tiful shoulders as she turned her head to cast her
eyes over one of them at Gahan of Gathol.

"Jed or panthan," she said; "what difference does it make what one's
slave has been?" and she laughed roguishly into the smiling face of her
lover.

* * * * *

His story finished, John Carter rose from the chair opposite me,
stretching his giant frame like some great forest-bred lion.

"You must go?" I cried, for I hated to see him leave and it seemed that
he had been with me but a moment.

"The sky is already red beyond those beautiful hills of yours," he
replied, "and it will soon be day."

"Just one question before you go," I begged.

"Well?" he assented, good-naturedly.

"How was Gahan able to enter the throne room garbed in O-Tar's
trappings?" I asked.

"It was simple--for Gahan of Gathol," replied The Warlord. "With the
assistance of I-Gos he crept into The Hall of Chiefs before the
ceremony, while the throne room and Hall of Chiefs were vacated to
receive the bride. He came from the pits through the corridor that
opened behind the arras at the rear of the throne, and passing into The
Hall of Chiefs took his place upon the back of a riderless thoat, whose
warrior was in I-Gos' repair room. When O-Tar entered and came near him
Gahan fell upon him and struck him with the butt of a heavy spear. He
thought that he had killed him and was surprised when O-Tar appeared to
denounce him."

"And Ghek? What became of Ghek?" I insisted.

"After leading Val Dor and Floran to Tara's disabled flier which they
repaired, he accompanied them to Gathol from where a message was sent
to me in Helium. He then led a large party including A-Kor and U-Thor
from the roof, where our ships landed them, down a spiral runway into
the palace and guided them to the throne room. We took him back to
Helium with us, where he still lives, with his single rykor which we
found all but starved to death in the pits of Manator. But come! No
more questions now."

I accompanied him to the east arcade where the red dawn was glowing
beyond the arches.

"Good-bye!" he said.

"I can scarce believe that it is really you," I exclaimed. "Tomorrow I
will be sure that I have dreamed all this."

He laughed and drawing his sword scratched a rude cross upon the
concrete of one of the arches.

"If you are in doubt tomorrow," he said, "come and see if you dreamed
this."

A moment later he was gone.

JETAN, OR MARTIAN CHESS