The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-08
The Gods
of Mars
By
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
(Continued1
Copyright by Frank A. Munsey Co,

Their words.
Together we rushed to the balcony
in time to see dozen members of my
palace guard disappear in the shadows
I of some distant shrubbery as in pur-
suit of one who fed. Directly beneath
US upon the scarlet sward handful Of
guardsmen were STOPPING above still
and PROSTATE form.
While we watched they lifted the fig
ure in their arms and at my command
bore it to the audience chamber where
we had been in council. When they
stretched the body at out feet we saw
that it was that of a red man in the
prime Of life. His metal was plain.
such as common soldiers wear or those
who have a motive to conceal their
identity.
another of Eat Arras' spies," said
Hor Vastus.
$50 it would SEEM" I replied, and
then to the guard, ''You may remove
the body"
'Wait!'' said Xodar. "If you will,
prince, ask that a cloth and little
thoat oil be brought"
- nodded to one of the soldiers, who
left the chamber, returning presently
with the things that Xodar had re-
quested. The black knelt beside the
body and, dipping corner Of the cloth
in the thoat oil, rubbed for a moment
on the dead face before him.
Then he turned to me with a smile,
pointing to his work. I looked and
saw that where Xodar had applied
white as mine-and then Xodar seized
the black hair of the corpse and with
a sudden wrench tore it all away, re-
vealing hairless pate beneath.
Guardsmen and mobiles pressed close
about the silent witness upon the mar
BILE floor. Many were the exclama-
lions Of establishment and questioning
suspicion which he had held all the
time.
"A thern!' whispered Tars Tarkas.
Worse than that, fear" replied
Xodar. "But let us see.'
With that he drew his dagger and
cut open locked pouch which had
dangled from the thern's harness, and
from it he brought forth a circlet of
gold set with large gem. It was the
mate to that which had taken from
Sator Throg.
"He was a holy thern,' said Xodar.
fortunate, indeed, it is for us that he
did not escape"
The officer Of the guard entered the
chamber at this juncture
my prince" he said, II have to re-
port that this fellows companion es-
capped us. I think that it was with the
connivance Of one or more of the men
at the gate. I have ordered them all
under arrest"
Zodar handed him the thoat oil and
cloth.
with this you may discover the spy
among you," he said. -. =
I at once ordered secret search
within the city, for every Marian no.
BILE maintains a secret service of his
own
A half hour later the officer Of the
guard came to the chamber again to
report. This time it was to confirm
our worst fears-half the guards at the
gate that night had been therns dis
guised as red men.
"Come!'' I cried. 1--WE must lose NO
time. On to Hastor at oncel Should
the therns attempt to check us at the
southern verge Of the ice cap it may
result in the wrecking of all our plans
and the total destruction of the expe-
dition."
Ten minutes later we were speeding
through the night toward Hastor, pre-
pared to strike the first blow for the
preservation Of Dejah Thoris.
Two hours after leaving my palace
in Helium, or about midnight, Kantos
Kan and arrived at Hastor. Cartho
ris, Tars Tarkas and Hor Vastus had
gone directly to Thank upon another
cruiser.
The transports were to get under
way Immediately and move slowly
south. The fleet of battleships would
overtake them on the morning of the
oCCOA0 00y.
At Hastor we found all in readiness,
and SO perfectly had Kantos Kan plan
ned every detail Of the campaign that
within ten minutes Of our arrival the
first Of the fleet bad scared aloft from
its dock. And thereafter, at the rate
Of one second, the great ships doated
gracefully out into the night to form
a long, thin line which stretched for
miles toward the south.
The expedition could yet do much
besides rescuing Dejah Thoris If it
could but teach the people of Barsoom
the facts Of the cruel deception that
had been worked upon them for count
less ages and thus save thousands each
year from the herrid fate that awaited
them at the conclusion of the voluntary
pilgrimage.
If it could open to the red men the
fair valley Dor it would have accom-
plished much, and in the and OF lost
souls, between the mountains OF Otz
and the ice barrier, were many broad
acres that needed no irrigation to bear
rich harvests. }