The Gods of Mars
Page 16
CHAPTER XIV
THE EYES IN THE DARK
My son! I could not believe my ears. Slowly I rose and faced thehandsome youth. Now that I looked at him closely I commenced to seewhy his face and personality had attracted me so strongly. There wasmuch of his mother's incomparable beauty in his clear-cut features, butit was strongly masculine beauty, and his grey eyes and the expressionof them were mine.
The boy stood facing me, half hope and half uncertainty in his look.
"Tell me of your mother," I said. "Tell me all you can of the yearsthat I have been robbed by a relentless fate of her dear companionship."
With a cry of pleasure he sprang toward me and threw his arms about myneck, and for a brief moment as I held my boy close to me the tearswelled to my eyes and I was like to have choked after the manner ofsome maudlin fool--but I do not regret it, nor am I ashamed. A longlife has taught me that a man may seem weak where women and childrenare concerned and yet be anything but a weakling in the sterner avenuesof life.
"Your stature, your manner, the terrible ferocity of yourswordsmanship," said the boy, "are as my mother has described them tome a thousand times--but even with such evidence I could scarce creditthe truth of what seemed so improbable to me, however much I desired itto be true. Do you know what thing it was that convinced me more thanall the others?"
"What, my boy?" I asked.
"Your first words to me--they were of my mother. None else but the manwho loved her as she has told me my father did would have thought firstof her."
"For long years, my son, I can scarce recall a moment that the radiantvision of your mother's face has not been ever before me. Tell me ofher."
"Those who have known her longest say that she has not changed, unlessit be to grow more beautiful--were that possible. Only, when shethinks I am not about to see her, her face grows very sad, and, oh, sowistful. She thinks ever of you, my father, and all Helium mourns withher and for her. Her grandfather's people love her. They loved youalso, and fairly worship your memory as the saviour of Barsoom.
"Each year that brings its anniversary of the day that saw you racingacross a near dead world to unlock the secret of that awful portalbehind which lay the mighty power of life for countless millions agreat festival is held in your honour; but there are tears mingled withthe thanksgiving--tears of real regret that the author of the happinessis not with them to share the joy of living he died to give them. Uponall Barsoom there is no greater name than John Carter."
"And by what name has your mother called you, my boy?" I asked.
"The people of Helium asked that I be named with my father's name, butmy mother said no, that you and she had chosen a name for me together,and that your wish must be honoured before all others, so the name thatshe called me is the one that you desired, a combination of hers andyours--Carthoris."
Xodar had been at the wheel as I talked with my son, and now he calledme.
"She is dropping badly by the head, John Carter," he said. "So long aswe were rising at a stiff angle it was not noticeable, but now that Iam trying to keep a horizontal course it is different. The wound inher bow has opened one of her forward ray tanks."
It was true, and after I had examined the damage I found it a muchgraver matter than I had anticipated. Not only was the forced angle atwhich we were compelled to maintain the bow in order to keep ahorizontal course greatly impeding our speed, but at the rate that wewere losing our repulsive rays from the forward tanks it was but aquestion of an hour or more when we would be floating stern up andhelpless.
We had slightly reduced our speed with the dawning of a sense ofsecurity, but now I took the helm once more and pulled the noble littleengine wide open, so that again we raced north at terrific velocity.In the meantime Carthoris and Xodar with tools in hand were putteringwith the great rent in the bow in a hopeless endeavour to stem the tideof escaping rays.
It was still dark when we passed the northern boundary of the ice capand the area of clouds. Below us lay a typical Martian landscape.Rolling ochre sea bottom of long dead seas, low surrounding hills, withhere and there the grim and silent cities of the dead past; great pilesof mighty architecture tenanted only by age-old memories of a oncepowerful race, and by the great white apes of Barsoom.
It was becoming more and more difficult to maintain our little vesselin a horizontal position. Lower and lower sagged the bow until itbecame necessary to stop the engine to prevent our flight terminatingin a swift dive to the ground.
As the sun rose and the light of a new day swept away the darkness ofnight our craft gave a final spasmodic plunge, turned half upon herside, and then with deck tilting at a sickening angle swung in a slowcircle, her bow dropping further below her stern each moment.
To hand-rail and stanchion we clung, and finally as we saw the endapproaching, snapped the buckles of our harness to the rings at hersides. In another moment the deck reared at an angle of ninety degreesand we hung in our leather with feet dangling a thousand yards abovethe ground.
I was swinging quite close to the controlling devices, so I reached outto the lever that directed the rays of repulsion. The boat respondedto the touch, and very gently we began to sink toward the ground.
It was fully half an hour before we touched. Directly north of us rosea rather lofty range of hills, toward which we decided to make our way,since they afforded greater opportunity for concealment from thepursuers we were confident might stumble in this direction.
An hour later found us in the time-rounded gullies of the hills, amidthe beautiful flowering plants that abound in the arid waste places ofBarsoom. There we found numbers of huge milk-giving shrubs--thatstrange plant which serves in great part as food and drink for the wildhordes of green men. It was indeed a boon to us, for we all werenearly famished.
Beneath a cluster of these which afforded perfect concealment fromwandering air scouts, we lay down to sleep--for me the first time inmany hours. This was the beginning of my fifth day upon Barsoom sinceI had found myself suddenly translated from my cottage on the Hudson toDor, the valley beautiful, the valley hideous. In all this time I hadslept but twice, though once the clock around within the storehouse ofthe therns.
It was mid-afternoon when I was awakened by some one seizing my handand covering it with kisses. With a start I opened my eyes to lookinto the beautiful face of Thuvia.
"My Prince! My Prince!" she cried, in an ecstasy of happiness. "'Tisyou whom I had mourned as dead. My ancestors have been good to me; Ihave not lived in vain."
The girl's voice awoke Xodar and Carthoris. The boy gazed upon thewoman in surprise, but she did not seem to realize the presence ofanother than I. She would have thrown her arms about my neck andsmothered me with caresses, had I not gently but firmly disengagedmyself.
"Come, come, Thuvia," I said soothingly; "you are overwrought by thedanger and hardships you have passed through. You forget yourself, asyou forget that I am the husband of the Princess of Helium."
"I forget nothing, my Prince," she replied. "You have spoken no wordof love to me, nor do I expect that you ever shall; but nothing canprevent me loving you. I would not take the place of Dejah Thoris. Mygreatest ambition is to serve you, my Prince, for ever as your slave.No greater boon could I ask, no greater honour could I crave, nogreater happiness could I hope."
As I have before said, I am no ladies' man, and I must admit that Iseldom have felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed as I did that moment.While I was quite familiar with the Martian custom which allows femaleslaves to Martian men, whose high and chivalrous honour is always ampleprotection for every woman in his household, yet I had never myselfchosen other than men as my body servants.
"And I ever return to Helium, Thuvia," I said, "you shall go with me,but as an honoured equal, and not as a slave. There you shall findplenty of handsome young nobles who would face Issus herself to win asmile from you, and we shall have you married in short order to one ofthe best of them. Forget your foolish gratitu
de-begotten infatuation,which your innocence has mistaken for love. I like your friendshipbetter, Thuvia."
"You are my master; it shall be as you say," she replied simply, butthere was a note of sadness in her voice.
"How came you here, Thuvia?" I asked. "And where is Tars Tarkas?"
"The great Thark, I fear, is dead," she replied sadly. "He was amighty fighter, but a multitude of green warriors of another horde thanhis overwhelmed him. The last that I saw of him they were bearing him,wounded and bleeding, to the deserted city from which they had salliedto attack us."
"You are not sure that he is dead, then?" I asked. "And where is thiscity of which you speak?"
"It is just beyond this range of hills. The vessel in which you sonobly resigned a place that we might find escape defied our small skillin navigation, with the result that we drifted aimlessly about for twodays. Then we decided to abandon the craft and attempt to make our wayon foot to the nearest waterway. Yesterday we crossed these hills andcame upon the dead city beyond. We had passed within its streets andwere walking toward the central portion, when at an intersecting avenuewe saw a body of green warriors approaching.
"Tars Tarkas was in advance, and they saw him, but me they did not see.The Thark sprang back to my side and forced me into an adjacentdoorway, where he told me to remain in hiding until I could escape,making my way to Helium if possible.
"'There will be no escape for me now,' he said, 'for these be theWarhoon of the South. When they have seen my metal it will be to thedeath.'
"Then he stepped out to meet them. Ah, my Prince, such fighting! Foran hour they swarmed about him, until the Warhoon dead formed a hillwhere he had stood; but at last they overwhelmed him, those behindpushing the foremost upon him until there remained no space to swinghis great sword. Then he stumbled and went down and they rolled overhim like a huge wave. When they carried him away toward the heart ofthe city, he was dead, I think, for I did not see him move."
"Before we go farther we must be sure," I said. "I cannot leave TarsTarkas alive among the Warhoons. To-night I shall enter the city andmake sure."
"And I shall go with you," spoke Carthoris.
"And I," said Xodar.
"Neither one of you shall go," I replied. "It is work that requiresstealth and strategy, not force. One man alone may succeed where morewould invite disaster. I shall go alone. If I need your help, I willreturn for you."
They did not like it, but both were good soldiers, and it had beenagreed that I should command. The sun already was low, so that I didnot have long to wait before the sudden darkness of Barsoom engulfed us.
With a parting word of instructions to Carthoris and Xodar, in case Ishould not return, I bade them all farewell and set forth at a rapiddogtrot toward the city.
As I emerged from the hills the nearer moon was winging its wild flightthrough the heavens, its bright beams turning to burnished silver thebarbaric splendour of the ancient metropolis. The city had been builtupon the gently rolling foothills that in the dim and distant past hadsloped down to meet the sea. It was due to this fact that I had nodifficulty in entering the streets unobserved.
The green hordes that use these deserted cities seldom occupy more thana few squares about the central plaza, and as they come and go alwaysacross the dead sea bottoms that the cities face, it is usually amatter of comparative ease to enter from the hillside.
Once within the streets, I kept close in the dense shadows of thewalls. At intersections I halted a moment to make sure that none wasin sight before I sprang quickly to the shadows of the opposite side.Thus I made the journey to the vicinity of the plaza without detection.As I approached the purlieus of the inhabited portion of the city I wasmade aware of the proximity of the warriors' quarters by the squealingand grunting of the thoats and zitidars corralled within the hollowcourtyards formed by the buildings surrounding each square.
These old familiar sounds that are so distinctive of green Martian lifesent a thrill of pleasure surging through me. It was as one might feelon coming home after a long absence. It was amid such sounds that Ihad first courted the incomparable Dejah Thoris in the age-old marblehalls of the dead city of Korad.
As I stood in the shadows at the far corner of the first square whichhoused members of the horde, I saw warriors emerging from several ofthe buildings. They all went in the same direction, toward a greatbuilding which stood in the centre of the plaza. My knowledge of greenMartian customs convinced me that this was either the quarters of theprincipal chieftain or contained the audience chamber wherein theJeddak met his jeds and lesser chieftains. In either event, it wasevident that something was afoot which might have a bearing on therecent capture of Tars Tarkas.
To reach this building, which I now felt it imperative that I do, Imust needs traverse the entire length of one square and cross a broadavenue and a portion of the plaza. From the noises of the animalswhich came from every courtyard about me, I knew that there were manypeople in the surrounding buildings--probably several communities ofthe great horde of the Warhoons of the South.
To pass undetected among all these people was in itself a difficulttask, but if I was to find and rescue the great Thark I must expecteven more formidable obstacles before success could be mine. I hadentered the city from the south and now stood on the corner of theavenue through which I had passed and the first intersecting avenuesouth of the plaza. The buildings upon the south side of this squaredid not appear to be inhabited, as I could see no lights, and so Idecided to gain the inner courtyard through one of them.
Nothing occurred to interrupt my progress through the deserted pile Ichose, and I came into the inner court close to the rear walls of theeast buildings without detection. Within the court a great herd ofthoats and zitidars moved restlessly about, cropping the moss-likeochre vegetation which overgrows practically the entire uncultivatedarea of Mars. What breeze there was came from the north-west, so therewas little danger that the beasts would scent me. Had they, theirsquealing and grunting would have grown to such a volume as to attractthe attention of the warriors within the buildings.
Close to the east wall, beneath the overhanging balconies of the secondfloors, I crept in dense shadows the full length of the courtyard,until I came to the buildings at the north end. These were lighted forabout three floors up, but above the third floor all was dark.
To pass through the lighted rooms was, of course, out of the question,since they swarmed with green Martian men and women. My only path laythrough the upper floors, and to gain these it was necessary to scalethe face of the wall. The reaching of the balcony of the second floorwas a matter of easy accomplishment--an agile leap gave my hands agrasp upon the stone hand-rail above. In another instant I had drawnmyself up on the balcony.
Here through the open windows I saw the green folk squatting upon theirsleeping silks and furs, grunting an occasional monosyllable, which, inconnection with their wondrous telepathic powers, is ample for theirconversational requirements. As I drew closer to listen to their wordsa warrior entered the room from the hall beyond.
"Come, Tan Gama," he cried, "we are to take the Thark before Kab Kadja.Bring another with you."
The warrior addressed arose and, beckoning to a fellow squatting near,the three turned and left the apartment.
If I could but follow them the chance might come to free Tars Tarkas atonce. At least I would learn the location of his prison.
At my right was a door leading from the balcony into the building. Itwas at the end of an unlighted hall, and on the impulse of the moment Istepped within. The hall was broad and led straight through to thefront of the building. On either side were the doorways of the variousapartments which lined it.
I had no more than entered the corridor than I saw the three warriorsat the other end--those whom I had just seen leaving the apartment.Then a turn to the right took them from my sight again. Quickly Ihastened along the hallway in pursuit. My gait was reckless, but Ifelt that Fate had b
een kind indeed to throw such an opportunity withinmy grasp, and I could not afford to allow it to elude me now.
At the far end of the corridor I found a spiral stairway leading to thefloors above and below. The three had evidently left the floor by thisavenue. That they had gone down and not up I was sure from myknowledge of these ancient buildings and the methods of the Warhoons.
I myself had once been a prisoner of the cruel hordes of northernWarhoon, and the memory of the underground dungeon in which I lay stillis vivid in my memory. And so I felt certain that Tars Tarkas lay inthe dark pits beneath some nearby building, and that in that directionI should find the trail of the three warriors leading to his cell.
Nor was I wrong. At the bottom of the runway, or rather at the landingon the floor below, I saw that the shaft descended into the pitsbeneath, and as I glanced down the flickering light of a torch revealedthe presence of the three I was trailing.
Down they went toward the pits beneath the structure, and at a safedistance behind I followed the flicker of their torch. The way ledthrough a maze of tortuous corridors, unlighted save for the waveringlight they carried. We had gone perhaps a hundred yards when the partyturned abruptly through a doorway at their right. I hastened on asrapidly as I dared through the darkness until I reached the point atwhich they had left the corridor. There, through an open door, I sawthem removing the chains that secured the great Thark, Tars Tarkas, tothe wall.
Hustling him roughly between them, they came immediately from thechamber, so quickly in fact that I was near to being apprehended. ButI managed to run along the corridor in the direction I had been goingin my pursuit of them far enough to be without the radius of theirmeagre light as they emerged from the cell.
I had naturally assumed that they would return with Tars Tarkas thesame way that they had come, which would have carried them away fromme; but, to my chagrin, they wheeled directly in my direction as theyleft the room. There was nothing for me but to hasten on in advanceand keep out of the light of their torch. I dared not attempt to haltin the darkness of any of the many intersecting corridors, for I knewnothing of the direction they might take. Chance was as likely as notto carry me into the very corridor they might choose to enter.
The sensation of moving rapidly through these dark passages was farfrom reassuring. I knew not at what moment I might plunge headlonginto some terrible pit or meet with some of the ghoulish creatures thatinhabit these lower worlds beneath the dead cities of dying Mars.There filtered to me a faint radiance from the torch of the menbehind--just enough to permit me to trace the direction of the windingpassageways directly before me, and so keep me from dashing myselfagainst the walls at the turns.
Presently I came to a place where five corridors diverged from a commonpoint. I had hastened along one of them for some little distance whensuddenly the faint light of the torch disappeared from behind me. Ipaused to listen for sounds of the party behind me, but the silence wasas utter as the silence of the tomb.
Quickly I realized that the warriors had taken one of the othercorridors with their prisoner, and so I hastened back with a feeling ofconsiderable relief to take up a much safer and more desirable positionbehind them. It was much slower work returning, however, than it hadbeen coming, for now the darkness was as utter as the silence.
It was necessary to feel every foot of the way back with my handagainst the side wall, that I might not pass the spot where the fiveroads radiated. After what seemed an eternity to me, I reached theplace and recognized it by groping across the entrances to the severalcorridors until I had counted five of them. In not one, however,showed the faintest sign of light.
I listened intently, but the naked feet of the green men sent back noguiding echoes, though presently I thought I detected the clank of sidearms in the far distance of the middle corridor. Up this, then, Ihastened, searching for the light, and stopping to listen occasionallyfor a repetition of the sound; but soon I was forced to admit that Imust have been following a blind lead, as only darkness and silencerewarded my efforts.
Again I retraced my steps toward the parting of the ways, when to mysurprise I came upon the entrance to three diverging corridors, any oneof which I might have traversed in my hasty dash after the false clue Ihad been following. Here was a pretty fix, indeed! Once back at thepoint where the five passageways met, I might wait with some assurancefor the return of the warriors with Tars Tarkas. My knowledge of theircustoms lent colour to the belief that he was but being escorted to theaudience chamber to have sentence passed upon him. I had not theslightest doubt but that they would preserve so doughty a warrior asthe great Thark for the rare sport he would furnish at the Great Games.
But unless I could find my way back to that point the chances were mostexcellent that I would wander for days through the awful blackness,until, overcome by thirst and hunger, I lay down to die, or--What wasthat!
A faint shuffling sounded behind me, and as I cast a hasty glance overmy shoulder my blood froze in my veins for the thing I saw there. Itwas not so much fear of the present danger as it was the horrifyingmemories it recalled of that time I near went mad over the corpse ofthe man I had killed in the dungeons of the Warhoons, when blazing eyescame out of the dark recesses and dragged the thing that had been a manfrom my clutches and I heard it scraping over the stone of my prison asthey bore it away to their terrible feast.
And now in these black pits of the other Warhoons I looked into thosesame fiery eyes, blazing at me through the terrible darkness, revealingno sign of the beast behind them. I think that the most fearsomeattribute of these awesome creatures is their silence and the fact thatone never sees them--nothing but those baleful eyes glaringunblinkingly out of the dark void behind.
Grasping my long-sword tightly in my hand, I backed slowly along thecorridor away from the thing that watched me, but ever as I retreatedthe eyes advanced, nor was there any sound, not even the sound ofbreathing, except the occasional shuffling sound as of the dragging ofa dead limb, that had first attracted my attention.
On and on I went, but I could not escape my sinister pursuer. SuddenlyI heard the shuffling noise at my right, and, looking, saw another pairof eyes, evidently approaching from an intersecting corridor. As Istarted to renew my slow retreat I heard the noise repeated behind me,and then before I could turn I heard it again at my left.
The things were all about me. They had me surrounded at theintersection of two corridors. Retreat was cut off in all directions,unless I chose to charge one of the beasts. Even then I had no doubtbut that the others would hurl themselves upon my back. I could noteven guess the size or nature of the weird creatures. That they wereof goodly proportions I guessed from the fact that the eyes were on alevel with my own.
Why is it that darkness so magnifies our dangers? By day I would havecharged the great banth itself, had I thought it necessary, but hemmedin by the darkness of these silent pits I hesitated before a pair ofeyes.
Soon I saw that the matter shortly would be taken entirely from myhands, for the eyes at my right were moving slowly nearer me, as werethose at my left and those behind and before me. Gradually they wereclosing in upon me--but still that awful stealthy silence!
For what seemed hours the eyes approached gradually closer and closer,until I felt that I should go mad for the horror of it. I had beenconstantly turning this way and that to prevent any sudden rush frombehind, until I was fairly worn out. At length I could endure it nolonger, and, taking a fresh grasp upon my long-sword, I turned suddenlyand charged down upon one of my tormentors.
As I was almost upon it the thing retreated before me, but a sound frombehind caused me to wheel in time to see three pairs of eyes rushing atme from the rear. With a cry of rage I turned to meet the cowardlybeasts, but as I advanced they retreated as had their fellow. Anotherglance over my shoulder discovered the first eyes sneaking on me again.And again I charged, only to see the eyes retreat before me and hearthe muffled rush of the three at my back.
At that moment I caught another glimpse from the corner of my eye ofthe single pair of eyes at my back making a sudden rush upon me. Iturned to meet the charge; there was a quick rush of the three from theother direction; but I determined to pursue the single pair until Ishould have at least settled my account with one of the beasts and thusbe relieved of the strain of meeting attacks from both directions.
There was no sound in the corridor, only that of my own breathing, yetI knew that those three uncanny creatures were almost upon me. Theeyes in front were not retreating so rapidly now; I was almost withinsword reach of them. I raised my sword arm to deal the blow thatshould free me, and then I felt a heavy body upon my back. A cold,moist, slimy something fastened itself upon my throat. I stumbled andwent down.