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placed a foot upon the control and stopped the ascent. He did not wish to chance
rising to some higher air current that would bear him away. Already the craft was
moving slowly toward the tower, carried thither by the impetus of the banth's
heavy body leaping upon it from astern.
The man watched the slow approach of the monster, the slavering jowls, the
malignant expression of the devilish face. The creature, finding the deck stable,
appeared to be gaining confidence, and then the man leaped suddenly to one side
of the deck and the tiny flier heeled as suddenly in response. The banth slipped
and clutched frantically at the deck. Gahan leaped in with his naked sword; the
great beast caught itself and reared upon its hind legs to reach forth and seize
this presumptuous mortal that dared question its right to the flesh it craved; and
then the man sprang to the opposite side of the deck. The banth toppled sideways
at the same instant that it attempted to spring; a raking talon passed close to
Gahan's head at the moment that his sword lunged through the savage heart,
and as the warrior wrenched his blade from the carcass it slipped silently over
the side of the ship.
A glance below showed that the vessel was drifting in the direction of the tower to
which Gahan had seen the prisoner led. In another moment or two it would be
directly over it. The man sprang to the control and let the craft drop quickly
toward the ground where followed the banths, still hot for their prey. To land
outside the enclosure spelled certain death, while inside he could see many forms
huddled upon the ground as in sleep. The ship floated now but a few feet above
the wall of the enclosure. There was nothing for it but to risk all on a bold bid for
fortune, or drift helplessly past without hope of returning through the banth-
infested valley, from many points of which he could now hear the roars and
growls of these fierce Barsoomian lions.
Slipping over the side Gahan descended by the trailing anchor-rope until his feet
touched the top of the wall, where he had no difficulty in arresting the slow
drifting of the ship. Then he drew up the anchor and lowered it inside the
enclosure. Still there was no movement upon the part of the sleepers beneath--
they lay as dead men. Dull lights shone from openings in the tower; but there was
no sign of guard or waking inmate. Clinging to the rope Gahan lowered himself
within the enclosure, where he had his first close view of the creatures lying there
in what he had thought sleep. With a half smothered exclamation of horror the
man drew back from the headless bodies of the rykors. At first he thought them
the corpses of decapitated humans like himself, which was quite bad enough; but
when he saw them move and realized that they were endowed with life, his horror
and disgust became even greater.
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