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〃Komal；〃 muttered Jav。 〃He sprang upon me 。 。 。 and would have
devoured me but for the girl。 Then they went away together into the
woodthe girl and the great banth 。 。 。 her fingers twined in his tawny
mane。〃
〃Which way went they？〃 asked Carthoris。
〃There；〃 replied Jav faintly； 〃toward the passage through the cliffs。〃
The Prince of Helium waited to hear no more； but springing to his feet；
raced back again into the forest。
It was dawn when he reached the mouth of the dark tunnel that would
lead him to the other world beyond this valley of ghostly memories and
strange hypnotic influences and menaces。
Within the long； dark passages he met with no accident or obstacle；
coming at last into the light of day beyond the mountains； and no great
distance from the southern verge of the domains of the Torquasians； not
more than one hundred and fifty haad at the most。
From the boundary of Torquas to the city of Aaanthor is a distance of
some two hundred haads； so that the Heliumite had before him a journey
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of more than one hundred and fifty Earth miles between him and
Aaanthor。
He could at best but hazard a chance guess that toward Aaanthor
Thuvia would take her flight。 There lay the nearest water； and there
might be expected some day a rescuing party from her father's empire； for
Carthoris knew Thuvan Dihn well enough to know that he would leave no
stone unturned until he had tracked down the truth as to his daughter's
abduction； and learned all that there might be to learn of her whereabouts。
He realized； of course； that the trick which had laid suspicion upon
him would greatly delay the discovery of the truth； but little did he guess
to what vast proportions had the results of the villainy of Astok of Dusar
already grown。
Even as he emerged from the mouth of the passage to look across the
foothills in the direction of Aaanthor； a Ptarth battle fleet was winging its
majestic way slowly toward the twin cities of Helium； while from far
distant Kaol raced another mighty armada to join forces with its ally。
He did not know that in the face of the circumstantial evidence against
him even his own people had commenced to entertain suspicions that he
might have stolen the Ptarthian princess。
He did not know of the lengths to which the Dusarians had gone to
disrupt the friendship and alliance which existed between the three great
powers of the eastern hemisphereHelium； Ptarth and Kaol。
How Dusarian emissaries had found employment in important posts in
the foreign offices of the three great nations； and how； through these men；
messages from one jeddak to another were altered and garbled until the
patience and pride of the three rulers and former friends could no longer
endure the humiliations and insults contained in these falsified papersnot
any of this he knew。
Nor did he know how even to the last John Carter； Warlord of Mars；
had refused to permit the jeddak of Helium to declare war against either
Ptarth or Kaol； because of his implicit belief in his son； and that eventually
all would be satisfactorily explained。
And now two great fleets were moving upon Helium； while the
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Dusarian spies at the court of Tardos Mors saw to it that the twin cities
remained in ignorance of their danger。
War had been declared by Thuvan Dihn； but the messenger who had
been dispatched with the proclamation had been a Dusarian who had seen
to it that no word of warning reached the twin cities of the approach of a
hostile fleet。
For several days diplomatic relations had been severed between
Helium and her two most powerful neighbors； and with the departure of
the ministers had come a total cessation of wireless communication
between the disputants； as is usual upon Barsoom。
But of all this Carthoris was ignorant。 All that interested him at
present was the finding of Thuvia of Ptarth。 Her trail beside that of the
huge banth had been well marked to the tunnel； and was once more visible
leading southward into the foothills。
As he followed rapidly downward toward the dead sea… bottom； where
he knew he must lose the spoor in the resilient ochre vegetation； he was
suddenly surprised to see a naked man approaching him from the north…
east。
As the fellow drew closer； Carthoris halted to await his coming。 He
knew that the man was unarmed； and that he was apparently a Lotharian；
for his skin was white and his hair auburn。
He approached the Heliumite without sign of fear； and when quite
close called out the cheery Barsoomian 〃kaor〃 of greeting。
〃Who are you？〃 asked Carthoris。
〃I am Kar Komak； odwar of the bowmen；〃 replied the other。 〃A
strange thing has happened to me。 For ages Tario has been bringing me
into existence as he needed the services of the army of his mind。 Of all
the bowmen it has been Kar Komak who has been oftenest materialized。
〃For a long time Tario has been concentrating his mind upon my
permanent materialization。 It has been an obsession with him that some
day this thing could be accomplished and the future of Lothar assured。 He
asserted that matter was nonexistent except in the imagination of man
that all was mental； and so he believed that by persisting in his suggestion
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he could eventually make of me a permanent suggestion in the minds of
all creatures。 〃Yesterday he succeeded； but at such a time！ It must have
come all unknown to him； as it came to me without my knowledge； as；
with my horde of yelling bowmen； I pursued the fleeing Torquasians back
to their ochre plains。
〃As darkness settled and the time came for us to fade once more into
thin air； I suddenly found myself alone upon the edge of the great plain
which lies yonder at the foot of the low hills。
〃My men were gone back to the nothingness from which they had
sprung； but I remain