贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > a princess of mars >

第31章

a princess of mars-第31章

小说: a princess of mars 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




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。



My introduction to these cruel and bloodthirsty people

was but an index to the scenes I witnessed almost daily

while with them。  They are a smaller horde than the Tharks

but much more ferocious。  Not a day passed but that some

members of the various Warhoon communities met in deadly

combat。  I have seen as high as eight mortal duels within a

single day。



We reached the city of Warhoon after some three days

march and I was immediately cast into a dungeon and heavily

chained to the floor and walls。  Food was brought me at

intervals but owing to the utter darkness of the place I do not

know whether I lay there days; or weeks; or months。  It was

the most horrible experience of all my life and that my

mind did not give way to the terrors of that inky blackness

has been a wonder to me ever since。  The place was filled

with creeping; crawling things; cold; sinuous bodies passed

over me when I lay down; and in the darkness I occasionally

caught glimpses of gleaming; fiery eyes; fixed in horrible

intentness upon me。  No sound reached me from the world

above and no word would my jailer vouchsafe when my

food was brought to me; although I at first bombarded him

with questions。



Finally all the hatred and maniacal loathing for these

awful creatures who had placed me in this horrible place was

centered by my tottering reason upon this single emissary

who represented to me the entire horde of Warhoons。



I had noticed that he always advanced with his dim

torch to where he could place the food within my reach and

as he stooped to place it upon the floor his head was about

on a level with my breast。  So; with the cunning of a madman;

I backed into the far corner of my cell when next I heard

him approaching and gathering a little slack of the great

chain which held me in my hand I waited his coming;

crouching like some beast of prey。  As he stooped to place

my food upon the ground I swung the chain above my head

and crashed the links with all my strength upon his skull。

Without a sound he slipped to the floor; stone dead。



Laughing and chattering like the idiot I was fast becoming

I fell upon his prostrate form my fingers feeling for his

dead throat。  Presently they came in contact with a small

chain at the end of which dangled a number of keys。  The

touch of my fingers on these keys brought back my reason

with the suddenness of thought。  No longer was I a jibbering

idiot; but a sane; reasoning man with the means of escape

within my very hands。



As I was groping to remove the chain from about my victim's

neck I glanced up into the darkness to see six pairs of gleaming

eyes fixed; unwinking; upon me。  Slowly they approached and slowly

I shrank back from the awful horror of them。  Back into my corner

I crouched holding my hands palms out; before me; and stealthily

on came the awful eyes until they reached the dead body at my feet。

Then slowly they retreated but this time with a strange grating

sound and finally they disappeared in some black and distant recess

of my dungeon。









CHAPTER XIX





BATTLING IN THE ARENA





Slowly I regained my composure and finally essayed again

to attempt to remove the keys from the dead body of my

former jailer。  But as I reached out into the darkness to locate

it I found to my horror that it was gone。  Then the truth

flashed on me; the owners of those gleaming eyes had dragged

my prize away from me to be devoured in their neighboring lair;

as they had been waiting for days; for weeks; for months;

through all this awful eternity of my imprisonment to drag

my dead carcass to their feast。



For two days no food was brought me; but then a new

messenger appeared and my incarceration went on as before;

but not again did I allow my reason to be submerged by the

horror of my position。



Shortly after this episode another prisoner was brought in

and chained near me。  By the dim torch light I saw that he

was a red Martian and I could scarcely await the departure

of his guards to address him。  As their retreating footsteps

died away in the distance; I called out softly the Martian

word of greeting; kaor。



〃Who are you who speaks out of the darkness?〃 he answered



〃John Carter; a friend of the red men of Helium。〃



〃I am of Helium;〃 he said; 〃but I do not recall your name。〃



And then I told him my story as I have written it here;

omitting only any reference to my love for Dejah Thoris。

He was much excited by the news of Helium's princess and

seemed quite positive that she and Sola could easily have

reached a point of safety from where they left me。  He said

that he knew the place well because the defile through which

the Warhoon warriors had passed when they discovered us was

the only one ever used by them when marching to the south。



〃Dejah Thoris and Sola entered the hills not five miles

from a great waterway and are now probably quite safe;〃

he assured me。



My fellow prisoner was Kantos Kan; a padwar (lieutenant)

in the navy of Helium。  He had been a member of the ill…

fated expedition which had fallen into the hands of the

Tharks at the time of Dejah Thoris' capture; and he briefly

related the events which followed the defeat of the battleships。



Badly injured and only partially manned they had limped

slowly toward Helium; but while passing near the city of

Zodanga; the capital of Helium's hereditary enemies among

the red men of Barsoom; they had been attacked by a great

body of war vessels and all but the craft to which Kantos Kan

belonged were either destroyed or captured。  His vessel was

chased for days by three of the Zodangan war ships but

finally escaped during the darkness of a moonless night。



Thirty days after the capture of Dejah Thoris; or about

the time of our coming to Thark; his vessel had reached

Helium with about ten survivors of the original crew of seven

hundred officers and men。  Immediately seven great fleets;

each of one hundred mighty war ships; had been dispatched

to search for Dejah Thoris; and from these vessels two

thousand smaller craft had been kept out continuously in

futile search for the missing princess。



Two green Martian communities had been wiped off the

face of Barsoom by the avenging fleets; but no trace of Dejah

Thoris had been found。  They had been searching among the

northern hordes; and only within the past few days had

they extended their quest to the south。



Kantos Kan had been detailed to one of the small one…man

fliers and had had the misfortune to be discovered by the

Warhoons while exploring their city。  The bravery and daring

of the man won my greatest respect and admiration。  Alone he

had landed at the city's boundary and on foot had penetrated

to the buildings surrounding the plaza。  For two days and

nights he had explored their quarters and their dungeons in

search of his beloved princess only to fall into the

hands of a party of Warhoons as he was about to leave; after

assuring himself that Dejah Thoris was not a captive there。



During the period of our incarceration Kantos Kan and I

became well acquainted; and formed a warm personal friendship。

A few days only elapsed; however; before we were dragged forth

from our dungeon for the great games。  We were conducted early

one morning to an enormous amphitheater; which instead of having

been built upon the surface of the ground was excavated below

the surface。  it had partially filled with debris so that how

large it ha

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 2 1

你可能喜欢的