"Where did you find this rykor with the strange kaldane that cannot detach itself?"The girl's captor narrated once more the story of her capture.He stated facts just as they had occurred, without embellishment, his voice as expressionless as his face, and his story was received in the same manner that it was delivered.The creatures seemed totally lacking in emotion, or, at least, the capacity to express it.It was impossible to judge what impression the story made upon them, or even if they heard it.Their protruding eyes simply stared and occasionally the muscles of their mouths opened and closed.Familiarity did not lessen the horror the girl felt for them.The more she saw of them the more repulsive they seemed.Often her body was shaken by convulsive shudders as she looked at the kaldanes, but when her eyes wandered to the beautiful bodies and she could for a moment expunge the heads from her consciousness the effect was soothing and refreshing, though when the bodies lay, headless, upon the floor they were quite as shocking as the heads mounted on bodies.But by far the most grewsome and uncanny sight of all was that of the heads crawling about upon their spider legs.If one of these should approach and touch her Tara of Helium was positive that she should scream, while should one attempt to crawl up her person--ugh! the very idea induced a feeling of faintness.
Sept returned to the chamber."Luud will see you and the captive.
Come!" he said, and turned toward a door opposite that through which Tara of Helium had entered the chamber."What is your name?" His question was directed to the girl's captor.
"I am Ghek, third foreman of the fields of Luud," he answered.
"And hers?"
"I do not know."
"It makes no difference.Come!"
The patrician brows of Tara of Helium went high.It made no difference, indeed! She, a princess of Helium; only daughter of The Warlord of Barsoom!
"Wait!" she cried."It makes much difference who I am.If you are conducting me into the presence of your jed you may announce The Princess Tara of Helium, daughter of John Carter, The Warlord of Barsoom.""Hold your peace!" commanded Sept."Speak when you are spoken to.
Come with me!"
The anger of Tara of Helium all but choked her."Come,"admonished Ghek, and took her by the arm, and Tara of Helium came.She was naught but a prisoner.Her rank and titles meant nothing to these inhuman monsters.They led her through a short, S-shaped passageway into a chamber entirely lined with the white, tile-like material with which the interior of the light wall was faced.Close to the base of the walls were numerous smaller apertures, circular in shape, but larger than those of similar aspect that she had noted elsewhere.The majority of these apertures were sealed.Directly opposite the entrance was one framed in gold, and above it a peculiar device was inlaid in the same precious metal.
Sept and Ghek halted just within the room, the girl between them, and all three stood silently facing the opening in the opposite wall.On the floor beside the aperture lay a headless male body of almost heroic proportions, and on either side of this stood a heavily armed warrior, with drawn sword.For perhaps five minutes the three waited and then something appeared in the opening.It was a pair of large chelae and immediately thereafter there crawled forth a hideous kaldane of enormous proportions.He was half again as large as any that Tara of Helium had yet seen and his whole aspect infinitely more terrible.The skin of the others was a bluish gray--this one was of a little bluer tinge and the eyes were ringed with bands of white and scarlet, as was its mouth.
From each nostril a band of white and one of scarlet extended outward horizontally the width of the face.
No one spoke or moved.The creature crawled to the prostrate body and affixed itself to the neck.Then the two rose as one and approached the girl.He looked at her and then he spoke to her captor.
"You are the third foreman of the fields of Luud?" he asked.
"Yes, Luud; I am called Ghek."
"Tell me what you know of this," and he nodded toward Tara of Helium.
Ghek did as he was bid and then Luud addressed the girl.
"What were you doing within the borders of Bantoom?" he asked.
"I was blown hither in a great storm that injured my flier and carried me I knew not where.I came down into the valley at night for food and drink.The banths came and drove me to the safety of a tree, and then your people caught me as I was trying to leave the valley.I do not know why they took me.I was doing no harm.
All I ask is that you let me go my way in peace.""None who enters Bantoom ever leaves," replied Luud.
"But my people are not at war with yours.I am a princess of Helium; my great-grandfather is a jeddak; my grandfather a jed;and my father is Warlord of all Barsoom.You have no right to keep me and I demand that you liberate me at once.""None who enters Bantoom ever leaves," repeated the creature without expression."I know nothing of the lesser creatures of Barsoom, of whom you speak.There is but one high race--the race of Bantoomians.All Nature exists to serve them.You shall do your share, but not yet--you are too skinny.We shall have to put some fat upon it, Sept.I tire of rykor.Perhaps this will have a different flavor.The banths are too rank and it is seldom that any other creature enters the valley.And you, Ghek; you shall be rewarded.I shall promote you from the fields to the burrows.
Hereafter you shall remain underground as every Bantoomian longs to.No more shall you be forced to endure the hated sun, or look upon the hideous sky, or the hateful growing things that defile the surface.For the present you shall look after this thing that you have brought me, seeing that it sleeps and eats--and does nothing else.You understand me, Ghek; nothing else!""I understand, Luud," replied the other.
"Take it away!" commanded the creature.
