All Story Magazine, December 1913 — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

860 overheard. I kept abreast of Woola that we might have the benefit of all our eyes for what might appear sud- denly ahead to menace us, and well it was that we were forewarned. At the bottom of a flight of narrow steps the corridor turned sharply back upon itself, immediately making an- other turn in the original direction, so that at that point it formed a perfect letter S, the top leg of which debouched suddenly into a large chamber, illy lighted, and the floor of which was completely covered by venomous snakes and loathsome reptiles. To have attempted to cross that floor would have been to court instant death, and for a moment I was almost com- pletely discouraged. Then it occurred to me that Thurid and Matai Shang with their party must have crossed it, and so there was a way. Had it not been for the fortunate accident by which I overheard even so small portion of the therns’ conver- sation we should have blundered at least a step or two into that wriggling mass of destruction, and a single step would have been all sufficient to have sealed our doom. These were the only reptiles I had ever seen upon Barsoom, but I knew from their similarity to the fossilized remains of supposedly extinct species T had seen in the museums of Helium that they comprised many of the known prehistoric reptilian genera, as well as others undiscovered. A.more hideous aggregation of mon- sters had never before assailed my vi- sion. It would be futile to attempt to describe them to earth-men, since sub- stance is the only thing which they pos- sess in common with any creature of the past or present with which you are fa- miliar—even their venom is of an un- earthly virulence that, by comparison, would make the cobra-di-capello seem quite as harmless as an angleworm. As they spied me there was a con- certed rush by those nearest the en- trance where we stood, but a line of radium bulbs inset along the threshold THE ALL-STORY MAGAZINE. of their chamber brought them to a sudden halt—evidently they dared not cross that line of light. I had been quite sure that they would not venture beyond the room in which I had discovered them, though I had not guessed at what. deterred them. The simple fact that we had found no reptiles in the corridor through which we had just come was sufficient assur- ance that they did not venture there, I drew Woola out of harm’s way, and then began a careful survey of as much of the chamber of reptiles as I could see from where I stood. As my eves hecame accustomed to the dim light of its interior I gradually made out a low gallery at the far end of the apartment from which opened several exits. Coming as close to the threshold as T dared, I followed this gallery with my eyes, discovering that it circled the room as far as I could see. Then I glanced above me along the upper edge of the entrance to which we had come, and there, to my delight, I saw an end of the gallery not a foot above iy head. In an instant I had leaped to it and called Woola after me. Here there were no reptiles—the way was clear to the opposite side of the hideous chamber—and a moment later Woola and I dropped down to safety in the corridor beyond. Not ten minutes later we came into a vast circular apartment of white mar- ble, the walls of which were inlaid with gold in the strange hieroglyphics of the First Born, From the high dome of this mighty apartment a huge circular column ex- tended to the floor, and as I watched I saw that it slowly revolved. I had reached the base of the Temple of the Sun! Somewhere above me lay Dejah Thoris, and with her were Phaidor, daughter of Matai Shang, and Thuvia of Ptarth. But how to reach them, now that I had found the only vulner- able spot in their mighty prison, was still a baffling riddle. comnlicloooks.com