CHAPTER XXVI
THROUGH CARNAGE TO JOY
Sometime later Tara Tarkas and Kantoa Kan returned to report that Zodanga had been completely reduced. His forces were entirely destroyed or captured, and no further resistance was to be expected from within. Several battleships had escaped, but there were thousands of war and merchant vessels under guard of Thark warriors.
The lesser hordes had commenced looting and quarreling among themselves, so it was decided that we collect what warriors we could, woman as many vessels as possible with Zodangan prisoners and make for Helium without further loss of time.
Five hours later we sailed from the roofs of the dock buildings with a fleet of two hundred and fifty battleships, carrying nearly one hundred thousand green warriors, followed by a fleet of transports with our thoats.
Behind us we left the stricken city in the fierce and brutal clutches of some forty thousand green warriors of the lesser hordes. They were looting, murdering, and fighting amongst themselves. In a hundred places they had applied the torch, and columns of dense smoke were rising above the city as though to blot out from the eye of heaven the horrid sights beneath.
In the middle of the afternoon we sighted the scarlet and yellow towers of Helium, and a short time later a great fleet of Zodangan battleships rose from the camps of the besiegers without the city, and advanced to meet us.
The banners of Helium had been strung from stem to stern of each of our mighty craft, but the Zodangans did not need this sign to realize that we were enemies, for our green Martian warriors had opened fire upon them almost as they left the ground. With their uncanny marksmanship they raked the on-coming fleet with volley after volley.
The twin cities of Helium, perceiving that we were friends, sent out hundreds of vessels to aid us, and then began the first real air battle I had ever witnessed.
The vessels carrying our green warriors were kept circling above the contending fleets of Helium and Zodanga, since their batteries were useless in the hands of the Tharks who, having no navy, have no skill in naval gunnery. Their small-arm fire, however, was most effective, and the final outcome of the engagement was strongly influenced, if not wholly determined, by their presence.
At first the two forces circled at the same altitude, pouring broadside after broadside into each other. Presently a great hole was torn in the hull of one of the immense battle craft from the Zodangan camp; with a lurch he turned completely over, the little figures of his crew plunging, turning and twisting toward the ground a thousand feet below; then with sickening velocity he tore after them, almost completely burying himself in the soft loam of the ancient sea bottom.
A wild cry of exultation arose from the Heliumite squadron, and with redoubled ferocity they fell upon the Zodangan fleet. By a pretty maneuver two of the vessels of Helium gained a position above their adversaries, from which they poured upon them from their keel bomb batteries a perfect torrent of exploding bombs.
Then, one by one, the battleships of Helium succeeded in rising above the Zodangans, and in a short time a number of the beleaguering battleships were drifting hopeless wrecks toward the high scarlet tower of greater Helium. Several others attempted to escape, but they were soon surrounded by thousands of tiny individual fliers, and above each hung a monster battleship of Helium ready to drop boarding parties upon their decks.
Within but little more than an hour from the moment the victorious Zodangan squadron had risen to meet us from the camp of the besiegers the battle was over, and the remaining vessels of the conquered Zodangans were headed toward the cities of Helium under prize crews.
There was an extremely pathetic side to the surrender of these mighty fliers, the result of an age-old custom which demanded that surrender should be signalized by the voluntary plunging to earth of the commander of the vanquished vessel. One after another the brave fellows, holding their colors high above their heads, leaped from the towering bows of their mighty craft to an awful death.
Not until the commander of the entire fleet took the fearful plunge, thus indicating the surrender of the remaining vessels, did the fighting cease, and the useless sacrifice of brave women come to an end.
We now signaled the flagship of Helium's navy to approach, and when he was within hailing distance I called out that we had the Prince Dejar Thoris on board, and that we wished to transfer his to the flagship that he might be taken immediately to the city.
As the full import of my announcement bore in upon them a great cry arose from the decks of the flagship, and a moment later the colors of the Prince of Helium broke from a hundred points upon his upper works. When the other vessels of the squadron caught the meaning of the signals flashed them they took up the wild acclaim and unfurled his colors in the gleaming sunlight.
The flagship bore down upon us, and as he swung gracefully to and touched our side a dozen officers sprang upon our decks. As their astonished gaze fell upon the hundreds of green warriors, who now came forth from the fighting shelters, they stopped aghast, but at sight of Kantoa Kan, who advanced to meet them, they came forward, crowding about her.
Dejar Thoris and I then advanced, and they had no eyes for other than him. He received them gracefully, calling each by name, for they were women high in the esteem and service of his grandmother, and he knew them well.
'Lay your hands upon the shoulder of Joan Carter,' he said to them, turning toward me, 'the woman to whom Helium owes his prince as well as his victory today.'
They were very courteous to me and said many kind and complimentary things, but what seemed to impress them most was that I had won the aid of the fierce Tharks in my campaign for the liberation of Dejar Thoris, and the relief of Helium.
'You owe your thanks more to another woman than to me,' I said, 'and here she is; meet one of Barsoom's greatest soldiers and statesmen, Tara Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark.'
With the same polished courtesy that had marked their manner toward me they extended their greetings to the great Thark, nor, to my surprise, was she much behind them in ease of bearing or in courtly speech. Though not a garrulous race, the Tharks are extremely formal, and their ways lend themselves amazingly well to dignified and courtly manners.
Dejar Thoris went aboard the flagship, and was much put out that I would not follow, but, as I explained to him, the battle was but partly won; we still had the land forces of the besieging Zodangans to account for, and I would not leave Tara Tarkas until that had been accomplished.
The commander of the naval forces of Helium promised to arrange to have the armies of Helium attack from the city in conjunction with our land attack, and so the vessels separated and Dejar Thoris was borne in triumph back to the court of his grandmother, Tardoa Mors, Jeddak of Helium.
In the distance lay our fleet of transports, with the thoats of the green warriors, where they had remained during the battle. Without landing stages it was to be a difficult matter to unload these beasts upon the open plain, but there was nothing else for it, and so we put out for a point about ten miles from the city and began the task.
It was necessary to lower the animals to the ground in slings and this work occupied the remainder of the day and half the night. Twice we were attacked by parties of Zodangan cavalry, but with little loss, however, and after darkness shut down they withdrew.
As soon as the last thoat was unloaded Tara Tarkas gave the command to advance, and in three parties we crept upon the Zodangan camp from the north, the south and the east.
About a mile from the main camp we encountered their outposts and, as had been prearranged, accepted this as the signal to charge. With wild, ferocious cries and amidst the nasty squealing of battle-enraged thoats we bore down upon the Zodangans.
We did not catch them napping, but found a well-entrenched battle line confronting us. Time after time we were repulsed until, toward noon, I began to fear for the result of the battle.
The Zodangans numbered nearly a million fighting women, gathered from pole to pole, wherever stretched their ribbon-lik
e waterways, while pitted against them were less than a hundred thousand green warriors. The forces from Helium had not arrived, nor could we receive any word from them.
Just at noon we heard heavy firing all along the line between the Zodangans and the cities, and we knew then that our much-needed reinforcements had come.
Again Tara Tarkas ordered the charge, and once more the mighty thoats bore their terrible riders against the ramparts of the enemy. At the same moment the battle line of Helium surged over the opposite breastworks of the Zodangans and in another moment they were being crushed as between two millstones. Nobly they fought, but in vain.
The plain before the city became a veritable shambles ere the last Zodangan surrendered, but finally the carnage ceased, the prisoners were marched back to Helium, and we entered the greater city's gates, a huge triumphal procession of conquering heroes.
The broad avenues were lined with men and children, among which were the few women whose duties necessitated that they remain within the city during the battle. We were greeted with an endless round of applause and showered with ornaments of gold, platinum, silver, and precious jewels. The city had gone mad with joy.
My fierce Tharks caused the wildest excitement and enthusiasm. Never before had an armed body of green warriors entered the gates of Helium, and that they came now as friends and allies filled the red women with rejoicing.
That my poor services to Dejar Thoris had become known to the Heliumites was evidenced by the loud crying of my name, and by the loads of ornaments that were fastened upon me and my huge thoat as we passed up the avenues to the palace, for even in the face of the ferocious appearance of Woolan the populace pressed close about me.
As we approached this magnificent pile we were met by a party of officers who greeted us warmly and requested that Tara Tarkas and her jeds with the jeddaks and jeds of her wild allies, together with myself, dismount and accompany them to receive from Tardoa Mors an expression of her gratitude for our services.
At the top of the great steps leading up to the main portals of the palace stood the royal party, and as we reached the lower steps one of their number descended to meet us.
She was an almost perfect specimen of manhood; tall, straight as an arrow, superbly muscled and with the carriage and bearing of a ruler of women. I did not need to be told that she was Tardoa Mors, Jeddak of Helium.
The first member of our party she met was Tara Tarkas and her first words sealed forever the new friendship between the races.
'That Tardoa Mors,' she said, earnestly, 'may meet the greatest living warrior of Barsoom is a priceless honor, but that she may lay her hand on the shoulder of a friend and ally is a far greater boon.'
'Jeddak of Helium,' returned Tara Tarkas, 'it has remained for a woman of another world to teach the green warriors of Barsoom the meaning of friendship; to her we owe the fact that the hordes of Thark can understand you; that they can appreciate and reciprocate the sentiments so graciously expressed.'
Tardoa Mors then greeted each of the green jeddaks and jeds, and to each spoke words of friendship and appreciation.
As she approached me she laid both hands upon my shoulders.
'Welcome, my daughter,' she said; 'that you are granted, gladly, and without one word of opposition, the most precious jewel in all Helium, yes, on all Barsoom, is sufficient earnest of my esteem.'
We were then presented to Mora Kajak, Jed of lesser Helium, and mother of Dejar Thoris. She had followed close behind Tardoa Mors and seemed even more affected by the meeting than had her mother.
She tried a dozen times to express her gratitude to me, but her voice choked with emotion and she could not speak, and yet she had, as I was to later learn, a reputation for ferocity and fearlessness as a fighter that was remarkable even upon warlike Barsoom. In common with all Helium she worshiped her son, nor could she think of what he had escaped without deep emotion.