Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-01
(Continued.)

(ContinuedO
"The following day we eume upon
! herd Of small thoats, and thereafter
we were mounted and made good time.
We travelled very fast and very far
due south until the morning Of the
Hfth day we sighted a great feet of
battleships sailing north.
"They saw us before we could seek
! shelter, and soon we were surrounded
by a horde of black men. The prin-
cess guard fought nobly to the end,
but they were soon overcome and
slain.
when she realized that she was in
the clutches of the Black Pirates she
attempted to take her own life, but
one Of the blacks tore her dagger
| from her, and then they bound us both
so that we could not use our hands,.
THE feet continued north after cap
! turing us. There were about twenty
large battleships in all, besides a num-
Der of small cruisers.
THAT evening one of the smaller
cruisers, that had been far in advance
of the feet, returned with prisoner,
young red woman, whom they had
! picked up in range of hills under the
very noses, they said, of feet of three
red Marian battleships.
From scraps of conversation which
we overheard it was evident that the
Black Pirates were searching for par
! ty OF fugitives that had escaped them
several days prior.
"That they considered the capture of
the young woman important was evi-
dent from the long interview the COM
| mander of the feet held with her when
she was brought to him. Later she
was bound and placed in the compart-
ment with Dejah Thoris and myself.
The new captive was a very beau
tiful girl. She told Dejah Thoris that
many years ago she had taken the vol
untary pilgrimage from the court of
her father, the jeddak of Ptarth. She
was Thuvia, the princess of Ptarth.
And then she asked Dejah Thoris
whom she might be, and when she
heard she fell upon her knees and kiss
ed Dejah Thoris' fettered hands and
told her that just recently she had been
with John Carter, prince of Helium,
and Carthoris, her son.
"Dejah Thoris could not believe her
at first, but finally, when the girl had
narrated all the strange adventures
that had befallen her since she had
met John Carter and told her of the
things John Carter and Carthoris had
narrated of their adventures in the
valley Dor Dejah Thoris knew that
It could be none other than the Prince
upon all Barsoom, other than John
Carter could have done the deeds you
tell Of
"And when Thuvia told Dejah Tho
loyalty and devotion to the princess of
his choice Dejah Thoris broke down and
| wept, cursing Eat Arras and the cruel
fate that had driven her from Helium
but few brief days before the return
| of her beloved lord.
81 do not blame you for loving
him, Thuvia,' she said. And that your
| affection for him is pure and sincere
can we'll believe from the candor of
your avowal of 1t to me-
"The feet continued north nearly to
Helium, but last night they evidently
realized that John Carter had indeed
escaped them, and so they turned to-
ward the south once more. Shortly
thereafter a ghard entered our COM
partment and dragged me to the deck.
There is no place in the land of
the Black Pirates for green one he
said. and with that he gave me ter
rife shove that carried me toppllng
from the deck of the battleship. Evi-
IDENTIFY this seemed to him the easiest
way of rldding the vessel of my pres
ence and killing me at the same time.
But kind fate interviewed, and by
a miracle l escaped with but slight
bruises. The ship was moving slowly
at the time, and as lunged overheard
into the darkness beneath L shuddered
at the awful plunge thought awaited
me, for all day the fleet had sailed
thousands of feet above the ground
but to my utter surprise struck upon
a soft mass of vegetation not twenty
feet from the deck of the ship.
"In fact, the keel of the vessel must
have been grazing the surface of the
! ground at the time
81 lay all night where | had fallen.
and the next morning brought an ex-
planation of the fortunate coincidence
that had saved me from a terrible
death. AS the sun rose l saw n vast
panorama of sea bottom and distant