The Gods Of Mars (27 page)

“What?” I asked.

He smiled.

“I shall whisper it here, but some day I shall stand upon the dome of
the Temple of Reward and shout it to cheering multitudes below.”

“What do you mean?” asked Kantos Kan.

“John Carter, Jeddak of Helium,” said Hor Vastus in a low voice.

The eyes of my companions lighted, and grim smiles of pleasure and
anticipation overspread their faces, as each eye turned toward me
questioningly. But I shook my head.

“No, my friends,” I said, smiling, “I thank you, but it cannot be. Not
yet, at least. When we know that Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak are gone
to return no more; if I be here, then I shall join you all to see that
the people of Helium are permitted to choose fairly their next Jeddak.
Whom they choose may count upon the loyalty of my sword, nor shall I
seek the honour for myself. Until then Tardos Mors is Jeddak of
Helium, and Zat Arras is his representative.”

“As you will, John Carter,” said Hor Vastus, “but—What was that?” he
whispered, pointing toward the window overlooking the gardens.

The words were scarce out of his mouth ere he had sprung to the balcony
without.

“There he goes!” he cried excitedly. “The guards! Below there! The
guards!”

We were close behind him, and all saw the figure of a man run quickly
across a little piece of sward and disappear in the shrubbery beyond.

“He was on the balcony when I first saw him,” cried Hor Vastus.
“Quick! Let us follow him!”

Together we ran to the gardens, but even though we scoured the grounds
with the entire guard for hours, no trace could we find of the night
marauder.

“What do you make of it, Kantos Kan?” asked Tars Tarkas.

“A spy sent by Zat Arras,” he replied. “It was ever his way.”

“He will have something interesting to report to his master then,”
laughed Hor Vastus.

“I hope he heard only our references to a new Jeddak,” I said. “If he
overheard our plans to rescue Dejah Thoris, it will mean civil war, for
he will attempt to thwart us, and in that I will not be thwarted.
There would I turn against Tardos Mors himself, were it necessary. If
it throws all Helium into a bloody conflict, I shall go on with these
plans to save my Princess. Nothing shall stay me now short of death,
and should I die, my friends, will you take oath to prosecute the
search for her and bring her back in safety to her grandfather’s court?”

Upon the hilt of his sword each of them swore to do as I had asked.

It was agreed that the battleships that were to be remodelled should be
ordered to Hastor, another Heliumetic city, far to the south-west.
Kantos Kan thought that the docks there, in addition to their regular
work, would accommodate at least six battleships at a time. As he was
commander-in-chief of the navy, it would be a simple matter for him to
order the vessels there as they could be handled, and thereafter keep
the remodelled fleet in remote parts of the empire until we should be
ready to assemble it for the dash upon Omean.

It was late that night before our conference broke up, but each man
there had his particular duties outlined, and the details of the entire
plan had been mapped out.

Kantos Kan and Xodar were to attend to the remodelling of the ships.
Tars Tarkas was to get into communication with Thark and learn the
sentiments of his people toward his return from Dor. If favourable, he
was to repair immediately to Thark and devote his time to the
assembling of a great horde of green warriors whom it was our plan to
send in transports directly to the Valley Dor and the Temple of Issus,
while the fleet entered Omean and destroyed the vessels of the First
Born.

Upon Hor Vastus devolved the delicate mission of organising a secret
force of fighting-men sworn to follow John Carter wherever he might
lead. As we estimated that it would require over a million men to man
the thousand great battleships we intended to use on Omean and the
transports for the green men as well as the ships that were to convoy
the transports, it was no trifling job that Hor Vastus had before him.

After they had left I bid Carthoris good-night, for I was very tired,
and going to my own apartments, bathed and lay down upon my sleeping
silks and furs for the first good night’s sleep I had had an
opportunity to look forward to since I had returned to Barsoom. But
even now I was to be disappointed.

How long I slept I do not know. When I awoke suddenly it was to find a
half-dozen powerful men upon me, a gag already in my mouth, and a
moment later my arms and legs securely bound. So quickly had they
worked and to such good purpose, that I was utterly beyond the power to
resist them by the time I was fully awake.

Never a word spoke they, and the gag effectually prevented me speaking.
Silently they lifted me and bore me toward the door of my chamber. As
they passed the window through which the farther moon was casting its
brilliant beams, I saw that each of the party had his face swathed in
layers of silk—I could not recognize one of them.

When they had come into the corridor with me, they turned toward a
secret panel in the wall which led to the passage that terminated in
the pits beneath the palace. That any knew of this panel outside my
own household, I was doubtful. Yet the leader of the band did not
hesitate a moment. He stepped directly to the panel, touched the
concealed button, and as the door swung open he stood aside while his
companions entered with me. Then he closed the panel behind him and
followed us.

Down through the passageways to the pits we went. The leader rapped
upon it with the hilt of his sword—three quick, sharp blows, a pause,
then three more, another pause, and then two. A second later the wall
swung in, and I was pushed within a brilliantly lighted chamber in
which sat three richly trapped men.

One of them turned toward me with a sardonic smile upon his thin, cruel
lips—it was Zat Arras.

“Ah,” said Zat Arras, “to what kindly circumstance am I indebted for
the pleasure of this unexpected visit from the Prince of Helium?”

While he was speaking, one of my guards had removed the gag from my
mouth, but I made no reply to Zat Arras: simply standing there in
silence with level gaze fixed upon the Jed of Zodanga. And I doubt not
that my expression was coloured by the contempt I felt for the man.

The eyes of those within the chamber were fixed first upon me and then
upon Zat Arras, until finally a flush of anger crept slowly over his
face.

“You may go,” he said to those who had brought me, and when only his
two companions and ourselves were left in the chamber, he spoke to me
again in a voice of ice—very slowly and deliberately, with many
pauses, as though he would choose his words cautiously.

“John Carter,” he said, “by the edict of custom, by the law of our
religion, and by the verdict of an impartial court, you are condemned
to die. The people cannot save you—I alone may accomplish that. You
are absolutely in my power to do with as I wish—I may kill you, or I
may free you, and should I elect to kill you, none would be the wiser.

“Should you go free in Helium for a year, in accordance with the
conditions of your reprieve, there is little fear that the people would
ever insist upon the execution of the sentence imposed upon you.

“You may go free within two minutes, upon one condition. Tardos Mors
will never return to Helium. Neither will Mors Kajak, nor Dejah
Thoris. Helium must select a new Jeddak within the year. Zat Arras
would be Jeddak of Helium. Say that you will espouse my cause. This
is the price of your freedom. I am done.”

I knew it was within the scope of Zat Arras’ cruel heart to destroy me,
and if I were dead I could see little reason to doubt that he might
easily become Jeddak of Helium. Free, I could prosecute the search for
Dejah Thoris. Were I dead, my brave comrades might not be able to
carry out our plans. So, by refusing to accede to his request, it was
quite probable that not only would I not prevent him from becoming
Jeddak of Helium, but that I would be the means of sealing Dejah
Thoris’ fate—of consigning her, through my refusal, to the horrors of
the arena of Issus.

For a moment I was perplexed, but for a moment only. The proud
daughter of a thousand Jeddaks would choose death to a dishonorable
alliance such as this, nor could John Carter do less for Helium than
his Princess would do.

Then I turned to Zat Arras.

“There can be no alliance,” I said, “between a traitor to Helium and a
prince of the House of Tardos Mors. I do not believe, Zat Arras, that
the great Jeddak is dead.”

Zat Arras shrugged his shoulders.

“It will not be long, John Carter,” he said, “that your opinions will
be of interest even to yourself, so make the best of them while you
can. Zat Arras will permit you in due time to reflect further upon the
magnanimous offer he has made you. Into the silence and darkness of
the pits you will enter upon your reflection this night with the
knowledge that should you fail within a reasonable time to agree to the
alternative which has been offered you, never shall you emerge from the
darkness and the silence again. Nor shall you know at what minute the
hand will reach out through the darkness and the silence with the keen
dagger that shall rob you of your last chance to win again the warmth
and the freedom and joyousness of the outer world.”

Zat Arras clapped his hands as he ceased speaking. The guards returned.

Zat Arras waved his hand in my direction.

“To the pits,” he said. That was all. Four men accompanied me from
the chamber, and with a radium hand-light to illumine the way, escorted
me through seemingly interminable tunnels, down, ever down beneath the
city of Helium.

At length they halted within a fair-sized chamber. There were rings
set in the rocky walls. To them chains were fastened, and at the ends
of many of the chains were human skeletons. One of these they kicked
aside, and, unlocking the huge padlock that had held a chain about what
had once been a human ankle, they snapped the iron band about my own
leg. Then they left me, taking the light with them.

Utter darkness prevailed. For a few minutes I could hear the clanking
of accoutrements, but even this grew fainter and fainter, until at last
the silence was as complete as the darkness. I was alone with my
gruesome companions—with the bones of dead men whose fate was likely
but the index of my own.

How long I stood listening in the darkness I do not know, but the
silence was unbroken, and at last I sunk to the hard floor of my
prison, where, leaning my head against the stony wall, I slept.

It must have been several hours later that I awakened to find a young
man standing before me. In one hand he bore a light, in the other a
receptacle containing a gruel-like mixture—the common prison fare of
Barsoom.

“Zat Arras sends you greetings,” said the young man, “and commands me
to inform you that though he is fully advised of the plot to make you
Jeddak of Helium, he is, however, not inclined to withdraw the offer
which he has made you. To gain your freedom you have but to request me
to advise Zat Arras that you accept the terms of his proposition.”

I but shook my head. The youth said no more, and, after placing the
food upon the floor at my side, returned up the corridor, taking the
light with him.

Twice a day for many days this youth came to my cell with food, and
ever the same greetings from Zat Arras. For a long time I tried to
engage him in conversation upon other matters, but he would not talk,
and so, at length, I desisted.

For months I sought to devise methods to inform Carthoris of my
whereabouts. For months I scraped and scraped upon a single link of
the massive chain which held me, hoping eventually to wear it through,
that I might follow the youth back through the winding tunnels to a
point where I could make a break for liberty.

I was beside myself with anxiety for knowledge of the progress of the
expedition which was to rescue Dejah Thoris. I felt that Carthoris
would not let the matter drop, were he free to act, but in so far as I
knew, he also might be a prisoner in Zat Arras’ pits.

That Zat Arras’ spy had overheard our conversation relative to the
selection of a new Jeddak, I knew, and scarcely a half-dozen minutes
prior we had discussed the details of the plan to rescue Dejah Thoris.
The chances were that that matter, too, was well known to him.
Carthoris, Kantos Kan, Tars Tarkas, Hor Vastus, and Xodar might even
now be the victims of Zat Arras’ assassins, or else his prisoners.

I determined to make at least one more effort to learn something, and
to this end I adopted strategy when next the youth came to my cell. I
had noticed that he was a handsome fellow, about the size and age of
Carthoris. And I had also noticed that his shabby trappings but illy
comported with his dignified and noble bearing.

It was with these observations as a basis that I opened my negotiations
with him upon his next subsequent visit.

“You have been very kind to me during my imprisonment here,” I said to
him, “and as I feel that I have at best but a very short time to live,
I wish, ere it is too late, to furnish substantial testimony of my
appreciation of all that you have done to render my imprisonment
bearable.

“Promptly you have brought my food each day, seeing that it was pure
and of sufficient quantity. Never by word or deed have you attempted
to take advantage of my defenceless condition to insult or torture me.
You have been uniformly courteous and considerate—it is this more than
any other thing which prompts my feeling of gratitude and my desire to
give you some slight token of it.

“In the guard-room of my palace are many fine trappings. Go thou there
and select the harness which most pleases you—it shall be yours. All
I ask is that you wear it, that I may know that my wish has been
realized. Tell me that you will do it.”