Through Carnage To Joy

: A Princess Of Mars

Sometime later Tars Tarkas and Kantos Kan returned to report that

Zodanga had been completely reduced. Her forces were entirely

destroyed or captured, and no further resistance was to be expected

from within. Several battleships had escaped, but there were thousands

of war and merchant vessels under guard of Thark warriors.



The lesser hordes had commenced looting and quarreling among

themselves, so it w s decided that we collect what warriors we could,

man as many vessels as possible with Zodangan prisoners and make for

Helium without further loss of time.



Five hours later we sailed from the roofs of the dock buildings with a

fleet of two hundred and fifty battleships, carrying nearly one hundred

thousand green warriors, followed by a fleet of transports with our

thoats.



Behind us we left the stricken city in the fierce and brutal clutches

of some forty thousand green warriors of the lesser hordes. They were

looting, murdering, and fighting amongst themselves. In a hundred

places they had applied the torch, and columns of dense smoke were

rising above the city as though to blot out from the eye of heaven the

horrid sights beneath.



In the middle of the afternoon we sighted the scarlet and yellow towers

of Helium, and a short time later a great fleet of Zodangan battleships

rose from the camps of the besiegers without the city, and advanced to

meet us.



The banners of Helium had been strung from stem to stern of each of our

mighty craft, but the Zodangans did not need this sign to realize that

we were enemies, for our green Martian warriors had opened fire upon

them almost as they left the ground. With their uncanny marksmanship

they raked the on-coming fleet with volley after volley.



The twin cities of Helium, perceiving that we were friends, sent out

hundreds of vessels to aid us, and then began the first real air battle

I had ever witnessed.



The vessels carrying our green warriors were kept circling above the

contending fleets of Helium and Zodanga, since their batteries were

useless in the hands of the Tharks who, having no navy, have no skill

in naval gunnery. Their small-arm fire, however, was most effective,

and the final outcome of the engagement was strongly influenced, if not

wholly determined, by their presence.



At first the two forces circled at the same altitude, pouring broadside

after broadside into each other. Presently a great hole was torn in

the hull of one of the immense battle craft from the Zodangan camp;

with a lurch she turned completely over, the little figures of her crew

plunging, turning and twisting toward the ground a thousand feet below;

then with sickening velocity she tore after them, almost completely

burying herself in the soft loam of the ancient sea bottom.



A wild cry of exultation arose from the Heliumite squadron, and with

redoubled ferocity they fell upon the Zodangan fleet. By a pretty

maneuver two of the vessels of Helium gained a position above their

adversaries, from which they poured upon them from their keel bomb

batteries a perfect torrent of exploding bombs.



Then, one by one, the battleships of Helium succeeded in rising above

the Zodangans, and in a short time a number of the beleaguering

battleships were drifting hopeless wrecks toward the high scarlet tower

of greater Helium. Several others attempted to escape, but they were

soon surrounded by thousands of tiny individual fliers, and above each

hung a monster battleship of Helium ready to drop boarding parties upon

their decks.



Within but little more than an hour from the moment the victorious

Zodangan squadron had risen to meet us from the camp of the besiegers

the battle was over, and the remaining vessels of the conquered

Zodangans were headed toward the cities of Helium under prize crews.



There was an extremely pathetic side to the surrender of these mighty

fliers, the result of an age-old custom which demanded that surrender

should be signalized by the voluntary plunging to earth of the

commander of the vanquished vessel. One after another the brave

fellows, holding their colors high above their heads, leaped from the

towering bows of their mighty craft to an awful death.



Not until the commander of the entire fleet took the fearful plunge,

thus indicating the surrender of the remaining vessels, did the

fighting cease, and the useless sacrifice of brave men come to an end.



We now signaled the flagship of Helium's navy to approach, and when she

was within hailing distance I called out that we had the Princess Dejah

Thoris on board, and that we wished to transfer her to the flagship

that she might be taken immediately to the city.



As the full import of my announcement bore in upon them a great cry

arose from the decks of the flagship, and a moment later the colors of

the Princess of Helium broke from a hundred points upon her upper

works. When the other vessels of the squadron caught the meaning of

the signals flashed them they took up the wild acclaim and unfurled her

colors in the gleaming sunlight.



The flagship bore down upon us, and as she swung gracefully to and

touched our side a dozen officers sprang upon our decks. As their

astonished gaze fell upon the hundreds of green warriors, who now came

forth from the fighting shelters, they stopped aghast, but at sight of

Kantos Kan, who advanced to meet them, they came forward, crowding

about him.



Dejah Thoris and I then advanced, and they had no eyes for other than

her. She received them gracefully, calling each by name, for they were

men high in the esteem and service of her grandfather, and she knew

them well.



"Lay your hands upon the shoulder of John Carter," she said to them,

turning toward me, "the man to whom Helium owes her princess as well as

her victory today."



They were very courteous to me and said many kind and complimentary

things, but what seemed to impress them most was that I had won the aid

of the fierce Tharks in my campaign for the liberation of Dejah Thoris,

and the relief of Helium.



"You owe your thanks more to another man than to me," I said, "and here

he is; meet one of Barsoom's greatest soldiers and statesmen, Tars

Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark."



With the same polished courtesy that had marked their manner toward me

they extended their greetings to the great Thark, nor, to my surprise,

was he much behind them in ease of bearing or in courtly speech.

Though not a garrulous race, the Tharks are extremely formal, and their

ways lend themselves amazingly well to dignified and courtly manners.



Dejah Thoris went aboard the flagship, and was much put out that I

would not follow, but, as I explained to her, the battle was but partly

won; we still had the land forces of the besieging Zodangans to account

for, and I would not leave Tars Tarkas until that had been accomplished.



The commander of the naval forces of Helium promised to arrange to have

the armies of Helium attack from the city in conjunction with our land

attack, and so the vessels separated and Dejah Thoris was borne in

triumph back to the court of her grandfather, Tardos Mors, Jeddak of

Helium.



In the distance lay our fleet of transports, with the thoats of the

green warriors, where they had remained during the battle. Without

landing stages it was to be a difficult matter to unload these beasts

upon the open plain, but there was nothing else for it, and so we put

out for a point about ten miles from the city and began the task.



It was necessary to lower the animals to the ground in slings and this

work occupied the remainder of the day and half the night. Twice we

were attacked by parties of Zodangan cavalry, but with little loss,

however, and after darkness shut down they withdrew.



As soon as the last thoat was unloaded Tars Tarkas gave the command to

advance, and in three parties we crept upon the Zodangan camp from the

north, the south and the east.



About a mile from the main camp we encountered their outposts and, as

had been prearranged, accepted this as the signal to charge. With

wild, ferocious cries and amidst the nasty squealing of battle-enraged

thoats we bore down upon the Zodangans.



We did not catch them napping, but found a well-entrenched battle line

confronting us. Time after time we were repulsed until, toward noon, I

began to fear for the result of the battle.



The Zodangans numbered nearly a million fighting men, gathered from

pole to pole, wherever stretched their ribbon-like waterways, while

pitted against them were less than a hundred thousand green warriors.

The forces from Helium had not arrived, nor could we receive any word

from them.



Just at noon we heard heavy firing all along the line between the

Zodangans and the cities, and we knew then that our much-needed

reinforcements had come.



Again Tars Tarkas ordered the charge, and once more the mighty thoats

bore their terrible riders against the ramparts of the enemy. At the

same moment the battle line of Helium surged over the opposite

breastworks of the Zodangans and in another moment they were being

crushed as between two millstones. Nobly they fought, but in vain.



The plain before the city became a veritable shambles ere the last

Zodangan surrendered, but finally the carnage ceased, the prisoners

were marched back to Helium, and we entered the greater city's gates, a

huge triumphal procession of conquering heroes.



The broad avenues were lined with women and children, among which were

the few men whose duties necessitated that they remain within the city

during the battle. We were greeted with an endless round of applause

and showered with ornaments of gold, platinum, silver, and precious

jewels. The city had gone mad with joy.



My fierce Tharks caused the wildest excitement and enthusiasm. Never

before had an armed body of green warriors entered the gates of Helium,

and that they came now as friends and allies filled the red men with

rejoicing.



That my poor services to Dejah Thoris had become known to the

Heliumites was evidenced by the loud crying of my name, and by the

loads of ornaments that were fastened upon me and my huge thoat as we

passed up the avenues to the palace, for even in the face of the

ferocious appearance of Woola the populace pressed close about me.



As we approached this magnificent pile we were met by a party of

officers who greeted us warmly and requested that Tars Tarkas and his

jeds with the jeddaks and jeds of his wild allies, together with

myself, dismount and accompany them to receive from Tardos Mors an

expression of his gratitude for our services.



At the top of the great steps leading up to the main portals of the

palace stood the royal party, and as we reached the lower steps one of

their number descended to meet us.



He was an almost perfect specimen of manhood; tall, straight as an

arrow, superbly muscled and with the carriage and bearing of a ruler of

men. I did not need to be told that he was Tardos Mors, Jeddak of

Helium.



The first member of our party he met was Tars Tarkas and his first

words sealed forever the new friendship between the races.



"That Tardos Mors," he said, earnestly, "may meet the greatest living

warrior of Barsoom is a priceless honor, but that he may lay his hand

on the shoulder of a friend and ally is a far greater boon."



"Jeddak of Helium," returned Tars Tarkas, "it has remained for a man of

another world to teach the green warriors of Barsoom the meaning of

friendship; to him we owe the fact that the hordes of Thark can

understand you; that they can appreciate and reciprocate the sentiments

so graciously expressed."



Tardos Mors then greeted each of the green jeddaks and jeds, and to

each spoke words of friendship and appreciation.



As he approached me he laid both hands upon my shoulders.



"Welcome, my son," he said; "that you are granted, gladly, and without

one word of opposition, the most precious jewel in all Helium, yes, on

all Barsoom, is sufficient earnest of my esteem."



We were then presented to Mors Kajak, Jed of lesser Helium, and father

of Dejah Thoris. He had followed close behind Tardos Mors and seemed

even more affected by the meeting than had his father.



He tried a dozen times to express his gratitude to me, but his voice

choked with emotion and he could not speak, and yet he had, as I was to

later learn, a reputation for ferocity and fearlessness as a fighter

that was remarkable even upon warlike Barsoom. In common with all

Helium he worshiped his daughter, nor could he think of what she had

escaped without deep emotion.