CHAPTER XXII
AT THE MOMENT OF MARRIAGE
The silence of the tomb lay heavy about him as O-Tar, Jeddak ofManator, opened his eyes in the chamber of O-Mai. Recollection of thefrightful apparition that had confronted him swept to hisconsciousness. He listened, but heard naught. Within the range of hisvision there was nothing apparent that might cause alarm. Slowly helifted his head and looked about. Upon the floor beside the couch laythe thing that had at first attracted his attention and his eyes closedin terror as he recognized it for what it was; but it moved not, norspoke. O-Tar opened his eyes again and rose to his feet. He wastrembling in every limb. There was nothing on the dais from which hehad seen the thing arise.
O-Tar backed slowly from the room. At last he gained the outercorridor. It was empty. He did not know that it had emptied rapidly asthe loud scream with which his own had mingled had broken upon thestartled ears of the warriors who had been sent to spy upon him. Helooked at the timepiece set in a massive bracelet upon his leftforearm. The ninth zode was nearly half gone. O-Tar had lain for anhour unconscious. He had spent an hour in the chamber of O-Mai and hewas not dead! He had looked upon the face of his predecessor and wasstill sane! He shook himself and smiled. Rapidly he subdued hisrebelliously shaking nerves, so that by the time he reached thetenanted portion of the palace he had gained control of himself. Hewalked with chin high and something of a swagger. To the banquet hallhe went, knowing that his chiefs awaited him there and as he enteredthey arose and upon the faces of many were incredulity and amaze, forthey had not thought to see O-Tar the jeddak again after what the spieshad told them of the horrid sounds issuing from the chamber of O-Mai.Thankful was O-Tar that he had gone alone to that chamber of fright,for now no one could deny the tale that he should tell.
E-Thas rushed forward to greet him, for E-Thas had seen black looksdirected toward him as the tals slipped by and his benefactor failed toreturn.
"O brave and glorious jeddak!" cried the major-domo. "We rejoice atyour safe return and beg of you the story of your adventure."
"It was naught," exclaimed O-Tar. "I searched the chambers carefullyand waited in hiding for the return of the slave, Turan, if he weretemporarily away; but he came not. He is not there and I doubt if heever goes there. Few men would choose to remain long in such a dismalplace."
"You were not attacked?" asked E-Thas. "You heard no screams, normoans?"
"I heard hideous noises and saw phantom figures; but they fled beforeme so that never could I lay hold of one, and I looked upon the face ofO-Mai and I am not mad. I even rested in the chamber beside his corpse."
In a far corner of the room a bent and wrinkled old man hid a smilebehind a golden goblet of strong brew.
"Come! Let us drink!" cried O-Tar and reached for the dagger, thepommel of which he was accustomed to use to strike the gong whichsummoned slaves, but the dagger was not in its scabbard. O-Tar waspuzzled. He knew that it had been there just before he entered thechamber of O-Mai, for he had carefully felt of all his weapons to makesure that none was missing. He seized instead a table utensil andstruck the gong, and when the slaves came bade them bring the strongestbrew for O-Tar and his chiefs. Before the dawn broke many were theexpressions of admiration bellowed from drunken lips--admiration forthe courage of their jeddak; but some there were who still looked glum.
* * * * *
Came at last the day that O-Tar would take the Princess Tara of Heliumto wife. For hours slaves prepared the unwilling bride. Seven perfumedbaths occupied three long and weary hours, then her whole body wasanointed with the oil of pimalia blossoms and massaged by the deftfingers of a slave from distant Dusar. Her harness, all new and wroughtfor the occasion was of the white hide of the great white apes ofBarsoom, hung heavily with platinum and diamonds--fairly encrusted withthem. The glossy mass of her jet hair had been built into a coiffure ofstately and becoming grandeur, into which diamond-headed pins werestuck until the whole scintillated as the stars in heaven upon amoonless night.
But it was a sullen and defiant bride that they led from the high towertoward the throne room of O-Tar. The corridors were filled with slavesand warriors, and the women of the palace and the city who had beencommanded to attend the ceremony. All the power and pride, wealth andbeauty of Manator were there.
Slowly Tara, surrounded by a heavy guard of honor, moved along themarble corridors filled with people. At the entrance to The Hall ofChiefs E-Thas, the major-domo, received her. The Hall was empty exceptfor its ranks of dead chieftains upon their dead mounts. Through thislong chamber E-Thas escorted her to the throne room which also wasempty, the marriage ceremony in Manator differing from that of othercountries of Barsoom. Here the bride would await the groom at the footof the steps leading to the throne. The guests followed her in and tooktheir places, leaving the central aisle from The Hall of Chiefs to thethrone clear, for up this O-Tar would approach his bride alone after ashort solitary communion with the dead behind closed doors in The Hallof Chiefs. It was the custom.
The guests had all filed through The Hall of Chiefs; the doors at bothends had been closed. Presently those at the lower end of the hallopened and O-Tar entered. His black harness was ornamented with rubiesand gold; his face was covered by a grotesque mask of the preciousmetal in which two enormous rubies were set for eyes, though below themwere narrow slits through which the wearer could see. His crown was afillet supporting carved feathers of the same metal as the mask. To theleast detail his regalia was that demanded of a royal bridegroom by thecustoms of Manator, and now in accordance with that same custom he camealone to The Hall of Chiefs to receive the blessings and the council ofthe great ones of Manator who had preceded him.
As the doors at the lower end of the Hall closed behind him O-Tar theJeddak stood alone with the great dead. By the dictates of ages nomortal eye might look upon the scene enacted within that sacredchamber. As the mighty of Manator respected the traditions of Manator,let us, too, respect those traditions of a proud and sensitive people.Of what concern to us the happenings in that solemn chamber of the dead?
Five minutes passed. The bride stood silently at the foot of thethrone. The guests spoke together in low whispers until the room wasfilled with the hum of many voices. At length the doors leading intoThe Hall of Chiefs swung open, and the resplendent bridegroom stoodframed for a moment in the massive opening. A hush fell upon thewedding guests. With measured and impressive step the groom approachedthe bride. Tara felt the muscles of her heart contract with theapprehension that had been growing upon her as the coils of Fatesettled more closely about her and no sign came from Turan. Where washe? What, indeed, could he accomplish now to save her? Surrounded bythe power of O-Tar with never a friend among them, her position seemedat last without vestige of hope.
"I still live!" she whispered inwardly in a last brave attempt tocombat the terrible hopelessness that was overwhelming her, but herfingers stole for reassurance to the slim blade that she had managed totransfer, undetected, from her old harness to the new. And now thegroom was at her side and taking her hand was leading her up the stepsto the throne, before which they halted and stood facing the gatheringbelow. Came then, from the back of the room a procession headed by thehigh dignitary whose office it was to make these two man and wife, anddirectly behind him a richly-clad youth bearing a silken pillow onwhich lay the golden handcuffs connected by a short length ofchain-of-gold with which the ceremony would be concluded when thedignitary clasped a handcuff about the wrist of each symbolizing theirindissoluble union in the holy bonds of wedlock.
Would Turan's promised succor come too late? Tara listened to the long,monotonous intonation of the wedding service. She heard the virtues ofO-Tar extolled and the beauties of the bride. The moment wasapproaching and still no sign of Turan. But what could he accomplishshould he succeed in reaching the throne room, other than to die withher? There could be no hope of rescue.
The dignitary lifted the golden handcuffs from the pillow upon whichthey re
posed. He blessed them and reached for Tara's wrist. The timehad come! The thing could go no further, for alive or dead, by all thelaws of Barsoom she would be the wife of O-Tar of Manator the instantthe two were locked together. Even should rescue come then or later shecould never dissolve those bonds and Turan would be lost to her assurely as though death separated them.
Her hand stole toward the hidden blade, but instantly the hand of thegroom shot out and seized her wrist. He had guessed her intention.Through the slits in the grotesque mask she could see his eyes upon herand she guessed the sardonic smile that the mask hid. For a tensemoment the two stood thus. The people below them kept breathlesssilence for the play before the throne had not passed unnoticed.
Dramatic as was the moment it was suddenly rendered trebly so by thenoisy opening of the doors leading to The Hall of Chiefs. All eyesturned in the direction of the interruption to see another figureframed in the massive opening--a half-clad figure buckling thehalf-adjusted harness hurriedly in place--the figure of O-Tar, Jeddakof Manator.
"Stop!" he screamed, springing forward along the aisle toward thethrone. "Seize the impostor!"
All eyes shot to the figure of the groom before the throne. They sawhim raise his hand and snatch off the golden mask, and Tara of Heliumin wide-eyed incredulity looked up into the face of Turan the panthan.
"Turan the slave," they cried then. "Death to him! Death to him!"
"Wait!" shouted Turan, drawing his sword, as a dozen warriors leapedforward.
"Wait!" screamed another voice, old and cracked, as I-Gos, the ancienttaxidermist, sprang from among the guests and reached the throne stepsahead of the foremost warriors.
At sight of the old man the warriors paused, for age is held in greatveneration among the peoples of Barsoom, as is true, perhaps, of allpeoples whose religion is based to any extent upon ancestor worship.But O-Tar gave no heed to him, leaping instead swiftly toward thethrone. "Stop, coward!" cried I-Gos.
The people looked at the little old man in amazement. "Men of Manator,"he cackled in his thin, shrill voice, "wouldst be ruled by a coward anda liar?"
"Down with him!" shouted O-Tar.
"Not until I have spoken," retorted I-Gos. "It is my right. If I failmy life is forfeit--that you all know and I know. I demand therefore tobe heard. It is my right!"
"It is his right," echoed the voices of a score of warriors in variousparts of the chamber.
"That O-Tar is a coward and a liar I can prove," continued I-Gos. "Hesaid that he faced bravely the horrors of the chamber of O-Mai and sawnothing of the slave Turan. I was there, hiding behind the hangings,and I saw all that transpired. Turan had been hiding in the chamber andwas even then lying upon the couch of O-Mai when O-Tar, trembling withfear, entered the room. Turan, disturbed, arose to a sitting positionat the same time voicing a piercing shriek. O-Tar screamed and swooned."
"It is a lie!" cried O-Tar.
"It is not a lie and I can prove it," retorted I-Gos. "Didst notice thenight that he returned from the chambers of O-Mai and was boasting ofhis exploit, that when he would summon slaves to bring wine he reachedfor his dagger to strike the gong with its pommel as is always hiscustom? Didst note that, any of you? And that he had no dagger? O-Tar,where is the dagger that you carried into the chamber of O-Mai? You donot know; but I know. While you lay in the swoon of terror I took itfrom your harness and hid it among the sleeping silks upon the couch ofO-Mai. There it is even now, and if any doubt it let them go thitherand there they will find it and know the cowardice of their jeddak."
"But what of this impostor?" demanded one. "Shall he stand withimpunity upon the throne of Manator whilst we squabble about our ruler?"
"It is through his bravery that you have learned the cowardice ofO-Tar," replied I-Gos, "and through him you will be given a greaterjeddak."
"We will choose our own jeddak. Seize and slay the slave!" There werecries of approval from all parts of the room. Gahan was listeningintently, as though for some hoped-for sound. He saw the warriorsapproaching the dais, where he now stood with drawn sword and with onearm about Tara of Helium. He wondered if his plans had miscarried afterall. If they had it would mean death for him, and he knew that Tarawould take her life if he fell. Had he, then, served her so futilelyafter all his efforts?
Several warriors were urging the necessity for sending at once to thechamber of O-Mai to search for the dagger that would prove, if found,the cowardice of O-Tar. At last three consented to go. "You need notfear," I-Gos assured them. "There is naught there to harm you. I havebeen there often of late and Turan the slave has slept there for thesemany nights. The screams and moans that frightened you and O-Tar werevoiced by Turan to drive you away from his hiding place." Shamefacedlythe three left the apartment to search for O-Tar's dagger.
And now the others turned their attention once more to Gahan. Theyapproached the throne with bared swords, but they came slowly for theyhad seen this slave upon the Field of Jetan and they knew the prowessof his arm. They had reached the foot of the steps when from far abovethere sounded a deep boom, and another, and another, and Turan smiledand breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps, after all, it had not come toolate. The warriors stopped and listened as did the others in thechamber. Now there broke upon their ears a loud rattle of musketry andit all came from above as though men were fighting upon the roofs ofthe palace.
"What is it?" they demanded, one of the other.
"A great storm has broken over Manator," said one.
"Mind not the storm until you have slain the creature who dares standupon the throne of your jeddak," demanded O-Tar. "Seize him!"
Even as he ceased speaking the arras behind the throne parted and awarrior stepped forth upon the dais. An exclamation of surprise anddismay broke from the lips of the warriors of O-Tar. "U-Thor!" theycried. "What treason is this?"
"It is no treason," said U-Thor in his deep voice. "I bring you a newjeddak for all of Manator. No lying poltroon, but a courageous man whomyou all love."
He stepped aside then and another emerged from the corridor hidden bythe arras. It was A-Kor, and at sight of him there rose exclamations ofsurprise, of pleasure, and of anger, as the various factions recognizedthe coup d'etat that had been arranged so cunningly. Behind A-Kor cameother warriors until the dais was crowded with them--all men of Manatorfrom the city of Manatos.
O-Tar was exhorting his warriors to attack, when a bloody anddisheveled padwar burst into the chamber through a side entrance. "Thecity has fallen!" he cried aloud. "The hordes of Manatos pour throughThe Gate of Enemies. The slaves from Gathol have arisen and destroyedthe palace guards. Great ships are landing warriors upon the palaceroof and in the Fields of Jetan. The men of Helium and Gathol aremarching through Manator. They cry aloud for the Princess of Helium andswear to leave Manator a blazing funeral pyre consuming the bodies ofall our people. The skies are black with ships. They come in greatprocessions from the east and from the south."
And then once more the doors from The Hall of Chiefs swung wide and themen of Manator turned to see another figure standing upon thethreshold--a mighty figure of a man with white skin, and black hair,and gray eyes that glittered now like points of steel and behind himThe Hall of Chiefs was filled with fighting men wearing the harness offar countries. Tara of Helium saw him and her heart leaped inexultation, for it was John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom, come at thehead of a victorious host to the rescue of his daughter, and at hisside was Djor Kantos to whom she had been betrothed.
The Warlord eyed the assemblage for a moment before he spoke. "Lay downyour arms, men of Manator," he said. "I see my daughter and that shelives, and if no harm has befallen her no blood need be shed. Your cityis filled with the fighting men of U-Thor, and those from Gathol andfrom Helium. The palace is in the hands of the slaves from Gathol,beside a thousand of my own warriors who fill the halls and chamberssurrounding this room. The fate of your jeddak lies in your own hands.I have no wish to interfere. I come only for my daughter and to freethe slaves from Gathol.
I have spoken!" and without waiting for a replyand as though the room had been filled with his own people rather thana hostile band he strode up the broad main aisle toward Tara of Helium.
The chiefs of Manator were stunned. They looked to O-Tar; but he couldonly gaze helplessly about him as the enemy entered from The Hall ofChiefs and circled the throne room until they had surrounded the entirecompany. And then a dwar of the army of Helium entered.
"We have captured three chiefs," he reported to The Warlord, "who begthat they be permitted to enter the throne room and report to theirfellows some matter which they say will decide the fate of Manator."
"Fetch them," ordered The Warlord.
They came, heavily guarded, to the foot of the steps leading to thethrone and there they stopped and the leader turned toward the othersof Manator and raising high his right hand displayed a jeweled dagger."We found it," he said, "even where I-Gos said that we would find it,"and he looked menacingly upon O-Tar.
"A-Kor, jeddak of Manator!" cried a voice, and the cry was taken up bya hundred hoarse-throated warriors.
"There can be but one jeddak in Manator," said the chief who held thedagger; his eyes still fixed upon the hapless O-Tar he crossed to wherethe latter stood and holding the dagger upon an outstretched palmproffered it to the discredited ruler. "There can be but one jeddak inManator," he repeated meaningly.
O-Tar took the proffered blade and drawing himself to his full heightplunged it to the guard into his breast, in that single act redeeminghimself in the esteem of his people and winning an eternal place in TheHall of Chiefs.
As he fell all was silence in the great room, to be broken presently bythe voice of U-Thor. "O-Tar is dead!" he cried. "Let A-Kor rule untilthe chiefs of all Manator may be summoned to choose a new jeddak. Whatis your answer?"
"Let A-Kor rule! A-Kor, Jeddak of Manator!" The cries filled the roomand there was no dissenting voice.
A-Kor raised his sword for silence. "It is the will of A-Kor," he said,"and that of the Great Jed of Manatos, and the commander of the fleetfrom Gathol, and of the illustrious John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom,that peace lie upon the city of Manator and so I decree that the men ofManator go forth and welcome the fighting men of these our allies asguests and friends and show them the wonders of our ancient city andthe hospitality of Manator. I have spoken." And U-Thor and John Carterdismissed their warriors and bade them accept the hospitality ofManator. As the room emptied Djor Kantos reached the side of Tara ofHelium. The girl's happiness at rescue had been blighted by sight ofthis man whom her virtuous heart told her she had wronged. She dreadedthe ordeal that lay before her and the dishonor that she must admitbefore she could hope to be freed from the understanding that had forlong existed between them. And now Djor Kantos approached and kneelingraised her fingers to his lips.
"Beautiful daughter of Helium," he said, "how may I tell you the thingthat I must tell you--of the dishonor that I have all unwittingly doneyou? I can but throw myself upon your generosity for forgiveness; butif you demand it I can receive the dagger as honorably as did O-Tar."
"What do you mean?" asked Tara of Helium. "What are you talkingabout--why speak thus in riddles to one whose heart is alreadybreaking?"
Her heart already breaking! The outlook was anything but promising, andthe young padwar wished that he had died before ever he had had tospeak the words he now must speak.
"Tara of Helium," he continued, "we all thought you dead. For a longyear have you been gone from Helium. I mourned you truly and then, lessthan a moon since, I wed with Olvia Marthis." He stopped and looked ather with eyes that might have said: "Now, strike me dead!"
"Oh, foolish man!" cried Tara. "Nothing you could have done could havepleased me more. Djor Kantos, I could kiss you!"
"I do not think that Olvia Marthis would mind," he said, his face nowwreathed with smiles. As they spoke a body of men had entered thethrone room and approached the dais. They were tall men trapped inplain harness, absolutely without ornamentation. Just as their leaderreached the dais Tara had turned to Gahan, motioning him to join them.
"Djor Kantos," she said, "I bring you Turan the panthan, whose loyaltyand bravery have won my love."
John Carter and the leader of the new come warriors, who were standingnear, looked quickly at the little group. The former smiled aninscrutable smile, the latter addressed the Princess of Helium. "'Turanthe panthan!'" he cried. "Know you not, fair daughter of Helium, thatthis man you call panthan is Gahan, Jed of Gathol?"
For just a moment Tara of Helium looked her surprise; and then sheshrugged her beautiful shoulders as she turned her head to cast hereyes over one of them at Gahan of Gathol.
"Jed or panthan," she said; "what difference does it make what one'sslave has been?" and she laughed roguishly into the smiling face of herlover.
* * * * *
His story finished, John Carter rose from the chair opposite me,stretching his giant frame like some great forest-bred lion.
"You must go?" I cried, for I hated to see him leave and it seemed thathe had been with me but a moment.
"The sky is already red beyond those beautiful hills of yours," hereplied, "and it will soon be day."
"Just one question before you go," I begged.
"Well?" he assented, good-naturedly.
"How was Gahan able to enter the throne room garbed in O-Tar'strappings?" I asked.
"It was simple--for Gahan of Gathol," replied The Warlord. "With theassistance of I-Gos he crept into The Hall of Chiefs before theceremony, while the throne room and Hall of Chiefs were vacated toreceive the bride. He came from the pits through the corridor thatopened behind the arras at the rear of the throne, and passing into TheHall of Chiefs took his place upon the back of a riderless thoat, whosewarrior was in I-Gos' repair room. When O-Tar entered and came near himGahan fell upon him and struck him with the butt of a heavy spear. Hethought that he had killed him and was surprised when O-Tar appeared todenounce him."
"And Ghek? What became of Ghek?" I insisted.
"After leading Val Dor and Floran to Tara's disabled flier which theyrepaired, he accompanied them to Gathol from where a message was sentto me in Helium. He then led a large party including A-Kor and U-Thorfrom the roof, where our ships landed them, down a spiral runway intothe palace and guided them to the throne room. We took him back toHelium with us, where he still lives, with his single rykor which wefound all but starved to death in the pits of Manator. But come! Nomore questions now."
I accompanied him to the east arcade where the red dawn was glowingbeyond the arches.
"Good-bye!" he said.
"I can scarce believe that it is really you," I exclaimed. "Tomorrow Iwill be sure that I have dreamed all this."
He laughed and drawing his sword scratched a rude cross upon theconcrete of one of the arches.
"If you are in doubt tomorrow," he said, "come and see if you dreamedthis."
A moment later he was gone.
JETAN, OR MARTIAN CHESS
For those who care for such things, and would like to try the game, Igive the rules of Jetan as they were given me by John Carter. Bywriting the names and moves of the various pieces on bits of paper andpasting them on ordinary checkermen the game may be played quite aswell as with the ornate pieces used upon Mars.
THE BOARD: Square board consisting of one hundred alternate black andorange squares.
THE PIECES: In order, as they stand upon the board in the first row,from left to right of each player.
Warrior: 2 feathers; 2 spaces straight in any direction or combination.
Padwar: 2 feathers; 2 spaces diagonal in any direction or combination.
Dwar: 3 feathers; 3 spaces straight in any direction or combination.
Flier: 3 bladed propellor; 3 spaces diagonal in any direction orcombination; and may jump intervening pieces.
Chief: Diadem with ten jewels; 3 spaces in any direction; straight ordiagonal or combination.
Princess: Diadem with one jewe
l; same as Chief, except may jumpintervening pieces.
Flier: See above.
Dwar: See above.
Padwar: See above.
Warrior: See above.
And in the second row from left to right:
Thoat: Mounted warrior 2 feathers; 2 spaces, one straight and onediagonal in any direction.
Panthans: (8 of them): 1 feather; 1 space, forward, side, or diagonal,but not backward.
Thoat: See above.
The game is played with twenty black pieces by one player and twentyorange by his opponent, and is presumed to have originally representeda battle between the Black race of the south and the Yellow race of thenorth. On Mars the board is usually arranged so that the Black piecesare played from the south and the Orange from the north.
The game is won when any piece is placed on same square with opponent'sPrincess, or a Chief takes a Chief.
The game is drawn when either Chief is taken by a piece other than theopposing Chief, or when both sides are reduced to three pieces, orless, of equal value and the game is not won in the ensuing ten moves,five apiece.
The Princess may not move onto a threatened square, nor may she take anopposing piece. She is entitled to one ten-space move at any timeduring the game. This move is called the escape.
Two pieces may not occupy the same square except in the final move of agame where the Princess is taken.
When a player, moving properly and in order, places one of his piecesupon a square occupied by an opponent piece, the opponent piece isconsidered to have been killed and is removed from the game.
The moves explained. Straight moves mean due north, south, east, orwest; diagonal moves mean northeast, southeast, southwest, ornorthwest. A Dwar might move straight north three spaces, or north onespace and east two spaces, or any similar combination of straightmoves, so long as he did not cross the same square twice in a singlemove. This example explains combination moves.
The first move may be decided in any way that is agreeable to bothplayers; after the first game the winner of the preceding game movesfirst if he chooses, or may instruct his opponent to make the firstmove.
Gambling: The Martians gamble at Jetan in several ways. Of course theoutcome of the game indicates to whom the main stake belongs; but theyalso put a price upon the head of each piece, according to its value,and for each piece that a player loses he pays its value to hisopponent.
The Chessmen of Mars Page 23
