such a one exists.'
I looked down at her. 'If such a one exists,' I mused, but she interrupted my meditation with a question.
'Shall we fight or run, Hadron of Hastor?' she demanded.
'I should prefer to fight and die,' I replied, 'but I must think of you, Tavia.'
'Then we shall remain and fight,' she said; 'but Hadron, you must not die.'
There was a note of reproach in her tone that did not escape me and I was ashamed of myself for having seemed to forget the great debt that I owed her for her friendship.
'I am sorry,' I said. 'Tavia, I could not wish to die while you live.'
'That is better,' she said. 'How shall we fight? Shall I stand upon your right or upon your left?'
'You shall stand behind me, Tavia,' I told her. 'While my hand can hold a sword, you will need no other defense.'
'A long time ago, after we first met,' she said, 'you told me that we should be comrades in arms. That means that we fight together, shoulder to shoulder, or back to back. I hold you to your word, Tan Hadron of Hastor.'
I smiled, and, though I felt that I could fight better alone than with a woman at my side, I admired her courage. 'Very well,' I said; 'fight at my right, for thus you will be between two swords.'
The three upon our trail had approached us so closely by this time that I could discern what manner of creatures they were and I saw before me naked savages with tangled, unkempt hair, filthy bodies and degraded faces. The wild light in their eyes, their snarling lips exposing yellow fangs, their stealthy, slinking carriage gave them more the appearance of wild beasts than men.
They were armed with swords which they carried in their hands, having neither harness nor scabbard. They halted at a short distance from us, eyeing us hungrily, and doubtless they were hungry for their flabby bellies suggested that they went often empty and were then gorged when meat fell to their lot in sufficient quantities. Tonight these three had hoped to gorge themselves; I could see it in their eyes. They whispered together in low tones for a few minutes and then they separated to rush us from different points simultaneously.
'We'll carry the battle to them, Tavia,' I whispered. 'When they have taken their positions around us, I shall give the word and then I shall rush the one in front of me and try to dispatch him before the others can set upon us. Keep close beside me so that they cannot cut you off.'
'Shoulder to shoulder until the end,' she said.
Fifteen. THE BATTLE OF JAHAR
Glancing across my shoulder I saw that the two circling to our rear were already further away from us than he who stood facing us and realizing that the unexpectedness of our act would greatly enhance the chances of success, I gave the word.
'Now, Tavia,' I whispered, and together we leaped forward at a run straight for the naked savage facing us.
It was evident that he had not expected this and it was also evident that he was a slow-witted beast, for as he saw us coming his lower jaw dropped and he just stood there, waiting to receive us; whereas if he had had any intelligence he would have fallen back to give his fellows time to attack us from the rear.
As our swords crossed I heard a savage growl from behind, such a growl as might issue from the throat of a wild beast. From the corner of my eye I saw Tavia glance back and then before I could realize what she intended, she sprang forward and ran her sword through the body of the man in front of me as he lunged at me with his own weapon, and now, wheeling together, we faced the other two who were running rapidly toward us and I can assure you that it was with a feeling of infinite relief that I realized that the odds were no longer so greatly against us.
As the two engaged us, I was handicapped at first by the necessity of constantly keeping an eye upon Tavia, but not for long.
In an instant I realized that a master hand was wielding that blade. Its point wove in and out past the clumsy guard of the savage and I knew, and I guessed he must have sensed, that his life lay in the hollow of the little hand that gripped the hilt. Then I turned my attention to my own antagonist.
These were not the best swordsmen that I have ever met, but they were far from being poor swordsmen. Their defense, however, far excelled their offense and this, I think, was due to two things, natural cowardice and the fact that they usually hunted in packs, which far outnumbered the quarry. Thus a good defense only was required, since the death blow might always be struck from behind by a companion of the one who engaged the quarry from in front.
Never before had I seen a woman fight and I should have thought that I should have been chagrined to have one fighting at my side, but instead I felt a strange thrill that was partly pride and partly something else that I could not analyze.
At first, I think, the fellow facing Tavia did not realize that she was a woman, but he must have soon as the scant harness of Barsoom hides little and certainly did not hide the rounded contours of Tavia's girlish body. Perhaps, therefore, it was surprise that was his undoing, or possibly when he discovered her sex he became overconfident, but at any rate Tavia slipped her point into his heart just an instant before I finished my man.
I cannot say that we were greatly elated over our victory. Each of us felt compassion for the poor creatures who had been reduced to their horrid state by the tyranny of cruel Tul Axtar, but it had been their lives or ours and we were glad it had not been ours.
As a matter of precaution I took a quick look about us as the last of our antagonists fell and I was glad that I had, for I immediately discerned three creatures crouching at the top of a low hill not far distant.
'We are not done yet, Tavia,' I said. 'Look!' and pointed in the direction of the three.
'Perhaps they do not care to share the fate of their fellows,' she said. 'They are not approaching.'
'They can have peace if they want it as far as I am concerned,' I said. 'Come, let us go on. If they follow us, then will be time enough to consider them.'
As we walked on toward the north we glanced back occasionally and presently we saw the three rise and come down the hill toward the bodies of their slain fellows, and as they did so we saw that they were women and that they were unarmed.
When they realized that we were departing and had no intention of attacking them, they broke into a run and, uttering loud, uncanny shrieks, raced madly toward the corpses.
'How pathetic,' said Tavia sadly. 'Even these poor degraded creatures possess human emotions. They, too, can feel sorrow at the loss of loved ones.'
'Yes,' I said. 'Poor things, I am sorry for them.'
Fearing that in the frenzy of their grief they might attempt to avenge their fallen mates, we kept a close eye upon them or we might not have witnessed the horrid sequel of the fray. I wish that we had not.
When the three women reached the corpses they fell upon them, but not with weeping and lamentation- they fell upon them to devour them.
Sickened, we turned away and walked rapidly toward the north until long after darkness had descended.
We felt that there was little danger of attack at night since there were no savage beasts in a country where there was nothing to support them and also that it was reasonable to assume that the hunting men would be abroad by day rather than by night, since at night they would be far less able to find quarry or follow it.
I suggested to Tavia that we rest for a short time and then push on for the balance of the night, find a place of concealment early in the day and remain there until night had fallen again, as I was sure that if we followed this plan we would make better time and suffer less exhaustion by traveling through the cool hours of darkness and at the same time would greatly minimize the danger of discovery and attack by whatever hostile people lay between us and Gathol.
Tavia agreed with me and so we rested for a short time, taking turns at sleeping and watching.
Later we pushed on and I am sure that we covered a great distance before dawn, though the high hills to
