ard the
throne. "Seize the impostor!"

All eyes shot to the figure of the groom before the throne. They saw
him raise his hand and snatch off the golden mask, and Tara of Helium
in wide-eyed incredulity looked up into the face of Turan the panthan.

"Turan the slave," they cried then. "Death to him! Death to him!"

"Wait!" shouted Turan, drawing his sword, as a dozen warriors leaped
forward.

"Wait!" screamed another voice, old and cracked, as I-Gos, the ancient
taxidermist, sprang from among the guests and reached the throne steps
ahead of the foremost warriors.

At sight of the old man the warriors paused, for age is held in great
veneration among the peoples of Barsoom, as is true, perhaps, of all
peoples whose religion is based to any extent upon ancestor worship.
But O-Tar gave no heed to him, leaping instead swiftly toward the
throne. "Stop, coward!" cried I-Gos.

The people looked at the little old man in amazement. "Men of Manator,"
he cackled in his thin, shrill voice, "wouldst be ruled by a coward and
a liar?"

"Down with him!" shouted O-Tar.

"Not until I have spoken," retorted I-Gos. "It is my right. If I fail
my life is forfeit--that you all know and I know. I demand therefore to
be heard. It is my right!"

"It is his right," echoed the voices of a score of warriors in various
parts of the chamber.

"That O-Tar is a coward and a liar I can prove," continued I-Gos. "He
said that he faced bravely the horrors of the chamber of O-Mai and saw
nothing of the slave Turan. I was there, hiding behind the hangings,
and I saw all that transpired. Turan had been hiding in the chamber and
was even then lying upon the couch of O-Mai when O-Tar, trembling with
fear, entered the room. Turan, disturbed, arose to a sitting position
at the same time voicing a piercing shriek. O-Tar screamed and swooned."

"It is a lie!" cried O-Tar.

"It is not a lie and I can prove it," retorted I-Gos. "Didst notice the
night that he returned from the chambers of O-Mai and was boasting of
his exploit, that when he would summon slaves to bring wine he reached
for his dagger to strike the gong with its pommel as is always his
custom? Didst note that, any of you? And that he had no dagger? O-Tar,
where is the dagger that you carried into the chamber of O-Mai? You do
not know; but I know. While you lay in the swoon of terror I took it
from your harness and hid it among the sleeping silks upon the couch of
O-Mai. There it is even