Thuvan Dihn was not long in joining me; and, though we foundthe hooked weapon a strange and savage thing with which to deal,the three of us soon despatched the five black-bearded warriors whoopposed us.

When the battle was over our new acquaintance turned to me,and removing the shield from his wrist, held it out. I did notknow the significance of his act, but judged that it was but aform of expressing his gratitude to me.

I afterward learned that it symbolized the offering of a man's lifein return for some great favor done him; and my act of refusing,which I had immediately done, was what was expected of me.

"Then accept from Talu, Prince of Marentina," said the yellow man,"this token of my gratitude," and reaching beneath one of hiswide sleeves he withdrew a bracelet and placed it upon my arm.He then went through the same ceremony with Thuvan Dihn.

Next he asked our names, and from what land we hailed.He seemed quite familiar with the geography of the outerworld,and when I said I was from Helium he raised his brows.

"Ah," he said, "you seek your ruler and his company?"

"Know you of them?" I asked.

"But little more than that they were captured by my uncle, Salensus Oll,Jeddak of Jeddaks, Ruler of Okar, land of the yellow men of Barsoom.As to their fate I know nothing, for I am at war with my uncle,who would crush my power in the principality of Marentina.

"These from whom you have just saved me are warriors he hassent out to find and slay me, for they know that often I come aloneto hunt and kill the sacred apt which Salensus Oll so much reveres.It is partly because I hate his religion that Salensus Oll hates me;but mostly does he fear my growing power and the great factionwhich has arisen throughout Okar that would be glad to seeme ruler of Okar and Jeddak of Jeddaks in his place.

"He is a cruel and tyrannous master whom all hate, and were it notfor the great fear they have of him I could raise an army overnightthat would wipe out the few that might remain loyal to him. My ownpeople are faithful to me, and the little valley of Marentina haspaid no tribute to the court of Salensus Oll for a year.

"Nor can he force us, for a dozen men may hold the narrow wayto Marentina against a million. But now, as to thine own affairs.How may I aid you? My palace is at your disposal, if you wish tohonor me by coming to Marentina."

"When our work is done we shall be glad to accept your invitation,"I replied. "But now you can assist us most by directing us to thecourt of Salensus Oll, and suggesting some means by which we maygain admission to the city and the palace, or whatever other placewe find our friends to be confined."

Talu gazed ruefully at our smooth faces and at Thuvan Dihn'sred skin and my white one.

"First you must come to Marentina," he said, "for a great changemust be wrought in your appearance before you can hope toenter any city in Okar. You must have yellow faces and blackbeards, and your apparel and trappings must be those least likelyto arouse suspicion. In my palace is one who can make you appearas truly yellow men as does Salensus Oll himself."

His counsel seemed wise; and as there was apparently no otherway to insure a successful entry to Kadabra, the capital city ofOkar, we set out with Talu, Prince of Marentina, for his little,rock-bound country.

The way was over some of the worst traveling I have ever seen,and I do not wonder that in this land where there are neitherthoats nor fliers that Marentina is in little fear of invasion; butat last we reached our destination, the first view of which I hadfrom a slight elevation a half-mile from the city.

Nestled in a deep valley lay a city of Martian concrete,whose every street and plaza and open space was roofed with glass.All about lay snow and ice, but there was none upon the rounded,domelike, crystal covering that enveloped the whole city.

Then I saw how these people combatted the rigors of the arctic,and lived in luxury and comfort in the midst of a land ofperpetual ice. Their cities were veritable hothouses, and when Ihad come within this one my respect and admiration for thescientific and engineering skill of this buried nation was unbounded.

The moment we entered the city Talu threw off his outer garmentsof fur, as did we, and I saw that his apparel differed but littlefrom that of the red races of Barsoom. Except for his leathernharness, covered thick with jewels and metal, he was naked,nor could one have comfortably worn apparel in that warm andhumid atmosphere.

For three days we remained the guests of Prince Talu, andduring that time he showered upon us every attention and courtesywithin his power. He showed us all that was of interest in hisgreat city.

The Marentina atmosphere plant will maintain life indefinitelyin the cities of the north pole after all life upon the balance ofdying Mars is extinct through the failure of the air supply, shouldthe great central plant again cease functioning as it did upon thatmemorable occasion that gave me the opportunity of restoring lifeand happiness to the strange world that I had already learned tolove so well.

He showed us the heating system that stores the sun's rays ingreat reservoirs beneath the city, and how little is necessary tomaintain the perpetual summer heat of the glorious garden spotwithin this arctic paradise.

Broad avenues of sod sewn with the seed of the ocher vegetationof the dead sea bottoms carried the noiseless traffic of lightand airy ground fliers that are the only form of artificialtransportation used north of the gigantic ice-barrier.

The broad tires of these unique fliers are but rubber-like gasbags filled with the eighth Barsoomian ray, or ray of propulsion--that remarkable discovery of the Martians that has made possiblethe great fleets of mighty airships that render the red man of theouter world supreme. It is this ray which propels the inherent orreflected light of the planet off into space, and when confinedgives to the Martian craft their airy buoyancy.

The ground fliers of Marentina contain just sufficient buoyancyin their automobile-like wheels to give the cars traction forsteering purposes; and though the hind wheels are geared to theengine, and aid in driving the machine, the bulk of this work iscarried by a small propeller at the stern.

I know of no more delightful sensation than that of riding inone of these luxuriously appointed cars which skim, light and airyas feathers, along the soft, mossy avenues of Marentina. They movewith absolute noiselessness between borders of crimson sward andbeneath arching trees gorgeous with the wondrous blooms that markso many of the highly cultivated varieties of Barsoomian vegetation.

By the end of the third day the court barber--I can think of noother earthly appellation by which to describe him--had wroughtso remarkable a transformation in both Thuvan Dihn and myself thatour own wives would never have known us. Our skins were of thesame lemon color as his own, and great, black beards and mustacheshad been deftly affixed to our smooth faces. The trappings ofwarriors of Okar aided in the deception; and for wear beyond thehothouse cities we each had suits of the black- and yellow-striped orluk.

Talu gave us careful directions for the journey to Kadabra, thecapital city of the Okar nation, which is the racial name of theyellow men. This good friend even accompanied us part way, and then,promising to aid us in any way that he found possible, bade us adieu.

On parting he slipped upon my finger a curiously wrought ring set witha dead-black, lusterless stone, which appeared more like a bit ofbituminous coal than the priceless Barsoomian gem which in reality it is.

"There had been but three others cut from the mother stone,"he said, "which is in my possession. These three are worn bynobles high in my confidence, all of whom have been sent on secretmissions to the court of Salensus Oll.

"Should you come within fifty feet of any of these three you willfeel a rapid, pricking sensation in the finger upon which youwear this ring. He who wears one of its mates will experience thesame feeling; it is caused by an electrical action that takes placethe moment two of these gems cut from the same mother stone comewithin the radius of each other's power. By it you will know thata friend is at hand upon whom you may depend for assistancein time of need.

"Should another wearer of one of these gems call upon you for aiddo not deny him, and should death threaten you swallow the ringrather than let it fall into the hands of enemies. Guard it withyour life, John Carter, for some day it may mean more than life to you."

With this parting admonition our good friend turned backtoward Marentina, and we set our faces in the direction of thecity of Kadabra and the court of Salensus Oll, Jeddak of Jeddaks.

That very evening we came within sight of the walled and glass-roofedcity of Kadabra. It lies in a low depression near the pole, surroundedby rocky, snow-clad hills. From the pass through which we enteredthe valley we had a splendid view of this great city of the north.Its crystal domes sparkled in the brilliant sunlight gleaming abovethe frost-covered outer wall that circles the entire one hundred milesof its circumference.

At regular intervals great gates give entrance to the city;but even at the distance from which we looked upon the massive pilewe could see that all were closed, and, in accordance with Talu'ssuggestion, we deferred attempting to enter the city until thefollowing morning.

As he had said, we found numerous caves in the hillsides about us,and into one of these we crept for the night. Our warm orlukskins kept us perfectly comfortable, and it was only after a mostrefreshing sleep that we awoke shortly after daylight on thefollowing morning.

Already the city was astir, and from several of the gates we sawparties of yellow men emerging. Following closely each detailof the instructions given us by our good friend of Marentina, weremained concealed for several hours until one party of some halfdozen warriors had passed along the trail below our hiding placeand entered the hills by way of the pass along which we had comethe previous evening.

After giving them time to get well out of sight of our cave,Thuvan Dihn and I crept out and followed them, overtaking themwhen they were well into the hills.

When we had come almost to them I called aloud to their leader,when the whole party halted and turned toward us.The crucial test had come. Could we but deceive these menthe rest would be comparatively easy.

"Kaor!" I cried as I came closer to them.

"Kaor!" responded the officer in charge of the party.

"We be from Illall," I continued, giving the name of the most remotecity of Okar, which has little or no intercourse with Kadabra."Only yesterday we arrived, and this morning the captain ofthe gate told us that you were setting out to hunt orluks,which is a sport we do not find in our own neighborhood. We havehastened after you to pray that you allow us to accompany you."

The officer was entirely deceived, and graciously permitted usto go with them for the day. The chance guess that they were boundupon an orluk hunt proved correct, and Talu had said that thechances were ten to one that such would be the mission of any partyleaving Kadabra by the pass through which we entered the valley,since that way leads directly to the vast plains frequented by thiselephantine beast of prey.

In so far as the hunt was concerned, the day was a failure,for we did not see a single orluk; but this proved more thanfortunate for us, since the yellow men were so chagrined by theirmisfortune that they would not enter the city by the same gate bywhich they had left it in the morning, as it seemed that they hadmade great boasts to the captain of that gate about their skill atthis dangerous sport.

We, therefore, approached Kadabra at a point several milesfrom that at which the party had quitted it in the morning,and so were relieved of the danger of embarrassing questionsand explanations on the part of the gate captain, whom we hadsaid had directed us to this particular hunting party.

We had come quite close to the city when my attention wasattracted toward a tall, black shaft that reared its head severalhundred feet into the air from what appeared to be a tangled massof junk or wreckage, now partially snow-covered.

I did not dare venture an inquiry for fear of arousing suspicionby evident ignorance of something which as a yellow man I shouldhave known; but before we reached the city gate I was to learnthe purpose of that grim shaft and the meaning of the mightyaccumulation beneath it.

We had come almost to the gate when one of the party called tohis fellows, at the same time pointing toward the distantsouthern horizon. Following the direction he indicated, my eyesdescried the hull of a large flier approaching rapidly from abovethe crest of the encircling hills.

"Still other fools who would solve the mysteries of theforbidden north," said the officer, half to himself."Will they never cease their fatal curiosity?"

"Let us hope not," answered one of the warriors, "for thenwhat should we do for slaves and sport?"

"True; but what stupid beasts they are to continue to come toa region from whence none of them ever has returned."

"Let us tarry and watch the end of this one," suggested one of the men.

The officer looked toward the city.

"The watch has seen him," he said; "we may remain, for we may be needed."

I looked toward the city and saw several hundred warriors issuingfrom the nearest gate. They moved leisurely, as though therewere no need for haste--nor was there, as I was presently to learn.

Then I turned my eyes once more toward the flier. She wasmoving rapidly toward the city, and when she had come close enoughI was surprised to see that her propellers were idle.

Straight for that grim shaft she bore. At the last minute Isaw the great blades move to reverse her, yet on she came as thoughdrawn by some mighty, irresistible power.

Intense excitement prevailed upon her deck, where men wererunning hither and thither, manning the guns and preparing tolaunch the small, one-man fliers, a fleet of which is part of theequipment of every Martian war vessel. Closer and closer to theblack shaft the ship sped. In another instant she must strike, andthen I saw the familiar signal flown that sends the lesser boats ina great flock from the deck of the mother ship.

Instantly a hundred tiny fliers rose from her deck, like aswarm of huge dragon flies; but scarcely were they clear of thebattleship than the nose of each turned toward the shaft, and they,too, rushed on at frightful speed toward the same now seeminglyinevitable end that menaced the larger vessel.

A moment later the collision came. Men were hurled in everydirection from the ship's deck, while she, bent and crumpled,took the last, long plunge to the scrap-heap at the shaft's base.

With her fell a shower of her own tiny fliers, for each ofthem had come in violent collision with the solid shaft.

I noticed that the wrecked fliers scraped down the shaft's side,and that their fall was not as rapid as might have been expected;and then suddenly the secret of the shaft burst upon me,and with it an explanation of the cause that prevented a flierthat passed too far across the ice-barrier ever returning.

The shaft was a mighty magnet, and when once a vessel came withinthe radius of its powerful attraction for the aluminum steelthat enters so largely into the construction of all Barsoomian craft,no power on earth could prevent such an end as we had just witnessed.

I afterward learned that the shaft rests directly over the magnetic poleof Mars, but whether this adds in any way to its incalculable power ofattraction I do not know. I am a fighting man, not a scientist.

Here, at last, was an explanation of the long absence ofTardos Mors and Mors Kajak. These valiant and intrepid warriorshad dared the mysteries and dangers of the frozen north to searchfor Carthoris, whose long absence had bowed in grief the head ofhis beautiful mother, Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium.

The moment that the last of the fliers came to rest at thebase of the shaft the black-bearded, yellow warriors swarmed overthe mass of wreckage upon which they lay, making prisoners of thosewho were uninjured and occasionally despatching with a sword-thrustone of the wounded who seemed prone to resent their taunts and insults.

A few of the uninjured red men battled bravely against theircruel foes, but for the most part they seemed too overwhelmed bythe horror of the catastrophe that had befallen them to do more thansubmit supinely to the golden chains with which they were manacled.

When the last of the prisoners had been confined, the partyreturned to the city, at the gate of which we met a pack of fierce,gold-collared apts, each of which marched between two warriors,who held them with strong chains of the same metal as their collars.

Just beyond the gate the attendants loosened the whole terrible herd,and as they bounded off toward the grim, black shaft I did not needto ask to know their mission. Had there not been those within thecruel city of Kadabra who needed succor far worse than the poorunfortunate dead and dying out there in the cold upon the bentand broken carcasses of a thousand fliers I could not haverestrained my desire to hasten back and do battle with those horridcreatures that had been despatched to rend and devour them.

As it was I could but follow the yellow warriors, with bowed head,and give thanks for the chance that had given Thuvan Dihn and mesuch easy ingress to the capital of Salensus Oll.

Once within the gates, we had no difficulty in eluding our friendsof the morning, and presently found ourselves in a Martian hostelry.