The Connecticut labor news. (New Haven, Conn.) 1921-1925, 1921-06-24
CHAPTER V-Continued.

y on nave been with us rev Gays
yet during that time you have by
your prOwess won a high position
among us. Be that as it may, you are
not one of us; you owe us no allegi
ance
Your position is a peculiar one,
he continued; you are a prisoner
and yet you give commands which
must be Obeyed; you are an alien anC
yet you are a Tharkian chieftain
you are a midget and yet you can xii
a mighty warrior with one blow OF
your fist. And now you are reported
to have been plotting to escape with
another prisoner of another race; g
prisoner who from her own admission
half believes you are returned from
the valley of Dor. Either one Of these
accusations, if proved, would be suffi
cient grounds for your execution, but
we are a just people and you shall
have a trial on our return to Thank
if Tai Hajus so commands.
But" he continued, in his fierce
cultural tones, eff you run off with
the red girl it is I who shall have to
account to Tai Hajus it is who shall
have to face Tars Tarkas, and either
demonstrate my right to command
or the metal from my dead carcass
will go to a better man, for such is
the custom of the Thanks.
81 have no quarrel with Tars Tar
kas; together we rule supreme the
greatest of the lesser communities
among the green men we do not wish
to fight between ourselves; and so
If you were dead, John Carter, should
be glad. Under two conditions only
however, may you be killed by us with
out orders from Tai Hajus; in person
al combat in self-defense, should you
attack one of US, or were you appre-
hended in an attempt to escape.
"As q matter of justice I must warn
you that we only await one of these
two excuses for Kidding ourselves of
so great a responsibility. The safe
delivery of the red girl to Tai Hajus
is of the greatest Importance. Not
in a thousand years have the Thanks
made such a capture; she is the grand
daughter Of the greatest of red jed
daks, who is also our bittereSt en-
envy. l have spoken. The red girl
told us that we were without the
softer sentiments of humanity, but we
are just and truthful race. You may
&C."
Turning, I left the audience cham
Der. So this was the beginning OF
Sarkoja's persecution I knew that
none other could be responsible for
this report which had reached the
ears of Lorquas Ptomel so quickly,
and now I recalled those portions Of
our conversation which had touched
upon escape and upon my origin.
Sarkoja was at this time Tars Tar
kas' oldest and most trusted female.
AS such she was a mighty power be-
hind the throne, for no warrior had
the confidence of Lorquas Ptomel to
such an extent as did his ablest lieu
tenant, Tars Tarkas.
However, instead Of putting thoughts
Of possible escape from my mind, my
audience with LOrquas Ptomel only
served to center my every faculty on
this subject Now, more than before,
the absolute necessity for escape, in
so far as Dejah Thoris was concerned,
was impressed upon me, for l was
convinced that some horrible fate
awaited her at the headquarters of
Tai Hajus.
AS described by Sofa, this monster
was the exaggerated personificatiOn
of all the ages of cruelty, ferocity,
and brutality from which he had de-
scended. Cold, cunning, calculating;
hn ole tn ri
most of his fellows, a slave to that
brute passion which the waning de-
mands for procreation upon their dy-
ing planet had almost stilled in the
Marian breast.
AS I wandered about the plaza lost
In my gloomy forebodings Tars Tar
kas approached me on his way from
the audience chamber.
"Where are your quarters, John Car
teri" he asked.
81 have selected none," 1 replied.
1T seemed best that quartered either
by myself or among the other war
riors, and I was awaiting an oppor-
tunity to ask your advice"
Come with me-" he directed, and to-
gether we moved off across the plaza
to a building which I was glad to see
adjoined that occupied by Sofa and
her charges.
my quarters are on the first floor
Of this building he said, land the
second floor also is fully occupied by
warriors, but the third floor and the
floors above are vacant; you may take
your choice of these.
II understand" he continued, that
you have given up your woman to
the red prisoner. Well, if you wish
to give your woman to- a captive, it
is your own affair; but as a chieftain
you should have those to serve you,
and in accordance with our customs
you may select any or all the females
from the retinues of the chieftains
whose metal you now wear"
l thanked him, but assured him that
| could get along very nicely without
assistance except in the matter of pre-
pairing food and so he promised to
send women to me for this purpose
and also for the care of my arms and
the manufacture of my ammunition,
which he said would be necessary.
1 finally chose a front room on the
third floor, because this brought me
nearer to Dejah Thoris, whose apart
ment was on the second floor of the
adjoining building, and it flashed up
on me that could rig up some means
of communication whereby she might