Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-02-15

As he came there rang from his lips
the cruel and mocking peal of laughter
that 1 had heard within the chamber
Of mystery.
And so he died. his thin lips curled
In the snarl Of his hateful laugh, and
bullet from the revolver Of his dead
companion bursting In his heart.
His body. borne by the impetus OF
his headlong rush. plunged upon me.
The hilt OF his sword must have
struck my head, for with the impact
of the corpse lost consciousness.
1t was the sound of conflict that
reused me once more to the realities
of life. For moment / could neither
place my surroundings nor locate the
sounds which had aroused me.
Then from beyond the blank wall be-
side which lay heard the shutting
of feet. the snarling of grim beasts. the
clank of metal accouterments and the
heavy breathing of man.
AS l rose to my feet glanced hue
riedly about the chamber in which
had just encountered such warm re-
ception. The prisoners and the savage
brutes rested in their chains by the
opposite wall eyeing me with varying
expressions of curiosity, sullen rage,
surprise and hope.
The latter emotion seemed plainly
evident upon the handsome and intel
ligent face Of the young red Martian
woman whose cry of warning had been
| instrumental In saving my life.
1t was several seconds before the
sounds upon the opposite side of the
partition jolted my slowly returning
faculties into a realization of their
probable import, and then of a sudden
grasped the fact that they were
caused by Tars Tarkas in what was
evidently a desperate struggle with
wild beasts or savage men.
With cry of encouragement I threw
my weight against the secret door. but
might as well have essayed the down
/ hurling OF the cliffs themselves. Then
sought feverishly for the secret of
the revolving panel. but my search was
fruitless, and 1 was about to raise my
long sword against the. sullen gold
when the young woman prisoner called
out to me:
Save your sword, oh. mighty war
rior, for you will need it more where
! it not against senseless metal which
yields better to the llghtest finger
| touch of one who knows its secret"
Know you the secret of it them
| | asked.
Eyes; release me and 1 will give
Der, If you wish. The keys to my fet-
ters are upon the first dead of your
foemen. But why would you return
to face whatever other form of de-
struction they have loosed within that
awful trap?"
Because my friend fights there
alone" answered. as hastily sought
! and found the keys upon the carcass
Of the dead custodian of this grim
chamber of horrors.
There were many keys upon the
oval ring. but the fair Marian maid
quickly selected that which sprung the
| great lock at her waist, and freed, she
hurried toward the secret panel.
Again she sought out key upon the
ring. This time a slender, needle like
affair which she inserted In an almost
invisible hole in the wall. Instantly
the door swung upon its pivot and the
contiguous section of the floor, upon
| xr-hsa I cko ,i11
it into the chamber where Tars Tar
kas fought.
The great Thark stood with his
back against an angle of the walls
while facing him in a semicircle half
dozen huge monsters crouched wait.
ing for an opening.
Their blood streaked heads and
shoulders testified to the cause of their
wariness as well as to the swordsman,
ship of the green warrior whose glossy
hide bore the same mute but eloquent
witness to the ferocity Of the attacks
that he had so far withstood.
/ AS he saw me enter a smile touched
those grim lips of his, but whether
the smile signified relief or merely
amusement at the sight of my own
bloody and disheveled condition I dc
not know.
As l was about to spring into the
conflict with my sharp long sword
felt a gentle hand upon my shoulder
and, turning, found to my surprise thai
the young woman had followed me
into the chamber.
wait" she whispered. ''leave then
to me-" and, pushing past me, she ad
vanced upon the snarling banths.
When quite close to them she spoke
single Marian word in low but per
emptory tones. Like lightning the
great beasts wheeled before her, and
looked to see her torn to pieces before
I could reach her side. but instead tn,
creatures skunk to her feet like pup
pies that expected merited whipping
Again she spoke to them, but Ii
tones so low could not catch ths
words, and then she started TOWARD
the opposite side of the chamber witt
the six mighty monsters trailing a
heel.