The Lamar register., 1921-03-23

saw the sudden coming of dark whis-
pered TO Kantos Kan to thrust his
sword between my left arm and my
oody. As he did so l staggered back
.iaspine the sword tightly with my
arm and thus fell to the ground with
mis- weapon apparently protrudinR
from my chest. Rantos Kan perceived
ny coup and stepping quickly to my
side he placed his foot upon my neck
and Withdrawing his sword from my
body gave me the final death blow
through the neck which Is supposed to
sever the tugular vein. but in this In
stance the cold blade slipped harm.
lessly into the sand of the arena. In
the darkness which had now fallen
none could tell hut that he had really
finished me. whispered 10 him to
20 and claim his freedom aud then
look for me In the hills east OF the
city. and so he left me.
When the amphitheater had cleared
I crept stealthily TO the top and as
the great excavation lay far from the
plaza and in an untenanted 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
started on on foot in northwesterly
direction toward a point where he had
told me lay the nearest waterway. My
only food consisted OF vegetable milk
from the plants which gave so boun
teously Of this priceless huid.
Through two long weeks | wnn-
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 | traversed. Several times ! was
attacked by wild beasts; strange. un-
couth nonstrosities that leaped upon
me in the dark, so that had ever 10
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 n
my juEular and a hairy face pressed
close TO mine before knew that !
was even threatened
What manner Of thing WAS upon me
! did not know. but that IL was large
and heavy and many-leEged could
feel. Ny hands were at Its throat
before the fangs had N chance to bury
themselves In my neck. and slowly
forced the hairy face from me and
closed my fingers. vlselise. upon It's
windpipe
Without sound we Law there. the
beast ex-rting every effort to reach
,Be with those awful fangs. and !
srrsininx 10 maintain my grip and
choke the life from IL as ! kept II
from my throat. Then n living mass
nf destruction sprang from the sur
rounding darkness full upon the crea-
ture that held me plnioned TO the
ground. The two rolled growing upon
the moss. tearing and rending one an
other In a frlxhtful manner. but II was
soon over and my preseryer stood with
lowered head above the throat of the
dead thing which would have killed
NE.
The nearer moon. hurtIing suddenly
above the horizon and lighting up the
Barsoomian scene. showed me that
my pres-ryer was wools. but from
whence he had come. or how found
Inc. | was at loss TO know That
was glad OF his coIDpanionship II is
needless to say. but my pleasure al
seeing him was tempered by anxiety
as to the reason OF his leaving Dejsh
Thoris
By the light Of the now brilliant
moons I saw that he was but a
shadow OF his former self. and as he
iurned from my oaress and com.
menced greedily TO devour the dead
carcass at my feet l realized that the
poor fellow was more than half
starved. When wools had finished
his meal | again took up my weary
and seemingly endless wandering In
Iuesr Of the elusive waterway.
At daybreak OF the fifteenth day ]
was ovcrjoyed to see the high trees
that denoted the object OF my search.
About noon | dragged myself weariiy
10 the portals OF huge building which
covered perhaps four square miles and
lowered two hundred feet In the air.
Il showed no aperture In the mighty
walls other than the tiny door at