The Snowflake herald., 1921-04-15

1 >-.e1IIf. l((4fA
AS Rose Above the City ! Circlec
Several Times as | Had Seen kontos
Kan DO.
the Zodangan navy as an air scouA
and | hope in this way to win the
confidence Of Sab Than. the prince
who is commander of this division
Of the navy. and thus learn the where
abouts OF Dejah Thoris. am glad
that you are here. John Carter, fol
/ know your loyalty to my princess anc
two Of us working together should
be able to accomplish much"
The plaza was now commencing
to fill with people going and coming
upon the daily activities of their du-
ties. The shops were opening and
the cafes filing with early morning
patrons Kantos Kan led me TO one
of these gorgeous eating places where
we were served entirely by mechani-
cal apparatus
After our meal, Kantos Kan took
me with him to the headquarters of
the air-scout squadron and intrOduc-
ing me to his superior asked that
be enrolled as member of the corps.
In accordance with custom an exam
ination was necessary, but Kanlos told
me to have no fear on this score, as
he would attend to that part of the
matter. he accomplished this by TAX
ing my order for examination to
the examining officer and represent
ing himself as John Carter.
This ruse will be discovered later"
he cheerfuIly explained, when they
check up my weights, measurements.
and other personal identification data
but 1t will be several months before
this Is done and our mission should
he accomplished or have failed long
before that time"
The next few days were spent by
KantoS Kan in teaching me the in
tricacies of flying and of repairing
the dainty little contrivances which
the Martians use for this purpose.
The fourth day after my arrival al
ZOdanga ] made my first flight. and
as a result of it Won a promotion
which included quarters in the palace
of Than KosiS.
AS ] rose above the city circled
several times. as had seen Kantos
Kan do. and then throwing my engine
into top speed | raced at terrific We
n et@~ r.
one of the great waterways which
enter ZOdanga from that direction
had traversed perhaps two hun
dred miles in a little less than an hour
when | deserted far below me a par
ty of three green warriors racing mad
" toward a small figure on foot which
seemed TO be trying to reach the con
fines of one OF the walled fields.
Dropping my machine rapidly to-
ward them, and circling to the rear
of the warriors, soon saw that the
object of their pursuit was red Mar
tian wearing the metal of the scout
squadron TO which | was attached.
A short distance away lay his tiny
fier, surrounded by the tools with
which he had evidently been occupied
in repairing some damage when sur
prised by the green warriors.
They were now almost upon him;
their flying mounts charging down on
the relatively puny figure at terrific
speed. while the warriors leaned low
to the right. with their great metal
81 oh
to be the first to impae the poor 20
dangan and in another moment his
fate would have been sealed had 1t
not been for my timely arrival.
Driving my feet air craft at high
speed directly behind the warriors
soon overlook them and without d.
minishing my speed l rammed the
prov Of my little flier between the
shoulders of the nearest The impact,
sufficient to have torn through inches
of solid steel, hurled the fellows head
less body into the air over the head
Of his thoat, where 1t fell sprawling
upon the moss. The mounts of the
other two warriors turned sQuealing
in terror. and bolted In opposite d.
rections.
Reducing my speed 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 it
was none other than a cousin of the
ieddak of Zodanga whose life 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
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