The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-08

Here at the bottom Of dying world
was the only naturally productive area
upon it's surface. Here alone were
deWs and rains: here alone was an
open sea; here was water in plenty
and all this was but the stamping
ground of fierce brutes, and from it's
beauteous and fertile expanse the
wicked remnants Of two once mighty
races barred all the other millions Of
Barsoom.
Could but succeed in once breaking
down the barrier Of religious superst-
ton which had kept the red races from
this Ell Dorado it would be fitting
memorial to the immortal virtues Of
my princess-I should have again serv-
ed Barsoom, and Dejah Thoris' martyr
dom would not have been in vain.
On the morning Of the second day
we raised the great feet Of transports
and their consorts at the first flood Of
dawn and soon were near enough to
exchange signals.
may mention here that radio-aero-
grams are seldom if ever used in war
time or for the transmission OF secret
dispatches at any time, for as often as
one nation discovers a new cipher or
invents a new instrument for wireless
purposes its neighbors bend every eff
fort until they are able to intercept and
translate the message
For so long a time has this gone OH
that practically every possibility OF
wireless communication had been ex.
hausted, and no nation dares transmit
dispatches Of Importance in this way.
Tars Tarkas reported all well with
the transports. The battleships passed
through to take an advanced position,
and the combined fleets moved slowly
over the ice cap, hugging the surface
closely to prevent detection by the
therns whose land we were approach
ing.
Far in advance of all a thin line Of
one man air scouts protected US from
surprise, and on either side they flank
ed us, while smaller number brought
up the rear some twenty miles behind
the transports.
In this formation we had progressed
toward the entrance to Omean for sew
eral hours when one of our scouts re-
turned from the front to report that
the conelike summit Of the entrance
was In sight. At almost the same in
slant another scout from the left flank
came racing toward the flagship.
His very speed bespoke the impor-
lance of his information. Kantos Kan
and I awaited him upon the little for
ward deck which corresponds with the
bridge Of earthly battleships. Scarce
ly had his tiny flier come to rest upon
the broad landing deck of the flagship
ere he was bounding up the stairway
to the deck where we stood.
"a great feet of battleships south
southeast, my prince!" he cried. "There
must be several thousands of them.
and they are bearing down directly
upon u.s."
1.-THE thern spies were not in the
said Kantos Kan TO me. "Your or
ders, prince"
''Dispatch ten battleships to guard
the entrance to Omean, with orders to
let no hostile vessel enter or leave
the shaft. That will bottle up the
great fleet of the Black Pirates"
= "Form the balance of the battleships
into a great V, with the apex pointing
directly south-southeast. Order the
transports, surrounded by their con
voys, to follow closely in the wake of
the battleships until the point Of the
V has entered the enemy's line; then
the v must open outward at the apex,
the battleships Of each leg engage the
enemy fercely, and drive him back to
form a lane through his line into