The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-13

better than by day There are fewer
 abroad in the courts and gardens,
 though" said Thuvia | What is the hour?" I asked. Tt was midnight when you released | me from my chains,' said Thuvia. 1.-Two hours later we reached the store
 room. There you slept for fourteen hours. 1t must now be nearly sun- down again. Come; we will go to some nearby window in the cliff and make sure."
 So saying, she led the way through winding corridors until at a sudden turn we came upon an opening which overlooked the valley Dor. At our right the sun was setting,
 huge red orb, below the western range
 of Otz.
 A little below US stood the holy thern on watch upon his balcony. His scar let robe of office was pulled tight about
 him in anticipation of the cold that
 comes so suddenly with darkness as he sun sets.
 So rare is the atmosphere of Mars
 that it absorbs very little heat from
 the sun. During the daylight hours it
 Is always extremely hot; at night it Is intensely cold. Nor does the thin atmosphere refract the suns rays or diffuse its light as upon earth
 The declining sun lighted brilliantly the eastern banks of Korus, the crim-
 son sward, the gorgeous forest Be- | heath the trees we saw feeding many
 herds of plant men.
 Thuvia lost no time in leading us to-
 ward the corridor which winds back
 and forth up through the cliffs toward
 the surface thousands of feet above
 thes level on which we had been.
 Twice great banths, wandering loose
 through the galleries, blocked our i progress, but in each instance Thuvia spoke low word of command, and l the snarling beasts sluhk sullenly | away.
 "If you can dissolve all our obsta- cles as easily as you master these fierce brutes I can see no difficulties in our
 way" said to the girl, smiling. How | do you do it?"
 | She laughed and then shuddered.
 'I do not quite know,y she said.
 "When first I came here ,angered
 Sator Throg because I repulsed him. He ordered me thrown into one of the great pits in the inner gardens. It was filled with banths.
 'In my own country I had been ac- customed to command. Something in my voice, I do not know what, cowed the beasts as they sprang to attack me. Instead of tearing me to pieces, as Sator Throg had desired, they fawned
 at my feet So greatly were Sator Throg and his friends amused by the
 sight that they kept me to train and
 handle the terrible creatures. know them all by name.
 "There are many of them wandering through these lower regions They are the scavengers. Many prisoners die here in their chains. The banths solve the problem of sanitation, at least in this respect.
 "In the gardens and temples above they are kept in pits. The therns fear them. It is because of the banths that they seldom venture below ground ex-s cept as their duties call them" | An idea occurred to me, suggested by what Thuvia had just said. "Why not take a number of banths and set them loose before us above ground?'' asked.
 Thuyio 1auphad t "It would distract attention from us, am sure," she said.
 She commenced calling in low sing
 song voice that was half purr. She continued this as we wound our tedi- ous way through the maze of subter- ranean passages and chambers. Presently soft padded feet sounded close behind us and as turned I saw a pair of great green eyes shining in the dark shadows at our rear. From a diyerging tunnel sinuous, tawny form crept stealthily toward us. Low growls and angry snarls as- sailed our ears on every side as we hastened on, and one by one the fero- cious creatures answered the call of their mistress.
 She spoke word to each as it joined us. Like well schOoled terriers, they paced the corridors with us, butt I could not help but note the lathering jowls nor the hungry expressions with
 which the terrible beasts eyed Tars Tarkas and myself
 Soon we were entirely surrounded
 by some fifty of the brutes. Two
 walked close on either side of Thuvia,
 as guards might walk. The sleek sides
 of others now and then touched my
 own naked limbs.
 It was strange experience, the al-
 most noiseless passage of naked hu-
 man feet and padded paws; the golden
 walls splashed with precious stones,
 the dim light cast by the tiny radium
 bulbs set at considerable distances
 along the roof; the huge, maned beasts of prey crowding with low growls
 about us; the mighty green warrior towering high above us all; myself
 crowned with the priceless diadem of a holy thern, and leading the process
 sion the beautiful girl Thuvia.
 I shall not soon forget it.
 Presently we approached a great chamber more brightly lighted than the corridors. Thuvia halted us. Quietly she stole toward the entrance and glanced within. Then she mo- tionod ,IS tO follow her