metal upon Barsoom.” “Thank heaven that you are not dead,” 1 guid. “I feared for that nasty cut upon your head,” “It but stunned me,” he replied. mere scratch.” “Maybe it were as well had it been final,” I said. “We seem to be in a pretty fix here with a splendid chance of dying of starvation and thirst.” ‘Where are we?” “Beneath the arena,” I replied. “We tumbled down the #haft that swal- lowed Issus as she was almost at our mercy. He laughed a low laugh of pleasure and relief, and then, reaching out through the inky blackness, he pulled my ear close to his mouth, “Nothing could be better,” he whis- pered, “There are secrets within the pecrets of Issus of which Issue her- self does not dreain.” “What do you mean?” labored ‘with the other slaves a oN since in the remodelling he. erranean galleries and at that time we found below these an a cient system of corridors and cham- bers that had been sealed up for ages. “The blacks in charge of the work explored them, taking several of us along to do hatever work there might be occasion for, 1 know the entire system perfectly, “There are miles of corridors hon- eycombing the ground beneath the gardens and the temple itself and there is one passage that leads down to and connects with the lower re- gions that open on the water shaft that gives passage to Omean. “If we can reach the submarine un- detected we may yet make the sea in ich there aré many islands where the blacks never go. There we max live for a time, and who knows what may transpire to ald us to escape!” He had spoken all in a low whis- per, evidently fearing spying cara even here, and so I answered him in the same subdued tone, “Lead back to Shador, my friend,” I whispered, ‘“Xodar, the black, there. We were to attempt our escape , so T cannot desert him? 1d the boy, “one cannot friend. It were better to be ptured ourselves than that.” Then he commenced groping his way about the floor of the dark chamber searching for the trap that led to the corridors beneath. At length he summoned me by a low “Hist! and I crept toward the sound of his voice to find him kneeling on the brink of an opening in the floor. “There is a drop here of about ten feet,” he whispered, ang by your hands and you will alight safely on a level floor of soft sand.” Very quietly | lowered myself from the Inky cel! above into the inky pit below, So utterly dark was it that we could not see our hands at an inch from our noses, Never, T think, have known such complete absence of light as existed in the pits of Tsaus, For an instant T hung in midatr. There 1s a strange sensation, con- nected with an experience of that nature which is quite diMeult to de- scribe. When the feet tread empty air and tho distance below is shrouded in darkness there is a feeling akin to panic at the thought of releasing the hold and taking the plunge into un- Known depths, Though the hoy had told me that it was but teu feet to the floor below I Preparedness Maga ven zine, T IT'S NOTAKID IT's A DoW. MY LEAP YEAR, PROTECTION. j BE PREPARED BEFORE Goa T BANQUET ( 1AM PREPARED experienced the same thrills as though I were hanging above a bot- tomless pit. Then I released my hold and dropped—two feet to a soft cushion of sand. ‘The boy followed me. “Raise me to your shoulders,” he said, “and I will replace the trap.” ‘This done, he took me by the hand, leading me very slowly, with much feeling about and frequent halts to assure himself that he did not stray into wrong passageways. Presently we commenced the do- scent of a very steep incline. "Tt will not be long,” he said, be- fore we shall have light. At the lower levels we meet the same strata of phosphorescent rock that illuminates Omean.” Never shall I forget that trip through the pits of Issus. While it was devold of important incidents, yet It was filled for me with f& strange charm of excitement and adventure which I think must have hinged principally on the unguessable antiquity of these long-forgotten cor- ridors, ‘The things which the Stygian darkness hfd could not have been half so wonderful as the pictures which my imagination wrought My fancy conjured to life again the ancient peoples of this dying world nd set them once more to the labors, the intrigues, the mysteries and the cruelties they had practised to make & their last stand ugainst the swarming hordes of the dead sea bottoms who had driven them step by step to the uttermost pinnacle of the world, where they were now intrenched behind a barrier of superstition, In addition to the green men there had been three principal races upon Barsoom—the blacks, the whites and a@ race of yellow men, As the waters of the planet dried and the seas re- ceded all other resources dwindled un- til life upon the planet became a con- stant battle for survival The various races had made war ‘upon one another for ages, and the three higher types had easily bested the green savages of the waste places of the world; but now that the reced- ing seas necessitated constant aban- donment of their fortified cities and forced upon them a more or less no- madic life in which they became sep- arated into smaller communities, they soon fell prey to the fierce hordes of green men, The result was a partial amal tion of the blacks, whites and ows, the result of which is shown in the present splendid race of red men I had always supposed that all traces of the ortginal races had dis- @ppeared from the face of Mars, yet within the past four day I had found both whites and blacks if «reat mul tudes, Could tt be possible that in somo far off corner of the planet there still existed a remnant of tha ancient race of yellow men? My reveries were suddenly broken in upon by a low exclamation from the boy, “At last the lighted way!" he cried in delight, and looking wp I beheld at a long distance before us a dim radiance, As we advanced the glow increased until presently we emerged into well lighted passageways. From then on our progress was rapid until we came suddenly to the end of a corridor that led directly upon the ledge surround- ing the pool of the submarine, The craft lay at ner moorings with uncovered hatch, Raising his finger to his lips and then tapping the aword in a significant manner, the youth crept noiselessly toward the vessel, I waa close at his heels, Silently we dropped to the deserted TAuc AS MUCH AS You LIKE 1AM PREPARED SILENCERS G Yee lr i l ~ deck and on hands and krees crawled which led to the sentry's post and the toward the hatchwa: stealthy glance below revealed no guard in sight, and so with the quickness and the noiselessness of cats we dropped together into the main cabin of the submarine, Even here was no. eign of life, Quickly we covered and secured the hatch, Then the boy stepped into the pilot house, touched « button and the boat sank amid swirling waters toward the bottom of the shaft. Even then there was no scurrying of feet as we had expected, and while the boy remained to direct the boat I slid from cabin to cabin in futile search for some mem- ber of the crew. The craft was en- tirely deserted. Such good fortune seemed almost unbelievable, When I returned to the pilot house to report the good news to my com- panion he handed me a paper. “This may explain the absence of the crew,” he said. It was a radio-aerial message tu the commander of the submarine: The alives have risen, — Come with what men you have and those that you can gather on the way, ‘Too late to get ald from Omoan y are massacring all within the nphitheatre, Insus fs threat- ed. Haste. ZITHAD. {thad is dator of the guards of explained the youth, “We them a bad seare—one that they will not soon forget. “Let us hope that it is but the be- «.nuing of the end of Issus,” I said. “Only our first ancestor knows,” he replied, We reached the submarine pool in Omean without incident. Here we d6- bated the wisdom of sinking the craft before leaving her, but finally decid- ed that it would add nothing to our chances for est ‘There wero plen ty of b! an to ¢hwart us were w ; however many might come from the temples more and gardens of Issus would not In any way decrease our chances. We were now In a quandary as to how to pass the guards who pa- trolled tho island about the pool, At last | hit upon a plan “What is the name or title of the officer in charge of these guards?” 1 asked the bey, A fellow named Torlth was on duty when we entered this morning, mC 1, And what is the name of der of the submarine?” blank the lowing order: in cabin and wrote tt DATOR TORITH Keturn these two sl} once to Shador HD. “That will be the return,” I said, smil the forged order mpler way to , as I handed the boy. “Come, we shall see now how well tt works.” “But our swords!” he exélaimed “What shall we say to explain them?” “Since we cannot explain them we shall have to leave them behind us,” 1 replied “Is it not the extreme of rashness to thus put ourselves again unarmed in the power of the First Born?” “It 1s the only way,” I answered. “You may trust me to find a way out of the prison of Shador, and I think, once out, that we shall find no great difficulty in arming ourselves once more in a country which abounds so plentifuly in armed men." “As you say,” he replied with a amile and a shrug. "£ could not fol- low another leader who. Inspired greutor confidence than you, Come,let Us put your ruse to tho test.” Boldly we emerged from the hatch- way of tho craft, leaving our swords behind us, and strode to the main exit By Maurice Ketten ‘ uesday. February SAY, LAM NOTIN, ATS THE Bit COLLECTOR ( office of the dator of the guard. At sight of us the members of the * guard sprang forward in surprise, and with leveled rifles halted us. I held out the message to one of them. took ft, and seetng to whom it was office to learn the cnuse of the com motion, The black read the order, and for a moment eyed us with evident sus- picion, “Whore is Dator Yersted?” he asked, and my heart sank within mo as I cursed myself for a stupid fool in}, to ¥ not having sunk the submarine make good the lie that I must tell. “His orders were to return immedi- ately to the temple landing,” I replied, Torith took @ half-step toward the entrance to the pool as though to cor- roborate my story. For that instant everything hung in the balance, for had he done so and found the empty submarine still lying at the wharf the whole weak fabric of my concoction would have tumbled about our heads. Evidently, however, ho decided that the message must be genuine, por in- deed was there any good reason, to doubt it, since {t would scarce bay seemed credible to him ;that two slaves would voluntary have given themselves into custody in any such manner as this. It was the very bold- ness of the plan which rendered it successful, “Were you connected with the ris- ing of the slaves?” asked Torith, “We have just had meagre reports of some such event.” “AN were involved," I replied. “But it amounted to Httle. The guards quickly overcame and the ma- jority of us.” He seemed satisfied with this reply. “Take them to Shador,” he ordered, ; turning to one of his ‘subordinates, We entered @ small boat lying beside tho island, and in a few minutes were disembarking upon Shacior. Here we were returned to our re. spective cells, I ith Xodar, the boy by himself, and behind locked doors we were again prisoners of the Firat Born, CHAPTER V. A Break for Liberty. B)ODAR listened in incredulous } astonishment to my narra- tion of the events which had transpired within the arena at the rites of Issus. He could scarce conceive, even though he had already professed his doubt as to the deity of Issus, that one could threaten her with sword in hand and not be blasted into a thou- sand fragments by the mere fury of her divine wrath. “It 1s the final proof,” he said at last. ‘No more is needed to com- pletely shatter the last remnant of my superstitious belief in the divinity of Issus, “She is only a wicked old woman, wielding a mighty power for evil through machinations that have kept her own people and all Barsoom in religious ignorance for ag “She is still all powerful here, how- ever,” [replied, “So it behooves us to leave at the first moment that ap pears at all propitious,” “I hope that you may find a propl- tious moment," he said with « laugh, “for it is certain that in all my life I He 1, 31916 and when he isn’t eure whether By Eleanor duel of hearts. Don't forget to look for the first in next Monday's Evening World. | | have never son one in which a pris | oner of the First Rorn might escape.” “To-night will do as well as any jvcher time,” TE repited “It will soon be night,” said Xodar, “How may I aid in tho adventure?’ ‘an you swim?” T asked him. No slimy silian that haunts the | depths of Korus is more at home in | Water than is Xodar,” ho replied. | “Good. The red ono‘in all probabil- ity cannot swim,” L suid, “sineo there is scarce enough water in all their domains to float the tiniest craft; one of us, therefore, will have to support him through the sea to the craft we select “T had hoped that we might make the entire distance below the surface, but [ fear that the red youth could not thus perform the trip. Even the bravest of tho brave among them are terrorized at the mere thought of deep water, for it has been ages since their forbears saw a@ lake, a river or a wea.” “The ved one ia to accompany us?” asked X + “Yo: “It Is well. Three swords aro better than two, especially when the third is as mighty as this fellow's. T have geen him battle in the arena at the rites of Lasus many times. “Never, until f saw you fight, had I seen one who seemed unconquerable even in the face of great odds. One might think you two master and pu- 11, or father and son. Come to recall his face, there is a resemblance be- tween you. “It is very marked when you fight —there is the same grim smile, the samo maddening contempt for your adversary apparent In every move- ment of your bodies and in every changing expression of your faces.” “Be that as it may, Xodar, he is a eroat fighter. I think that we will make @ trio difficult to overcome, and if my friend Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Whark, were but one of us we could fight our way from one end of Bar. soom to the other, even though th whole world were pitted against ug.” “It will be," said Xodar, “when they find whence you have come, That is but one of the supersti- Mons which Issus has’ foisted upon Is credulous humanity, She works through the holy therns, who are as ignorant of ber real self as,are the Barsoomians of the outer id. “Her decrees aro borne to the therns written in blood upon a strange parchment. that they are receiving the revela- tons of a goddess through some sup- ernatural agency, since they find these messages upon their guarded altars to which ne could have aceess without dethetion. borne these messages for I myself ‘ssus “There ia a long tunnel from the temwlo of Issuy to tbe principal temple of Matat Shang. ages ago by the slaves of the First Rorn in such utter secrecy that no thern ever guessed dts existence. “The therns for their part have temples dotted about the entire civ- world, Here priests whom the lo never #e6 communicate the doctrine of the mysterious River Ias, the Valley Dor and the lost Sea of Gorus to persuade the poor deluded creatures to take the voluntary. pil- grimage that swells the wealth of the holy therns and adds to the numbers of their slaves. “Thus the therns,are used as the principal means for collecting the wealth and labor that the First Born wrest from them as they need ft. “Occasionally the First Born them- Wes make raide upon the outer world, It fs then that they capture many females of the royal houses of the red men and take the newest in battleships and the trained artisans who build them, that they may copy what they cannot create. “We are a non-produetive race, priding ourselves upon our non-pro- dactiveness, Tt is ertminal fora First Horn to labor or invent, ‘That is the work of the tower orders, who live merely that the First Born-may enjoy long lives of luxury and idleness. “With us fighting is all that counts, Were it not for that there would be mero of the First Born than all the creatures of Barsoom could support, for {n so far as I know none of us ever dies a natural death. “Our females would live forever but for the fact that we tire of them and remove them to make place for Isatta nlone of all Is protected death, Sho has lived for pas Ages.” “Would not the other Barsoomians lve forever but for the doctrine of the voluntary pilgrimage which drags them to the bosom of Ins at or before y thousandth year?” I asked him. “E feel now there fs no doubt that they ure precisely the same spectes turé as the First Born, and T pat T shall live to fight for them nt of the sins | have com ainst them through the fa- orn of generations of false mitted a, norance teaching. As be ceased speaking a weird call Tang out across the waters of Omean, I hud heard It at the same time the previous evening and knew that it marked the ending of the day, when the men of Omean spread their silks upon the deck of battleship and cruiser and fall into the dreamless 8 of Mars. Our guard entered to inspect us for the last time before the new day broke upon the world above, His duty was soon performed and the heavy door of our prison closed behind him we were alone for the night. T gavo him time to return to his quarters, as Xodar said he probably would do, then I sprang to the grated window and surveyed the nearby wa- ters. At @ little distance from the island, a quarter of a mflo perhaps, lay a monster battleship, while be- tween her and the shore were a num- ber of smaller crulsers and one-man scouts, Vpon the battleship alone was there # watch, T could see him plainly tn the upper works of the ship, and as I watched T saw him spread bis sleep- When Two Women Love the Same Man What Is He to Do? That ts one of the several queer problems confronting the hero of A MAN'S | HEARTH Next Week's Complete Novel in The Evening World This is an up to date New York story and tells of a strange The fools think 1 he loves either or both of them, M. Ingram instalment of "A MAN'S HEARTH” ing silks upon the tiny platform on Soon he which he was stationed, th: couch, The discipline on Omean was lax indeed. But it is not be wondered himself at full length upon his since no enemy guessed the existence * upon Barsoon of such a fleet, or even of the First Born, or the Sea éf Omean. Why indeed should they maintain a watch! Presently [ dropped to the floor again and talked with Xodar, deserth- ing the vartous craft I bad seen. “There ls one there,” he said, “im personal property, built to carry five men, that is the awiftest of the swift, If we can board her wo can at least make @ memorable run for liberty,” and then he went on to describe to me the equipment of the boat her engines and all that went to make her the flyer that she was In his explanation I recognized a trick of gearing that Kantos Kan bad taught me that time wo sailed under false names in the navy of Zodanga beneath Sab Than, the prince. And | knew then that the First Born had stolen it from the ships of Helfum, for only they aro thus geared, I knew, too, that Xodar spoke the truth when he lauded the speed of his little craft, for nothing that cleaves: the thin air of Mars can approximate the apeed of the ships of Helium. We decided to wait for an hour at Jeast until all the stragglers had sought their silks. In the mean time 1 was to fetch the red youth to our cell so that we would be in readiness to make our rash break for freedom together. I sprang to the top of our partition wall and pulled myself up onto tt ‘There I found @ flat surface about a foot in width and along this I walked ‘until [ came to the cell in which I saw ‘the boy sitting upon his bench. As I stooped to drop to the floor be- eide him he motioned me to wait, and cell he sprang up until 1 reaped 18 gutstretohed hand, and thus I pulled him to the wall’s top beside me. “You are the first jumper I ever saw among the red men of Baraoon,” paid He emiled. “It ds aot strange. I will tell you why when we have more time.” Xodar sat, descending to talk with him until the hour had sed. There we made our pl immediate future, binding ourselves by @ solemn oath to fight to the deati for one another against whatsoover enemies should confront us, for we knew that even should we succeed in ing, the First Born we might still have @ whole world against ue— the power of religious superstition is mighty. It was agreed that I should navi- gate the craft after we bad reached her, and that if we made the outer world in safety we should atttmpt to reach Helium without @ stop. “Why Hellum?" asked the red youth. “Tam a prince of Hellum," I re- plied. He ve me @ peculiar look, but said nothing furthér on the subject. 1 wondered at the time what the sig- nificance of his expression might be, Dut in the press of other matters, It soon left my mind, nor did I have oc- easion to think of it later. “Come,” I said at as good a@ time as any. us Another moment found me at top of the partition wall wi the boy beside me. Unbuckling my harness, I snapped it together into single long strap which I the waiting Xodar below. He grasped the end and waa soon sitting beside us, * “How simple,” he laughed. “The balance should ‘bse even sim- pler,” I replied. Thon I raised myself to the top of the outer wall of the prison, just so that I could peer over and locate th passing sentry. For a matter of five minutes I waited, and then he came in sight on his slow and snail-like beat about the structure. I watched until he had made the turn at the end of the buliding, which carried him out of sight of the side of the prison that was to witness our dash for freedom. The moment his form disappeared I grasped Xodar and drew him to the top of the wail. Placing one ead of my harness strap in his hands I lowered him quickly to the ground below. Then the bey grasped the strap and slid down to Xodar's side. In accordance with our arragement they did not wait for me, but walked slowly toward the water, a matter of ® hundred yards, directly past the quard-house filed with sleeping sol- ers. ‘They had scarcely taken a dosen steps when I too dropped to thi ground and followed them. leisurely toward the shore, As I passed the suard-house. the thought of all the good blades lying there gave me pause, for if ever men were to have need of swords It was my companions and-I on the perilous trip upon whieh we were about to embark, I glanced toward Xodar and the youth and saw that they had slipped over the edge of the dock into the water, In accordance with our plan, 4 they wero to remain there clinging to the metal rings which studded the concrete-like substance of the dock at the water's level, with only thar mouths and noses above the surfage of the sea, until I should join them, The lure of the swords within the rd house was strong upon me, and hesitated a moment, half inclined to rlak, the atternpy co take the few we ) '