A Princess of Mars

Sometime later Tars Tarkas and Kantos Kan returned to report that

Zodanga had been completely reduced. Her forces were entirely

destroyed or captured, and no further resistance was to be expected

from within. Several battleships had escaped, but there were thousands

of war and merchant vessels under guard of Thark warriors.

The lesser hordes had commenced looting and quarreling among

themselves, so it was decided that we collect what warriors we could,

man as many vessels as possible with Zodangan prisoners and make for

Helium without further loss of time.

Five hours later we sailed from the roofs of the dock buildings with a

fleet of two hundred and fifty battleships, carrying nearly one hundred

thousand green warriors, followed by a fleet of transports with our

thoats.

Behind us we left the stricken city in the fierce and brutal clutches

of some forty thousand green warriors of the lesser hordes. They were

looting, murdering, and fighting amongst themselves. In a hundred

places they had applied the torch, and columns of dense smoke were

rising above the city as though to blot out from the eye of heaven the

horrid sights beneath.

In the middle of the afternoon we sighted the scarlet and yellow towers

of Helium, and a short time later a great fleet of Zodangan battleships

rose from the camps of the besiegers without the city, and advanced to

meet us.

The banners of Helium had been strung from stem to stern of each of our

mighty craft, but the Zodangans did not need this sign to realize that

we were enemies, for our green Martian warriors had opened fire upon

them almost as they left the ground. With their uncanny marksmanship

they raked the on-coming fleet with volley after volley.

The twin cities of Helium, perceiving that we were friends, sent out

hundreds of vessels to aid us, and then began the first real air battle

I had ever witnessed.

The vessels carrying our green warriors were kept circling above the

contending fleets of Helium and Zodanga, since their batteries were

useless in the hands of the Tharks who, having no navy, have no skill

in naval gunnery. Their small-arm fire, however, was most effective,

and the final outcome of the engagement was strongly influenced, if not

wholly determined, by their presence.

At first the two forces circled at the same altitude, pouring broadside

after broadside into each other. Presently a great hole was torn in

the hull of one of the immense battle craft from the Zodangan camp;

with a lurch she turned completely over, the little figures of her crew

plunging, turning and twisting toward the ground a thousand feet below;

then with sickening velocity she tore after them, almost completely

burying herself in the soft loam of the ancient sea bottom.

A wild cry of exultation arose from the Heliumite squadron, and with

redoubled ferocity they fell upon the Zodangan fleet. By a pretty

maneuver two of the vessels of Helium gained a position above their

adversaries, from which they poured upon them from their keel bomb

batteries a perfect torrent of exploding bombs.