The Chessmen of Mars
The Gate of Enemies, where he now lies encamped. At any moment the
fight may be renewed; but it is thought that U-Thor has sent to Manatos
for reinforcements. Now, men of Gathol, here is the thing that
interests you. U-Thor has recently taken to wife the Princess Haja of
Gathol, who was slave to O-Tar and whose son, A-Kor, was dwar of The
Towers of Jetan. Haja's heart is filled with loyalty for Gathol and
compassion for her sons who are here enslaved, and this latter
sentiment she has to some extent transmitted to U-Thor. Aid me,
therefore, in freeing the Princess Tara of Helium and I believe that I
can aid you and her and myself to escape the city. Bend close your
ears, slaves of O-Tar, that no cruel enemy may hear my words," and
Gahan of Gathol whispered in low tones the daring plan he had
conceived. "And now," he demanded, when he had finished, "let him who
does not dare speak now." None replied. "Is there none?"
"And it would not betray you should I cast my sword at thy feet, it had
been done ere this," said one in low tones pregnant with suppressed
feeling.
"And I!" "And I!" "And I!" chorused the others in vibrant whispers.
CHAPTER XVII
A PLAY TO THE DEATH
Clear and sweet a trumpet spoke across The Fields of Jetan. From The
High Tower its cool voice floated across the city of Manator and above
the babel of human discords rising from the crowded mass that filled
the seats of the stadium below. It called the players for the first
game, and simultaneously there fluttered to the peaks of a thousand
staffs on tower and battlement and the great wall of the stadium the
rich, gay pennons of the fighting chiefs of Manator. Thus was marked
the opening of The Jeddak's Games, the most important of the year and
second only to the Grand Decennial Games.
Gahan of Gathol watched every play with eagle eye. The match was an
unimportant one, being but to settle some petty dispute between two
chiefs, and was played with professional jetan players for points only.
No one was killed and there was but little blood spilled. It lasted
about an hour and was terminated by the chief of the losing side
deliberately permitting himself to be out-pointed, that the game might
be called a draw.
Again the trumpet sounded, this time announcing the second and last
game of the afternoon. While this was not considered an important
match, those being reserved for the fourth and fifth days of the games,
it promised to afford sufficient excitement since it was a game to the
death. The vital difference between the game played with living men and
that in which inanimate pieces are used, lies in the fact that while in
the latter the mere placing of a piece upon a square occupied by an
opponent piece terminates the move, in the former the two pieces thus
brought together engage in a duel for possession of the square.
Therefore there enters into the former game not only the strategy of
jetan but the personal prowess and bravery of each individual piece, so
that a knowledge not only of one's own men but of each player upon the
opposing side is of vast value to a chief.
In this respect was Gahan handicapped, though the loyalty of his
players did much to offset his ignorance of them, since they aided him
in arranging the board to the best advantage and told him honestly the
faults and virtues of each. One fought best in a losing game; another
was too slow; another too impetuous; this one had fire and a heart of
steel, but lacked endurance. Of the opponents, though, they knew little
or nothing, and now as the two sides took their places upon the black
and orange squares of the great jetan board Gahan obtained, for the
first time, a close view of those who opposed him. The Orange Chief had
not yet entered the field, but his men were all in place. Val Dor
turned to Gahan. "They are all criminals from the pits of Manator," he
said. "There is no slave among them. We shall not have to fight against
a single fellow-countryman and every life we take will be the life of
an enemy."
"It is well," replied Gahan; "but where is their Chief, and where the
two Princesses?"
"They are coming now, see?" and he pointed across the field to where
two women could be seen approaching under guard.
As they came nearer Gahan saw that one was indeed Tara of Helium, but
the other he did not recognize, and then they were brought to the
center of the field midway between the two sides and there waited until
the Orange Chief arrived.
Floran voiced an exclamation of surprise when he recognized him. "By my
first ancestor if it is not one of their great chiefs," he said, "and
we were told that slaves and criminals were to play for the stake of
this game."
His words were interrupted by the keeper of The Towers whose duty it
was not only to announce the games and the stakes, but to act as
referee as well.
"Of this, the second game of the first day of the Jeddak's Games in the
four hundred and thirty-third year of O-Tar, Jeddak of Manator, the
Princesses of each side shall be the sole stakes and to the survivors
of the winning side shall belong both the Princesses, to do with as
they shall see fit. The Orange Princess is the slave woman Lan-O of
Gathol; the Black Princess is the slave woman Tara, a princess of
Helium. The Black Chief is U-Kal of Manataj, a volunteer player; the
Orange Chief is the dwar U-Dor of the 8th Utan of the jeddak of
Manator, also a volunteer player. The squares shall be contested to the
death. Just are the laws of Manator! I have spoken."
The initial move was won by U-Dor, following which the two Chiefs
escorted their respective Princesses to the square each was to occupy.
It was the first time Gahan had been alone with Tara since she had been
brought upon the field. He saw her scrutinizing him closely as he
approached to lead her to her place and wondered if she recognized him:
but if she did she gave no sign of it. He could not but remember her
last words--"I hate you!" and her desertion of him when he had been
locked in the room beneath the palace by I-Gos, the taxidermist, and so
he did not seek to enlighten her as to his identity. He meant to fight
for her--to die for her, if necessary--and if he did not die to go on
fighting to the end for her love. Gahan of Gathol was not easily to be
discouraged, but he was compelled to admit that his chances of winning
the love of Tara of Helium were remote. Already had she repulsed him
twice. Once as jed of Gathol and again as Turan the panthan. Before his
love, however, came her safety and the former must be relegated to the
background until the latter had been achieved.
Passing among the players already at their stations the two took their
places upon their respective squares. At Tara's left was the Black
Chief, Gahan of Gathol; directly in front of her the Princess' Panthan,
Floran of Gathol; and at her right the Princess' Odwar, Val Dor of
Helium. And each of these knew the part that he was to play, win or
lose, as did each of the other Black players. As Tara took her place
Val Dor bowed low. "My sword is at your feet, Tara of Helium," he said.
She turned and looked at him, an expression of surprise and incredulity
upon her face. "Val Dor, the dwar!" she exclaimed. "Val Dor of
Helium--one of my father's trusted captains! Can it be possible that my
eyes speak the truth?"
"It is Val Dor, Princess," the warrior replied, "and here to die for
you if need be, as is every wearer of the Black upon this field of
jetan today. Know Princess," he whispered, "that upon this side is no
man of Manator, but each and every is an enemy of Manator."
She cast a quick, meaning glance toward Gahan. "But what of him?" she
whispered, and then she caught her breath quickly in surprise. "Shade
of the first jeddak!" she exclaimed. "I did but just recognize him
through his disguise."
"And you trust him?" asked Val Dor. "I know him not; but he spoke
fairly, as an honorable warrior, and we have taken him at his word."
"You have made no mistake," replied Tara of Helium. "I would trust him
with my life--with my soul; and you, too, may trust him."
Happy indeed would have been Gahan of Gathol could he have heard those
words; but Fate, who is usually unkind to the lover in such matters,
ordained it otherwise, and then the game was on.
U-Dor moved his Princess' Odwar three squares diagonally to the right,
which placed the piece upon the Black Chief's Odwar's seventh. The move
was indicative of the game that U-Dor intended playing--a game of
blood, rather than of science--and evidenced his contempt for his
opponents.
Gahan followed with his Odwar's Panthan one square straight forward, a
more scientific move, which opened up an avenue for himself through his
line of Panthans, as well as announcing to the players and spectators
that he intended having a hand in the fighting himself even before the
exigencies of the game forced it upon him. The move elicited a ripple
of applause from those sections of seats reserved for the common
warriors and their women, showing perhaps that U-Dor was none too
popular with these, and, too, it had its effect upon the morale of
Gahan's pieces. A Chief may, and often does, play almost an entire game
without leaving his own square, where, mounted upon a thoat, he may
overlook the entire field and direct each move, nor may he be
reproached for lack of courage should he elect thus to play the game
since, by the rules, were he to be slain or so badly wounded as to be
compelled to withdraw, a game that might otherwise have been won by the
science of his play and the prowess of his men would be drawn. To
invite personal combat, therefore, denotes confidence in his own
swordsmanship, and great courage, two attributes that were calculated
to fill the Black players with hope and valor when evinced by their
Chief thus early in the game.
U-Dor's next move placed Lan-O's Odwar upon Tara's Odwar's
fourth--within striking distance of the Black Princess.
Another move and the game would be lost to Gahan unless the Orange
Odwar was overthrown, or Tara moved to a position of safety; but to
move his Princess now would be to admit his belief in the superiority
of the Orange. In the three squares allowed him he could not place
himself squarely upon the square occupied by the Odwar of U-Dor's
Princess. There was only one player upon the Black side that might
dispute the square with the enemy and that was the Chief's Odwar, who
stood upon Gahan's left. Gahan turned upon his thoat and looked at the
man. He was a splendid looking fellow, resplendent in the gorgeous
trappings of an Odwar, the five brilliant feathers which denoted his
position rising defiantly erect from his thick, black hair. In common
with every player upon the field and every spectator in the crowded
stands he knew what was passing in his Chief's mind. He dared not
speak, the ethics of the game forbade it, but what his lips might not
voice his eyes expressed in martial fire, and eloquently: "The honor of
the Black and the safety of our Princess are secure with me!"
Gahan hesitated no longer. "Chief's Odwar to Princess' Odwar's fourth!"
he commanded. It was the courageous move of a leader who had taken up
the gauntlet thrown down by his opponent.
The warrior sprang forward and leaped into the square occupied by
U-Dor's piece. It was the first disputed square of the game. The eyes
of the players were fastened upon the contestants, the spectators
leaned forward in their seats after the first applause that had greeted
the move, and silence fell upon the vast assemblage. If the Black went
down to defeat, U-Dor could move his victorious piece on to the square
occupied by Tara of Helium and the game would be over--over in four
moves and lost to Gahan of Gathol. If the Orange lost U-Dor would have