"I have brought a strange creature wearing the metal of a Thark whom it

is my pleasure to have battle with a wild thoat at the great games."

"He will die as Bar Comas, your jeddak, sees fit, if at all," replied

the young ruler, with emphasis and dignity.

"If at all?" roared Dak Kova. "By the dead hands at my throat but he

shall die, Bar Comas. No maudlin weakness on your part shall save him.

O, would that Warhoon were ruled by a real jeddak rather than by a

water-hearted weakling from whom even old Dak Kova could tear the metal

with his bare hands!"

Bar Comas eyed the defiant and insubordinate chieftain for an instant,

his expression one of haughty, fearless contempt and hate, and then

without drawing a weapon and without uttering a word he hurled himself

at the throat of his defamer.

I never before had seen two green Martian warriors battle with nature's

weapons and the exhibition of animal ferocity which ensued was as

fearful a thing as the most disordered imagination could picture. They

tore at each others' eyes and ears with their hands and with their

gleaming tusks repeatedly slashed and gored until both were cut fairly

to ribbons from head to foot.

Bar Comas had much the better of the battle as he was stronger, quicker

and more intelligent. It soon seemed that the encounter was done

saving only the final death thrust when Bar Comas slipped in breaking

away from a clinch. It was the one little opening that Dak Kova

needed, and hurling himself at the body of his adversary he buried his

single mighty tusk in Bar Comas' groin and with a last powerful effort

ripped the young jeddak wide open the full length of his body, the

great tusk finally wedging in the bones of Bar Comas' jaw. Victor and

vanquished rolled limp and lifeless upon the moss, a huge mass of torn

and bloody flesh.

Bar Comas was stone dead, and only the most herculean efforts on the

part of Dak Kova's females saved him from the fate he deserved. Three

days later he walked without assistance to the body of Bar Comas which,

by custom, had not been moved from where it fell, and placing his foot

upon the neck of his erstwhile ruler he assumed the title of Jeddak of

Warhoon.

The dead jeddak's hands and head were removed to be added to the

ornaments of his conqueror, and then his women cremated what remained,

amid wild and terrible laughter.

The injuries to Dak Kova had delayed the march so greatly that it was

decided to give up the expedition, which was a raid upon a small Thark

community in retaliation for the destruction of the incubator, until

after the great games, and the entire body of warriors, ten thousand in

number, turned back toward Warhoon.




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