Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-07

no circumstances to venture into the
open or leave the pits for the temple
proper until I should have come up
with him cor you know that l died
before l could reach you.'
The officer saluted and left me. The
men filed rapidly past me and entered
the diverglng corridor which l hoped
would lead to safety.
The water rose breast high. Men
stumbled, foundered and went down.
Many l grasped and set upon their
feet again, but alone the work was
greater than I could cope with. Sol
diers were being swept beneath the
boiling torrent never to rise.
At length the dwar of the tenth
utan took stand beside me. He was
valorous soldier, Cur Tus by name,
and together we kept the now thor
oughly frightened troops in the SEM
blance Of order and rescued many that
would have drowned otherwise.
Dior Kantos, son of Kantos Kan,
and padwar Of the fifth utan, Joined
us when his utan reached the opening
through which the men were fleeing.
Thereafter not a man was lost of all
the hundreds that remained to pass
from the main corridor to the branch.
AS the last utan was filing past us
| the waters had risen until they surged
about our necks, but we clasped hands
and stood our ground until the last
man had passed to the comparative
safety of the new passageway. Here
we found an immediate and steep as
cent, so that within a hundred yards
we had reached a point above the
waters.
For few minutes we continued rap
idly up the steep grade, which hoped
would soon bring us quickly to the up
per pits that led into the temple of
Issus. But was to meet with a cruel
disappointment.
Suddenly I heard a cry Of "Fire"
far ahead, followed almost at once by
cries Of terror and the loud commands
of dwars and padwars. who were evi-
IDENTITY attempting to direct their men
away from some grave danger. At
last the report came back to us:
''They have fred the pits ahead"
1--WE are hemmed in by flames in
front and food behindw
Help, John Carter! We are suffo-
cating!
Back upon us ut the rear swept
wave of dense smoke that sent us
stumbling and blinded into a choking
retreat.
There was naught to do other than
seek new avenue of escape. The fire
and smoke were to be feared a thou
sand times over the water, and so l
seized upon the first gallery which led
out Of and up from the suffocating
smoke that was engulfing us.
Again stood to one side while the
soldiers h8stened through on the new
way. Sonic 1000 must have passed
at rapid ron when the stream ceased.
but I was not sure that all had been
rescued who had not passed the point
of origin Of the flames, and so to as.
sure myself that no poor devil was
left behind to die horrible death un-
Guccored l ran quickly up ths gallery
In the direction of the flames, which I
could now see burning with dull glow
far ahead.
1t was hot and sitting work, but at
last reached a point where the fire Lit
up the corridor sufficiently for me to
see that no soldier of Helium lay be-
tween me and the confiagration. What
was In it or upon the far side could
not know, nor could any man have
passed through that seething hell Of
chemicals and lived to learn.
Having satisfied my sense of duty.
turned and ran rapidly back to the
corridor through which my men had
passed. To my horror, however,
found that my retreat in this direction
had been blocked. Across the mouth
of the corridor stood a massive steel
grating that had evidently been low
cred from its resting place above for
the purpose Of efrectually cutting of
my escape. 'H.e
A thousand times I berated myself
for being drawn into such a trap as
might have known these pits easily
NOulu pC' ANOW saw lhdL IL WOulu
have been much better to have kept
our force intact and made concerted
attack upon the temple from the val
ley side, trusting to chance and our
great fighting ability to have over
whelmed the Black Pirates and COM
PEELED the safe delivery of Dejah Tho
ris to me.
The smoke from the fire was forcing
me farther and farther back down the
corridor toward the waters which
sould hear surging through the dark
ness.
With my men had gone the last
torch. Nor was this corridor lighted
by the radiance of phosphorescent rock
as were those of the lower levels. 1t
was this fact that assured me that
was not far from the upper pits which
lie directly beneath the temple.