Page:Amazing Stories Volume 15 Number 10.djvu/75

Rh of the deathray boxes had been charged. Don and Vans made their way carefully back to the partition that separated them from the prisoners of Selketh.

Had the prisoners already been taken out? Don wondered. For some time there had not been a sound from beyond the partition. One glance through the partition showed the reason. The prisoners all lay in crumpled heaps on the floor.

"The fiends have killed them all," Don muttered.

Vans went swiftly through.

"They are not dead," he said. "Only unconscious. Nerve-stopping deathrays at half-strength have been played on them. Just a precaution in case they tried to get fresh when the monkeys came to take them out of here. Makes things awkward, Earthling."

"We'll have to fight our way out alone," Don said.

"That's the talk," said Vans, admiringly. "If you sat on my head and I put my hat on nobody would see you, but you're the goods."

Some careful work and straining helped the zekolo through the partition. Then Don, Martian and zekolo hid themselves among the unconscious figures.

The metal covers of the hold were opened. Two ape-men dropped down into the hold. The stalked eyes of a zekolo looked down, and its arms reached down for the unconscious bodies. Apparently the beast was used as a living crane. It either saw or smelled its fellow, and squawked a hoarse challenge to it to fight.

"Now or never!" Don thought. He swung his ray.

The two ape-men in the hold took the ray in the head. Their eyes closed as though they had gone to sleep, and they crumpled up. Meanwhile Vans' ray had caught the enemy zekolo, but the creature, sensing danger with the instinctive speed of an animal, jerked backward. They heard it fall in the water.

Don sprang to the gunwale. He had a confused impression of docks with tall buildings, machinery and many Martians, ape-men and zekolos. His swinging ray knocked men over everywhere. Many fell into the water or from the tops of high buildings.

The zekolo reared itself beside him, and two of its arms lifted out Vans Holors, who was too heavy to get out by himself without a ladder.

Don looked round.

On the bridge of the submarine stood Princess Wimpolo. Beside her was a lean, sardonic Martian dressed in royal robes with insignia that none but Usulor was entitled to wear in Mars.

He might have swung his deathray and brought down this royal Martian, but Wimpolo was so close to him that his ray would probably have struck her also.

For a moment his eyes met those of the Princess in recognition. He waved a hand, shouted, "I'll be back!" then dived into the water of the dock after Vans and the zekolo, just as a hundred deathrays stabbed out at him.

RINCESS WIMPOLO, first lady in Mars, was no coward. But she had been through a horrible experience. For a gently nurtured lady to be suddenly seized in her private rooms by a pack of foul-smelling, brutal beast-men was no joke. For a time it had seemed to her that she was delivered to a fate worse than death. She fought, useless as it was, until a clout on the side of the head from an open hairy hand knocked her dizzy.