Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-20

| come from beings as real as you or l. In
| their veins flows blood that may be let as
| easily as ours The fact that they remain
| invisible to us is the best proof 10 my mind
| that they are mortal, nor overly courageous
mortals at that Think you. Tars Tarkas
that John Carter will fly at the first shrek
OF a Cowardly foe who dare not come out
in the open and face n good blade2"
had not long to walt, for presently
there might be no question that our would
be terrorlzers would hear me, for / was
firing of this nerve.raclSlng farce. 1t had
occurred to me, too. that the whole business
was but plan TO frghten US back into the
valley of death from which we had escaped,
that we might be quickly disposed Of by the
savage creatures there.
For a long period there was silence. then
Of sudden soft stealthy sound behind
me caused me to turn suddenly to behold
a great, many.iegged banth creeping sinu.
ously upon me
The banth is a fierce beast Of prey that
roams the low hills surrounding the dead
seas Of ancient Mars. Like nearly all
Martian animals 1t is almost hairless, hav-
Ing only a great bristlv name about its
thick neck It's long 1.-the body is sup.
ported by ten powerful legs; its enormous
jaws arc equipped, like those Of the calot,
or Martian hound. with several rows oc
long nccdlolikc fauEs; lts mouth extends
to 4 point far back of its tiny ears while
the last touch Of terror to It's awful ASPECT.
As It crcpt toward mo II lashcd It's pow
erful tail against it's yellow sides and whom
It saw that II was discovered It emitted
the terrifying roar which often freezes It's
prey into momentary paralysis In the in
stant that II makes It's spring.
And so II launched its great bulk toward
me. but its mighty voice had held no par
aly7lnE terrors for me. and tt met cold
steel instead Of the tender flesh It's cruel
Jaws gaped SO widely to enEulf
An instant later I drew my blade from
the still heart of this great Barsoomian
lion, and, turning toward Tars Tarkas, was
surprised to see him facing n similar
monster
No sooner had he dispatched his than
l. turning as though drawn by the Instinct
of my guardian subcouscious mind, beheld
another Of the savage denzins Of the
Martian wilds leaping across the chamber
toward me-
From then on for the better part Of an
hour one hdeous creature after another
was launched upon us, sprnging apparently
from the empty air about us.
Tars Tarkas was satisfied here was
something tangible that he could cut and
slash with his great blade. while I, for my
part. may say that the diversion was n
marked Improvement over the uncanny
voices from unseen lips
That there was nothing supernatural
about our new foes was well evidenced by
their howls of rage and pain as they felt
the sharp steel at their vItals and the
very real blood which flowed from their
severed arteries as they died the real death.
I noticed during the period of this new
persecution that the beasts appeared only
when our baclSs were turned.
We never saw one really materialZC from
thin air, nor did for an instant sufficiently
lose my excellent reasoning faculties to he
once dcluded into the belief that the beasts
came into the room other than through
some concealed and wellcontrived door.
way.
Among the ornaments of Tars Tarkas'
leather harness, which is the only manner
of clothing worn by Martians other than
capes and robes of silk and fur for pro.
lection from the cold after dark was a
small mirror, about the biEncss Of lady's
handglass. which hung midway between his
shoulders and his waist against his broad |
back.
Once as we stood looking down at n
newly fallen antagonist, my eyes happened
to fall upon this mirror and in its shiny |
surface saw pictured n sight that caused
me to whisper:
Move not, Tars Tarkas! Move not
muscle"'
He did not ask why, but stood like n
craven image, while my eyes watched the |
strange thing that meant so much to us
What l saw was the quick movement of |
n section of the wall behind me. It was |
turning upon pivots, and with it a section of
the floor directly in front of 1t was turning. |
1t was as though YOU placed visiting card |
upon end on a silver dollar you had laid |
fiat upon table, so that the edge of the |
card perfectly bisected the surface of the
coin.
The card might represent the section of
the wall that turned and the silver dollar
the section of the floor Both were so nicely
fitted into the adjacent portions of the floor
and wall that no crack had been noticeable
in the dim light Of the chamber.
CONTINUED TOMORROW)