Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-03-07

only food consisted OF vegetable milk
from the plants which gave so bOun'
teously of this priceless fluid.
Through two long weeks I wan
dered, stumbling through the nights
guided only by the stars and hiding
during the days behind some protrud
ing rock or among the occasional
hills I traversed. Several times I was
attacked by wild beasts; strange, un
couth monstrositics that leaped upon
me in the dark, so that had ever tC
grasp my longsword in my hand that
1 might be ready for them. Usually
my strange, newly acquired telepathic
power warned me in ample time, but
once l was down with vicious fangs al
my jugular and q hairy face pressed
close Ito mine before I knew that
was even threatened.
What manner of thing was upon me
I did not know, but that it was large
and heavy and many-legged I could
feel. Ny hands were at its throat
before the fangs had chance to bury
themselves in my neck. and slowly
forced the hairy face from me and
closed my fingers, viselike, upon its
wlndpipe.
Without sound we lay there, the
beast exerting every effort to reach
me with those awful fangs, and !
straining to maintain my grip and
choke the life from it as / kept IT
from my throat. Then a living mass
of destruction spraug from the sur
rounding darkness full upon the crea-
ture that held me piniOned to the
ground The two rolled growing upon
the moss, tearing and rendlng one an
other in frightful manner, but it was
soon over and my pTeserver stood with
lowered head above the throat Of the
dead thing which would have killed
me.
The nearer moon, HURTING suddenly
above the horizon ard lighting up the
BarsOomian scene, showed me that
my preserver was Woola, but from
whence he had come, or how found
me, was at loss to know. That
was glad of his companionship 1t IS
needless to say, but my pleasure al
seeing him was tempered by anxiety
as to the reason of his leaving Dejah
Thoris.
BY the light Of the now brilliant
moons I saw that he was but a
shadow of his former self, and as he
turned from my caress and com.
menced greedily to devour the dead
carcass at my feet I realized that the
poor fellow was more than halt
starved. When Woola had finished
his meal again took up my. weary
and seemingly endless wandering in
quest Of the elusive waterway.
At daybreak of the fifteenth day
was overjoyed to see the high trees
that denoted the object of my search
About noon l dragged myself YEARLY
to the portals of huge building which
covered perhaps four square miles ant
lowered two hundred feet In the air
1t showed no aperture in the mighty
walls other than the tiny door al
which sank exhausted, nor was there
any sign Of life about 1t,
I could find no bell or other method
of making my presence known to tht
/ inmates of the place, unless a small
/ round hole in the wall near the doc
was for that purpose. 1t was of abOu
! the bigness of lead pencil and think
/ ing that it might be in the nature o
q speaking tube put my mouth to /
/ and was about to call into it when {
voice issued from it asking me whom
I might be, where from, and the ma
! ture Of my errand.
81 am a friend of the red men O.
I Barsoom and I am starving. In thu
name of humanity open to u.s." re
piled.
/ Presently the door commenced t
recede before me until it had sunl
! into the wall fifty feet, then it stopped
and slid easily to the left, exposing {
short, narrow corridor of concrete, a
the further end of which was anothe
/ door, similar in every respect TO thu
one I had just passed. No one wa!
in sight, yet Immediately we passed
the first door it slid gently into place
behind us and receded rapidly to it
original position in the front wall o
the building.
A second and a third door recedet
before me and slipped to one side a
the first, before I reached a large in
ner chamber where I found food ant
drink set out upon a great stone table
A voice directed me to satisfy m.
hunger and to feed my caIot, ant
while was thus engaged my invisible
host put me through a severe ant
searching discrimination.
"Your statements are most remark
able" said the voice, on concluding 1t
questioning, but You are EVIDENT