Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-29
The CODS OF MARS
Sequel to Ilnder the Moons of Mars"


xodar watched us with his grim smile,
partly of amusement and partly malicious
goatlng.
The garden swarmed with brilliantly
trapped black men and women. Among
them moved red and white females serving
their every want The palaces Of the outer
world and the temples of the therns had
oeen robbed of their princesses and god
desses that the blacks might have their
slaves
Through this scene we moved toward the
temple At the main entrance we were
matted by Gordon of armed guards.
xodar spoke few words to an officer
who came forward to question us. To-
gether they entered the temple, where they
remained for some time
When they returned It was to announce
that 1ssus desired to look upon the daugh-
ter of Natal shang, and the strange crea-
ture from another world who had been
prince of Helum.
Slowly we moved through endless cor
| ridors OF unthinkabe beauty; through
magnificent apartments and noble halls. At
length we were halted in a spacious cham
ber In the centre of the temple.
One of the officers who had accompanied
us advanced to large door In the further
end Of the chamber. Here he must haye
the door opened and another richly trapped
Courtier emerged.
We were then led up to the door, where
we were directed to get down on our hands
and knees with our back toward the room
we were to enter. The doors were swung
open and after being cautioned not to turn
our heads under penalty of instant death,
we were commanded to back into the pres
ence of Issus.
Never have I been in SO humiliating a
position in my life, and only my love for
Dejah Thoris and the hope which still
clung to me that 1 might again see her
kept me from rising to face the goddess OF
the First Born and go down to my death
like gentleman, facing my foes and with
! their blood minglng with mine.
After we had crawled in this disgusting
fashion for matter of n couple of hundred
feet we we're halted by our escort
Let them RISE said voice behind
us, thin, wavering voice. yet one that
had evidently been accustomed to command
for many years.
Rise" said our escort, but do not face
toward Issus.
THE woman pleases me-" said the thin,
wavering voice again after few moments
of silen 9e. "She shall serve me the allotted
time. The man you may return to the
Isle of Shador which lies against the north
ern shore of the Sea of omean.
Let the woman turn and look upon
Issus, knowing that those of the lower
orders who gaze upon the holy vision of
her radiant face survive the binding glory
but single year"
I watched Phaldor from the corner of
my eye She paled to a ghastly hue.
Slowly, very slowly she turned as though
drawn by some invisible yet irresistible
force.
She was standing quite close to me, so
close that her bare arm touched mine as
she finally faced Issus, goddess Of Life
Eternal
1 could not see the girls face as her
eyes rested for the first time on the SUI
preme deity of Mars but 1 felt the shud-
der that ran through her in the trembling
flesh of the arm that touched mine.
ut must be dazzling lovelness indeed
thought l. ''to cause such emotion in the
breast of so radiant a beauty as Phaidor,
daughter of Natal Shang."
Let the woman remain Remove the
man. Col"
Thus spoke Issus. and the heavy hand
of the officer fell upon my shoulder. In
accordance with his instructions l dropped
to my hands and knees once more and
crawled from the presence. 1t had been
my first audience with deity, but I am
| free to confess that I was not greatly i'm
| pressed-other than with the ridiculous
| figure I cut, scrambling about on my mar
| rowbones.
once without the chamber the doors
closed behind us and 1 was hidden to rise