Through The Carrion Caves

: Warlord Of Mars

Straight toward the north, day and night, our destination compass

led us after the fleeing flier upon which it had remained set since

I first attuned it after leaving the thern fortress.



Early in the second night we noticed the air becoming perceptibly

colder, and from the distance we had come from the equator were

assured that we were rapidly approaching the north arctic region.



My knowledg
of the efforts that had been made by countless

expeditions to explore that unknown land bade me to caution, for

never had flier returned who had passed to any considerable distance

beyond the mighty ice-barrier that fringes the southern hem of the

frigid zone.



What became of them none knew--only that they passed forever out

of the sight of man into that grim and mysterious country of the

pole.



The distance from the barrier to the pole was no more than a swift

flier should cover in a few hours, and so it was assumed that some

frightful catastrophe awaited those who reached the "forbidden land,"

as it had come to be called by the Martians of the outer world.



Thus it was that I went more slowly as we approached the barrier,

for it was my intention to move cautiously by day over the ice-pack

that I might discover, before I had run into a trap, if there

really lay an inhabited country at the north pole, for there only

could I imagine a spot where Matai Shang might feel secure from

John Carter, Prince of Helium.



We were flying at a snail's pace but a few feet above the

ground--literally feeling our way along through the darkness, for

both moons had set, and the night was black with the clouds that

are to be found only at Mars's two extremities.



Suddenly a towering wall of white rose directly in our path, and

though I threw the helm hard over, and reversed our engine, I was

too late to avoid collision. With a sickening crash we struck the

high looming obstacle three-quarters on.



The flier reeled half over; the engine stopped; as one, the patched

buoyancy tanks burst, and we plunged, headforemost, to the ground

twenty feet beneath.



Fortunately none of us was injured, and when we had disentangled

ourselves from the wreckage, and the lesser moon had burst again from

below the horizon, we found that we were at the foot of a mighty

ice-barrier, from which outcropped great patches of the granite

hills which hold it from encroaching farther toward the south.



What fate! With the journey all but completed to be thus wrecked

upon the wrong side of that precipitous and unscalable wall of rock

and ice!



I looked at Thuvan Dihn. He but shook his head dejectedly.



The balance of the night we spent shivering in our inadequate

sleeping silks and furs upon the snow that lies at the foot of the

ice-barrier.



With daylight my battered spirits regained something of their

accustomed hopefulness, though I must admit that there was little

enough for them to feed upon.



"What shall we do?" asked Thuvan Dihn. "How may we pass that which

is impassable?"



"First we must disprove its impassability," I replied. "Nor shall

I admit that it is impassable before I have followed its entire

circle and stand again upon this spot, defeated. The sooner we

start, the better, for I see no other way, and it will take us more

than a month to travel the weary, frigid miles that lie before us."



For five days of cold and suffering and privation we traversed the

rough and frozen way which lies at the foot of the ice-barrier.

Fierce, fur-bearing creatures attacked us by daylight and by dark.

Never for a moment were we safe from the sudden charge of some huge

demon of the north.



The apt was our most consistent and dangerous foe.



It is a huge, white-furred creature with six limbs, four of which,

short and heavy, carry it swiftly over the snow and ice; while the

other two, growing forward from its shoulders on either side of

its long, powerful neck, terminate in white, hairless hands, with

which it seizes and holds its prey.



Its head and mouth are more similar in appearance to those of a

hippopotamus than to any other earthly animal, except that from

the sides of the lower jawbone two mighty horns curve slightly

downward toward the front.



Its two huge eyes inspired my greatest curiosity. They extend in

two vast, oval patches from the center of the top of the cranium

down either side of the head to below the roots of the horns, so

that these weapons really grow out from the lower part of the eyes,

which are composed of several thousand ocelli each.



This eye structure seemed remarkable in a beast whose haunts were

upon a glaring field of ice and snow, and though I found upon

minute examination of several that we killed that each ocellus is

furnished with its own lid, and that the animal can at will close

as many of the facets of his huge eyes as he chooses, yet I was

positive that nature had thus equipped him because much of his life

was to be spent in dark, subterranean recesses.



Shortly after this we came upon the hugest apt that we had seen.

The creature stood fully eight feet at the shoulder, and was so

sleek and clean and glossy that I could have sworn that he had but

recently been groomed.



He stood head-on eyeing us as we approached him, for we had found

it a waste of time to attempt to escape the perpetual bestial rage

which seems to possess these demon creatures, who rove the dismal

north attacking every living thing that comes within the scope of

their far-seeing eyes.



Even when their bellies are full and they can eat no more, they

kill purely for the pleasure which they derive from taking life,

and so when this particular apt failed to charge us, and instead

wheeled and trotted away as we neared him, I should have been greatly

surprised had I not chanced to glimpse the sheen of a golden collar

about its neck.



Thuvan Dihn saw it, too, and it carried the same message of hope

to us both. Only man could have placed that collar there, and as

no race of Martians of which we knew aught ever had attempted to

domesticate the ferocious apt, he must belong to a people of the

north of whose very existence we were ignorant--possibly to the

fabled yellow men of Barsoom; that once powerful race which was

supposed to be extinct, though sometimes, by theorists, thought

still to exist in the frozen north.



Simultaneously we started upon the trail of the great beast.

Woola was quickly made to understand our desires, so that it was

unnecessary to attempt to keep in sight of the animal whose swift

flight over the rough ground soon put him beyond our vision.



For the better part of two hours the trail paralleled the barrier,

and then suddenly turned toward it through the roughest and seemingly

most impassable country I ever had beheld.



Enormous granite boulders blocked the way on every hand; deep rifts

in the ice threatened to engulf us at the least misstep; and from

the north a slight breeze wafted to our nostrils an unspeakable

stench that almost choked us.



For another two hours we were occupied in traversing a few hundred

yards to the foot of the barrier.



Then, turning about the corner of a wall-like outcropping of granite,

we came upon a smooth area of two or three acres before the base

of the towering pile of ice and rock that had baffled us for days,

and before us beheld the dark and cavernous mouth of a cave.



From this repelling portal the horrid stench was emanating, and

as Thuvan Dihn espied the place he halted with an exclamation of

profound astonishment.



"By all my ancestors!" he ejaculated. "That I should have lived to

witness the reality of the fabled Carrion Caves! If these indeed

be they, we have found a way beyond the ice-barrier.



"The ancient chronicles of the first historians of Barsoom--so

ancient that we have for ages considered them mythology--record

the passing of the yellow men from the ravages of the green hordes

that overran Barsoom as the drying up of the great oceans drove

the dominant races from their strongholds.



"They tell of the wanderings of the remnants of this once powerful

race, harassed at every step, until at last they found a way through

the ice-barrier of the north to a fertile valley at the pole.



"At the opening to the subterranean passage that led to their haven

of refuge a mighty battle was fought in which the yellow men were

victorious, and within the caves that gave ingress to their new

home they piled the bodies of the dead, both yellow and green, that

the stench might warn away their enemies from further pursuit.



"And ever since that long-gone day have the dead of this fabled

land been carried to the Carrion Caves, that in death and decay they

might serve their country and warn away invading enemies. Here,

too, is brought, so the fable runs, all the waste stuff of the

nation--everything that is subject to rot, and that can add to the

foul stench that assails our nostrils.



"And death lurks at every step among rotting dead, for here the fierce

apts lair, adding to the putrid accumulation with the fragments of

their own prey which they cannot devour. It is a horrid avenue to

our goal, but it is the only one."



"You are sure, then, that we have found the way to the land of the

yellow men?" I cried.



"As sure as may be," he replied; "having only ancient legend to

support my belief. But see how closely, so far, each detail tallies

with the world-old story of the hegira of the yellow race. Yes,

I am sure that we have discovered the way to their ancient hiding

place."



"If it be true, and let us pray that such may be the case," I said,

"then here may we solve the mystery of the disappearance of Tardos

Mors, Jeddak of Helium, and Mors Kajak, his son, for no other spot

upon Barsoom has remained unexplored by the many expeditions and

the countless spies that have been searching for them for nearly

two years. The last word that came from them was that they sought

Carthoris, my own brave son, beyond the ice-barrier."



As we talked we had been approaching the entrance to the cave, and

as we crossed the threshold I ceased to wonder that the ancient

green enemies of the yellow men had been halted by the horrors of

that awful way.



The bones of dead men lay man high upon the broad floor of the first

cave, and over all was a putrid mush of decaying flesh, through

which the apts had beaten a hideous trail toward the entrance to

the second cave beyond.



The roof of this first apartment was low, like all that we traversed

subsequently, so that the foul odors were confined and condensed

to such an extent that they seemed to possess tangible substance.

One was almost tempted to draw his short-sword and hew his way

through in search of pure air beyond.



"Can man breathe this polluted air and live?" asked Thuvan Dihn,

choking.



"Not for long, I imagine," I replied; "so let us make haste. I

will go first, and you bring up the rear, with Woola between.

Come," and with the words I dashed forward, across the fetid mass

of putrefaction.



It was not until we had passed through seven caves of different sizes

and varying but little in the power and quality of their stenches

that we met with any physical opposition. Then, within the eighth

cave, we came upon a lair of apts.



A full score of the mighty beasts were disposed about the chamber.

Some were sleeping, while others tore at the fresh-killed carcasses

of new-brought prey, or fought among themselves in their love-making.



Here in the dim light of their subterranean home the value of

their great eyes was apparent, for these inner caves are shrouded

in perpetual gloom that is but little less than utter darkness.



To attempt to pass through the midst of that fierce herd seemed,

even to me, the height of folly, and so I proposed to Thuvan Dihn

that he return to the outer world with Woola, that the two might

find their way to civilization and come again with a sufficient

force to overcome not only the apts, but any further obstacles that

might lie between us and our goal.



"In the meantime," I continued, "I may discover some means of

winning my way alone to the land of the yellow men, but if I am

unsuccessful one life only will have been sacrificed. Should we

all go on and perish, there will be none to guide a succoring party

to Dejah Thoris and your daughter."



"I shall not return and leave you here alone, John Carter," replied

Thuvan Dihn. "Whether you go on to victory or death, the Jeddak

of Ptarth remains at your side. I have spoken."



I knew from his tone that it were useless to attempt to argue the

question, and so I compromised by sending Woola back with a hastily

penned note enclosed in a small metal case and fastened about

his neck. I commanded the faithful creature to seek Carthoris at

Helium, and though half a world and countless dangers lay between

I knew that if the thing could be done Woola would do it.



Equipped as he was by nature with marvelous speed and endurance,

and with frightful ferocity that made him a match for any single

enemy of the way, his keen intelligence and wondrous instinct

should easily furnish all else that was needed for the successful

accomplishment of his mission.



It was with evident reluctance that the great beast turned to leave

me in compliance with my command, and ere he had gone I could not

resist the inclination to throw my arms about his great neck in a

parting hug. He rubbed his cheek against mine in a final caress,

and a moment later was speeding through the Carrion Caves toward

the outer world.



In my note to Carthoris I had given explicit directions for locating

the Carrion Caves, impressing upon him the necessity for making

entrance to the country beyond through this avenue, and not to attempt

under any circumstances to cross the ice-barrier with a fleet. I

told him that what lay beyond the eighth cave I could not even

guess; but I was sure that somewhere upon the other side of the

ice-barrier his mother lay in the power of Matai Shang, and that

possibly his grandfather and great-grandfather as well, if they

lived.



Further, I advised him to call upon Kulan Tith and the son of

Thuvan Dihn for warriors and ships that the expedition might be

sufficiently strong to insure success at the first blow.



"And," I concluded, "if there be time bring Tars Tarkas with you,

for if I live until you reach me I can think of few greater pleasures

than to fight once more, shoulder to shoulder, with my old friend."



When Woola had left us Thuvan Dihn and I, hiding in the seventh

cave, discussed and discarded many plans for crossing the eighth

chamber. From where we stood we saw that the fighting among the

apts was growing less, and that many that had been feeding had

ceased and lain down to sleep.



Presently it became apparent that in a short time all the ferocious

monsters might be peacefully slumbering, and thus a hazardous

opportunity be presented to us to cross through their lair.



One by one the remaining brutes stretched themselves upon the

bubbling decomposition that covered the mass of bones upon the

floor of their den, until but a single apt remained awake. This

huge fellow roamed restlessly about, nosing among his companion

and the abhorrent litter of the cave.



Occasionally he would stop to peer intently toward first one of

the exits from the chamber and then the other. His whole demeanor

was as of one who acts as sentry.



We were at last forced to the belief that he would not sleep

while the other occupants of the lair slept, and so cast about in

our minds for some scheme whereby we might trick him. Finally I

suggested a plan to Thuvan Dihn, and as it seemed as good as any

that we had discussed we decided to put it to the test.



To this end Thuvan Dihn placed himself close against the cave's

wall, beside the entrance to the eighth chamber, while I deliberately

showed myself to the guardian apt as he looked toward our retreat.

Then I sprang to the opposite side of the entrance, flattening my

body close to the wall.



Without a sound the great beast moved rapidly toward the seventh

cave to see what manner of intruder had thus rashly penetrated so

far within the precincts of his habitation.



As he poked his head through the narrow aperture that connects the

two caves a heavy long-sword was awaiting him upon either hand,

and before he had an opportunity to emit even a single growl his

severed head rolled at our feet.



Quickly we glanced into the eighth chamber--not an apt had moved.

Crawling over the carcass of the huge beast that blocked the doorway

Thuvan Dihn and I cautiously entered the forbidding and dangerous

den.



Like snails we wound our silent and careful way among the huge,

recumbent forms. The only sound above our breathing was the sucking

noise of our feet as we lifted them from the ooze of decaying flesh

through which we crept.



Halfway across the chamber and one of the mighty beasts directly

before me moved restlessly at the very instant that my foot was

poised above his head, over which I must step.



Breathlessly I waited, balancing upon one foot, for I did not dare

move a muscle. In my right hand was my keen short-sword, the point

hovering an inch above the thick fur beneath which beat the savage

heart.



Finally the apt relaxed, sighing, as with the passing of a bad dream,

and resumed the regular respiration of deep slumber. I planted my

raised foot beyond the fierce head and an instant later had stepped

over the beast.



Thuvan Dihn followed directly after me, and another moment found

us at the further door, undetected.



The Carrion Caves consist of a series of twenty-seven connecting

chambers, and present the appearance of having been eroded by

running water in some far-gone age when a mighty river found its

way to the south through this single breach in the barrier of rock

and ice that hems the country of the pole.



Thuvan Dihn and I traversed the remaining nineteen caverns without

adventure or mishap.



We were afterward to learn that but once a month is it possible to

find all the apts of the Carrion Caves in a single chamber.



At other times they roam singly or in pairs in and out of the

caves, so that it would have been practically impossible for two

men to have passed through the entire twenty-seven chambers without

encountering an apt in nearly every one of them. Once a month

they sleep for a full day, and it was our good fortune to stumble

by accident upon one of these occasions.



Beyond the last cave we emerged into a desolate country of snow

and ice, but found a well-marked trail leading north. The way was

boulder-strewn, as had been that south of the barrier, so that we

could see but a short distance ahead of us at any time.



After a couple of hours we passed round a huge boulder to come to

a steep declivity leading down into a valley.



Directly before us we saw a half dozen men--fierce, black-bearded

fellows, with skins the color of a ripe lemon.



"The yellow men of Barsoom!" ejaculated Thuvan Dihn, as though

even now that he saw them he found it scarce possible to believe

that the very race we expected to find hidden in this remote and

inaccessible land did really exist.



We withdrew behind an adjacent boulder to watch the actions of

the little party, which stood huddled at the foot of another huge

rock, their backs toward us.



One of them was peering round the edge of the granite mass as though

watching one who approached from the opposite side.



Presently the object of his scrutiny came within the range of my

vision and I saw that it was another yellow man. All were clothed

in magnificent furs--the six in the black and yellow striped hide

of the orluk, while he who approached alone was resplendent in the

pure white skin of an apt.



The yellow men were armed with two swords, and a short javelin

was slung across the back of each, while from their left arms hung

cuplike shields no larger than a dinner plate, the concave sides

of which turned outward toward an antagonist.



They seemed puny and futile implements of safety against an even

ordinary swordsman, but I was later to see the purpose of them and

with what wondrous dexterity the yellow men manipulate them.



One of the swords which each of the warriors carried caught

my immediate attention. I call it a sword, but really it was a

sharp-edged blade with a complete hook at the far end.



The other sword was of about the same length as the hooked instrument,

and somewhere between that of my long-sword and my short-sword.

It was straight and two-edged. In addition to the weapons I have

enumerated each man carried a dagger in his harness.



As the white-furred one approached, the six grasped their swords

more firmly--the hooked instrument in the left hand, the straight

sword in the right, while above the left wrist the small shield

was held rigid upon a metal bracelet.



As the lone warrior came opposite them the six rushed out upon him

with fiendish yells that resembled nothing more closely than the

savage war cry of the Apaches of the South-west.



Instantly the attacked drew both his swords, and as the six fell

upon him I witnessed as pretty fighting as one might care to see.



With their sharp hooks the combatants attempted to take hold of

an adversary, but like lightning the cupshaped shield would spring

before the darting weapon and into its hollow the hook would plunge.



Once the lone warrior caught an antagonist in the side with his

hook, and drawing him close ran his sword through him.



But the odds were too unequal, and, though he who fought alone was

by far the best and bravest of them all, I saw that it was but a

question of time before the remaining five would find an opening

through his marvelous guard and bring him down.



Now my sympathies have ever been with the weaker side of an argument,

and though I knew nothing of the cause of the trouble I could not

stand idly by and see a brave man butchered by superior numbers.



As a matter of fact I presume I gave little attention to seeking an

excuse, for I love a good fight too well to need any other reason

for joining in when one is afoot.



So it was that before Thuvan Dihn knew what I was about he saw me

standing by the side of the white-clad yellow man, battling like

mad with his five adversaries.



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