TURAN the panthan chafed in his chains. Time dragged; silence andmonotony prolonged minutes into hours. Uncertainty of the fate ofthe woman he loved turned each hour into an eternity of hell. Helistened impatiently for the sound of approaching footsteps thathe might see and speak to some living creature and learn,perchance, some word of Tara of Helium. After torturing hours hisears were rewarded by the rattle of harness and arms. Men werecoming! He waited breathlessly. Perhaps they were hisexecutioners; but he would welcome them notwithstanding. He wouldquestion them. But if they knew naught of Tara he would notdivulge the location of the hiding place in which he had lefther.

Now they came--a half-dozen warriors and an officer, escorting anunarmed man; a prisoner, doubtless. Of this Turan was not leftlong in doubt, since they brought the newcomer and chained him toan adjoining ring. Immediately the panthan commenced to questionthe officer in charge of the guard.

"Tell me," he demanded, "why I have been made prisoner, and ifother strangers were captured since I entered your city."

"What other prisoners?" asked the officer.

"A woman, and a man with a strange head," replied Turan.

"It is possible," said the officer; "but what were their names?"

"The woman was Tara, Princess of Helium, and the man was Ghek, akaldane, of Bantoom."

"These were your friends?" asked the officer.

"Yes," replied Turan.

"It is what I would know," said the officer, and with a curtcommand to his men to follow him he turned and left the cell.

"Tell me of them!" cried Turan after him. "Tell me of Tara ofHelium! Is she safe?" but the man did not answer and soon thesound of their departure died in the distance.

"Tara of Helium was safe, but a short time since," said theprisoner chained at Turan's side.

The panthan turned toward the speaker, seeing a large man,handsome of face and with a manner both stately and dignified."You have seen her?" he asked. "They captured her then? She is indanger?"

"She is being held in The Towers of Jetan as a prize for the nextgames," replied the stranger.

"And who are you?" asked Turan. "And why are you here, aprisoner?"

"I am A-Kor the dwar, keeper of The Towers of Jetan," replied theother. "I am here because I dared speak the truth of O-Tar thejeddak, to one of his officers."

"And your punishment?" asked Turan.

"I do not know. O-Tar has not yet spoken. Doubtless thegames--perhaps the full ten, for O-Tar does not love A-Kor, hisson."

"You are the jeddak's son?" asked Turan.

"I am the son of O-Tar and of a slave, Haja of Gathol, who was aprincess in her own land."

Turan looked searchingly at the speaker. A son of Haja of Gathol!A son of his mother's sister, this man, then, was his own cousin.Well did Gahan remember the mysterious disappearance of thePrincess Haja and an entire utan of her personal troops. She hadbeen upon a visit far from the city of Gathol and returning homehad vanished with her whole escort from the sight of man. So thiswas the secret of the seeming mystery? Doubtless it explainedmany other similar disappearances that extended nearly as farback as the history of Gathol. Turan scrutinized his companion,discovering many evidences of resemblance to his mother's people.A-Kor might have been ten years younger than he, but suchdifferences in age are scarce accounted among a people who seldomor never age outwardly after maturity and whose span of life maybe a thousand years.

"And where lies Gathol?" asked Turan.

"Almost due east of Manator," replied A-Kor.

"And how far?"

"Some twenty-one degrees it is from the city of Manator to thecity of Gathol," replied A-Kor; "but little more than ten degreesbetween the boundaries of the two countries. Between them,though, there lies a country of torn rocks and yawning chasms."

Well did Gahan know this country that bordered his upon thewest--even the ships of the air avoided it because of thetreacherous currents that rose from the deep chasms, and thealmost total absence of safe landings. He knew now where Manatorlay and for the first time in long weeks the way to his ownGathol, and here was a man, a fellow prisoner, in whose veinsflowed the blood of his own ancestors--a man who knew Manator;its people, its customs and the country surrounding it--one whocould aid him, with advice at least, to find a plan for therescue of Tara of Helium and for escape. But would A-Kor--couldhe dare broach the subject? He could do no less than try.

"And O-Tar you think will sentence you to death?" he asked; "andwhy?"

"He would like to," replied A-Kor, "for the people chafe beneathhis iron hand and their loyalty is but the loyalty of a people tothe long line of illustrious jeddaks from which he has sprung. Heis a jealous man and has found the means of disposing of most ofthose whose blood might entitle them to a claim upon the throne,and whose place in the affections of the people endowed them withany political significance. The fact that I was the son of aslave relegated me to a position of minor importance in theconsideration of O-Tar, yet I am still the son of a jeddak andmight sit upon the throne of Manator with as perfect congruity asO-Tar himself. Combined with this is the fact that of recentyears the people, and especially many of the younger warriors,have evinced a growing affection for me, which I attribute tocertain virtues of character and training derived from my mother,but which O-Tar assumes to be the result of an ambition upon mypart to occupy the throne of Manator.

"And now, I am firmly convinced, he has seized upon my criticismof his treatment of the slave girl Tara as a pretext for riddinghimself of me."

"But if you could escape and reach Gathol," suggested Turan.

"I have thought of that," mused A-Kor; "but how much better offwould I be? In the eyes of the Gatholians I would be, not aGatholian; but a stranger and doubtless they would accord me thesame treatment that we of Manator accord strangers."

"Could you convince them that you are the son of the PrincessHaja your welcome would be assured," said Turan; "while on theother hand you could purchase your freedom and citizenship with abrief period of labor in the diamond mines."

"How know you all these things?" asked A-Kor. "I thought you werefrom Helium."

"I am a panthan," replied Turan, "and I have served manycountries, among them Gathol."

"It is what the slaves from Gathol have told me," said A-Kor,thoughtfully, "and my mother, before O-Tar sent her to live atManatos. I think he must have feared her power and influenceamong the slaves from Gathol and their descendants, who numberperhaps a million people throughout the land of Manator."

"Are these slaves organized?" asked Turan.

A-Kor looked straight into the eyes of the panthan for a longmoment before he replied. "You are a man of honor," he said; "Iread it in your face, and I am seldom mistaken in my estimate ofa man; but--" and he leaned closer to the other--"even the wallshave ears," he whispered, and Turan's question was answered.

It was later in the evening that warriors came and unlocked thefetter from Turan's ankle and led him away to appear beforeO-Tar, the jeddak. They conducted him toward the palace alongnarrow, winding streets and broad avenues; but always from thebalconies there looked down upon them in endless ranks the silentpeople of the city. The palace itself was filled with life andactivity. Mounted warriors galloped through the corridors and upand down the runways connecting adjacent floors. It seemed thatno one walked within the palace other than a few slaves.Squealing, fighting thoats were stabled in magnificent hallswhile their riders, if not upon some duty of the palace, playedat jetan with small figures carved from wood.

Turan noted the magnificence of the interior architecture of thepalace, the lavish expenditure of precious jewels and metals, thegorgeous mural decorations which depicted almost exclusivelymartial scenes, and principally duels which seemed to be foughtupon jetan boards of heroic size. The capitals of many of thecolumns supporting the ceilings of the corridors and chambersthrough which they passed were wrought into formal likenesses ofjetan pieces--everywhere there seemed a suggestion of the game.Along the same path that Tara of Helium had been led Turan wasconducted toward the throne room of O-Tar the jeddak, and when heentered the Hall of Chiefs his interest turned to wonder andadmiration as he viewed the ranks of statuesque thoatmen deckedin their gorgeous, martial panoply. Never, he thought, had heseen upon Barsoom more soldierly figures or thoats so perfectlytrained to perfection of immobility as these. Not a musclequivered, not a tail lashed, and the riders were as motionless astheir mounts--each warlike eye straight to the front, the greatspears inclined at the same angle. It was a picture to fill thebreast of a fighting man with awe and reverence. Nor did it failin its effect upon Turan as they conducted him the length of thechamber, where he waited before great doors until he should besummoned into the presence of the ruler of Manator.

When Tara of Helium was ushered into the throne room of O-Tar shefound the great hall filled with the chiefs and officers of O-Tarand U-Thor, the latter occupying the place of honor at the footof the throne, as was his due. The girl was conducted to the footof the aisle and halted before the jeddak, who looked down uponher from his high throne with scowling brows and fierce, crueleyes.

"The laws of Manator are just," said O-Tar, addressing her; "thusis it that you have been summoned here again to be judged by thehighest authority of Manator. Word has reached me that you aresuspected of being a Corphal. What word have you to say inrefutation of the charge?"

Tara of Helium could scarce restrain a sneer as she answered theridiculous accusation of witchcraft. "So ancient is the cultureof my people," she said, "that authentic history reveals nodefense for that which we know existed only in the ignorant andsuperstitious minds of the most primitive peoples of the past. Tothose who are yet so untutored as to believe in the existence ofCorphals, there can be no argument that will convince them oftheir error--only long ages of refinement and culture canaccomplish their release from the bondage of ignorance. I havespoken."

"Yet you do not deny the accusation," said O-Tar.

"It is not worthy the dignity of a denial," she respondedhaughtily.

"And I were you, woman," said a deep voice at her side, "Ishould, nevertheless, deny it."

Tara of Helium turned to see the eyes of U-Thor, the great jed ofManatos, upon her. Brave eyes they were, but neither cold norcruel. O-Tar rapped impatiently upon the arm of his throne."U-Thor forgets," he cried, "that O-Tar is the jeddak."

"U-Thor remembers," replied the jed of Manatos, "that the laws ofManator permit any who may be accused to have advice and counselbefore their judge."

Tara of Helium saw that for some reason this man would haveassisted her, and so she acted upon his advice.

"I deny the charge," she said, "I am no Corphal."

"Of that we shall learn," snapped O-Tar. "U-Dor, where are thosewho have knowledge of the powers of this woman?"

And U-Dor brought several who recounted the little that was knownof the disappearance of E-Med, and others who told of the captureof Ghek and Tara, suggesting by deduction that having been foundtogether they had sufficient in common to make it reasonablycertain that one was as bad as the other, and that, therefore, itremained but to convict one of them of Corphalism to make certainthe guilt of both. And then O-Tar called for Ghek, andimmediately the hideous kaldane was dragged before him bywarriors who could not conceal the fear in which they held thiscreature.

"And you!" said O-Tar in cold accusing tones. "Already have Ibeen told enough of you to warrant me in passing through yourheart the jeddak's steel--of how you stole the brains from thewarrior U-Van so that he thought he saw your headless body stillendowed with life; of how you caused another to believe that youhad escaped, making him to see naught but an empty bench and ablank wall where you had been."

"Ah, O-Tar, but that is as nothing!" cried a young padwar who hadcome in command of the escort that brought Ghek. "The thing whichhe did to I-Zav, here, would prove his guilt alone."

"What did he to the warrior I-Zav?" demanded O-Tar. "Let I-Zavspeak!"

The warrior I-Zav, a great fellow of bulging muscles and thickneck, advanced to the foot of the throne. He was pale and stilltrembling visibly as from a nervous shock.

"Let my first ancestor be my witness, O-Tar, that I speak thetruth," he began. "I was left to guard this creature, who satupon a bench, shackled to the wall. I stood by the open doorwayat the opposite side of the chamber. He could not reach me, yet,O-Tar, may Iss engulf me if he did not drag me to him helpless asan unhatched egg. He dragged me to him, greatest of jeddaks, withhis eyes! With his eyes he seized upon my eyes and dragged me tohim and he made me lay my swords and dagger upon the table andback off into a corner, and still keeping his eyes upon my eyeshis head quitted his body and crawling upon six short legs itdescended to the floor and backed part way into the hole of anulsio, but not so far that the eyes were not still upon me andthen it returned with the key to its fetter and after resumingits place upon its own shoulders it unlocked the fetter and againdragged me across the room and made me to sit upon the benchwhere it had been and there it fastened the fetter about myankle, and I could do naught for the power of its eyes and thefact that it wore my two swords and my dagger. And then the headdisappeared down the hole of the ulsio with the key, and when itreturned, it resumed its body and stood guard over me at thedoorway until the padwar came to fetch it hither."

"It is enough!" said O-Tar, sternly. "Both shall receive the

jeddak's steel," and rising from his throne he drew his longsword and descended the marble steps toward them, while twobrawny warriors seized Tara by either arm and two seized Ghek,holding them facing the naked blade of the jeddak.

"Hold, just O-Tar!" cried U-Dor. "There be yet another to bejudged. Let us confront him who calls himself Turan with thesehis fellows before they die."

"Good!" exclaimed O-Tar, pausing half way down the steps. "FetchTuran, the slave!"

When Turan had been brought into the chamber he was placed alittle to Tara's left and a step nearer the throne. O-Tar eyedhim menacingly.

"You are Turan," he asked, "friend and companion of these?"

The panthan was about to reply when Tara of Helium spoke. "I knownot this fellow," she said. "Who dares say that he be a friendand companion of the Princess Tara of Helium?"

Turan and Ghek looked at her in surprise, but at Turan she didnot look, and to Ghek she passed a quick glance of warning, as tosay: "Hold thy peace."

The panthan tried not to fathom her purpose for the head isuseless when the heart usurps its functions, and Turan knew onlythat the woman he loved had denied him, and though he tried noteven to think it his foolish heart urged but a singleexplanation--that she refused to recognize him lest she beinvolved in his difficulties.

O-Tar looked first at one and then at another of them; but noneof them spoke.

"Were they not captured together?" he asked of U-Dor.

"No," replied the dwar. "He who is called Turan was found seekingentrance to the city and was enticed to the pits. The followingmorning I discovered the other two upon the hill beyond The Gateof Enemies."

"But they are friends and companions," said a young padwar, "forthis Turan inquired of me concerning these two, calling them byname and saying that they were his friends."

"It is enough," stated O-Tar, "all three shall die," and he tookanother step downward from the throne.

"For what shall we die?" asked Ghek. "Your people prate of thejust laws of Manator, and yet you would slay three strangerswithout telling them of what crime they are accused."

"He is right," said a deep voice. It was the voice of U-Thor, thegreat jed of Manatos. O-Tar looked at him and scowled; but therecame voices from other portions of the chamber seconding thedemand for justice.

"Then know, though you shall die anyway," cried O-Tar, "that allthree are convicted of Corphalism and that as only a jeddak mayslay such as you in safety you are about to be honored with thesteel of O-Tar."

"Fool!" cried Turan. "Know you not that in the veins of thiswoman flows the blood of ten thousand jeddaks--that greater thanyours is her power in her own land? She is Tara, Princess ofHelium, great-granddaughter of Tardos Mors, daughter of JohnCarter, Warlord of Barsoom. She cannot be a Corphal. Nor is thiscreature Ghek, nor am I. And you would know more, I can prove myright to be heard and to be believed if I may have word with thePrincess Haja of Gathol, whose son is my fellow prisoner in thepits of O-Tar, his father."

At this U-Thor rose to his feet and faced O-Tar. "What meansthis?" he asked. "Speaks the man the truth? Is the son of Haja aprisoner in thy pits, O-Tar?"

"And what is it to the jed of Manatos who be the prisoners in thepits of his jeddak?" demanded O-Tar, angrily.

"It is this to the jed of Manatos," replied U-Thor in a voice solow as to be scarce more than a whisper and yet that was heardthe whole length and breadth of the great throne room of O-Tar,Jeddak of Manator. "You gave me a slave woman, Haja, who had beena princess in Gathol, because you feared her influence among theslaves from Gathol. I have made of her a free woman, and I havemarried her and made her thus a princess of Manatos. Her son ismy son, O-Tar, and though thou be my jeddak, I say to you thatfor any harm that befalls A-Kor you shall answer to U-Thor ofManatos."

O-Tar looked long at U-Thor, but he made no reply. Then he turnedagain to Turan. "If one be a Corphal," he said, "then all of yoube Corphals, and we know well from the things that this creaturehas done," he pointed at Ghek, "that he is a Corphal, for nomortal has such powers as he. And as you are all Corphals youmust all die." He took another step downward, when Ghek spoke.

"These two have no such powers as I," he said. "They are butordinary, brainless things such as yourself. I have done all thethings that your poor, ignorant warriors have told you; but thisonly demonstrates that I am of a higher order than yourselves, asis indeed the fact. I am a kaldane, not a Corphal. There isnothing supernatural or mysterious about me, other than that tothe ignorant all things which they cannot understand aremysterious. Easily might I have eluded your warriors and escapedyour pits; but I remained in the hope that I might help these twofoolish creatures who have not the brains to escape without help.They befriended me and saved my life. I owe them this debt. Donot slay them--they are harmless. Slay me if you will. I offer mylife if it will appease your ignorant wrath. I cannot return toBantoom and so I might as well die, for there is no pleasure inintercourse with the feeble intellects that cumber the face ofthe world outside the valley of Bantoom."

"Hideous egotist," said O-Tar, "prepare to die and assume not todictate to O-Tar the jeddak. He has passed sentence and all threeof you shall feel the jeddak's naked steel. I have spoken!"

He took another step downward and then a strange thing happened.He paused, his eyes fixed upon the eyes of Ghek. His swordslipped from nerveless fingers, and still he stood there swayingforward and back. A jed rose to rush to his side; but Ghekstopped him with a word.

"Wait!" he cried. "The life of your jeddak is in my hands. Youbelieve me a Corphal and so you believe, too, that only the swordof a jeddak may slay me, therefore your blades are uselessagainst me. Offer harm to any one of us, or seek to approach yourjeddak until I have spoken, and he shall sink lifeless to themarble. Release the two prisoners and let them come to my side--Iwould speak to them, privately. Quick! do as I say; I would aslief as not slay O-Tar. I but let him live that I may gainfreedom for my friends--obstruct me and he dies."

The guards fell back, releasing Tara and Turan, who came close toGhek's side.

"Do as I tell you and do it quickly," whispered the kaldane. "Icannot hold this fellow long, nor could I kill him thus. Thereare many minds working against mine and presently mine will tireand O-Tar will be himself again. You must make the best of youropportunity while you may. Behind the arras that you see hangingin the rear of the throne above you is a secret opening. Prom ita corridor leads to the pits of the palace, where there arestorerooms containing food and drink. Few people go there. Fromthese pits lead others to all parts of the city. Follow one thatruns due west and it will bring you to The Gate of Enemies. Therest will then lie with you. I can do no more; hurry before mywaning powers fail me--I am not as Luud, who was a king. He couldhave held this creature forever. Make haste! Go!"