The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1921-04-29

to be the first to impale the poor 10
dangan and in another moment his
fate would have been sealed had it
not been for my timely arrival.
Driving my fleet air craft ut high
speed directly behind the warriors
soon overlook them and without di-
minishing my speed I rammed the
PROV of my little fier between the
! shoulders of the nearest. The impact,
/ sufficient to have torn through inches
+ of solid steel. hurled the fellows head
4 less body into the air over the head
! of his thoat. where il fell SPRAYING
upon the moss. The mounts of the
other two warriors turned squealing
/ in terror, and bolted in opposite di-
/ rections.
Reducing my speed I circled and
came to the ground at the feet of the
astonished Zodangan. He was warm
in his thanks for my timely aid and
/ promised that my days work would
/ bring the reward it merited, for il
was none other than a cousin of the
| jeddak of ZOdanga whose life 1 had
/ saved.
/ Fastening to his damaged machine
we were bending every effort to fin
ish the needed repairs and had almost
/ completed them when we saw the
| two green monsters returning al top
/ speed from opposite sides OF us. When
| they had approached within a hun
dred yards their thoats again became
unmanageable and absolutely refused
TO advance further toward the air
Z frier
The warriors finally dismounted and
| hobbling their animals advanced to-
ward us on foot with drawn long
swords l advanced to meet the larg-
er. telling the Zodangan to do the
best he could with the other. Finish
ing my man with almost no effort,
as had now from much pract' &c be-
come habitual with me, l FASTENED
to return to my new acquaintance
whom I found indeed in desperate
straits.
He was wounded and down with
the huge foot of his antagonist upon
his throat and the great longsword
raised TO deal the final thrust. With
a bound / cleared the fifty feet inter
vening between us, and with out
stretched point drove my sword COM
pletely through the body of the green
warrior His sword fell, harmless. to
the ground and he sank Imply upon
the PROSTATE form of the Zodangan.
Quickly completing the repairs we
rose together into the still. clOudleSs
Marian sky, and at great speed and
without further mishap returned to
Zodanga.
AS we neared tho city we discov-
cred a mighty cOncourse of civilians
and troops assembled upon the plain
before the city. Ny companion sig
nailed that l slow down, and running
his machine close beside mine sug-
gested that we approach and watch
the ceremony, which, he said, was
for the purpose of comforting honorS
on individual officers and men for
bravery and other distinguished
service. He then unfurled a little en-
sign which denoted that his craft bore
a member of the royal family of 20
danga, and together we made our
way through the maze of low-lying
air vessels until we hung directly over
the jeddd1k Of Zodanga and his staff
One of the staff called the attention
of Than KOSiS to the presence of my
companion above them and the ruler
mOtiOned for him to descend. / could /
not hear their conversation and pres !
emily it ceased and all dismounted. |
as the last body of troops had wheeled !
into position before their emperor. y
member of the staff advanced toward |
the troops, and calling the name of /
q soldier commanded him to advance. /
The officer then recited the nature OF |
the heroic act which had Won the /
approval of the jeddak, and the lat I
ter advanced and placed a metal or I
nament upon the left arm of the lucky /
man.
Ten men had been so decorated when /
the aid called out,
John Carter, air SCOUT"
Never in my life had / been so sur
prised, but the habit of military dis
cipline is strong within me, and I
dropped my little machine lightly to
the ground and advanced on foot as
l had seen the others do. As l halted
before the officer, he addressed me
in a voice audible to the entire as
of troops and spectators.
'In recognition, John Carter" he
said, "Of your remarkable courage and
skill in defending the person of the
cousin of the jeddak Than Kosis and.
vanquiShing three green
warriors, it is the pleasure of our jed
dak to confer on you the mark of his
esteem"
Than Kosis then advanced toward
me and placing an ornament upon
ne. said:
My cousin has narrated the details
IF your wonderful achievement.
which seems little short of miracu-
Gus, and if you can so well defend a
cousin of the ieddak, how much better
could you defend the person of the
eddak himself. You are therefore APP
pointed a padwar of the Guard and
viii be quartered in my palace here (,
After
1 thanked him. and with an order
Y from the palace to guide me I re-
ported to the officer in charge of the
,alace
CHAPTER XIV. I