to the entire series, and no warrior has ever survived the
full ten, or rather none who was under a sentence from O-Tar."

"What are the games? I do not understand," said Tara "I have heard them
speak of playing at jetan, but surely no one can be killed at jetan. We
play it often at home."

"But not as they play it in the arena at Manator," replied Lan-O. "Come
to the window," and together the two approached an aperture facing
toward the east.

Below her Tara of Helium saw a great field entirely surrounded by the
low building, and the lofty towers of which that in which she was
imprisoned was but a unit. About the arena were tiers of seats; but the
a thing that caught her attention was a gigantic jetan board laid out
upon the floor of the arena in great squares of alternate orange and
black.

"Here they play at jetan with living pieces. They play for great stakes
and usually for a woman--some slave of exceptional beauty. O-Tar
himself might have played for you had you not angered him, but now you
will be played for in an open game by slaves and criminals, and you
will belong to the side that wins--not to a single warrior, but to all
who survive the game."

The eyes of Tara of Helium flashed, but she made no comment.

"Those who direct the play do not necessarily take part in it,"
continued the slave girl, "but sit in those two great thrones which you
see at either end of the board and direct their pieces from square to
square."

"But where lies the danger?" asked Tara of Helium. "If a piece be taken
it is merely removed from the board--this is a rule of jetan as old
almost as the civilization of Barsoom."

"But here in Manator, when they play in the great arena with living
men, that rule is altered," explained Lan-O. "When a warrior is moved
to a square occupied by an opposing piece, the two battle to the death
for possession of the square and the one that is successful advantages
by the move. Each is caparisoned to simulate the piece he represents
and in addition he wears that which indicates whether he be slave, a
warrior serving a sentence, or a volunteer. If serving a sentence the
number of games he must play is also indicated, and thus the one
directing the moves knows which pieces to risk and which to conserve,
and further than this, a man's chances are affected by the position
that is assigned him for the game. Those whom they wish to die are
always Panthans in the game, for the Panthan has the least ch