All Story Magazine, December 1913 — page 145: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

WARLORD own boat that had seemed most likely to alarm its occupants, if there were any. But there was no answering sound, and a moment later I had felt from stem to stern and found the boat de- serted. Groping with my hands along the face of the rocks to which the craft was moored, il discovered a narrow ledge which I knew must be the avenue taken by those who had come before me. That they could be none other than Thurid' and his party I was con- vinced by the size and build of the boat I had found. Calling to Woola to follow me I stepped out upon the ledge. The great, savage brute, agile as a cat, crept after me. As he passed through the boat that had been occupied by Thurid and the therns he emitted a single low growl, and when he came beside me upon the ledge and my hand rested upon his neck I felt his short mane bristling with anger. I think he sensed telepathical- ly the recent presence of an enemy, for I had made no effort to impart to him the nature of our quest or the status of those we tracked. This omission I now made haste to correct, and, after the manner of green Martians with their beasts, I let him know partially by the weird and un- canny telepathy of Barsoom and part- ly by word of mouth that we were upon the trail of those who had re- cently occupied the boat through which we had just passed. A soft purr, like that of a great cat, indicated that Woola understood, and then, with a word to him to follow, | turned to the right along the ledge. but scarcely had I done so than I felt his mighty fangs tugging at my leathern harness. As I turned to discover the cause of his act he continued to pull me steadi- ly in the opposite direction, nor would he desist until I had turned about and indicated that I would follow him vol- untarily. OF MARS. 855 Never had I known him to be in error in a matter of tracking, so it was with a feeling of entire security that I moved cautiously in the huge beast’s wake. Through Cimmerian darkness he moved along the narrow ledge beside the boiling rapids, As we advanced the way led from beneath the overhanging cliffs out into a dim light, and then it was that I saw that the trail had been cut from the living rock, and that it ran up along the river’s side beyond the rapids. For hours we followed the dark and gloomy river further and further into the bowels of Mars. From the direc- tion and distance I knew that we must be well beneath the Valley Dor, and possibly beneath the Sea of Omean as well—it could not be much further now to the Temple of the Sun, Even as my mind framed _ the thought Woola halted suddenly before a narrow, arched doorway in the cliff by the trail’s side. Quickly he crouched back away from the entrance, at the same time turning his eyes toward me. Words could not have more plainly told me that danger of some sort lay near by, and so I pressed quietly for- ward to his side, and passing him looked into the aperture at our right. Before me was a fair-sized chamber that, from its appointments, I knew must have at one time been a guard- room. There were racks for weapons, and slightly raised platforms for the sleeping silks and furs of the warriors, but now its only occupants were two of the therns who had been of the party with Thurid and Matai Shang. The men were in earnest conversa- tion, and from their tones it was apparent that they were entirely unaware that they had listeners. ““T tell you,” one of them was say- ing, “I do not trust the black one. There was no necessity for leaving us here to guard the way. Against what, pray, should we guard this long-for- gotten, abysmal path? It was but a ruse to divide our numbers. “He will have Matai Shang leave comicloooks.com