A few moments before the appointed time on the followingmorning a strong guard of Zat Arras' officers appeared at ourquarters to conduct us to the great hall of the temple.

In twos we entered the chamber and marched down thebroad Aisle of Hope, as it is called, to the platformin the centre of the hall. Before and behind us marchedarmed guards, while three solid ranks of Zodangan soldierylined either side of the aisle from the entrance to the rostrum.

As we reached the raised enclosure I saw our judges.As is the custom upon Barsoom there were thirty-one,supposedly selected by lot from men of the noble class, fornobles were on trial. But to my amazement I saw no singlefriendly face among them. Practically all were Zodangans,and it was I to whom Zodanga owed her defeat at thehands of the green hordes and her subsequent vassalage toHelium. There could be little justice here for John Carter,or his son, or for the great Thark who had commanded thesavage tribesmen who overran Zodanga's broad avenues,looting, burning, and murdering.

About us the vast circular coliseum was packed to its fullcapacity. All classes were represented--all ages, and bothsexes. As we entered the hall the hum of subdued conversationceased until as we halted upon the platform, or Throneof Righteousness, the silence of death enveloped theten thousand spectators.

The judges were seated in a great circle about theperiphery of the circular platform. We were assigned seatswith our backs toward a small platform in the exact centreof the larger one. This placed us facing the judges and theaudience. Upon the smaller platform each would take hisplace while his case was being heard.

Zat Arras himself sat in the golden chair of the presidingmagistrate. As we were seated and our guards retired to thefoot of the stairway leading to the platform, he arose andcalled my name.

"John Carter," he cried, "take your place upon the Pedestalof Truth to be judged impartially according to your actsand here to know the reward you have earned thereby."Then turning to and fro toward the audience he narrated theacts upon the value of which my reward was to be determined.

"Know you, O judges and people of Helium," he said, "thatJohn Carter, one time Prince of Helium, has returned by hisown statement from the Valley Dor and even from theTemple of Issus itself. That, in the presence of many menof Helium he has blasphemed against the Sacred Iss, andagainst the Valley Dor, and the Lost Sea of Korus, and theHoly Therns themselves, and even against Issus, Goddess ofDeath, and of Life Eternal. And know you further bywitness of thine own eyes that see him here now upon thePedestal of Truth that he has indeed returned from thesesacred precincts in the face of our ancient customs, and inviolation of the sanctity of our ancient religion.

"He who be once dead may not live again. He who attemptsit must be made dead for ever. Judges, your duty liesplain before you--here can be no testimony incontravention of truth. What reward shall be meted toJohn Carter in accordance with the acts he has committed?"

"Death!" shouted one of the judges.

And then a man sprang to his feet in the audience, and raisinghis hand on high, cried: "Justice! Justice! Justice!"It was Kantos Kan, and as all eyes turned toward him heleaped past the Zodangan soldiery and sprang upon the platform.

"What manner of justice be this?" he cried to Zat Arras."The defendant has not been heard, nor has he had anopportunity to call others in his behalf. In the name ofthe people of Helium I demand fair and impartial treatmentfor the Prince of Helium."

A great cry arose from the audience then: "Justice!Justice! Justice!" and Zat Arras dared not deny them.

"Speak, then," he snarled, turning to me; "but blasphemenot against the things that are sacred upon Barsoom."

"Men of Helium," I cried, turning to the spectators, andspeaking over the heads of my judges, "how can John Carterexpect justice from the men of Zodanga? He cannot nordoes he ask it. It is to the men of Helium that he stateshis case; nor does he appeal for mercy to any. It is not inhis own cause that he speaks now--it is in thine. In thecause of your wives and daughters, and of wives and daughtersyet unborn. It is to save them from the unthinkably atrociousindignities that I have seen heaped upon the fair womenof Barsoom in the place men call the Temple of Issus.It is to save them from the sucking embrace of the plant men,from the fangs of the great white apes of Dor, from the cruellust of the Holy Therns, from all that the cold, dead Isscarries them to from homes of love and life and happiness.

"Sits there no man here who does not know the history ofJohn Carter. How he came among you from another worldand rose from a prisoner among the green men, throughtorture and persecution, to a place high among the highestof Barsoom. Nor ever did you know John Carter to lie inhis own behalf, or to say aught that might harm the peopleof Barsoom, or to speak lightly of the strange religion whichhe respected without understanding.

"There be no man here, or elsewhere upon Barsoom to-daywho does not owe his life directly to a single act of mine,in which I sacrificed myself and the happiness of my Princessthat you might live. And so, men of Helium, I think that Ihave the right to demand that I be heard, that I be believed,and that you let me serve you and save you from the falsehereafter of Dor and Issus as I saved you from the real deaththat other day.

"It is to you of Helium that I speak now. When I amdone let the men of Zodanga have their will with me. ZatArras has taken my sword from me, so the men of Zodangano longer fear me. Will you listen?"

"Speak, John Carter, Prince of Helium," cried a great noblefrom the audience, and the multitude echoed his permission,until the building rocked with the noise of their demonstration.

Zat Arras knew better than to interfere with such a sentimentas was expressed that day in the Temple of Reward, and so fortwo hours I talked with the people of Helium.

But when I had finished, Zat Arras arose and, turning tothe judges, said in a low tone: "My nobles, you haveheard John Carter's plea; every opportunity has been givenhim to prove his innocence if he be not guilty; but insteadhe has but utilized the time in further blasphemy. What,gentlemen, is your verdict?"

"Death to the blasphemer!" cried one, springing to his feet,and in an instant the entire thirty-one judges were on their feetwith upraised swords in token of the unanimity of their verdict.

If the people did not hear Zat Arras' charge, they certainlydid hear the verdict of the tribunal. A sullen murmurrose louder and louder about the packed coliseum, and thenKantos Kan, who had not left the platform since first he hadtaken his place near me, raised his hand for silence. When hecould be heard he spoke to the people in a cool and level voice.

"You have heard the fate that the men of Zodanga wouldmete to Helium's noblest hero. It may be the duty ofthe men of Helium to accept the verdict as final. Let eachman act according to his own heart. Here is the answer ofKantos Kan, head of the navy of Helium, to Zat Arras andhis judges," and with that he unbuckled his scabbard andthrew his sword at my feet.

In an instant soldiers and citizens, officers and nobleswere crowding past the soldiers of Zodanga and forcing theirway to the Throne of Righteousness. A hundred men surgedupon the platform, and a hundred blades rattled and clankedto the floor at my feet. Zat Arras and his officers werefurious, but they were helpless. One by one I raised theswords to my lips and buckled them again upon their owners.

"Come," sand Kantos Kan, "we will escort John Carter andhis party to his own palace," and they formed about us andstarted toward the stairs leading to the Aisle of Hope.

"Stop!" cried Zat Arras. "Soldiers of Helium, let noprisoner leave the Throne of Righteousness."

The soldiery from Zodanga were the only organized bodyof Heliumetic troops within the temple, so Zat Arras wasconfident that his orders would be obeyed, but I do notthink that he looked for the opposition that was raised themoment the soldiers advanced toward the throne.

From every quarter of the coliseum swords flashed andmen rushed threateningly upon the Zodangans. Some oneraised a cry: "Tardos Mors is dead--a thousand years toJohn Carter, Jeddak of Helium." As I heard that and saw theugly attitude of the men of Helium toward the soldiers ofZat Arras, I knew that only a miracle could avert a clashthat would end in civil war.

"Hold!" I cried, leaping to the Pedestal of Truth oncemore. "Let no man move till I am done. A single swordthrust here to-day may plunge Helium into a bitter andbloody war the results of which none can foresee. Itwill turn brother against brother and father against son.No man's life is worth that sacrifice. Rather would Isubmit to the biased judgment of Zat Arras than be thecause of civil strife in Helium.

"Let us each give in a point to the other, and let this entirematter rest until Tardos Mors returns, or Mors Kajak, his son.If neither be back at the end of a year a second trialmay be held--the thing has a precedent." And then turningto Zat Arras, I said in a low voice: "Unless you be a biggerfool than I take you to be, you will grasp the chance I amoffering you ere it is too late. Once that multitude of swordsbelow is drawn against your soldiery no man upon Barsoom--not even Tardos Mors himself--can avert the consequences.What say you? Speak quickly."

The Jed of Zodangan Helium raised his voice to the angrysea beneath us.

"Stay your hands, men of Helium," he shouted, his voicetrembling with rage. "The sentence of the court is passed,but the day of retribution has not been set. I, Zat Arras,Jed of Zodanga, appreciating the royal connections of theprisoner and his past services to Helium and Barsoom, grant arespite of one year, or until the return of Mors Kajak, orTardos Mors to Helium. Disperse quietly to your houses. Go."

No one moved. Instead, they stood in tense silence with theireyes fastened upon me, as though waiting for a signal to attack.

"Clear the temple," commanded Zat Arras, in a low tone to oneof his officers.

Fearing the result of an attempt to carry out this order byforce, I stepped to the edge of the platform and, pointingtoward the main entrance, bid them pass out. As one manthey turned at my request and filed, silent and threatening,past the soldiers of Zat Arras, Jed of Zodanga, who stoodscowling in impotent rage.

Kantos Kan with the others who had sworn allegiance to mestill stood upon the Throne of Righteousness with me.

"Come," said Kantos Kan to me, "we will escort you toyour palace, my Prince. Come, Carthoris and Xodar. Come,Tars Tarkas." And with a haughty sneer for Zat Arras uponhis handsome lips, he turned and strode to the throne stepsand up the Aisle of Hope. We four and the hundred loyalones followed behind him, nor was a hand raised to stay us,though glowering eyes followed our triumphal marchthrough the temple.

In the avenues we found a press of people, but theyopened a pathway for us, and many were the swords thatwere flung at my feet as I passed through the city of Heliumtoward my palace upon the outskirts. Here my old slaves fellupon their knees and kissed my hands as I greeted them.They cared not where I had been. It was enough that Ihad returned to them.

"Ah, master," cried one, "if our divine Princess were buthere this would be a day indeed."

Tears came to my eyes, so that I was forced to turnaway that I might hide my emotions. Carthoris wept openlyas the slaves pressed about him with expressions of affection,and words of sorrow for our common loss. It was now thatTars Tarkas for the first time learned that his daughter, Sola,had accompanied Dejah Thoris upon the last long pilgrimage.I had not had the heart to tell him what Kantos Kan hadtold me. With the stoicism of the green Martian he showedno sign of suffering, yet I knew that his grief was aspoignant as my own. In marked contrast to his kind, he hadin well-developed form the kindlier human characteristicsof love, friendship, and charity.

It was a sad and sombre party that sat at the feast of welcomein the great dining hall of the palace of the Prince of Heliumthat day. We were over a hundred strong, not counting themembers of my little court, for Dejah Thoris and I hadmaintained a household consistent with our royal rank.

The board, according to red Martian custom, was triangular,for there were three in our family. Carthoris and I presidedin the centre of our sides of the table--midway of thethird side Dejah Thoris' high-backed, carven chair stoodvacant except for her gorgeous wedding trappings and jewelswhich were draped upon it. Behind stood a slave as in thedays when his mistress had occupied her place at the board,ready to do her bidding. It was the way upon Barsoom, so Iendured the anguish of it, though it wrung my heart to seethat silent chair where should have been my laughing and vivaciousPrincess keeping the great hall ringing with her merry gaiety.

At my right sat Kantos Kan, while to the right of DejahThoris' empty place Tars Tarkas sat in a huge chair beforea raised section of the board which years ago I had hadconstructed to meet the requirements of his mighty bulk.The place of honour at a Martian hoard is always at thehostess's right, and this place was ever reserved byDejah Thoris for the great Thark upon the occasionsthat he was in Helium.

Hor Vastus sat in the seat of honour upon Carthoris' sideof the table. There was little general conversation. It was aquiet and saddened party. The loss of Dejah Thoris wasstill fresh in the minds of all, and to this was added fearfor the safety of Tardos Mors and Mors Kajak, as wellas doubt and uncertainty as to the fate of Helium, should itprove true that she was permanently deprived of her great Jeddak.

Suddenly our attention was attracted by the sound of distantshouting, as of many people raising their voices at once,but whether in anger or rejoicing, we could not tell.Nearer and nearer came the tumult. A slave rushed into thedining hall to cry that a great concourse of people was swarmingthrough the palace gates. A second burst upon the heels of thefirst alternately laughing and shrieking as a madman.

"Dejah Thoris is found!" he cried. "A messenger from Dejah Thoris!"

I waited to hear no more. The great windows of thedining hall overlooked the avenue leading to the main gates--they were upon the opposite side of the hall from me withthe table intervening. I did not waste time in circling the greatboard--with a single leap I cleared table and diners andsprang upon the balcony beyond. Thirty feet below lay thescarlet sward of the lawn and beyond were many peoplecrowding about a great thoat which bore a rider headedtoward the palace. I vaulted to the ground below and ranswiftly toward the advancing party.

As I came near to them I saw that the figure on the thoat was Sola.

"Where is the Princess of Helium?" I cried.

The green girl slid from her mighty mount and ran toward me.

"O my Prince! My Prince!" she cried. "She is gone for ever.Even now she may be a captive upon the lesser moon.The black pirates of Barsoom have stolen her."