CHAPTER XX
THE AIR BATTLE
Two hours after leaving my palace at Helium, or about midnight, KantosKan, Xodar, and I arrived at Hastor. Carthoris, Tars Tarkas, and HorVastus had gone directly to Thark upon another cruiser.
The transports were to get under way immediately and move slowly south.The fleet of battleships would overtake them on the morning of thesecond day.
At Hastor we found all in readiness, and so perfectly had Kantos Kanplanned every detail of the campaign that within ten minutes of ourarrival the first of the fleet had soared aloft from its dock, andthereafter, at the rate of one a second, the great ships floatedgracefully out into the night to form a long, thin line which stretchedfor miles toward the south.
It was not until after we had entered the cabin of Kantos Kan that Ithought to ask the date, for up to now I was not positive how long Ihad lain in the pits of Zat Arrras. When Kantos Kan told me, I realizedwith a pang of dismay that I had misreckoned the time while I lay inthe utter darkness of my cell. Three hundred and sixty-five days hadpassed--it was too late to save Dejah Thoris.
The expedition was no longer one of rescue but of revenge. I did notremind Kantos Kan of the terrible fact that ere we could hope to enterthe Temple of Issus, the Princess of Helium would be no more. In sofar as I knew she might be already dead, for I did not know the exactdate on which she first viewed Issus.
What now the value of burdening my friends with my added personalsorrows--they had shared quite enough of them with me in the past.Hereafter I would keep my grief to myself, and so I said nothing to anyother of the fact that we were too late. The expedition could yet domuch if it could but teach the people of Barsoom the facts of the crueldeception that had been worked upon them for countless ages, and thussave thousands each year from the horrid fate that awaited them at theconclusion of the voluntary pilgrimage.
If it could open to the red men the fair Valley Dor it would haveaccomplished much, and in the Land of Lost Souls between the Mountainsof Otz and the ice barrier were many broad acres that needed noirrigation to bear rich harvests.
Here at the bottom of a dying world was the only naturally productivearea upon its surface. Here alone were dews and rains, here alone wasan open sea, here was water in plenty; and all this was but thestamping ground of fierce brutes and from its beauteous and fertileexpanse the wicked remnants of two once mighty races barred all theother millions of Barsoom. Could I but succeed in once breaking downthe barrier of religious superstition which had kept the red races fromthis El Dorado it would be a fitting memorial to the immortal virtuesof my Princess--I should have again served Barsoom and Dejah Thoris'martyrdom would not have been in vain.
On the morning of the second day we raised the great fleet oftransports and their consorts at the first flood of dawn, and soon werenear enough to exchange signals. I may mention here thatradio-aerograms are seldom if ever used in war time, or for thetransmission of secret dispatches at any time, for as often as onenation discovers a new cipher, or invents a new instrument for wirelesspurposes its neighbours bend every effort until they are able tointercept and translate the messages. For so long a time has this goneon that practically every possibility of wireless communication hasbeen exhausted and no nation dares transmit dispatches of importance inthis way.
Tars Tarkas reported all well with the transports. The battleshipspassed through to take an advanced position, and the combined fleetsmoved slowly over the ice cap, hugging the surface closely to preventdetection by the therns whose land we were approaching.
Far in advance of all a thin line of one-man air scouts protected usfrom surprise, and on either side they flanked us, while a smallernumber brought up the rear some twenty miles behind the transports. Inthis formation we had progressed toward the entrance to Omean forseveral hours when one of our scouts returned from the front to reportthat the cone-like summit of the entrance was in sight. At almost thesame instant another scout from the left flank came racing toward theflagship.
His very speed bespoke the importance of his information. Kantos Kanand I awaited him upon the little forward deck which corresponds withthe bridge of earthly battleships. Scarcely had his tiny flier come torest upon the broad landing-deck of the flagship ere he was bounding upthe stairway to the deck where we stood.
"A great fleet of battleships south-south-east, my Prince," he cried."There must be several thousands and they are bearing down directlyupon us."
"The thern spies were not in the palace of John Carter for nothing,"said Kantos Kan to me. "Your orders, Prince."
"Dispatch ten battleships to guard the entrance to Omean, with ordersto let no hostile enter or leave the shaft. That will bottle up thegreat fleet of the First Born.
"Form the balance of the battleships into a great V with the apexpointing directly south-south-east. Order the transports, surroundedby their convoys, to follow closely in the wake of the battleshipsuntil the point of the V has entered the enemies' line, then the V mustopen outward at the apex, the battleships of each leg engage the enemyfiercely and drive him back to form a lane through his line into whichthe transports with their convoys must race at top speed that they maygain a position above the temples and gardens of the therns.
"Here let them land and teach the Holy Therns such a lesson inferocious warfare as they will not forget for countless ages. It hadnot been my intention to be distracted from the main issue of thecampaign, but we must settle this attack with the therns once and forall, or there will be no peace for us while our fleet remains near Dor,and our chances of ever returning to the outer world will be greatlyminimized."
Kantos Kan saluted and turned to deliver my instructions to his waitingaides. In an incredibly short space of time the formation of thebattleships changed in accordance with my commands, the ten that wereto guard the way to Omean were speeding toward their destination, andthe troopships and convoys were closing up in preparation for the spurtthrough the lane.
The order of full speed ahead was given, the fleet sprang through theair like coursing greyhounds, and in another moment the ships of theenemy were in full view. They formed a ragged line as far as the eyecould reach in either direction and about three ships deep. So suddenwas our onslaught that they had no time to prepare for it. It was asunexpected as lightning from a clear sky.
Every phase of my plan worked splendidly. Our huge ships mowed theirway entirely through the line of thern battlecraft; then the V openedup and a broad lane appeared through which the transports leaped towardthe temples of the therns which could now be plainly seen glistening inthe sunlight. By the time the therns had rallied from the attack ahundred thousand green warriors were already pouring through theircourts and gardens, while a hundred and fifty thousand others leanedfrom low swinging transports to direct their almost uncannymarksmanship upon the thern soldiery that manned the ramparts, orattempted to defend the temples.
Now the two great fleets closed in a titanic struggle far above thefiendish din of battle in the gorgeous gardens of the therns. Slowlythe two lines of Helium's battleships joined their ends, and thencommenced the circling within the line of the enemy which is so markeda characteristic of Barsoomian naval warfare.
Around and around in each other's tracks moved the ships under KantosKan, until at length they formed nearly a perfect circle. By this timethey were moving at high speed so that they presented a difficulttarget for the enemy. Broadside after broadside they delivered as eachvessel came in line with the ships of the therns. The latter attemptedto rush in and break up the formation, but it was like stopping a buzzsaw with the bare hand.
From my position on the deck beside Kantos Kan I saw ship after ship ofthe enemy take the awful, sickening dive which proclaims its totaldestruction. Slowly we manoeuvered our circle of death until we hungabove the gardens where our green warriors were engaged. The order waspassed down for them to embark. Then they rose slowly to a positionwithin the centre of the circle.
In the m
eantime the therns' fire had practically ceased. They had hadenough of us and were only too glad to let us go on our way in peace.But our escape was not to be encompassed with such ease, for scarcelyhad we gotten under way once more in the direction of the entrance toOmean than we saw far to the north a great black line topping thehorizon. It could be nothing other than a fleet of war.
Whose or whither bound, we could not even conjecture. When they hadcome close enough to make us out at all, Kantos Kan's operator receiveda radio-aerogram, which he immediately handed to my companion. He readthe thing and handed it to me.
"Kantos Kan:" it read. "Surrender, in the name of the Jeddak ofHelium, for you cannot escape," and it was signed, "Zat Arrras."
The therns must have caught and translated the message almost as soonas did we, for they immediately renewed hostilities when they realizedthat we were soon to be set upon by other enemies.
Before Zat Arrras had approached near enough to fire a shot we wereagain hotly engaged with the thern fleet, and as soon as he drew nearhe too commenced to pour a terrific fusillade of heavy shot into us.Ship after ship reeled and staggered into uselessness beneath thepitiless fire that we were undergoing.
The thing could not last much longer. I ordered the transports todescend again into the gardens of the therns.
"Wreak your vengeance to the utmost," was my message to the greenallies, "for by night there will be none left to avenge your wrongs."
Presently I saw the ten battleships that had been ordered to hold theshaft of Omean. They were returning at full speed, firing their sternbatteries almost continuously. There could be but one explanation.They were being pursued by another hostile fleet. Well, the situationcould be no worse. The expedition already was doomed. No man that hadembarked upon it would return across that dreary ice cap. How I wishedthat I might face Zat Arrras with my longsword for just an instantbefore I died! It was he who had caused our failure.
As I watched the oncoming ten I saw their pursuers race swiftly intosight. It was another great fleet; for a moment I could not believe myeyes, but finally I was forced to admit that the most fatal calamityhad overtaken the expedition, for the fleet I saw was none other thanthe fleet of the First Born, that should have been safely bottled up inOmean. What a series of misfortunes and disasters! What awful fatehovered over me, that I should have been so terribly thwarted at everyangle of my search for my lost love! Could it be possible that thecurse of Issus was upon me! That there was, indeed, some maligndivinity in that hideous carcass! I would not believe it, and,throwing back my shoulders, I ran to the deck below to join my men inrepelling boarders from one of the thern craft that had grappled usbroadside. In the wild lust of hand-to-hand combat my old dauntlesshopefulness returned. And as thern after thern went down beneath myblade, I could almost feel that we should win success in the end, evenfrom apparent failure.
My presence among the men so greatly inspirited them that they fellupon the luckless whites with such terrible ferocity that within a fewmoments we had turned the tables upon them and a second later as weswarmed their own decks I had the satisfaction of seeing theircommander take the long leap from the bows of his vessel in token ofsurrender and defeat.
Then I joined Kantos Kan. He had been watching what had taken place onthe deck below, and it seemed to have given him a new thought.Immediately he passed an order to one of his officers, and presentlythe colours of the Prince of Helium broke from every point of theflagship. A great cheer arose from the men of our own ship, a cheerthat was taken up by every other vessel of our expedition as they inturn broke my colours from their upper works.
Then Kantos Kan sprang his coup. A signal legible to every sailor ofall the fleets engaged in that fierce struggle was strung aloft uponthe flagship.
"Men of Helium for the Prince of Helium against all his enemies," itread. Presently my colours broke from one of Zat Arrras' ships. Thenfrom another and another. On some we could see fierce battles wagingbetween the Zodangan soldiery and the Heliumetic crews, but eventuallythe colours of the Prince of Helium floated above every ship that hadfollowed Zat Arrras upon our trail--only his flagship flew them not.
Zat Arrras had brought five thousand ships. The sky was black with thethree enormous fleets. It was Helium against the field now, and thefight had settled to countless individual duels. There could be littleor no manoeuvering of fleets in that crowded, fire-split sky.
Zat Arrras' flagship was close to my own. I could see the thin featuresof the man from where I stood. His Zodangan crew was pouring broadsideafter broadside into us and we were returning their fire with equalferocity. Closer and closer came the two vessels until but a few yardsintervened. Grapplers and boarders lined the contiguous rails of each.We were preparing for the death struggle with our hated enemy.
There was but a yard between the two mighty ships as the firstgrappling irons were hurled. I rushed to the deck to be with my men asthey boarded. Just as the vessels came together with a slight shock, Iforced my way through the lines and was the first to spring to the deckof Zat Arrras' ship. After me poured a yelling, cheering, cursingthrong of Helium's best fighting-men. Nothing could withstand them inthe fever of battle lust which enthralled them.
Down went the Zodangans before that surging tide of war, and as my mencleared the lower decks I sprang to the forward deck where stood ZatArrras.
"You are my prisoner, Zat Arrras," I cried. "Yield and you shall havequarter."
For a moment I could not tell whether he contemplated acceding to mydemand or facing me with drawn sword. For an instant he stoodhesitating, and then throwing down his arms he turned and rushed to theopposite side of the deck. Before I could overtake him he had sprungto the rail and hurled himself headforemost into the awful depths below.
And thus came Zat Arrras, Jed of Zodanga, to his end.
On and on went that strange battle. The therns and blacks had notcombined against us. Wherever thern ship met ship of the First Bornwas a battle royal, and in this I thought I saw our salvation.Wherever messages could be passed between us that could not beintercepted by our enemies I passed the word that all our vessels wereto withdraw from the fight as rapidly as possible, taking a position tothe west and south of the combatants. I also sent an air scout to thefighting green men in the gardens below to re-embark, and to thetransports to join us.
My commanders were further instructed that when engaged with an enemyto draw him as rapidly as possible toward a ship of his hereditaryfoeman, and by careful manoeuvring to force the two to engage, thusleaving himself free to withdraw. This stratagem worked toperfection, and just before the sun went down I had the satisfaction ofseeing all that was left of my once mighty fleet gathered nearly twentymiles southwest of the still terrific battle between the blacks andwhites.
I now transferred Xodar to another battleship and sent him with all thetransports and five thousand battleships directly overhead to theTemple of Issus. Carthoris and I, with Kantos Kan, took the remainingships and headed for the entrance to Omean.
Our plan now was to attempt to make a combined assault upon Issus atdawn of the following day. Tars Tarkas with his green warriors and HorVastus with the red men, guided by Xodar, were to land within thegarden of Issus or the surrounding plains; while Carthoris, Kantos Kan,and I were to lead our smaller force from the sea of Omean through thepits beneath the temple, which Carthoris knew so well.
I now learned for the first time the cause of my ten ships' retreatfrom the mouth of the shaft. It seemed that when they had come uponthe shaft the navy of the First Born were already issuing from itsmouth. Fully twenty vessels had emerged, and though they gave battleimmediately in an effort to stem the tide that rolled from the blackpit, the odds against them were too great and they were forced to flee.
With great caution we approached the shaft, under cover of darkness.At a distance of several miles I caused the fleet to be halted, andfrom there Carthoris went ahead alone upon a one-man flier toreconnoi
tre. In perhaps half an hour he returned to report that therewas no sign of a patrol boat or of the enemy in any form, and so wemoved swiftly and noiselessly forward once more toward Omean.
At the mouth of the shaft we stopped again for a moment for all thevessels to reach their previously appointed stations, then with theflagship I dropped quickly into the black depths, while one by one theother vessels followed me in quick succession.
We had decided to stake all on the chance that we would be able toreach the temple by the subterranean way and so we left no guard ofvessels at the shaft's mouth. Nor would it have profited us any tohave done so, for we did not have sufficient force all told to havewithstood the vast navy of the First Born had they returned to engageus.
For the safety of our entrance upon Omean we depended largely upon thevery boldness of it, believing that it would be some little time beforethe First Born on guard there would realize that it was an enemy andnot their own returning fleet that was entering the vault of the buriedsea.
And such proved to be the case. In fact, four hundred of my fleet offive hundred rested safely upon the bosom of Omean before the firstshot was fired. The battle was short and hot, but there could havebeen but one outcome, for the First Born in the carelessness of fanciedsecurity had left but a handful of ancient and obsolete hulks to guardtheir mighty harbour.
It was at Carthoris' suggestion that we landed our prisoners underguard upon a couple of the larger islands, and then towed the ships ofthe First Born to the shaft, where we managed to wedge a number of themsecurely in the interior of the great well. Then we turned on thebuoyance rays in the balance of them and let them rise by themselves tofurther block the passage to Omean as they came into contact with thevessels already lodged there.
We now felt that it would be some time at least before the returningFirst Born could reach the surface of Omean, and that we would haveample opportunity to make for the subterranean passages which lead toIssus. One of the first steps I took was to hasten personally with agood-sized force to the island of the submarine, which I took withoutresistance on the part of the small guard there.
I found the submarine in its pool, and at once placed a strong guardupon it and the island, where I remained to wait the coming ofCarthoris and the others.
Among the prisoners was Yersted, commander of the submarine. Herecognized me from the three trips that I had taken with him during mycaptivity among the First Born.
"How does it seem," I asked him, "to have the tables turned? To beprisoner of your erstwhile captive?"
He smiled, a very grim smile pregnant with hidden meaning.
"It will not be for long, John Carter," he replied. "We have beenexpecting you and we are prepared."
"So it would appear," I answered, "for you were all ready to become myprisoners with scarce a blow struck on either side."
"The fleet must have missed you," he said, "but it will return toOmean, and then that will be a very different matter--for John Carter."
"I do not know that the fleet has missed me as yet," I said, but ofcourse he did not grasp my meaning, and only looked puzzled.
"Many prisoners travel to Issus in your grim craft, Yersted?" I asked.
"Very many," he assented.
"Might you remember one whom men called Dejah Thoris?"
"Well, indeed, for her great beauty, and then, too, for the fact thatshe was wife to the first mortal that ever escaped from Issus throughall the countless ages of her godhood. And the way that Issusremembers her best as the wife of one and the mother of another whoraised their hands against the Goddess of Life Eternal."
I shuddered for fear of the cowardly revenge that I knew Issus mighthave taken upon the innocent Dejah Thoris for the sacrilege of her sonand her husband.
"And where is Dejah Thoris now?" I asked, knowing that he would say thewords I most dreaded, but yet I loved her so that I could not refrainfrom hearing even the worst about her fate so that it fell from thelips of one who had seen her but recently. It was to me as though itbrought her closer to me.
"Yesterday the monthly rites of Issus were held," replied Yersted, "andI saw her then sitting in her accustomed place at the foot of Issus."
"What," I cried, "she is not dead, then?"
"Why, no," replied the black, "it has been no year since she gazed uponthe divine glory of the radiant face of--"
"No year?" I interrupted.
"Why, no," insisted Yersted. "It cannot have been upward of threehundred and seventy or eighty days."
A great light burst upon me. How stupid I had been! I could scarcelyretain an outward exhibition of my great joy. Why had I forgotten thegreat difference in the length of Martian and Earthly years! The tenEarth years I had spent upon Barsoom had encompassed but five years andninety-six days of Martian time, whose days are forty-one minuteslonger than ours, and whose years number six hundred and eighty-sevendays.
I am in time! I am in time! The words surged through my brain againand again, until at last I must have voiced them audibly, for Yerstedshook his head.
"In time to save your Princess?" he asked, and then without waiting formy reply, "No, John Carter, Issus will not give up her own. She knowsthat you are coming, and ere ever a vandal foot is set within theprecincts of the Temple of Issus, if such a calamity should befall,Dejah Thoris will be put away for ever from the last faint hope ofrescue."
"You mean that she will be killed merely to thwart me?" I asked.
"Not that, other than as a last resort," he replied. "Hast ever heardof the Temple of the Sun? It is there that they will put her. It liesfar within the inner court of the Temple of Issus, a little temple thatraises a thin spire far above the spires and minarets of the greattemple that surrounds it. Beneath it, in the ground, there lies themain body of the temple consisting in six hundred and eighty-sevencircular chambers, one below another. To each chamber a singlecorridor leads through solid rock from the pits of Issus.
"As the entire Temple of the Sun revolves once with each revolution ofBarsoom about the sun, but once each year does the entrance to eachseparate chamber come opposite the mouth of the corridor which formsits only link to the world without.
"Here Issus puts those who displease her, but whom she does not care toexecute forthwith. Or to punish a noble of the First Born she maycause him to be placed within a chamber of the Temple of the Sun for ayear. Ofttimes she imprisons an executioner with the condemned, thatdeath may come in a certain horrible form upon a given day, or againbut enough food is deposited in the chamber to sustain life but thenumber of days that Issus has allotted for mental anguish.
"Thus will Dejah Thoris die, and her fate will be sealed by the firstalien foot that crosses the threshold of Issus."
So I was to be thwarted in the end, although I had performed themiraculous and come within a few short moments of my divine Princess,yet was I as far from her as when I stood upon the banks of the Hudsonforty-eight million miles away.