Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-10
(Continu I
(Continued.l

(Continued.)
"Where is Dejah Thoris?" cried
to the thing within my hands.
For moment her eyes roved wildly
about the scene beneath her. 1 think
that it took moment for the true
condition to make any impression upon
her-she could not at first realize that
the temple had fallen before the as.
sault of men of the outer world.
When she did there must have come
too. terrible realization of what it
meant to her-the loss of power, ha.
initiation, the exposure of the fraud
and imposture which she had for so
long played upon her own people.
There was just one thing needed to
complete the reality of the picture she
was seeing, and that was added by the
highest noble of her realm-the high
priest of her religion-the prime min.
lister of her government
"Issus, goddess of death and of life
eternal" he cried, rise in the might
OF they righteous wrath and with one
single wave of thy omnipotent hand
strike dead the blasphemers! Let not
one escape.
"Issus, thy people depend upon thee.
Daughter of the lesser moon, thou
only art all powerful. Thou only
canst save thy people. I am done.
We await thy will Striker
And then it was that she went mad.
A screaming. gibbering maniac writh.
ed in my grasp. 1t bit and clawed and
scratched in impotent fury. And then
1t laughed weird and terrible laugh.
ter that froze the blood.
CHAPTER XVI.
The Burning Temple.
fS~x1I HE slave girls upon the dais
shrieked and covered away.
IL And the thing jumped at them
~ and gnashed its teeth.
Finally 1 shook the thing, hoping to
recall it for a moment to nationality.
"Where is Dejah Thoris?" l cried.
The awful creature in my grasp
mumbled inarticulately for a moment,
then a sudden gleam of cunning shot
Into those hideous, close set eyes.
"Dejah Thoris2 Dejah Thoris?' and
then that shrill, unearthly laugh
pierced our ears once more. "Yes, De.
jah Thoris, know. And Thuvia also.
They each love John Carter Ha-ah-
but 1t is droll.
Together for a year they will medi.
tate within the temple Gf the Sun, but
ere the year is quite goNe there will be
no more food for them. Ha-ah! What
divine entertainmentr' and she licked
the froth from her cruel lips. "There
will be no more food-except each
other. Ha-ah! Ha-ahw
The horror of-the suggestion nearly
paralyZed me. To this awful fate the
creature within my power had con-
demned my princess. trembled in the
ferocity of my rage.
AS q terrier shakes rat I shook Is
sus, Goddess of life Eternal.
"Countermand your ordersw~I cried.
Recall the condemned. Haste or you
diew
"It is too late. Ha-ah! Ha-ahw
She again commenced her gibbering
and shrieking.
Almost of its own volition my dag
ger flew up above that wicked heart.
But something stayed my hand, and I
am glad now that 1t did. 1t is a ter
rible thing to have struck down a wo-
man with ones own hand. But filter
fate occurred to me for this false deity.
"Black Pirates.' l cried, turning to
those who stood within the chamber,
'you have seen today the impotency of
Issus-the gods are omnipotent. Issus
is no god. She is cruel and wicked
old woman. who has deceived and
played upon you for ages. Take her
John Carter, prince of Helium, would
not contaminate his hand with heI
blood"
With that pushed the raving beast,
whom a short half hour before a
whole world had worshiped as divine
from the platform of her throne into
the waiting clutches of her betrayed
and vengeful people.
Spying Carthoris among the officers
of the red men, called to him to lead
me quickly to the temple of the Sun,
and without waiting to learn what fate
the Black Pirates would wreak upon
their goddess rushed from the cham.
ber with Carthoris, Hor Vastus, Kan.
tos Kan and a score of other red
mobiles.
Carthoris led us rapidly through the
inner chambers of the temple until we
stood within the central court, a great
Circular space paved with a transpar-
ent marble of exquisite whiteness. Be-
fore us rose golden temple wrought
in the most wondrous and fanciful de-
signs, inlaid with diamond, ruby, sap
phire. turquoise, emerald and the
thousand nameiess gems of Mars
which far transcend in loveliness and