The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-15
The Gods of Mars
 By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
(C0ntinuedl
Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co.

W utan took stand beside me. He was a valorous soldier, Cur Tus by name, and together we kept the now thor oughly frightened troops in the sem- blance of order and rescued many that would have drowned otherwise.
 Dior Kantos, son of Kantos Kan. and padwar of the fifth utan, joined us when his utan reached the opening through which the men were fleeing. Thereafter not man was lost of all the hundreds that remained to pass from the main corridor to the branch.
 As the last utan was filing past us the waters had risen until they surged about our necks, but we clasped hands and stood our ground until the last man had passed to the comparative safety of the new passageway. Here we found an immediate and steep as- cent, so that within a hundred yards we had reached a spoint above the waters.
 For few minutes we continued rap idly up the steep grade, which hoped would soon bring us quickly to the up- per pits that led into the temple of Issus. But I was to meet with a cruel disappointment.
 Suddenly I heard a cry of 'Firer'I far ahead, followed almost at once by cries of terror and the loud commands of dwars and padwars, who were evi- dently attempting to direct their men away from some grave danger. At last the report came back to us:
 They have fired the pits aheadr'
 "We are hemmed in by flames in front and flood behindr'
 Help, John Carter! We are suffo- catingr'
 Back upon us at the rear swept wave of dense smoke that sent us stumbling and blinded into choking retreat.
 There was naught to do other than. seek new avenue of escape. The fire and smoke were to be feared thou sand times over the water, and so I seized upon the first gallery which led out of and up from the suffocating smoke that was engulfng us.
 Again I stood to one side while the soldiers hastened through on the new way. Some 20OO must have passed at rapid run when the stream ceased. but I was not sure that all had been rescued who had not passed the point of origin of the flames, and so to as sure myself that no poor devil was left behind to die a horrible death un- succored ran quickly up the gallery. in the direction of the flames, which I could now see burning with dull glow far ahead.
 It was hot and stifing work, but at last reached point where the fire lit up the corridor sufficiently for me to see that no soldier of Helium lay be- tween me and the confagration. What was in it or upon the far side I could not know, nor could any man have passed through that seething hell of chemicals and lived to learn.
 Having satisfied my sense of duty, I turned and ran rapidly back to the corridor through which my men had passed. To my horror, however, 1 found that my retreat in this. direction
 
 of the corridor stood massive steel grating that had evidently been low- cred from it's resting place above for the purpose of effectually cutting of my escape. '.
 thousand times berated myself for being drawn into such a trap as might have known these pits easily could be. Now I saw that it would have been much better to have kept our force intact and made concerted attack upon the temple from the val- ley side trusting to chance and our great fighting ability to have over- whelmed the Black Pirates and com- pelled the safe delivery of Dejah Tho ris to me.
 The smoke from the fire was forcing me farther and farther back down the corridor toward the waters which I could hear surging through the dark ness.
 With my men had gone the last torch. Nor was this corridor lighted by the radiance of phosphorescent rock as were those of the lower levels. It was this fact that assured me that I was not far from the upper pits which lie directly beneath the temple.
 Finally I felt the tapping waters about my feet. The smoke was thick behind me. My suffering was intense.
 There seemed but one thing to do and that to choose the easier death which confronted me. and so I moved on down the corridor until the cold waters of Omean closed about me and I swan on through utter blackness to- ward-what?
 The instinct of self preservation is strong even when one. unafra.d and in the possession of his highest reason ing faculties, knows that death-posi- tive and unaltera ble--lies just ahead.
 So I swan slowly on, waiting for my head to touch the top of the cor ridor, which would mean that had reached the limit of my flight and the point where must sink forever to an unmarked grave.
 To my surprise ran against blank wall before I reached point where the waters came to the roof of the cor ridor. Could l be mistaken? I felt round. No; I had .corae to the main