The Connecticut labor news., 1921-07-08

whose metal l haQ taken, or, III Otllel
words, whom l had slain in fair fight.
AS Sarkoja talked with Fad he cast
occasional glances in my direction,
while she seemed to be urging him
very strongly to some action. l paid
little attention to it at the time, but
the next day had good reason to re-
call the circumstances, and at the
same time gain a slight insight into
the depths of Sarkoja's hatred and the
lengths to which she was capable of
going to wreak her horrid vengeance
on me.
We broke camp the next day at an
early hour and marched with only
single halt until just before dark. Two
incidents broke the tediOusness of the
march. About noon we espied far to
our right what was evidently an fncu-
bator, and Lorquas Ptomel directed
Tars Tarkas to investigate 1t. The
latter took a dozen warriors, includ-
ing myself, and we raced across the
velvety carpeting of moss to the little
enclosure.
Tars Tarkas dismounted and exam
ined the Enclosure minutely, finally an
nouncing that it belonged to the green
men of Warhoon and that the cement
was scarcely dry where it had been
walled up.
"They cannot be a days march
ahead of u.s." he exclaimed, the light
of battle leapfng to his fierce face.
The work at the incubator was short
indeed. The warriors tore open the
entrance and a couple of them, crawl
ing in, soon demolished all the eggs
with their short-swords. Then re-
mounting we dashed back to join the
cavalcade. During the ride I took
occasion to ask Tars Tarkas If these
Warhoons whose eggs we had de-
stroyed were a smaller people than
his Thanks.
81 noticed that their eggs we're so
much smaller than those I saw hatch
ing in your incubator" I added.
He explained that the eggs had just
been placed there; but, like all green
Marian eggs, they would grow dur
ing the fve-year period Of incubation
until they obtained the size Of those
I had seen Matching on the day of my
arrival on Barsoom. This was indeed
an interesting piece of information,
for it had always seemed remarkable
to me that the green Marian women,
large as they were, could bring forth
such enormous eggs as I had seen
the four-foot infants emerging from.
AS q matter of fact, the new-laid egg
Is but little larger than an ordinary
goose egg, and as it does not COM
mence to grow until subjected to the
light Of the sun the chieftains have
little difficulty in transporting sew
eral hundreds of them at one time
from the storage vault to the incubat-
ors.
Shortly after the incident of the
Warhoon eggs we halted to rest the
animals, and it was during this halt
that the second of the days interest
ing episodes occurred. was engaged
In changing my riding cloths from
one of my thoats to the other, for
divided the days work between them,
when Fad approached me, and with
out a word struck the animal a ter
rife blow with his long-sword.
I did not need a manual of green
Marian etiquette to know what reply
to make, for, in fact, was SO wild
with anger that I could scarcely re-
frain from drawing my pistol and
shooting down the brute he was; but
he stood waiting with drawn long
sword, and my only choice was to
draw my own and meet him in fair
fight with his choice of weapons or
a lesser one.
chose the same weapon he had
drawn because he prided himself upon
his ability with it, and I wished, If I
worsted him at all, to do it with his
own weapon. The entire community
surrounded US, leaving clear space
about one hundred feet in diameter
for our battle.
Fad first attempted to rush me down
as a bull might wolf, but was much
too quick for him, and each time l
side-stepped his rushes he would go
1unging past me, only to receive
nick from my sword upon his arm or
back. He was soon streaming blood
from a half dozen minor wounds, but
I could not obtain an opening to de-
changed his tactics, and fighting warily
and with extreme dexterity, he tried
to do by science what he was unable
to do by brute strength.
We circled for some time without
doing much damage on either side; the
long, straight, needle-like swords fash
ing in the sunlight. and ringing out
upon the stiffness as they crashed to-
gether with each effective parry.
Finally Fad, realizing that he was tir-
ing more than I, evidently decided to
close in and end the battle in final
blaze of glory for himself; just as he
rushed me a binding flash of light
struck full in my eyes, so that could
only leap blindly to one side in an
effort to escape the mighty blade that
it seemed I could already feel in my
vitals. I was only partially success
full, as a sharp pain in my left sh0ul-
der attested, but in the sweep of my
glance as I sought to again locate my
adversary, a sight met my astonished
| gaze which paid me well for the wound
the temporary blindness had caused
me. There, upon Dejah Thoris' chariot,
stood three figures, for the purpose
evidently of witnessing the encounter
! above the heads Of the intervening
Thanks. There were Dejah Thoris.
Sofa, and SarkOja, and as my fleet
ing glance swept over them a little
| tableau was presented which will