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18 - The God's of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs · Science Fiction Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen, Soula's story. Once within the palace, I drew
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  Speaker 1: Sola to the dining hall, and when she had greeted
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  Speaker 1: her father after the formal manner of the green Men,
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  Speaker 1: she told the story of the pilgrimage and capture of
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  Speaker 1: dejah Thoris seven days ago. After her audience was zat Arras,
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  Speaker 1: dejah Thoris attempted to slip from the palace in the
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  Speaker 1: dead of night. Although I had not heard the outcome
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  Speaker 1: of her interview with Zadars, I knew that something had
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  Speaker 1: occurred then to cause her the keenest mental agony, And
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  Speaker 1: when I discovered her creeping from the palace, I did
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  Speaker 1: not need to be told her destination. Hastily arousing a
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  Speaker 1: dozen of her most faithful guards, I explained my fears
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  Speaker 1: to them, and as one they enlisted with me to
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  Speaker 1: follow our beloved princess in her wanderings, even to the
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  Speaker 1: sacred iss and the valley door. We came upon her
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  Speaker 1: but a short distance from the palace. With her was
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  Speaker 1: faithful Woola the hound, but none other. When we overtook her,
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  Speaker 1: she feigned anger and ordered us back to the palace.
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  Speaker 1: But for once we disobeyed her, and when she found
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  Speaker 1: that we would not let her go upon the last
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  Speaker 1: long pilgrimage alone. She wept and embraced us, and together
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  Speaker 1: we went out into the night toward the south. The
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  Speaker 1: following day we came upon a herd of small thoats,
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  Speaker 1: and thereafter we were mounted and made good time. We
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  Speaker 1: traveled very fast and very far due south, until the
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  Speaker 1: morning of the fifth day we sighted a great fleet
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  Speaker 1: of battleships sailing north. They saw us before we could
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  Speaker 1: seek shelter, and soon we were surrounded by a horde
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  Speaker 1: of black men. The princess's guard fought nobly to the end,
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  Speaker 1: but they were soon overcome and slain. Only dejah Thoris
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  Speaker 1: and I were spared. When she realized that she was
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  Speaker 1: in the clutches of the black pirates, she attempted to
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  Speaker 1: take her own life, but one of the blacks tore
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  Speaker 1: her dagger from her, and then they bound us both
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  Speaker 1: so that we could not use our hands. The fleet
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  Speaker 1: continued north after capturing us. There were about twenty large
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  Speaker 1: battleships and all besides a number of small swift cruisers.
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  Speaker 1: That evening. One of the smaller cruisers that had been
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  Speaker 1: far in advance of the fleet returned with a prisoner,
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  Speaker 1: a young red woman, whom they had picked up in
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  Speaker 1: a range of hills under the very noses. They said
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  Speaker 1: of a fleet of three red Martian battleships. From scraps
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  Speaker 1: of conversation which we overheard, it was evident that the
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  Speaker 1: Black pirates were searching for a party of fugitives that
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  Speaker 1: had escaped them several days prior that they considered the
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  Speaker 1: capture of the young woman important. Was evident from the
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  Speaker 1: long and earnest interview the commander of the fleet held
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  Speaker 1: with her when she was brought to him. Later, she
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  Speaker 1: was bound and placed in the compartment with dejah Thoris
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  Speaker 1: and myself. The new captive was a very beautiful girl.
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  Speaker 1: She told dejah Thoris that many years ago she had
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  Speaker 1: taken the voluntary pilgrimage from the court of her father,
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  Speaker 1: the Jeddak of Ptarth. She was Thuvia, the Princess of Ptarth.
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  Speaker 1: And then she asked dejah Thoris who she might be,
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  Speaker 1: And when she heard, she fell upon her knees and
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  Speaker 1: kissed dejah Thoris's fettered hands and told her that that
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  Speaker 1: very morning she had been with John Carter, Prince of Helium,
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  Speaker 1: and Carthoris her son. Dejah Thoris could not believe her
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  Speaker 1: at first, but finally, when the girl had narrated all
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  Speaker 1: the strange adventures that had befallen her since she had
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  Speaker 1: met John Carter, and told of the things John Carter
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  Speaker 1: and Carthoris and Exodar had narrated of their adventures in
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  Speaker 1: the Land of the Firstborn, dejah Thoris knew that it
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  Speaker 1: could be none other than the Prince of Helium, for who,
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  Speaker 1: she said upon all barsoom other than John Carter could
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  Speaker 1: have done the deeds you tell of. And when Thuvia
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  Speaker 1: told dejah Thoris of her love for John Carter and
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  Speaker 1: his loyalty and devotion to the princess of his choice,
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  Speaker 1: dejah Thoris broke down and wept, cursing Zatars and the
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  Speaker 1: cruel fate that had driven her from Helium. But a
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  Speaker 1: few brief days before the return of her beloved lord,
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  Speaker 1: I do not blame you for loving him, Thuvia, she said,
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  Speaker 1: and that your affection for him is pure, and sincere
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  Speaker 1: I can well believe from the candor of your avowal
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  Speaker 1: of it to me. The fleet continued north nearly to Helium,
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  Speaker 1: but last night they evidently realized that John Carter had
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  Speaker 1: indeed escaped them, and so they turned toward the south
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  Speaker 1: once more. Shortly thereafter, a guard entered our compartment and
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  Speaker 1: dragged me to the deck. There is no place in
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  Speaker 1: the land of the first Born for a green one,
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  Speaker 1: he said, and with that he gave me a trerrific
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  Speaker 1: shove that carried me toppling from the deck of the battleship.
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  Speaker 1: Evidently this seemed to him the easiest way of ridding
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  Speaker 1: the vessel of my presence and killing me at the
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  Speaker 1: same time. But a kind fate intervened, and by a
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  Speaker 1: miracle I escaped with but slight bruises. The ship was
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  Speaker 1: moving slowly at the time, and as I lunged overboard
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  Speaker 1: into the darkness beneath, I shuddered at the awful plunge
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  Speaker 1: I thought awaited me for all day. The fleet had
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  Speaker 1: sailed thousands of feet above the ground, But to my
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  Speaker 1: utter surprise, I struck upon a soft mass of vegetation
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  Speaker 1: not twenty feet from the deck of the ship. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: the keel of the vessel must have been grazing the
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  Speaker 1: surface of the ground at the time. I lay all
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  Speaker 1: night where I had fallen, and the next morning brought
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  Speaker 1: an explanation of the fortunate coincidence that had saved me
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  Speaker 1: from a terrible death. As the sun rose, I saw
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  Speaker 1: a vast panorama of sea bottom and distant hills lying
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  Speaker 1: far below me. I was upon the highest peak of
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  Speaker 1: a lofty range. The fleet, in the darkness of the
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  Speaker 1: preceding night, had barely grazed the crest of the hills,
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  Speaker 1: and in the brief span they hovered close to the surface.
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  Speaker 1: The black Guard had pitched me as he supposed to
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  Speaker 1: my death. A few miles west of me was a
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  Speaker 1: great waterway. When I reached it, I found to my
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  Speaker 1: delight that it belonged to Helium. Here a thoat was
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  Speaker 1: procured for me the rest you know. For many minutes
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  Speaker 1: none spoke dejah Thoris and the clutches of the firstborn.
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  Speaker 1: I shuddered at the thought. But of a sudden the
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  Speaker 1: old fire of unconquerable self confidence surged through me. I
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  Speaker 1: sprang to my feet, and with back thrown shoulders and
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  Speaker 1: upraised sword, took a solemn vow to reach, rescue and
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  Speaker 1: revenge my princess. A hundred swords leaped from a hundred scabbards,
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  Speaker 1: and a hundred fighting men sprang to the table top
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  Speaker 1: and pledged me their lives and fortunes to the expedition.
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  Speaker 1: Already my plans were formulated. I thanked each loyal friend,
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  Speaker 1: and leaving Carthoris to entertain them withdrew to my own
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  Speaker 1: audience chamber with Kanto's can Tars, Tarkas, Exodar, and Horastis.
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  Speaker 1: Here we discussed the details of our expedition until long
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  Speaker 1: after dark. Exodon was positive that Issus would choose both
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  Speaker 1: dejah Thoris and Thuvia to serve her for a year.
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  Speaker 1: For that length of time, at least they will be
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  Speaker 1: comparatively safe, he said, and we will at least know
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  Speaker 1: where to look for them. In the matter of equipping
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  Speaker 1: a fleet to enter Omean, the details were left to
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  Speaker 1: kantos Kan and Exodar. The former agreed to take such
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  Speaker 1: vessels as we required into dock as rapidly as possible,
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  Speaker 1: where Exodar would direct their equipment with water propellers. For
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  Speaker 1: many years, the Black had been in charge of the
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  Speaker 1: refitting of captured battleships that they might navigate Omean, and
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  Speaker 1: so as familiar with the construction of the propellers, housings
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  Speaker 1: and the auxiliary gearing required it was estimated that it
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  Speaker 1: would require six months to complete our preparations. In view
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  Speaker 1: of the fact that the utmost secrecy must be maintained
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  Speaker 1: to keep the project from the ears of Zadarras, kantos
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  Speaker 1: Kan was confident now that the man's ambitions were fully aroused,
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  Speaker 1: and that nothing short of the title of Jeddak of
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  Speaker 1: Helium would satisfy him. I doubt, he said, if he
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  Speaker 1: would even welcome dejah Thoris's return, for it would mean
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  Speaker 1: another nearer the throne than he. With you and Carthoris
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  Speaker 1: out of the way, there would be little to prevent
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  Speaker 1: him from assuming the title of Jeddak. And you may
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  Speaker 1: rest assured that so long as he is supreme here
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  Speaker 1: there is no safety for either of you. There is
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  Speaker 1: a way, cried hor Vastus, to thwart him effectually and forever.
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  Speaker 1: What I asked, he smiled, I shall whisper it here,
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  Speaker 1: but some day I shall stand upon the dome of
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  Speaker 1: the Temple of Reward and shout it to cheering multitudes below.
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  Speaker 1: What do you mean, asked kantos Kan, John Carter, Jeddak
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  Speaker 1: of Helium, said hor Vastus, in a low voice. The
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  Speaker 1: eyes of my companions lighted and grim. Smiles of pleasure
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  Speaker 1: and anticipation overspread their faces as each eye turned toward
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  Speaker 1: me questioningly. But I shook my head. No, my friends,
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  Speaker 1: I said, smiling, thank you, But it cannot be, not yet,
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  Speaker 1: at least when we know that Tardos Mors and mors
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  Speaker 1: Kajak are gone to return no more. If I be here,
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  Speaker 1: then I shall join you all to see that the
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  Speaker 1: people of Helium are permitted to choose fairly their next Jeddak.
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  Speaker 1: Whom they choose may count upon the loyalty of my sword.
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  Speaker 1: Nor shall I seek the honor for myself until then
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  Speaker 1: Tardos Mors is Jeddak of Helium, and zadiras his representative,
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  Speaker 1: as you will, John Carter, said hor Vastus. But what
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  Speaker 1: was that, he whispered, pointing toward the window overlooking the gardens.
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  Speaker 1: The words were scarce out of his mouth. Ere he
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  Speaker 1: had sprung to the balcony without there he goes, he
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  Speaker 1: cried excitedly. The guards below. There, the guards, we were
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  Speaker 1: close behind him, and all saw the figure of a
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  Speaker 1: man run quickly across a little piece of sword and
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  Speaker 1: disappear in the shrubbery beyond. He was on the balcony
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  Speaker 1: when I first saw him, cried hor Vastus, quick, let
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  Speaker 1: us follow him. Together we ran to the gardens, But
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  Speaker 1: even though we scoured the grounds with the entire guard
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  Speaker 1: for hours, no trace could we find of the night marauder.
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  Speaker 1: What do you make of it? Kantos Kan asked tars Tarkas,
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  Speaker 1: a spy sent by Zadarras. He replied, it was ever
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  Speaker 1: his way. Humph, he will have something interesting to report
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  Speaker 1: to his masters. Then laughed hor Vastus, I hope he
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  Speaker 1: heard only our references to a new Jeddak, I said.
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  Speaker 1: If he overheard our plans to rescue dejah Thoris, it
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  Speaker 1: will mean civil war, for he will attempt to thwart us,
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  Speaker 1: and in that I will not be thwarted. There would
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  Speaker 1: I turn against Tardos Mors himself were it necessary, if
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  Speaker 1: it throws all Helium into a bloody conflict. I shall
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  Speaker 1: go on with these plans to save my princess. Nothing
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  Speaker 1: shall stay me now short of death. And should I die,
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  Speaker 1: my friends, will you take oath to prosecute the search
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  Speaker 1: for her and bring her back in safety to her
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  Speaker 1: grandfather's court. Upon the hilt of his sword, each of
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  Speaker 1: them swore to do as I had asked. It was
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  Speaker 1: agreed that the battleships that were to be remodeled should
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  Speaker 1: be ordered to hast Her, another heliumetic city far to
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  Speaker 1: the southwest. Kantos Kan thought that the docks there, in
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  Speaker 1: addition to their regular work, would accommodate at least six
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  Speaker 1: battleships at a time. As he was commander in chief
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  Speaker 1: of the navy, it would be a simple matter for
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  Speaker 1: him to order the vessels there as they could be handled,
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  Speaker 1: and thereafter keep the remodeled fleet in remote parts of
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  Speaker 1: the empire until we should be ready to assemble it
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  Speaker 1: for the dash upon Omean. It was late that night
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  Speaker 1: before our conference broke up, but each man there had
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  Speaker 1: his particular duties outlined, and the details of the entire
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  Speaker 1: plan had been mapped out. Kantos Kan and Exodar were
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  Speaker 1: to attend to the remoeling of the ships. Tars Tarkas
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  Speaker 1: was to get into communication with Thark and learn the
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  Speaker 1: sentiments of his people toward his return from Dor. If favorable,
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  Speaker 1: he was to return immediately to Thark and devote his
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  Speaker 1: time to the assembling of a great horde of green warriors,
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  Speaker 1: whom it was our plan to send in transports directly
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  Speaker 1: to the valley Door and the temple of Issus, while
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  Speaker 1: the fleet entered Omean and destroyed the vessels of the
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  Speaker 1: First Born. Upon hor Vastus devolved the delicate mission of
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  Speaker 1: organizing a secret force of fighting men sworn to follow
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  Speaker 1: John Carter wherever he might lead. As we estimated that
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  Speaker 1: it would require over a million men to man the
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  Speaker 1: thousand great battleships we intended to use on Omean and
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  Speaker 1: the transports for the green Men, as well as the
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  Speaker 1: ships that were to convoy the transports. It was no
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  Speaker 1: trifling job that hor Vastus had before him. After they
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  Speaker 1: had left, I bid Carthoris good night, for I was
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  Speaker 1: very tired, and going to my own apartments, bathed and
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  Speaker 1: lay down upon my sleeping silks and furs for the
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  Speaker 1: first good night's sleep I had had an opportunity to
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  Speaker 1: look forward to since I had returned to Barsoom. But
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  Speaker 1: even now I was to be disappointed. How long I
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  Speaker 1: slept I do not know. When I awoke suddenly it
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  Speaker 1: was to find a half dozen powerful men upon me,
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  Speaker 1: a gag already in my mouth, and a moment later
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  Speaker 1: my arms and legs securely bound, so quickly had they worked,
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  Speaker 1: and to such good purpose, that I was utterly beyond
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  Speaker 1: the power to resist them. By the time I was
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  Speaker 1: fully awake, never a word spoke, they and the gag
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  Speaker 1: effectually prevented me speaking. Silently, they lifted me and bore
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  Speaker 1: me toward the door of my chamber. As they passed
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  Speaker 1: the window through which the farther moon was casting its
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  Speaker 1: brilliant beams, I saw that each of the party had
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  Speaker 1: his face swathed in layers of silk. I could not
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  Speaker 1: recognize one of them. When they had come into the
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  Speaker 1: corridor with me, they turned toward a secret panel in
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  Speaker 1: the wall, which led to the passage that terminated in
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  Speaker 1: the pits beneath the palace. That any knew of this
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  Speaker 1: panel outside my own household, I was doubtful. Yet the
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  Speaker 1: leader of the band did not hesitate a moment. He
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  Speaker 1: stepped directly to the panel, touched the concealed button, and
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  Speaker 1: as the door swung open, he stood aside while his
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  Speaker 1: companions entered with me. Then he closed the panel behind
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  Speaker 1: him and followed us down through the passageways to the pits.
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  Speaker 1: We went, the leader wrapped upon it with the hilt
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  Speaker 1: of his sword. Three quick, sharp blows, a pause, then
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  Speaker 1: three more, another pause, and then two. A second later,
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  Speaker 1: the wall swung in, and I was pushed within a
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  Speaker 1: brilliantly lighted chamber, in which sat three richly trapped men.
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  Speaker 1: One of them turned toward me with a sodonic smile
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  Speaker 1: upon his thin, cruel lips. It was sat ARUs. End
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  Speaker 1: of chapter eighteen.