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a princess of mars-第30章

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death which recapture would surely mean; I lifted Dejah

Thoris in my arms and placed her upon the thoat behind

Sola; who had already mounted at my command。



〃Good…bye; my princess;〃 I whispered; 〃we may meet in

Helium yet。  I have escaped from worse plights than this;〃

and I tried to smile as I lied。



〃What;〃 she cried; 〃are you not coming with us?〃



〃How may I; Dejah Thoris?  Someone must hold these

fellows off for a while; and I can better escape them alone

than could the three of us together。〃



She sprang quickly from the thoat and; throwing her dear

arms about my neck; turned to Sola; saying with quiet dignity:

〃Fly; Sola!  Dejah Thoris remains to die with the man she

loves。〃



Those words are engraved upon my heart。  Ah; gladly

would I give up my life a thousand times could I only hear

them once again; but I could not then give even a second to

the rapture of her sweet embrace; and pressing my lips to

hers for the first time; I picked her up bodily and tossed

her to her seat behind Sola again; commanding the latter

in peremptory tones to hold her there by force; and then;

slapping the thoat upon the flank; I saw them borne away;

Dejah Thoris struggling to the last to free herself from

Sola's grasp。



Turning; I beheld the green warriors mounting the ridge

and looking for their chieftain。  In a moment they saw him;

and then me; but scarcely had they discovered me than I

commenced firing; lying flat upon my belly in the moss。  I had

an even hundred rounds in the magazine of my rifle; and

another hundred in the belt at my back; and I kept up a

continuous stream of fire until I saw all of the warriors who

had been first to return from behind the ridge either dead or

scurrying to cover。



My respite was short…lived however; for soon the entire

party; numbering some thousand men; came charging into

view; racing madly toward me。  I fired until my rifle was

empty and they were almost upon me; and then a glance

showing me that Dejah Thoris and Sola had disappeared

among the hills; I sprang up; throwing down my useless gun;

and started away in the direction opposite to that taken by

Sola and her charge。



If ever Martians had an exhibition of jumping; it was

granted those astonished warriors on that day long years ago;

but while it led them away from Dejah Thoris it did not distract

their attention from endeavoring to capture me。



They raced wildly after me until; finally; my foot struck a

projecting piece of quartz; and down I went sprawling upon

the moss。  As I looked up they were upon me; and although

I drew my long…sword in an attempt to sell my life as

dearly as possible; it was soon over。  I reeled beneath their

blows which fell upon me in perfect torrents; my head swam;

all was black; and I went down beneath them to oblivion。









CHAPTER XVIII





CHAINED IN WARHOON





It must have been several hours before I regained consciousness

and I well remember the feeling of surprise which swept over me

as I realized that I was not dead。



I was lying among a pile of sleeping silks and furs in the

corner of a small room in which were several green warriors;

and bending over me was an ancient and ugly female。



As I opened my eyes she turned to one of the warriors; saying;



〃He will live; O Jed。〃



〃'Tis well;〃 replied the one so addressed; rising and approaching

my couch; 〃he should render rare sport for the great games。〃



And now as my eyes fell upon him; I saw that he was no

Thark; for his ornaments and metal were not of that horde。

He was a huge fellow; terribly scarred about the face and

chest; and with one broken tusk and a missing ear。  Strapped

on either breast were human skulls and depending from

these a number of dried human hands。



His reference to the great games of which I had heard so

much while among the Tharks convinced me that I had but

jumped from purgatory into gehenna。



After a few more words with the female; during which

she assured him that I was now fully fit to travel; the jed

ordered that we mount and ride after the main column。



I was strapped securely to as wild and unmanageable a

thoat as I had ever seen; and; with a mounted warrior on

either side to prevent the beast from bolting; we rode forth

at a furious pace in pursuit of the column。  My wounds gave

me but little pain; so wonderfully and rapidly had the

applications and injections of the female exercised their

therapeutic powers; and so deftly had she bound and plastered

the injuries。



Just before dark we reached the main body of troops

shortly after they had made camp for the night。  I was

immediately taken before the leader; who proved to be the

jeddak of the hordes of Warhoon。



Like the jed who had brought me; he was frightfully

scarred; and also decorated with the breastplate of human

skulls and dried dead hands which seemed to mark all the

greater warriors among the Warhoons; as well as to indicate

their awful ferocity; which greatly transcends even that of

the Tharks。



The jeddak; Bar Comas; who was comparatively young;

was the object of the fierce and jealous hatred of his old

lieutenant; Dak Kova; the jed who had captured me; and I

could not but note the almost studied efforts which the

latter made to affront his superior。



He entirely omitted the usual formal salutation as we entered

the presence of the jeddak; and as he pushed me roughly before

the ruler he exclaimed in a loud and menacing voice。



〃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 

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