The Connecticut labor news., 1921-08-05

upon one beast, and Dejah Thoris be hind me upon the other, we rode from the city of Thark through the hills to the south.
 No word was spoken until we had left the city far behind, but I could hear the quiet sobbing of Dejah Thoris as she clung to me with her dear head resting against my shoulder.
 If we make it, my chieftain, the debt of Helium will be a mighty one 1; greater than she can ever pay you; and should we not make it," she con- tinued, "the debt is no less, though Helium will never know, for you have saved the last of our line from worse than death"
 did not answer, but instead reached to my side and pressed the little fingers of her I loved, where they clung to me for support, and then, in unbroken silence, We sped over the vel low, mOonlit moss; each of us occn- pied with his own thoughts.
 Our earlier plans had been so sadly upset that we now found ourselves without food or drink, and alone was armed. We therefore urged our beasts to a speed that must tell on them sore- ly before we could hope to sight the ending of the first stage of our journey.
 We rode all night and all the follow ing day with only a few short rests. On the second night both we and our animals were completely Jagged. and so we lay down upon the moss and slept for some five or six hours, taking up the journey once more before day. light. All the following day we rode, and when, late in the afternoon. we had sighted no distant trees, the mark of the great waterways throughout all Barsoom, the terrible truth flashed upon us-we were lost.
 Evidently we had circled, but which way 1t was difficult to say, nor did it seem possible with the sun to guide us by day and the moons and stars by night. At any rate no waterway was in sight, and the entire party was al- most ready to drop from hunger, thirst and fatigue. Far ahead of us and trfie to the right we could distinguish the outlines of low mountains. These we decided to attempt to reach in the hope that from some ridge we might discern the missing waterway. Night fell upon us before we reached our goal and, almost fainting from weari- ness and weakness. we lay down and slept.
 was awakened early in the morn- ing by some huge body pressing close to mine, and opening my eyes with start I beheld my blessed old Wooia smuggling close to me; the faithful brute had followed us across that tracklesS waste to share our fate. whatever it might be. Putting my s71ns about his neck, I pressed my cheek close to his, nor am I ashamed that I did it, nor of the tears that came to my eyes as I thought of his love for me- Shortly after this Dejah Thoris and Sola awakened, and 1t was decfd- ed that we push on at once in an effort to gain the hills.
 We had gone scarcely a mile when l noticed that my thOat was com mencing to stumble and stagger in most pitiful manner, although we had not attempted to force them out of a walk since about noon of the preced- ing day. Suddenly he lurched wildly to one side and pitched violently to the ground. Dejah Thoris and were thrown clear of him and fell upon the soft moss with scarcely a jar; but the poor beast was in pitiable condition, not even being able to rise, although relieved of our weight. SOla told me that the coolness of the night. when it fell, together with the rest, would doubtless revive him, and so decided not to kill him, as was my first inten- tion, as I had thought it cruel to leave