READ THE NOVEL- Chapters 1-31 - ERBzine

Tarzan on Mars
sword in his attacker's back.
It all happened so quickly that he at first did not fully
realize what he had accomplished. Then his flushed, wrathful
countenance relaxed slowly into a rueful grin of triumph. Why
was it, he asked himself, that when a warrior accomplishes
the near impossible, there is never a witness to support his
story? By a miracle, he had slain three men in almost a single
maneuver. He knew it was such a thing as could never be
repeated. But there they were, all three of them, stone dead
on the floor.
Hastily, he wiped his swords in the hair of his last
victim's head—a more or less common practice on Barsoom,
since a warriors only clothing is the leather of his harness. He
sheathed the weapons and turned once again to the great
stone door of the secret chamber.
With trembling fingers, he released the hidden mechanism
which he had discovered on his previous visit, and as the
door swung slightly ajar, he grasped it with both hands and
heaved it wide open.
Inside, the light of a single, dim radium bulb revealed to
him the very woman he had desired—tall, lithe and beautiful,
with raven black hair. As she stood there, looking in blueeyed
amazement at him and at the dead men on the floor
behind him, he lost his voice. He had prepared a thousand
wonderful things to tell her, but now, in this magic moment,
it was as though time had stopped—and with it his heart and
his very breath.
By the gods, but she was beautiful!
What now, warrior?—he upbraided himself. So ardently
were you on the course to your cherished dreams that you
waded through flesh and blood to win this magic threshold!
What sorak's 10 blood is this in your veins that stays you
10 Sorak—A Martian lap pet, about the size of a cat
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