CHAPTER XIII
A BREAK FOR LIBERTY
Xodar listened in incredulous astonishment to my narration of theevents which had transpired within the arena at the rites of Issus. Hecould scarce conceive, even though he had already professed his doubtas to the deity of Issus, that one could threaten her with sword inhand and not be blasted into a thousand fragments by the mere fury ofher divine wrath.
"It is the final proof," he said, at last. "No more is needed tocompletely shatter the last remnant of my superstitious belief in thedivinity of Issus. She is only a wicked old woman, wielding a mightypower for evil through machinations that have kept her own people andall Barsoom in religious ignorance for ages."
"She is still all-powerful here, however," I replied. "So it behoovesus to leave at the first moment that appears at all propitious."
"I hope that you may find a propitious moment," he said, with a laugh,"for it is certain that in all my life I have never seen one in which aprisoner of the First Born might escape."
"To-night will do as well as any," I replied.
"It will soon be night," said Xodar. "How may I aid in the adventure?"
"Can you swim?" I asked him.
"No slimy silian that haunts the depths of Korus is more at home inwater than is Xodar," he replied.
"Good. The red one in all probability cannot swim," I said, "sincethere is scarce enough water in all their domains to float the tiniestcraft. One of us therefore will have to support him through the sea tothe craft we select. I had hoped that we might make the entiredistance below the surface, but I fear that the red youth could notthus perform the trip. Even the bravest of the brave among them areterrorized at the mere thought of deep water, for it has been agessince their forebears saw a lake, a river or a sea."
"The red one is to accompany us?" asked Xodar.
"Yes."
"It is well. Three swords are better than two. Especially when thethird is as mighty as this fellow's. I have seen him battle in thearena at the rites of Issus many times. Never, until I saw you fight,had I seen one who seemed unconquerable even in the face of great odds.One might think you two master and pupil, or father and son. Come torecall his face there is a resemblance between you. It is very markedwhen you fight--there is the same grim smile, the same maddeningcontempt for your adversary apparent in every movement of your bodiesand in every changing expression of your faces."
"Be that as it may, Xodar, he is a great fighter. I think that we willmake a trio difficult to overcome, and if my friend Tars Tarkas, Jeddakof Thark, were but one of us we could fight our way from one end ofBarsoom to the other even though the whole world were pitted againstus."
"It will be," said Xodar, "when they find from whence you have come.That is but one of the superstitions which Issus has foisted upon acredulous humanity. She works through the Holy Therns who are asignorant of her real self as are the Barsoomians of the outer world.Her decrees are borne to the therns written in blood upon a strangeparchment. The poor deluded fools think that they are receiving therevelations of a goddess through some supernatural agency, since theyfind these messages upon their guarded altars to which none could haveaccess without detection. I myself have borne these messages for Issusfor many years. There is a long tunnel from the temple of Issus to theprincipal temple of Matai Shang. It was dug ages ago by the slaves ofthe First Born in such utter secrecy that no thern ever guessed itsexistence.
"The therns for their part have temples dotted about the entirecivilized world. Here priests whom the people never see communicatethe doctrine of the Mysterious River Iss, the Valley Dor, and the LostSea of Korus to persuade the poor deluded creatures to take thevoluntary pilgrimage that swells the wealth of the Holy Therns and addsto the numbers of their slaves.
"Thus the therns are used as the principal means for collecting thewealth and labour that the First Born wrest from them as they need it.Occasionally the First Born themselves make raids upon the outer world.It is then that they capture many females of the royal houses of thered men, and take the newest in battleships and the trained artisanswho build them, that they may copy what they cannot create.
"We are a non-productive race, priding ourselves upon ournon-productiveness. It is criminal for a First Born to labour orinvent. That is the work of the lower orders, who live merely that theFirst Born may enjoy long lives of luxury and idleness. With usfighting is all that counts; were it not for that there would be moreof the First Born than all the creatures of Barsoom could support, forin so far as I know none of us ever dies a natural death. Our femaleswould live for ever but for the fact that we tire of them and removethem to make place for others. Issus alone of all is protected againstdeath. She has lived for countless ages."
"Would not the other Barsoomians live for ever but for the doctrine ofthe voluntary pilgrimage which drags them to the bosom of Iss at orbefore their thousandth year?" I asked him.
"I feel now that there is no doubt but that they are precisely the samespecies of creature as the First Born, and I hope that I shall live tofight for them in atonement of the sins I have committed against themthrough the ignorance born of generations of false teaching."
As he ceased speaking a weird call rang out across the waters of Omean.I had heard it at the same time the previous evening and knew that itmarked the ending of the day, when the men of Omean spread their silksupon the deck of battleship and cruiser and fall into the dreamlesssleep of Mars.
Our guard entered to inspect us for the last time before the new daybroke upon the world above. His duty was soon performed and the heavydoor of our prison closed behind him--we were alone for the night.
I gave him time to return to his quarters, as Xodar said he probablywould do, then I sprang to the grated window and surveyed the nearbywaters. At a little distance from the island, a quarter of a mileperhaps, lay a monster battleship, while between her and the shore werea number of smaller cruisers and one-man scouts. Upon the battleshipalone was there a watch. I could see him plainly in the upper works ofthe ship, and as I watched I saw him spread his sleeping silks upon thetiny platform in which he was stationed. Soon he threw himself at fulllength upon his couch. The discipline on Omean was lax indeed. But itis not to be wondered at since no enemy guessed the existence uponBarsoom of such a fleet, or even of the First Born, or the Sea ofOmean. Why indeed should they maintain a watch?
Presently I dropped to the floor again and talked with Xodar,describing the various craft I had seen.
"There is one there," he said, "my personal property, built to carryfive men, that is the swiftest of the swift. If we can board her wecan at least make a memorable run for liberty," and then he went on todescribe to me the equipment of the boat; her engines, and all thatwent to make her the flier that she was.
In his explanation I recognized a trick of gearing that Kantos Kan hadtaught me that time we sailed under false names in the navy of Zodangabeneath Sab Than, the Prince. And I knew then that the First Born hadstolen it from the ships of Helium, for only they are thus geared. AndI knew too that Xodar spoke the truth when he lauded the speed of hislittle craft, for nothing that cleaves the thin air of Mars canapproximate the speed of the ships of Helium.
We decided to wait for an hour at least until all the stragglers hadsought their silks. In the meantime I was to fetch the red youth toour cell so that we would be in readiness to make our rash break forfreedom together.
I sprang to the top of our partition wall and pulled myself up on toit. There I found a flat surface about a foot in width and along thisI walked until I came to the cell in which I saw the boy sitting uponhis bench. He had been leaning back against the wall looking up at theglowing dome above Omean, and when he spied me balancing upon thepartition wall above him his eyes opened wide in astonishment. Then awide grin of appreciative understanding spread across his countenance.
As I stooped to drop to the floor beside him he motioned me to wait,and coming close below me whispered: "C
atch my hand; I can almost leapto the top of that wall myself. I have tried it many times, and eachday I come a little closer. Some day I should have been able to makeit."
I lay upon my belly across the wall and reached my hand far down towardhim. With a little run from the centre of the cell he sprang up untilI grasped his outstretched hand, and thus I pulled him to the wall'stop beside me.
"You are the first jumper I ever saw among the red men of Barsoom," Isaid.
He smiled. "It is not strange. I will tell you why when we have moretime."
Together we returned to the cell in which Xodar sat; descending to talkwith him until the hour had passed.
There we made our plans for the immediate future, binding ourselves bya solemn oath to fight to the death for one another against whatsoeverenemies should confront us, for we knew that even should we succeed inescaping the First Born we might still have a whole world againstus--the power of religious superstition is mighty.
It was agreed that I should navigate the craft after we had reachedher, and that if we made the outer world in safety we should attempt toreach Helium without a stop.
"Why Helium?" asked the red youth.
"I am a prince of Helium," I replied.
He gave me a peculiar look, but said nothing further on the subject. Iwondered at the time what the significance of his expression might be,but in the press of other matters it soon left my mind, nor did I haveoccasion to think of it again until later.
"Come," I said at length, "now is as good a time as any. Let us go."
Another moment found me at the top of the partition wall again with theboy beside me. Unbuckling my harness I snapped it together with asingle long strap which I lowered to the waiting Xodar below. Hegrasped the end and was soon sitting beside us.
"How simple," he laughed.
"The balance should be even simpler," I replied. Then I raised myselfto the top of the outer wall of the prison, just so that I could peerover and locate the passing sentry. For a matter of five minutes Iwaited and then he came in sight on his slow and snail-like beat aboutthe structure.
I watched him until he had made the turn at the end of the buildingwhich carried him out of sight of the side of the prison that was towitness our dash for freedom. The moment his form disappeared Igrasped Xodar and drew him to the top of the wall. Placing one end ofmy harness strap in his hands I lowered him quickly to the groundbelow. Then the boy grasped the strap and slid down to Xodar's side.
In accordance with our arrangement they did not wait for me, but walkedslowly toward the water, a matter of a hundred yards, directly past theguard-house filled with sleeping soldiers.
They had taken scarce a dozen steps when I too dropped to the groundand followed them leisurely toward the shore. As I passed theguard-house the thought of all the good blades lying there gave mepause, for if ever men were to have need of swords it was my companionsand I on the perilous trip upon which we were about to embark.
I glanced toward Xodar and the youth and saw that they had slipped overthe edge of the dock into the water. In accordance with our plan theywere to remain there clinging to the metal rings which studded theconcrete-like substance of the dock at the water's level, with onlytheir mouths and noses above the surface of the sea, until I shouldjoin them.
The lure of the swords within the guard-house was strong upon me, and Ihesitated a moment, half inclined to risk the attempt to take the fewwe needed. That he who hesitates is lost proved itself a true aphorismin this instance, for another moment saw me creeping stealthily towardthe door of the guard-house.
Gently I pressed it open a crack; enough to discover a dozen blacksstretched upon their silks in profound slumber. At the far side of theroom a rack held the swords and firearms of the men. Warily I pushedthe door a trifle wider to admit my body. A hinge gave out a resentfulgroan. One of the men stirred, and my heart stood still. I cursedmyself for a fool to have thus jeopardized our chances for escape; butthere was nothing for it now but to see the adventure through.
With a spring as swift and as noiseless as a tiger's I lit beside theguardsman who had moved. My hands hovered about his throat awaitingthe moment that his eyes should open. For what seemed an eternity tomy overwrought nerves I remained poised thus. Then the fellow turnedagain upon his side and resumed the even respiration of deep slumber.
Carefully I picked my way between and over the soldiers until I hadgained the rack at the far side of the room. Here I turned to surveythe sleeping men. All were quiet. Their regular breathing rose andfell in a soothing rhythm that seemed to me the sweetest music I everhad heard.
Gingerly I drew a long-sword from the rack. The scraping of thescabbard against its holder as I withdrew it sounded like the filing ofcast iron with a great rasp, and I looked to see the room immediatelyfilled with alarmed and attacking guardsmen. But none stirred.
The second sword I withdrew noiselessly, but the third clanked in itsscabbard with a frightful din. I knew that it must awaken some of themen at least, and was on the point of forestalling their attack by arapid charge for the doorway, when again, to my intense surprise, not ablack moved. Either they were wondrous heavy sleepers or else thenoises that I made were really much less than they seemed to me.
I was about to leave the rack when my attention was attracted by therevolvers. I knew that I could not carry more than one away with me,for I was already too heavily laden to move quietly with any degree ofsafety or speed. As I took one of them from its pin my eye fell forthe first time on an open window beside the rack. Ah, here was asplendid means of escape, for it let directly upon the dock, not twentyfeet from the water's edge.
And as I congratulated myself, I heard the door opposite me open, andthere looking me full in the face stood the officer of the guard. Heevidently took in the situation at a glance and appreciated the gravityof it as quickly as I, for our revolvers came up simultaneously and thesounds of the two reports were as one as we touched the buttons on thegrips that exploded the cartridges.
I felt the wind of his bullet as it whizzed past my ear, and at thesame instant I saw him crumple to the ground. Where I hit him I do notknow, nor if I killed him, for scarce had he started to collapse when Iwas through the window at my rear. In another second the waters ofOmean closed above my head, and the three of us were making for thelittle flier a hundred yards away.
Xodar was burdened with the boy, and I with the three long-swords. Therevolver I had dropped, so that while we were both strong swimmers itseemed to me that we moved at a snail's pace through the water. I wasswimming entirely beneath the surface, but Xodar was compelled to riseoften to let the youth breathe, so it was a wonder that we were notdiscovered long before we were.
In fact we reached the boat's side and were all aboard before the watchupon the battleship, aroused by the shots, detected us. Then an alarmgun bellowed from a ship's bow, its deep boom reverberating indeafening tones beneath the rocky dome of Omean.
Instantly the sleeping thousands were awake. The decks of a thousandmonster craft teemed with fighting-men, for an alarm on Omean was athing of rare occurrence.
We cast away before the sound of the first gun had died, and anothersecond saw us rising swiftly from the surface of the sea. I lay atfull length along the deck with the levers and buttons of controlbefore me. Xodar and the boy were stretched directly behind me, pronealso that we might offer as little resistance to the air as possible.
"Rise high," whispered Xodar. "They dare not fire their heavy gunstoward the dome--the fragments of the shells would drop back amongtheir own craft. If we are high enough our keel plates will protect usfrom rifle fire."
I did as he bade. Below us we could see the men leaping into the waterby hundreds, and striking out for the small cruisers and one-man fliersthat lay moored about the big ships. The larger craft were gettingunder way, following us rapidly, but not rising from the water.
"A little to your right," cried Xodar, for there are no points
ofcompass upon Omean where every direction is due north.
The pandemonium that had broken out below us was deafening. Riflescracked, officers shouted orders, men yelled directions to one anotherfrom the water and from the decks of myriad boats, while through allran the purr of countless propellers cutting water and air.
I had not dared pull my speed lever to the highest for fear ofoverrunning the mouth of the shaft that passed from Omean's dome to theworld above, but even so we were hitting a clip that I doubt has everbeen equalled on the windless sea.
The smaller fliers were commencing to rise toward us when Xodarshouted: "The shaft! The shaft! Dead ahead," and I saw the opening,black and yawning in the glowing dome of this underworld.
A ten-man cruiser was rising directly in front to cut off our escape.It was the only vessel that stood in our way, but at the rate that itwas traveling it would come between us and the shaft in plenty of timeto thwart our plans.
It was rising at an angle of about forty-five degrees dead ahead of us,with the evident intention of combing us with grappling hooks fromabove as it skimmed low over our deck.
There was but one forlorn hope for us, and I took it. It was uselessto try to pass over her, for that would have allowed her to force usagainst the rocky dome above, and we were already too near that as itwas. To have attempted to dive below her would have put us entirely ather mercy, and precisely where she wanted us. On either side a hundredother menacing craft were hastening toward us. The alternative wasfilled with risk--in fact it was all risk, with but a slender chance ofsuccess.
As we neared the cruiser I rose as though to pass above her, so thatshe would do just what she did do, rise at a steeper angle to force mestill higher. Then as we were almost upon her I yelled to mycompanions to hold tight, and throwing the little vessel into herhighest speed I deflected her bows at the same instant until we wererunning horizontally and at terrific velocity straight for thecruiser's keel.
Her commander may have seen my intentions then, but it was too late.Almost at the instant of impact I turned my bows upward, and then witha shattering jolt we were in collision. What I had hoped for happened.The cruiser, already tilted at a perilous angle, was carried completelyover backward by the impact of my smaller vessel. Her crew felltwisting and screaming through the air to the water far below, whilethe cruiser, her propellers still madly churning, dived swiftlyheadforemost after them to the bottom of the Sea of Omean.
The collision crushed our steel bows, and notwithstanding every efforton our part came near to hurling us from the deck. As it was we landedin a wildly clutching heap at the very extremity of the flier, whereXodar and I succeeded in grasping the hand-rail, but the boy would haveplunged overboard had I not fortunately grasped his ankle as he wasalready partially over.
Unguided, our vessel careened wildly in its mad flight, rising evernearer the rocks above. It took but an instant, however, for me toregain the levers, and with the roof barely fifty feet above I turnedher nose once more into the horizontal plane and headed her again forthe black mouth of the shaft.
The collision had retarded our progress and now a hundred swift scoutswere close upon us. Xodar had told me that ascending the shaft byvirtue of our repulsive rays alone would give our enemies their bestchance to overtake us, since our propellers would be idle and in risingwe would be outclassed by many of our pursuers. The swifter craft areseldom equipped with large buoyancy tanks, since the added bulk of themtends to reduce a vessel's speed.
As many boats were now quite close to us it was inevitable that wewould be quickly overhauled in the shaft, and captured or killed inshort order.
To me there always seems a way to gain the opposite side of anobstacle. If one cannot pass over it, or below it, or around it, whythen there is but a single alternative left, and that is to passthrough it. I could not get around the fact that many of these otherboats could rise faster than ours by the fact of their greaterbuoyancy, but I was none the less determined to reach the outer worldfar in advance of them or die a death of my own choosing in event offailure.
"Reverse?" screamed Xodar, behind me. "For the love of your firstancestor, reverse. We are at the shaft."
"Hold tight!" I screamed in reply. "Grasp the boy and hold tight--weare going straight up the shaft."
The words were scarce out of my mouth as we swept beneath thepitch-black opening. I threw the bow hard up, dragged the speed leverto its last notch, and clutching a stanchion with one hand and thesteering-wheel with the other hung on like grim death and consigned mysoul to its author.
I heard a little exclamation of surprise from Xodar, followed by a grimlaugh. The boy laughed too and said something which I could not catchfor the whistling of the wind of our awful speed.
I looked above my head, hoping to catch the gleam of stars by which Icould direct our course and hold the hurtling thing that bore us trueto the centre of the shaft. To have touched the side at the speed wewere making would doubtless have resulted in instant death for us all.But not a star showed above--only utter and impenetrable darkness.
Then I glanced below me, and there I saw a rapidly diminishing circleof light--the mouth of the opening above the phosphorescent radiance ofOmean. By this I steered, endeavouring to keep the circle of lightbelow me ever perfect. At best it was but a slender cord that held usfrom destruction, and I think that I steered that night more byintuition and blind faith than by skill or reason.
We were not long in the shaft, and possibly the very fact of ourenormous speed saved us, for evidently we started in the rightdirection and so quickly were we out again that we had no time to alterour course. Omean lies perhaps two miles below the surface crust ofMars. Our speed must have approximated two hundred miles an hour, forMartian fliers are swift, so that at most we were in the shaft not overforty seconds.
We must have been out of it for some seconds before I realised that wehad accomplished the impossible. Black darkness enshrouded all aboutus. There were neither moons nor stars. Never before had I seen sucha thing upon Mars, and for the moment I was nonplussed. Then theexplanation came to me. It was summer at the south pole. The ice capwas melting and those meteoric phenomena, clouds, unknown upon thegreater part of Barsoom, were shutting out the light of heaven fromthis portion of the planet.
Fortunate indeed it was for us, nor did it take me long to grasp theopportunity for escape which this happy condition offered us. Keepingthe boat's nose at a stiff angle I raced her for the impenetrablecurtain which Nature had hung above this dying world to shut us outfrom the sight of our pursuing enemies.
We plunged through the cold damp fog without diminishing our speed, andin a moment emerged into the glorious light of the two moons and themillion stars. I dropped into a horizontal course and headed duenorth. Our enemies were a good half-hour behind us with no conceptionof our direction. We had performed the miraculous and come through athousand dangers unscathed--we had escaped from the land of the FirstBorn. No other prisoners in all the ages of Barsoom had done thisthing, and now as I looked back upon it it did not seem to have been sodifficult after all.
I said as much to Xodar, over my shoulder.
"It is very wonderful, nevertheless," he replied. "No one else couldhave accomplished it but John Carter."
At the sound of that name the boy jumped to his feet.
"John Carter!" he cried. "John Carter! Why, man, John Carter, Princeof Helium, has been dead for years. I am his son."