The Chessmen of Mars
between, were fully a hundred creatures similar to those behind her and
all were on the alert, evidently warned by the whistling of their
fellows. Instructions and commands were shouted to and fro, with the
result that those before her spread roughly into a great half circle to
intercept her, and when she turned to the right, hoping to elude the
net, she saw others coming from fields beyond, and to the left the same
was true. But Tara of Helium would not admit defeat. Without once
pausing she turned directly toward the center of the advancing
semi-circle, beyond which lay her single chance of escape, and as she
ran she drew her long, slim dagger. Like her valiant sire, if die she
must, she would die fighting. There were gaps in the thin line
confronting her and toward the widest of one of these she directed her
course. The things on either side of the opening guessed her intent for
they closed in to place themselves in her path. This widened the
openings on either side of them and as the girl appeared almost to rush
into their arms she turned suddenly at right angles, ran swiftly in the
new direction for a few yards, and then dashed quickly toward the hill
again. Now only a single warrior, with a wide gap on either side of
him, barred her clear way to freedom, though all the others were
speeding as rapidly as they could to intercept her. If she could pass
this one without too much delay she could escape, of that she was
certain. Her every hope hinged on this. The creature before her
realized it, too, for he moved cautiously, though swiftly, to intercept
her, as a Rugby fullback might maneuver in the realization that he
alone stood between the opposing team and a touchdown.
At first Tara of Helium had hoped that she might dodge him, for she
could not but guess that she was not only more fleet but infinitely
more agile than these strange creatures; but soon there came to her the
realization that in the time consumed in an attempt to elude his grasp
his nearer fellows would be upon her and escape then impossible, so she
chose instead to charge straight for him, and when he guessed her
decision he stood, half crouching and with outstretched arms, awaiting
her. In one hand was his sword, but a voice arose, crying in tones of
authority. "Take her alive! Do not harm her!" Instantly the fellow
returned his sword to its scabbard and then Tara of Helium was upon
him. Straight for that beautiful body she sprang and in the instant
that the arms closed to seize her her sharp blade drove deep into the
naked chest. The impact hurled them both to the ground and as Tara of
Helium sprang to her feet again she saw, to her horror, that the
loathsome head had rolled from the body and was now crawling away from
her on six short, spider-like legs. The body struggled spasmodically
and lay still. As brief as had been the delay caused by the encounter,
it still had been of sufficient duration to undo her, for even as she
rose two more of the things fell upon her and instantly thereafter she
was surrounded. Her blade sank once more into naked flesh and once more
a head rolled free and crawled away. Then they overpowered her and in
another moment she was surrounded by fully a hundred of the creatures,
all seeking to lay hands upon her. At first she thought that they
wished to tear her to pieces in revenge for her having slain two of
their fellows, but presently she realized that they were prompted more
by curiosity than by any sinister motive.
"Come!" said one of her captors, both of whom had retained a hold upon
her. As he spoke he tried to lead her away with him toward the nearest
tower.
"She belongs to me," cried the other. "Did not I capture her? She will
come with me to the tower of Moak."
"Never!" insisted the first. "She is Luud's. To Luud I will take her,
and whosoever interferes may feel the keenness of my sword--in the
head!" He almost shouted the last three words.
"Come! Enough of this," cried one who spoke with some show of
authority. "She was captured in Luud's fields--she will go to Luud."
"She was discovered in Moak's fields, at the very foot of the tower of
Moak," insisted he who had claimed her for Moak.
"You have heard the Nolach speak," cried the Luud. "It shall be as he
says."
"Not while this Moak holds a sword," replied the other. "Rather will I
cut her in twain and take my half to Moak than to relinquish her all to
Luud," and he drew his sword, or rather he laid his hand upon its hilt
in a threatening gesture; but before ever he could draw it the Luud had
whipped his out and with a fearful blow cut deep into the head of his
adversary. Instantly the big, round head collapsed, almost as a
punctured balloon collapses, as a grayish, semi-fluid matter spurted
from it. The protruding eyes, apparently lidless, merely stared, the
sphincter-like muscle of the mouth opened and closed, and then the head
toppled from the body to the ground. The body stood dully for a moment
and then slowly started to wander aimlessly about until one of the
others seized it by the arm.
One of the two heads crawling about on the ground now approached. "This
rykor belongs to Moak," it said. "I am a Moak. I will take it," and
without further discussion it commenced to crawl up the front of the
headless body, using its six short, spiderlike legs and two stout
chelae which grew just in front of its legs and strongly resembled
those of an Earthly lobster, except that they were both of the same
size. The body in the meantime stood in passive indifference, its arms
hanging idly at its sides. The head climbed to the shoulders and
settled itself inside the leather collar that now hid its chelae and
legs. Almost immediately the body gave evidence of intelligent
animation. It raised its hands and adjusted the collar more
comfortably, it took the head between its palms and settled it in place
and when it moved around it did not wander aimlessly, but instead its
steps were firm and to some purpose.
The girl watched all these things in growing wonder, and presently, no
other of the Moaks seeming inclined to dispute the right of the Luud to
her, she was led off by her captor toward the nearest tower. Several
accompanied them, including one who carried the loose head under his
arm. The head that was being carried conversed with the head upon the
shoulders of the thing that carried it. Tara of Helium shivered. It was
horrible! All that she had seen of these frightful creatures was
horrible. And to be a prisoner, wholly in their power. Shadow of her
first ancestor! What had she done to deserve so cruel a fate?
At the wall enclosing the tower they paused while one opened the gate
and then they passed within the enclosure, which, to the girl's horror,
she found filled with headless bodies. The creature who carried the
bodiless head now set its burden upon the ground and the latter
immediately crawled toward one of the bodies that was lying near by.
Some wandered stupidly to and fro, but this one lay still. It was a
female. The head crawled to it and made its way to the shoulders where
it settled itself. At once the body sprang lightly erect. Another of
those who had accompanied them from the fields approached with the
harness and collar that had been taken from the dead body that the head
had formerly topped. The new body now appropriated these and the hands
deftly adjusted them. The creature was now as good as before Tara of
Helium had struck down its former body with her slim blade. But there
was a difference. Before it had been male--now it was female. That,
however, seemed to make no difference to the head. In fact, Tara of
Helium had noticed during the scramble and the fight about her that sex
differences seemed of little moment to her captors. Males and females
had taken equal part in her pursuit, both were identically harnessed
and both carried swords, and she had seen as many females as males draw
their weapons at the moment that a quarrel between the two factions
seemed imminent.
The girl was given but brief opportunity for further observation of the
pitiful creatures in the enclosure as her captor, after having directed
the others to return to the fields, led her toward the tower, which
they entered, passing into an apartment about ten feet wide and twenty
long, in one end of which was a stairway leading to an upper level and
in the other an opening to a similar stairway leading downward. The
chamber, though on a level with the ground, was brilliantly lighted by
windows in its inner wall, the light coming from a circular court in
the center of the tower. The walls of this court appeared to be faced
with what resembled glazed, white tile and the whole interior of it was
flooded with dazzling light, a fact which immediately explained to the
girl the purpose of the glass prisms of which the domes were
constructed. The stairways themselves were sufficient to cause remark,
since in nearly all Barsoomian architecture inclined runways are
utilized for purposes of communication between different levels, and
especially is this true of the more ancient forms and of those of
remote districts where fewer changes have come to alter the customs of
antiquity.
Down the stairway her captor led Tara of Helium. Down and down through
chambers still lighted from the brilliant well. Occasionally they
passed others going in the opposite direction and these always stopped
to examine the girl and ask questions of her captor.
"I know nothing but that she was found in the fields and that I caught
her after a fight in which she slew two rykors and in which I slew a
Moak, and that I take her to Luud, to whom, of course, she belongs. If
Luud wishes to question her that is for Luud to do--not for me." Thus
always he answered the curious.
Presently they reached a room from which a circular tunnel led away
from the tower, and into this the creature conducted her. The tunnel
was some seven feet in diameter and flattened on the bottom to form a
walk. For a hundred feet from the tower it was lined with the same
tile-like material of the light well and amply illuminated by reflected
light from that source. Beyond it was faced with stone of various
shapes and sizes, neatly cut and fitted together--a very fine mosaic
without a pattern. There were branches, too, and other tunnels which
crossed this, and occasionally openings not more than a foot in
diameter; these latter being usually close to the floor. Above each of
these smaller openings was painted a different device, while upon the
walls of the larger tunnels at all intersections and points of
convergence hieroglyphics appeared. These the girl could not read
though she guessed that they were the names of the tunnels, or notices
indicating the points to which they led. She tried to study some of
them out, but there was not a character that was familiar to her, which
seemed strange, since, while the written languages of the various
nations of Barsoom differ, it still is true that they have many
characters and words in common.
She had tried to converse with her guard but he had not seemed inclined
to talk with her and she had finally desisted. She could not but note
that he had offered her no indignities, nor had he been either
unnecessarily rough or in any way cruel. The fact that she had slain
two of the bodies with her dagger had apparently aroused no animosity
or desire for revenge in the minds of the strange heads that surmounted
the bodies--even those whose bodies had been killed. She did not try to
understand it, since she could not approach the peculiar relationship
between the heads and the bodies of these creatures from the basis of
any past knowledge or experience of her own. So far their treatment of
her seemed to augur naught that might arouse her fears. Perhaps, after