The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-07-15

| In an instant all was confusion; o
thousand drawn swords menaced me
from every quarter, and Sab Than
sprang upon me with jeweled dagger
he had drawn from his nuptial orna-
ments. could have killed him as cas-
lily as ! might fly, but the age-old
custom of Barsoom stayed my hand
and, grasping his wrist as the dagger
few toward my heart, held him as
though In wise and with my long.
sword pointed to the far end Of the
hall.
"Zodanga has fallen" cried
Look I"
All eyes turned in the direction
had indicated. and there, forging
through the portals of the entrance
way rode Tars Tarkas and his fifty
warriors on their great thoats.
A cry of alarm and amazement
broke from the assemblage, but nc
word Of fear, and in a moment the
| soldiers and mobiles Of Zodanga were
hurting themselves upon the advancing
| Thanks.
Thrusting Sab Than headlong from
the platform, I drew Dejah Thoris to
my side. Behind the throne was mar,
row doorway and in this Than Kosls
now stood facing me, with drawn
longsword. In an instant we were en-
gagged, and found no mean antago-
mist.
AS we circled upon the broad plat.
form 1 saw Sab Than rushing up the
steps to aid his father, but as he raised
his hand to strike, Dejah Thoris
sprang before him and then my sword
found the spot that made Sab Than
jeddak of Zodanga. AS his father
rolled dead upon the floor the new
jeddak tore himself free from Dejah
Thoris' grasp and again we faced each
other. He was soon Joined by quar-
tet of officers and, with my back
against a golden throne, I fought once
again for Dejah Thoris.
| Calling to her to get behind me
worked my way toward the little door
way back of the throne, but the Off
GERS realized my intentions and three
| of them sprang in behind me and
blocked my chances for gaining po-
sitiOn where could have defended
| Dejah Thoris against an army of
swordsmen.
The Thanks were having their hands
full in the center of the room, and !
began to realize that nothing short of
a miracle could save Dejah Thoris and
myself, when saw Tars Tarkas surg
ing through the crowd of pigmies that
swarmed about him. With one swing
of his mighty longswOrd he laid a
dozen corpses at his feet, and so he
hewed pathway before him until in
another moment he stood upon the
platform beside me, dealing death and
destruction right and left.
The bravery Of the Zodangans was
awe-inspiring not one attempted to
escape, and when the fighting ceased
it was because only Thanks remained
alive in the great hall, other than De-
jah Thoris and myself.
Sab Than lay dead beside his IA
Their, and the corpses of the flower of
Zodangan nobility and chivalry COW
cred the floor Of the bloody shambles.
My first thought when the battle
was over was for Kantos Kan, and
leaving Dejah Thoris in charge of Tars
Tarkas l took q dozen warriors and
FASTENED to the dungeons beneath the
palace. The jailers had all left to join
fhn GnI Tor IL bo xUO
searched the labyrinthine prison with
out opposition.
I called Kantos Kan's name aloud in
each new corridor and compartment,
and finally I was rewarded by hearing
a faint response. Guided by the
sound, we soon found him helpless in
a dark recess.
He was overjoyed at seeing me and
to know the meaning of the fight, faint
echoes of which had reached his pris-
on CELL He told me that the air pa
troll had captured him before he
reached the high tower of the palace,
so that he had not even seen Sab
Than.
The sounds of heavy firing, mingled
with shouts and cries, came to us from
the city's streets, and Tars Tarkas
FASTENED away to direct the fighting
without. Kantos Kan accompanied
him to act as guide, the green warriors
commencing thorough search of the
palace for other Zodangans and for
loot, and Dejah Thoris and were left
alone.
She had sunk into one of the golden