o the palace over the corpses
of the slain." He paused, deep in thought, and then turned his gaze
again upon the kaldane. "Heard you aught of the party that escaped with
me from The Field of Jetan--of Floran, Val Dor, and the others? What of
them?"

"Ten of these won through to U-Thor at The Gate of Enemies and were
well received by him. Eight fell in the fighting upon the way. Val Dor
and Floran live, I believe, for I am sure that I heard U-Thor address
two warriors by these names."

"Good!" exclaimed Gahan. "Go then, through the burrows of the ulsios,
to The Gate of Enemies and carry to Floran the message that I shall
write in his own language. Come, while I write the message."

In a nearby room they found a bench and table and there Gahan sat and
wrote in the strange, stenographic characters of Martian script a
message to Floran of Gathol. "Why," he asked, when he had finished it,
"did you search for Tara through the spiral runway where we nearly met?"

"Tasor told me where you were to be found, and as I have explored the
greater part of the palace by means of the ulsio runways and the darker
and less frequented passages I knew precisely where you were and how to
reach you. This secret spiral ascends from the pits to the roof of the
loftiest of the palace towers. It has secret openings at every level;
but there is no living Manatorian, I believe, who knows of its
existence. At least never have I met one within it and I have used it
many times. Thrice have I been in the chamber where O-Mai lies, though
I knew nothing of his identity or the story of his death until Tasor
told it to us in the camp of U-Thor."

"You know the palace thoroughly then?" Gahan interrupted.

"Better than O-Tar himself or any of his servants."

"Good! And you would serve the Princess Tara, Ghek, you may serve her
best by accompanying Floran and following his instructions. I will
write them here at the close of my message to him, for the walls have
ears, Ghek, while none but a Gatholian may read what I have written to
Floran. He will transmit it to you. Can I trust you?"

"I may never return to Bantoom," replied Ghek. "Therefore I have but
two friends in all Barsoom. What better may I do than serve them
faithfully? You may trust me, Gatholian, who with a woman of your kind
has taught me that there be finer and nobler things than perfect
mentality uninfluenced by the unreasoning tuitions of the heart. I go."

* * * *