Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-02-10

or the green warriors, but accentuateC
and debased by the animal passions tC
which he had given himself OVER fol
many years. Thove was not mark Of
dignity or pride upon his bestial coun
tenance, while lis enormous bulb
spread itself out upon the platform
where he squat sed like some huge
devil fish. his six limbs accentuatinl
the similarity in a horrible and star
Ting manner
But the sight that froze me with ap
prehension was that of Deiah Thoris
and Sofa standing there before him
and the fiendish leer of m as he let
his great protruding eyes gloat upon
the lines of her beautiful figure. She
stood there erect before him. her head
high held, and even at the distance
was from them / could read the scorn
and disgust upon her face as she LET
her naughty glance rest without sign
of fear upon him.
Presently Tai Hajus made a sign
that the chamber be cleared, and that
the prisoners be left alone with him,
Slowly the chieftains, the warriors
and the women melted away into the
shadows Of the surrounding chambers,
and Dejah Thoris and Sola stood
alone before the jeddak of the Thanks.
One chieftain alone had hesitated
before departing; | saw Kim standing
I'm the shadows of a mighty column,
his fingers nervously toying with the
hilt of his great sword and his cruel
eyes bent in implacable hatred upon
Tai Hajus. 1t was Tars Tarkas and
l could read his thoughts as If they
were an open book, for the undis-
guised loathing upon his face. He was
thinking of that other woman who,
forty years ago, had stood before this
beast, and could have spoken a word
into his ear at that moment the reign
of Tai Hajus would have been over !;
but finally he also strobe from the
room, not knowing that he left his own
daughter at the mercy Of the creature
he most loathed.
Tai Hajus arose and l, half fearing
half anticipating his intentions hur-
ried to the winding runway which led
to the floors below No one was near
to intercept me, and reached the
main floor of the chamber unobserved,
taking my station In the shadow of
the same column that Tars Tarkas had
but just deserted. AS l reached the
floor Tai Hajus was speaking.
princess of Helium, l might wiring
a mighty ransom from your people
would l but return you TO them I'M
harmed, but a thousand times rather
would / watch that beautiful face
writhe in the agony of torture it shall
be long drawn out, that promise you;
ten days of pleasure were all too short
to show the love l harbor for your
race. The terrors of your death shall
haunt the slumbers of the red men
through all the ages to come they will
shudder in the shadows of the night
as their fathers tell them of the awful
vengeance Of the green men; of the
power and might and hate and cruelty
of Tai Haius. But before that torture
you shall be mine for one short hour
and word Of that too shall go forth to
Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium your
grandfather, that he may grOvel upon
the ground in the agony of his sorrow.
Tomorrow the torture viii commence;
tonight thou art Tai Hajus'; GOMEZ
He sprang down from the platform
and grasped her roughly by the arm,
but scarcely had he touched her than
l leaped between them. My short
sword, sharp and cleaning was in my
right hand; could have plunged II
into his putrid heart before he realized
that / was upon him; but as ! raised
my arm to strike l thought of Tars
Tarkas, and, with all my rage. with all
my hatred | could not rob him Of that
sweet moment for which he had lived
and hoped all these long, weary years
and so, instead / swung my good right |
fist full upon the point of his jaw |
Without sound he slipped to the floor
as one dead.
In the same deathly silence grasp
d Dejah Thor1s BY the hand and, mo
ioning to Sofa to follow, we sped
oiselessly from the chamber and to
he floor above. Unseen we reached
ear window and with the straps and
eather Of my trappings l lowered first
ola and then Dejah Thoris to the
round below. Dropping lightly after
hem l drew them rapidly around the
curt in the shadows of the buildings,
nd thus we returned over the same
curse had so recently followed from
he distant boundary Of the city.
We finally came upon my thoats in
he courtyard where / had left them.
nd placing the trappings upon them
re FASTENED through the building to
he avenue beyond. Mounting, Sofa
pom one beast, and Dejah Thoris be
ind me upon the other, we rode from
he city of Thank through the hills to
he south.
No word was spoken until we had
eft the city far behind, but / could
ear the quiet sobbing of Deiah Thorls
S she chung to me with her dear head
asting against my shoulder.
eff we make IT, my ehieftain, the
ebt Of Helium VIII be a mighty one (;
reater than she can ever pay you;