Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1921-09-30
look for me m the hiils east q ne
city, and so he left me.

l crept stealthily TO the top and as
the great excavation lay far from the
plaza and in an untenantcd portion OF
the great dead city had little trouble
In reaching the hills beyond.
For two days / waited there for
Kantos Kan, but as he did not come i
started OF on foot in q northwesterly
direction toward q point where he had
told me lay the nearest waterway. My
only food consisted Of vegetable milk
from the plants which gave 80 boun-
teously Of this priceless fluid.
Through two long weeks wan
dered, stumbling through the nights
guided only by the stars and hiding
during the days behind some protrud-
ing rock or among the occasional
hills i traversed. Several times I was
attacked by wild beasts; strange, IN
couth monstrosities that leaped upon
me In the dark, so that I had ever to
grasp my longsword in my hand that
I might be ready for them. Usually
my strange, newly acquired telepathic
power warned me in ample time, but
once was down with vicious fangs ut
my jugular and hairy face pressed
close to mine before knew that /
was even threatened.
What manner Of thing was upon me
did not know, but that It was large
and heavy and many-legged I could
feel. My hands were at its throat
before the fangs had a chance to bury
themselves In my neck, and slowly
forced the hairy face from me and
closed my fingers, visslike, upon its
windpipe.
Without sound we lay there. the
beast exerting every effort to reach
me with those awful fangs, and l
straining to maintain my grip and
choke the life from II as I kept II
from my throat. Then a living mass
Of destruction sprang from the sur
rounding darkness full upon the crea-
ture that held me pinioned to the
ground. The two rolled growing upon
the moss, tearing and rendlng one an
other In frightful manner, but II was
soon over and my preserver stood with
lowered head above the throat Of the
dead thing which would have killed
me.
The nearer moon, HURTING suddenly
above the horizon and lighting up the
Barsoomian scene, showed me that
my preserver was Woola. but from
whence he had come, or how found
me. was at a loss to know. That I
was glad Of his companionship It is
needless to say, but my pleasure at
seeing him was tempered by anxiety
as to the reason Of his leaving Dejah
Thoris.
BY the light Of the now brilliant
moons I saw that he was but a
shadow of his former self, and as he
turned from my caress and COM
menced Ereedily to devour the dead
carcass at my feet I realized that the
poor fellow was more than half
starved. When wooln had finished
his meal again took up my weary
and seemingly endless wandering In
quest Of the elusive waterway.
At daybreak Of the fifteenth day ]
was overjoyed to see the high trees
that denoted the object of my search.
About noon I dragged myself YEARLY
to the portals Of huge building which
covered perhaps four square miles and
lowered two hundred feet In the air.
II showed no aperture In the mighty
walls other than the tiny door at
which sank exhausted, nor was there
any sign Of life about It.
could find no bell or other method
OF making my presence known to the
inmates Of the place, unless small
round hole In the wall near the door
was for that purpose. II was OF about
the bigness Of lead pencil and think
Ing that II might be in the nature OF
a speaking tube put my mouth to 1t
and was about to call into II when a
voice issued from II asking me whom
! might be, where from. and the ma
ture Of my errand.
II am friend Of the red men of
Barsoom and I am starving. In the
name Of humanity open to u.s." re-
piled.
Presently the door commenced to
recede before me until II had sunk
into the wall fifty feet. then II stopped
and slid easily to the left, exposing a
short. narrow corridor Of concrete. at
the further end OF which was another
door, similar In every respect to the
one had just passed. No one was
In sight, yet Immediately we passed
the first door 1t slid gently into place
behind us and receded rapidly to its
original position in the front wall Of
the building.
A second and a third door receded
before me and slipped to one side as
the first, before reached large in
ner chamber where found food and
drink set out upon a great stone table.
A voice directed me 10 satisfy my
hunger and to feed my calot, and
while was thus engaged my invisible
host put me through a severe and
searching cross-examination.
"Your statements are most remark
able" said the voice, on concluding its
questioning. "but you are evidently
speaking the truth, and II is equally
evident that you are not OF Barsoom.
l can tell that by the conformation of
your brain and the strange location OF
your intarnaI Orpnna and fha ahana