The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-06-17
CHAPTER X.
A Costly Recapture.

- SOSIiy ncCdpLuFS.
As the speaker ceased he turned to
leave the apartment by the door where
l was standing, bat I needed to wait
no longer; had heard enough to fill
my soul with dread, and stealing quiet
ly away returned to the courtyard by
the way had come. My plan of ac-
ton was formed upon the instant and,
crossing the square and the bordering
avenue upon the opposite side, 1 soon
stood within the courtyard of Tai Ha-
jus.
glanced up at the stories above,
discovering that the third was appar-
emily unlighted, and so decided to
make my entrance to the building from
that point. 1t was the work of but a
moment for me to reach the windows
above, and soon 1 had drawn myself
within the sheltering shadows of the
unlighted floor.
Fortunately the room had selected
was untenanted, and creeping noiseless-
| ly to the corridor beyond discovered
a light in the apartments ahead of me.
Reaching what appeared to be door
way l discovered that it was but an
opening upon an immense inner cham
Der which lowered from the first floor,
two stories below me, to the dome-like
roof Of the building, high above my
| head. The floor of this great circular
hall was thronged with chieftains, war
riors and women, and at one end was a
great raised platform upon which
| squatted the most hideous beast l had
ever put my eyes upon. He had all
the cold, hard, cruel, terrible features
| of the green warriors, but accentuated
and debased by the animal passions to
which he had given himself over for
many years. There was not a mark of
dignity or pride upon his bestial coun-
tenance, while his enormous bulk
spread itself out upon the platform,
where he squatted like some huge
devil fish, his six limbs accentuating
the similarity in horrible and star
| ting manner.
| But the sight that froze me with ap-
prehension was that of Dejah Thoris
and Sofa standing, there before him,
! and the fiendish .Ieer of him as he let
his great protruding eyes gloat upon
the lines Of her beautiful figure. She
stood there erect before him, her head
high held, and even at the distance I
was from them 1 could read the scorn
and disgust upon her face as she let
her naughty glance rest without sign
of fear upon him.
Presently Tai Hajus made a sign
that the chamber be cleared, and that
the prisoners be left alone with him.
Slowly the chieftains, the warriors
and the women melted away into the
shadows Of the surrounding chambers.
and Dejah Thoris and Sofa stood
alone before the jeddak Of the Thanks.
One chieftain alone had hesitated
before departing; saw him standing
In the shadows of a mighty column,
his fingers nervously toying with the
hilt of his great sword and his cruel
eyes bent in implacable hatred upon
Tai Hajus. 1t was Tars Tarkas, and
could read his thoughts as il they
were an open book, for the undis-
guised loathing upon his face. He was
thinking Of that other woman who.
forty years ago. had stood before this
beast. and could have spoken word
into his ear at that moment the reign
OF Tai Hajus would have been over;
but finally he also strobe from the
room. not knowing that he left his own
daughter at the mercy of the creature
he most loathed.
Tai Hajus arose, and I, half fearing.
half anticipating his intentions. hur-
ried to the winding runway which led
to the floors below. No one was near
TO intercept me, and reached the
main floor Of the chamber unobserved,
taking my station in the shadow Of
the same column that Tars Tarkas had
but just deserted. AS / reached the
| floor Tai Hajus was speaking.