Two hours after leaving my palace at Helium, or aboutmidnight, Kantos Kan, Xodar, and I arrived at Hastor.Carthoris, Tars Tarkas, and Hor Vastus had gone directlyto Thark upon another cruiser.

The transports were to get under way immediately andmove slowly south. The fleet of battleships would overtakethem on the morning of the second day.

At Hastor we found all in readiness, and so perfectly hadKantos Kan planned every detail of the campaign that withinten minutes of our arrival the first of the fleet had soaredaloft from its dock, and thereafter, at the rate of one asecond, the great ships floated gracefully out into the nightto form a long, thin line which stretched for miles towardthe south.

It was not until after we had entered the cabin of KantosKan that I thought to ask the date, for up to now I wasnot positive how long I had lain in the pits of Zat Arras.When Kantos Kan told me, I realized with a pang of dismaythat I had misreckoned the time while I lay in the utterdarkness of my cell. Three hundred and sixty-fivedays had passed--it was too late to save Dejah Thoris.

The expedition was no longer one of rescue but of revenge. I did not remind Kantos Kan of the terrible fact that erewe could hope to enter the Temple of Issus, the Princessof Helium would be no more. In so far as I knew she mightbe already dead, for I did not know the exact date on whichshe first viewed Issus.

What now the value of burdening my friends with myadded personal sorrows--they had shared quite enough ofthem with me in the past. Hereafter I would keep my griefto myself, and so I said nothing to any other of the factthat we were too late. The expedition could yet do muchif it could but teach the people of Barsoom the facts ofthe cruel deception that had been worked upon them forcountless ages, and thus save thousands each year from thehorrid fate that awaited them at the conclusion of thevoluntary pilgrimage.

If it could open to the red men the fair Valley Dor itwould have accomplished much, and in the Land of LostSouls between the Mountains of Otz and the ice barrierwere many broad acres that needed no irrigation to bearrich harvests.

Here at the bottom of a dying world was the only naturallyproductive area upon its surface. Here alone were dewsand rains, here alone was an open sea, here was water inplenty; and all this was but the stamping ground of fiercebrutes and from its beauteous and fertile expanse thewicked remnants of two once mighty races barred all theother millions of Barsoom. Could I but succeed in oncebreaking down the barrier of religious superstition whichhad kept the red races from this El Dorado it would bea fitting memorial to the immortal virtues of my Princess--Ishould have again served Barsoom and Dejah Thoris' martyrdomwould not have been in vain.

On the morning of the second day we raised the greatfleet of transports and their consorts at the first floodof dawn, and soon were near enough to exchange signals.I may mention here that radio-aerograms are seldom ifever used in war time, or for the transmission of secretdispatches at any time, for as often as one nation discoversa new cipher, or invents a new instrument for wirelesspurposes its neighbours bend every effort until they areable to intercept and translate the messages. For so longa time has this gone on that practically every possibilityof wireless communication has been exhausted and no nationdares transmit dispatches of importance in this way.

Tars Tarkas reported all well with the transports. Thebattleships passed through to take an advanced position,and the combined fleets moved slowly over the ice cap,hugging the surface closely to prevent detection by thetherns whose land we were approaching.

Far in advance of all a thin line of one-man air scoutsprotected us from surprise, and on either side they flankedus, while a smaller number brought up the rear sometwenty miles behind the transports. In this formation wehad progressed toward the entrance to Omean for severalhours when one of our scouts returned from the front toreport that the cone-like summit of the entrance was insight. At almost the same instant another scout from theleft flank came racing toward the flagship.

His very speed bespoke the importance of his information. Kantos Kan and I awaited him upon the little forward deckwhich corresponds with the bridge of earthly battleships.Scarcely had his tiny flier come to rest upon the broadlanding-deck of the flagship ere he was bounding up thestairway to the deck where we stood.

"A great fleet of battleships south-south-east, my Prince,"he cried. "There must be several thousands and they arebearing down directly upon us."

"The thern spies were not in the palace of John Carterfor nothing," said Kantos Kan to me. "Your orders, Prince."

"Dispatch ten battleships to guard the entrance to Omean,with orders to let no hostile enter or leave the shaft.That will bottle up the great fleet of the First Born.

"Form the balance of the battleships into a great V with theapex pointing directly south-south-east. Order the transports,surrounded by their convoys, to follow closely in the wake ofthe battleships until the point of the V has entered theenemies' line, then the V must open outward at the apex,the battleships of each leg engage the enemy fiercely anddrive him back to form a lane through his line into which thetransports with their convoys must race at top speed that theymay gain a position above the temples and gardens of the therns.

"Here let them land and teach the Holy Therns such alesson in ferocious warfare as they will not forget forcountless ages. It had not been my intention to bedistracted from the main issue of the campaign, but we mustsettle this attack with the therns once and for all, or therewill be no peace for us while our fleet remains near Dor,and our chances of ever returning to the outer world willbe greatly minimized."

Kantos Kan saluted and turned to deliver my instructionsto his waiting aides. In an incredibly short space of timethe formation of the battleships changed in accordance withmy commands, the ten that were to guard the way toOmean were speeding toward their destination, and thetroopships and convoys were closing up in preparation forthe spurt through the lane.

The order of full speed ahead was given, the fleet sprangthrough the air like coursing greyhounds, and in anothermoment the ships of the enemy were in full view. Theyformed a ragged line as far as the eye could reach ineither direction and about three ships deep. So sudden wasour onslaught that they had no time to prepare for it. It wasas unexpected as lightning from a clear sky.

Every phase of my plan worked splendidly. Our hugeships mowed their way entirely through the line of thernbattlecraft; then the V opened up and a broad lane appearedthrough which the transports leaped toward the temples ofthe therns which could now be plainly seen glistening in thesunlight. By the time the therns had rallied from the attack ahundred thousand green warriors were already pouringthrough their courts and gardens, while a hundred and fiftythousand others leaned from low swinging transports to directtheir almost uncanny marksmanship upon the thern soldierythat manned the ramparts, or attempted to defend the temples.

Now the two great fleets closed in a titanic strugglefar above the fiendish din of battle in the gorgeous gardensof the therns. Slowly the two lines of Helium's battleshipsjoined their ends, and then commenced the circling withinthe line of the enemy which is so marked a characteristic ofBarsoomian naval warfare.

Around and around in each other's tracks moved the ships underKantos Kan, until at length they formed nearly a perfect circle.By this time they were moving at high speed so that they presenteda difficult target for the enemy. Broadside after broadside theydelivered as each vessel came in line with the ships of the therns.The latter attempted to rush in and break up the formation, but itwas like stopping a buzz saw with the bare hand.

From my position on the deck beside Kantos Kan I sawship after ship of the enemy take the awful, sickening divewhich proclaims its total destruction. Slowly we manoeuveredour circle of death until we hung above the gardens whereour green warriors were engaged. The order was passed downfor them to embark. Then they rose slowly to a position withinthe centre of the circle.

In the meantime the therns' fire had practically ceased.They had had enough of us and were only too glad to letus go on our way in peace. But our escape was not to beencompassed with such ease, for scarcely had we gottenunder way once more in the direction of the entrance toOmean than we saw far to the north a great black line toppingthe horizon. It could be nothing other than a fleet of war.

Whose or whither bound, we could not even conjecture.When they had come close enough to make us out at all,Kantos Kan's operator received a radio-aerogram, whichhe immediately handed to my companion. He read the thingand handed it to me.

"Kantos Kan:" it read. "Surrender, in the name of theJeddak of Helium, for you cannot escape," and it wassigned, "Zat Arras."

The therns must have caught and translated the messagealmost as soon as did we, for they immediately renewedhostilities when they realized that we were soon to be setupon by other enemies.

Before Zat Arras had approached near enough to fire ashot we were again hotly engaged with the thern fleet, andas soon as he drew near he too commenced to pour aterrific fusillade of heavy shot into us. Ship after ship reeledand staggered into uselessness beneath the pitiless fire thatwe were undergoing.

The thing could not last much longer. I ordered the transportsto descend again into the gardens of the therns.

"Wreak your vengeance to the utmost," was my messageto the green allies, "for by night there will be none left toavenge your wrongs."

Presently I saw the ten battleships that had been orderedto hold the shaft of Omean. They were returning at fullspeed, firing their stern batteries almost continuously. Therecould be but one explanation. They were being pursued byanother hostile fleet. Well, the situation could be no worse.The expedition already was doomed. No man that hadembarked upon it would return across that dreary ice cap.How I wished that I fight face Zat Arras with my longswordfor just an instant before I died! It was he who hadcaused our failure.

As I watched the oncoming ten I saw their pursuers raceswiftly into sight. It was another great fleet; for a momentI could not believe my eyes, but finally I was forced toadmit that the most fatal calamity had overtaken the expedition,for the fleet I saw was none other than the fleet of theFirst Born, that should have been safely bottled up in Omean.What a series of misfortunes and disasters! What awfulfate hovered over me, that I should have been so terriblythwarted at every angle of my search for my lost love!Could it be possible that the curse of Issus was upon me!That there was, indeed, some malign divinity in that hideouscarcass! I would not believe it, and, throwing back myshoulders, I ran to the deck below to join my men in repellingboarders from one of the thern craft that had grappledus broadside. In the wild lust of hand-to-hand combatmy old dauntless hopefulness returned. And as thern afterthern went down beneath my blade, I could almost feel thatwe should win success in the end, even from apparent failure.

My presence among the men so greatly inspirited themthat they fell upon the luckless whites with such terribleferocity that within a few moments we had turned thetables upon them and a second later as we swarmed theirown decks I had the satisfaction of seeing their commandertake the long leap from the bows of his vessel in token ofsurrender and defeat.

Then I joined Kantos Kan. He had been watching whathad taken place on the deck below, and it seemed to havegiven him a new thought. Immediately he passed an orderto one of his officers, and presently the colours of thePrince of Helium broke from every point of the flagship.A great cheer arose from the men of our own ship, a cheerthat was taken up by every other vessel of our expeditionas they in turn broke my colours from their upper works.

Then Kantos Kan sprang his coup. A signal legible toevery sailor of all the fleets engaged in that fierce strugglewas strung aloft upon the flagship.

"Men of Helium for the Prince of Helium against allhis enemies," it read. Presently my colours broke fromone of Zat Arras' ships. Then from another and another.On some we could see fierce battles waging between theZodangan soldiery and the Heliumetic crews, but eventuallythe colours of the Prince of Helium floated above everyship that had followed Zat Arras upon our trail--only hisflagship flew them not.

Zat Arras had brought five thousand ships. The sky wasblack with the three enormous fleets. It was Helium againstthe field now, and the fight had settled to countless individualduels. There could be little or no manoeuvering of fleets inthat crowded, fire-split sky.

Zat Arras' flagship was close to my own. I could see thethin features of the man from where I stood. His Zodangancrew was pouring broadside after broadside into us and we werereturning their fire with equal ferocity. Closer and closercame the two vessels until but a few yards intervened. Grapplers and boarders lined the contiguous rails of each.We were preparing for the death struggle with our hated enemy.

There was but a yard between the two mighty ships asthe first grappling irons were hurled. I rushed to the deck tobe with my men as they boarded. Just as the vessels cametogether with a slight shock, I forced my way through thelines and was the first to spring to the deck of Zat Arras'ship. After me poured a yelling, cheering, cursing throng ofHelium's best fighting-men. Nothing could withstand themin the fever of battle lust which enthralled them.

Down went the Zodangans before that surging tide ofwar, and as my men cleared the lower decks I sprang tothe forward deck where stood Zat Arras.

"You are my prisoner, Zat Arras," I cried. "Yield andyou shall have quarter."

For a moment I could not tell whether he contemplatedacceding to my demand or facing me with drawn sword.For an instant he stood hesitating, and then throwing downhis arms he turned and rushed to the opposite side of thedeck. Before I could overtake him he had sprung to the railand hurled himself headforemost into the awful depths below.

And thus came Zat Arras, Jed of Zodanga, to his end.

On and on went that strange battle. The therns andblacks had not combined against us. Wherever thern shipmet ship of the First Born was a battle royal, and in this Ithought I saw our salvation. Wherever messages could bepassed between us that could not be intercepted by ourenemies I passed the word that all our vessels were towithdraw from the fight as rapidly as possible, taking aposition to the west and south of the combatants. I also sentan air scout to the fighting green men in the gardens belowto re-embark, and to the transports to join us.

My commanders were further instructed than when engagedwith an enemy to draw him as rapidly as possible toward aship of his hereditary foeman, and by careful manoeuvring toforce the two to engage, thus leaving him- self free to withdraw.This stratagem worked to perfection, and just before the sunwent down I had the satisfaction of seeing all that was leftof my once mighty fleet gathered nearly twenty miles southwestof the still terrific battle between the blacks and whites.

I now transferred Xodar to another battleship and senthim with all the transports and five thousand battleshipsdirectly overhead to the Temple of Issus. Carthoris and I,with Kantos Kan, took the remaining ships and headedfor the entrance to Omean.

Our plan now was to attempt to make a combined assaultupon Issus at dawn of the following day. Tars Tarkaswith his green warriors and Hor Vastus with the red men,guided by Xodar, were to land within the garden of Issusor the surrounding plains; while Carthoris, Kantos Kan, andI were to lead our smaller force from the sea of Omean throughthe pits beneath the temple, which Carthoris knew so well.

I now learned for the first time the cause of my tenships' retreat from the mouth of the shaft. It seemedthat when they had come upon the shaft the navy of theFirst Born were already issuing from its mouth. Fully twentyvessels had emerged, and though they gave battle immediatelyin an effort to stem the tide that rolled from the black pit,the odds against them were too great and they were forced to flee.

With great caution we approached the shaft, under coverof darkness. At a distance of several miles I caused thefleet to be halted, and from there Carthoris went ahead aloneupon a one-man flier to reconnoitre. In perhaps half anhour he returned to report that there was no sign of a patrolboat or of the enemy in any form, and so we moved swiftlyand noiselessly forward once more toward Omean.

At the mouth of the shaft we stopped again for a momentfor all the vessels to reach their previously appointed stations,then with the flagship I dropped quickly into the black depths,while one by one the other vessels followed me in quick succession.

We had decided to stake all on the chance that wewould be able to reach the temple by the subterranean wayand so we left no guard of vessels at the shaft's mouth.Nor would it have profited us any to have done so, for wedid not have sufficient force all told to have withstood thevast navy of the First Born had they returned to engage us.

For the safety of our entrance upon Omean we dependedlargely upon the very boldness of it, believing that it wouldbe some little time before the First Born on guard therewould realize that it was an enemy and not their ownreturning fleet that was entering the vault of the buried sea.

And such proved to be the case. In fact, four hundred ofmy fleet of five hundred rested safely upon the bosom ofOmean before the first shot was fired. The battle was shortand hot, but there could have been but one outcome, for theFirst Born in the carelessness of fancied security had leftbut a handful of ancient and obsolete hulks to guard theirmighty harbour.

It was at Carthoris' suggestion that we landed our prisonersunder guard upon a couple of the larger islands, and thentowed the ships of the First Born to the shaft, where wemanaged to wedge a number of them securely in the interior of the great well. Then we turned on the buoyancerays in the balance of them and let them rise by themselvesto further block the passage to Omean as they came intocontact with the vessels already lodged there.

We now felt that it would be some time at least beforethe returning First Born could reach the surface of Omean,and that we would have ample opportunity to make for thesubterranean passages which lead to Issus. One of the firststeps I took was to hasten personally with a good-sized forceto the island of the submarine, which I took withoutresistance on the part of the small guard there.

I found the submarine in its pool, and at once placed astrong guard upon it and the island, where I remained towait the coming of Carthoris and the others.

Among the prisoners was Yersted, commander of thesubmarine. He recognized me from the three trips that Ihad taken with him during my captivity among the First Born.

"How does it seem," I asked him, "to have the tablesturned? To be prisoner of your erstwhile captive?"

He smiled, a very grim smile pregnant with hidden meaning.

"It will not be for long, John Carter," he replied."We have been expecting you and we are prepared."

"So it would appear," I answered, "for you were allready to become my prisoners with scarce a blow struckon either side."

"The fleet must have missed you," he said, "but it willreturn to Omean, and then that will be a very differentmatter--for John Carter."

"I do not know that the fleet has missed me as yet," Isaid, but of course he did not grasp my meaning, andonly looked puzzled.

"Many prisoners travel to Issus in your grim craft, Yersted?"I asked.

"Very many," he assented.

Might you remember one whom men called Dejah Thoris?"

"Well, indeed, for her great beauty, and then, too, for thefact that she was wife to the first mortal that ever escapedfrom Issus through all the countless ages of her godhood.And they way that Issus remembers her best as the wife ofone and the mother of another who raised their handsagainst the Goddess of Life Eternal."

I shuddered for fear of the cowardly revenge that I knewIssus might have taken upon the innocent Dejah Thoris forthe sacrilege of her son and her husband.

"And where is Dejah Thoris now?" I asked, knowing thathe would say the words I most dreaded, but yet I loved herso that I could not refrain from hearing even the worstabout her fate so that it fell from the lips of one whohad seen her but recently. It was to me as though itbrought her closer to me.

"Yesterday the monthly rites of Issus were held," repliedYersted, "and I saw her then sitting in her accustomedplace at the foot of Issus."

"What," I cried, "she is not dead, then?"

"Why, no," replied the black, "it has been no yearsince she gazed upon the divine glory of the radiant face of--"

"No year?" I interrupted.

"Why, no," insisted Yersted. "It cannot have been upwardof three hundred and seventy or eighty days."

A great light burst upon me. How stupid I had been! Icould scarcely retain an outward exhibition of my greatjoy. Why had I forgotten the great difference in the lengthof Martian and Earthly years! The ten Earth years I hadspent upon Barsoom had encompassed but five years andninety-six days of Martian time, whose days are forty-oneminutes longer than ours, and whose years number six hundredand eighty-seven days.

I am in time! I am in time! The words surged throughmy brain again and again, until at last I must have voicedthem audibly, for Yersted shook his head.

"In time to save your Princess?" he asked, and then withoutwaiting for my reply, "No, John Carter, Issus will not giveup her own. She knows that you are coming, and ere ever avandal foot is set within the precincts of the Temple of Issus,if such a calamity should befall, Dejah Thoris will be putaway for ever from the last faint hope of rescue."

"You mean that she will be killed merely to thwart me?" I asked.

"Not that, other than as a last resort," he replied. "Hastever heard of the Temple of the Sun? It is there that theywill put her. It lies far within the inner court of the Templeof Issus, a little temple that raises a thin spire far above thespires and minarets of the great temple that surrounds it.Beneath it, in the ground, there lies the main body of thetemple consisting in six hundred and eighty-seven circularchambers, one below another. To each chamber a singlecorridor leads through solid rock from the pits of Issus.

"As the entire Temple of the Sun revolves once witheach revolution of Barsoom about the sun, but once eachyear does the entrance to each separate chamber comeopposite the mouth of the corridor which forms its onlylink to the world without.

"Here Issus puts those who displease her, but whom shedoes not care to execute forthwith. Or to punish a nobleof the First Born she may cause him to be placed withina chamber of the Temple of the Sun for a year. Ofttimesshe imprisons an executioner with the condemned, thatdeath may come in a certain horrible form upon a givenday, or again but enough food is deposited in the chamberto sustain life but the number of days that Issus hasallotted for mental anguish.

"Thus will Dejah Thoris die, and her fate will be sealedby the first alien foot that crosses the threshold of Issus."

So I was to be thwarted in the end, although I had performedthe miraculous and come within a few short moments of mydivine Princess, yet was I as far from her as when I stoodupon the banks of the Hudson forty-eight million miles away.