A Princess of Mars

Sarkoja was at this time Tars Tarkas' oldest and most trusted female.

As such she was a mighty power behind the throne, for no warrior had

the confidence of Lorquas Ptomel to such an extent as did his ablest

lieutenant, Tars Tarkas.

However, instead of putting thoughts of possible escape from my mind,

my audience with Lorquas Ptomel only served to center my every faculty

on this subject. Now, more than before, the absolute necessity for

escape, in so far as Dejah Thoris was concerned, was impressed upon me,

for I was convinced that some horrible fate awaited her at the

headquarters of Tal Hajus.

As described by Sola, this monster was the exaggerated personification

of all the ages of cruelty, ferocity, and brutality from which he had

descended. Cold, cunning, calculating; he was, also, in marked

contrast to most of his fellows, a slave to that brute passion which

the waning demands for procreation upon their dying planet has almost

stilled in the Martian breast.

The thought that the divine Dejah Thoris might fall into the clutches

of such an abysmal atavism started the cold sweat upon me. Far better

that we save friendly bullets for ourselves at the last moment, as did

those brave frontier women of my lost land, who took their own lives

rather than fall into the hands of the Indian braves.

As I wandered about the plaza lost in my gloomy forebodings Tars Tarkas

approached me on his way from the audience chamber. His demeanor

toward me was unchanged, and he greeted me as though we had not just

parted a few moments before.

"Where are your quarters, John Carter?" he asked.

"I have selected none," I replied. "It seemed best that I quartered

either by myself or among the other warriors, and I was awaiting an

opportunity to ask your advice. As you know," and I smiled, "I am not

yet familiar with all the customs of the Tharks."

"Come with me," he directed, and together we moved off across the plaza

to a building which I was glad to see adjoined that occupied by Sola

and her charges.

"My quarters are on the first floor of this building," he said, "and

the second floor also is fully occupied by warriors, but the third

floor and the floors above are vacant; you may take your choice of

these.

"I understand," he continued, "that you have given up your woman to the

red prisoner. Well, as you have said, your ways are not our ways, but

you can fight well enough to do about as you please, and so, if you

wish to give your woman to a captive, it is your own affair; but as a

chieftain you should have those to serve you, and in accordance with

our customs you may select any or all the females from the retinues of

the chieftains whose metal you now wear."