A Princess of Mars

As the speaker ceased he turned to leave the apartment by the door

where I was standing, but I needed to wait no longer; I had heard

enough to fill my soul with dread, and stealing quietly away I returned

to the courtyard by the way I had come. My plan of action was formed

upon the instant, and crossing the square and the bordering avenue upon

the opposite side I soon stood within the courtyard of Tal Hajus.

The brilliantly lighted apartments of the first floor told me where

first to seek, and advancing to the windows I peered within. I soon

discovered that my approach was not to be the easy thing I had hoped,

for the rear rooms bordering the court were filled with warriors and

women. I then glanced up at the stories above, discovering that the

third was apparently unlighted, and so decided to make my entrance to

the building from that point. It was the work of but a moment for me

to reach the windows above, and soon I had drawn myself within the

sheltering shadows of the unlighted third floor.

Fortunately the room I had selected was untenanted, and creeping

noiselessly to the corridor beyond I discovered a light in the

apartments ahead of me. Reaching what appeared to be a doorway I

discovered that it was but an opening upon an immense inner chamber

which towered from the first floor, two stories below me, to the

dome-like roof of the building, high above my head. The floor of this

great circular hall was thronged with chieftains, warriors and women,

and at one end was a great raised platform upon which squatted the most

hideous beast I had ever put my eyes upon. He had all the cold, hard,

cruel, terrible features of the green warriors, but accentuated and

debased by the animal passions to which he had given himself over for

many years. There was not a mark of dignity or pride upon his bestial

countenance, while his enormous bulk spread itself out upon the

platform where he squatted like some huge devil fish, his six limbs

accentuating the similarity in a horrible and startling manner.

But the sight that froze me with apprehension was that of Dejah Thoris

and Sola standing there before him, and the fiendish leer of him as he

let his great protruding eyes gloat upon the lines of her beautiful

figure. She was speaking, but I could not hear what she said, nor

could I make out the low grumbling of his reply. She stood there erect

before him, her head high held, and even at the distance I was from

them I could read the scorn and disgust upon her face as she let her

haughty glance rest without sign of fear upon him. She was indeed the

proud daughter of a thousand jeddaks, every inch of her dear, precious

little body; so small, so frail beside the towering warriors around

her, but in her majesty dwarfing them into insignificance; she was the

mightiest figure among them and I verily believe that they felt it.