A Princess of Mars

Evidently we had circled, but which way it was difficult to say, nor

did it seem possible with the sun to guide us by day and the moons and

stars by night. At any rate no waterway was in sight, and the entire

party was almost ready to drop from hunger, thirst and fatigue. Far

ahead of us and a trifle to the right we could distinguish the outlines

of low mountains. These we decided to attempt to reach in the hope

that from some ridge we might discern the missing waterway. Night fell

upon us before we reached our goal, and, almost fainting from weariness

and weakness, we lay down and slept.

I was awakened early in the morning by some huge body pressing close to

mine, and opening my eyes with a start I beheld my blessed old Woola

snuggling close to me; the faithful brute had followed us across that

trackless waste to share our fate, whatever it might be. Putting my

arms about his neck I pressed my cheek close to his, nor am I ashamed

that I did it, nor of the tears that came to my eyes as I thought of

his love for me. Shortly after this Dejah Thoris and Sola awakened,

and it was decided that we push on at once in an effort to gain the

hills.

We had gone scarcely a mile when I noticed that my thoat was commencing

to stumble and stagger in a most pitiful manner, although we had not

attempted to force them out of a walk since about noon of the preceding

day. Suddenly he lurched wildly to one side and pitched violently to

the ground. Dejah Thoris and I were thrown clear of him and fell upon

the soft moss with scarcely a jar; but the poor beast was in a pitiable

condition, not even being able to rise, although relieved of our

weight. Sola told me that the coolness of the night, when it fell,

together with the rest would doubtless revive him, and so I decided not

to kill him, as was my first intention, as I had thought it cruel to

leave him alone there to die of hunger and thirst. Relieving him of

his trappings, which I flung down beside him, we left the poor fellow

to his fate, and pushed on with the one thoat as best we could. Sola

and I walked, making Dejah Thoris ride, much against her will. In this

way we had progressed to within about a mile of the hills we were

endeavoring to reach when Dejah Thoris, from her point of vantage upon

the thoat, cried out that she saw a great party of mounted men filing

down from a pass in the hills several miles away. Sola and I both

looked in the direction she indicated, and there, plainly discernible,

were several hundred mounted warriors. They seemed to be headed in a

southwesterly direction, which would take them away from us.